These Fake Local News Sites Have Confused People For Years. (Buzzfeed) Found Out Who Created Them.

People who caught the sites plagiarizing began speculating about the motivations of whoever was running them. One person noticed that their Google Alerts for Julian Assange were flooded with results from the sites, leading them to warn that “cyber marketing tools are being used in the propaganda war against #WikiLeaks.” One researcher labeled the network of sites…

My students seem increasingly confused by the difference between journal title vs. article title

Sometimes students will submit bibliography entries that repeat a title — either the journal or the article.  I assume they are using an online citation generator and I assume they’re not bothering to check its output. What I had previously thought of as a random careless error now seems evidence of a paradigm shift. I’ve…

Pen Pals (ST:TNG Rewatch, Season 2, Episode 15) Data Hears a Who

Rewatching Star Trek: The Next Generation A new-to-me “Data Hears a Who” character story, featuring a multi-layered philosophical jam session in Picard’s quarters, a substantial B-plot for Wesley, and some tacked-on science-fictiony frippery for the groundlings. I started watching the show late at night, and lost interest when Wesley was steeling himself in the hallway…

MoonBot (from the family #steampunk bedtime RPG 2007-2013) vs. a crate and lamps.

MoonBot (from the family steampunk bedtime RPG 2007-2013) vs. a crate and lamps.

Similar:Another 10 sq cm of #steampunk #neovictorian control panel. Not the end product. Just prac…AestheticsThe Princess and the PaintFriday night, my daughter will be playin…AestheticsWhen backwards newbie poets writeWhen backwards newbie poets write Up rh…Aesthetics‘I saw the possibility of what could be done – so I did it’: revolutionary video game The ….. Realising that…

On the Hatred of Literature

Going back to Plato—perhaps the first hater of literature on record—philosophers and religious authorities have attacked art for the same reasons our professors taught us to deconstruct and distrust it: because it is unpredictable, unreasonable and often inconsistent with their preferred politics or morality. It was also a lesson that was destined, in the years…

Dennis G. Jerz | Associate Professor of English -- New Media Journalism, Seton Hill University | jerz.setonhill.edu Logo

In January 2000, I was blogging about dancing paperclips, the transience of literary judgement, “bafflegab,” and a planned B&N/Microsoft online bookstore

In January 2000, I was blogging about Dancing paperclips and telemarketers A “100 best novels” list published in 1899 Updike’s prequel to Hamlet The “bafflegab” jargon generator “Bookseller Barnes & Noble is teaming with Microsoft to build a new online e-book store.” (but the link is dead) Similar:I let her tend the rabbits.Great production of…

I do not know why this antique service button from my campus cafeteria delights me so.

Similar:Another 10 sq cm of #steampunk control panel. #blender3d #aesthetics #designOne of many steampunk control panels I’v…AestheticsRehearsing 'Fiddler on the Roof' is like trying to herd cats onto a grid and make them wal…I’m really enjoying the experience. I’ve…CultureQuantum's King Lear at Carrie Blast FurnaceThe girl and I were thrilled to catch Qu…CultureExcessive Copyright Strikes…

Over time, Google has made paid ads harder to spot

  In 2007, Google changed the long-standing shaded background indicating the ads section of the page from blue to yellow. In 2008, it then briefly tried a green background before reverting back to yellow. Google continued to test variations of background colors including bright blue and a light violet. In 2010, violet officially replaced the…

Tuxedo Pooh Reads Oscar Wilde

I spent an hour on this. Below is the original version, as generated by imageflip.com, before my edits. Similar:The “Other Side” Is Not Dumb.The song “No One Is Alone,” from the mus…CultureThis is about half of the #steampunk control panel details I've created in the past m…Aesthetics1,000-pound rosary sends heavy message: PrayThe rosary that retired…

Dennis G. Jerz | Associate Professor of English -- New Media Journalism, Seton Hill University | jerz.setonhill.edu Logo

During a modest snowfall, I’m passing the time in a public place where someone else has turned on the local TV news. #StormSurge #FearCast #manipulation

Stay tuned for more live footage of StormSurge FearCast Weather Crusaders, standing in the cold, snow blowing in their faces! Media personalities, warning everyone to stay inside, except of course for the media personalities paying back student loans by churning out anxiety-producing live reports like this one! Our own Slick Goodhair, telling you just how…

Me loving my birthday truck, c. 1971.

  I adored this truck, and spelling words with the letters. When I got older, it was the shuttlecraft for my Star Trek figures. Similar:My 10yo Launches a Soda Bottle Rocket http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbNu8…AestheticsGoogle, AI Announcements, and the Future of LearningGlenda Morgan does not sound that impres…AcademiaAmazing High School Yearbook Politics SpreadI’m gobsmacked by the creativity that…

Tapdance / jazz music outing with the girl.

Tapdance / jazz music outing with the girl. Here’s a sample of what a Sarah Riech show is like. (Each one is different — lots of improv.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEiQQmMi2nQ Similar:Thornton Wilder’s Optimistic Catastrophe: “The Skin of Our Teeth”From a review of a 2017 production in Br…CultureHere's to the grim-based photojournalist who saved my bacon ~35 years…

Physics simulation demo: crate made up of mostly loose boards. #Blender3d #design #practice

Physics simulation demo: crate made up of mostly loose boards. #Blender3d #design #practice Similar:Making a case for a singular ‘they’  I am definitely on team revise…Current_EventsI get a little workplace gift as the academic year closes.I get a little workplace gift as the aca…PersonalMerchant of Venice Part 2 live, now! #PPTPlaytimeDramaKickball Ice Cream Maker Is…

A brief respite from grading.

A brief respite from grading. Similar:The Battle (TNG Rewatch, Season 1, Episode 8) A Ferengi plots tricks with Picard's former …A Ferengi set on revenge tricks Picard i…HistoryThat one ungraded assignment is an early submission due Jan 2. I’m all set for a relaxing …AcademiaIf you want to work with words, then journalism courses are…

As Twinkle Twinkle is to Suzuki musicians, so is a wooden shipping crate to CGI modelers. #Blender3D #design #practice

I have certainly made more complex scenes, but this time, I modeled each board, getting the grain of the wood at least plausibly right on each face, and placing each nail realistically. Following the workflow for creating game assets, I converted the completely realistic 3D simulation with 3D boards and nails into flat images. The…