Author Archives: Robert Basil

Mistakes you should avoid as a business using social media

Posted on September 15, 2017 by Robert Basil

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

Posted on September 12, 2017 by Robert Basil

“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?

Posted on June 7, 2017 by Robert Basil

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

Posted on June 3, 2017 by Robert Basil

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

Posted on May 20, 2017 by Robert Basil

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”

Posted on May 4, 2017 by Robert Basil

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

Posted on March 3, 2017 by Robert Basil

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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Update needed

Posted on February 6, 2017 by Robert Basil

I had long been puzzled by how many people don’t get the saying “That’s the exception that proves the rule.” This morning it occurred to me that the opacity is not in the minds of my friends but in the phrase’s … Continue reading →

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Come to Canada

Posted on January 31, 2017 by Robert Basil

In a tart post this morning Atrios notes that he would be shocked if foreign enrollment in [American] colleges and universities wasn’t down 10%+ next year (I completely made up that figure, of course, but you get the idea) even if … Continue reading →

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Abandoning One’s Mother Tongue

Posted on January 7, 2017 by Robert Basil

I had not thought this possible. A very poignant story via the great Language Log.

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