Glass Wings Blog

The Glass Wings mailing list and blog is for general idle chit-chat about things we find interesting, especially humor, animation or other subjects relevant to the Glass Wings web site.

High School Principal Cancels Entire Reading Program To Stop Students From Reading Cory Doctorow's 'Little Brother'

Fri, 01 Aug 2014 01:35:48 +1000

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

<https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20140606/08401527494/high-school-principal-cancels-entire-reading-program-to-stop-students-reading-cory-doctorows-little-brother.shtml>

'Welcome to the modern equivalent of a book burning. The principal of
Booker T Washington High in Pensacola Florida has apparently cancelled
the school's "One School/One Book" summer reading program all in an

Wil Wheaton Discusses TV, Cord-Cutting, Piracy... And Trying Desperately To Make Sure Fans Can Watch His Show

Fri, 01 Aug 2014 01:34:26 +1000

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

<https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20140605/18120527491/wil-wheaton-discusses-tv-trying-desperately-to-make-sure-fans-can-watch-his-show.shtml>

"As you hopefully already know, Wheaton has a new TV show, the Wil
Wheaton Project on Syfy. Ever since he announced the program, he made it
clear that while it was out of his control, he would do his damnedest to

LED watch with a wooden face and bracelet

Fri, 01 Aug 2014 01:31:15 +1000

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

http://boingboing.net/2014/06/03/led-watch-with-a-wooden-face-a.html

"Tokyoflash's Kisai Night Vision Wood LED Watch builds on their earlier
work with beautiful, carved-wood bracelets, adding a wooden face backed
with powerful LEDs whose glow can be seen through the smooth vegetable

Universities can’t fulfill the myth, but they can’t become vocational schools either

Thu, 31 Jul 2014 02:01:32 +1000

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

<http://arstechnica.com/science/2014/05/universities-cant-fulfil-the-myth-but-they-cant-become-a-vocational-school-either/>

"Is it time to rethink higher education? I'm someone who went through
the system and I'm now, to a greater or lesser extent, contributing to
its maintenance, so it seems strange that I should advocate its

A Gentlemen’s Guide To Rape Culture

Thu, 31 Jul 2014 02:00:28 +1000

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

<https://medium.com/human-parts/a-gentlemens-guide-to-rape-culture-7fc86c50dc4c>

"I totally know how you feel. That was pretty much exactly my response
when someone told me I was a part of rape culture. It sounds horrible.
But just imagine moving through the world, always afraid you could be

The Post-Snowden Surveillance World: Network Effects, Low Marginal Costs, And Technical Lock-in

Wed, 30 Jul 2014 12:47:11 +1000

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

<https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20140529/04222727386/post-snowden-surveillance-world-network-effects-low-marginal-costs-technical-lock-in.shtml>

"The concept of network effects, and the lock-in they produce, are both
by now fairly well known. Most people understand why Microsoft retains
its stranglehold on the desktop and word processing formats, despite the

David Graeber: “Spotlight on the financial sector did make apparent just how bizarrely skewed our economy is in terms of who gets rewarded”

Wed, 30 Jul 2014 12:45:40 +1000

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

<http://www.salon.com/2014/06/01/help_us_thomas_piketty_the_1s_sick_and_twisted_new_scheme/>

"David Graeber is an American anthropologist who teaches at the London
School of Economics. He is the author of the classic “Debt: The First
Five Thousand Years” and played an important role in the launching of

Dear parents, you are being lied to.

Wed, 30 Jul 2014 01:11:25 +1000

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

http://violentmetaphors.com/2014/03/25/parents-you-are-being-lied-to/

"In light of recent outbreaks of measles and other vaccine preventable
illnesses, and the refusal of anti-vaccination advocates to acknowledge
the problem, I thought it was past time for this post."

Failing union of capitalism and democracy fuels rise in inequality

Wed, 30 Jul 2014 01:09:49 +1000

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

<https://theconversation.com/failing-union-of-capitalism-and-democracy-fuels-rise-in-inequality-27217>

"Democracy and capitalism are two highly contested models. On paper,
throughout the past two centuries, they have proven the most successful
systems of economic and political order. Following the demise of

Dumb Ways to Lie

Tue, 29 Jul 2014 13:45:57 +1000

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JE9ZTtMjFsI

"Animation by the Sauce (thesauce.co) to lyrics written by Eric TF Bat, sung by
Elizabeth Hillebrand."