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:Blender 3D Flyover of Fantasy Steampunk Spacecraft When my kids were small, at bedtime …Aesthetics"I’d never heard of this play before now, but I love it." — World Drama…
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 …AcademiaFormer student: "I remember sometimes being annoyed with all of our blogging assignments, …A third alum in the last…
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:How Nasty Was Nero, Really?In The New Yorker, Rebecca Reed reports …CultureTake a moment to appreciate these good COVID-19 statisticsMay 1, my state had the third-highest…
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:Down with Fake Politics! Down with Fake Government! Long Live the Free Press!You can’t get much more American than Th…Culture30 years later, Sierra's Laura Bow mysteries are still a treasureWhen I was in…
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:New Graphic for MLA Style Paper HandoutThe other day, I noticed that if you Goo…Academia“People are much more frightened than they are bigoted,” making his economic message reson…No actor says “My character does this an…BusinessThere, in my morning snapshot of the kids home-schooling in the…
Next up: Stage Right summer musical theater camp starts Monday! Similar:Happy ice cream turkey cake day. AestheticsA Man Alone (#StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch, Season 1, Episode 4) Crime scene clues implicate Cons…Rewatching ST:DS9 After threatening a…CybercultureCanon Australia video: 1 man; 6 backstories; 6 photographers; 6 photosCanon Australia wants to sell cameras. T…AestheticsLego goes steampunkBe still, my…
Testing a tool to automate connections between iOS apps. Similar:Dress Rehearsal for Laurel Ballet "Alice in Wonderland"My daughter is playing the “Caterpillar …HomeInfinite Scrolling: XKCD's Creative Insight on a Common Interface IndignityAmusingThe Dadliest DecadeThe eighties, at least, were drenched in…HomeA New Talent EmergesI tried hard to frown disapprovingly whe…HomeWordPress duplicate images driving me crazy I’m…
Similar:Okay, a lot of the world is pretty awful right now, but here's an uplifting video about th…https://youtu.be/umW4koJU3e0AmusingFound: Brass Candle SnifterThis was by the teacher’s station in Adm…AestheticsMy Ouya arrived.My Ouya arrived — a Kickstarter-funded …CybercultureWhat Is Gamergate, and Why? An Explainer for Non-GeeksI’ve been following the frustrating slow…Current_EventsAnother section of a #steampunk control panel.…
Submitted revisions of 6 video tutorial scripts & drafted 5 more. Also, scored 3 boxes of leftover reception cupcakes and 1 of brownies. Similar:Yes, we will see almost anything branded Sherlock Holmes.PersonalGetting a little bit better with each #blender3D scene I render.AestheticsHere for the daughter.AcademiaFor the record, if I should happen to be murdered 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:RT @PhilKomarny: A floppy disc… In #context htt…RT @PhilKomarny: A floppy disc… In #co…TweetsI'm no longer surprised, but still want to document.This is really noteworthy. Today the Pre…Current_EventsTweet: For an anatomy project, my #geekling made…