, the captain gave an inspirational speech over the loudspeaker, and concluded: “Now, since we’re a family for the next few hours, I’ll ask you to turn to the person next to you, introduce yourself, tell them a little about yourself and ask them to do the same.” Wash Times —Aboard Flight 564 Similar:King Oberon…
Many modern idioms are mechanical: “she has a screw loose,” or “he broke down crying”. Every culture has its in-jokes and specialized language. The Jargon File defines computing terms such as “404 compliant” and “kluge“. Similar:Vincent Connare, Inventor Of 'The Most Hated Font,' Defends HimselfA typographic engineer, Connare was work…AestheticsWhy our future depends on libraries,…
“Ever since Stalin and the Nazis, reality has transcended fiction.” (BBC) —Playwright Arthur Miller on Terrorism Similar:Spring 2023 Grades: Submitted! (I only had 3 last-minute submissions to mark today.)AcademiaHow Common Core Testing Damaged High School English ClassesHelping my students understand how my ro…AcademiaA Christmas Carol (WAOB Audio Theatre)Marley was dead. (I voice the narrato…BooksBloopers from…
‘‘Hello,’’ a man’s voice, not my husband’s, said. I had no idea whom I’d called, but I had finally gotten through to New York, to news. NYT Magazine —Talk to Me Similar:Why No One Clicked on the Great Hypertext StoryIt’s not that hypertext went on to becom…CultureVan Gogh Immersive Experience AestheticsIgnorance Meets an Invisible DisabilityI’m…
“The freedom we have enjoyed in the states has been unusual in world history and may be becoming more unusual.” (BBC) —Novelist John Updike witnessed the WTC Attack Similar:Students must learn how to get things wrong. Only one subject does that. [English.]I invest a lot of energy asking my colle…AcademiaWhy Love Lyrics LastI am inclined…
10:19 a.m. To: Dad Call Kozue [my wife] and tell her I’m fine. We evacuated my office and I’m walking somewhere. War zone. Jonathan Segal —Another Eyewitness Account Similar:Saturday morning cartoons are no moreI certainly have fond memories of Saturd…BusinessPresenting at #NEMLA session 8.1 Friday. “Hacking English: Examining a multimedia sandbox …AcademiaPittsburgh in the Round…
The Internet has succeeded in becoming a tool that many regular people turn to in lieu of alternatives for communicating and for finding information. It has become a new, often-used tool in their personal toolbox. Dan Bricklin —The Internet is Now a Dominant Tool for Regular People Similar:You are standing in a field. There is…
Large collection of links to the World Trace Center tributes that have sprung up after the towers came down. —www.derrickito.com Similar:Text Adventure Geeks Rejoice: Major Inform7 UpdateI have final grades, an annual report, a…Current_EventsVirtual debates about homelessness in Sim City hold up a mirror to real lifeBack in 2009, the story of Alice and Kev…Books[E-Mail…
“Can you name me even one time when someone else raced to the Americans in trouble? I don’t think there was outside help even during the San Francisco earthquake. Our neighbours have faced it alone and I am one Canadian who is damned tired of hearing them kicked around.” Gordon Sinclair, 1973 —The Americans Similar:Local…
Harrowing first-person account from a survivor. —“I was in the building when it all happened.” Similar:There's nothing like a fair-minded, good-faith analysis of the factsThere’s nothing like a fair-minded, good…Current_EventsKelly Gallagher on "Readicide" I am reading to my daughter the four…BooksYounger friends, can you write or read cursive? I’m curious.CultureProfessional or college Shakespeare productions in…
Interesting article focuses on how people are using the Internet to react to the terrorists attacks on New York and Washington. Globe and Mail —Net Draws Fire, Offers Comfort in Wake of Disaster Similar:Jeff Bezos Plan for News: The Washington Post Becomes an Amazon ProductFor the past few months, a group inside …BooksBrain, InterruptedIn most…
“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…
“Skyscrapers in general, and the twin towers of the World Trade Center in particular, symbolize, for many writers, either prideful arrogance, or a new technological beauty.” Dennis G. Jerz —World Trade Center: Reflections on the Disaster Similar:Things I will tell my kids if they become entrepreneursLots of good live advice in these slides…AcademiaStopping By The…
“[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:Justin Bieber and the Beatles: They both liked to rhyme the…
Good web designers are a dime a dozen — just like the former armies of professional typists and word-processor operators, whose specialized tasks were eventually absorbed by the average office worker. Frank Yu, Gorilla Asia —Apocalypse Soon: Is the Web-Development Fairy Tale Over? Similar:Vintage Freebies for DesignersI wish I had time for cool stuff like…
“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:Why Love Lyrics LastI am inclined to agree with the “favorit…AcademiaThe AI Mirror Test: Why Even the Smartest People Keep Falling ShortWhat is important to…
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:How newsroom managers can invest more…
“A gentleman should always walk around a lady’s train and never attempt to step over it. If by accident he should tread upon her dress, he should beg her pardon, and if by greater awkwardness he should tear it, he must offer to escort her to the dressing room so that it may be repaired.”…
“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:Hero Worship (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season 5, Episode 11) Orphaned Boy Idolizes DataRewatching ST:TNG The Enterprise-…AmusingTeaching with iPads: Motivation, Inspiration and Alienation in the AppleverseHere are the…
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:What Is The Value Of An Education In The Humanities?For those who go to college, the four ye…AcademiaDo you…