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:Proto iPads and Paper Coexist in Classic Star TrekRewatching the classic Trek episode “The…CybercultureJury Duty UpdateI’m a happy, responsible, and no-longer-…GovernmentI'm no longer surprised, but still want to…
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:Loved 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 …TweetsTweet: For an anatomy project, my #geekling…
@ZCharisma Oh, now I feel bad. Similar:Tweet: For an anatomy project, my #geekling made a Vulcan…For an anatomy project, my #geekling mad…TweetsParallel Structure vs. Faulty ParallelismI just touched up a handout on Parallel …HumanitiesRT @JordanFor: One of the counters from the Civil…RT @JordanFor: One of the counters from …TweetsCarolyn Gombell Is Not a Real Person:…
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:Will Journalism Be a Crime in a Second Trump Administration?Journalism is not a crime. It’s not …CultureThe intelligence coup of the century: For decades, the CIA read the encrypted communicatio… The Swiss firm made millions of dollar…CultureElementary, Dear Data (TNG Rewatch: Season 2, Episode 3) When a holodeck bet spawns a…
…she’s pretending to be “Spock in a Tree on Omicron Ceti III.” Similar:My #Blender3D set design for a Zoom-based production of Rossum's Universal Robots, which I…I’ve loved this 1920s play for almost 30…AestheticsDelighted, amused, touched, and quite frankly weirded out (so… many… puppets…) by @t…PersonalA Brazilian couple bought a deforested ranch and spent decades planting…
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:Another lovely variation of a #steampunk control panel. #blender3dart #neovictorian #desig…AestheticsWorked a short…
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: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…BusinessRT @JordanFor: One of…
Not my item, but the pathos caught my eye. Similar:First time visiting the Point. Listening to Quantum's 10 for 21 (audio adaptation of the D…My first time visiting the Point. Listen…CultureThe Feynman TechniqueTo master a topic, pretend you are teach…DesignMy brother set my parents up for a Mother's Day video call.AmusingDax (#StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch, Season…
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:I asked my geekling whether she was ready for bed…I asked my #geekling whether she was rea…AmusingRT @JordanFor: One of the counters from the Civil…RT @JordanFor: One of the counters…
A new Emily Dickinson archive is online. Here is the opening of one of her most famous poems. Reading View for Fascicle 23. Similar:The Tyranny of Now (Appreciation of Harold Innis)As a grad student at the University of T…CultureThis 8-Year-Old Chess Champion Will Make You SmileIn a homeless shelter in Manhattan, an 8…CultureWhy Hoboken is…
My wonderfully geeky tween made these Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde pendants with her Rainbow Loom. Next on her list: making Pac-Man. Similar:Opinion: A deceptively edited video of Joe Biden signals what’s coming (Washington Post)Critical thinking skills and basic textu…AcademiaMy precious is fifteen. PersonalKids Actually Read the Books That Movies Are Based OnIf the seasonal fluctuation…
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…