The New York Times reported “Many Flee Homes to Escape `Gas Raid From Mars’–Phone Calls Swamp Police at Broadcast of Wells Fantasy” and the story of the hoax is firmly embedded in the history books. But the reports of streets full of panicked citizens don’t hold up to scrutiny. There’s only one problem: The supposed…
@ZCharisma On my blog I said my wife usually gives me nerdy DVDs (e.g. Mazes & Monsters), so I expect she’ll give me Zero Charisma one day. Similar:It's been nice knowing you, iPad3 It’s been nice knowing you, iPad3, but…TweetsShe doesn't have keys or a phone or an ID. Why does my tween need a…
My student journos were given one class period to film, edit, and publish a 2-min TV news story. Speed journalism! blogs.setonhill.edu/el200-2013-fa/… Similar:I asked my geekling whether she was ready for bed…I asked my #geekling whether she was rea…AmusingTweet: For an anatomy project, my #geekling made a Vulcan…For an anatomy project, my #geekling mad…TweetsMaybe I'll just…
@ZCharisma Oh, now I feel bad. Similar:Jury Duty UpdateI’m a happy, responsible, and no-longer-…GovernmentDesert 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 is Moodle still so ugly?"Moodle…
What can parents do to minimize their children’s risk of being hurt or killed by poison or sharp objects in Halloween candy? How many children would you say die each year from eating poisoned candy (or candy with razor blades and such) each Halloween? Just two or three? Maybe only one every few years? In…
My wife usually gives me nerd-themed DVDs as gifts, so I probably won’t make any effort to see this movie on my own. Still, I’m glad to know someone has made a movie that touches on the hipsterization of nerd culture, and I enjoyed reading the well-written review. Like lots of apologists and upholders of…
It: nailed. xkcd: Headlines. Similar:Darkest Hour (2017)I’m not a huge fan of war movies, but my…CultureJames Goodwin Clonney: Mother's WatchThis painting, of two impish children ta…AestheticsPa. agency explains why it enacted new 'no force-on-force rule' for Bushy Run, other sitesAttending the re-enactment of the Battle…CultureOops. I’m going to bed now. I’ll fix it tomorrow.Oops. I’m…
…she’s pretending to be “Spock in a Tree on Omicron Ceti III.” Similar:For the record, if I should happen to be murdered by someone with a gun… For the record, if I should happen to …Current_EventsMaking more retro props for a #blender3d project. The way to get better at a thing is to d…PersonalShe feels…
The observation car Pearl sings of her love for Rusty, in the “Like ‘Cats’ but with Trains” show “Starlight Express.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ma4FusuIgSM By the way, that’s a Star Wars Stormtrooper outfit, with pink accents added by my wife. Post by Stage Right. Similar:Wonderfully Detailed Tribute to 1970s British TV Show Space: 1999″A middle aged geek”…
Back in my grad school days, I was called a “run-of-the-mill programmer” by a brilliant IT genius. For a guy whose only computer coursework consists of a Pascal class in high school (“taught” by a math teacher who didn’t know the language, and checked my answers against those in the teacher’s manual), I still consider…
King Henry rallies his troops just before the decisive Battle of Agincourt. From this day to the ending of the world, But we in it shall be remembered- We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he to-day that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile,…
RT @textfiles: Hi internet. In another few minutes I go onstage to point everyone to archive.org/details/histor… and hopefully computer history … Similar:My Minecraft-obsessed tween made this blocky foam pig at art camp. Next up: Stage Right summer musical th…AestheticsRT @DDeClaudio: Who do you think controls the news…RT @DDeClaudio: Who do you think control…TweetsParallel structure in…
Not my item, but the pathos caught my eye. Similar:I may have mentioned that I have a daughter who does things. Her next is "To Battle: A Fig…Tickets for To Battle: A Fight Play AmusingSuspicions (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season 6, Episode 22) Crusher narrates murder-mystery …Rewatching ST:TNG A defeated-looking …PopCultCNN Holds Morning Meeting To Decide…
Seriously: What is Amazon? A retail company? A media company? A logistics machine? The mystery of its strategy is deepened by two factors. First is the company’s communications department, which famously excels at not communicating. Three requests to speak with Amazon officials for this article were delayed and, inevitably, declined. This moves discussions of the…
Tween: “My friends say Bieber’s a jerk now.” Me: “It’s hard when your idols fall.” Tween: “That’s why I don’t have any. Except for you.” Similar:Former student: "I remember sometimes being annoyed with all of our blogging assignments, …A third alum in the last few weeks has c…AcademiaMy Minecraft-obsessed tween made this blocky foam pig at art…
A new Emily Dickinson archive is online. Here is the opening of one of her most famous poems. Reading View for Fascicle 23. Similar:Empty InboxMy to-do do list and my “Follow Up” fold…CybercultureAI is better at writing poems than you’d expect. But that’s fine. Even the most rebellious poets follow …CultureTimeline of Donald J. Trump's…
My wonderfully geeky tween made these Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde pendants with her Rainbow Loom. Next on her list: making Pac-Man. Similar:Did you put enough donuts in the elevator shaft of your #steampunk #neovictorian cruiser t…https://youtu.be/lSgv5L0sXtc &nbs…AestheticsI know that look.This was my 9yo today. She doesn’…AmusingThree-dimenstional PrintersA new generation of three-dimensional pr…Design"She even disgraces…
Have you heard the story about the lady who spilled coffee on herself and won millions of dollars from McDonald’s? Have you looked up the details on the story, or do you just know the story as a TV show punch line? Stella became a symbol for frivolous lawsuits and fodder for talk show hosts,…
Reporters have been sometimes fired for willful misconduct, such as repeated instances of plagiarism or fabrication. Reporters who’ve suffered that fate, such as the New York Times’ Jayson Blair and The Washington Post’s Janet Cooke, were guilty of gross journalistic malpractice. But firing a reporter over an unintentional mistake is “extremely rare,” said Scott Maier,…
I’m getting ready to introduce my freshman writing students to college-level research, so I found it helpful to read this brief introduction to the internal problems Wikipedia creates for itself. When a major news event takes place, such as the Boston Marathon bombings, complex, widely sourced entries spring up within hours and evolve by the…