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…CybercultureJuror's CreedWhile researching my obligations for #ju…CultureIt's been nice knowing you, iPad3 It’s been nice…
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:It's been nice knowing you, iPad3 It’s been nice knowing you, iPad3, but…TweetsJury Duty UpdateI’m a happy, responsible, and no-longer-…GovernmentDesert Bus: The Worst Video Game Ever CreatedPenn and Teller are involved with this s…BooksParallel…
@ZCharisma Oh, now I feel bad. Similar:And the girl has succeeded in getting me to wear t…And the girl has succeeded in getting me…TweetsDesert Bus: The Worst Video Game Ever CreatedPenn and Teller are involved with this s…BooksI asked my geekling whether she was ready for bed…I asked my #geekling whether she was rea…AmusingJuror's CreedWhile…
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:In April, 2001 I was blogging about interactive fiction, Roget's Thesaurus, John Lennon, H… A student newspaper article about in…BooksWhy I Left Academe to Become a Science Communicator: The pursuit of academic research was …From explaining the effectiveness of soc…Academia'The Meatball: Not a Funny Rhyme' says Peter Jerz, age 5-3/4; or,…
…she’s pretending to be “Spock in a Tree on Omicron Ceti III.” Similar:A picture of puffy white clouds floating in a blue skyAestheticsRossum's Universal Robots (Act 2)https://youtu.be/XfOONrGsf2I For my b…CultureChecking sources back in 2006 involved using this *steampunk* contraption.Research Before Google Books AcademiaIn a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. @thepublicpghIn a hole…
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:Here's to the grim-based photojournalist who saved my bacon ~35 years ago Here’s…
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:Jury Duty UpdateI’m a happy, responsible, and no-longer-…GovernmentI'm no longer surprised, but still want to document.This is really noteworthy. Today the Pre…Current_EventsTweet: Came around the corner and saw my kids huddled on…Came around the…
Not my item, but the pathos caught my eye. Similar:RUN. HIDE. FIGHT. Surviving an Active Shooter Event – English – YouTubeDepartment of Homeland Security-funded v…CulturePractice, practice, practice. Making many things in #Blender3D. Arranging them to make a t… AestheticsI sometimes snark at the @Turnitin interface, but…I sometimes snark at the @Turnitin inter…CybercultureNYT newsroom integration…
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:Hello, there, mini.Hello, there, mini. Let’s restore you fr…TweetsI asked my geekling whether she was ready for bed…I asked my #geekling whether she was rea…AmusingFormer student: "I remember sometimes being…
A new Emily Dickinson archive is online. Here is the opening of one of her most famous poems. Reading View for Fascicle 23. Similar:Feeling a bit puzzled by the "Twitter Tools" pluginI really like MailChimp’s “Social” plugi…Social_SoftwareI had a singular time voicing Sherlock Holmes in The Mystery of Dr. Watson (WAOB Audio The… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azja…CultureBlewsMicrosoft researchers…
My wonderfully geeky tween made these Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde pendants with her Rainbow Loom. Next on her list: making Pac-Man. Similar:Making sidewalks to go with the buildings. Tedious but will save time later. #blender3d #m…PersonalIf You're Getting Walled in a Cellar I Feel Bad for You SonAmusingWhere is the tipping point?What if universities…
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…