"I was in the building when it all happened."

Harrowing first-person account from a survivor. —“I was in the building when it all happened.” Similar:The school mocked. I turtled.Draft: “As my classmates tormented, I sh…AcademiaAttribution, Editorializing and DefamationIn the Nightly Noodle Monthly, former No…Current_EventsHow do I cite a tweet in MLA Style?According to the Modern Language Associa…AcademiaThe daughter is in “Very Berry Dead,” a new play…

Semiotics for Beginners

“One of the broadest definitions is that of Umberto Eco, who states that ‘semiotics is concerned with everything that can be taken as a sign’ (Eco 1976, 7). Semiotics involves the study not only of what we refer to as ‘signs’ in everyday speech, but of anything which ‘stands for’ something else.” Daniel Chandler —Semiotics…

Online Health Websites Frequently Inaccurate

“[T]here were big holes in the information offered. Across all four health conditions, nearly a quarter of the key questions were completely ignored, and less than half were given both more than minimal coverage and complete accuracy.” Rae Fry —Online Health Websites Frequently Inaccurate Similar:'Fontgate': Microsoft, Wikipedia and the scandal threatening the Pakistani PMI would…

Children 'Slow' at Learning English

“Children learning to read and write in English are slower to master it than other European youngsters learning their own language, new research suggests.” BBC —Children ‘Slow’ at Learning English Similar:The Harry Potter Decision, as text – UpdatedGroklaw has a good analysis of the recen…BooksReally, WCCC? AcademiaSHU Community Lines Up to Honor JoAnne Boyle's Final…

Superstitions and carelessness

cause many boating deaths. “[I]f you believe an accident occurs because of the hand of God or because George opened the can of beans with the label upside-down, then that gives you every reason to not read safety literature or continue learning about fishing.” National Post —Superstitions and carelessness Similar:Employers Will Hire You For: 1)…

10 Myths about Copyright Explained

“An attempt to answer common myths about copyright seen on the net and cover issues related to copyright and USENET/Internet publication.” Brad Templeton —10 Myths about Copyright Explained Similar:Writing skill matters in the workforce.BusinessScratchy "Cloak of Darkness" on Scratch”Scratchy Cloak of Darkness” is based on…AestheticsSMS Generator SMS Generator.AmusingWhen backwards newbie poets writeWhen backwards newbie poets…

Scott Adams: Storytelling in Computer Games

The author of the first commercial computer game (“Adventureland,” 1978) leads a lively discussion on narrative, copyright, and violence. He also describes his first night playing EverQuest.  UWEC English Festival.  —Scott Adams: Storytelling in Computer Games Similar:Florida Woman Bites CamelIdentifying her as a “Florida woman,” as…Aesthetics#PPTPlaytime Tartuffe @thepublicpgh (Looking forward to Part 2 of this…

Helvetica Bold Oblique Sweeps Fontys

Helvetica Bold Oblique was the big winner at Tuesday’s 73rd Annual Fonty Awards, taking home 11 statues, including those for Best Sans Serif and the highly coveted 2001 Best Font prize. Satire from The Onion —Helvetica Bold Oblique Sweeps Fontys Similar:Rules for Civility: 14-Year-Old George Washington's 110 Commandments for Cultivating Chara… Every Action done in…

Confusion Over Free Speech and Copyright

Dimitri Sklyarov is an unlikely poster boy for American freedom. The Russian programmer was arrested after he spoke at the “Def-Con” hacker convention in Las Vegas about a program, offered for sale by his employer Elcomsoft, which cracks the encryption in Adobe’s e-book software. The Irish Times —Confusion Over Free Speech and Copyright Similar:NINE officials…

Forecasts of an E-Book Era Were, It Seems, Premature

“While the lack of interest in buying electronic books may baffle some big publishers, the tepid demand comes as no surprise to some bibliophiles.” NY Times (requires free registration) —Forecasts of an E-Book Era Were, It Seems, Premature Similar:Darkest Hour (2017)I’m not a huge fan of war movies, but my…CultureOn Stephen Hawking, Vader and Being…

Law School Dean Fired for Plagiarism

He taught ethics classes in California! LA Times —Law School Dean Fired for Plagiarism Similar:Dear organization from my past that just sent me a scolding email…Dear organization from my past that just…CultureHow to be a Medieval Spectator (Intro to Toronto York Plays 2025)This is what I’m in Toronto to observe.&…AcademiaPrivacy and reporting on personal livesInteresting…

The Write Stuff

“Handwriting is a basic skill that serves us all our lives. Unfortunately, a problem that primarily affects boys is rarely on anyone’s list of educational priorities.” Christina Hoff Summers —The Write Stuff Similar:Journalists should not amplify the ableist biases of untrained sourcesBeing a cop, lawyer, patriot, protestor,…CultureScience Fair VictoryIn this photo from the front page…

The Other in literary criticism

“[O]nce you have observed that the other is typically portrayed as lazy, dirty, stupid, crafty, womanly, passive, rebellious, sexually rapacious, childlike, enigmatic and a number of other mutually contradictory epithets, it is hard to know what to do next apart from reaching for yet another textual illustration of the fact.” London Review of Books  —The…

Data Smog

Too much information?  “[T] this weed in our informational landscape has just sprouted–it is only about 50 years old. Up until then, more information was almost always a good thing.” David Shenk —Data Smog Similar:Dragging Myself to a New Skill Level with Blender 3DWorking on some very complex stuff in Bl…AestheticsAdam Savage’s 10 Commandments Of…