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:The Case for Breaking Up With Your ParentsI already felt fairly independent from m…AcademiaIn May, 2000, I was blogging about the 'I Love You' virus, hacking URLs, PG Wodehouse,…
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….HumanitiesAnd the girl has succeeded in getting me to wear t…And the girl has succeeded in getting me…TweetsRT @PhilKomarny: A floppy disc… In #context…
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:I regularly teach A Raisin in the Sun but haven't seen a live production in decades. Looki… AwesomeCBS News Suspends Twitter Posting ‘In Light of 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:Blood & Laurels : Emily Short's Versu launches iPad GameEmily Short (Galatea, First Draft of the…Current_EventsHow to Disagree Academically: Using Graham's "Disagreement Hierarchy" to organize a colleg…How to Disagree Academically: Using Grah…AcademiaReading a…
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:Stem subject snobbery: a student’s view on why arts subjects matterWhile everyone complains about the subje…Aesthetics"Ill met by moonlight, proud Titania."PersonalThat "Top 5" countdown listicle stuffs 5 pages of runners-up between #2 and #1.Relaxing in bed on the first Sunday morn…BusinessWhere No One Has Gone…
Next up: Stage Right summer musical theater camp starts Monday! Similar:Seton Hill University "Technology Advantage"Not just a student laptop program. …AcademiaThe Cosmic Brownie fairy has visited my office. Is “brownie fairy” redundant? Thank you an…PersonalOpen Source College Math BookOne day last year, David Lippman got an …AcademiaNo, Running Online Classes Isn't CheaperA good response to the…
Testing a tool to automate connections between iOS apps. Similar:Dress Rehearsal for Laurel Ballet "Alice in Wonderland"My daughter is playing the “Caterpillar …HomeThe Dadliest DecadeThe eighties, at least, were drenched in…HomeI can probably remove that link to LycosOn a web page that I posted in Nov 2000 …BusinessThe Rule of Capek's Robots: A public lecture,…
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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:Is this why oldsters love nostalgia? I’m 50. I’m in my office casually sharp…CultureMy schedule every Friday this term. (Payback for teaching a course over Christmas break.) PersonalSummer Theater Camp Photos: "Patrice" in…
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…TweetsCarolyn Gombell Is Not a Real Person: #JusticeforCarolyn Is a Campaign Against Twitter Ref…Fascinating use of social media.…
I just touched up a handout on Parallel Structure vs Faulty Parallelism. Similar:The first ever photograph of light as both a particle and waveThere’s so much I don’t know! When teac…EducationYou're not going to read thisI ask my students to contextualize links…BusinessRules for Civility: 14-Year-Old George Washington's 110 Commandments for Cultivating Chara… Every Action done…
These comic panels cover the issue well. (Pennington Publishing) Similar:Telling Trump’s Story to Children: For Book Publishers, It’s TrickyThis is a challenging writing task. Pres…BooksAP reporter’s mistake: Did the punishment fit the crime? Reporters have been sometimes fired …EthicsIce Cream and Sharks Scene: writing classroom. …AcademiaMy J-Term course on August Wilson doesn’t actually…
A thoughtful reflection on religion in Star Trek. While Humans aren’t depicted as participating in any form of organized religion (there is a reference to a Christmas party here, a nod to monotheism there), the series also includes a distrust of science and technology, regularly depicting mad scientists, societies over-dependent on technology, etc.) that insists…
If you’re legally present on a public street or sidewalk, you can legally photograph anything in plain view. (This includes children and crime victims… but just because it’s legal doesn’t mean it’s always a good idea.) If law enforcement engages you, ask whether you are free to go; if so, then move out of the…