Links for May 9th through May 12th

This entry was published at least two years ago (originally posted on May 12, 2010). Since that time the information may have become outdated or my beliefs may have changed (in general, assume a more open and liberal current viewpoint). A fuller disclaimer is available.

Sometime between May 9th and May 12th, I thought this stuff was interesting. You might think so too!

  • The 7 Most Soul-Crushing Series Finales in TV History: "There are two ways to wrap up a canceled or ending TV show. There's the oft employed looking back at an empty room and closing the door option. Then there's the 'WTF! Let's stab their eyeballs with crazy!' approach.<br />
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    Guess which ones these guys chose?"
  • The Blackboard Versus the Keyboard: "It turns out that one child's educational tool is another child's distraction–particularly when bored. There are Facebook and Twitter for the social-media enthusiasts, there's ESPN for sports fans, there's a Web site for any store you can think of for savvy shoppers, along with countless other avenues: eBay, YouTube, blogs of every flavor. No Internet? No problem. Solitaire, FreeCell, and Minesweeper are calling your name. Those distractions have led to a mini-war on laptops in the classroom."
  • 50th Anniversary of the Pill: Love, Sex, Freedom and Paradox: "There's no such thing as the Car or the Shoe or the Laundry Soap. But everyone knows the Pill, whose FDA approval 50 years ago rearranged the furniture of human relations in ways that we've argued about ever since."
  • Why Roger Ebert Hates 3-D (And You Should Too): "3-D is a waste of a perfectly good dimension. Hollywood's current crazy stampede toward it is suicidal. It adds nothing essential to the moviegoing experience. For some, it is an annoying distraction. For others, it creates nausea and headaches. It is driven largely to sell expensive projection equipment and add a $5 to $7.50 surcharge on already expensive movie tickets. Its image is noticeably darker than standard 2-D. It is unsuitable for grown-up films of any seriousness. It limits the freedom of directors to make films as they choose. For moviegoers in the PG-13 and R ranges, it only rarely provides an experience worth paying a premium for."
  • The Evolution of Privacy on Facebook: "Facebook is a great service. I have a profile, and so does nearly everyone I know under the age of 60. However, Facebook hasn't always managed its users' data well. In the beginning, it restricted the visibility of a user's personal information to just their friends and their 'network' (college or school). Over the past couple of years, the default privacy settings for a Facebook user's personal information have become more and more permissive."