Yes, I do feel rather awesome right now.

Lost brand-new earbuds. Reached in pocket of freshly-washed pants & found old earbuds. (They work!) Looked down & spotted new earbuds. #win Similar:The Fantasticks (Oct 18-27, Theatre Factory)  https://youtu.be/SYp1jQaSwjo …CultureMy 1951 day DuoLingo streak was fun, but… Ever since DuoLingo announced it…BusinessSo peaceful and majestic. Another outing with my son.PersonalHelp! I may be running out…

Fun With Charts: Scale Matters

At first glance, this chart makes it look like food stamp usage has gone from almost nothing at some unspecified time in the past, to some huge amount over a span of who-knows-how-long. Only a fraction of the visitors to the site will click on the chart to see the scale, which reveals that the…

Zork: The Great Underground Empire

A blogger has started chronicling a journey through the classic 1980s computer game, Zork. Before King’s Quest and its successors took the realm of adventure gaming into colorful graphics, adventure titles were solely text. Infocom specialized in these during the 80s, including the Zork series, Planetfall, and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. But Zork,…

Stop Clubbing, Baby Seals

Similar:One of the Sadder Lost and Found Messages You'll Probably See TodayNot my item, but the pathos caught my ey…Design‘Chronicles of Prydain’ Movie: Disney Acquires Rights to DevelopWe went through a Lloyd Alexander phase …BooksUpdating a handout I originally wrote in 1998. #tech #writingA mechanism description analyzes (that i…AcademiaThis image of Mark Zuckerberg says so much about…

Tolkien v. Orwell: Who understood modern surveillance best?

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…

It’s Finally Ironic (You’re Welcome, Alanis)

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:Times photo staffer's invention: the streaming backpack “From a photographer’s perspective it…AestheticsCarolyn portrays Maria in West Side Story, Aug 9-12. #ifeelpretty #tonight #somewhereAt the Geyer Peforming Arts Center in…

The Pixar Theory

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 trium…

The contrast between KTVU’s treatment of its triumphs vs errors reminds us of the difference between journalism vs public relations. Similar:Classroom collaboration marketplaceWhile I am uncomfortable with the whole …BusinessTweet: For an anatomy project, my #geekling made a Vulcan…For an anatomy project, my #geekling mad…TweetsAnd the girl has succeeded in getting me to wear t…And…

Woman’s work : Columbia Journalism Review

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:When T.S. Eliot Invented the Hipster  Prufrock cannot bring himself to…CultureSTAR TREK's Still as Relevant on the 50th AnniversaryIn situations of change, it is natural f…Culture100…