RT @textfiles: Hi internet. In another few minutes…

RT @textfiles: Hi internet. In another few minutes I go onstage to point everyone to archive.org/details/histor… and hopefully computer history … Similar:Maybe I'll just delete these QUARTER OF A MILLION spam comments.Not kidding — 254,460 spam comments in …CybercultureAnd the girl has succeeded in getting me to wear t…And the girl has succeeded in getting…

One of the Sadder Lost and Found Messages You’ll Probably See Today

Not my item, but the pathos caught my eye. Similar:Unvaccinated dad records days of regret in hospital — and makes heartbreaking request for…Between difficult breaths of supplementa…Current_EventsMoving from Debate to EmpathyIn my freshman writing class, my job is …AcademiaWe Are the Product Facebook SellsFacebook does not care what Hobbit you a…BusinessOpening Night: New "The Little…

The Amazon Mystery: What America’s Strangest Tech Company Is Really Up To

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: “…

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…AmusingParallel Structure vs. Faulty ParallelismI just touched up a handout on Parallel …HumanitiesDesert Bus:…

Emily Dickinson Manuscript for “The Chariot”

A new Emily Dickinson archive is online. Here is the opening of one of her most famous poems. Reading View for Fascicle 23. Similar:Student Journalists Are Our Future—We Should Start Treating Them Like ItCatherine Palmer was already a seasoned …CultureBob Dylan's Nobel Prize Acceptance Speechhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TlcPRla…CultureAdvising incoming majors.AcademiaTrue Q (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season 6, Episode 6)…

Nerdy Rainbow Loom Crafting

My wonderfully geeky tween made these Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde pendants with her Rainbow Loom. Next on her list: making Pac-Man. Similar:I’m really enjoying the embossed labels. #Blender3D (Making props for my fantasy #steampun…AestheticsMore glorious #steampunk control panels, created for no practical purpose. #blender3d #ble…AestheticsWho Watches the Watchers (ST:TNG Season Three Episode 4) Rationalist,…

AP reporter’s mistake: Did the punishment fit the crime?

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,…

The Decline of Wikipedia: Even As More People Than Ever Rely on It, Fewer People Create It

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…

“Does size matter?” — student journalist, making…

“Does size matter?” — student journalist, making a person-on-the street video interview about the new iPad. 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…AmusingClassroom collaboration marketplaceWhile I am uncomfortable with the whole …BusinessRT @DDeClaudio: Who do you think controls the…

RT @joningold: Thing is, the freedom of the parser…

RT @joningold: Thing is, the freedom of the parser is a sham – not because it *doesn’t* understand everything but because no-one plays as t… Similar:10 Rules of Internet – Anil DashA very useful, concise summary of web-en…BusinessWhat kids do when Dad won't hand over the iPod So I’m not being selfish… this is …EducationRT…

Attribution, Editorializing and Defamation

In the Nightly Noodle Monthly, former North Adams Transcript journalist Isaac Avilucea posts this passage, which he says was removed from a sports feature that got him fired. But there’s a reason she’s not at MountGreylock anymore, choosing to transfer to a school with somewhat inferior academics and athletics. Part of it has to do with the stuffy social atmosphere that…

I just did the thing where you look everywhere for…

I just did the thing where you look everywhere for your glasses but you can’t find them because you are already wearing them. Similar:Judge: Apple conspired to fix eBook prices.Judge: Apple conspired to fix eBook pric…BooksShe doesn't have keys or a phone or an ID. Why does my tween need a purse?To stash her Lemonheads…

The t-shirt many professors would enjoy wearing

Inside Higher Ed Similar:Advice to First Year College Students on Freshman CompFull disclosure… I have marked AP Engl…AcademiaJournalists who are doing their job by reporting fairly on a controversial topic often get…Americans can fairly and legitimately di…EthicsStudents are trusting software like this to do their work.  The technology will continue t…CultureGirl Moved To Tears By…

Digital Storytelling (EL231: Topics in Creative Writing)

EL231 “Digital Storytelling” (Dec 18-Jan 22) Unit 1 (Dec 18-22) mostly experiencing digital stories (reading, watching, listening, playing, whatever), and reading articles & discussing them online. (We take a break Dec 23-Jan 1: no classes, no homework.) Unit 2 (Jan 2-7) trying out 4-5 tools for creating digital stories, and learning two in a little…

Why our future depends on libraries, reading and daydreaming

Neil Gaiman tells us why books matter: When you watch TV or see a film, you are looking at things happening to other people. Prose fiction is something you build up from 26 letters and a handful of punctuation marks, and you, and you alone, using your imagination, create a world and people it and…

In the publications office with student journalist…

In the publications office with student journalists. I’ve heard them saying “affirmative” and “negative.” The editor just said “Make it so.” Similar:I'm no longer surprised, but still want to document.This is really noteworthy. Today the Pre…Current_EventsHabits for happiness: tips for looking on the bright side of lifeHabits for happiness: tips for looking o…PersonalJuror's CreedWhile researching…