Reblog for Tina’s perseverance.
A Taste of Eclecticism and Madness.
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New Black Face →
If, as John Gambell suggests, the typefaces we as a society choose in which to set our messages are meant to stand in for the speaker of the words themselves, than how should we see a speaker with Koch’s “new black face”? If we want to know why the words of African-Americans continue to be lost, we must come to recognize that the “new black face” that voices in Neuland adopt is not a new face at all: it is simply a mask for the old black stereotypes that still persist today.
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Silas Says: talkin' 'bout privilege. →
Somebody in this Facebook group I belong to for potential/current MFA in creative writing students asked if the fact that we are pursuing an MFA automatically meant we were privileged. I started writing, and it got long, and it seemed like it might be an interesting discussion for some of my…
I love this post for a couple reasons. First, I was just reading another blog post on whether academia is a meritocracy and how privilege impacts our options in education (and the future job market of academia). Secondly, I was recently accepted into a Top 20 graduate program in my field. I mention this because on one hand I feel really lucky and am very grateful that I have this opportunity; but on the other hand, I’ve worked my butt off for years to get accepted into graduate school and am pretty sure I deserve it. Now, these two things are not mutually exclusive, and I recognize that there are many people who work harder than I do and will never have as much success as I’ve had. I guess what I’m saying is that Silas is dead right, it’s important to recognize the privilege that we have by virtue of our social positions. But I also think it’s also important not to feel bad about the things you’ve worked hard for — irregardless of whether having been privileged in some way had a hand in your successes.
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THAT IS ALL: A TWEET ABOUT THE S.O.T.U. THAT IS TOO LONG TO TWEET →
I concede that, even as a Deranged Millionaire, I have less a grasp on the economic contours of the speech than Andrew Sullivan, who was profoundly disappointed by it.
It’s true there was little uplift, and some very sour moments when, in his calls to “Frack, baby, frack, but frack somewhat…
(Source: areasofmyexpertise)
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[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.] 470 plays
BREAKING: SONG ABOUT BULLSEYE! SONG ABOUT BULLSEYE!
Indeed, Jesse Thorn made me a gentleman too.
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Plus this.
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A great TED talk on digitizing books with reCAPTCHA and other fun stuff.
(Source: ted.com)
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Why I Won’t Stand With Occupy Wall Street
Anyone who knows me, and who know my political leanings, could tell you that I am as liberal as they come. And yet, I still refuse to support OWS or the student protests popping up around the country. I know that it is a risky move on the part of any liberal to speak out against “the movement,” but I also recognize the severe lack of coherency within the movement and its supporters.
Here are two realities, both very much real and present in today’s United States. Yes, by and large, the system is broken. This country needs campaign finance reform, it needs tax reform, and it needs jobs—all things the protestors are demanding. But there is a second reality: the protestors cannot change the current landscape on their own. To do that, they will need to be a part of the legislative process. And granted, that process is slow, it is painstakingly slow, but OWS cannot expect to succeed if all their attempts at activism are aimed at those outside the system (big business, et al). To make an actual contribution, to make an actual change, they’ll need to focus their efforts on those in the House and the Senate, those who can enact laws and make real changes to the system.
One argument I’ve heard on why OWS is, in fact, making a difference, argues that the protestors are “informing the public” and acting as the mouthpiece of America. But the reality is that the issues they are bringing up have been known to the public for some time and have been discussed by many a politically minded citizen. Additionally, the decision makers in the legislature know about these issues as well and are (in at least some cases) trying to fix them. Divided government (or, what we liberals like to call, Republicans) doesn’t necessarily help the process along; but nevertheless, it is a system that can work and OWS desperately needs it to.
As citizens, we need to work within the system to fix it—it’s the only viable option we have. Moreover, OWS needs to grow up, stop pretending that anarchy (or, “direct democracy,” or whatever you want to call it) is the best option, and join the rest of us in campaigning for politicians who will better our country. If the student protestors and OWS members got together to lobby their senators and congresswomen, maybe they would be able to make the difference they want to see. Until then, however, nothing, and I literally mean nothing, is going to change.
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Human-computer-human interaction →
There’s an unformed thought I’ve had bouncing around in my head since I first tried out Siri on my 4S. I’d have liked to develop it into something more robust, but it’s a pretty simple idea so I’ll just leave it here.
You can’t say to Siri, “I guess I’d like to do something later like maybe a…
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Hail The Wale!
Being that today is 11|11|11, the day that most resembles corduroy in the history of that finest fabric, I’d like to remind everyone to wear something with corduroy, go whale watching, and enjoy doing other wale or corduroy related things. Today, for example, I am wearing my two favorite pieces of corduroy and compulsively rubbing my hands on my corduroy pants. Now go, be free, and enjoy some corduroy.
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Theme: Linear by Peter Vidani
