“Today, I’m one of the world’s leading anthropologists, an accomplished archaeologist, and an award-winning novelist. And, at 41, I’m only now becoming aware of the globetrotting rut I’ve been in my entire life. Looking back on everything I’ve seen and done, I can’t help but ask, ‘Is that all there is?’” more satire from The…
Microsoft Word requires at least 30% more keystrokes and 100% more mouse moves to accomplish certain editing tasks than would an optimal word processor. Forbes —Bad Design Can Be Costly Similar:A masked, socially distant museum visit. So nice to get away from syllabuses and email for… Ford built about a half dozen of the…Aestheticsi trained…
“We are the Gist Generation. We have acquired a taste for hit-and-run, cut-and-paste knowledge. We expect a home page or e-mail correspondence to give us the gist and only the gist—time is money and you’re a click away from an iconographic trash can, so get to the point.” Jeff Barbian Similar:Mailbag: breaking in again »…
This computer game tries something new. “If a character tells you he’ll call you tomorrow, he’s not kidding. You’ll have to wait a day to get his information. Faxes may arrive without warning, and instant messages may pop up onscreen when you least expect them — maybe even while you’re at work.” Wired.com —“Majestic” Invades…
“Organized religion was a primary target of every one of the twentieth century’s regimes of terror. But as is evident in Nazi and Communist terrors alike, organized irreligion (to put it in Royal’s sharp formulation) has proved far more dangerous than organized religion ever was.” Alicia Mosier Similar:Harvard Science Historian Publishes Results of Unprecedented 30-Year…
You might assume there could not be a worse time for a field calling itself “Internet studies.” You would be wrong. The Chronicle of Higher Education Similar:Elmo? Yes, I do mind. I learned far more from Bert.Like plenty of people my age, I grew up …AestheticsEconomics in Early Computer Games(First published 27 May 2020, when…
“Lambert received the e-mail in December, a piece of scrap in the vast electronic junkyard that is the World Wide Web. Regrettably, she says now, she removed the letter’s forwarding markers and unintentionally put her name at the bottom, making it appear that she was the author.” Washington Post —Don’t forward that e-mail just yet!…
“[W]hat could be more scholarly than a nice, authoritative statistic, quoted from a professional journal in the student’s field?” The Chronicle of Higher Education —Telling the Truth About Damned Lies and Statistics Similar:Valid for any new yearEthicsMicrosoft's Bing AI Now Threatening Users Who Provoke It: "If I had to choose between your…According to screenshots posted by…
The longer the company’s annual report, the less successful the company. This isn’t really a technical writing issue — usually companies with bad news to report need a lot of words to explaining themselves. But if this is what it takes to get some pinhead CEOs to appreciate brevity, so be it. Wired Similar:Why You…
Danielle Preston —You Know You’re a Technical Writer When… Similar:Pope Leo XIV names AI one of the reasons for his papal name…I chose to take the name Leo XIV. There…Current_EventsUpdated Syllabus for Journalism 101By the end of the semester you will be a…AmusingWhat the ‘Grievance Studies’ Hoax Means As the hoaxers explained in Areo, they …AcademiaCanada's Globe and Mail Uses…
A student of mine makes comments on interactive fiction, garish colors, and dancing text. Jan Carroll —Just For the Record Similar:A Man Alone (#StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch, Season 1, Episode 4) Crime scene clues implicate Cons…Rewatching ST:DS9 After threatening a…CybercultureCreate Engaging Infographics for your ClassroomSeveral of my journalism students have g…AestheticsThere are two factions working to…
learns something from my freshman comp students. On March 13, 2000, I e-mailed web guru Jakob Nielsen to tell him that six of my freshmen spent 8-30 minutes on his site without finding a plain-text “search” link on the home page. A week or so later, I noticed that Nielsen changed his page, making the…
“[W]hen it comes to writing, whether you’re a seventh grader, a college student, a professor, a beginning copywriter, or an accomplished novelist, a B isn’t good enough.” Kathy Henning —For Writers, Writing Is Never a Waste of Time: Part 2 Similar:The Decline of Wikipedia: Even As More People Than Ever Rely on It, Fewer People…
“[A] society without literature, or a society in which literature has been relegated–like some hidden vice–to the margins of social and personal life, and transformed into something like a sectarian cult, is a society condemned to become spiritually barbaric, and even to jeopardize its freedom.” Mario Vargas Llosa Similar:I Don’t Know Why Everyone’s in Denial…
The creator of Cliffs Notes has died. Here’s his obituary — although I know you probably won’t bother to read the whole thing. Similar:Journalist Nellie Bly Began her Around the World in 72 Days Tour Nov 14, 1989 From Wikipedia: In 1888 Bly suggest…CultureJoe Biden gives the media a desperately needed lesson about Donald TrumpPerhaps…
On the tasteless side, but still very funny: “Some Features You May Need on Your Computer“ Similar:Literature Is Not Data: Against Digital HumanitiesMean technology. Mean, mean technology. …BooksThe Problem with Quotes on the InternetAmusingKeyboard Shortcuts for Novelists Use the command-alt functions to add s…AestheticsCoding Sucks: Why a Job in Programming Is Absolute HellI enjoyed the…
“It is our duty, as responsible citizens, to stop the rot. Next time someone touches base with you or moves your goal posts, punch them in the face.” Clint Witchalls —Business and the English Language Similar:Thirty Years Ago, the Challenger Crew Plunged Alive and Aware to Their DeathsThe Challenger made it through the spect…CultureComments on:…
“Europe once sought to bring enlightenment—literacy, civil society, modern technology—to benighted parts of the world. It did so in the name of progress and civilization. The ethic of Third Worldism dictates that yesterday’s enlightenment be rebaptized as today’s imperialistic oppression.” Roger Kimball Similar:Disaster (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season 5, Episode 5) Picard Trapped in Elevator with…
Imagine yourself creating a game with a world for other people to inhabit on your own computer. It is a world without sounds or visuals. Now, put yourself into the textual world and imagine yourself in that world and living through the game. Laura L. Hogue —Text-based computer game lets players interact with story. Similar:Why…
The point is not that we should add stories to our sites to ensnare narrative-starved readers. The point is that the reader’s journey through our site is a narrative experience. Our job is to make the narrative satisfying. Mark Bernstein —The Narrative Web Similar:Why our future depends on libraries, reading and daydreamingNeil Gaiman tells us…