Fractals Describe the Distribution of Matter in the Universe

Dr. Mary Crone Odekon In today’s Academic Minute, Dr. Mary Crone Odekon of Skidmore College’s physics department discusses how studying fractals can help our understanding of structures in space. WAMC Similar:I try to create one brand new element, modify one existing element, and reuse existing ele…AestheticsInnovative journalism: A game about the rising sea, a podcast…

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:The Liminal Classroom”What,” I asked, “are we to make of Plat…AcademiaDéjà Q (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season Three, Episode 13) Amusing, insightful study of hum…(Rewatching ST:TNG after a 20-year break…AmusingListening to Weird Al's "Word Crimes." Awesome. My teaching method does not involve sham…AmusingThe ‘Little Free Library’ arrives in the D.C. areaThe “Little Free…

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:Broken on Purpose: Why Getting It Wrong Pays More Than Getting It RightI have recently started managing the Fac…BooksBooks Wield a Dangerous PowerWhile we might point to violent video ga…BooksWilliam Shakespeare, Playwright and Poet, Is Dead at 52 On this date — April 23, 1616 — the cr…CultureHow Copyright Law Gave Us STAR WARSIn an…

What is it like to learn programming with Scratch?

Let my students tell you. Similar:What a stunningly responsible young man I was, to have on June 10 1998 backed up all my fi…CybercultureFormer Facebook Workers: We Routinely Suppressed [a Certain Political Slant] NewsOne day when I was an undergraduate work…BusinessWhy typewriters beat computersThe BBC offers a pleasant bit of retroph…AestheticsSam Shepard Giggles, Doesn't GoogleI…

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:Part of my daily routine is practicing German for about 15m per day. With no particular pr…EducationEssay on the flaws of distance educationThe web also creates the illusion that a…AcademiaSpecial ed teacher quits: ‘I just cannot justify making students…

10 Vintage Apple Ads That Time Forgot [VIDEOS]

Awful, awful Apple TV ads. Similar:Choosing Carolyn's HeadshotWhich of these headshots do you like bes…AestheticsFive myths about daylight saving timeNo, Daylight Saving Time was not created…BusinessDon’t Want to Fall for Fake News? Don’t Be LazyFake news is not a problem caused by tho…CultureThe Internet Is RottingI do what I can. It’s disheartening how,…AcademiaThe Anatomy of…

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:Why 'Gangnam Style'…