Articles
Some of my most popular, and favourite, dispatches.
The American dollar problem with Hover (.com)
Being invoiced in USD from an office in Toronto is the worst.
Equipment donation scam
All they had to do was send some money for packaging and shipping.
Archiving and curation
When we stare at paradoxes long enough, they can sometimes lose their mystery. When this happens to me, I take it as evidence that I know a little something about…
Guidelines on using a pie chart
This is a question that comes up from time to time regarding knowledge transfer in reports and presentations. When should we use pie charts? Generally, don’t. However, if you’re committed…
Fresh approaches to skepticism
The skeptic social movement has been a big part of my social and intellectual world. In a world full of bullshit and liars I appreciate the posture of “show me…
Journalism is a variety of public relations
Journalists complain about the rise and impact of public relations. It’s the “dark side”. Public relations (PR) “exerts a pressure” on journalism. It has a “distorting influence”. Journalists find themselves…
Masturbation: A Short History of a Great Taboo
Epic short film, Magical Caresses.
Reality testing: measuring the long term impact of journalism
When Margaret Wente was getting busted repeatedly for plagiarizing, her publisher, The Globe and Mail, more or less defended her. Critical commentators’ noted that no one spins harder or better…
Cognition trick: the Google Effect
We’ve developed a habit of forgetting, or declining to remember, the information that is readily available online.
The stickiness of so-called “reverse racism”
When an idea is “intuitive” but also steeped in a culture war we have a heightened duty to examine it.
The state of hyperlinking in journalism, a case study
From time to time I like to check in on how news orgs are doing with their online publishing practices. In particular, I like to review how they handle reports…
Land back
I’m awed by Ayla Brown’s handmade design. Oh wow, turns out there is more art where this came from: Bentwood Box.
How to stop increasing the reach and impact of hate (and misinformation) on Twitter
Some thoughts on how not to amplify hate accounts on Twitter.
Twitter, hate, harm, and misinformation
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the ambient misogyny and racism (and more) that floats around my Twitter communities. It’s ambient in the sense that it’s pervasive, and also…
Music, music history, and generational waves of white supremacy
The more generations that pass by, the more obscured women’s lives are, by waves of patriarchal interests. It’s a kind of entropy fuelled by misogyny and whiteness.
White supremacy, doing journalism, and the explanatory comma
This particular Code Switch episode on the explanatory comma is itself a kind of extended explanatory comma, or perhaps an interrogatory comma.
Trudi Lynn Smith is the best
Sunday was coffee with a luminous being studying to be an even more powerful jedi. Art and anthropology Trudi Smith Counselling
Headlines, cognitive processing, and problematic information
Headlines matter. Publishers know it. Good headlines help with the understanding, reach, and impact of a story. Headlines frame articles, shaping the information in the article that follows, and alter…
How to unregister from Signal if you no longer use it as your texting app
Recently I encountered an issue while trying to text a colleague who no longer uses Signal. This app is popular for its range of features including encryption, wifi-enabled texting and…
Style guides, notes on “jihad”
https://www.wnyc.org/story/breaking-news-consumers-handbook-islamophobia-edition/ Guardian Reuters
Three unforgettable moments in [my] hockey history
Where I grew up in Northern Alberta, hockey was a big deal. My big brother played hockey. And my dad, who was not a great skater, played hockey in a…
Idea: Journalism is a convenience store
I like to imagine different metaphors for journalism. Consider that the press is a giant inertia machine, for example.1 I like to imagine different metaphors as a way to resist,…
I seen it
She was kind. But she was also ruthlessly attentive to my Northern Alberta dialect. Sometimes she would simply say it back to me. I seen.
Journalism is the business of influence
Good journalists do what they do because they care. They have interests. The organizations that employ journalists also are guided by interests. They have purpose. The Washington Post wears their…
Journalism’s allergy to substantive regulation
Misinformation is a big deal. Hate online is a big deal. And as the public catches up to their reach and impact, we’ll see more and more talk about regulation…
Paul Wells, conservatism, satire, and Maclean’s footprint
I like Maclean’s about as much as I like the National Post. They’re rightwing, partisan, and legacy. On my view they have courted hate and burned trust, undermining journalism along…
The look, and the social nature of knowledge
When I was growing up I was bad with context. Super bad. My young logic-oriented self just did not understand humans and their social “nuance.” I’m still trying. Perhaps I’m…
Vicwest caterpillar, a springtime phenomenon
Some years we have more. Some years we have less.
Hyperlinking in Canadian journalism (Case study, IPBES report)
If news orgs are serious about being good partners in mitigating misinformation, they need to link meaningfully to relevant references and especially science-based organizations…
My cell phone carrier has stopped spamming me
My local gym and community centre is awesome. It’s a little less than three kilometres from my home. The pool is great. The gym is nice. It’s got a kind…
The dominant press is a giant inertia machine
But here’s an old idea: what if dominant journalism, by and large and in the long run, is actually a drag on progress? What if dominant journalism, and by that…
Reality testing, Dylan Marron and Every Single Word
If you ask white folks about the over-representation of white folks on screen, they will often misunderstand and/or underestimate the degree and seriousness of over-representation. Luckily we have some tools…
The dream of proportional representation dies again; long live pro rep
I campaigned during the first and second referendums we had here in BC regarding proportional representation. We won the first one. 58% of voters voted yes for the Citizen Assembly…
Want to check out this …
Want to check out this python monitoring system sometime: https://freedif.org/glances-detailed-but-intuitive-system-monitoring-tool
A few free tools for audio and video stuff
Once in a while I have to work with video or audio recordings. Or sometimes I need to convert file formats. And sometimes when I do media critique I have…