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:2001: A Space Odyssey – Discerning Themes through Score and ImageryIncredibly detailed close reading of the…AestheticsKids Today: A Response to Mark Bauerlein (from "Dean Dad")Mark…

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:In the Salary Race, Engineers Sprint but English Majors Endure Since new technical skills are a…AcademiaCommonly Misused Words: ALL RIGHT and (Slang) ALRIGHT For more on ALL RIGHT, ALL R…AmusingI'm just getting around to watching this speech from Arnold Schwarzenegger. Impressive!I really never paid much attention to Sc…AestheticsHelvetica Bold Oblique Sweeps…

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:How the Midwest went from the idealized to the deridedWhile Pittsburgh has become more metropo…AcademiaThe storage shelves of my fantasy steampunk CGI starship will need props with appropriate …  AestheticsApparently Facebook Doesn't Know Me Very WellI’m actually rather happy at the thought…AmusingHow Bad Design Wrecked Steve Harvey's "Universe"The consequences weren’t as serious as t…Current_EventsGem of the…

What is it like to learn programming with Scratch?

Let my students tell you. Similar:If You Ever Find a Link to ThoughtCatalog, I'm Begging You Not to Click It Here’s a thought… nothing you can …BusinessFacebook Puts a Downer on UpworthyFacebook Inc. changed its newsfeed algor…BusinessAcademics work to detect ChatGPT and other AI writingToday I met a class of English majors wh…AcademiaBig Calculator: How…

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:Advice for alternate pathways in journalism: re-entering the workforce after taking a brea…A colleague put me in touch with an awar…AcademiaSCUBA Diving at the PoolBecause a beautiful sunny day at the poo…CultureSeton Hill University's New Media Journalism Program Named…

10 Vintage Apple Ads That Time Forgot [VIDEOS]

Awful, awful Apple TV ads. Similar:Why We’ll Never Live in SpaceAs much as I love escapist science ficti…BusinessThings Past #StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch (Season 5, Episode 8) Odo confronts his reputation as a…Rewatching ST:DS9 Sisko, Dax, Odo and…Amusing1 small shirt for a man, 1 giant leap backward for women: ColumnIdea for a scientist pull-cord doll: “Fa…AestheticsEverybody…

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:Overheard at Quora:…

The Poynter Institute's Seminars

 I’m teaching a “New Media Projects” course, which aims to explore the connections between communication with words (linear, narrative) and communication with programming (interactive, procedural). Out in the wider world, The Poynter Institute hosted this session this week. I’m glad to see the profession moving beyond digital cameras and blogging. Programming for Journalists / Journalism…