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:Added a pilot and cockpit details to my flyby of a #steampunk scout ship. Costume is a pr…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyvR90jm…AestheticsYesterday's Enterprise (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season Three, Episode 15) Alternate histor…Rewatching ST:TNG…
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:I asked my geekling whether she was ready for bed…I asked my #geekling whether she was rea…AmusingDesert Bus: The Worst Video Game Ever CreatedPenn and Teller are involved with this s…BooksHow hate and misinformation go…
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:Theatre Crowd Mustn't Be Bitter The entertainment industry seem…CultureThe crisis in local journalism has become a crisis of democracyThe paucity of reporters has triggered a…CultureSet Phasers…
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:The Penance of Eleanor, Duchess of Gloucester, by Edwin Austin Abbey.This painting was inspired by the scene …AestheticsMy contribution to WAOB Audio Theatre’s plan to record all the proverbs.My contribution to WAOB Audio…
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:What You Read Matters More Than You Might ThinkSeton Hill is revamping its freshman wri…AcademiaI Love Books: A Campus Library EvolvesI love books. I love smelling them, t…AcademiaOn the Ethics of Rebranding a Former Trump Administration Official as an Amusing TV Person…It’s also a disservice…
Next up: Stage Right summer musical theater camp starts Monday! Similar:Talk with us about books! English as a minor or second major @setonhilluniversityAcademialittle drops — Why Dove's "Real Beauty Sketches" Video Makes Me Uncomfortable… and Kind …Very insightful…. A reminder that even…AestheticsSet design for a virtual production of R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots). Post-apocalypti… AestheticsCursor*10Great free…
Testing a tool to automate connections between iOS apps. Similar:I can probably remove that link to LycosOn a web page that I posted in Nov 2000 …BusinessHypertext as a Teaching Tool — Brown University Poetry Classroom 1974This short film documents an early attem…AcademiaThe Dadliest DecadeThe eighties, at least, were drenched in…HomeSchadendrücke: Click-shameHomeKirby Delauter SagaLet’s hope…
Similar:Rare find discovered amid town's Old West kitschInstead of dispensing a card like Zoltar…AestheticsScript: Prospero Makes a Circle on the Beach. Scene Designer: "How?"I was amused by this little note on the …AmusingEarth With RingsSure, Saturn’s rings are cool, but the E…AestheticsReleasing a Tiny Game and Trying to Get Paid[G]ames is a bit more financially…
Submitted revisions of 6 video tutorial scripts & drafted 5 more. Also, scored 3 boxes of leftover reception cupcakes and 1 of brownies. Similar:On my fantasy #steampunk cruiser, every uniform is a parade dress uniform. #Blender3D #ble… The first few weeks of Jun…AestheticsStage Right Nation goes Into the Woods at Saint Vincent Summer Theater. Great…
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….HumanitiesCarolyn Gombell Is Not a Real Person: #JusticeforCarolyn Is a Campaign Against Twitter Ref…Fascinating use of social media. To be c…Current_EventsFormer student: "I remember…