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:Loved seeing A Comedy of Errors @setonhillLoved seeing A Comedy of Errors @setonhi…TweetsJuror's CreedWhile researching my obligations for #ju…CultureI asked my geekling whether she was ready for bed…I asked my #geekling whether she was…

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:Yes, I do feel rather awesome right now.Lost brand-new earbuds. Reached in pocke…PersonalClassroom collaboration marketplaceWhile I am uncomfortable with the whole …BusinessTweet: Came around the corner and saw my kids…

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:Practicing with materials and geometry. The lamps and chair require hundreds of times as m… AestheticsStar Trek: Voyager Premiered 20 Years AgoI remember wanting to like Voyager a lot…CultureGen Z Never Learned to…

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:Desert Bus: The Worst Video Game Ever CreatedPenn and Teller are involved with this s…BooksFormer student: "I remember sometimes being annoyed with all of our blogging assignments, …A third alum in the last few weeks has c…AcademiaClassroom collaboration marketplaceWhile I am…

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:It's been nice knowing you, iPad3 It’s been nice knowing you, iPad3, but…TweetsWhat 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:I'm no longer surprised, but still want to document.This is really noteworthy. Today the Pre…Current_EventsAnd the girl has succeeded in getting me to wear t…And the girl has succeeded in getting me…TweetsJudge:…

The t-shirt many professors would enjoy wearing

Inside Higher Ed Similar:What gives you comfort? I collect lights. Some of these have magnets!!AmusingBoosting the Signal: Peaceful Protesters in Baltimore are the NormVideo of people throwing rocks or burnin…Culture#MyNYPD Hashtag Promptly HijackedSomeone is regretting this PR move. …Current_EventsNarnia Lesson Plans: Activities Related to the Musical (based on The Lion, the Witch and t…I just…

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: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…BooksProto iPads and Paper Coexist in Classic Star TrekRewatching the classic Trek episode…