Honesty, Shining Through

What’s it like interviewing college students at job fairs? "What a snooze. By the sixth interview of the day I vow that I’ll hire anyone who can make me remember their name, and I’ll sign over my 401(k) to any candidate who can make me laugh." Erin Cronin —Honesty, Shining Throughb> (WashPost) Similar:Walking in Another's…

The Ballad of Sand and Harry Soot

(Word Circuits): Hypertext poetry by Stephanie Strickland —The Ballad of Sand and Harry Soot Similar:'The Meatball: Not a Funny Rhyme' says Peter Jerz, age 5-3/4; or, Child Traumatized by 'On…I went into the office for about an hour…AmusingDesigning Cabinets in Blender3D — ExperimentsI designed these simple 3D cabinets in B…CybercultureThe Penance of Eleanor, Duchess of…

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:Auschwitz color photo: 'A 14-year-old girl, not just…

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:Travel trouble, gun restrictions and no more ‘Mr Trump’: the trials of life as a felon It’s unlikely to be at the forefront o…CultureThe Harry Potter Decision, as text…

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:An apology to Donald Trump, from the "fake news" mediaA good example of the power of satire. …CultureSelf-referential capitalism; paradoxical fusion of idealized pop culture and mass-produced…AestheticsExplaining Twerking to Your ParentsI still haven’t seen the video, but this…AmusingWill Journalism Be…

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:Walking in Another's Skin: Failure of Empathy in To Kill a MockingbirdThe money quote: “In this essay,…

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:Impact of One-size-fits-all Web DesignI don’t particularly miss the splash lan…BusinessGoogle’s broken link to the webI guess now we know why for the past dec…BusinessNASA Communicates…

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:Kristin and Haley's Discussion on Poe's "The Raven"I gave my literature students 30 minutes…AcademiaCNN Profiles Former White House "Chief Calligrapher"Today was the last day of the manuscript…AestheticsThe Importance of Writing…

Astrid Lindgren

, creator of Pippi Longstocking, dies at 94. (Guardian) —Astrid Lindgren Similar:‘People are rooting for the whale’: the strange American tradition of Moby-Dick reading ma…When I went off to college to be an Engl…AcademiaClickbait Tactics Drive the Writing of Headlines on ABC NewsI probably should not be surprised, but …BusinessWhen F. Scott Fitzgerald Judged Gatsby…

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:Desiderata (Nerdy Inspiration)This is a little story about an inspirat…CultureLiberal Arts…

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:Unity Normal Problems (Importing an object from Blender 2.8b)I had a complex model that I created in …AestheticsTo all these tools I've loved before…While cleaning…

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:Civil Defense (#StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch, Season…

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:A rare win for Dad. CultureNever use very. Write the word damn instead. Your editor will strike out the damn.CultureI’m…