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:Editorial: Video Games and The Great Train Robbery Through the development of crosscuttin…AestheticsIdentity Crisis (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season 4 Episode 18) The Case of LaForge’s Disapp… Rewatching ST:TNG An…
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:Hello, there, mini.Hello, there, mini. Let’s restore you fr…TweetsMaybe I'll just delete these QUARTER OF A MILLION spam comments.Not kidding — 254,460 spam comments in …CybercultureHabits for happiness: tips for looking on the bright side…
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:Unplugging for a Few Hours at Spruce Flats BogVisited a bog created when loggers clear…AestheticsMerchant of Venice Part 2 live, now! #PPTPlaytimeDramaFake Kitsch! Not Really the…
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:Prophet Motive (#StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch, Season 3, Episode 16) The Nagus's eccentricities a… Rewatching ST:DS9 Quark is enjoying a…BusinessPrimeStage's 1984: "It was very true to the book," says Peter.Five of us went to…
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:The Six Things That Make Stories Go Viral Will Amaze, and Maybe Infuriate, YouOverblown Headline of New Yorker Article…CybercultureOpening night! So great to see live local theatre.PersonalLysistrata live.Current_EventsAfter you finish your brass-polishing shift, join me at the Gear and Heart to swap stories…AestheticsLintels and chimneys…
Next up: Stage Right summer musical theater camp starts Monday! Similar:I rather like my instructional page on writing effective dialogue. I created this new grap…HumanitiesSparkle unicorn "Winston" lends ethos to a presentation on moral agency on anima…PersonalSupport the arts in your community! @geyer_pac Hello Dolly!AmusingQ-Less (#StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch, Season 1, Episode 6) Shenanigans with Vash…
Testing a tool to automate connections between iOS apps. Similar:Girlhood 2014They don’t even seem to want to watch Fr…CultureThe Rule of Capek's Robots: A public lecture, in which the word “robot” is traced, precurs… HomeNerd siblings are awesome siblingsMy 15yo wanted to show me Terminator 4, …HomeHacking the WordPress Social Plugin to Include Pages…
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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:Son took out trash w/o being asked; daughter wore papercraft tophat to grocery store. Life…I took my daughter to an Alice-in-Wonder…ArtComputer scientist Leslie Lamport to [Brandeis] grads: If you can’t write, it…
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:RT @PhilKomarny: A floppy disc… In #context htt…RT @PhilKomarny: A floppy disc… In #co…TweetsTweet: Came around the corner and saw my kids huddled on…Came around the corner and saw my kids h…TweetsRT @DDeClaudio: Who do…