Portrait of a Ten-Year-Old Girl

This thoughtful article demonstrates how to use colorful details to keep a reader engaged enough to absorb statistics and trends. What could be just an amusing slice of a Canadian girl’s life of carpools, playdates, and self-invention becomes a launching point for social commentary. The author does refer to herself, but deliberately, selectively; to serve…

My son showed me #PacificRim.

My son showed me #PacificRim. Liked the child actress in the flashback. Enjoyed the feuding scientists. The rest? Flashy, soulless CGI. Similar:Enjoying a visit with an Austrian imperial commander (ahistorically but magnificently pres…Enjoying a visit with an Austrian imperi…PersonalCombating Fake News: An Agenda for Research and ActionFake news is frustrating. Nothing new th…CultureA full minute…

Conflict Strategies for Nice People

Nothing to do with Christmas… just thinking about the upcoming group projects due in my online J-Term course. I should also probably re-read some Dale Carnegie, which I do every few years. Teams need conflict to function effectively. Conflict allows the team to come to terms with difficult situations, to synthesize diverse perspectives, and to…

What’s wrong with the way I talk?

Wife & daughter competing w each other to imitate brassy actress from Singing in the Rain. “Whaat’s wrong wit’ da way I taawk?” #pleasestop Similar:Above the ready-room desk is the captain's power-napping loft, because self-care is i…AestheticsLintels and chimneys for low-poly buildings in a #medievaltheater simulation project. #mys…Lintels and chimneys for low-poly buildi…PersonalOver the years…

Merry Christmas 2013

Similar:If Wishes Were Horses (#StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch, Season 1, Episode 16) Hallucinations become…Rewatching ST:DS9 Quark tries to inte…CultureOh that sweet, sweet feeling of progress.PersonalYesterday my wife took this last known picture of our two teenagers. The boy is 20 today.PersonalIn July 1999, I was blogging about Dante's ashes, Apollo 11, gender-neutral language, and …In July,…

Theory Trading Cards

This set of 21 Theory Trading Cards, published by AltaMira Press, is based upon the online trading cards which have been so popular at David Gauntletts website www.theory.org.uk. Being actual cards, these are two-sided and contain more information; and whereas the online cards were only an official set of 12, for the published version, 21 new…

RT @Historiator: “@dancohen: Finally upgraded to O…

RT @Historiator: “@dancohen: Finally upgraded to OS X 10.9. It feels like a Borges story about OS X 10.8.” @MikeArnzen @DennisJerz Similar:RT @PhilKomarny: A floppy disc… In #context htt…RT @PhilKomarny: A floppy disc… In #co…TweetsDesert Bus: The Worst Video Game Ever CreatedPenn and Teller are involved with this s…BooksJudge: Apple conspired to fix eBook prices.Judge:…

RT @Rhymestyle: First leaked photo from the set of…

RT @Rhymestyle: First leaked photo from the set of Star Wars Episode VII http://t.co/xji8x9J5zL Similar:In Defense Of Metaphors In Science WritingWe live in an elegant universe. The c…CultureI asked my geekling whether she was ready for bed…I asked my #geekling whether she was rea…AmusingHabits for happiness: tips for looking on the bright side of lifeHabits…

RT @Historiator: Nicely balanced, real-time post m…

RT @Historiator: Nicely balanced, real-time post mortem on last night’s Twitter event. @DennisJerz @PhilKomarny @magawelek http://t.co/IwQ0… Similar:Overheard at Quora: "Why after all these years is Moodle still so ugly?"Moodle is a free course-management tool …AcademiaJudge: Apple conspired to fix eBook prices.Judge: Apple conspired to fix eBook pric…Books10 Rules of Internet – Anil DashA very useful,…

RT @PhilKomarny: @Historiator @DennisJerz @magawel…

RT @PhilKomarny: @Historiator @DennisJerz @magawelek Glad that it ended with some donations to @AidforAfrica justinesacco.com Similar:Overheard at Quora: "Why after all these years is Moodle still so ugly?"Moodle is a free course-management tool …Academia10 Rules of Internet – Anil DashA very useful, concise summary of web-en…BusinessMy Minecraft-obsessed tween made this blocky foam pig at art…

A Word About Group Projects

Okay, students… who loves group projects! Let’s hear it for group projects! (Crickets… crickets…) Okay employers… who puts “Ability to work in a team” at the top of a Forbes Magazine list of 10 skills employers say they seek in new hires? Employers: (cheering wildly) We do! We do! Here are the 10 skills employers say they seek,…

Why NORAD Tracks Santa

The call had come in on one of the top secret lines inside CONAD that only rang in the case of a crisis. Grabbing the phone, Shoup must have expected the worst. Instead, a tiny voice asked, “Is this Santa Claus?” “Dads pretty annoyed,” said Terri Van Keuren, Shoups daughter, recalling the legend of that…

I Made a Cheerful Maze Game in Scratch

Well, it’s cheerful unless you touch something red AND DIE. Similar:Text Adventure Geeks Rejoice: Major Inform7 UpdateI have final grades, an annual report, a…Current_EventsSportsWorks Adventure at the Carnegie Science CenterI confess that I have never been all tha…CultureVintage Freebies for DesignersI wish I had time for cool stuff like th…AestheticsIn November 1999, I was blogging…

I made a cheerful maze game in Scratch. It’s cheer…

I made a cheerful maze game in Scratch. It’s cheerful unless you touch something read AND DIE. scratch.mit.edu/projects/14908… made w/ Scratch Similar:It's been nice knowing you, iPad3 It’s been nice knowing you, iPad3, but…TweetsIn Defense Of Metaphors In Science WritingWe live in an elegant universe. The c…CultureI asked my geekling whether she was ready for…

RT @Historiator: Please note @PhilKomarny @magawel…

RT @Historiator: Please note @PhilKomarny @magawelek @VissatMaureen “@HistoricalPics: All this technology is making us antisocial. http://t… Similar:Jury Duty UpdateI’m a happy, responsible, and no-longer-…GovernmentShe doesn't have keys or a phone or an ID. Why does my tween need a purse?To stash her Lemonheads and Smarties. ht…AmusingAnd the girl has succeeded in getting me to wear…

Nerd-buddies

“He likes Lord of the Rings, Star Wars *and* Star Trek!!” — my nerdling daughter, eyes shining, about a new friend. Similar:A Christmas Carol (WAOB Audio Theatre)I had a great time a couple years ago re…CultureI really enjoyed powering through Wilson’s Century Cycle during winter term.Awesome'Arrival' Is Smart, Stylish Sci-Fi About Language, Not Laser BeamsThe…