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:The Hut Where the Internet Began – Atlantic MobileLet’s start at the end point: what you’r…CyberculturePrimeStage's 1984: "It was very true to the book," says Peter.Five of us went to see PrimeStage’s 1984…BooksMy too-big…

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:Who is the more dramatic — my extroverted tween or my philosophical teen?Stoked from a morning show-choir perform…AmusingIn-home schooling popularity slipping across stateWe were on our way out the door to…

Merry Christmas 2013

Similar:Kirk's manly, sensitive advice to young CharlieIn popular culture, Captain Kirk from th…CultureArsenal of Freedom (TNG Rewatch, Season 1, Episode 21)With an A-plot that comments on the Cold…CultureYou come very close to successfully combining argument and explication here… I recently came across a box of old wr…Academia"A Mushroom at Last… A Mushroom Forever"I asked my…

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:My Minecraft-obsessed tween made this blocky foam pig at art camp. Next up: Stage Right summer musical th…AestheticsShe doesn't have keys or a phone or an ID. Why does my tween need a purse?To…

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:Tweet: Came around the corner and saw my kids huddled on…Came around the corner and saw my kids h…Tweets10 Rules of Internet – Anil DashA very useful, concise summary of web-en…BusinessHow hate and misinformation go viral: A case study of a…

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:It's been nice knowing you, iPad3 It’s been nice knowing you, iPad3, but…TweetsMaybe I'll just delete these QUARTER OF A MILLION spam comments.Not kidding — 254,460 spam comments in …CybercultureHow hate and misinformation go viral: A case study of…

RT @PhilKomarny: @Historiator @DennisJerz @magawel…

RT @PhilKomarny: @Historiator @DennisJerz @magawelek Glad that it ended with some donations to @AidforAfrica justinesacco.com Similar:Jury Duty UpdateI’m a happy, responsible, and no-longer-…GovernmentMaybe I'll just delete these QUARTER OF A MILLION spam comments.Not kidding — 254,460 spam comments in …CybercultureI'm no longer surprised, but still want to document.This is really noteworthy. Today the Pre…Current_EventsHello, there,…

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:Those mean fake news people at the Washington Post are at it again, this time publishing a…Those mean fake news people at the Washi…CultureThe News from Ferguson – Live, on Twitter[I]t turns out that Twitter is not just …AcademiaHow My Mom Killed Facebook Lest you…

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:Maybe I'll just delete these QUARTER OF A MILLION spam comments.Not kidding — 254,460 spam comments in …CybercultureOverheard at Quora: "Why after all these years is Moodle still so ugly?"Moodle is a free course-management…

RT @Historiator: Please note @PhilKomarny @magawel…

RT @Historiator: Please note @PhilKomarny @magawelek @VissatMaureen “@HistoricalPics: All this technology is making us antisocial. http://t… Similar:My Minecraft-obsessed tween made this blocky foam pig at art camp. Next up: Stage Right summer musical th…AestheticsWhat kids do when Dad won't hand over the iPod So I’m not being selfish… this is …EducationRT @PhilKomarny: A floppy disc……

Nerd-buddies

“He likes Lord of the Rings, Star Wars *and* Star Trek!!” — my nerdling daughter, eyes shining, about a new friend. Similar:More 18th Century fun @fortligonierMore 18th Century fun @fortligonierPersonalIt's Not Cool to Overreact: How Normalcy Bias Will Define Our FutureDuring moments of crisis, I’ve certainly…CultureWhy Japanese Kids Can Walk to School Alone It’s a…