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What Does the Demise of Cursive Mean?

Are you aware that our children aren’t being taught to trim their own goose-quill pens? And don’t get me started on the growing number of urban children who lack adequate access to parchment. Here’s a welcome, balanced response to the decreased role that penmanship plays in today’s schools — and in today’s society.

My clients [...]

Aesthetics | Culture | Design | Modding | Philosophy | Rhetoric | Technology

A 27-Story Vertical Forest Grows in Milan

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Bosco Verticale was conceived in response to the alarming levels of air pollution in Milan. The structure itself is no more radical than your average high-rise tower block, but when fortified with over 700 balcony-perched trees, not only will the buildings look like two enormous topiaries in the middle of the city, but they will [...]

Cyberculture | Modding | Philosophy | Rhetoric | Science | SciFi | Technology

On Stephen Hawking, Vader and Being More Machine Than Human

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In one version of Hawking’s eulogistic story, we praise the smartest person in the world, the brilliant physicist, one of the greatest cosmologists of our time. He fits perfectly well with our conception of how science and its heroes work: To be a genius all one needs is a powerful – a “beautiful” – mind. [...]

Aesthetics | Design | Ethics | Games | Media | Philosophy | Writing

Mother 3: My Mom, and Me

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Thoughtful, powerful, personal analysis of a computer game. Blogging this as an example of “new games journalism,” so I can have it handy the next time I teach Video Game Culture and Theory.

When someone you love dies, your view of the world takes on an air of mysticism. You find meaning in places you [...]

Culture | Current_Events | Philosophy | Rhetoric

Neil Gaiman’s Journal

This is great advice for everybody.

I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes.

Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re Doing Something.

So [...]

Amusing | Culture | Ethics | Philosophy | Rhetoric | SciFi | Sociology

After Hours – Why The Star Trek Universe is Secretly Horrifying

After Hours – Why The Star Trek Universe is Secretly Horrifying

Academia | Aesthetics | Culture | Cyberculture | Design | Education | Humanities | Literacy | Literature | Media | Modding | Nature | Philosophy | Psychology | Religion | Rhetoric | Social_Software | Technology

A Message from Hester Prynne (Student Video)

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Have I mentioned lately that I have awesome students?

For a “Creative Critical Presentation” in my online American Literature survey, English major Tyler Carter created A Message from Hester Prynne, a 9-minute video that explores Hester’s psychology and spirituality, through music, dance, poetry, and cinematography.

All the technology Seton Hill offers to its students [...]

Culture | Education | Philosophy | Psychology | Sociology

Opting Out of the ‘Rug Rat Race’

When you talk today to teachers and administrators at high-achieving high schools, this is their greatest concern: that their students are so overly protected from adversity, in their homes and at school, that they never develop the crucial ability to overcome real setbacks and in the process to develop strength of character.

American children, especially [...]

Amusing | Culture | History | Literature | Philosophy | Writing

On the Vanity of Earthly Greatness (Arthur Guiterman, 1871-1943)

The tusks that clashed in mighty brawls Of mastodons, are billiard balls.

The sword of Charlemagne the Just Is ferric oxide, known as rust.

The grizzly bear whose potent hug Was feared by all, is now a rug.

Great Caesar’s bust is on my shelf, And I don’t feel so well myself.

Academia | Culture | Current_Events | Cyberculture | Education | Ethics | Literacy | Philosophy | Rhetoric | Social_Software | Sociology | Writing

Dozens of Plagiarism Incidents Are Reported in Coursera’s Free Online Courses

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“If we really are trying to teach the world, including people from other cultures, we have to take a responsibility to educate people about plagiarism, not just vaporize people for it,” said Mr. Severance, who is also a clinical associate professor of information at Michigan, in an interview on Wednesday. –The Chronicle of Higher Education.

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