Weekend Reading: Star Wars Filibuster Edition

We start our semester very early at Northeastern, so I’m writing this on the final day of the regular spring semester. In the spirit of the video clip at the bottom of this post, however, I’m going to keep talking (and thus keep the semester going) for a little while yet, before leaping into that other kind of busyness that defines an academic summer. There’s not really a single cohering theme behind these links; the list is a true potpourri.

• Earlier this week, fellow ProfHacker Adeline Koh encouraged readers to join the Global Women Wikipedia Write-In, which is going on today. So drop everything — save this post in a tab for later — and go read about the write-in’s activities in real time. And if you’re reading this post on Friday, it’s not too late to contribute!

  The Global Women Wikipedia Write-In #GWWI will be the first of a series of events sponsored by the Rewriting Wikipedia Project to address inequalities in Wikipedia. It builds on the success of the #TooFEW Feminists Engage Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon in March. We welcome you to join us virtually on Friday, April 26, 2013 from 1-3PM EST for the Global Women Wikipedia Write-In #GWWI.

• Over at The Atlantic, Ben Shneiderman questions the distinction between pure and applied research that underlies much modern thinking about science (and other fields). Thanks to Lisa Rhody for sharing this link.

  Of course some basic research will lead only to novel or refined theories, and some applied research will lead only to innovations or refined technologies. However, the highest payoffs often come when there is a healthy interaction of basic and applied research. This ecological model also suggests that basic and applied research are embedded in a rich context of large development projects and continuing efforts to refine production & operations.

• If you’re a reader interested in the digital humanities, academic conference program creation, or text mining, check out Scott B. Weingart’s textual analysis of the 2013 DH Conference Program.

  A keyword analysis showed that while Visualization wasn’t necessarily at the top of the list, it was the most central concept connecting the rest of the conference together. Nobody knows (and few care) what DH really means; however, these analyses present the factors that bind together those who call themselves digital humanists and submit to its main conference. The post below explores to what extent submissions and acceptances align.

• This isn’t exactly reading, but it’s fun browsing: Buzzfeed’s gallery of creative people’s workspaces. Given how much time we devote to workplace accoutrement here, it seems ProfHacker relevant. Where are you on the Alexander Calder–>E.B. White scale?
• In another fun piece, Andrew Sullivan co-edits Moby-Dick with the help of Shakespeare, Dickens, Nietzsche, Dostoevsky, Poe, and Dickinson. You can play along with the same crew on Google’s Drive demo page.

  Poe then ended the whole mess, pounding out “THE END” at the bottom of my document, abruptly cutting it short.

This week’s video is a paean to geek culture and engaged citizenship; I’m posting it because it made me smile wider than anything else this week. In this extended cut from Parks and Recreation, comedian Patton Oswalt improvises…well…just watch it:

SUPER STAR WARS BONUS: Picture books called Darth Vader and Son and Vader’s Little Princess. Those of you with kids — heck, anyone reading this, kids or no — you’re welcome!