[P]ress releases are unreal and possibly pointless. First, you write the press release from other already-written things. You can even fudge quotes, which is a big no-no in journalism. Then you have to get everything approved by absolutely everybody. I’m not big on getting stuff “approved.” I think it’s weird that you have to do…
Rosemary Frezza, Blog Angel (Jerz’s Literacy Weblog) I’ve blogged about trolls, but I’ve also been thinking about the beings that I call blog angels — those helpful, friendly folks who may or may not have blogs of their own, but who regularly e-mail suggestions or leave them in comments, who privately warn me about typos…
Today being Groundhog Day in U.S. (and elsewhere?) reminds me how the movie Groundhog Day suggests a model for how interactive stories could work. However, rather than write up my own essay on the topic, I’ll link to others who have already discussed this, found via Google… —Andrew Stern —Groundhog Day and IF (again) (Grand Text…
Always capitalize and use trademarks in their correct form. CORRECT: The image was enhanced with Adobe® Photoshop® Elements software. INCORRECT: The image was photoshopped. INCORRECT: The image was Photoshopped. INCORRECT: The image was Adobe® Photoshopped. Trademarks must never be used as slang terms. —Permissions and trademark guidelines (Adobe.com) Somebody hand me an aspirin — I’m…
It has been said that reality is all about perspective — a camera is a pinhole view of the world that frequently filters out much of the story. With that in mind, check out this video of the familiar “I have a scream” speech by Dean. I’m no Dean supporter, but from down in the…
Unless we get an influx of suggestions within the next three hours, I’ll have no choice but to watch this year’s Super Bowl. I write this post from the living room of Vidiot Emeritus Peter Ko, and if the prospect of sparing me from the tedium of this year’s game isn’t enough to spur your…
;-) Neterature: all the quirky, jerky kinds of writing that is/are on the World Wide Web — blogs, fan fiction, role-playing game sagas, news filterese, spam poetry, prose parodies, etc. Neterature: Usually energetic passionate innovative and irreverently funny. Not always great or even good. But the best of it is young and sassy and undeniably…
True or false? Technical writers? A. Write about technology. B. Translate specialized knowledge in a manner that is adapted to readers? needs, level of understanding, and background. C. Present information that helps readers to solve a particular problem. D. Persuade readers to see things, ideas, and events as the writers see them. E. ?Set the…
—wood s lot A few good finds from this Canadian blog: The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy E. D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph F. Kett, James TrefilThird Edition, 2002 The Day of the Condouror How to be a Propour Canadian SpellourRonald de Sousa repost I scarcely dare fourmulate this question, lest it be censoured, and–Horrour of…
I have been enrolled in courses in which my professors used a powerpoint presentation every single day. When required to do a presentation in front of my peers, I also made use of Microsoft Powerpoint in order to present my information. I felt that using such a visual aid was a valuable tool to add…
[I]t is the most common thing in the world for a new English teacher to demand that her students throw out everything they’ve worked so hard to learn and then start completely from scratch. New semester, new teacher, new rules. I say we have no right. I tell my students that, too–we have no right!…
The term ‘flash fiction’ can be used to describe several genres or modes of writing. Such writing can include traditional or mainstream short-short stories as well as various other types such as American haibun, ghost stories, monologues, epistles, mysteries, myths, tall tales, fables, anti-fables, parables, romance, fairy tales, horror, suspense, science fiction, prose poetry, and…
The men of the Shihuh tribe carried the jerz, a small axe-head on a long stick. They used the implement for many purposes — it chopped the firewood, provided the grip for climbing and came in handy as a walking stick to step over the stones. To complement the jerz they also carried the special…
[L]et’s face facts, she could do your $70,000-a-year job for the wages of a Taco Bell counter jockey – she won’t lose any sleep over your plight. When I ask what her advice is for a beleaguered American programmer afraid of being pulled under by the global tide that she represents, Jairam takes the high…
Media literacy is the buzzword. Already part of the national curriculum in England for older children, the government also wants primary school pupils to have a greater understanding of the hidden depths of TV, films and other media. More than ever before, children are immersed in a media-saturated world and exposed to television in particular.…
I’m Exhausted… Thank You, Students!Jerz’s Literacy Weblog) Thursday is a marathon day for me… class at 11, 2, and a 2 1/2 hour marathon at 6pm. My first class is “Seminar in Thinking in Writing,” during which I asked the students to work in groups to come up with sample thesis statements. Ordinarily pretty dry…
Planning for the Deep Impact mission began in 1999. It culminates on July 4, 2005, when a “fly-by” spacecraft will release a smaller “impactor” spacecraft, which will smash into comet Tempel 1 at 37,000 kilometers (22,000 miles) per hour…. The impact is expected to create a crater 100 meters in diameter and up to 30…
Trolling is like playing chess – there is a point to the game, and that point is to win. Unlike chess, though, there are various ways of winning for the internet troll. These might include: gaining credence for false and invidious ideas driving bona fide list members, and/or particular groups, out of the mailing list…
Canterbury Tales: A Quick Link RoundupLiteracy Weblog) Online Google searches for Chaucer typically point to watered-down “study guides.” There is a real need for good online material on Chaucer, and there are good sites online that attempt to more than serve the lowest common denominator. A student backed out of an oral presentation topic late…
Like all men of the Library, I have traveled in my youth; I have wandered in search of a book, perhaps the catalogue of catalogues; now that my eyes can hardly decipher what I write, I am preparing to die just a few leagues from the hexagon in which I was born. Once I am…