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:I Was Taught From a Young Age to…
“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:Timescape (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season 6, Episode 25) Time bubble aliens…
“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:Pict Free Summer Webinar: Shakespeare’s…
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:BlewsMicrosoft researchers discuss Blews, whi…CyberculturePopcorn MakerI’ll have to look into this. Popc…AestheticsWhich of my colleagues wants attention?AcademiaHow Humans Respond to RobotsThe play that coined the word “robot,” K…AestheticsSynchronous…
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:Enjoying some sibling nerdtime with Lego The Hobbit.GamesRightful Heir (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season 6, Episode 23) Worf's quest for the return o…Rewatching ST:TNG Worf is uncharacter…CultureIt's a Didactic Day…
is an open-source encyclopedia. If it doesn’t have an entry for something, you can write it yourself! —Wikipedia Similar:Where is the comma in "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" supposed to go?https://youtu.be/sxfxy-3dGz0AmusingGetting to the Point in Academic Writing Don’t spend three pages establishing…DesignHow’s newsgathering during COVID-19 at the state level? Depends on the governor.Journalists covering state…
‘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:Fathers' Day: Showing "The Princess Bride"My kids have never seen The Princess Bri…Current_EventsThe Wire (#StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch, Season 2, Episode 22) While examining an ill…
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:Secrets of a 60 Minutes cameramanThey say polo ponies can run 35 mph and …Current_EventsFascinating details in reports…
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:"Cool" Rosetta Mission Scientist Matt Taylor Objectifies Women via T-Shirt, LanguageHow very sad that someone with this leve…AestheticsSpent a half hour taming this tangle…
“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:WordPress duplicate images driving me crazy I’m using the Atahualpa Theme with WPT…HomeI've Stopped Creating Syllabi. Now I Create Syllabuses.At some point,…
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:I'm honestly not sure where that came from.For my summer project, teaching myself t…AestheticsThis is what the techbros are excited about? Really?Some 2300 years ago in ancient Greece,…
“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:News report from 1981 about the Internet.A human interest story about an early ex…BusinessRascals (#StarTrek…
“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:The Neutral Zone (ST:TNG Rewatch: Season 1, Episode 25)Rewatching Star Trek: The Next Generatio…CultureAnother 10 sq cm of…
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:“I don’t know how that Jerz guy thinks he’s going to procure an entire library in the midd…“I don’t…
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:My 4Cs StoryI chaired a session on Friday, and gave …AcademiaWFAA legend on pioneering live coverage of JFK assassination …
(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:Blood & Laurels : Emily Short's Versu launches iPad GameEmily Short (Galatea, First Draft of the…Current_EventsA warning to college profs from…
“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:Unemployment rates for recent college grads: Overall, 5.8%; Computer science, 6.1%; Comput…The market is rough for college grads, a…BusinessBuilding…
“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:Appreciating the production values and so-stupid-it-might-be-brilliant comedy in Avatar: T…The daughter is showing my…
“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:Theatre Crowd Mustn't Be Bitter The entertainment industry seem…CultureCapitalists Tell Facebook They've Had EnoughIt started as a murmur of dissent, but o…BusinessAny Interaction with a Service…