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:MLA-Style Bibliography Builder– updated to handle web sources Choose…AcademiaStandardized-test robo-graders flunk“According to professor of theory of kno…AcademiaAcademic study concludes that teaching kids to touch-type can make them better writersImproving…
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:Overheard at Quora: "Why after all these years is Moodle still so ugly?"Moodle is a free course-management tool …Academia10 Rules of Internet – Anil DashA very useful, concise summary of web-en…BusinessTweet: For an anatomy project,…
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:Citizen Journalist Thrown Out of City Council Receives $200,000 SettlementKnow your rights as a journalist, and yo…EthicsWhy Tetris is the 'perfect' video gameRather than wanting 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:Apple’s new diverse emoji are even more problematic than beforeThis author did a great job articulating…AestheticsWho cares about hyphens, commas and capital letters? You should.You’re a busy editor, fighting a deadlin…BooksOur family has…
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:Open Source College Math BookOne day last year, David Lippman got an …AcademiaAfter lights out, the girl is knitting.PersonalSpot of sunlight seems to be sliding down an escalator. View t…AestheticsLetter to the editor: Why our English department deserves more respectI came very close to…
Next up: Stage Right summer musical theater camp starts Monday! Similar:Crazy-looking keyboards that never caught on As the typewriter become popular, it w…AestheticsSpent a half hour taming this tangle of cables (left) with a little tiny six-inch-wide car…AestheticsAnother fun 10 sq cm of a #neovictorian #steampunk control panel. #elegance #design #aesth…AestheticsThree more performances of Jane…
Testing a tool to automate connections between iOS apps. Similar:Memories of Toronto Yonge Street EncountersI arrived in Toronto in 1992 as a 22yo g…CultureTolkien v. Orwell: Who understood modern surveillance best?Interesting set of observations explorin…CultureA New Talent EmergesI tried hard to frown disapprovingly whe…HomeSchadendrücke: Click-shameHomeLEGO turned itself around by analyzing overbearing parents[C]hildren play to get…
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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:The 1982 Tron Holiday SpecialSides: split. Gut: busted. Milk droplets…AmusingThe Girl at rehearsal (where else?).PersonalThat moment when you're logging into a table read of #RUR (Rossum's Universal Robo…PersonalTrack and field fundraiser:photo by…
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:Proto iPads and Paper Coexist in Classic Star TrekRewatching the classic Trek episode “The…CybercultureTweet: For an anatomy project, my #geekling made a Vulcan…For an anatomy project, my #geekling mad…TweetsHow hate and misinformation go viral: A…