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:And the girl has succeeded in getting me to wear t…And the girl has succeeded in getting me…TweetsYes, I do feel rather awesome right now.Lost brand-new earbuds. Reached in pocke…PersonalJudge:…

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 am slightly ahead of the boy. Rare.PersonalMove Along Home (#StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch, Season 1, Episode 10) Hopscotch Cringe Shenanigan…Rewatching ST:DS9 I was kind of dread…CultureIn December 2000, I was blogging about typeface…

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:Parallel structure in writing: Use it!These comic panels cover the issue well….HumanitiesI 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…

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:I asked my geekling whether she was ready for bed…I asked my #geekling whether she was rea…AmusingHabits for happiness: tips for looking on the bright side of lifeHabits for happiness:…

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:RT @JordanFor: One of the counters from the Civil…RT @JordanFor: One of the counters from …TweetsIt's been nice knowing you, iPad3 It’s been nice knowing you, iPad3, but…TweetsMaybe I'll just delete these…

The t-shirt many professors would enjoy wearing

Inside Higher Ed Similar:Fact check: Trump lies about CNN at Mississippi rallyI tell my journalism students they won’t…Current_EventsI Felt a Great Disturbance in the Font. And the Margins.You don’t want to use Courier New and 1….AcademiaThis Is How Tyranny Begins (Robert Reich)As the faculty advisor to a college jour…CultureVandal scratches Poe phrase into car at…

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:RT @PhilKomarny: A floppy disc… In #context htt…RT @PhilKomarny: A floppy disc… In #co…TweetsParallel Structure vs. Faulty ParallelismI just touched up a handout on Parallel …HumanitiesProto iPads and Paper Coexist in Classic Star TrekRewatching…

Thou shalt not commit logical fallacies

  Thou shalt not commit logical fallacies poster. Similar:Riding on Square WheelsStan Wagon, a mathematician at Macaleste…DesignA study in breaking news headlines.For the UK Guardian, the news is the wor…CultureIf you want to work with words, then journalism courses are very practical options.AcademiaThe LA Times deletes tweets that used passive voice, as details emerged about…