The re-vision thing: Why are contemporary biographers and historians so afraid of footnotes?

"Not telling someone where you got your information from is a kind of power stroke, effectively sealing your book off from any possible scrutiny, debate or challenge." Kathryn Hughes —The re-vision thing: Why are contemporary biographers and historians so afraid of footnotes? (Guardian) Similar:Happy U.S. citizenship, Dr. Garcia-Quismondo @SHUHumanities @Setonhill AcademiaPict Free Summer Webinar: Shakespeare’s HeroesCultureAn…

Ancient Domesday Book Outlives Electronic Version

In 1085, William the Conqueror commissioned the Domesday Book. In 1986, the BBC spent £2.5 million to create an electronic version. While William’s original is still in fine shape, there are no computers capable of reading the laser discs on which the BBC version was published. —Ancient Domesday Book Outlives Electronic Versionb> (Ananova) Similar:Twitterverse, are…

Cheap PCs will doom Microsoft

(ZDNet) "The only way to explain Microsoft’s decisions over the past couple of years is to say that they know their packaged software business is doomed," says open-source advocate Eric Raymond. —Cheap PCs will doom Microsoft Similar:Violations (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season 5, Episode 12) Telepathic Memory Assaults Beset…Rewatching ST:TNG A small group o…CultureHow Not To…

Robert E. McElwaine from the UWEC is an "Internet Legend"

: Plants are psychic. The Russians are interfering with the weather. An early USENET conspiracy theorist from UWEC was once responsible for generating nearly 90% of Internet news traffic. —Robert E. McElwaine from the UWEC is an "Internet Legend" Similar:McCain's 2008 Concession Speech: Republicans interrupt their candidate's concession speech…That moment during McCain’s concession s…CultureLessons (#StarTrek…

Scholarly Electronic Publishing Weblog

My student Matt Hoy sent me this link.  Thanks, Matt! —Scholarly Electronic Publishing Weblog Similar:Theory Trading CardsThis set of 21 Theory Trading Cards, pub…AcademiaAnti-globalism Is Common Factor in Social Media Conspiracy Theories, says UW ProfFascinating academic effort to find a pa…Academia5 of the Fiercest One-Liners in HistoryYes, the Spartans’ one-word response to …CultureHad a great…

Jamming Together: Remembering the Ditto

"The history of teaching teems with machines that have jammed and stained. Who can forget that buried next to the ditto are the old-fashioned 8and 16-millimeter film projectors?" —Jamming Together: Remembering the Dittob> (Chronicle) Similar:Bully: She told her son, ‘hit him hard’ –and she learned a lessonThis is a great story about a parent who…CultureCanadians…

Animator Chuck Jones Dies

No, he was not squashed by a falling safe or run over by an Acme Indestructo Steel Ball. Jones created the Road Runner and Coyote cartons. Rules from that series: “No dialogue ever, except ‘beep beep.” “No outside force can harm the Coyote — only his own ineptitude or the failure of the Acme products.”…

2002: A Palindrome Story

A palindrome is a word or phrase that reads the same backwards and forwards:  "Madam, I’m Adam." Nick Montfort & William Gillsepie have written a whole palindrome story. —2002: A Palindrome Story Similar:Responding to Literature at the College LevelA new handout, based on the opening lect…AcademiaEdgar Allan Poe Was a Broke-Ass Freelancer – The MillionsHis…

2002 2002 2002

“The year 2002. The 20th day of the 2nd month, 2002. And, on the 24-hour clock, at two minutes after 8 p.m., harmony. 2002.” —2002 2002 2002 (Toronto Star) Similar:Grading writing: The art and science — and why computers can’t do itTech companies and university administra…AcademiaUntil next term, I have zero more unmarked assignments. #fistpumpUntil next…

A Footnote to E-book History

"Traditional publishers… couldn’t understand his willingness to surrender his ‘authority’ over his own work by letting others participate. Nor could they understand his desire to ‘devalue’ his copyright by posting a whole book online." —A Footnote to E-book History (Wired) Similar:Meet the 12-year-old boy who makes games instead of going to schoolTurning on the anti-clickbait…

Blah, Blah, Blah and Blog

“Alongside the boom, however, there have recently been a few faint signs of backlash. As increasing hordes take on the task of trying to keep new sites looking nice, sounding original and free from banalities, more hordes just seem to fail.” —Blah, Blah, Blah and Blog (Wired) Similar:What Do Happy Teens Do? Hint: It doesn't…

Interview with Oliver Sacks

“…I think the wonder of our aesthetic or religious sense, or musicality, is increased by the fact that it depends on three pounds of jelly in our head.” —Interview with Oliver Sacks (neurologist and novelist) Similar:The #Blender3D #eevee denoising filter gives off a pretty amazing Caldecott prize-winning …The filter won’t replace real hand-drawn…AestheticsParallel Structure vs.…

Space Food Sticks

“I was eight years old when my parents bought these for me, and I can still remember those chewy little peanut butter sticks more vividly than almost anything else from my childhood. I’ve wanted more of them for three decades!” —Space Food Sticks Similar:I absolutely adored Spock. Loving Dad was much more complicated.A great father-son…

Geek in Love

Kathleen, I wanted to do this in this most potentially embarassing way possible, and I figured doing it here and now, in front of a quarter of a million strangers was as good a way as any. CmdrTaco —Geek in Love (Slashdot) Similar:MoonBot is back. This time he fights a new adversary. #Blender3D physics practice.I…

Staying Alive

A short series of philosophical exercises, in a futuristic setting, which asks you to evaluate different definitions of personal identity. (Do you step into a spacecraft that has a 50% chance of killing you, or have your whole body scanned, destroyed, and re-constructed somewhere else three minutes later?) At the end, your choices are analyzed.…

Blog ad Nauseam

“I have lost all touch with reality, and only live to comment on the comments that other bloggers have made in reference to my notes about their comments. Is anybody out there?” —Blog ad Nauseam (The Weekly Standard) Similar:How Technology Has Changed The Way We WriteSocial media services have put writing t…CultureWhen Robert Pinsky Wrote…

British Company Claims Patent on Hyperlinks

“It may sound far-fetched, but a U.S. federal court will hear preliminary arguments next week to determine if this most elemental of Internet activities is the business property of a lone company, protected in the form of a patent.” —British Company Claims Patent on Hyperlinks (Wired) Similar:My 20-year-old Java Program Is Was Broken!So a harmless…