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:Inheritance (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season 7, Episode 10) Data's mom talks a lot, young …Rewatching ST:TNG Within minutes of hea…EmpathyPhantasms (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season 7, Episode 6) Data's Trippy Dreams; Riker's Brai…Rewatching ST:TNG Data…

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:They're coming in faster than I can mark them. This number will be higher tonight, so I'm …PersonalOne strategic twist-tie, and my bedside cable-tangles are a distant memory.PersonalIn Defense of DistractionIf…

Merry Christmas 2013

Similar:Candlemas, by John Henry Newman (read by Dennis Jerz for WAOB Audio Theater)I enjoyed reading this short John Henry …CultureSomeone I know very well is in the trailer for Midnight (2020)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5BczlGs…CultureJesus Christ SuperstarI have a daughter who does things. Her n…CultureLine breaks are really, really importantI’m sure that whoever wrote this headlin…Current_EventsJohn Speed’s 1611 map…

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:Desert Bus: The Worst Video Game Ever CreatedPenn and Teller are involved with this s…BooksClassroom collaboration marketplaceWhile I am uncomfortable with the whole …BusinessOverheard at Quora: "Why after all these years is Moodle still…

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:RT @DDeClaudio: Who do you think controls the news…RT @DDeClaudio: Who do you think control…TweetsI'm no longer surprised, but still want to document.This is really noteworthy. Today the Pre…Current_Events10 Rules of Internet – Anil DashA very useful, concise summary of web-en…BusinessParallel…

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:She doesn't have keys or a phone or an ID. Why does my tween need a purse?To stash her Lemonheads and Smarties. ht…AmusingParallel structure in writing: Use it!These comic panels cover the issue well….HumanitiesHabits for happiness: tips for looking…

RT @PhilKomarny: @Historiator @DennisJerz @magawel…

RT @PhilKomarny: @Historiator @DennisJerz @magawelek Glad that it ended with some donations to @AidforAfrica justinesacco.com Similar:Judge: Apple conspired to fix eBook prices.Judge: Apple conspired to fix eBook pric…BooksParallel Structure vs. Faulty ParallelismI just touched up a handout on Parallel …HumanitiesParallel structure in writing: Use it!These comic panels cover the issue well….HumanitiesLoved seeing A Comedy of…

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:Diana Kimball on "What Scares Us About Programming?"A few months old, but still interesting:…AcademiaThe bots are coming. And they have poems.  Yet in a circle pallid as it f…CybercultureBother (a minor Turnitin.com grademark bug)That whole thing should be a link — the…AcademiaA pie slice from…

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:How hate and misinformation go viral: A case study of a Trump retweetOn Sunday night, President Donald Trump …AcademiaI asked my geekling whether she was ready for bed…I asked my #geekling whether she was…