Pittsburgh’s Trib Inadvertently Advises Readers to Sh*t Themselves

Pittsburgh’s Trib Inadvertently Advises Readers to Shit Themselves. The copy I picked up has been fixed. Similar:Facebook Removes Human Curators From Trending ModuleToday, Facebook announced that human cur…BusinessAs coronavirus cases climb, the White House line is consistent: Everything is well in handTraditional journalism aims for neutrali…Current_Events''Uh…''And yes, Liz’s face registers the shift …AestheticsModern Masterpieces…

Sometimes, college writing comes down to glitter glue, Sharpies, and smiles.

Our last day of classes is Monday, followed immediately by final exams. My freshman writing students still have a final revision and a final reflection due, but they seemed surprisingly relaxed today. They have all given informal presentations in both informal and formal settings, and turned in solid drafts. For my part, I’ve already returned…

AP apologizes for firing reporter over WWII scoop

Great little story that I’m saving for a future “history of journalism” module. The German surrender happened at 2:41 a.m. on May 7, 1945. Kennedy was one of 17 reporters taken to witness the ceremony. He and the others were hastily assembled by military commanders, then pledged to secrecy by a U.S. general while the…

Report: Only 14.5 Percent of People Have Access to Free Press

I already knew that a free press is precious, but I had no idea it was so rare.. A Washington-based human rights organization says that, overall, press freedom around the world stopped declining in 2011. But while there are positive changes in some countries, the overall picture is not too bright. Last year, less than…

I don’t really want to assign a grade to this draft…

I don’t really want to assign a grade to this draft… I just want to sit down with the student and have a conversation about why the words “cannot” and “because” mean completely different things according to context. “The ice cannot be melted because the temperature is below freezing” uses “cannot” as a physical impossibility…

Hap Aziz and Colonial Williamsburg | Emily Short’s Interactive Storytelling

Hap Aziz, who’s running a Kickstarter campaign to fund an interactive fiction exploration of colonial Williamsburg, was interviewed by Emily Short. One of the fascinating things to me about the events surrounding American independence is that there was so much disagreement and debate regarding whether or not the colonies should dissolve their bonds with England.…

Seton Hill’s Latest Interactive Multimodal Communications Technology

The other day, a worker was pushing his cart through my office building, attaching these little cork board strips to our doors. Something about the moment cried out for commemoration. Similar:Lego TimelineThe Lego brick system was patented 50 ye…AestheticsBattlestar Galactica 'Launch When Ready' Bridge Girl Fan Page (updated with links to archi… –Battlestar Galactica…

Notes towards a Deformed Humanities

I don’t want to put Humpy Dumpty back together. Let him lie there, a cracked shell oozing yolk. He is broken. And he is beautiful. The smell, the colors, the flow, the texture, the mess. All of it, it is unavailable until we break things. And let’s not soften our critical blow by calling it…

“Frankenstein” remixed

Wish I had come across this a little earlier in the term… too late it to add it to my “Media and Culture” new media seminar. Morris — a novelist who has written graphic novels, games and, yes, Choose-Your-Own-Adventure stories for kids — has changed the original text in other ways, as well. (Let’s take…

Dan Rather Outspoken: Still Battling CBS News

I knew Rather was still fighting, but I didn’t know what he’s saying now about the Killian memos that ended his career: A CBS-commissioned investigation of the disaster—headed by Richard Thornburgh, U.S. attorney general when Bush’s father was president, and Associated Press chief executive Louis D. Boccardi—faulted Rather and his top producer, Mary Mapes, among…

A Very Pricey Pineapple – NYTimes.com

An American child could go to a public school run by Pearson, studying from books produced by Pearson, while his or her progress is evaluated by Pearson standardized tests. The only public participant in the show would be the taxpayer. If all else fails, the kid could always drop out and try to get a…

Online Trolls Losing Anonymity

The Internet has become a Wild West of hooligans apt to besmirch the name of anybody they don’t like, because they think they can get away with it under a cloak of anonymity, legal experts say. “The real difficulties you are going to have is finding who are the John Does who are posting this…

The Historical Williamsburg Living Narrative by Hap Aziz — Kickstarter

Backed. The Historical Williamsburg Living Narrative allows you meet the people and experience the circumstances that lead to the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The setting is Williamsburg, Virginia, in colonial times, and game is pure Interactive Fiction: engaging prose will take your imagination back nearly 250 years into the history of…

Walden, A Game – USC School of Cinematic Arts

Walden, A Game simulates both personal and environmental life, modeling the basic personal needs outlined by Thoreau, as well as some of the more experiential concepts he described. Furthermore, the game takes advantage of the detailed notes that Thoreau took about the pond, and its surrounding landscape, flora and fauna. —Walden, A Game – USC…

Hello, Dolly! (Apr 27, 28 & 29, Palace Theater, Greensburg)

“65 kids from 15 different schools- coming together to create a show in 3 weeks!!!! Please come see them shine.” — Tony Marnio, Artistic Director, Stage Right School for the Performing Arts, Greensburg I’ve already got my ticket. Looking forward to a great show. Similar:For News Outlets Squeezed From the Middle, It’s Bend or BustHundreds…

Khan Academy and the Effectiveness of Science Videos – YouTube

Interesting implications for the flipped classroom. If students think they already understand something, they’ll tune out of a video lecture. Students watched a science video they frequently described as “clear,” but in a post-test it turns out the video had actually confirmed their incorrect assumptions. When students watched a second video that first presented and…

Obituary: Les Banos / Spy against the Nazis, longtime sports photographer

My son and I heard Mr. Banos speak just last week at a Holocaust memorial ceremony. There was one evening a few years ago when someone browsing the television channels could see Les Banos’ face and European accent in two unrelated historical documentaries demonstrating the breadth of an unusual life. In one made by the…

Oh, the Lives That You’ll Save – Tweed – The Chronicle of Higher Education

His real name was Geisel, Theodor (with no “e”). An incredibly generous Author was he. An alum from the class of nineteen twenty-five, They say he gave more than any alive. And for that they’ll remember him and his wife (the woman with whom he spent most of his life). The medical school will carry…

WWII Veteran and Holocaust Rescuer Les Banos

I just heard from a trusted source about the death of Les Banos, a WWII veteran who joined the Nazi Secret Services in order to be a double-agent serving the Allies. My son and I heard Mr. Banos speak at a Holocaust memorial service just last week. Here’s a video version of some of his…

Faculty Advisory Council Memorandum on Journal Pricing § THE HARVARD LIBRARY TRANSITION

Harvard’s annual cost for journals from these providers now approaches $3.75M. In 2010, the comparable amount accounted for more than 20% of all periodical subscription costs and just under 10% of all collection costs for everything the Library acquires. Some journals cost as much as $40,000 per year, others in the tens of thousands. Prices…