When I went off to college to be an English major, my father (who passed last December at 90) told me a story about how his respected professor at Northwestern University spent a whole lecture on the seven levels of symbolism in Melville’s Moby-Dick. Being of an analytical mind and precise mind, my father copied…
Two years after the release of ChatGPT, it may not be surprising that creative work is used without permission to power AI products. Yet the notion remains disturbing to many artists and professionals who feel that their craft and livelihoods are threatened by programs. Transparency is generally low: Tech companies tend not to advertise whose…
My older siblings say they remember our mother sitting them down to watch a new TV show called Sesame Street. A running gag was that Big Bird’s friend, the huge, gentle wooly-mammoth-like Snuffleupagus somehow always disappeared before anyone else on Sesame Street could see him, leading the adults on the show to believe “Snuffy” was…
I played hooky to go see Wild Robot this afternoon, so I went back to the office to mark more papers. Plenty more to go, but I put a good dent in things. The story and characters of Wild Robot were not as engaging as those of Wall-E, and the problem of “how do predators…
I first started teaching with this handout in 1999 and posted it on my blog in 2000. Like the Ship of Theseus, I’ve made gradual changes so it’s not really the same document, but just now I spotted hilariously out of date references to bringing along transparencies with you as a backup. Similar:Brain activity of…
Back in 2003, shortly after I moved with my wife and two young children to take my current job, I was eager to make new friends and rebuild my social network. One evening, my wife agreed to watch the kids so I could drop by the local branch of a national service organization in which…
In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. @thepublicpgh Similar:Why Study Humanities? What I Tell Engineering FreshmenScience writer Jon Horgan writes: We li…AcademiaRemembering the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster (1986)Space Shuttle Challenger Destroyed (my …CultureMy Anti-Linkbait Pledge: Cynical Overhyping vs. Simply Being OnlineWhen I find something interesting that a…CultureI'm in the timeline where the…
Journalism is not a crime. It’s not a crime if it offends the powerful. It’s not a crime if it doesn’t offend them enough to suit you. Yes, journalists make mistakes. Yes, you should take a break from doomscrolling for your mental health. But the First Amendment freedom of the press is crucial to democracy.…
As part of an ongoing bid to get his hands on Vantablack, the super dark, light-absorbing material to which Anish Kapoor controversially has the exclusive license, artist Stuart Semple has legally changed his name to… Anish Kapoor. “It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a long time,” Semple told me. “I like the idea of being able to try a name…
Predatory publications are not concerned with writing quality (or even coherence), and thus also do not care about writing tools (although we could, perhaps, include generative AI as a tool that replaces those used by human authors). The rules change pretty radically as the predatory version does away with nearly all of the rules in…
Our family has seen David Whalen in the persona of Sherlock in five or six different shows. So happy Carolyn will be on stage with him this time. Similar:Professor teaches class of 300 students from his phone while trapped in elevator with 2 sm…https://twitter.com/jayvanbavel/status/1…AcademiaCanadian teen's short film captures Spring 2020Not graphic, but emotionally powerful. …CulturePie,…
“While my dad has always spoken lovingly and fondly of his old Camaro he sold for my ‘diaper money’ he was never sour about it,” Jared confesses. “There wasn’t negativity about it. He wasn’t sad. He wasn’t angry. He talks about the selling of the car like it was a duty.” This diaper money Camaro…
“While my dad has always spoken lovingly and fondly of his old Camaro he sold for my ‘diaper money’ he was never sour about it,” Jared confesses. “There wasn’t negativity about it. He wasn’t sad. He wasn’t angry. He talks about the selling of the car like it was a duty.” This diaper money Camaro…
I may have mentioned that I have a daughter who does things. @frontporchtheatricals Similar:I saw this Friday night. Great fight choreography, lighting & staging, adaptation of t…PersonalSupport the arts in your community! @geyer_pac Hello Dolly!AmusingI apologize for this one. R2-D2 stars in Andrew Lloyd Weber's musical CATS.PersonalThis the last hour I will have a teenager…
My mother-in-law invited me to try out the 60- year-old tape machine that belonged to my father-in-law. When I worked in radio news in the late 1980s, we were still loading reels and splicing tape, so it all came back to me pretty quickly. Similar:14 questions for new journalists to consider when filing a…
About 30 years after I first saw John Speed’s 1676 map of York, today I was working on a region labeled “Z.” Or is that a “2“? There’s both an X and a 3 nearby… confusing context! A glance at the legend shows how brilliantly Speed handled the ambiguity. #usability #ux #ui #design #medieval #cartography…
Talkback session after the matinee and my brother and faculty colleagues after the evening performance. Audiences were gasping, laughing nervously, exclaiming sotto voce about “fingerprints!” and “the key!“ and “Was that *supposed* to happen?” and “This is *good*!” @thepublicpgh #dialm #understudy (We knew well in advance Carolyn would be performing yesterday.) My daughter informed me…
She’s on her way to the @thepublicpgh for two shows today as Margot in Dial M for Murder. Similar:Boston Bombing Survivor Dances Onstage for First TimeTechnology and artistry combine in this …CultureSeeing Floyd Collins, a musical about caving and journalism. Front Porch Theatricals.PersonalEx-Pope Benedict says the Selfish Gene is science fiction. He's half rightThe Selfish…
Support the arts in your community! #augustwilson #radiogolf Similar:Pen Pals (ST:TNG Rewatch, Season 2, Episode 15) Data Hears a WhoRewatching Star Trek: The Next Generatio…EmpathyMask-wearing cuts Covid incidence by 53%, says global study Globally, Covid cases exceeded 250 mil…CultureWhat About “The Breakfast Club”?I made three movies with John Hughes; wh…CultureMultitasking while studying: Divided attention and…
Support the arts in your community! I’m here for the daughter and the rest of the cast. @jerz.carolyn @frontporchtheatricals Similar:My students were awesome. So many thoughtful final projects. So much growth. A stressful, …PersonalClassroom collaboration marketplaceWhile I am uncomfortable with the whole …BusinessStage Right offers four versions of its musical 'Annie' | TribLIVELeapin‘ Lizards! There…