Interesting set of observations exploring the limits of omniscience and the sheer scale involved in watching an entire population. Failures in empathy lead to misinterpretation of anonymous rebellion in plain sight. Tolkien’s most potent and intimidating image of centralized surveillance, the Eye of Sauron atop a tower, taking in the whole world, has resonated with…
This project looks promising. I’ve donated the money I was going to spend on a haircut. We’re keeping our UI super simple. The experience is entirely sound and story: Writing + Voiceover + SFX + Music. With either a spoken word or a simple tap on the screen you can listen to the drama unfold…
A recent Pew study (Smartphone Ownership 2013) found that blacks were about 10% more likely than whites to own smartphones, and that young urban people regardless of income are very likely to own smartphones. (With older people, a smartphone is more of a luxury.) It’s little wonder, then, that phone-friendly Twitter has been such a…
These are shoe-holding racks at a local indoor play area, where I took my daughter and a friend for a few hours. Why buy six different rainbow-colored shoe-holding racks, if you’re not going to arrange them in the proper order? I really wanted to pick up the purple one and at least put it in…
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:Charismatic People Don't Obsess Over What they Can't Control (Tony Robbins)Saving this for the next time I teach De…CultureQpid (#ST:TNG Rewatch, Season 4, Episode 20) Q and Vash and…
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:Desert Bus: The Worst Video Game Ever CreatedPenn and Teller are involved with this s…BooksRT @DDeClaudio: Who do you think controls the news…RT @DDeClaudio: Who do you think control…TweetsHabits for happiness: tips for looking on…
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:Local News in a Digital AgeLocal TV news is the “most visible prese…AestheticsDonald Trump tests positive for Covid-19. CNN: "A nightmare scenario for the White House."…
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:Burgh to Burg, episode 2.AcademiaSymbiosis (TNG Rewatch, Season 1 Episode 22)Rewatching Star Trek: The Next Generatio…CulturePop Culture Showdown with My Retro DaughterThe girl tried to weird me out with a vi…AestheticsToday I didn't…
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:Everything is beautiful at the ballet.DanceActually, this post really *is* about ethics in journalism.People – journalists and non-journalists…Current_EventsGoodby big Android… hello little budget iPhone SE 3rd.I just removed from my syllabus template…AcademiaThe Cosmic Brownie fairy has visited my office. Is “brownie fairy” redundant? Thank you…
Next up: Stage Right summer musical theater camp starts Monday! Similar:How a Radical New Teaching Method Could Unleash a Generation of GeniusesFirst of all, I’m always wary about any …CultureIf I don’t stock the officers’ pub on my #steampunk #fantasy #CGI flagship, who will? (All…PersonalAnother 10 sq cm of #steampunk control panel. #blender3d #blender3dart #relaxing…
Testing a tool to automate connections between iOS apps. Similar:The Declaration Of Independence, 240 Years Later (NPR)When in the Course of human events, it b…CultureWhen a Blogger Shares a Too-good-to-be-true Meme Featuring Hilarious Handwritten Notes fro…Or something like that.HomeComputers and Writing Conference 2013Where a nerd can be a nerd. (Thanks f…HomeIncoming Seton Hill Students Pick…
Similar:My journalism students just gave me this wristband: "What would Jerz do? / Verify or duck…. AestheticsWhy Writing Matters When You Advertise a Cragslist GiveawayThe latest example of why writing matter…Current_EventsDisruptive Decorations: Kids learned better in a sparesly-decorated CMU labKids learned better in a sparse lab sett…AestheticsProfit and Loss (#StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch, Season 2, Episode…
Submitted revisions of 6 video tutorial scripts & drafted 5 more. Also, scored 3 boxes of leftover reception cupcakes and 1 of brownies. Similar:My daughter found where all the missing pens and pencils end upAmusingThe "Best" E-mail Signature Is Actually the WorstI have no particular opinion about how t…BusinessSpring 2023 Midterm Grades: Submitted!PersonalThe girl on…
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:Parallel structure in writing: Use it!These comic panels cover the issue well….HumanitiesRT @JordanFor: One of the counters from the Civil…RT @JordanFor: One of the counters from …TweetsHow hate and misinformation go viral: A case study…