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:Hypertext as a Teaching Tool — Brown University Poetry Classroom 1974This short film documents an early attem…AcademiaDC Art Science Evening Rendezvous (DASER)Live in the DC area? June 19 I’ll…
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…TweetsI'm no longer surprised, but still want to document.This is really noteworthy. Today the Pre…Current_EventsShe doesn't have…
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:Omaha schoolgirl dresses as a different historical figure each day Voilà, she is Billie Holiday, in a b…AestheticsThe Passenger (#StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch, Season 1, Episode 9)…
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:Burgh to Burg, episode 2.AcademiaMailbag: breaking in again » Raph's WebsiteGood advice from Raph Koster to someone …BusinessOnce again, The Onion gets it right: Clinton Not Expecting To Collect White House Security…Once again,…
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…
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Next up: Stage Right summer musical theater camp starts Monday! Similar:How journalists can prep for a possible violent eventJournalists face a unique threat when co…CultureI baked about 12 million vertices of steampunk control panel geometry into a flat plane wi…PersonalInverted Pyramid, #SharpieGate edition Context: Sunday, President Trump twe…Current_EventsSiblings gotta sib.PersonalDress Rehearsal for "My Son Pinocchio"My…
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…HomeThe Declaration Of Independence, 240 Years Later (NPR)When in the Course of human events, it b…CultureTolkien v. Orwell: Who understood modern surveillance best?Interesting set of observations explorin…CultureI can…
Similar:SMS Generator SMS Generator.AmusingAnother 10 sq cm of #steampunk control panel. #blender3d #blender3dartAestheticsStudent Newspapers Scurry to Make Ends Meet“After 112 years as The Daily Emerald, t…AcademiaJeff Bezos Plan for News: The Washington Post Becomes an Amazon ProductFor the past few months, a group inside …BooksHow 'A Wrinkle in Time' Changed Sci-Fi ForeverI read this book…
Submitted revisions of 6 video tutorial scripts & drafted 5 more. Also, scored 3 boxes of leftover reception cupcakes and 1 of brownies. Similar:Swiss cheese metaphor for fighting the pandemic: "Multiple Layers Improve Success"The anti-maskers are right when they say…CultureAnother 10 sq cm of #steampunk control panel. #blender3d #blender3dartAesthetics5 Fun Ways to Help Your Kids…
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-…GovernmentShe doesn't have keys or a phone or an ID. Why does my tween need a purse?To stash her Lemonheads and Smarties. ht…AmusingProto iPads and Paper Coexist in…