Dear Santa,
I've been a moderately good person this year. I'm sure there was more I could have done in several circumstances, but I also tried to volunteer and be better this year than I was last year.
I don't want a lot for Christmas this year. Continued health and happiness for me and my family, a Cubs World Series appearance (and if you're feeling generous, a win in the World Series) and for more people to embrace Stephen Colbert's "Another Christmas Song" as part of their holiday music should about cover it this year.
Have a safe trip this year.
Luke
Today's Christmas-themed links:
Where to Say Merry Christmas vs. Happy Holidays
FiveThirtyEight mapped the War on Christmas to find where people prefer Happy Holidays vs. Merry Christmas.
The Forgotten Story of Peter Paul Dolata and the Worst Christmas Ever
The newspaper headline in this story from 1937 was is "Santa Claus drops dead as 100 children await him." This is a tragic story, but also one of some quick thinking by other adults there.
Yes, Virginia, there is a NORAD
The story of how NORAD came to have a Santa tracker (which, more than anything else, is my kid's favorite part of Christmas.)
The tales, legends and observations of a man who wakes up every morning expecting the Spanish Inquisition.
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
Monday, December 21, 2015
What's in a name and the best journalism of 2015.
I was born in what should have been a prime time for naming boys Luke. Between the release of Star Wars (and Luke Skywalker) in 1977, the Dukes of Hazzard (and Luke Duke) debuting in 1979 and Luke and Luara drawing 30 million viewers for their wedding on General Hospital in 1981, the name Luke was primed to be incredibly popular, drawing from geek, country and stay-at-home mom demographics simultaneously.
But in 1976, just before Star Wars burst on the scene, the name Luke was the 222nd most popular name in the United States. By 1980, the name still showed considerable growth, jumping up to 97th, which, while impressive, isn't nearly as much of a jump as I might have expected. Shouldn't the name have crossed demographic lines to become more popular?
Yet, somehow, I was the only Luke I knew growing up. Never had any other Lukes in my classes or even that I remember in my schools. I was the lone Luke out there, having the responsibility to shoulder all the expectations for that name for years and years.
It fell back below 100 in 1981 and stayed around there until finally cracking the top 100 again in 1992. From then on, it has slowly marched its way up the naming charts until 2014 when it was the 28th most popular name in the country. Now my kid has two friends named Luke in his grade.
One man's picks for the 150 best journalism of 2015
Just one link today, but if you like to read, you're in for a treat. Richard Dietsch (Richard was the 19th most popular name in 1976 and has tumbled down to 141 in 2014) is the media reporter for Sports Illustrated and compiles some of the best articles in his weekly media column. For this week's edition, compiled his 150 best links of the year. I've read about 40 of them and saw a dozen others that I'd saved at some point but never found the time to read.
For those celebrating this week, have a wonderful Christmas and/or Kwanzaa.
But in 1976, just before Star Wars burst on the scene, the name Luke was the 222nd most popular name in the United States. By 1980, the name still showed considerable growth, jumping up to 97th, which, while impressive, isn't nearly as much of a jump as I might have expected. Shouldn't the name have crossed demographic lines to become more popular?
Yet, somehow, I was the only Luke I knew growing up. Never had any other Lukes in my classes or even that I remember in my schools. I was the lone Luke out there, having the responsibility to shoulder all the expectations for that name for years and years.
It fell back below 100 in 1981 and stayed around there until finally cracking the top 100 again in 1992. From then on, it has slowly marched its way up the naming charts until 2014 when it was the 28th most popular name in the country. Now my kid has two friends named Luke in his grade.
One man's picks for the 150 best journalism of 2015
Just one link today, but if you like to read, you're in for a treat. Richard Dietsch (Richard was the 19th most popular name in 1976 and has tumbled down to 141 in 2014) is the media reporter for Sports Illustrated and compiles some of the best articles in his weekly media column. For this week's edition, compiled his 150 best links of the year. I've read about 40 of them and saw a dozen others that I'd saved at some point but never found the time to read.
For those celebrating this week, have a wonderful Christmas and/or Kwanzaa.
Friday, December 18, 2015
A reading App recommendation, then Trolls, football and dog mushing in NYC
One more batch before my break starts.
One of my favorite Apps on my phone is Pocket. It basically lets you save articles and read them later rather than going "what was that article I saw that looked interesting?" and then hoping Facebook hasn't changed their algorithm when I go back to look for it.
It lets me read while I'm standing in line at the grocery store or if I'm early for a meeting. It's also got a feature that will read the story to you, though the lack of inflection in the voice makes it difficult for me to listen to.
Anyway, if you've found yourself thinking that any of these articles I post look interesting but you don't have time, save it to Pocket and read it later.
You Can't Just Ignore The Trolls
I can't imagine being a woman in an online world filled with the vile insults women regularly get. And being a woman of some prominence has to make it even worse. So how do you deal with trolls? Julie DiCaro takes a look at how she and others in similar positions handle it.
One Man's Quest to Bring Dog Mushing to New York City
Because, why not?
How Football Pulled The Trigger: Zack Langston's Family Reflects on His Tragically Short Life
Patrick Hruby, the author of this, has been writing about the dangers of football for a while. Here he looks at the life of Zack Langston and how it changed after his college football days were over. Zack shot himself when he was 26 and was found to have similar brain injuries to that for former NFL player Junior Seau. Set aside some time for this one.
One of my favorite Apps on my phone is Pocket. It basically lets you save articles and read them later rather than going "what was that article I saw that looked interesting?" and then hoping Facebook hasn't changed their algorithm when I go back to look for it.
It lets me read while I'm standing in line at the grocery store or if I'm early for a meeting. It's also got a feature that will read the story to you, though the lack of inflection in the voice makes it difficult for me to listen to.
Anyway, if you've found yourself thinking that any of these articles I post look interesting but you don't have time, save it to Pocket and read it later.
You Can't Just Ignore The Trolls
I can't imagine being a woman in an online world filled with the vile insults women regularly get. And being a woman of some prominence has to make it even worse. So how do you deal with trolls? Julie DiCaro takes a look at how she and others in similar positions handle it.
One Man's Quest to Bring Dog Mushing to New York City
Because, why not?
How Football Pulled The Trigger: Zack Langston's Family Reflects on His Tragically Short Life
Patrick Hruby, the author of this, has been writing about the dangers of football for a while. Here he looks at the life of Zack Langston and how it changed after his college football days were over. Zack shot himself when he was 26 and was found to have similar brain injuries to that for former NFL player Junior Seau. Set aside some time for this one.
A quick programming note
So a programming note.
After today, I'll be off work until January and when I get back, things are going to be extremely busy for a week or so. While off work, I'll be doing holiday things and being a semi-responsible parent, which means less time to write and, of equal importance to this blog, to read. The frequency of posts will go down considerably during that time.
I hope you've enjoyed the new format. It does two things for me. First, it lets me share some of the great articles I read, but it also forces me to write, however short, some kind of introduction.
Have a great holiday break and if you're celebrating this season, I hope it's a wonderful time for you and your family.
And with that said, here's what I found most interesting since my last post:
An Unbelievable Story of Rape
An 18-year-old said she was attacked at knifepoint. Then she said she made it up. That's where our story beings.
Set aside some time to read this story. (It's long.) It's the story of a woman who reported being raped and when people doubted her story, she recanted. But then tried to take back her recanting. It's a powerful story.
The Election and the Death Throes of White Male Power
When you've always experienced privilege, equality can feel like oppression.
How to get the Pete Rose decision 100% wrong
I wasn't quite old enough to know the ins and outs of what Pete Rose. I remember being a 10-year old baseball fan who didn't start following the game until after Rose had retired and was now managing. I remember the Sports Illustrated cover after he was permanently banned and I remember reading the article but not fully understanding it. That we're still discussing his actions and his ban 26 years later is crazy, but this a pretty convincing argument as to why Rose, under the current rules, is not being treated unfairly.
After today, I'll be off work until January and when I get back, things are going to be extremely busy for a week or so. While off work, I'll be doing holiday things and being a semi-responsible parent, which means less time to write and, of equal importance to this blog, to read. The frequency of posts will go down considerably during that time.
I hope you've enjoyed the new format. It does two things for me. First, it lets me share some of the great articles I read, but it also forces me to write, however short, some kind of introduction.
Have a great holiday break and if you're celebrating this season, I hope it's a wonderful time for you and your family.
And with that said, here's what I found most interesting since my last post:
An Unbelievable Story of Rape
An 18-year-old said she was attacked at knifepoint. Then she said she made it up. That's where our story beings.
Set aside some time to read this story. (It's long.) It's the story of a woman who reported being raped and when people doubted her story, she recanted. But then tried to take back her recanting. It's a powerful story.
The Election and the Death Throes of White Male Power
When you've always experienced privilege, equality can feel like oppression.
How to get the Pete Rose decision 100% wrong
I wasn't quite old enough to know the ins and outs of what Pete Rose. I remember being a 10-year old baseball fan who didn't start following the game until after Rose had retired and was now managing. I remember the Sports Illustrated cover after he was permanently banned and I remember reading the article but not fully understanding it. That we're still discussing his actions and his ban 26 years later is crazy, but this a pretty convincing argument as to why Rose, under the current rules, is not being treated unfairly.
Thursday, December 17, 2015
Awakening the Force
Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens tonight. Lots of people are excited as they've been waiting for years for a new episode in the franchise that has defined moving going for generations.
I'm not one of those people, but this isn't about me. It's about the people who have had this date circled on their calendar since the date was announced, or more likely, have had the date plugged in their phone as no one hangs calendars anymore.
For people this excited about the movie, my guess is they're going to like it no matter what. And that's cool. While critics have so far been positive about The Force Awakens, they were also positive about The Phantom Menace when it first came out too. So the movie may be great, it may not be so great, but that's not what's important. What is important, however, is that people who enjoy the movie enjoy it without worrying about if it was a "good" movie or not.
Today's links:
Can Kentucky's New Governor Undo Obamacare?
Short version: Campaigning against something is easy. Actually undoing that thing is hard.
Why is the NFL's most infamous quack still involved in its concussion program?
Or, why you shouldn't believe the NFL when they say they're getting serious about brain injuries.
Concussion, Inc.: The big business of treating brain injuries
More awareness of concussions is a good thing, but untrained or unqualified people treating concussions can do a lot of harm.
I'm not one of those people, but this isn't about me. It's about the people who have had this date circled on their calendar since the date was announced, or more likely, have had the date plugged in their phone as no one hangs calendars anymore.
For people this excited about the movie, my guess is they're going to like it no matter what. And that's cool. While critics have so far been positive about The Force Awakens, they were also positive about The Phantom Menace when it first came out too. So the movie may be great, it may not be so great, but that's not what's important. What is important, however, is that people who enjoy the movie enjoy it without worrying about if it was a "good" movie or not.
Today's links:
Can Kentucky's New Governor Undo Obamacare?
Short version: Campaigning against something is easy. Actually undoing that thing is hard.
Why is the NFL's most infamous quack still involved in its concussion program?
Or, why you shouldn't believe the NFL when they say they're getting serious about brain injuries.
Concussion, Inc.: The big business of treating brain injuries
More awareness of concussions is a good thing, but untrained or unqualified people treating concussions can do a lot of harm.
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