Author Archives: Robert Basil

No plagiarism foul

A super-smart student in my Advanced Professional Communications class asked me whether using an app that generates a citation for you in proper APA, MLA, Chicago style was plagiarism. My first thought was “I doubt it,” but in my line … Continue reading →

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Writing in the Sciences

“The more that you take care with your writing, the more you might explore uncertainties in your thinking,” suggests Stanford University Environmental Earth System Science Professor Julie Kennedy in this excellent Writing Matters video. Kennedy helpfully stresses the primacy of … Continue reading →

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Having a strong accent can work in your favour …

… writes MIT cognitive science professor Edward Gibson in Aeon: Suppose you are at a cocktail party, and your conversation partner – someone with power in your field – wants to know your view about a potentially scandalous issue at your … Continue reading →

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Mistakes you should avoid as a business using social media

The always smart Kaylynn Chong at Hootsuite has these six good reminders: Don’t over-hashtag. “Too many hashtags can make you look spammy or desperate if you’re using ones that aren’t relevant to your post. Even if you gain followers, it’s … Continue reading →

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The ‘Fuzzy Logic’ Man

“He always took criticism as a compliment,” said Stuart Russell, a Berkeley professor who worked next door to Mr. Zadeh for many years. “It meant that people were considering what he had to say.”

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Should a President Be Allowed to Block You on Twitter?

Jacob Sollum from Reason Magazine’s Hit & Run Blog has a good piece on the topic this morning. It will surprise no one familiar with Donald Trump’s attitude toward criticism that people who make negative comments about him on Twitter … Continue reading →

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The Bad Mess at Evergreen

The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington has earned its renown as an experimental – indeed avant-garde – institution; its ‘progressive’ bona-fides have been warranted as well. Back in the day, I explored the possibility of taking a faculty position in … Continue reading →

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Professions

V. told me that when someone [at a meeting to program literary events] proposed a poetry reading by cops who write poetry, another person said, “Yeah, and let’s have a night for poets who beat people up.” – Reginald Gibbons, … Continue reading →

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A succinct explanation of “hate speech”

NYU Journalism Professor has been alarmed by USA President Donald Trump – which is unlikely to surprise readers of this blog. Professor Rosen is hardly more sanguine about the journalists who “cover” him. This is from a recent twitter thread you … Continue reading →

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News Literacy 2017 – a guide

With several of his graduate students NYU Journalism Professor Jay Rosen has just published the second annual “What’s Changing in Journalism” guide, which “depicts trends that are influencing the business now, and are still new enough that even experienced journalists may not … Continue reading →

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