Stream of Reading (Prepare to be Forwarded) – An Archive of What I'm Reading
[Image: Blizzard] Blizzard released a short animation to explain the rivalry between bow-wielding mercenary Hanzo and cybernetic ninja Genji. The animation is neat and all, but people online in Japan have been pointing out that the kanji sure is odd. Japanese has a rather complex writing system that features kanji characters from China. There are…
When you analyze the effects of fraud, viewability and ad blocking on the digital display advertising business, then add the ever-increasing abilities of the traffic launderers to game the system, you reach an inevitable conclusion: ad tech has evolved into a toxic ecosystem that is killing itself, and it is taking digital advertising with it….
We all know smart people who do stupid things. At work we see people with brilliant minds make the most simple mistakes. At home we might live with someone who is intellectually gifted but also has no idea. We all have friends who have impressive IQs but lack basic common sense. For more than a…
CNN reporter Jake Tapper asked Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump if his judge attack was racist, then followed up 23 times. (Thomas Johnson/The Washington Post) There’s persistent … and then there’s Jake Tapper. The CNN anchor posed the following question to Donald Trump on Friday: Let me ask you about comments you made about the…
Photos by John Filo (Getty Images) It is a photograph all young journalists should pin to their cubicle walls: the iconic image of the 1970 Kent State shootings, in which a teenage girl grieves over the body of a slain student. Forget for a moment that the picture is among the most famous in US…
X-Men: Apocalypse hasn’t amassed as much at the box office as its X-Men: Days of Future Past predecessor and the marketing department doesn’t seem to be doing it any favors. A billboard advertising the film shows Apocalypse (Oscar Issac) choking the mutant Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence), with a caption that says “Only The Strong Will…
To some, ad blocking is a mortal threat to publishers. To others, it is an overblown fad. More evidence is mounting that ad blocking is more nuisance than existential threat today, but that could easily change. A new survey of users found that only 41 percent of those surveyed were aware of ad blocking. But…
Reader Kyle really, really wants to play Overwatch, but he hasn’t been able to buy it. Hoping to earn a copy—using wit alone—he wrote to Blizzard about his valiant efforts to convince his wife he needs it. According to Kyle, his plea began with a table dance, though his wife asked him to get down….
It’s been years since I’ve been able to enjoy playing an online first-person shooter. Back when I was a younger, worse version of myself, I used to be really good at them. I played more Rogue Spear than I care admit as a teen, and even in college I was still good enough to hold…
In January 2015, Stanford University swimmer Brock Turner was arrested for raping an unconscious woman outside of a fraternity house. Turner, who was the subject of a very sympathetic “once-promising” Washington Post write up, was caught mid-rape by two men who happened to be riding their bikes nearby. According to testimony in Turner’s March trial,…