A new blog you’ll like: 123cantwait.

My old friend—and regular contributor* here—Jon-Phillip Sheridan has started blogging about art, photography, science, and politics on a new blog of his own, 123cantwait. It’s like what I blog about, only with way better photography. * It seems condescending to use the word “commenter” to describe many of those who contribute such thoughtful, lengthy, interesting …

Columbus discovered Facebook.

All About Explorers helpfully informs its student readers that Balboa dreamed of being an Olympic fencing champion, De Soto dreamed of being an automobile manufacturer, and de Gama’s career was cut short by the development of air and rail freight transit. Blatant lies? Yes. But for a good reason: to teach kids to think critically …

A history of Three Chopt Road.

I’ve driven the length of Route 250 in Virginia, and often noted its frequent intersections with the meandering Three Chopt Road. Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall and Main Street used to be that road. As a kid I learned—who knows where?—that it used to be an American Indian footpath, built up over the years. So I was …

Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press joins in the subpoena fray.

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press has picked up the story of my subpoena, characterizing it as “sweepingly broad.” I have to admit that I’d never heard of the group before, but they’re quite an impressive group. Walter Cronkite, Dan Rather, Tim Russert, and Judy Woodruff all sit on the board. They run …

“A Touch of Wonder,” indeed.

Remember The Cosby Show episode with Stevie Wonder, “A Touch of Wonder”? Here’s the best scene from that episode, where the Cosbys are in the studio with him, and he’s sampling their voices to incorporate into a song. What a mind-blowing moment that was, though sort of a slow burn, my first exposure to the …

Motion to Quash in Garrett v. Better Publications.

Today I submitted a Motion to Quash the subpoena issued to me in Thomas L. Garrett, Jr. v. Better Publications, LLC. It took a couple of weeks of legal research to learn how to quash a subpoena, to study the subpoena to look for legal flaws, and then to manage to write this three-page document. …

Attorneys general have concluded online predators aren’t a problem.

Forty nine attorneys general formed a task force to study the problem of kids being solicited for sex online. Their conclusion? It’s not actually a problem. They found that kids are very rarely solicited by adults online, and the kids who are solicited are willing participants, teenagers who seek this out, who come from bad …