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:My brother set my parents up for a Mother's Day video call.AmusingIn August, 2001 I was blogging about… Broken Links and Poor Information Ar…AestheticsLiberal arts college professor assaults alt-right group memberCarefully choosing language that fits yo…AcademiaIn Defense Of Metaphors In Science WritingWe live in an elegant universe. The c…CultureIn April, 2002,…

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

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What is it like to learn programming with Scratch?

Let my students tell you. Similar:“I don’t know how that Jerz guy thinks he’s going to procure an entire library in the midd…“I don’t know how that Jerz guy thinks h…AcademiaWhat Happens When Digital Cities Are Abandoned?“The great paradox about these digital c…CultureIn November 1999, I was blogging about books, camomile tea and Skylon 4,…

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:Letter to the editor: Setting record straight on Seton Hill newspaperHere’s my letter responding to an recent…AcademiaSTEM Needs a New LetterCreativity alone does not foster innovat…ArtOpinion | Fake News Comes to AcademiaThe three academics call themselves “lef…AcademiaPrincipal fires security…

10 Vintage Apple Ads That Time Forgot [VIDEOS]

Awful, awful Apple TV ads. Similar:Everyone Nov 1AmusingAn Academic Conference Where YOU are the Hero: Interactive Fiction in Print and OnlineI wish I had known about this in advance…AcademiaWhen the Reporter Becomes Part of the Story (Aggressive Reporter Covering Pittsburgh Zoo D…Students who are new to journalism often…AcademiaIt's such a privilege to introduce these young…

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:Hypertext as a…