Sample, improved lyrics: “An old man turned 98 /He won the lottery, and died the next day (from a severe paper cut from his lottery ticket).” Similar:Air miles be damned. I say the best way to find out about the joy and complexity of our wo…Essays like this remind me why I picked …BooksThe girl…
Rewatching the classic Trek episode “The Conscience of the King,” which features a Shakespearean acting troupe. In one scene, McCoy writes a report on a wedge proto-iPad… …but in the very next scene Kirk scrawls on a piece of paper. This episode also features characters doing computer searches, using an exposition-friendly voice interface to call…
At least three journalists left NBC, after the network aired a tape of George Zimmerman, edited in a manner that substantially altered its content. Filed in Seminole County, the suit adds that “NBC News saw the death of Trayvon Martin not as a tragedy but as an opportunity to increase ratings, and so set about…
Jon Negroni creates a meta-narrative to connect every Pixar movie, using Boo as the still point in the turning universe. Every Pixar movie is connected. I explain how, and possibly why. Several months ago, I watched a fun-filled video on Cracked.com that introduced the idea (at least to me) that all of the Pixar movies…
The contrast between KTVU’s treatment of its triumphs vs errors reminds us of the difference between journalism vs public relations. Similar:Maybe I'll just delete these QUARTER OF A MILLION spam comments.Not kidding — 254,460 spam comments in …CybercultureI'm no longer surprised, but still want to document.This is really noteworthy. Today the Pre…Current_EventsAnd the girl has…
Last week, the Fox-afiliated KTVU fell for a prank, repeating offensive fake names for the pilots involved in the crash of Asiana Flight 214 last week. [S]even-year veteran KTVU producer Brad Belstock closed his @producerBB Twitter account after his last Friday tweet just moments after the names were read aloud on the air by Tori Campbell.…
Francesca Borri writes of being a freelancer and a woman covering the war in Syria. (When my life gets hectic, a story like this helps me keep some perspective.) Similar:Ancient Sea Rise Tale Told Accurately for 10,000 Years”It’s quite gobsmacking to think that a …CultureWhat Could Have Been Entering the Public Domain on January 1, 2012?Current US…
Is your Sunday feeling incomplete because you haven’t read anything about punctuation today? This explanation of the semicolon should help. You’re welcome. Similar:‘One of the great American stories’: the incredible life of playwright August WilsonThe host was Bill Moyers, former White H…BooksSo Why Do People Shrug? Researchers Say ¯\_(ツ)_/¯While contemplating what sort of body la…CultureToday's…
My wife is something of a hoarder. Now, as it happens, I have saved my half of the slip of paper that I tore so that we could write down each other’s phone numbers back when we were about 22, but she saves old catalogs and phone books (phone books!) from years ago. Sometimes, when…
So I’m not being selfish… this is a parenting strategy. Similar:This time of year I trust the process. Students are learning why a "yes/no" rese…PersonalSo this is Pi DayMy wife says she bought the pies intendi…AmusingI don't expect any but the largest text will be legible in my #steampunk project, but it w…AestheticsControlling behavior of…
Next up: Stage Right summer musical theater camp starts Monday! Similar:What if I design a #steampunk fantasy cruiser and there aren’t enough chairs? How do I kno… AestheticsLate night set construction for The Miracle Worker.ArtStudent Journalists Are Our Future—We Should Start Treating Them Like ItCatherine Palmer was already a seasoned …CultureThe Course of True Fun…
Testing a tool to automate connections between iOS apps. Similar:Facebook, really? More people liked the picture in my post than saw the post that includes…I don’t pretend to understand. HomeWriting That Demonstrates Thinking Ability While reflecting on my semester for …HomeThe Declaration Of Independence, 240 Years Later (NPR)When in the Course of human events, it…
Similar:The Pointlessness of UnpluggingWhat sex was for the Puritans, technolog…Current_EventsMS Paint AdventuresWonderfully silly take on old-school poi…AmusingAnother 10 sq cm of #steampunk control panel. #blender3d #blender3dartAestheticsHow do you spend your last week of summer break?AcademiaPost Gazette Corrects Headline of Seton Hill iPad FollowupEveryone makes mistakes. As a student jo…AcademiaAdam Savage’s 10 Commandments Of MakingAdam Savage…
Submitted revisions of 6 video tutorial scripts & drafted 5 more. Also, scored 3 boxes of leftover reception cupcakes and 1 of brownies. Similar:Beowimp (spoof I wrote for my high school lit magazine c. 1985)I got an email this morning from someone…AmusingIn Defense Of Metaphors In Science WritingWe live in an elegant universe. The c…CulturePeter…
Blogging this so I can find it when I teach my “News Writing” class this fall. People do like to prank journalists with fake names. In this case, the reporter did what you’re supposed to do — get confirmation — but sheesh. KTVU reports fake racist names of Asiana Airlines 214 pilots from NTSB intern…
I recently bought a new phone. since then, I have answered an incoming call in my car. It felt awesome. Similar:Loved seeing A Comedy of Errors @setonhillLoved seeing A Comedy of Errors @setonhi…TweetsDesert Bus: The Worst Video Game Ever CreatedPenn and Teller are involved with this s…BooksProto iPads and Paper Coexist in Classic Star TrekRewatching…
I just touched up a handout on Parallel Structure vs Faulty Parallelism. Similar:Never trust a corporation to do a library’s jobThe Internet Archive is mostly known for…BooksClever Modernization of Hamlet: Polonius with an iPhoneI teach Shakespeare in a literature clas…CultureA quick primer on semicolonsIs your Sunday feeling incomplete becaus…CultureI just learned I only have months to live.…
These comic panels cover the issue well. (Pennington Publishing) Similar:A trend story about millennials, by The New York Times“When it comes down to it, life is reall…AmusingControversial Content in YA Literature: A College Professor and Homeschooling Parent Answe…I received this comment on my blog: [F]…BooksIce Cream and Sharks Scene: writing classroom. …AcademiaBrian Williams…
A thoughtful reflection on religion in Star Trek. While Humans aren’t depicted as participating in any form of organized religion (there is a reference to a Christmas party here, a nod to monotheism there), the series also includes a distrust of science and technology, regularly depicting mad scientists, societies over-dependent on technology, etc.) that insists…
If you’re legally present on a public street or sidewalk, you can legally photograph anything in plain view. (This includes children and crime victims… but just because it’s legal doesn’t mean it’s always a good idea.) If law enforcement engages you, ask whether you are free to go; if so, then move out of the…