The Ballad of Sand and Harry Soot

(Word Circuits): Hypertext poetry by Stephanie Strickland —The Ballad of Sand and Harry Soot Similar:And so it begins: the unmarked assignments counterThis little icon will control my life fo…AcademiaNational Headline Contest 2011Great headlines from winner David Bowman…AestheticsShatoetry iPhone app lets you put… words… in… William Shatner's… mouthWilliam Shatner and technology go way ba…AestheticsIn January 2000,…

Judge Orders God to Break Up into Smaller Deities

"Calling the theological giant’s stranglehold on the religion industry ‘blatantly anti-competitive,’ a U.S. district judge ruled Monday that God is in violation of anti-monopoly laws and ordered Him to be broken up into several less powerful deities." —Judge Orders God to Break Up into Smaller Deitiesb> (TheOnion) Similar:Story Pitch: How writers present an article idea…

The Need for Simple English on the Web

"Write simply. Keep headings, summaries, sentences, paragraphs and documents short. Get to the point. Then stop." Gerry McGovern —The Need for Simple English on the Web Similar:Getting to the Point in Academic Writing Don’t spend three pages establishing…DesignFirst Stanford code poetry slam reveals the literary side of computer codeLeslie Wu, a doctoral student in compute…AestheticsHuge…

Songs about the Macintosh 

"Poor sad Mac, born in a plastic age. / A time when the world still thought in beige. / Crafted and molded just like a piece of art. / An orphan, abandoned. It’s enough to break your heart." [Which column would you put this one in? Sometimes I wonder why I continue to split my…

Phantom Weblogger: Kaycee Nicole Never Existed

Kaycee Nicole, an attractive student dying from leukemia, shared her ordeal via on online diary. Her mother started a companion diary. Web surfers became close friends with this family through email, chatroom, and even phone conversations. The New York Times even quoted Kaycee about college life.  When she finally died, her online friends grieved like…

Face-blindness

  What is life like for a person who has trouble recognizing human faces? —Face-blindness Similar:Lining up for Honors Convocation 2016. #setonhillAcademiaTelegrams were always better plot devices than USPS lettersI can’t summon up actual nostalgia for t…BusinessSobering data; stunning visualization.This NYT story on the effects of race on…CultureThe girl performed musical commercials for a fund-raiser…

Doom Ahead for Search Engines That Charge

"[T]he search and directory firms have put their futures in question by flouting time-tested business practices that require an absolutely clear separation between editorial content and advertising." Hal Plotkin —Doom Ahead for Search Engines That Charge (SF Gate) Similar:That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.AestheticsSnap's share price sinks, trades just…

Congressional Web Sites: Not So Good

When congressional Web sites are good, they’re really good. But most aren’t, says a nonprofit group that rated more than 600 of them. —Congressional Web Sites: Not So GoodCNN) Similar:After 10 Years of Blogs, the Future's Brighter Than EverIn Wired, Jenna Wortham focuses on what …HistoryBother (a minor Turnitin.com grademark bug)That whole thing should be…

Watercolors by William Blake

found after 165 years. The watercolors were prototypes for engravings that the impoverished poet hoped would pay his bills. (Daily Telegraph) —Watercolors by William Blake Similar:Two More Chances to See Prime Stage's Twelfth NightThe show runs tonight at 8 and Sunday at…BooksTrying to Tame Huck FinnAdventures of Huckleberry Finn is one of…AcademiaNicholas Winton, “Britain’s Schindler,”…

Astrid Lindgren

, creator of Pippi Longstocking, dies at 94. (Guardian) —Astrid Lindgren Similar:Boy, this sort of thing sure makes some racist people very angry.https://twitter.com/steelers/status/1305…CultureThe Ongoing Obsession with Shakespeare’s True IdentityI’ve never been all too keen on Shakespe…AcademiaThe belief that if people only were better educated, they'd engage  A few hours after the horrifyi…AcademiaOpinion: A deceptively edited…

I Want my Arts & Letters Daily

“The Web has decentralized the control of ideas, as A&LD proves. A few years ago the exchange of opinions and theories had to be managed by people living in great metropolitan centres, the intellectual world’s version of imperialism. But with the Web it can be done anywhere.” Robert Fulford —I Want my Arts & Letters…

Programmers Make Ethical Decisions

"Don’t let anyone tell you that as a programmer you don’t have to make moral or ethical decisions. Every time you decide that making users feel stupid is better than fixing your code, you’re making an ethical decision." —Programmers Make Ethical DecisionsJoel on Software) Similar:Confronting the Myth of the 'Digital Native'It’s one thing to be…

Clutterers Anonymous

(CLA) is a fellowship of individuals who share experience, strength, and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem with clutter and help others recover. The only requirement for membership is a desire to eliminate clutter and bring order into our lives. (via Remarked Bookmarks) —Clutterers Anonymous Ironic: when I was an…

An Accident Rooted in History

The Space Shuttle’s Solid Rocket Booster problem began with the faulty design of its joint and increased as both NASA and contractor management first failed to recognize it as a problem, then failed to fix it and finally treated it as an acceptable flight risk.” —An Accident Rooted in HistoryNASA) 28 January, 1986. My senior…

I Found it On the Internet: Teaching Students to Locate, Evaluate and Cite Online Sources

The link above goes to the web version of a powerpoint presentation. Dennis G. Jerz —I Found it On the Internet: Teaching Students to Locate, Evaluate and Cite Online Sources Similar:Hermann Zapf, the font designer behind Palatino and Zapf Dingbats, has died at 96Hermann Zapf, the designer of fonts such…AestheticsAPNews.com Photo Still Says Sam Smith "declared…

Psychology of Weblogs

"Most weblogs are drivel, banal sh*t written by angst-ridden teenagers and adults sharing feelings, thoughts, and mind-numbing details about their daily lives that provide little insight into anything or anyone. But the gems can be found amongst the long-since abandoned or forgotten sites." John M. Grohol —Psychology of Weblogs Similar:You're Doing It for the Exposure!!…

Searchin’ for the Surfer Saint

A prayer before surfing: “Almighty and eternal God, we beseech thee that, through the example of Saint Isidore, bishop and doctor, during our journeys through the Internet we will direct our hands and eyes only to that which is pleasing to thee and treat with charity and patience all those souls whom we encounter. Amen.”…

Of Poets, Prophets and Politics

While Westerners may be surprised by the notion that poetry is an effective way to convey a political message, Bassam Frangieh says it is an integral part of Arab culture. —Of Poets, Prophets and Politics (Humanities) Similar:Perchance to Dream: LARPing Hamlet at Castle ElsinoreThis is the concept of Inside Hamlet, an…CultureTrektacular Google DoodleAmusingAt Computers and…