If we are really wanting to help these kids that might be coming from poor situations, we need to rethink the practices that we already have in our schools to provide for them. For example, many schools have “computer labs” where we take kids once or twice a week, to do something with technology or allow them…
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:In Defense Of Metaphors In Science WritingWe live in an elegant universe. The c…CultureHabits for happiness: tips for looking on the bright side of lifeHabits for happiness: tips for looking o…PersonalMaybe I'll just delete these QUARTER OF A MILLION spam comments.Not kidding — 254,460 spam comments in …CybercultureLoved seeing A…
RT @samplereality: Push the button Frank. Similar:It's been nice knowing you, iPad3 It’s been nice knowing you, iPad3, but…TweetsDesert Bus: The Worst Video Game Ever CreatedPenn and Teller are involved with this s…BooksTweet: For an anatomy project, my #geekling made a Vulcan…For an anatomy project, my #geekling mad…TweetsOverheard at Quora: "Why after all these years…
RT @goudyliv84: “Make it so, make it so, make it so.” #StarTrek #Christmas youtube.com/watch?v=oiSn2J… @DennisJerz 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…AmusingHow hate and misinformation go viral: A case study of a Trump retweetOn Sunday night, President Donald Trump…
RT @CordeliaLogan: @DennisJerz If you are not watching the Ron Burgundy press conference, you are missing out on real journalism. http://t.… Similar:10 Rules of Internet – Anil DashA very useful, concise summary of web-en…BusinessI asked my geekling whether she was ready for bed…I asked my #geekling whether she was rea…AmusingIn Defense Of Metaphors In Science…
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:Elementary, Dear Data (TNG Rewatch: Season 2, Episode 3) When a holodeck bet spawns a fict…Rewatching Star Trek: The Next Generatio…Amusing31 Undeniable Truths That Journalism Majors Can All…
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:Former student: "I remember sometimes being annoyed with all of our blogging assignments, …A third alum in the last few weeks has c…AcademiaI asked my geekling whether she was ready for bed…I asked my #geekling whether she was rea…AmusingJury Duty UpdateI’m a…
RT @dloehr: 12yr: “Those Muppets are lip-synching.” Similar:Parallel structure in writing: Use it!These comic panels cover the issue well….HumanitiesI'm no longer surprised, but still want to document.This is really noteworthy. Today the Pre…Current_EventsHello, there, mini.Hello, there, mini. Let’s restore you fr…TweetsTweet: For an anatomy project, my #geekling made a Vulcan…For an anatomy project, my #geekling…
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:And the girl has succeeded in getting me to wear t…And the girl has succeeded in getting me…TweetsOverheard at Quora: "Why after all these years is Moodle still so…
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:In June, 2001 it seems I only blogged three times…I’m not sure what else I was doing durin…AmusingParallels (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season 7, Episode 11) Worf gets technobabbled into a ti……
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…