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:Former 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 uncomfortable with the…
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:RT @JordanFor: One of the counters from the Civil…RT @JordanFor: One of the counters from …TweetsMy Minecraft-obsessed tween made this blocky foam pig at art camp. Next up: Stage Right summer musical th…AestheticsTweet: Came…
@ZCharisma Oh, now I feel bad. Similar:Proto iPads and Paper Coexist in Classic Star TrekRewatching the classic Trek episode “The…CybercultureDesert Bus: The Worst Video Game Ever CreatedPenn and Teller are involved with this s…BooksMy Minecraft-obsessed tween made this blocky foam pig at art camp. Next up: Stage Right summer musical th…AestheticsJudge: Apple conspired to fix…
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:Can't upload photos to Facebook from my MacBookI spent 30 minutes trying to upload abou…CybercultureYour first test layout of medieval city streets will be your worst. #blender3d #medievalyo…Your first test layout of medieval city …DesignMy Tween Preps to Program a Lego Hobbit GameAs part of a course I’m teaching on “Dig…CybercultureUkraine’s…
…she’s pretending to be “Spock in a Tree on Omicron Ceti III.” Similar:How Are Websites Made?This one chart is actually the punch lin…AmusingLower Decks (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season 7, Episode 15) Junior officers star in a comin… Rewatching ST:TNG As Riker and Tr…EducationI spent Thanksgiving break building a #trimsheet for steampunk control panels, because why…AestheticsPushing…
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:Happy ice cream turkey cake day. AestheticsTeachers finding games give a leg up…
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:Habits for happiness: tips for looking on the bright side of lifeHabits for happiness: tips for looking o…PersonalIn Defense Of Metaphors In Science WritingWe live in an elegant universe. The c…CultureDesert Bus: The Worst…
Not my item, but the pathos caught my eye. Similar:MSU asks faculty & staff to volunteer in short-staffed dining halls; @MSU_Football tweets …MSU, instead of asking your profs to vol…AcademiaPassage: a Gamma256 video game by Jason RohrerGrand Text Auto introduced me to the exc…AestheticsApple Watch is ugly and boring (and Steve Jobs would have agreed)I…
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'm no longer surprised, but still want to document.This is really noteworthy. Today the Pre…Current_EventsJudge: Apple conspired to fix eBook prices.Judge: Apple conspired to fix eBook pric…BooksYes, I do feel…
A new Emily Dickinson archive is online. Here is the opening of one of her most famous poems. Reading View for Fascicle 23. Similar:CBS News Suspends Twitter Posting ‘In Light of the Uncertainty’ About Musk-Owned Social Pl…CBS News is halting its activity on Twit…BusinessThe hidden billion-dollar cost of repeated police misconductThe story notes that when…
My wonderfully geeky tween made these Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde pendants with her Rainbow Loom. Next on her list: making Pac-Man. Similar:Hippocratic Oath #StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch (Season 4, Episode 4) Bashir and O'Brien disagree …Rewatching ST:DS9 Worf grumbles to Ki…BooksMy mom’s Lionel train set (a gift from her father in 1948) had been in…
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…