The Dress

Yesterday, my Facebook feed was filled with the same ugly dress– the kind you’re forced to wear as a bridesmaid. But it wasn’t the same dress. Some argued that it was blue and black. Others claimed it was white and gold.  While scrolling I thought it was obvious: It’s white and gold. Why is there … Continue reading →

Which Gender is the Dominant Gender?

This morning, I was listening to the Bert Show debate, which refers to this Psychology Today/Wired for Success article.  Our male identity crisis: What will happen to men? suggests that there is some correlation between women’s rising success–whether earning degrees or buying houses–directly correlates to the decline of men.  Do you agree? Disagree? Think there’s a … Continue reading →

“The Fat News Lady”

In class, we talked about “The Fat News Lady” (see video). What do you think about her speech? Did she use an appropriate venue for her speech? Do you agree with her that this is bullying, or that the mean things people say to us alters our self-concepts (self-concept is only in the SPCH1010 text)?

Girls Around Me . . . Stalker App?

A new app has been called creepy, freaky and has made people re-think Internet and Facebook privacy.  It’s probably the scariest thing to me since Take This Lollipop. (See my blog about the Lollipop app  here). ‘Girls Around Me’ Shows a Dark Side of Social Networks describes the app as: The app collected data from … Continue reading →

That’s So Gay, but Don’t Say Gay

A first, when a friend from my hometown posted a letter she’d written to a TN senator about the “Don’t Say Gay” bill on her blog, I thought it was going in a whole other direction. I figured it would be about the PSA campaign to not say something was “gay” as a synonym for … Continue reading →

Word with (Twitter) Friends

Apparently, an addiction to the digital Scrabble-like game, Words With Friends, got Alec Baldwin booted off a flight. CNN reported that a flight attendant may have asked him to turn off/put away his phone, but he didn’t. Baldwin claimed they were at the gate, and weren’t moving, but a former MTV exec on the flight … Continue reading →

Mug Shots & Privacy

NPR reported that there’s an arising trend in The South — weekly newspapers, in tabloid-style (think seeing the papers about Virgin Mary in grilled cheese and UFOs in the grocery line) that depict the area’s weekly mug shots. The cost? Around $1. However, some people are arguing that the papers are an invasion of privacy. … Continue reading →

The Mobile Generation

How do you stack up in comparison to the stats? Any opinions on the state of cellphone use? (Also consider taking the “quiz” How Millennial Are You? by the Pew Research Center.) You can find these graphics, from the article, “Infographic: Generation Mobile” on HackCollege. Created by: HackCollege

When Facebook Gets You Killed (by a psycho)

You might think that an adult wouldn’t fall for a statement like, “Take this lollipop.” Especially from a stranger . . . right? Well, according to a new app at Take This Lollipop  (listen to the background song), Facebook is the new vehicle for guys that used to drive white, windowless vans. Imagining allowing an application … Continue reading →

Custom Textbooks for $15?

A recent article in The Chronicle of Higher Education  featured University of Tennessee at Knoxville professor, Daniel Flint, because compiled “100 pages of material in one customized package for his students”. According to the article, there’s a website that goes beyond what applications like Apple’s Pages does (one thing it can do is make/format ebooks). … Continue reading →

The Big Thank You

“In 2007, Bert Show listeners successfully wrote 375,000 letters to troops all over the world!  This year, we need your help to express a BIG THANK YOU to 400,000+ U.S. soldiers.” That, and doing this will score you extra credit in my class! According to the Bert Show website, “Now is your chance to say … Continue reading →

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. Remember Steve Jobs.

Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary. – Steve Jobs   NPR had a great commentary on the late Steve Jobs today. What’s … Continue reading →

Speech and the Art of Outline

When many people hear the word “outline”, they they of brief bullets — like a list. This is not what it is in a speech class. Instead, try for something like this break-down of speech outlining I made. Otherwise look at my student examples on MRSA, Nostradamus and Locks of Love.

Free or Censored?

Check out the article in The Washington Post about  “the trial of 10 Muslim students charged with disrupting a speech by an Israeli diplomat at the University of California, Irvine. The panel must decide whether the students broke the law or were exercising a right to demonstrate”. The basic argument is whether they are protected … Continue reading →

SPCH1010 and X-Men

Below were homework prompts from a previous semester, but not a lot of people knew enough about X-Men to comment. I thought it was cool, but it failed to get great responses or make the students very excited. Feel free to give feedback on why these didn’t work, or comment on which ones you liked, … Continue reading →

Tweeted Out of Office?

Students at the College of Charleston tried to impeach Ross Kressel due to some things he posted on his Twitter account (@rosskresselabout) about black students, the breasts of a woman woman on campus, and what I assume he a meant “flaming” guy, not a “flamming” one. Students argue that his tweets were discriminatory, a bad … Continue reading →

When Will My Life Not Suck?

Speaking of the word suck, what about a poet naming his book, When Will My Life Not Suck?  Consider seeing this for extra credit on Thursday, Sept. 22 from 7 to 8p.m. over in the Vanderbilt campus area. It’s free and open to the public! Join fellow poetry enthusiasts for a monthly reading by a … Continue reading →