May 2011
10 posts
3 tags
Check the Lights on your Way Out
This is going to be my last post to the blog. It has lived out its usefulness as a piece of classwork, and will now be shuttered permanently. If you’d like to continue getting exposed to regular doses of yours truly, pop on over to my main blog Nerdy Bits, at belril.tumblr.com. I have a lot of really interesting stuff planned for the summer, and I hope you’ll want to join me. You...
Professorial QOTD (in regard to asteroids): “They look like potatoes, yeah? Potatoes you wouldn’t necessarily want to eat.”
Enjoying a cappuccino and reading Flannery O’Connor. #goodlife
Journalists! Please take my survey on the use of metrics in the newsroom: http://svy.mk/inkQKP (Only 5 minutes, responses confidential.)
Extra Credits: Gamifying Education →
A fantastic video from the folks at EC talking about the use of Gamification in an academic setting. Thought-provoking, fun, and well worth a look.
You know there’s something wrong when reading all of Flannery O’Connor’s short fiction in a day sounds like a good idea. #englishmajor
I’m no great fan of cheerleaders, but asking someone to applaud a player who sexually assaulted her just seems wrong: http://ind.pn/lcNfao
Snerk. RT @reyner “BlackBerry World *would* be held in Orlando”
Shirky, the GPL, and Why I'll Never Post to...
One of the major drivers of innovation that Shirky cites is the Gnu General Public License, or GPL. If you’re interested in reading a bunch of pointless legalese, you can read it here. The basic gist of the GPL is this: if you’re going to release a work under that license, all recipients of that work must have the authority to copy it, modify it, remix it, and re-release it, so long...
I’m #reading The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner http://goodreads.com/review/show/164959387
You know that feeling of knowing you’re getting sick, but being powerless to stop it? Yeah, I’m feeling like that. #blergh
April 2011
23 posts
Scratch that 48 hours number. We’re now up to 72 hours until next launch attempt.
For some reason, I’m *thrilled* with the rather…oversized list of books I need to read for my English research paper. #litnerd
I’m #reading A Good Man Is Hard to Find and Other … by Flannery O’Connor http://goodreads.com/review/show/163228207
Professorial QOTD: “They’re English professors. It’s constitutionally impossible for us to agree on anything.”
Dear Handel: I have your fourth Coronation Anthem. It is stuck in my head. Please come get it ASAP. Thanks.
I have far too much work, too little time, and I’m going off bread for a week. #sigh #damncollege
Concert’s over. Now it’s time to begin the long process of getting all of my music out of my head. #easiersaidthandone
Achievement Unlocked: Declared as an English major. #awwyeah
GAH! Just found out that @bearmccreary will be in Bellingham this weekend. Why must I be trapped in Walla Walla?
Nothing says “productive Monday night” quite like a fire alarm. #sigh
John Gruber, Jim Coudal and Michael Lopp (Rands)... →
Three of my favorite creatives talking about how each of their processes works…using the same 15 slides. Fantastically interesting, and really valuable. Especially relevant for our upcoming final projects.
Professorial QOTD: “I just had to say that, because people would have ideas of orgies with knights in armor.”
BRAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIINNNNNSSSS! #HvZ #vivalahorde
An Argument with Clay Shirky, Part 1
This is entitled Part 1, because I’m sure that there will be more I take issue with later.
The idea of a cognitive surplus is an appealing one. We have a trillion hours that we can do anything with. Anything! Well, not exactly. Here’s the thing: Shirky effectively ignores the fact that in order to harness that cognitive surplus, we would need to spend more time thinking about and...
Hey! Humans! Show up for the mission tonight! If the zombies win, they get a 5 minute respawn! Help the resistance out! Please! #HvZ
A fascinating analysis of Huffington and Keller’s “Somali Pirate” argument: http://bit.ly/gtnSIw
Sitting down to the Times crossword as the zombie invasion rages. #HvZ
Going to bed now. If anyone gets eaten between now and the time I wake up, I will be thoroughly displeased. #HvZ
It’s Z-Day today. T-minus 55 minutes until patient zero infection. #HvZ
Fun fact about me: I hate having to listen to my own voice. It weirds me out. #themoreyouknow #somuchtranscription
“There’s not one kind of journalism.” -@ceciliakang
Professorial QOTD: “…And, you don’t want mutant children.”
Professorial QOTD: “I always play Scrabble with more tiles because I want bigger words.”
March 2011
19 posts
The Birth of Words
When it comes to privacy and consent concerns, I think Roy has handled things fairly well. When it comes to his family, so long as he discloses the fact that anyone in the house is being recorded, he’s in the clear, as far as I’m concerned. The consent of his son should be dealt with in much the same way we deal with consent for other young children: it’s up to their parents....
This presenter has a *fantastic* library of clipart for his slides. #wwvpc
3 tags
OH: “I am a strong proponent of peace through superior firepower.”
One step closer to the Wallas. Yippie. (@ Tri-Cities Airport (PSC)) http://4sq.com/fMCY6R
Well, I’m *supposed* to be flying back to Walla Walla this evening. Sounds like that’s in jeopardy right now. #sigh
Oh, *Alaska*. *facepalms* http://bit.ly/ijg3jm
Just remember, kids: freedom of religion only applies to *Christians!* http://bit.ly/e8xPkJ (Facepalm of the day)
Off to Davis for a day of watching robots. Really looking forward to this.
Panel thoughts: there is nothing more infuriating in a discussion than two people absolutely committed to staying on message. #cwclub
A visual quake timeline on Youtube, via @greatdismal: http://bit.ly/gTCHmf Fascinating and horrifying at the same time.
Plane to Sea-Tac: I AM ON YOU.
Alright, on the SEA-OAK leg of my journey home. Time to put my phone in airplane mode so nobody airplanes me. #yepitsaninsidejoke
Japan declares nuclear emergency. Well, that’s a problem. http://read.bi/gDfz52
High Bandwidth Versus High Art: Data Visualization...
Data visualization is an awesome new frontier when it comes to the world of journalism. Sure, infographics are nothing new, but never before have we had the capacity to harness massive troves of information and bundle them into something more comprehensible. Of course, that capability has lead to some…growing pains, which I think the documentary tried to address. I would argue that in any...
Quote of the day: “You know, the Miley Cyrus Barbie doll is prettier than Miley Cyrus.”
