Ideas that challenge / comfort / inspire
Stephen Goforth
There is a strong tendency to suppose that there is no more reason to listen to one man than another in spiritual matters, because the subjects considered are notoriously incapable of proof. The proper conclusion to be drawn, however, is the precise opposite of this. It is because the subjects are incapable of proof that we need to avail ourselves of superior wisdom whenever we can find it.
D. Elton Trueblood, Philosophy of Religion
Goals are good for setting a direction, but systems are best for making progress. -James Clear
Formulate and stamp indelibly on your mind a mental picture of yourself succeeding. Hold this picture tenaciously. Never permit it to fade.
Do not be awestruck by other people and try to copy them. Nobody can be you as efficiently as YOU can. Remember also that most people, despite their confident appearance and demeanor, are often as scared as you are and as doubtful of themselves.
Norman Vincent Peale, The Power of Positive Thinking
***COVID-19
New York will raffle off scholarships to kids who get vaccinated
Learning How To Smell Again After COVID-19
***JOURNALISM
These Ex-Journalists Are Using AI to Catch Online Defamation
The news doesn’t set with the sun. What it’s like to be a night-shift journalist.
Google AMP is dead! AMP pages no longer get preferential treatment in Google search
California City Ends Lawsuit Against Bloggers For Publishing Police Records
Russia’s attack on U.S. media has become a test case (opinion) ($)
***THE BUSINESS OF JOURNALISM
Local TV news employment confounds expectations in 2020
Newspaper Layoffs Grew In 2020
New Owner Set for Chicago Tribune, Daily News and Baltimore Sun
***PRODUCING MEDIA
How Did the Pandemic Impact the Video Production Industry?
Vice Media Group now produces more Stories than text or video
In Google’s new world, your phone camera is for way more than taking photos
Spotify will auto-transcribe podcasts over the coming weeks
Why QR codes are here to stay after the COVID-19 pandemic
***WRITING & READING
Does your writing transgress this editor’s pet peeves?
Checking In With Black Bookstores Nearly A Year After 2020's Book Boom On Racism
John Steinbeck’s estate urged to let the world read his shunned werewolf novel
***PLAGIARISM
You Say Plagiarism. I Say Provocation
Plagiarism and how to not do it
***FAKES, FRAUDS & SCAMS
Trump Continues To Push Election Falsehoods. Here's Why That Matters
Covid Vaccines: Could they be magnetic?
Science Had a Misinformation Problem Before COVID. Scientists Want to Fix It
Unvaccinated TikTok Users Believe They Will Be ‘Lone Survivors’
Google now fights fake news in search results. Here's how it works
QAnon believers go undercover to spread conspiracies online…and it’s working
***SOCIAL MEDIA
TikTok Radio is coming to SiriusXM as companies join forces to create ‘exclusive audio experiences’
Twitter axes AI cropping after tests prove racial bias
The Case For Deleting Everything
***DATA PRIVACY
Google Must Face Privacy Claims Over Data Transfers To App Developers
Data privacy bill: All tech giants would have to follow Apple lead
Experian exposes credit scores through unprotected API
Apple’s iOS 14.5 update comes with App Tracking Transparency for better privacy
***LANGUAGE
DARPA helped make a sarcasm detector, because of course it did
Scientists find 'missing link' behind first human languages
Meet the mystery woman who mastered IBM’s 5,400-character Chinese typewriter
How Far Back in Time Could an English Speaker Go and Still Communicate Effectively? (video)
***POETRY
Poetry Challenge: How Has The Pandemic Changed You?
“Dead Souls” is an exceedingly cerebral comedy about the viability of contemporary poetry
The fixed mindset doesn’t allow people the luxury of becoming. They have to already be. -Carol Dweck
How much reliance can we place on regression to the mean in judging what the future will bring? What are we to make of a concept that has great power under some conditions but leads to disaster under others? Keynes admitted that “as living and moving beings, we are forced to act … (even when) our existing knowledge does not provide a sufficient basis for a calculated mathematical expectation.”
With rules of thumb, experience, instinct and conventions – in other words, gut - we manage to stumble from the present into the future … The trick is to be flexible enough to recognize that regression to the mean is only a tool; it is not a religion with immutable dogma and ceremonies. Used to make mechanical extrapolations of the past … regression to the mean is little more than mumbo-jumbo. Never depend upon it to come into play without constantly questioning the relevance of the assumptions that support the procedure. Francis Galton spoke wisely when he urged us to “revel in more comprehensive views” that the average.
Peter Bernstein, Against the Gods
butterflies… alone. -Trina Paulus, Hope for the Flowers
One of the highest of duties is the duty of encouragement ... It is easy to laugh at men's ideas; it is easy to pour cold water on their enthusiasm; it is easy to discourage others. The world is full of discouragers. We have a Christian duty to encourage one another. Many a time a word of praise or thanks or appreciation or cheer has kept a man on his feet. Blessed is the man who speaks such a word.
William Barclay
We have to let go of the old thing before we can pick up the new one—not just outwardly, but inwardly, where we keep our connections to people and places that act as definitions of who we are. There we are, living in a new town, but our heads are full of all the old trivia: where the Chinese restaurant was (and when it opened in the evening), what Bob’s phone number was, what shoe store stocked the children’s sizes..
We usually fail to discover our need for an ending until we have made the most of our necessary external changes. There we are, in the new house or the new job or involved in a new relationship, waking up to find that we have not yet let go of our old ties. Or worse yet, not waking up to that fact, even though we are still moving to the inner rhythm of life back in the old situation. We’re like shell fish that continue to open and close their shells on the tide schedule of their home waters after they have been transplanted to a laboratory tank or at the restaurant kitchen.
William Bridges, Transitions
***COVID-19
Fauci says people are "misinterpreting" the new CDC mask guidance
***RELIGION & THE VIRUS
Officials grapple with vaccine hesitancy among Latino evangelicals
15 San Diego Rock Church employees have contracted COVID-19
***RELIGION AND POLITICS
What new laws in Montana and South Dakota say about religious freedom
***RELIGION & BUSINESS
Lifeway Christian Resources downtown Nashville headquarters sells for $95 million
The Legacy Of Harold Camping, Who Falsely Predicted The World’s End, Lives On in Family Radio
***RELIGION & RACIAL ISSUES
How purity culture and anti-Asian racism intersect in some white evangelical circles
***DENOMINATIONS
Russell Moore leaving Southern Baptist position for spot with Christianity Today
Lutherans elect first transgender bishop
***MEGACHURCHES
Founder of Hillsong Church says he had concerns about Carl Lentz for years
A Louisiana megachurch used inappropriate tactics to 'train' teens, ex-interns say
Pastor of metro Atlanta mega-church announces retirement
Saddleback Church ordains first female pastors
***SURVEYS ABOUT RELIGION
Survey finds racial division, stereotyping among Christians
U.S. Jews far less religious than Christians or Americans overall by some measures
***BILLY GRAHAM
Billy Graham subject of PBS documentary
PBS' Billy Graham documentary captures preacher's pull and ambition
How Billy Graham weaponized white evangelical Christian power in America (opinion)
***EASTERN RELIGIONS
Instagram Labeled One Of Islam’s Holiest Mosques A Terrorist Organization
Sikhism Explained: What to Know About This Often-Misunderstood Religion
***CONVERSION THERAPY
***CHRISTIAN MUSIC
There is no hierarchy of suffering. There’s nothing that makes my pain worse or better than yours. -Auschwitz survivor Edith Eva Eger
A great scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light but rather because its opponents eventually die. -Physicist Max Planck
The greatest test of courage on earth is to bear defeat without losing heart. -Robert G. Ingersoll
Looking for some ways to help you shoot and edit video? Here are 59 available tools.
8mm Vintage Camera
Add retro colors, flickering, and light leaks for a vintage look to your movie. A variety of filters (like 1920, Noir) and a sound projector option. $2.99.
Adobe Connect
Video conferencing.
Adobe Spark*
A wide range of video & photo editing tools with templates and flexibility. Soundtracks and themes. Mostly free. $14.29 a month.
Amnesty International YouTube DataViewer*
Takes a URL for a video and provides background info.
Awesome Screenshot
This Chrome extension is a screen recorder with no extra features that will save up to :30. Free
Camtasia
Screen-recording application that’s adequate for its intended purpose: eLearning videos. Easy to use for quick videos but limited. Can be used for podcasting. Mac & PC. $249.
Clips
This Apple app let's you add text, filters, emoji, music, and opaque transition cards to your photos or videos. Intended to be fun, though the menu layout is not entirely intuitive and it does take some time to create. Free.
CuePrompter
Turns your browser into a television telepromoter.
Cute Cut
Easy-to-use video editor. Free.
Disco Videos
A way to add cool effects like music and filters to your videos. $3.99.
DesignLab
Basic video editing tool for social media posts with many templates. Three-day free trial then $9.49 a month.
DSCO
Pronounced ‘disco’, this app is for GIF creation. Animations up to 2.5 seconds long. Free. Video example.
Ecamm
App that records Skype and Facetime. It lets you convert your calls into MP3 files for podcasting or easily move the video to YouTube and Vimeo. Split the audio tracks after a call for easy editing. $39.95.
Final Cut Pro
Video editing program.
Filmic
High definition mobile cam for videography, photography. Lots of bells and whistles probably too much for the average person or even for what a professional journalist would need. $14.99.
Filmmaker Pro - Video Editor*
Video editing program for filmmakers. 19 transition options and 30 filters. Many fonts and animation stickers. Sound effects and a robust number of tools. Free.
GoToMeeting
Video conferencing. 14-day free trial. $14-$39 a month subscription.
Google Hangouts On Air (no longer available)
Live streaming platform and automatic HD video capture.
GorillaPod tripod*
Joby GripTight PRO. Flexible legs wrap around objects for unlimited angles. From .7 - 11 pounds. Rubber foot grips provide stability on any surface.
Hippo Video
This Chrome extension is a screen recorder with some advanced features such as changing the resolution, aspect ratio, etc. Free.
HouseParty (formally Meerkat)
Group video chat app where users get a notice that friends are online. Snap Stories are integrated.
Hyperlapse
Instagram’s timelapse video. No audio option.
IBM Cloud Video* (formerly Ustream)
Desktop broadcasting of live video to the world from a computer or iPhone (or watch thousands of shows). 30 day free trial, then monthly plans from $99 to $999 for pros, top subscription $2k and up.
iMovie*
One of the best video-making apps, it offers two tracks of video and audio for editing on your phone or laptop. Filters and templates. Free.
Inshot
Video & image editing app. Simple-to-use & all-in-one with basic functions. Free version with ads $2.99 to remove them and the watermark.
InVID
A free Firefox plugin to debunk fake video news and verify videos and images.
Loom
This Chrome extension is a screen recorder with some advanced options. No limit on the number of videos you can make. Free.
LumaFusion*
A multi-track video editor with 3 video/audio tracks for photos, videos, titles, and graphics. $19.99.
Lumen5
An easy-to-use video creation platform that attempts to turn a limited number of photos and text into video for you. Free.
Magistro
Load your video clips or images, pick a style, then the AI software automatically edits them into a video. You give up some editing control for speed. There’s a free version but $60 a year gets you everything.
Meograph
3D animation of people from 2D video of people. Video explanation.
Moment*
Cases, lens, batteries, lights, gimbals, etc. to enhance photos and videos taken with a phone.
Movavi
Video editing for casual users. Easy-to-use interface. Limited effects. $39.95.
MoviePro*
Video recording app that lets you listen live to your sound, includes manual controls for exposure, focus, and white balance. Shoot stills while recording. Has a built-in single-track video editor. Includes a wide range of video resolutions and aspect ratios, adjustable video quality, $9.99.
Narrative
Wearable camera that takes a photo or video every minute and creates a video at the end of the day (without using the repetitive shots). No work for the wearer. $199.
pCloud Transfer
Like WeTransfer, quickly transfer files up to 5GB. No account required. Free.
PowerDirector 365
Perhaps the best Android video editor app with special effects. Similar to iMovie in ease of use. $4.33 a month.
Nimbus
This Chrome extension is a screen recorder which also allows users to shoot a video with a webcam or take screenshots. Free.
Quik*
Video editor by GoPro. Easy-to-use. Templated themes and useful filters. Add up to 200 photos and video clips. Free.
Quicktime
Use to record video from your webcam and Skype interviews.
Placeit
Easy-to-use video editing tool with pre-designed video templates. Add music, graphics, animations. There is a cost to downloading the final design. Pay as you go ($9.95) or subscription ($14.95 a month).
PickPlayPost (Mixcord)
Video editor that lets users create slideshows, split screens, video collages, etc. adding music, voice, gifs. Best for short videos. Free.
Powtoon
Animated infographics web tool for creating videos. User-friendly. The free version has company branding on it.
Preceden (formally Time Glider)
Create web-based timelines using images & videos.
Premiere Pro*
An Adobe professional-level product that has become the industry standard. Easy-to-use interface. Support for 360 VR and other features, but some techniques require additional applications (such as After Effects). $19.99 a month.
Reduct
Edit the video by editing the text. For instance, you can upload a long interview and the site (using machine learning) will transcribe the speech and tag each word to a visual frame allowing you to quickly generate a highlight reel or other edited videos.
Reel Director
Creates movies and lets you edit on phone similar to iMovie. $2.99.
Rock Content (formally Scribble Live)
Live-streaming. Create, curate and publish content to provide real time coverage and storytelling. Fee.
SMOVE smartphone Video Stabilizer
This smartphone stabilizer that doubles as a charger. Portable, fits in your pocket. $200.
Steadicam Smoothee*
The Smoothee gives you a steady, gliding shot by a balanced weight system that holds your phone on a frictionless ball joint. Simple to use, though the size could interfere with other attachments on you iPhone. $90.
Steller*
Create photo and video stories on an iPhone with an emphasis on mobile design. Create collections and share on social networks. Free. Sample.
TechSmith (formally Jing)
A free, easy-to-use screen capture application. Snap a screenshot or record a video, save and share. capture a presentation, lecture, or event.
Thnk Link
Make images interactive. Sample.
TiltShift Video
Create the tilt-shift effect for photos and video. No in-app camera to shoot video and no sharing options. $3.99.
Transcriptive
Digital Anarchy’s plugin to create automated transcriptions of video in Premiere Pro. Free Trial. $299.
TubeMogul
Upload your video and TubeMogul will send it to many social media sites at one time-though you'll have to set up accounts with all the sites on your own. Tracks viewership. A part of Adobe's Marketing Cloud.
Veed
Easy to use templated video editing options for creating social media posts. Use to add captions. Free watermarked version available. $20 monthly.
Video Scribe
Create animated videos, replicating the popular whiteboard-style tutorial. 7 day free trial. $16.50 a month.
VideoShop (no longer available)
Lots of useful features to edit video on phones. $.1.99.
Videolicious*
App for easy photo and video editing on your iPhone. Sort of a stripped-down version of iMovie to make videos with narration and music. Filters, too. Free.
Vimeo
Video hosting and editing.
VSCO*
Great start-to-finish photo/video app. Easy to use filters and helpful tutorials. Manual controls like focus lock, exposure lock, and white balance. Edit images and share them on social media. IOS. Free version. $19.99 a year for 170 presets.
Vyond (formally GoAnimate)
Make animated videos. Free 14-day trial. Subscription plans: $39 a month or $299 each year.
YouTube Creator Hub
Resources to help create better video content and bigger audiences. An online community for serious YouTube creators.
Wave Video
Video editor for social media posts with many templates including free music and video extras. Intuitive interface. Free with more options for $49 a month.
Webex
Cisco’s video conferencing software. Easy-to-use, nothing to download. Several pricing plans-but not cheap.
WeTransfer*
A file transfer service, though Dropbox has more options for the price. WeTransfer is free for individual users, but $12 for companies needing more.
WeVideo
Collaborative online and mobile video editing.
Wondershare
Video editing app. Easy-to-use with standard effects though not the more advanced effects. $59.99.
Xtranormal
Create animated movies.
Zamzar
Video and audio file converter.
More Tech Tools
***COVID-19
How a Colorado Campus Became a Pandemic Laboratory ($)
Is It Covid or the Flu? New Combo Tests Can Find Out ($)
Covid-19 vaccine passport questions, answered
Parents should get their children the COVID vaccine, says St. Jude pediatric virologist
Employment, workforce participation of college grads fell amid COVID-19
Fauci says pandemic exposed 'undeniable effects of racism'
***LAYOFFS & CUTS
Declining enrollment, course demand causes layoffs in Liberal Arts at Central Michigan University
City College of San Francisco Approves Plan to Avoid Layoffs
***COLLEGE FINANCES
4 ‘new normal’ priorities for higher-ed finance leaders
California state audit criticizes Calbright College for mismanagement
***HIGHER ED
Study finds that public research universities recruit out of state at private high schools
What Will College Look Like This Coming September?
Two Colorado colleges plan to remove "junior" from their names
***HUMANITIES
The Shift from Liberal Arts to STEM Comes at a Cost (opinion)
***HIGHER ED IN COURT
Colleges and Universities Battle Insurance Companies Over COVID-19 Losses
Penn State Professor Errol Henderson Accuses University Of Racial Discrimination In Federal Lawsuit
***HIGHER ED & POLITICS
How critical race theory became Enemy No. 1 in the battle against higher ed ($)
***ONLINE CLASSES
Elite Colleges Started EdX as a Nonprofit Alternative to Coursera. How Is It Doing?
***ONLINE CHEATING
The Dartmouth cheating scandal raises questions about data mining and sowing mistrust ($)
***ACADEMIC LIFE
University of Minnesota group to investigate abusive faculty
Penn State Professor Accuses University Of Racial Discrimination In Federal Lawsuit
Northeastern professor leaves his post after scrutiny of dozens of his studies
Vietnam National University academics dismissed for plagiarism
Former UGA professor gets more than 7 years in federal prison for having child porn
***COLLEGE ADMINISTRATORS
Ex-Cal State San Marcos Dean Under Criminal Investigation
***ADMIN APPOINTMENTS
Former Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell selected to lead University of Alaska Anchorage
Howard University has appointed Phylicia Rashad as dean of the College of Fine Arts
DePaul trustees appoint Salma Ghanem as provost
Evergreen State re-evaluating after three president finalists drop out
Lafayette College president headed to Carleton College in Minnesota
***RESIGNATIONS & REMOVALS
Ronald Graham has been removed as president of Haskell Indian Nations University
Ohio University President M. Duane Nellis resigns, will remain a professor
Santa Clara University President Kevin O’Brien resigns after ‘inappropriate behaviors’
Northwestern athletic director resigns following protests
Univ of South Carolina president resigns following plagiarism controversy
Colorado president stepping down
Western Colorado University President Resigns
Lincoln University President leaving after 2020-21 academic year
***CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS
Moravian College gets official approval to become “Moravian University” effective July
Christian Colleges Seek to Defend Title IX Religious Exemption
Biden will not address Notre Dame commencement, was invited by the university
Baptist Pastor becomes president of Carver College
17 psychological groups call for greater protections of LGBTQ students at religious schools
Fire rips through Southern Baptist Theological Seminary apartments
***RESEARCH
How BYU scientists struck pharmaceutical gold — and the fight over who keeps the money
Two surnames, no hyphen: Claiming my identity as a Latin American scientist
Identifying Patterns and Motivations of ‘Mega’ Peer-Reviewers
An XKCD comic—and its many remixes—perfectly captures the absurdity of academic research
***STUDENT LIFE
Bates Students Condemn College's Response to Anti-Israel Graffiti
Bloomsburg University eliminates fraternities, sororities
Lewis' Memoir Describes Being A Teen Mom In College While Raising A Daughter
Athletes sue Stanford over plan to eliminate 11 sports by end of school year
Delaware State University canceling more than $730K in student debt
More college students gain access to relief grants ($)
Elmhurst University student made false report of gunman after buying meth, police say
***SEXUAL HARASSMENT & ASSAULT
Former Univ of Central Oklahoma students allege sexual harassment by theater department head
USD students protest lenient punishments for campus sexual assaults
Report: Michigan coach Schembechler knew about sexual assaults at Michigan and did nothing
***RACIAL ISSUES ON CAMPUS
Wingate University in North Carolina acknowledges its namesake sold slaves
We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms -- to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.
Victor Frankl
Every person has a story--and if you look hard enough you'll find a dark place.
***COVID-19
How to be around people again: A guide for back-to-office anxiety and awkwardness
Is it legal for an employer to ask if you are vaccinated?
The Teeny, Tiny Scientific Screwup That Helped Covid Kill
CDC Advisers Recommend Pfizer Vaccine For Adolescents
COVID-19’s impact on Asian Americans in the workplace
***JOURNALISM
What is Journalism: The existential issue
New Study Shows Local TV Crews ‘Under Attack’
Women journalists face escalating violence online
There can be no free press unless journalists are able to do their jobs safely
A new tool called allows you to make annotations on live webpages
***REPORTING
5 things journalists should know before covering research
Covering hospital mergers of physician practices: 3 tips from experienced health care journalists
How student reporters investigated their campuses
***THE BUSINESS OF JOURNALISM
A record 44% of the 'New York Times'' subscription growth came from non-news products in Q1
More NYT subscriptions coming from non-news products in the Biden era
***JOURNALISM & RACISM
National Geographic faced up to its racist past. Did it actually get better?
***PRODUCING MEDIA
How Apple’s new audio subscriptions are upending podcasting
***WRITING & READING
Neural Interface Lets Man Type On Computer By Imagining Handwriting
Engaging With Asian American And Pacific Islander Heritage Month: A Reading List
***FAKES, FRAUDS & SCAMS
To navigate the dangers of the web, you need critical thinking – but also critical ignoring
How journalists can avoid amplifying misinformation in their stories
The Real Reason Behind the Misinformation Epidemic in Online Moms’ Groups
Psych professor: anger motivates anti-maskers, they’ll likely reform around the next divisive issue
***COVID FRAUDS
Just 12 People Are Behind Most Vaccine Hoaxes On Social Media
How COVID-19 conspiracy theories reach millions of people online
The unwitting are the target of COVID-19 falsehoods online
***SOCIAL MEDIA
Why Reddit is building an in-house agency to work with brands
Most U.S. social media users rarely or never post about politics, social issues
Twitter acquires news tech startup Scroll
A 28-year-old woman dressed like teen and walked into a high school to promote her Instagram
On Spotify, an Arranged Marriage Between Music and Podcasts ($)
***TIKTOK
How TikTok personalities are making a name for themselves by delivering news to Gen Z
How TikTok Is Changing Starbucks
***PRIVACY & SECURITY
It turns out no one wants to be tracked all across their iPhones by Facebook (or anyone else)
Colonial Pipeline paid close to $5 million in ransomware blackmail payment
How private is your Gmail, and should you switch?
***LANGUAGE
Why We Speak More Weirdly at Home
Irish language ‘definitely endangered’ as linguists predict it will vanish in the next century
Beautiful or handsome? Neural language models try their hand at word substitution
The way your name or a word rolls off the tongue can have some surprising effects
***LITERATURE
A Jane Austen museum addressing Regency-era slavery? (opinion)
***POETRY
The incredibly complicated question of how to translate inaugural poet Amanda Gorman
Poetry Foundation hires new president
Poem drops stock price of China’s largest food delivery platform
Maya Angelou to be among first women to appear on the quarter
Even when strength fails, there is perseverance. And even when perseverance fails, there is hope. And even when hope fails, there is love. And love never fails. -Michael Gerson
A child does not know what is not possible and so was open to exploration, discovery, and experimentation. If you approach create tasks with the beginner's mind, you can see things more clearly as they are, unburden by your fixed views, habits, or what conventional wisdom says it is (or should be).
One who possesses a beginner's mind is not burdened by old habits or obsessed about "the way things are done around here" or with the way things could have or should have been done.
If you approach a task with a beginner's mind, you’re not afraid of being wrong. The fear of making a mistake, of risking an error, or of being told you’re wrong is constantly with us. And that’s a shame. Making mistakes is not the same thing as being creative, but if you’re not willing to make mistakes then it is impossible to be truly creative.
Garr Reynolds, Presentation Zen
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