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:Me: Carolyn, are you ok? Carolyn:Just reminding myself that I am a gift.AmusingWe were a Neilsen ratings family during the pandemicIn March 2020, just as the lockdown clos…BusinessWhat Borges…
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:Tweet: Came around the corner and saw my kids huddled on…Came around the corner and saw my kids h…TweetsIt's been nice knowing you, iPad3 It’s been nice knowing you, iPad3, but…TweetsRT @PhilKomarny: A floppy disc……
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:Please use the microphone at public events (I have an auditory processing disorder and can… Still recovering from this morning’s t…AcademiaIronic QuotesAmusingThis Is Not a Book:…
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:Multiple Choice = GoogleNo big surprises here, but this blog pos…AcademiaTeachers finding games give a leg up on learningThanks for the link, Dana. Experts sa…CultureKnee-jerk sharing of memes denigrates the truth.Trump never told…
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:Journalists prefer plain language.AestheticsMore #blender3d #cgi practice. Added workstations underneath the chief engineer's sta…PersonalThinking about physical therapy and cheerful, chatty older gents…I feel like I’m living in a sitcom. A…CultureLiking Everything He Saw on Facebook for 24 Hours Turned Him Into a Marketing MachineI like…
Next up: Stage Right summer musical theater camp starts Monday! Similar:Making Connections in Virtual One-ShotsI often invite my colleague Kelly Clever…AcademiaCulture Desk: My Life in PencilsDevotees of the Blackwing had been payin…AestheticsCaptain Gearheart inspects progress on his #neovictorian #steampunk æther cruiser. Now fea…https://youtu.be/VXz7kspFimM AestheticsThe Girl Wins the Upper Division Monologue in the 25th Annual Pittsburgh…
Testing a tool to automate connections between iOS apps. Similar:Infinite Scrolling: XKCD's Creative Insight on a Common Interface IndignityAmusingI can probably remove that link to LycosOn a web page that I posted in Nov 2000 …BusinessDress Rehearsal for Laurel Ballet "Alice in Wonderland"My daughter is playing the “Caterpillar …HomeThe Dadliest DecadeThe eighties, at least, were…
Similar:On Death and iPods: A RequiemI never owned a classic iPod, though I d…CultureAirlock for a #steampunk #blender3d project featuring #neovictorian #greebles. #blender3da… AestheticsReal college classes have writing assignments and required reading.While I can imagine teaching a course th…AcademiaChildren of Time #StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch (Season 5, Episode 22) Defiant crew meets happy co…Rewatching ST:DS9 In…
Submitted revisions of 6 video tutorial scripts & drafted 5 more. Also, scored 3 boxes of leftover reception cupcakes and 1 of brownies. Similar:Don't Be Cruel[M]angled syntax, disordered thinking, a…AcademiaFYI, 13yo skool grl is nu US txt mssg chmpNContestants had to stand with their hand…AmusingLiz Fosslien's insightful comic on unhealthy conflict vs. healthy conflict.PersonalPredatory Journals…
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:Jury Duty UpdateI’m a happy, responsible, and no-longer-…GovernmentRT @JordanFor: One of the counters from the Civil…RT @JordanFor: One of the counters from …TweetsOverheard at Quora: "Why after all these years is Moodle still so ugly?"Moodle…