An experiment in which group members could pay for the privilege of fining free-loaders suggests that the threat of being punished by angry peers helps to check selfish behavior. (Consider this in light of the "Bernie Shifman" article.) —Anger Plays Key Role in Human Cooperationb> (New Scientist) Similar:Anonymous comment cards from student journalists at the…
“It began as a fireside story spun by a Catholic dad. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings became a great epic that has inspired conversions, steeled young people in virtue, and changed lives — including mine.” John Zmirak —The Lord and the Ring (catholic.net) Similar:Many things in the world are awful. But creating this #steampunk…
“There’s only so much time. And there are so many great books. And every year more books are published, some of which will be great. Reluctantly, the reader begins to acknowledge the appalling necessity of choosing to read certain good things and not other good things.” —Reading Anxiety (Nat’l Post) Similar:Advent of Digital Humanities Will…
Hundreds of websites that used to give their content away for free are now charging for their services. This weblog chronicles the changes. —The End of Free Similar:Free Game Friday: Text-Based Games 2012 Interactive Fiction contest we’ll…AmusingCarnegie Science Center's Guitar ExhibitThis summer, I’m a “CSC Insider” — mean…AestheticsI didn't exactly set out to achieve this…
Yelling out of cars, turning your speakers out the window to blast your music onto the street, setting off M-80 firecrackers, firing automatic weapons into the air—these are all well and good. But none of them create a merry atmosphere of insouciance and bonhomie quite like a revving motorcycle. —Wow, Check out that Motorcycle Revving! (The…
You have not truly lived, until you have seen Star Wars rendered as ASCII animation. The FAQ page includes the answer to “Why (oh, God why)?” Similar:To the Death #StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch (Season 4, Episode 23) The Defiant's pursuit of disloy…Rewatching ST:DS9 In the Defiant mess h…EmpathyPrepare for the Ultimate GaslightingThoughtful essay from Julio Vincent…
is an open-source encyclopedia. If it doesn’t have an entry for something, you can write it yourself! —Wikipedia Similar:Multimodal Composition: Every time a student submits a narrated PowerPoint, a puppy cries.AcademiaYounger friends, can you write or read cursive? I’m curious.CultureIn March, 2001, I was blogging about "All Your Base…", digital history, 3D printers, and…In March…
‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house / Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse… [More or Livingston? Authorship uncertain.] —“A Visit from St. Nicholas” Similar:Chapbooks — the latest assignment in my “History and Future of the Book” class.Students have already done a 400-word sp…AcademiaAnother very rough day. Students are…
Very sad: “Sixteen mothers, all of whom were pregnant on Sept. 11 and lost their husbands in the terrorist attacks, and their babies are photographed with news anchor Diane Sawyer.” —Sept. 11 Widows with NewbornsAP via Yahoo!) Similar:The Google Classroom TeaseJoshua Kim, Inside Higher Ed: “Google Cl…AcademiaWriting, Coding and Education: Why They MatterBack in my…
Programming bugs have bedeviled many a scientific researcher. Now, some researchers in Japan have programmed a bug. Thanks to a surgically-implanted device, scientists can control the motion of “Robo-roach.” —Weird Science (Guardian) Similar:Shrek Image Mashup (Musical Theatre Promo)Hey, Tony. See this photo of Shrek? H…AestheticsHow Facebook – the Wal-Mart of the internet – dismantled online…
“An experiment to uncover the world’s funniest jokes has found that some computer-generated gags can be more amusing than those thought up by humans.” —What Kind of Murderer has Moral Fibre? (New Scientist) Similar:Headlines: Why editors matter in journalism.Headlines are important. (Send an editor…AmusingFlannery O'Connor reading "A Good Man is Hard to Find"It’s striking to…
Children born to high-tech nerds appear more likely to show signs of a behavioral disorder similar to autism. Silicon Valley cases are booming. —The Geek Syndrome (Wired) Similar:The Future of College Is Facebook Meme GroupsInteresting to see how large groups of c…AcademiaThe Liminal Classroom”What,” I asked, “are we to make of Plat…AcademiaCommon Sense Media's AI…
“We are confident that you will have many years of trouble-free enjoyment if you carefully read these instructions and follow them.” (Note: Anybody who bothers to read instructions at all is probably already grouchy and impatient.) —IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ CAREFULLY! Similar:Who needs the Metaverse? Meet the people still living on Second LifeYears ago I spent…
“Does Jackson’s effort remain reasonably true to Tolkien’s richly imagined universe? And will filmgoers not inculcated with the lore of Middle Earth enjoy it anyway? The answers, happily, are ‘probably’ and ‘definitely.’” —Ring: One for the BookWired) Similar:If I don't design the control panels for my fantasy #steampunk project, who will? #blender…AestheticsAdaobi Tricia Nwaubani: My…
Search an index of 6000 frequently-updated weblogs, news summaries, and opinion pages; or, see a list of the top 40 pages cited by the ‘bloggers who create Internet buzz. My new second-favorite website (after google). —DayPop.com Similar:The Trouble With Online EducationI’ve taught an online “Video Game Cultur…AcademiaPeer Review Paranoia: The system is built on trust…
Over a century before Orson Welles’s “War of the Worlds” hoax, the New York Sun‘s moon hoax claimed that an astronomer discovered life on the moon. The website also describes many other hoaxes —Museum of Hoaxes Similar:Journalism is now the second draft of historyThe unavoidable truth is that first draf…CultureThe Piano Lesson ( #AugustWilson #CenturyCycle,…
(book review) : “…the activity stilled, the cars, houses and workplaces buried beneath layers of volcanic ash, the artefacts of a single moment preserved. What could we learn…?” —Imagine Silicon Valley Buried Like Pompeii Similar:How Copyright Law Gave Us STAR WARSIn an alternate universe George Lucas ne…BusinessThe daughter sings and performs Shakespeare at the Westmoreland…
“Much web design has suffered from an over reliance on graphic design principles. Too many graphic designers have tried to force the Web to be what it is not…” —Information Architecture vs. Graphic Design (New Thinking) Similar:Late night set construction for The Miracle Worker.ArtMore #blender3d #steampunk #design. #blender3dart #aesthetics The officers’ conference roo…AestheticsUnpopular grammar rulesLanguage…
“My cookies, cakes, and brownies are always the highlight of our church bake sales, and everyone says so,” said parishioner Connie Barrett, 49, openly committing the sin of pride. —All Seven Deadly Sins Committed at Church Bake SaleSatire from The Onion) Similar:What's a Snollygoster? Even lexicographers are wrong sometimesThis is an amusing little story about ho…CultureStephen…
“From Oklahoma City to New York, we’ve turned violent human loss into epic narratives of suffering and patriotism. Does this help people heal or hurt them?” —Trauma Culture (Salon) Similar:11 Sites and Apps Kids Are Heading to After FacebookRemember MySpace? Not so long ago, pract…CultureNotes on Teaching August Wilson's Pittsburgh CycleI first taught Wilson’s Pittsburgh…