Category: Uncategorized

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Tomato Tribulations

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Photo by Rachel Andrew

Having just moved down south, far from family and friends, I was faced with a real decision to make.  My choice would change my life forever.  Clearly, the selection of the proper tomato product to purchase at the grocery store would make or break my dinner.  But being a naive and uninformed shopper, I assumed that Tomato Paste was basically unflavored Tomato Sauce.  Boy was I wrong.

No matter how much I simmered, seasoned, or diluted, the “sauce” that I made had an incredibly strong, sickeningly sweet and acidic taste.  What I was really looking for in the store was Tomato Purée.  Unfortunately, my pasta was not great that night, but I learned quite a few Tomato Terms™ (which I will share below): Continue reading “Tomato Tribulations”

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Uber ‘n’ Amex: Joined at the Hip Factor

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Oh, you bet I redeemed it. A grey tie goes with just about anything.

Several months ago, I wondered why American Express didn’t offer some sort of tailored “$5 off $25” perk at Uber. After all, Amex is pretty aggressive when it comes to targeted promotions, and actively inks deals with retailers that cater to the tech-friendly and mobile-oriented crowd – the same crew that gets its lifts in Uber. In recent months, Amex has offered deals at iTunes, Dunkin Donuts, J. Crew, and Zappos – all brands that try to tap into the mobile audience. And, as I experienced firsthand, Amex’s app uses geolocation to provide targeted reminders of nearly-redeemed offers.

Continue reading “Uber ‘n’ Amex: Joined at the Hip Factor”

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Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

The verdict in the Trayvon Martin case brings to mind the Casey Anthony trial from two years ago. In response of the public’s displeasure, Alan Dershowitz wrote a stirring and even-handed article in the Wall Street Journal, where he examined the nature of “not guilty:” A criminal trial is never about seeking justice for the victim. If … Continue reading Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

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Social Singing

Twitter is gearing up to imminently release some sort of music recommendation service, thanks to its recent acquisition of We Are Hunted. It’s hard to tell what exactly the service will offer, but it may not  directly compete with heavyweights like Spotify, Pandora, or the upcoming Apple radio service – opting instead to serve as … Continue reading Social Singing

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Claims About Computer Graded Essays

The New York Times featured an article today discussing recent back and forth over computer graded essays. There seem to be many critics: “Let’s face the realities of automatic essay scoring,” the group’s statement reads in part. “Computers cannot ‘read.’ They cannot measure the essentials of effective written communication: accuracy, reasoning, adequacy of evidence, good … Continue reading Claims About Computer Graded Essays

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Three Little Words

The saying goes “less is more.” Except, of course, in academic writing, where “more is more.” Effectively, the more verbose, wordy and academic-sounding a work reads, the better it seems, regardless of actual content. This logic has unfortunately mixed into the worlds of Literary Criticism, Gender Studies and Postcolonial Theory, with awful results. Consider titles. … Continue reading Three Little Words

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The MLA Now has Guidelines for Citing Twitter

In keeping with the “modern” part of its name, the Modern Language Association has instituted guidelines for citing a tweet.  It’s admittedly neat that Twitter posts now have enough resonance to merit inclusion, though the Association’s example – a Pakistani man’s May 2011 observation of a helicopter carrying SEAL Team 6, who shortly thereafter killed … Continue reading The MLA Now has Guidelines for Citing Twitter

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Doom, Gloom, and Just a Little Zoom

The Rolling Stones’ newly-released “Doom and Gloom” does not break musical ground, and, frankly, that’s a good thing. The song plays to the group’s strengths – dominating drumbeats, straightforward production values, and a catchy, ringtone-worthy opening riff – while simultaneously repackaging lyrics for a Millenial audience. The result is a somewhat unexceptional, but nonetheless catchy and enjoyable track that ranks among the Stones’s A- work.