A clueless fellow looking for a job in information technology sends out his resume in a mass mailing. Bernard Shifman, an unrepentant spammer, then threatens to sue practically anyone who even mentions the incident. Pete Moss documents what is most likely the end of Mr. Shifman’s career. —Bernard Shifman is a Moron Spammer Similar:The dark…
From a blurb on the National Coalition against Censorship webpage: Jan Carroll’s weblog offers a substantial amount of collected poems written in response to September 11; articles on poetry and politics; interviews with poets about September 11; and musings on the role of art and aesthetics in times of tragedy.” [Jan created her poetry weblog…
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:Advising incoming majors.AcademiaTwittering The MachineI’ve never been a…
“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:First Stanford code poetry slam reveals the literary side of computer…
“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:Banned Books Week | Celebrating…
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:Google: "how can u" vs. "how can an individual" is not really about grammar Yes, I got a chuckle over this, but …CultureAn English professor tries to help…
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:JJ Abrams announces fourth rebooted Star Trek movie“We are thrilled to say that we are hard…Current_EventsThe daughter looks stunning in pink. AestheticsThe Homecoming (#StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch, Season 2, Episode…
is an open-source encyclopedia. If it doesn’t have an entry for something, you can write it yourself! —Wikipedia Similar:Mary Rodgers, Composer of Once Upon a Mattress and Daughter of Broadway Royalty, Dies at 8…Mary Rodgers, composer of Once Upon a Ma…CultureThe Days of Microsoft Internet Explorer Are Numbered—But Its Sorry Legacy Will Live OnStarting today,…
‘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:In August, 2002, I was blogging about ebook readers and email in teaching; how urban legen…In August, 2002, I was blogging about …AcademiaFCC Approves Net…
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:Distributing Candy at Holiday ParadeCurrent_Events‘This is no longer a debate’: Florida sheriff bans deputies, visitors from wearing masks…
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:Do Black Holes Create New Universes? Physicist Lee Smolin InterviewCan’t wait until we get this end-of-year…CultureThe Myth of MultitaskingPsychology Today summary of research…
“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:Defend the Open Web: Keep DRM Out of W3C StandardsThe DRM proposals at the W3C exist for a…BusinessDatalore (TNG Rewatch, Season 1,…
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:Contemptible and Exploitive “Share if You’re Not Ashamed of Me” Facebook ScamsOutline: Various Facebook posts that fea…BusinessThe Life and Times of ¯\_(ツ)_/¯But, in addition to symbolizing despair,…CybercultureWhat’s Wrong With…
“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:Has life in the age of casual magic made moviegoers numb to the amazing?This is…
“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:Relics (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season 6, Episode 4) When a huge hollow sphere traps a Sco…Rewatching ST:TNG The…
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 19th Annual Interactive Fiction Competition Welcome to IFComp 2013, the competit…Current_EventsFacebook’s Censorship Problem Is What Happens When a…
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:This is what happened when a KDKA-TV journalist showed biasSocial media platforms are full of peopl…CultureOn Immigration, Poetry Isn’t…
(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:Why scientists should care about artMy artsy daughter loves stories about sc…ArtWikipedia founder Jimmy Wales wants new Facebook feature to burst…
“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:Why Study Humanities? What I Tell Engineering FreshmenWisdom from science writer John Horgan.[…AcademiaOne deck below the bridge, the chief…