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:More #steampunk #neovictorian goodness. Bring the wood polish. #design #aesthetics #blende… AestheticsMy son (black) has captured better pieces, but my brother (white) has a better position. C… PersonalPlay-Doh was Originally Wallpaper CleanerThe…

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:Journalism isn’t dying. But it’s changing WAY faster than most people understand.Think of journalism as falling into thre…BusinessRandom gauge design, for background details in a fantasy #steampunk project. #blender3d #b… AestheticsQuoth the ramen, "Eat some more!"PersonalOut & About: Stage Right holds its…

A brief respite from grading.

A brief respite from grading. Similar:Just submitted final grades for the compressed course that began the day after fall grades…PersonalCome see Carolyn as “The Girl” in The Fantasticks, Oct 18-27.  CultureThe Cabaret Theatre (Latrobe) presents Shakespeare's popular Midsummer Supernatural pranksters! mismatched …CultureYou cannot serve both…PersonalThe coronavirus is today just as contagious and just as serious…

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…

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…

Snowfall at the White House (Official White House Photo by Tia Dufour, Jan 7) Tweeted by WH on Jan 12

My social media feed was full of people mocking the White House yesterday for publishing a photo titled “First snow of the year!” on a day when Washington had clear skies and freakishly warm weather. What was the Trump administration trying to pull? Why would they publish such a blatant lie? It wasn’t a lie.…

Facebook paid Teen Vogue to run a fake article praising Facebook for “helping ensure the integrity of the 2020 election”

After FB crowed about this super-upbeat story, a notice appeared saying it was a paid editorial, and then the story disappeared. This looks very bad for Teen Vogue, and very bad for democracy. Read story on Boingboing. Similar:Free Game Friday: Text-Based Games 2012 Interactive Fiction contest we’ll…AmusingIs this the little girl I carried? Is this…

Feeling classy while I lose.

Feeling classy while I lose. Similar:A snifter of brandy helps a supporting character deliver exposition & set up for a nic…PersonalUnmarked assignments in my queue: 0This app, which sports a little red noti…AcademiaWhat would holidays be without Dickens' beloved 'Christmas Carol?'It takes some visits from three scary sp…DramaHaving a rough day. But in a span…

Freedom of the press is not just important to democracy, it is democracy.

Freedom of the press is not just important to democracy, it is democracy. Some basic concepts: What is Newsworthy? Recent events that are unusual, nearby, have widespread/significant impact, or involve celebrities are more newsworthy than events that are stale, distant, have limited/trivial impact, or happen to average people. (9 min audio.) Objectivity: Traditional journalism reports fairly…

Picking up books for another term

Similar:Post Gazette Corrects Headline of Seton Hill iPad FollowupEveryone makes mistakes. As a student jo…AcademiaDance of "the awkward nerd trying to act really cool" Carolyn (doing a really cool dance m…AestheticsBully: She told her son, ‘hit him hard’ –and she learned a lessonThis is a great story about a parent who…Culture"Only You" — 11yo Carolyn…

Volunteering at our local food bank

Similar:The daughter is working hard as a dancer and Flaemchen understudy. @frontporchtheatricalsCultureConnecting with the BoyToday my son asked me to take him shoppi…CultureThe Missing Will, by Agatha Christie (WAOB Audio Theatre)I had a great time playing Hastings in t…CultureA 20 sq cm section of #steampunk #blender3d goodness. #blender3dartAestheticsThe lesson of Rolling Stone and UVA: protecting…

Emily Dickinson Fun Page #literature #amusing #dashes

Emily Dickinson Fun Page #literature #amusing #dashes Similar:Presenting at #NEMLA session 8.1 Friday. “Hacking English: Examining a multimedia sandbox …AcademiaFox lawyers Convince Judge that Fox's Tucker Carlson is "not stating actual facts" and "an…To defend Fox personality Tucker Carlson…CultureI had a singular time voicing Sherlock Holmes in The Mystery of Dr. Watson (WAOB Audio The……

Hitting the weekend with just 6 ungraded papers. #partylikeaprof

Hitting the weekend with just 6 ungraded papers. #partylikeaprof Similar:More #Blender3D practice. Additional details for a steampunk control panel. Just because.AestheticsNot attempting historical accuracy but still had to learn a heck of a lot to model the ste…DesignEnjoying a visit to the Carnegie Science Center with my son. Mars exhibit is immersive an…PersonalToo Short a…

#Blender3D rendition of the bridge of the æthership that featured in the musical #steampunk bedtime role-playing campaign I ran for my kids 2007-2012.

Similar:The automatic doors on my fantasy steampunk cruiser do work… kinda TThe automatic doors on my fantasy stea…PersonalRecording Christmas Stories for WAOB Audio TheatreFor WAOB Audio Theater, my family spent …PersonalTwo classes will turn in final revisions at midnight Sunday, and final multimedia project…Still plenty of work to do before I fini…AcademiaBehind the bar in…

Siblings gotta sib.

Similar:So peaceful and majestic. Another outing with my son.PersonalI made some progress.PersonalFDR in AnnieI’ve accepted the role of FDR in the upc…CultureThe Scarlet Letter (Prime Stage)PersonalSpent the morning in a socially distanced recording studio.PersonalLeftovers from the food my colleagues brought in to bribe/reward those few students who sh… Leftovers from the food my colleagues b…Academia

Parent: “Why don’t you use one of your stress balls?” The girl: “They don’t like me.”

Similar:Enjoying a visit with an Austrian imperial commander (ahistorically but magnificently pres…Enjoying a visit with an Austrian imperi…PersonalThe storage shelves of my fantasy steampunk CGI starship will need props with appropriate …  AestheticsEmpty InboxMy to-do do list and my “Follow Up” fold…CybercultureNo, these "Perspective matters" photographers aren't misrepresenting the size of a fire in…I have…

Facebook exec erroneously cites The Lord of the Rings when comparing the social network to the One Ring

A Facebook executive, Andrew “Boz” Bosworth, recently defended Facebook’s policies about political advertising, which critics say rewards politicians who spend a lot of money pushing lies to the slogan-chanting, meme-sharing masses (including the ones in red hats and the ones with the blue hats). Bosworth seems to suggest that for Facebook to tamper with its…

To my daughter for 2020: “You shall prevail.”

Similar:Former student: "I remember sometimes being annoyed with all of our blogging assignments, …A third alum in the last few weeks has c…AcademiaIs this stripe appearing or disappearing? FULL BLOOM (Aug 30 to Sep 2)PersonalNew utility chair and appliances from the service areas of my fantasy #steampunk #blender3…AestheticsThe Tribune-Review published a nice preview of Dani Girl.My daughter…