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:Practicing Intellectual, Evidence-based DisagreementThis is what a busy literature seminar o…AcademiaBlewsMicrosoft researchers discuss Blews, whi…CybercultureVisiting the #scienceofpixar exhibit @kaminsciencecenterPopCultThe Hidden Signs That Can Reveal a Fake Photo Farid emphasises…
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 in writing: Use it!These comic panels cover the issue well….HumanitiesHello, there, mini.Hello, there, mini. Let’s restore you fr…TweetsProto iPads and Paper Coexist in Classic Star TrekRewatching the classic Trek episode “The…CybercultureParallel Structure vs.…
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:Inmates in a Brazil prison shorten their sentences by writing book reviewsAn amazing story of hope and dignity. T…Books▶ Taylor Mali on "What Teachers Make"I find…
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:Van Gogh Immersive Experience AestheticsMost Americans have a high opinion of the humanities, and 81% use at least one humanities-…While some survey respondents were unfam…AcademiaWhy Study Humanities? What I Tell Engineering FreshmenScience writer…
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:James Goodwin Clonney: Mother's WatchThis painting, of two impish children ta…AestheticsHappy Easter 2019 Current_Events10 Developer Tips To Build A Responsive Website [Infographic] – ReadWrite The first thing to think of when…CybercultureStar Wars, Star Trek And V Author Ann Crispin Passes AwayAs a high school student,…
Next up: Stage Right summer musical theater camp starts Monday! Similar:Microsoft's Bing AI Now Threatening Users Who Provoke It: "If I had to choose between your…According to screenshots posted by …Current_EventsThe Woman in BlackLast night’s preview was a layered treat…CultureEveryone Should Get an ADoes a bus-driver-training school rank i…AcademiaFinished the female officers for my neovictorian steampunk…
Testing a tool to automate connections between iOS apps. Similar:Nerd siblings are awesome siblingsMy 15yo wanted to show me Terminator 4, …HomeA New Talent EmergesI tried hard to frown disapprovingly whe…HomeThe Declaration Of Independence, 240 Years Later (NPR)When in the Course of human events, it b…CultureIncoming Seton Hill Students Pick Up Their MacBooks and iPads…
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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:Enjoying a peaceful fall moment while it's possible. Taking these moments as they come. AestheticsSnazzy officer uniforms from the #steampunk bedtime stories I used to tell my now-adult ch…AestheticsI'm marking them faster…
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:And the girl has succeeded in getting me to wear t…And the girl has succeeded in getting me…TweetsDesert Bus: The Worst Video Game Ever CreatedPenn and Teller are involved with this s…BooksMaybe I'll just delete…