Rewatching ST:TNG after a 20-year break. Data builds an android derived from his own positronic neural pathways, and intends to raise it as his child — a prospect that invokes Picard’s iconic facepalm. Picard (to admiral conjured up by writers who needed an antagonist): “There are times, sir, when men of good conscience cannot blindly…
A Richmond police official and a fire official agree that Sunday, multiple individuals interfered with a fire truck’s response to a fire. But beyond that, each source tells a rather different story.
I just watched a pretty good Star Trek episode exploring the premise that well-intentioned people can remember and sincerely believe widely different interpretations of the same events, without being intentionally deceptive.
When equally credible sources make conflicting claims, there’s probably a story there somewhere. If a source makes unverifiable claims, or won’t respond to legitimate follow-up questions, or vilifies or aggrandizes a third party, that’s a good reason to be skeptical.
Rewatching ST:TNG after a 20-year break. A space anomaly activates an alternate timeline in which the Enterprise-D is a bustling battleship, Picard is a hard-edged militant facing defeat after decades of war against the Klingon Empire, and somehow only Guinan realizes something’s wrong. This version of Picard struggles with ethical complexities that “our” Picard could…
A Facebook meme that claims “3 of these 4 honorable men were killed by ‘protesters’” is false. I don’t mean that I can prove that not a single one of the guilty parties ever participated in a protest. However, Police never connected Beaty’s death with the protests (and the FBI declined to do so when…
Similar:How Poetry Helps You Improve Your WritingWhile I’d rather see a reminder that we …AestheticsDefend the Open Web: Keep DRM Out of W3C StandardsThe DRM proposals at the W3C exist for a…BusinessHow are you holding up? What difficult choices have you made? How can we all help each oth…Carolyn and were recently cast in a…
Rewatching ST:TNG after a 20-year break. An agitated Riker, beamed off of a research station just before it explodes, finds himself charged with murder. Testimony from Riker, the victim’s widow, and (indirectly) the victim tell conflicting stories. A solid storytelling concept, which somewhat freshens a mishmash of already-familiar TNG tropes: a brilliant male scientist, his…
“I am the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington and was not given even a courtesy call, that they would be clearing [the area] with tear gas so they could use one of our churches as a prop,” Budde said. She excoriated the president for standing in front of the church — its windows…
Similar:At the Johnstown Flood Museum. (May 31 1889 the neglected dam at the South Fork Fishing an…At the Johnstown Flood Museum. (May 31 1…CultureIs Breakfast Necessary?The idea that early eating is essential …BusinessMy understanding of biased polls is… (choose one) AmusingIf You Ever Find a Link to ThoughtCatalog, I'm Begging You Not to Click It Here’s…
The ongoing protests following the killing of George Floyd were caught up in violence again on Saturday, as police all over the country tear-gassed protesters, drove vehicles through crowds, opened fire with nonlethal rounds on journalists or people on their own property, and in at least one instance, pushed over an elderly man who was walking away with a cane. Here are some of the ways law enforcement officers escalated the national unrest.
Throughout the protests over the death of George Floyd, journalists have been injured and arrested covering the unrest. That trend continued Saturday and there were examples across the country but journalists on the ground in Minneapolis expressed dismay at how law enforcement officials seemed to be targeting members of the media. In the Friday night…
A rubber bullet shot by the Hong Kong police on Sunday caused a journalist to lose sight in an eye. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) again urges the authorities to guarantee reporters’ safety. A reporter working for Indonesian-language media outlet Suara Hong Kong News, Veby Mega Indah, has permanently lost eyesight in the right eye on…
Microsoft is laying off dozens of journalists and editorial workers at its Microsoft News and MSN organizations. The layoffs are part of a bigger push by Microsoft to rely on artificial intelligence to pick news and content that’s presented on MSN.com, inside Microsoft’s Edge browser, and in the company’s various Microsoft News apps. Many of the affected workers are part of Microsoft’s SANE (search, ads, News, Edge) division, and are contracted as human editors to help pick stories. Robots will now pick news stories for MSN and Microsoft News.
Similar:My outward-bound editor's graduation cap.PersonalThe world's oldest story? Astronomers say global myths about 'seven sisters' stars may rea…In cultures around the world, myths abou…CultureRIP Metaverse, we hardly knew yeI am curious enough about cockatoos that…AcademiaArchitecture in Video Games: Designing for Impact Deanna Van Buren writes: I wonder w…BusinessAnother delightful section of a #steampunk control panel.…
A Facebook meme with 52k reactions and 37k shares includes pictures of volunteers cleaning the streets in Minneapolis, the day after mass protests of the death of George Floyd. The pictures make a powerful point about the values of the community. However, the text includes an unnecessary slam against journalism, because it introduces the images…
Top — nonverbal addition with Jessica and her mother’s ring; bottom — good camera work (the actors choreographed when to turn on their cameras in order to arrange themselves in this order) @thepublicpgh Similar:More Americans now see the media’s influence growing compared with a year agoAmericans’ views about the influence of …CultureAccession #StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch…
Similar:Enjoying more live theater.CultureGoogle Favors Good Reporting, Not Liberal Views: StudyIt’s a logical fallacy to suggest that w…CultureIn the Salary Race, Engineers Sprint but English Majors Endure Since new technical skills are a…AcademiaMa Rainey's Black Bottom ( #AugustWilson #CenturyCycle, 3 of 10)August Wilson’s Century Cycle > …Books#blender3d is teaching me more than I ever thought I’d…
Sobering report from the New York Times, providing evidence that COVID-19 deaths have been over-reported. Mortality data in the middle of a pandemic is not perfect. In most places, the disparities between the official death counts and the total rise in deaths reflect limited testing for the virus rather than intentional undercounting. Officially, about 355,000 people had…
Similar:Can't upload photos to Facebook from my MacBookI spent 30 minutes trying to upload abou…CybercultureWhen Perception Trumps Reality: Republicans aren't nearly as rich as Democrats estimate. D…Democrats wildly over-estimate the perce…AcademiaWhen F. Scott Fitzgerald Judged Gatsby By Its Cover With a big Hollywood movie now in th…Aesthetics"Chores" — Clip from Snow White: The Musical (Stage…
Updating the graphic for a writing handout on how to write instructions, which I created in 2000. Similar:Most Television From Before 2000 Is Trapped in the Uncanny ValleyJust as the technological innovation of …CultureCookies. That is all.AestheticsPeople Thought an AI Was Brilliantly Analyzing Their Personalities, But It Was Actually Gi…”To begin our hoax scenario, we…
Updating the graphic for a resource I created in 2012. Similar:How I Learned What I Learned (featuring Wali Jamal)Carving out some time to enjoy this show…AwesomeA.I. 'Completes' Keith Haring's Intentionally Unfinished Painting After learning of his AIDS diagnosis…AestheticsSix rainbow-colored objects, arranged like THIS?These are shoe-holding racks at a local …AestheticsHow exactly do bridges bridge? How…