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:In Defense Of Metaphors In Science WritingWe live in an elegant universe. The c…CultureProto iPads and Paper Coexist in Classic Star TrekRewatching the classic Trek episode “The…CybercultureParallel structure in writing: Use it!These comic panels cover…
I just touched up a handout on Parallel Structure vs Faulty Parallelism. Similar:A shooting, the president snatched away – this episode of 'The Trump Show' was surreal eve…Good news writing, and praise for Trump’…Current_EventsRip Van WinkleCertain it is, that he was a great favor…AcademiaSlashes in Legal WritingI’m not a student. I found your we…BusinessClickbait writers…
These comic panels cover the issue well. (Pennington Publishing) Similar:Never trust a corporation to do a library’s jobThe Internet Archive is mostly known for…BooksThe Myth of ‘Learning Styles’The discourse around “learning styles” (…AcademiaWhat Could Have Entered the Public Domain on January 1, 2015?If the pre-1978 laws were still in effec…BooksThe ‘Cancelling’ of Flannery O’Connor? It Never…
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…
Standardized testing rewards standardized thinking, while excluding creativity, resilience & other “soft” skills. I have started gong out of my way to remind students in my classes that I am not comparing their papers to a “correct answer” in the back of my book — I want them to learn a habit of mind that…
It’s a good day when one’s nerdiness is an asset to a colleague. Similar:6 Problems with our School SystemI spend a lot of time re-educating my st…AcademiaOut for a walk during some downtime. Paused to appreciate this beautiful city of #Pittsbur…AestheticsImportant University of Virginia Messages Regarding Sexual AssaultUniversity of Virginia president takes a…AcademiaMultimodal Composing, Sketchnotes,…
I’m a happy, responsible, and no-longer-obligated-for-jury-duty citizen. Similar:Brother Stuck in the BathroomThe girl posted this story on Instagram …Amusing"It's called an amphora," the artist says.AestheticsFair use prevails as Supreme Court rejects Google Books copyright caseFair use is a concept baked into US copy…BooksOne hundred years ago, Czech writer Karel Čapek introduced the world to the…
Keep a local backup of anything important you’ve entrusted to online services. There’s no guarantee that, years from now, those services will honor the terms you agreed to. Backed by new investors, including singer Justin Timberlake, Myspace (after dropping the capital ‘S’) has been rebranded as a music-streaming service, with a new sleek interface, and…
Penn and Teller are involved with this story. Worth a read. The only record of the game’s existence was a handful of review copies that had been sent out to journalists in the weeks before the publisher went bust, in 1995. The game remained a curious rumor until September, 2005, when Frank Cifaldi, a freelance…
Judge: Apple conspired to fix eBook prices. #ethics #books The Federal lawsuit claimed that Apple, led by then-CEO Steve Jobs and senior vice president of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue, conspired with HarperCollins, Hatchett, Macmillan, Penguin and Simon & Schuster to drive e-book prices up from the $9.99 price point Amazon had established. –readwrite.com Similar:Why do…
RT @spj_tweets: How TV could suffer the fate of newspapers: @alanmutter shares the second installment of his two-part blog – http://t.co/l… Similar:Carolyn Gombell Is Not a Real Person: #JusticeforCarolyn Is a Campaign Against Twitter Ref…Fascinating use of social media. To be c…Current_EventsHabits for happiness: tips for looking on the bright side of lifeHabits for happiness:…
RT @DepressedDarth: Dear J.J. Abrams, If the new Star Wars is bad, you will forever be known as Jar Jar Abrams. Sincerely, Star Wars fans Similar:Summer Theater Camp Photos: "Patrice" in "13" My 11yo performed the part of “Patrice…Current_EventsParents Dedicate New College Safe Space In Honor Of Daughter Who Felt Weird In Class Once“When our…
I really like MailChimp’s “Social” plugin, which not only publishes a WordPress blog entry to Twitter and Facebook, but also collects responses from Twitter and Facebook users and collects them as WordPress comments. Today I installed a different plugin, Twitter Tools, which is really just a single tool — it lets you create a WordPress…
Habits for happiness: tips for looking on the bright side of life. At bedtime, in order to avoid a nightly litany of complaints, I ask my glass-is-half-empty-and-I-hate-the-pirate-glass-and-there’s-a-bug-in-it tween to list three good things, two neutral things, and one sad thing about her day. Sometimes if she needs to share more than one sad thing, I…
While researching my obligations for #juryduty Thursday, I came across this “Juror’s Creed.” The gender-specific reference to men, the instruction to reflect upon the virtues of democracy, and the instruction to respect the judge’s education all hint at a historical context for the creed. Institutions never put their creeds into writing unless they feel those…
Spent a productive work day doing nothing but optimizing my blog. Added a very nice plugin for displaying thumbnails of related posts. Similar:Into the depths of code. Algorithmic archaeologies and cave fantasies in video gamesThe full article (by Angelo Careriis) in…AcademiaMy schedule every Friday this term. (Payback for teaching a course over Christmas break.) PersonalDOJ Enters…
RT @mykidcancode: Managing Your Preschooler’s Fascination with Apps – bit.ly/lv1ZyR #parenting #technology Similar:Sam Shepard Giggles, Doesn't GoogleI wrote my undergraduate honors thesis o…CybercultureHow Bill Gates pulled off the swift Common Core revolutionWhile I appreciate the efficiency of uni…CultureAll About Soap — Why Washing Your Hands Fights the CoronavirusPeople typically think of soap as gentle…CultureEnjoyed watching…
Not kidding — 254,460 spam comments in my trash folder! Similar:Googling Is for Old People. That’s a Problem for Google.When I ask my students to use the librar…AcademiaAI is better at writing poems than you’d expect. But that’s fine. Even the most rebellious poets follow …CultureOut of the Zuckersphere, (back) into the BlogosphereThis is why…