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…TweetsOverheard at Quora: "Why after all these years is Moodle still so ugly?"Moodle is a free…
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:In Defense Of Metaphors In Science WritingWe live in an elegant universe. The c…CultureI asked my geekling whether she was ready for bed…I asked my #geekling whether she was rea…AmusingHow hate and misinformation go…
@ZCharisma Oh, now I feel bad. Similar:Proto iPads and Paper Coexist in Classic Star TrekRewatching the classic Trek episode “The…CybercultureParallel structure in writing: Use it!These comic panels cover the issue well….HumanitiesMaybe I'll just delete these QUARTER OF A MILLION spam comments.Not kidding — 254,460 spam comments in …CybercultureRT @PhilKomarny: A floppy disc… In #context htt…RT…
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:A rare win for Dad. CultureI'm not really a royal watcher but I'm fascinated that the UK has de-royalized the king's … Prince Andrew has lost all of hi…CultureThe ‘Liar’s Dividend’ is dangerous for journalists. Here’s how to fight it. The Liar’s Dividend suggests tha…Culture'Island of the Blue Dolphins' woman's cave believed…
…she’s pretending to be “Spock in a Tree on Omicron Ceti III.” Similar:I worked in a video store for 25 years. Here’s what I learned as my industry died.If you’re actually in a video store, the…CultureFrozen (Greensburg Civic Theatre, Greasepaint Players)DramaFilmmakers fighting “Happy Birthday” copyright find their “smoking gun”Who owns the copyright to the “Happy…
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:Adam Bard shaves off half his hair and beard on opposite sides for…
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…AestheticsAnd the girl has succeeded in getting me to wear t…And the girl has succeeded in getting…
Not my item, but the pathos caught my eye. Similar:Irrational Geographic : snopes.comBoosting the signal. This is a real Nati…BusinessSmalltalk through masks is hard; I really was glad to see so many familiar upper halves of…If you said hello to me recently and I d…Culture'My Fair Lady' Couldn't Actually Dance All Night, So These Songs…
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:RT @JordanFor: One of the counters from the Civil…RT @JordanFor: One of the counters from …TweetsCarolyn Gombell Is Not a Real Person: #JusticeforCarolyn Is a Campaign Against Twitter Ref…Fascinating use…
A new Emily Dickinson archive is online. Here is the opening of one of her most famous poems. Reading View for Fascicle 23. Similar:LEGO turned itself around by analyzing overbearing parents[C]hildren play to get oxygen, to unders…CultureThe Forsaken (#StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch, Season 1, Episode 17) Lwaxana Troi and the station c…Rewatching ST:DS9 Bashir is hosting…
My wonderfully geeky tween made these Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde pendants with her Rainbow Loom. Next on her list: making Pac-Man. Similar:Imagine, if you will, a Shakespeare course / Propos'd in blank verse like the Bard would w…Verses Proposing a New Course: “Shakespe…AcademiaMore #blender3d #steampunk control panel details. #blender3dartAestheticsThe Outrageous Okona (TNG Rewatch, Season 2, Episode 4)Rewatching…
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…