Sylvia Plath Engineering

Alas, the searches prove fairly elusive. But boynton found Sylvia Plath Engineering so intriguing and poetic a concept that she thought the only thing for it was a Googlepoem. Here are some edited couplets freshly compiled: plath sylvia plath on engineering engineering, accounting, working Nonfiction Technical Romance Sports the engineering part poets own sketches the:…

Satellite Images of Northeastern US Blackout

“NOAA today posted online satellite images taken before and after… the historic blackout of the Northeastern United States, which plunged millions of people into darkness.” —Satellite Images of Northeastern US Blackout (NOAA) Similar:Google, AI Announcements, and the Future of LearningGlenda Morgan does not sound that impres…AcademiaBREAKING: British Burn Washington … 2 Centuries AgoTwo hundred years ago…

Powe's Outage

One day in the future all the lights in the city go out. The turbines stop, the telephones become quiet, the traffic lights shut down, TVs dim and computers download, and elevators wedge between the office towers’ floors. Hospitals with battery-run backup supplies stay functional, but the banks and the stock exchange with their E-Money,…

Smoked Sausage: Pierogies Prevail

“Many had wondered beforehand if there would be any foul play involved in the rematch. But Pirates first baseman Randall Simon, who made national headlines on July 9 after hitting the Italian Sausage in the head with his bat during a race at Miller Park, promised Friday afternoon not to get involved with the race.”…

The Myth of Discoverability

In lieu of a truly good design, often people on the team will accept any design that makes the specific feature they care about (because they like it, because it‘snew, because they work on it, etc.) discoverable, regardless of it‘srelative importance compared to other features (note that this corollary is often applied without knowledge of…

And God said: 'Let there be Newton'

“In solitude, he continued his mathematical and physical studies, but also embraced alchemy and esoteric biblical scholarship. He felt himself to be seeking ancient knowledge that had been lost or hidden in the dark centuries of the more recent past. Today’s scientists tend to be embarrassed by Newton’s religious and alchemical studies, but Newton was…

I Feel Faint

—I Feel Faint (Weblogg-Ed) Will Richardson finds a third NYT article on blogging, and a whole page in Technology and Learning magazine. Now we have more dead trees to hand to faculty members who shift uncomfortably and ask, “What is this ‘weblog ‘ of which you speak?” Similar:The daughter was invited back to perform at this…

The New Diamond Age

Weingarten shifts uncomfortably in his chair and stares at the glittering gems on his dining room table. “Unless they can be detected,” he says, “these stones will bankrupt the industry.” —The New Diamond Age (Wired) Long but interesting deconstruction of the diamond industry. See also “Have You Ever Tried to Sell a Diamond?“ Similar:U Michigan's North…

Dead Woman Told to Tidy Grave

A letter has been sent to a woman who died three years ago ordering her to tidy up her own memorial plaque. Leeds City Council mistakenly gave Moira Thoms 14 days to remove two vases, each containing a single white rose, from around the plaque at Lawnswood Cemetery where her ashes are scattered. —Dead Woman…

What is a UK Online Centre?

UK online centres are for people who have limited or no access to skills in using new technologies. The centres will help people to develop the skills to use the Internet to access information, send email using a PC, mobile phone, digital television or games console; (please note not all centres will have the same…

Breadcrumb Navigation: Further Investigation of Usage

“The purpose of this study is to further investigate breadcrumb usage by evaluating the following research questions: Do users choose to use breadcrumbs as a navigational tool? Does breadcrumb usage improve navigational efficiency? Does the location of the breadcrumb trail on a page effect usage? Does a breadcrumb trail aid the user’s mental model of…

Building Communities with Software

“The social scientist Ray Oldenburg talks about how humans need a third place, besides work and home, to meet with friends, have a beer, discuss the events of the day, and enjoy some human interaction…. In creating community software, we are, to some extent, trying to create a third place. And like any other architecture…

Tap into Science 24-7

“What we need is a C-SPAN for science: a cable science network (CSN). This network would carry live lectures by knowledgeable scientists on topics ranging from climate change to biological warfare, as well as debates on issues from the biological basis of aggression to missile defense.” Terrence J. Sejnowski —Tap into Science 24-7 (Science) Similar:I can't…

What Use Is Literature?

“Too many ?studies? and ?reports,? with tables of data in small print appended, have purported to reveal truths about welfare or policing or sex education but in fact have revealed nothing but the initial prejudices of the ?investigators.? For me, the epiphany came when I interviewed the nation‘sleading climatologists for a magazine article on acid…

AOL Time Warner

“I have concluded that AOL’s brand would benefit from being removed from the corporate name…” AOL executive Jon Miller —AOL Time Warner (Internal Memos) Yup, just like it’s good for the diseased limb if you cut if off from the rest of the body. This is an amusing attempt at corporate spin. He even tries to…

Games Close In on Citizen Kane

“Yes, the game business is increasingly reliant on movie licenses and sequels. It is less willing to take big risks, particularly in themes or audiences. But that risk aversion reflects an industry that largely is making fewer, bigger titles with absorbing, often branching narratives, well-written dialogue and much larger budgets — as much as $10…

'Friendsickness' affects freshman female college students

This preoccupation with holding on to pre-college relationships would often get in the way of students forming new relationships in college. Female students seemed to fear that new friendships formed in college would lack the depth and intimacy of those friendships that took root in their growing-up years. —‘Friendsickness’ affects freshman female college students (EurekAlert) As…