The pause that refreshes

Luckily, you can buy a Coke at the Pyramids. That's Sphinx on the right. I thought it was much bigger. 

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Heading to Cairo

I'm flying to Cairo today for an nine-day trip. I'll be presenting a paper at the Arab-U.S. Association for Communication Educators conference. My paper is entitled: "Wikipedia, the Armenian Genocide, and the Search for Truth." So, you know, ask me about that one sometime.

My wife and I plan to visit a lot of sites and take a day-trip to Alexandria. Plan to post lots of photos.

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Using Anonymous Sources Harms Credibility of News Industry

New research shows unnamed sourcing lowers credibility for readers:

"Readers sometimes believe sources have a vested interest in being anonymous, and they may also interpret the use of un-named sources as reporter incompetence, according to the study. Either way, the result is lower credibility.

The researchers, Miglena Sternadori and Esther Thorson, examined how readers reacted to investigative news stories using anonymous sources, as well as how the designation of a story as an “award winner” affected believability.

Stories in which the source had a vested interest and stories in which the author did not explain the use of anonymous sources ranked lowest in terms of credibility. Stories in the “award winners” category had more credibility with readers.

Interesting because some earlier research wasn't as conclusive.

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Naked pumpkin running

The city of Boulder is taking on the tradition of running naked while wearing nothing but a pumpkin upon the head, a.k.a. the "Naked Pumpkin Run":

The event is exactly what its name implies. Scores of men and women pour into downtown streets for a late-night jog, wearing not a stitch between the jack-o'-lanterns on their heads and the sneakers on their feet.

For nearly a decade, naked pumpkin runners did their thing unmolested, stampeding through the frigid dark past crowds of admirers who hooted, hollered and tossed candy. But last year the run attracted more than 150 participants, and Police Chief Mark Beckner fears things are getting out of hand. "It's a free-for-all," he says.

So, the police are cracking down. The move offers interesting questions about time, place and manner restrictions of freedom of expression.

It's not illegal to be naked in downtown Boulder. In fact, the city has had a long, proud history of nudity.Hundreds of University of Colorado students dashed across campus in the buff in 1974, in a vain attempt to set a Guinness World Record.

More recently, Boulder has played host to an annual Naked Bike Ride to protest dependence on fossil fuels. And the Boulder Daily Camera, the local newspaper, serves up a steady stream of stories about clothes-free joggers and nudist gardeners.

Casting about for a law to apply, since nudity per se is not illegal, police hit upon the state's indecent exposure statute, which makes it a Class 1 misdemeanor for anyone to knowingly expose his or her genitals in circumstances "likely to cause affront or alarm."

Given that the Naked Pumpkin Run starts at 11 p.m., long after young trick-or-treaters have retired, and given that the route is packed with fans who come out specifically to see the event, runners argue that it's absurd to think their prank is causing either affront or alarm.

Even if the run does catch a few people by surprise, "the joy it brings overall far outweighs the one or two people who could be offended," says Callie Webster, who is 22 and a veteran pumpkinhead.

Police acknowledge they have not been flooded with pumpkin-run-related complaints, but say that's beside the point. A throng of naked people with jack-o-lanterns on their heads is, by definition, an alarming sight, Chief Beckner says. Therefore, it's illegal.

According to this report, the Naked Pumpkin Run was officially squashed.

A shame? Or not?

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Los Dias de los Muertos

Just a reminder to celebrate Los Dias de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead:

The Day of the Dead (El Día de los Muertos or All Souls' Day) is a holiday celebrated in Mexico and by Latin Americans living in the United States and Canada. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. The celebration occurs on November 1st and 2nd in connection with the Catholic holiday of All Saints' Day which occurs on November 1st and All Souls' Day which occurs on November 2nd. Traditions include building private altars honoring the deceased, using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with these as gifts.

Now, that's a great holiday.

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The strange geopolitics of Risk

A laugh-out-loud sentence from an article in The Atlantic about the possibility of finding oil in Greenland.

With such massive potential oil reserves, Greenland is poised to achieve a geopolitical importance it hasn’t had since the invention of Risk.

Only funny if you've played the game Risk, of course.

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The Photographic Periodic Table of the Elements

Finally, a Photographic Periodic Table of the Elements. Thank you, Internet.

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Good Memphis barbecue.

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The Mighty Mississippi

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The night is young, my friend

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Looks like a sell-out.

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Gibson Guitar tour

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In Memphis for East Carolina football, barbecue ribs, and gambling. Not necessarily in that order.

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