She was a rookie in the autumn of 2001, the first female F-16 pilot they’d ever had at the 121st Fighter Squadron of the D.C. Air National Guard. [….] She had her hand on the throttle of an F-16 and she had her orders: Bring down United Airlines Flight 93. The day’s fourth hijacked airliner…
@setonhill Fall Honors Convocation receiving line. #tradition http://t.co/Wg7D9DaEx4 Similar:It's been nice knowing you, iPad3 It’s been nice knowing you, iPad3, but…TweetsTweet: For an anatomy project, my #geekling made a Vulcan…For an anatomy project, my #geekling mad…TweetsTweet: Came around the corner and saw my kids huddled on…Came around the corner and saw my kids h…TweetsLoved seeing…
On 9/11/2001, I was remote enough from the tragedies that I managed to hold together pretty well, until that night, when my son, who was 3, asked me to read him this book. I recently noticed that the cover has been redesigned. Similar:A fleet of drones performs a light show in Ireland for St. Patrick's…
Powerful, painful essay. Worth revisiting. In the picture, he departs from this earth like an arrow. Although he has not chosen his fate, he appears to have, in his last instants of life, embraced it. If he were not falling, he might very well be flying. He appears relaxed, hurtling through the air. He appears…
On October 2001, this thoughtful article appeared in the journal First Monday. This is a fascinating glimpse of the world before YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, before most people carried around digital cameras, when the home pages of Fox and CNN advised readers to turn on their TV sets for the latest news. Just as the assassination…
My working theory: the @sramsay departure is a Jimmy Kimmel prank. Similar:Parallel structure in writing: Use it!These comic panels cover the issue well….HumanitiesTweet: Came around the corner and saw my kids huddled on…Came around the corner and saw my kids h…TweetsOverheard at Quora: "Why after all these years is Moodle still so ugly?"Moodle is a…
RT @nowviskie: @tcarmody @amandafrench @JenHoward @kfitz @rgfeal Hey, Tim. @sramsay is sharing today’s last sequence here. http://t.co/YTjs… Similar:I asked my geekling whether she was ready for bed…I asked my #geekling whether she was rea…AmusingWhat kids do when Dad won't hand over the iPod So I’m not being selfish… this is …EducationCarolyn Gombell Is Not a…
@nowviskie I feel strangely culpable, since the last @sramsay tweet emphathized with my tears over “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.” Similar:Parallel Structure vs. Faulty ParallelismI just touched up a handout on Parallel …HumanitiesIn Defense Of Metaphors In Science WritingWe live in an elegant universe. The c…CultureJudge: Apple conspired to fix eBook prices.Judge: Apple…
Similar:Professional or college Shakespeare productions in the Pittsburgh area this fall?Does anybody know of any local (within a…AcademiaThe Curtains Were Blue: In Which I Fix Another Meme. Above is my response to a meme that …AcademiaLiberal arts college professor assaults alt-right group memberCarefully choosing language that fits yo…AcademiaWith actor Ken Bolden, who appears in Quantum…
Brilliant. The combination of a looks-too-good-to-be-true video, the patina of respectability that comes when a TV talking head introduces the clip, and the internet as a means for spreading links illustrates just how easy it is to fool lots of people — including professionals who should know better. I did show the original video to…
Humanities professors from the University of Virginia describe their frustrating attempts to give away their innovative textual study tool via Apple’s App Store. The reason the App Review Team gave (again and again) was that our app was “simply” or “just a book” (their words), and that it therefore had to be formatted in Apple’s…
Thanks for the suggestion, Nicole. The 4th Estate Project’s study of 2012 election-year coverage found that major U.S. newspapers and TV news programs featured up to seven times as many quotes from men as women. Men’s voices were dominant even in stories on abortion, birth control, Planned Parenthood, and women’s rights. The 2013 Status of…
“Daddy, I’m sick of your tears.” –my 11yo, after I misted up reading from Church’s 1897 “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus” editorial. Update, Sep 10: In the past few years, as my kids have become active in the arts, I have developed a habit of tearing up during their performances. I will silently…
My geekling is enthusiastically hurling herself around the living room as the Enterprise bridge rocks back and forth… #TOS #StarTrek Similar:Habits for happiness: tips for looking on the bright side of lifeHabits for happiness: tips for looking o…PersonalParallel structure in writing: Use it!These comic panels cover the issue well….HumanitiesHow hate and misinformation go viral: A…
As a fan of Colossal Cave Adventure, I’m curious to know whether there’s an active volcano in this cave. Or at least a gold nugget room. Jonathan Sims catches up with me. Between us and the sunlit passage ahead stands a stalagmite that in profile resembles the paw of a dog. “The Hand of God…
In the corner of the Seton Hill University Bookstore sit a few short aisles stacked with textbooks. Most of the Sullivan Hall store is devoted to apparel, school supplies and gifts. A few shelves are stocked with personal care items, while a multi-tiered Boots cosmetics display and a collection of Crabtree & Evelyn lotions earn…
My wife & daughter are in the kitchen, yelling & crying in fake Italian accents. (Practicing their toy shop tantrum scene from Pinocchio.) 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…AmusingAnd the girl has succeeded in getting me to wear…
@penguins season tickets! @stagerightgbg is raffling off $25 chances on 2 season tickets worth $4000. #pittsburgh #hockey Who’s interested? Similar:Jury Duty UpdateI’m a happy, responsible, and no-longer-…GovernmentIn Defense Of Metaphors In Science WritingWe live in an elegant universe. The c…CultureOverheard at Quora: "Why after all these years is Moodle still so ugly?"Moodle is a free…
Yes, the Spartans’ one-word response to Philip’s threats was both laconic and bold. Yes, I chortled while making a *hilarious* graphic of the word “If,” set in Laconic, bold type. No, a joke that depends on knowledge of Ancient Greece and Macedonia and modern typography really isn’t all that funny. In 346 B.C, Philip sent…
As a high school student, I wrote a fan letter to AC Crispin, in which I critiqued her capitalization. (She gave me the address of her editor, Ann O’Malley, who agreed to critique a few sample chapters of my in-progress novel.) Crispin wrote several early Star Trek novels, as well as the novelization of the…