“Without constant distraction, I found I was more aware of others in the moment. I couldn’t have all my interactions on Twitter anymore; I had to find them in real life.”
iPhone Garbage: Super Monster Bros by Adventure Time Pocket Free Games ↺
Garbage is right. One might question the app review process. Typically, credible developers have to wait 7-10 days for app store approval. The justification is to ensure the app store doesn’t turn into the Google Play store. Clearly, a different approach is needed.
However, at the very least, there is an approval process. I can’t imagine having to navigate the Google Play store where these apps run a muck.
Even worse, there are developers who push this shit out. And, they should be on the first Virgin Galactic trip to Mars.
Moore’s Law and the Origin of Life ↺
From the MIT Technology Review:
Sharov and Gordon say their interpretation also explains the Fermi paradox, which raises the question that if the universe is filled with intelligent life, why can’t we see evidence of it.
However, if life takes 10 billion years to evolve to the level of complexity associated with humans, then we may be among the first, if not the first, intelligent civilisation in our galaxy. And this is the reason why when we gaze into space, we do not yet see signs of other intelligent species.
Seems rather elegant.
The Wall Street Journal’s Pulitzer Problem
Winners of The Pulitzer Prize were announced yesterday. The New York Times was recognized three times for their reporting while The Wall Street Journal was awarded only one prize for commentary. In fact, The Wall Street Journal has only been recognized twice since 2007 – both awards for commentary. Not lost on the senior editors at the newspaper, it was 2007 when Rupert Murdoch purchased the media outlet. This has lead some editors at the WSJ to question whether there is some bias within the Pulitzer organization against the newspaper. Certainly, it is a valid question.
Though, there is another possibility. Your reporting is fucking terrible. So, there’s that too.
Suzy Lee Weiss’ “Open Letter”
Suzy Lee Weiss’ wrote an “open letter” to several Ivy League institutions that denied her application for admission in which she said some stupid things. I’m not linking to it – in part because you should only link to original sources and I refuse to link to the Wall Street Journal. You can Google it. Several have voiced their outrage, but honestly here’s what you should take away from the letter.
1. At this point, why do you still read anything from the Wall Street Journal?
2. High school students are stupid. In fact, all 17 year-olds are stupid. Why are we surprised when they say stupid things? You want to be angry, be angry with the WSJ who played on your emotions for page views to solicit higher advertising revenue. Do you think they were surprised by your response? If we got ourselves into a tizzy over every stupid thing a high school student said, we’d have to shut down Twitter. But, the WSJ provided a soapbox for a dim-witted 17 year-old to embarrass herself. Next year, she’ll be a student somewhere and she’s going to need a damn good higher education administrator. But, the WSJ manipulated you while throwing a young girl under the bus. Your anger is misplaced.
3. And, most importantly, it’s time to stop calling everything an “open letter.”
I Don’t Know ↺
From Merlin Mann:
If you don’t have an answer for something, please just say so. Definitely don’t do the opposite — tap-dancing gamely for three screens to try and seem smart.
“I have absolutely no idea” is a valid answer and gives the sender exactly the information needed to keep looking; “I don’t know — but here’s three people who might” is even better and might make you the big hero.
Honest to God. We already know that no ones knows everything. So, why do we attempt to save face by bullshitting answers to questions we don’t know. In truth, attempting to do some accomplishes the very thing we are trying to avoid.
What it Means to Be a Husker
I often have difficulty explaining to people what it means to be from Nebraska. We’re not terribly good at it. Quite honestly, we don’t have much practice doing so – everyone in the state just gets it. We’re born knowing.
Being a Husker is part of our identity. We’re proud of who we are, much like one is proud of their heritage. We value and cherish it. Each Saturday, it culminates when our beloved Huskers take the field. Some ask, “So, it’s about football?” Well, yes it is – but that’s only part of the story.
Football (not just football, but Nebraska Football) is our common bond. It transcends our differences and unites us. There are no other universities competing for our attention. Unlike neighboring Iowa (which has the University of Iowa and Iowa State University) or Colorado (which not only has Colorado State University and the University of Colorado, but professional football, baseball, basketball, and hockey teams), for us there is just dear old Nebraska U. There is no Nebraska State University, no professional sports team. It is through football that we share our story.
Our football history is rich. Five national championships, three Heisman Trophy winners, and 43 conference championships. But, just as important, we value excellence off the field. Nebraska has an NCAA leading 300 Academic All-Americans (across all sports).
Even more so, we value loyalty. No matter the opponent, no matter our record, every seat will be filled. It’s been that way since 1962. Every outrageously priced ticket will be sold. Away from home, no fans travel better. Just ask Notre Dame.
It’s more difficult to explain to people in the south. “This is SEC county. We live football.” Certainly, this is true. They have quite an impressive number of championships too and fans just as loyal. But, like I said – it’s more than football.
It’s not the result, but the way we represent ourselves. “In the deed, the glory.” We care about our team’s character, because it’s our character too. We are hard working folk. We value effort more than scores. Win or lose, at end of the game, we give a standing ovation in appreciation – not for our players, but for our opponents. We demand that our football team represents the type of individuals we are – the fairest and the squarest.
And I realize, even now, that perhaps it’s still too difficult to explain to people what it means to be a Husker.
Thankfully, we no longer have to.
To this day, we’ll tell stories about how Johnny Rodgers “tore ‘em loose from their shoes,” or how Tommie Frazier went through 8 Gators in his 75-yard touchdown run, or how Eric Crouch left everyone in awe with his 95-yard escape versus Missouri. But, for as great as those runs were, one defines who we are better.
On April 6, 2013, during the annual Red vs. White Spring Game, in front of 60,000 fans, Jack Hoffman, a 7 year-old brain cancer patient, ran for 69 yards, all the way to the end zone.
Most importantly, he’s still running.
This is what it means to be a Husker.