I love books. I love smelling them, touching them, stacking them, unwrapping the plastic from a new purchase, and cracking the spine when I’m halfway through a hardback. (My wife *hates it* when I crack a spine). I love books. I love downloading them, searching them, copying-and-pasting passages, reading them to my kids at night…
Scholars and people who are activists for disability rights have spent a lot of energy in the last decades showing that disability is not about the state of a human body; it’s about the built environment, structures, and institutions that make life possible and meaningful—or conversely, impossible and meager—for certain kinds of bodies and minds.…
@cjprender @readywriting Compared to what? Similar:Tweet: Came around the corner and saw my kids huddled on…Came around the corner and saw my kids h…TweetsWhat kids do when Dad won't hand over the iPod So I’m not being selfish… this is …EducationParallel Structure vs. Faulty ParallelismI just touched up a handout on Parallel …HumanitiesRT @JordanFor: One…
RT @samplereality: Push the button Frank. Similar:Proto iPads and Paper Coexist in Classic Star TrekRewatching the classic Trek episode “The…CybercultureLoved seeing A Comedy of Errors @setonhillLoved seeing A Comedy of Errors @setonhi…TweetsRT @JordanFor: One of the counters from the Civil…RT @JordanFor: One of the counters from …TweetsAnd the girl has succeeded in getting me to…
RT @goudyliv84: “Make it so, make it so, make it so.” #StarTrek #Christmas youtube.com/watch?v=oiSn2J… @DennisJerz Similar:Hello, there, mini.Hello, there, mini. Let’s restore you fr…TweetsIn Defense Of Metaphors In Science WritingWe live in an elegant universe. The c…CultureMy Minecraft-obsessed tween made this blocky foam pig at art camp. Next up: Stage Right summer musical th…AestheticsCarolyn Gombell…
RT @CordeliaLogan: @DennisJerz If you are not watching the Ron Burgundy press conference, you are missing out on real journalism. http://t.… Similar:My Minecraft-obsessed tween made this blocky foam pig at art camp. Next up: Stage Right summer musical th…Aesthetics10 Rules of Internet – Anil DashA very useful, concise summary of web-en…BusinessRT @DDeClaudio: Who do you…
Good article on Catching Fire. (I haven’t seen the movie yet, but I like this analysis.) The personal is political because there is no personal. There is no private realm to retreat into. Haymitch tells Katniss and Peeta that they will never get off the train – meaning that the reality TV parts they are…
Facebook wants you to see more serious news, and fewer meme photos. Of all the posts your friends create and share, soon your news feed will be less likely to show you “a meme photo hosted somewhere other than Facebook,” and more likely to show you a news story your friends have commented on. Facebook…
The article-as-numbered-list has several features that make it inherently captivating: the headline catches our eye in a stream of content; it positions its subject within a preëxisting category and classification system, like “talented animals”; it spatially organizes the information; and it promises a story that’s finite, whose length has been quantified upfront. Together, these create…
I’m nerdy enough to give my 15yo a used copy of “The Hero with a Thousand Faces.” He’s halfway through it now. (Nerd kids are awesome kids.) Similar:Could We Just Lose the Adverb (Already)?I can’t really get myself that worked up…CultureI broke the garage door when I left for work this morning. Fixed it when…
I love me a good Amazon mock review. Here are several. From scientific miracles to literary criticism, by way of bodily functions and failures of common sense. Many moons ago, I wrote about the art of the humorous Amazon review as a modern masterpiece of parodic genius, embodying Arthur Koestler’s seminal “bisociation” theory of how…
I would never have chosen to watch “Cowboys and Aliens” but it was surprisingly enjoyable. Similar:RT @JordanFor: One of the counters from the Civil…RT @JordanFor: One of the counters from …TweetsFormer student: "I remember sometimes being annoyed with all of our blogging assignments, …A third alum in the last few weeks has c…AcademiaOverheard at Quora: "Why after…
RT @dloehr: 12yr: “Those Muppets are lip-synching.” Similar:Yes, I do feel rather awesome right now.Lost brand-new earbuds. Reached in pocke…PersonalMaybe I'll just delete these QUARTER OF A MILLION spam comments.Not kidding — 254,460 spam comments in …CybercultureParallel structure in writing: Use it!These comic panels cover the issue well….HumanitiesFormer student: "I remember sometimes being annoyed with…
RT @mkirschenbaum: Can’t see them well enough to read, but guy sitting next to me is typing out short, broken lines of text. Tempted to ask… Similar:Classroom collaboration marketplaceWhile I am uncomfortable with the whole …BusinessAnd the girl has succeeded in getting me to wear t…And the girl has succeeded in getting me…TweetsRT @PhilKomarny: A…
Faculty who need to publish for professional reasons can be motivated for reasons other than a royalty check, so this sounds like a good idea. The Affordable College Textbook Act, introduced by Durbin and Franken this month, aims to lower book costs by promoting the use of open-source textbooks. Open books, as defined by the…
Once, someone really cared about these old periodicals. The bound copies have been weeded out of my school library. Post by Dennis G. Jerz. Similar:A Christmas Carol (WAOB Audio Theatre)Marley was dead. (I voice the narrato…BooksHow exactly do bridges bridge? How do rivers rive? How much detail does my model of #medie…How exactly do bridges…
I expect my English majors not to balk when I ask them to learn new software. One good way to learn is to shadow someone who already knows it well. Even better, work with a classmate who’s just a step or two ahead — that way they can both learn together. In my “News Writing”…
“Goddammit, I don’t know what to do!” Obama said, banging his hands in frustration against a wall of binary as the entire healthcare.gov mainframe suddenly froze, forcing all previously flowing lines of code to come to a complete standstill. “I can’t fix this! Get me out of this place!” “Please! Just get me out of…
Descriptive grammarians rejoice. Formal written English is not the only legitimate form of the language, and the rules of formal written English don’t apply in all situations. Sure, it’s useful to know when to use who and whom, but it’s probably more useful to know that saying To whom did you give the book? in…
On the Civil War battlefield where President Abraham Lincoln gave a speech that symbolized his presidency and the sacrifices made by Union and Confederate forces, thousands gathered Tuesday, historians and everyday Americans alike, to ponder what the Gettysburg Address has meant to the nation. —The Washington Post. Similar:Slate: "Police Erupt in Violence Nationwide" | Notice…