Commonly Misused Words: ITS and IT’S

Similar:Every conversation between a parent and a child, in four conversations. (Slate)This whole item applies very well to one…AmusingIt is often said that autistic people lack empathy. Some autistic people are told that the…@ItsEmilyKaty supplies another excellent…CultureMore Evidence That, to Trump, "Fake News" Means Critical NewsNothing really new here, just calling at…Current_Events11001001 (TNG Rewatch: Season…

Correlation is not Causation

According to a somewhat dry AFP article (posted on a URL that will probably expire soon), “The researchers estimated that in 2008 Australian adults aged 25 and older spent 9.8 billion hours in front of the small screen, and that this time was associated with 286,000 years of life that ended prematurely. | Every single hour…

In 10 Years Our iPads Will Be Here

Our iPads will one day be stacked on a pallet, like these old PCs. They’ll be retro curiosities, having done their jobs — empowering us to build even better tools. Similar:The Sentence That Knocked Down the Berlin Wall (But Almost Didn’t)Words that defined Ronald Reagan’s presi…CultureIn November 2001 I was blogging aboutIn November 2001, I…

Ian Bogost – Gamification is Bullshit

This rhetorical power derives from the “-ification” rather than from the “game”. -ification involves simple, repeatable, proven techniques or devices: you can purify, beautify, falsify, terrify, and so forth. -ification is always easy and repeatable, and it’s usually bullshit. Just add points. Game developers and players have critiqued gamification on the grounds that it gets…

Apple, publishers conspired against $9.99 Amazon e-books, says lawsuit

I was doing a lot of impulse buying during the $9.99 days, but since then, on occasions when I’ve seen the ebook offered at a higher price than a paperback, I have just turned to interlibrary load instead. “Terrified” by Amazon’s Kindle e-reader and discounted e-book pricing, five major publishers allegedly acted together to increase…

Students aim for Broadway in musical with true-life focus

David Mahokey of Dunbar, a senior at Point Park University, and Greg Kerestan of Greensburg, a senior at Seton Hill University, wrote the 20-song score and script, respectively, for ″In Control,″ a musical that focuses in part on Mahokey’s real-life battle with bone cancer. Two free performances of ″In Control,″ directed by Anthony Marino, artistic…

Books Without Borders

The heartbreaking thing is that this fall, over 10,000 bookstore employees across America will be out of work. The way the publishing industry is going, many of those people won’t be able to find jobs that are even tangentially related to books anymore; they’ll go on to work in movie theaters and grocery stores and…

Karel Capek Slighted

The layout of this display at the Carnegie Science Center almost makes it look like the Maria duplicate in Metropolis came before Karel Capek’s play RUR (which was written in 1920, first performed in 1921). Similar:Point Park cancels 'The Adding Machine: The Musical' after student objections to offensive…Citing student objections to offensive c…Academia'A Klingon Christmas…

Carnegie Science Center Model Train

The control panel. Similar:BlewsMicrosoft researchers discuss Blews, whi…CybercultureFYI, 13yo skool grl is nu US txt mssg chmpNContestants had to stand with their hand…AmusingTexas lawyer trapped by cat filter on Zoom call, informs judge he is not a catA Texas lawyer accidentally left a kitte…AmusingHypertext as a Teaching Tool — Brown University Poetry Classroom 1974This short…

USS Requin

Images from an extended tour of a cold war submarine. (We liked the tour we took last year so much, my son and I came back.) [portfolio_slideshow size=medium trans=scrollHorz ] Similar:RIP Metaverse, we hardly knew yeI am curious enough about cockatoos that…AcademiaGames Without Frontiers: Victory in VomitWired reviews Mirror’s Edge When you ru…AestheticsWhy We Fall…

Stage Right Greensburg Wizard of Oz

My daughter, as the wizard, with her talented castmates, in our local theater school’s preteen summer camp musical. Similar:A vacation minibar story from 20 years ago.PersonalI am slightly ahead of the boy. Rare.PersonalBeautiful set. Support the humans who do arts in your community (instead of settling for …Beautiful set. Support the humans who d…PersonalThe Ship…

Bluejay Catching a Bug

My friend and colleague, Balázs Tarnai, shared these pictures of a bluejay catching a bug on his garage roof. Similar:Fake Kitsch! Not Really the 80s! There is a part of me that misses …AestheticsReally enjoyed watching this documentary about an octopus who moved in with a human father…EmpathyChoosing Carolyn's HeadshotWhich of these headshots do you…