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:The Zombie Argument that Refuses to DieThe idea that generations of Shakespeare…AcademiaDance of "the awkward nerd trying to act really cool" Carolyn (doing a really…

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:Dance of "the awkward nerd trying to act really cool" Carolyn (doing a really cool dance m…AestheticsGo not to the elves for counsel, for they will say both no and yes.First runner-up for the girl’s Halloween…AestheticsTwitterverse, are we grieving over coder droves now leaving? AmusingThe girl as Gimli, Legolas, Aragorn and…

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:Introduction to Twine (Tutorials by Vegetarian Zombie) I will always love Inform 7, but I c…AcademiaHow 'A Wrinkle in Time' Changed Sci-Fi ForeverI read this book for the first time just…BooksYou didn’t make the Harlem Shake go viral—corporations didI never found “Harlem Shake” videos to b…BusinessI'm really enjoying seeing how my students are responding to…

What is it like to learn programming with Scratch?

Let my students tell you. Similar:What It Means If You're A 'Paragraph Texter'A very fluffy article that does a good j…CultureA news site used AI to write articles. It was a journalistic disaster. Artificial intelligence has been deplo…BusinessA Message from Hester Prynne (Student Video)Have I mentioned lately that I have awes…AcademiaI just installed the "Old…

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:SCUBA Diving at the PoolBecause a beautiful sunny day at the poo…CultureDr. Bobby Teaches Ferris Bueller as RhetorMy former student, Bobby Kuechenmeister,…AcademiaStick to facts, but write news your readers will actually want to read. Students who put a lot…

10 Vintage Apple Ads That Time Forgot [VIDEOS]

Awful, awful Apple TV ads. Similar:You Can Smell Trump's FearLike all successful demagogues, Trump ha…CultureHow professors use their time: faculty time allocationInteresting social science approach to h…AcademiaNgram for "postpartum depression," "rest cure" and "yellow wallpa…Filing this for the next time a student …BooksI actually don't mind Canvas — it just happens to be the course…

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:Email (finding the…

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…