Queen guitarist to complete doctorate

Brian May is completing his doctorate in astrophysics, more than 30 years after he abandoned his studies to form the rock group Queen. —Queen guitarist to complete doctorate (AP | Yahoo! (will expire)) This brightened my day. Similar:Ray Harryhousen, visual effects pioneer, dies  The Harryhausen family regret to…AestheticsPast Tense, Part 2 (#StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch, Season 3,…

Breaking News: Something Happening in Haiti

Breaking News: Something Happening In Haiti —Breaking News: Something Happening in Haiti (The Onion (Satire)) Great commentary on the accelerated news cycle. Similar:Dog and TP WallAmusingHow to be a Medieval Spectator (Intro to Toronto York Plays 2025)This is what I’m in Toronto to observe.&…AcademiaWhat's next in game narrative, with Emily Short Something that I tended to…

Seagull becomes crisp shoplifter

“At first I didn’t believe a seagull was capable of stealing crisps. But I saw it with my own eyes and I was surprised. He’s very good at it.” —Seagull becomes crisp shoplifter (BBC) Very strange. My brother-in-law Robert sent it to me. Similar:No, this Jeopardy! contestant was not making a white supremacist hand gestureConspiracy theories,…

Statetris

—Statetris (mapmsg.com) Like Tetris, but with American states. Similar:Robots Are Coming for Our PoemsThe robots are quickly and surely coming…AestheticsMicrosoft Research Launches Code Hunt Game to Teach ProgrammingAnother item for the “when I’m finished …BusinessThe neglected history of videogames for the blindWhat kind of a “videogame” has no video?…CybercultureWhy do academics dress so badly? (Answer: they…

Beginning Reporting

As I see it, a good reporter is like a pinball in play, always gathering, writing, revising, gathering, writing, revising–until time runs out. The job is as simple, and as hard, as that. The advice here is based on the teachings of reporters I admire. It is also based on conclusions I have drawn during…

Echochrome – the Escher Game

—Echochrome – the Escher Game (YouTube, Via Game Girl Advance) What a hypnotically simple interface! This is a PSP game. Since I’m not a platform gamer, I’ll have to admire this one from afar. Similar:Seven Guitars ( #AugustWilson #CenturyCycle, 5 of 10)August Wilson’s Century Cycle >  Spoi…BooksThe Tribune-Review published a nice preview of Dani Girl.My daughter…

AFP

A string of publishers failed to spot blatant plagiarism of one of English literature’s most famous authors, in a cheeky test to see if she would have secured a book deal today, a report said Thursday. David Lassman, head of the Jane Austen Festival in Bath, sent manuscripts to 18 editors seeking a publishing contract,…

Adventures in ostrich suits….

I never thought that I would spend my fifteen minutes of fame dressed as as ostrich. —Megan Ritter —Adventures in ostrich suits…. (Megan Ritter) A member of Seton Hill’s College Republicans posts a brief reflection on her appearance on a Time.com front-page feature, as one of the 10 weirdest YouTube questions posted for the upcoming Democratic…

What do ombudsmen do?

Interest in ombudsmen has increased in response to all the polls showing that readers do not hold newspapers in particularly high regard. This problem is hardly a novel one. Similar circumstances led Ralph Pulitzer to establish a Bureau of Accuracy and Fair Play at his New York World in 1913. According to a 1916 issue…