John Scalzi writes: So basically, my job: Demystify the journaling and blogging process for AOL members so they can jump in and start doing it. Encourage the writing, reading, and linking of blogs and journals on AOL and in the blogoverse. Write a kick-ass blog worth reading. Why me? Well, why not? —AOL Hires Blogger (Whatever)…
“Textual history teaches us that authors have been taking back their words for a long, long time (in the form of variants and revisions and new editions), and that ‘their’ words, as we read them on the page, might or might not originate with the person named on the title sheet. In other words (so…
“The Forever Flashlight uses no batteries or bulbs. Instead it uses Faraday’s Principle of Induction and a bright LED to produce light without batteries. The light is shaken for about 30 seconds to recharge a capacitor and it will then provide about 5 minutes of light. As the light is shaken, a magnet passes through…
I can’t remember if I cried When he cut me from his blogroll side But something touched me deep inside The day the blogging died —The Day the Blogging Died (Radio Free Blogistan) The thing about oral composition is that the oral performances aren’t archived, so people who repeat the performances for new audiences tend to…
“I still have strong reservations about removing entries but I’ve changed my mind about pretty much everything else. And while I can understand the impulse to encourage ‘accountability’, I find I’ve crossed over to Dave Winer’s side of the fence as regards ‘substantially editing (although not removing) content after having posted it to the web.’…
“I consider my using weblogs in class this summer to be, for the most part, a failure. I’m glad I tried it, but my students didn’t enjoy blogging. I even thought to myself, at some points in the semester, that maybe blogging is something someone should do because he or she wants to do it;…
“Academics are already seeking to study early games as the awakening of a potent new art form. Future developers will want to see how earlier designers approached play and mechanics — and solved complex problems using limited technology.” Suneel Ratan —Arcade Addicts Joust with Past (Wired) There was a time not too long ago when cinema…
“Rush is almost always armed for his shows with reams of data and analysis from a wide variety of news and information sources. His commentaries indicate that he has actually read his sources, thought about their meaning, and prepared his own in-depth analyses before trying to persuade audience members during his three on-air hours each…
—Merely OK — Usability Testing: What is It? (EServer TC Library) Of the 15 or so of my resources included in the EServer TC Library, my handout on Usability Testing is ranked the worst. Does anyone out there have any suggestions to make it better? Write a review, and post it on the page. The rest…
“When small independent online publications and collaborative news sites with an amateur staff perform original reporting on community affairs, few would contest that they’re engaged in journalism.|When citizens contribute photos, video and news updates to mainstream news outlets, many would argue they’re doing journalism.|But when bloggers comment on and link to news stories, is that…
“University of Wisconsin-Madison faculty member dangled from his parachute on a wire 150 feet above the Seattle area for more than two hours Monday after his jump off a radio tower went awry.” Nahal Toosi —Professor Arrested after Jump from Tower (Journal Setntinel) So… was the tower ivory? Found via Incoming Signals, who files the…
—Manufactured Landscapes: The Photographs of Edward Burtynsky (Cowles Gallery) Rosemary Frezza first suggested the Washington Post’s current article on Burtynsky, but since that will expire soon she did a little hunting and found the Cowles Gallery link. There is really no quotable text in the gallery press release (“BURTYNSKY’s photographs, monumental both in scale and subject,…
“Why is it, a growing number of people are asking, that anyone can download medical nonsense from the Web for free, but citizens must pay to see the results of carefully conducted biomedical research that was financed by their taxes? | The Public Library of Science aims to change that. The organization, founded by a…
“For years, researchers have worked to improve gloves that can translate American Sign Language into spoken and written speech…. Some members of the deaf community are ambivalent about the technology, which aims to ‘fix’ deafness, a trait they accept and even embrace as culturally unique. Many also are wary of a machine that can translate…
“This is a very bad time for a new, young anchor to be starting out, because they’ll be the first to go. The point and click selection process of INTERACTIVE communication will eliminate the need for a news jockey–and certainly for the tiring ‘teams’ of too friendly, overly made up glamor clones we get on…
“Turns out Alex had been snooping in her Web cache, found the URL for the blog, and voilà , her secret was out.” —Busted By a Blog: Online Journal Reveals Relationship Infidelity (ABC News) Here’s a good example of how a journalist can subtly editorialize. Alex and Johanna have mended ways and learned a lesson: “We clear…
“Lord willing, AOL stock would rise high enough that Colburn would make enough to donate $1 million to the rabbis, with plenty to spare. The stock was a pretty sure bet. The way AOL’s stock was ticking up, up and away, reaching beyond $90 a share that December, he didn’t exactly need God’s help.|Then again,…
“Like any successful scam, the hoax worked for two reasons: it seemed believable, and it was beautifully executed. Metallica are well known (and frequently vilified) on the net for their legal tactics, and the story was posted on a perfect copy of MTV’s news page. Because it looked like a genuine story and was written…
“The National Council of Teachers of English, recommending the use of hip-hop lyrics in urban public school classrooms (as already happens in schools in Oakland, Los Angeles, and other cities), enthuses that ?hip-hop can be used as a bridge linking the seemingly vast span between the streets and the world of academics.?|But we?re sorely lacking…
“[I]t should come as little surprise that a technology behind blogs–online chronicles of personal, creative and organizational life–has manifested the kind of bitter fight for control that is inevitable in any truly democratic institution….The dispute offers a glimpse into the byzantine and highly politicized world of industry standards, where individuals without legal authority over a…