10 Tips on How to Write Less Badly

I have seen a lot of very talented people fail because they couldn’t, or didn’t, write. And some much less talented people (I see one in the mirror every morning) have done OK because they learned how to write. —Michael C. Munger, Chronicle Here’s a tip that does a good job explaining a concept I’m…

Banner Fail — Failblog.org

see more Epic Fails Similar:Perspective | Could ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’ really be done? We found out. The three of us approach them in…AmusingThe girl as Gimli, Legolas, Aragorn and Thorin. #proudofthegirl #notentirelysurewhy #still…Aesthetics'Arrival' Is Smart, Stylish Sci-Fi About Language, Not Laser BeamsThe premise sounds quite interesting. Re…CultureHow it feels to watch a user test…

Turnitin.com technical support email?

A great usability strategy, keeping their website so free of clutter like the email address for technical support. Gotta save that valuable screen real estate for the links to the big PDF manuals that haven’t been updated since the upgrade. tiisupport@turnitin.com Once again, that email is technical support for turnitin.com. Just in case you want…

iTunes Sending Receipts to Wrong Email

My university set me up with a trial Mobile Me account, and on the set-up day when I created my iTunes account, I was told to type in the Mobile Me address, so I did.  I never used the service, though my receipts for iTunes purchases showed up there.  A year later when the service…

The Chariot

Similar:I'm not a big fan of Disney's corporate greed.I’m not a huge fan of Disney, largely be…AcademiaThere's No Substitute for FictionWhat do Peskin and Astington recommend f…BooksFun with Kirk and SpockSee the Enterprise. See the Enterprise g…AmusingWhat's next in game narrative, with Emily Short Something that I tended to think was…CultureA Christmas Carol (WAOB Audio…

What is it like to learn programming with Scratch?

Let my students tell you. Similar:Police, citizens and technology factor into Boston bombing probeIn addition to being almost universally …Current_EventsChoice of the Journo: A Branching-path Phone-friendly Role-playing Simulation for Journali…How can a nostalgic, branching-path stor…AcademiaUnity3D Maze Game TutorialWorkspace for an in-progress Unity3D tut…AcademiaThe Decline of Wikipedia: Even As More People Than Ever Rely on It,…

Are standardized tests biased against students who don't give a sh*t?

Beware… Salty language. In The Know: Are Tests Biased Against Students Who Don’t Give A Shit? Similar:SAT essay section: Problems with grading, instruction, and prompts.In my freshman writing courses I work ha…AcademiaCommentary: What My Struggling Students Wanted Me to UnderstandI haven’t taught a developmental course …AcademiaShort Reports: How To Write Routine Technical DocumentsI don’t get…

10 Vintage Apple Ads That Time Forgot [VIDEOS]

Awful, awful Apple TV ads. Similar:NPR quits Twitter after being falsely labeled as 'state-affiliated media'NPR will no longer post fresh content to…BusinessTrying something a bit different for today's 10 sq cm of #steampunk #blender3d control pan…AestheticsGIFs, memes and liveblogs: The controversial new language of book reviewingSalon has an interesting essay on multim…AestheticsFaces the girl makes…

Scratch Stats

Scratch is a kid-friendly programming sandbox, designed by MIT in order to introduce kids to computer science concepts. I’ve been using it with my own children for a couple years, and am currently using it as a gentle introduction to development, for an upper-level class designed for the “New Media Journalism” program. Similar:Facebook Updates News…