Academic Coach Taylor is frustrated with you
Thoughts from my Yogi brand morning tea bag
“It’s not life that matters, it’s the courage we bring to it.”
-Yogi brand Green Tea Kombucha
FINALLY.
Hosanna to all the people, YoCake combines cupcakes and frozen yogurt, finally producing the hybrid object of the cutesy poo fetish foods that have defined the past three years. Let’s serve it from a food truck and call it a day.
Tim Carman / The Washington Post
Whoa. The MLA has officially devised a standard format to cite tweets in an academic paper. Sign of the times.
The love letters of Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning; collections from Baylor & Wellesley here.
“The nation’s prisons now contain more inhabitants than any American city save New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. And yet there is no “prison correspondent” at any of the nation’s major newspapers. This isn’t entirely the papers’ fault. Even if reporters were sent to the prisons, they could be denied entry: the Supreme Court has ruled that the First Amendment does not prevent prison authorities from barring the press.”
— “Raise the Crime Rate.” n+1 on crime and prisons.
Pinterest
This morning on NPR, the All Tech Considered blog shed light on the visually-driven social site Pinterest. Since July, it’s grown to nearly 11 million users. And a high percentage of this number are women.
How high? NPR reports between 58 to 97 percent. Gizmodo called it “Tumblr for Ladiez” (note: as a ladie, I use both) and the Washington Post said it was “digital crack for women.” As someone who recently started using it to plan for my wedding, I can attest that it is highly addictive. It’s also straightforward and easy to use. I basically figured out my entire flower concept in less than 30 minutes. But why are so many women drawn to this? Digital strategist Soraya Darabi points to its design and interface:
“It has a very feminine script and interface, and the scheme is pink.” Social media platforms are generally built for all, she says, but “how they’re built — what the user interface looks like, and what the community feels like,” plays a tremendous role on how — and who — ultimately uses them.
Though feminine, there are men on the site, too, however paltry their presence may be. NPR pointed to the “Board of Man” that seeks to “add a few extra y chromosomes to Pinterest.” And of the Daily Dot’s 9 celebrities to follow, three are men. One is a fashion designer and another is Ryan Seacrest, but still. Mark Zuckerbeg uses the site, too, with boards like “Overwhelmingly Spectacular” and “For My Mouth.”
The site provides a variety of tools, whether it’s tracking Zuckerberg’s inspiration boards, Paula Deen’s gross-looking food, or, um, my potential bouquet.
Some of its uses are somewhat less genuine; according to the Daily Dot, someone created a fake Michelle Obama account, where she has boards like “Places I visited & you can’t afford.” The captions brag about far flung travels; for example, underneath a photo in Panama reads “Panama Beach August 2010. Not the best vacation, but we had to squeeze in a trip to the Gulf due to the pesky BP oil spill.” The DD alleges that the woman behind it is blogger Adrienne Royer, who goes by the name “Cosmpolitan Conservative” and uses her site to discuss abortion, Michele Bachmann, etiquette books, and much more. Now, she’s turned to Pinterest take a dig at FLOTUS, mocking her campaign for health & nutrition and her pricy designer clothes. Don’t you think these shoes are a little flashy for the State of the Union address, though?
In any case, congrats, Pinterest, you’ve made it! You know you’re a success when parody is involved.
Yellow sun; blue sky. Flowers and clouds from a lovely wedding detail. (image via Once Wed)
