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:ChatGPT Can Be Broken by Entering These Strange Words, And Nobody Is Sure WhyReddit usernames like ‘SolidGoldMagikarp…CybercultureClosing the Door on the Video Store Era (with tweets) · chutry ·…
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:How hate and misinformation go viral: A case study of a Trump retweetOn Sunday night, President Donald Trump …AcademiaAnd the girl has succeeded in getting me to wear t…And the girl has succeeded in getting…
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:There's No Substitute for FictionWhat do Peskin and Astington recommend f…BooksYork Plays 2025: Five cameras, adding up to ~100 hours of footage.Five cameras, adding up to…
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:York Corpus Christi Pageant, Toronto, June 7I’ll be in Toronto next week to observe …AcademiaThe Justice Department Deleted Language About Press Freedom And Racial Gerrymandering From… A subsection titled “Need for Fr…CultureMore Evidence…
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:2020, In One Photo. ("Come join us!")AmusingAmazing birthday cake, created by Jane Eyre herself, Karen Baum. (Thank you @kaboom1250!)PersonalRubric for the Rubric Concerning Students’ Core Educational Competency In Reading Things I…Sadly, this only barely counts as satire…AcademiaLoved part 1 of Alec Silverblatt's Mon Valley Medium.…
Next up: Stage Right summer musical theater camp starts Monday! Similar:8 Questions for 'Star Trek' Superfans Restoring Galileo ShuttlecraftThis nerd’s geek heart grew three sizes …AestheticsHow to Lie with Data VisualizationData visualization is one of the most im…DesignLoud as a Whisper (ST:TNG Rewatch, Season 2, Episode 5)Rewatching Star Trek: The Next Generatio…DramaTeachers finding games give…
Testing a tool to automate connections between iOS apps. Similar:Schadendrücke: Click-shameHomeA New Talent EmergesI tried hard to frown disapprovingly whe…HomeWriting That Demonstrates Thinking Ability While reflecting on my semester for …HomeComputers and Writing Conference 2013Where a nerd can be a nerd. (Thanks f…HomeIncoming Seton Hill Students Pick Up Their MacBooks and iPads TodayI find it…
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Submitted revisions of 6 video tutorial scripts & drafted 5 more. Also, scored 3 boxes of leftover reception cupcakes and 1 of brownies. Similar:11 Compound Word Errors that Might Make You Look like a Numbskull You might wonder why we flip out over …CultureWide-angle view of a villain’s secret lair. #blender3dAestheticsBound Together by an Historic…
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:And the girl has succeeded in getting me to wear t…And the girl has succeeded in getting me…TweetsParallel structure in writing: Use it!These comic panels cover the issue well….HumanitiesIn Defense Of Metaphors In Science WritingWe…