Why ‘Gangnam Style’ Is Actually a Study in Mind Control

I’m not sure “thank you” is the right way to acknowledge this painful link from Paul Crossman. “Oh, come on,” you’re probably saying. “It’s not the music that’s addictive. It’s the dance, from the goofy video. That’s what went viral.” (There’s that word again.) Well, it turns out that this programming effect could be embedded…

Shatoetry iPhone app lets you put… words… in… William Shatner’s… mouth

William Shatner and technology go way back, but it’s taken him until today to get his own smartphone app. Then again, he is a man known to take long pauses. Dubbed Shatoetry, the new app (iPhone-only, for the moment) lets you string together a variety of pre-recorded words — each with three different versions —…

Cover your Backside with B-roll on Vimeo Video School on Vimeo

Great resource. Cover your Backside with B-roll on Vimeo Video School on Vimeo. Now consider this:   Similar:Phoenix journalist admits 'bad reporting' in claiming White House press censorshipNEWS FLASH: If your sources are an off-t…Current_EventsHow Literature Became Word Perfect There can be no true distinction drawn …CyberculturePope Francis calls for "news communicated with serenity, precision…

FDR in Annie

I’ve accepted the role of FDR in the upcoming Stage Right! Production of Annie. Auditions for the little ‘uns are Friday afternoon. My 10yo daughter and her tweeny friends are sticking out their chins and grinning and singing “Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow / Creeps in this petty pace from day to day” or whatever…

Google Trends: blog, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook (2004-2012)

I rather expected this — popularity of the search term “blog” from 2004-2012. And this, too, was not a big surprise — Similar:Artificial StupidityThis article will whip your head around …CybercultureA Pox On Your Listicle ClickbaitYup, seeing “1 of 21” at the top of your…BusinessJournalism 101: I fixed this meme for you.I can sympathize with…

Monsters are People Too

Study used D & D characters to test how subjects responded to eyegaze in human, humanoid, and monster characters. Observers were presented with images selected from the popular fantasy game Dungeons and Dragons (D&D; figure 1a). The images could be of humans, creatures with eyes in the centre of the face (humanoids), and creatures with…

Testing Facebook Thumbnail

Why does Facebook always use this image for the thumbnail? This image isn’t the first or the last on the page. It’s not embedded into the post, it’s part of the template. Lately, even when I specify a different thumbnail, Facebook uses this image. I’m using a plugin called Social, which does a great job…

For campaigns’ traveling press corps, social media has changed way game is played

“Once we got to the Internet/cable-news cycle, really in 2004, there was no capacity to control” the message, said Dan Pfeiffer, the White House communications director. “I leave it to others to judge if the power has gone from us to the reporters. I don’t know that, and it probably depends on the day, but…

UPDATE: BREAKING: ‘Star Wars’ Returns — ‘Episode 7’ Slated For 2015 And More Movies Planned As Disney Buys Lucasfilm

The moment in Attack of the Clones when the rockets popped out of Artoo’s legs, Star Wars died for me. So I can’t manage to get very worked up about it. Still… BREAKING…. Disney has just confirmed that it has agreed to acquire George Lucas‘ Lucasfilm Ltd, and that includes rights to the Star Wars…

After e-literature, there’s no going back

What is with the five-year-old photo illustrating this story that was published yesterday? That Kindle is ancient. Born digital describes works that are created with a computer and are meant to be read on the computer. They’re not works that you print out. The computational aspect of the work is part of its aesthetic and…

Attention Seton Hill: Quidditch Is Postoned

Similar:Short Reports: How To Write Routine Technical DocumentsI don’t get to teach technical writing m…BusinessRelics (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season 6, Episode 4) When a huge hollow sphere traps a Sco…Rewatching ST:TNG The Enterprise-D tr…AmusingHow journalists can prep for a possible violent eventJournalists face a unique threat when co…CultureIn September, 2000, I was blogging about PICK…