Fling the Cow

FlingTheCow.com: A catapult… a target… a cow. Don’t just sit there… fling the cow! Similar:In Defense of Liking ThingsIt used to bother me that people got all…CultureLGN Launches Quandary to Develop Ethical Thinking through PlayThe Learning Games Network, a non-profit…CultureChecking sources back in 2006 involved using this *steampunk* contraption.Research Before Google Books AcademiaSimulated iceberg, preserved…

The Origin of Stories: Horton Hears a Who

“Dr. Seuss makes Horton the sort of agent… who dominates stories from Beowulf to Braveheart, powerful, generous, and resourceful; and he makes Horton’s goals unmistakable, admirable, and urgent: the struggle not to be cast out of his community, the survival of a whole people.” Brian Boyd —The Origin of Stories: Horton Hears a Who (Philosophy…

Why Rockstar Games Rule

“I had seen a 9-year-old boy blowing away guards with a shotgun in a preview version of State of Emergency, an ultraviolent Rockstar game that encourages players to smash shop windows and assassinate executives in an urban street riot.  ‘That’s not cool,’ he said flatly. ‘We’re not about cute games for kids.’” Logan Hill —Why…

‘Er’ Cautions Listeners to Stay on Side

“Um … there’re these psychologists, right? And they’ve, uh, come up with, like, the idea that ‘um’ and ‘uh’ are really words, which speakers, um … use to highlight their conversational problems. Ok?” John Whitfield —‘Er’ Cautions Listeners to Stay on Side (Nature) Similar:What Jonson meant by Shakespeare's "small Latin and less Greek" Jonson famously…

ZipUSA: Aimes, IA

The complex sociology of a college dorm: “‘We play video games at least half the day,’ says freshman Tyler Manker. He’s exaggerating. A little. He estimates that he spends five hours a day playing video or computer games, two hours watching TV or videos, and an hour on the Internet. Oh, yeah—he also spends three…

Dr. Toast's Amazing World of Toast

“I strongly believe that Toast is the very thread which holds together the uneasy seams of modern society. Therefore, it seems only appropriate that I pay some sort of homage to this humble Slice of Heaven.” —Dr. Toast’s Amazing World of Toast See also: weather-forecasting toaster; toaster art; “Flying Toasters” (a short story); “When Flying…

Orthodox Faith and Computer Programming

“What is in common between faith and programming?… both are about truth.” Hierodeacon Makary —Orthodox Faith and Computer Programming (Pravda) A thought-provoking little article, but even more surprising is its source. Yes, that’s Pravda, the official publication of the Communist Party in Russia. Similar:The Case for Slow Journalism: When to Unplug from the Endless News…

Welcome to www.villainsupply.com, your best online source for everything EVIL. If you are a supervillain, mad scientist, warlord, dictator, or despot, then this is the place for you. Similar:Children of Time #StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch (Season 5, Episode 22) Defiant crew meets happy co…Rewatching ST:DS9 In the Defiant mess…AmusingAnother NewsBreak.com Exclusive Exposes a Royal Family Lie…

Guns and Roses

“Shakespeare was a hugely popular commercial writer who asked big questions about the world he lived in. The world has changed but the questions remain the same, and they still need asking.”  —Guns and Roses (Guardian) Similar:The right — and surprisingly wrong — ways to get kids to sit still in class When it came…

Whatever You Say

“Open the pod bay doors, please,” astronaut Dave implores Hal 9000. We command, the machines execute. If they fail, they do so politely: “I’m sorry, Dave. I’m afraid I can’t do that.” W. Wayt Gibbs —Whatever You Say (Scientific American) Yeah, after they have killed our astronaut partner, but that’s not the point the author’s…

Surrey with the Syringe on Top

Playwright Arthur Miller, on anabolic steroids: “Let’s imagine you’re a young playwright, trying to stay clean… But over at the Virginia you know there’s a writer shot up with more Lasix than a Kentucky thoroughbred and he’s going to take your ticket-buyers, your house, your money, your troubled and needy movie-starlet wife.” —Surrey with the…

Web Design "Causes Confusion"

“A gap between how web designers and ordinary surfers think is causing frustration on the net.” —Web Design “Causes Confusion” (BBC) Nothing really new here, but it’s good to see the mainstream press covering usability issues. Similar:How Television Covered the Kennedy Assassination – a 1964 TV Guide ArticleIt was a new, shocking, traumatic thing …CultureGames…

What’s Happening on the Web?

“A Writer’s Perspective on an Emerging Medium” —What’s Happening on the Web? Similar:War via TikTok: Russia's new tool for propaganda machine “This is the way they go to war; it’s …Current_EventsInternational Studies Association proposes to bar editors from blogging “I think it’s a really strange propo…AcademiaDesert Bus: The Worst Video Game Ever CreatedPenn and Teller…

Student Gets Diploma After Threatening Lawsuit

“A threatening letter from her lawyer and an opportunity to retake an exam hours before graduation helped a West Valley high school student get her diploma last month.” —Student Gets Diploma After Threatening Lawsuit (Arizona Republic) “I weep for the future,” writes Matt, a former student of mine. Similar:My Dad Is a Right-Wing Asshole (Village…

At This School, "It" Is a Touchy Subject

“The principal of Franklin Elementary School in Santa Monica . . . banned the children’s game of tag–for reasons that included issues of self-esteem–from the playground late last month.” —At This School, “It” Is a Touchy Subject (LA Times) Similar:Thomas Jefferson on "newspapers without government" vs "government without newspapers"Those darn founders with their darned re…CultureFrisbee…

Personally Involved Father Figures Enhance Kids' Learning in School

(University of Illinois press release) “When dads or other father figures get personally involved, kids do better in school. The finding, says a University of Illinois researcher, suggests that schools should encourage male interaction, especially with at-risk kids.” — Personally Involved Father Figures Enhance Kids’ Learning in School Similar:Video-Game Violence Is Now a Partisan IssueScholar…

Unidisciplined

“The study of English is whatever people within the community of inquiry known as ‘the English department’ happen to count as the study of English. There is no objective referent, such as “the nature of literary language,” to use as an arbiter among approaches. The foundation has not shifted–it has vanished.” Louis Menand —Unidisciplined (Wilson…

National Science Foundation: Science Hard

“The National Science Foundation’s annual symposium concluded Monday, with the 1,500 scientists in attendance reaching the consensus that science is hard.” —National Science Foundation: Science Hard (The Onion) Similar:The Challenger disaster, Jan. 28, 1986On this day in 1986, the Challenger spac…EducationMixed ReceptionThis activity is set in a research group…AcademiaChurnalism SearchAt the University of Virginia, one…

Video Games are Incredibly Stupid!

“These critics and, unfortunately, most video game players have a basic misunderstanding about the nature of games. They believe that the purpose of a game is to imitate something in life. They think the more realism the game has, the closer it will come to imitating life, and the better the game will be. They…