USA Today rewrites strategy to cope with Internet

USA Today designed its coin-operated dispensers to resemble TV screens, but today’s flatscreen TVs don’t have rounded corners anymore. The content is getting a refresh, though. That breezy approach has reinforced perceptions that USA Today lacks the intellectual heft and sway of the Times and another national newspaper, The Wall Street Journal. Both those newspapers…

Found: Brass Candle Snifter

This was by the teacher’s station in Admin 403 today. I went to drop it off at the lost and found, but the campus police office was closed. Instead, I left it in the chaplain’s office, since that seemed appropriate. Similar:A picture of puffy white clouds floating in a blue skyAestheticsHowโ€™s newsgathering during COVID-19 at…

Beyond Blogs

A weblog’s most characteristic feature — the prominence of the most recent entry — has consequences for long-term discussions. But those archives are linkable; a really good blog entry exists in a network of other related posts.  Constantly linking to your own ideas can be a form of narcissism, but judicious back-linking can overcome the…

Day of Dennis Jerz ยป Today, a Hand-written Letter about a Stack of Books Trumped a Database Lesson

My first contribution to the Day of Digital Humanities was not really what I expected. On this Day of Digital Humanities, I ditched a database lesson in my morning writing course, and instead read a hand-written letter about a stack of books. A couple of weeks ago, a colleague handed me a letter sent from…

New York Times Finally Announces Paywall — Will Start Charging March 28

From the NYT press release, an interesting compromise, that recognizes the value of traffic from search engines and blogs. Full digital access will cost an eye-popping $420/year, or $35/week. Will subscribers have to put up with online ads? All users of NYTimes.com are able to enjoy 20 articles at no charge each month (including slideshows,…

Oh, that’s how you do a science fair project!

Jeez, kids these days. Not satisfied to merely participate in wildly cool science fairs and competitions sponsored by tech industry giants, now theyโ€™re teaching us what we did wrong on our own science fair projects, oh so many years ago. At least thatโ€™s what Kevin Temmer managed to do, all in a video which Pearson…

Stink bugs meet their nemesis in Asian wasp

Someone needs a basic geometry lesson. Brown marmorated stink bugs lay especially beautiful egg clusters โ€” sea green with exactly 27 to 28 eggs in each mass. The assemblage of eggs looks a little like a one-dimensional view of a stack of cannon balls. Stink bugs meet their nemesis in Asian wasp – USATODAY.com. A…

Steampunk Submarine Room

Yes, please, I would certainly like one of those. Thanks for asking. Steampunk Submarine Room ยป Geeky Gadgets. Similar:Redemption, Part II (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season 5, Episode 1) Klingon Empire Wages Civ… Rewatching Star Trek: The Next Gen…Drama"Look for the helpers" is good for distracting preschoolers from horrors they can't change…”Look for the helpers” is…