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:Fake Kitsch! Not Really the 80s! There is a part of me that misses …AestheticsSo Long Blogging. Hello—Yep, We're Going to Say It—PloggingI still blog, because I want control…
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:Parallel Structure vs. Faulty ParallelismI just touched up a handout on Parallel …HumanitiesIt's been nice knowing you, iPad3 It’s been nice knowing you, iPad3, but…TweetsTweet: Came around the corner and saw my kids huddled on…Came…
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:We'll Always Have Paris (TNG Rewatch: Season 1, Episode 24)Rewatching Star Trek: The Next Generatio…MediaThe daughter (giving the piggyback ride in pic 2) doing a thing…
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:I Regret to Inform You That My Wedding to Captain Von Trapp Has Been CanceledI must confess to being rather blindside…AmusingYounger Americans and Public LibrariesMillennials are quite similar to their e…BooksState officials: Bushy…
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:Yes, we will see almost anything branded Sherlock Holmes.PersonalAn Opt Out Letter That Speaks to All ParentsOne household notifies the authorities t…CultureWhen a Textbook Plagiarizes Your Student's WorkIn a few days I’ll be gearing up to teac…AcademiaThe Girl Has Started Rehearsals for PICT Classic Theatre’s…
Next up: Stage Right summer musical theater camp starts Monday! Similar:Pagers, Pay Phones, and Dialup: How We Communicated on 9/11For much of the day, those aboard Air Fo…CultureStudents say they prefer lectures, but "active learning" is more effectiveA recent study measured differences in s…AcademiaYork Plays 2025: Five cameras, adding up to ~100 hours of footage.Five…
Testing a tool to automate connections between iOS apps. Similar:Such deep roots you have: How Little Red Riding Hood's tale evolvedDid all these stories spring from a comm…HomeTake that, grass! Eat rotary analog steel.HomeThe Declaration Of Independence, 240 Years Later (NPR)When in the Course of human events, it b…CultureVerizon Forced Me to Remove Parentheses, Quotation…
Similar:‘WarGames’ and Cybersecurity’s Debt to a Hollywood Hack After finishing his synopsis, Reagan…CybercultureNew infographic to help our graduating English majors make sense of their capstone project…AcademiaSerious reading takes a hit from online scanning and skimming, researchers say The brain was not designed for r…BooksRanked First out of 2 Billion Google Hits for Something Really ObscureI…
Submitted revisions of 6 video tutorial scripts & drafted 5 more. Also, scored 3 boxes of leftover reception cupcakes and 1 of brownies. Similar:A study in breaking news headlines.For the UK Guardian, the news is the wor…CultureIntroduction to The Cherry Orchardhttps://youtu.be/8o_4Bjcfl0Y …AcademiaIf not enough people are stopping by your table to hear your presentation,…
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:Judge: Apple conspired to fix eBook prices.Judge: Apple conspired to fix eBook pric…BooksWhat kids do when Dad won't hand over the iPod So I’m not being selfish… this is …EducationI asked my geekling whether she…