Does water STILL flow on Mars?

Scientists say they have photographic evidence that suggests liquid water may have been on the planet as little as five years ago. —Julie Wheldon —Does water STILL flow on Mars? (Daily Mail) Similar:Post-Pandemic News: 7 Lessons We Canโ€™t Afford to ForgetJournalists are often criticized for emp…CultureTake a look at the moon tonight!I wish I had the…

Nancy Updike (on writing for the radio)

Writing, in a radio story, has to be tighter and simpler than print: the beginning should hook listeners fast and hard, the way a song does. A succession of straightforward, declarative sentences (like those in the beginnings above) might feel a bit too clipped in a print story, but it’s just right for radio. A…

Dumpster Diving…Experience #1

What I got from dumpster this month: 8 giant bags of fun-size skittles (exp. 8/07) 2 giant bags of fun-size starburst (ditto) 8 cloth Halloween gift bags 1 Halloween make-your-own candy necklace (sealed) 1 candy vampire teeth (ditto) 1 rainbow clown wig (new in bag) 1 head of cauliflower 3 8 oz. packs of mushrooms…

Gingerbread Tie Fighter

—Gingerbread Tie Fighter (Flickr) The Icing is what gives the ginjedi his power. It’s an energy field created by egg whites and sugar. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the ginjedibread together. Via BoingBoing. Similar:Ukraineโ€™s Three-to-One AdvantageThe author notes that he can’t confirm w…CultureCooper Hewitt: the typeface by Chester Jenkins “[S]ince Cooper Hewitt is…

Periodic Table of the Elements

—Periodic Table of the Elements (Popular Science) This is a detail from the “Oxygen” entry for this photographic periodic table of the elements. Last night for his bedtime reading, when asked to choose from a small stack of books that also included adventure and humor, for his bedtime story my eight-year-old chose “The Mystery of the…

modular pie-cosahedron

constructing a pie with the topology of a sphere from 20 triangular sub-pie modules attached with amazing magnets. —modular pie-cosahedron (Instructables) Now this is geeky. Via boingboing. Similar:My student journalists sport their fashionable โ€œWhat Would Jerz Do?โ€ wristbands.AcademiaDear organization from my past that just sent me a scolding email…Dear organization from my past that just…CultureChecking out…

The Making of… a LEGO

The bricks are so meticulously made that the company claims that out of every 1 million elements made, just 18 will be declared defective and removed from the set. Impressive numbers, considering that the LEGO Group is producing 15 billion components a year–that’s 1.7 million items an hour, or 28,500 a minute. Tire production accounts…

Zombie Portraits

With the aid of a photo, master illustrator Rob Sacchetto will hand-illustrate a custom portrait depicting you as a brain-chasing ghoul. —Zombie Portraits Similar:The Horrorโ€ฆ The Horror! How Music in Horror Games Effects Player ExperienceFrom one of my students, a blog-based pr…AcademiaManhunt (ST:TNG Rewatch, Season Two, episode 19) — Silly Lwaxana Troi comedy of manners(Rewatching…

Meet the Life Hackers

When someone forwards you an urgent e-mail message, it’s often something you really do need to see; if a cellphone call breaks through while you’re desperately trying to solve a problem, it might be the call that saves your hide. In the language of computer sociology, our jobs today are “interrupt driven.” Distractions are not…

Asteroid's Revenge

—Asteroid’s Revenge This resembles a videogame version of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, the modern play that retells Hamlet from the perspective of two minor characters. The website calls it “Asteroids Revenge,” but I’ll excuse the mistake. Similar:Letโ€™s Make the Academic Job Market More HumaneIt’s been decades since I’ve had the “I’…AcademiaText Messaging Declines in…

Rulemaking on Exemptions from Prohibition on Circumvention of Technological Measures that Control Access to Copyrighted Works

Persons making noninfringing uses of the following six classes of works will not be subject to the prohibition against circumventing access controls (17 U.S.C. ยง 1201(a)(1)) during the next three years. 1. Audiovisual works included in the educational library of a college or university’s film or media studies department, when circumvention is accomplished for the…

bershon (flickr pool)

This face says, “GOD! I am WAY TOO BUSY having a mouthful of braces and a hot-rolled ponytail to smile for you, Mom! GOD!” —bershon (flickr pool) The world needed a word to describe this attitude. I haven’t been able to trace its origin, though. Update: My German classes were a long time ago, but…