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:I have more to do than mark 99 assignments, but this is a nice stopping point.PersonalKids Rarely Read Whole Books Anymore. Even in English Class. Twelfth-grade reading scores are a…BooksDeus Ex…

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:The Sacramentality of Teaching and LearningFor the one-credit journalism class that…AcademiaWe love us some Sherlock any way we can get it.PersonalWhy Fears of Fake News Are OverhypedFacebook seems to have made changes that…CultureSiblings gotta sib.PersonalMy parents doing their daily brain treasers in…

A brief respite from grading.

A brief respite from grading. Similar:Unnatural Selection (ST:TNG Rewatch Season 2, Episode 7)Rewatching Star Trek: The Next Generatio…MediaDrinking milk and using the #WaybackMachine to fix broken links in a 10-year-old blog post…PersonalRecent SHU journo grad, upon the hiring of an even more recent SHU journo grad: "Many time…A couple weeks ago I posted about a…

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:You, Too, Can Have a Viral Tweet Like Mine: Demystifying Poetic MeterSaving for the next time I teach…

Feeling classy while I lose.

Feeling classy while I lose. Similar:Datalore (TNG Rewatch, Season 1, Episode 12) Data's bro wants to be with a big crystal tr…In “Datalore,” an encounter with Data’s …CultureMarching in a parade and watching a patriotic musicalHappy Independence Day, fellow Americans…CultureSkin of Evil (TNG Rewatch, Season 1 Episode 23)My rewatch reflection on the Star Trek:T…DesignBook geyser.…

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:Duke stops assigning numeric values to essays, test scoresThis story is about the admissions proce…AcademiaIn January 2001, I was blogging about Bill Clinton's #WhiteHouse security deposit, anachro…In January 2001, I was blogging about …AcademiaThe Trouble With Online EducationI’ve taught an online “Video Game Cultur…AcademiaMechanical innards for a Steampunk set piece. #Blender3D #greebleshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oChXOu8C…AestheticsLovely set for @prime_stage…

Volunteering at our local food bank

Similar:Tapdance / jazz music outing with the girl. Tapdance / jazz music outing with …AcademiaYour second attempt at modeling #medievalyork fortifications in #blender3d will be better …Your second attempt at modeling #medieva…AestheticsDeus Ex MemoriesI’ve just finished my final training run…CybercultureProfessor Sees Parallels Between Things, Other Things”By drawing parallels between things and…AcademiaWearing A Mask Is A…

Emily Dickinson Fun Page #literature #amusing #dashes

Emily Dickinson Fun Page #literature #amusing #dashes Similar:An overnight traffic spike on an older online handout prompted me to touch it up. #techwri… Those are the stats for my entir…AcademiaEmployers unhappy with new generation of workersShow up, prepared and on time, not just …Academia“for every cliché of a barista or bartender with a liberal arts…

Hitting the weekend with just 6 ungraded papers. #partylikeaprof

Hitting the weekend with just 6 ungraded papers. #partylikeaprof Similar:Identity Crisis (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season 4 Episode 18) The Case of LaForge’s Disapp… Rewatching ST:TNG An enjoyable …MediaSpring 2023 Midterm Grades: Submitted!PersonalRandom eye candy for props in my #Blender3D #retrotech project. Turned two circle logos in…PersonalShe was a musical ingenue Sunday, filmed a slasher movie…

#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:Hamlet!PersonalNarnia board game — enjoyable family activity (but it's weird that the Pevensies compete …It’s weird that in the Narnia board game…BooksIdeal Homeschool Summer Day: Studying Latin, Justifying Nilla Wafers, and Making a Duct Ta…Today, I managed to get in a couple of h…AestheticsOpening night! So great to see live local theatre.PersonalI'm marking them faster…

Siblings gotta sib.

Similar:Another 10 sq cm of #steampunk control panel. #blender3d #blender3dartAestheticsElmo? Yes, I do mind. I learned far more from Bert.Like plenty of people my age, I grew up …AestheticsMy parents holding a picture of the family I took with my first SLR camera in 1987.PersonalCharlie Brown has his kite-eating tree. I have my keys-eating chair.…

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

Similar:First Evidence That Social Bots Play a Major Role in Spreading Fake News Shad and co say bots play a part…AcademiaThe Day I Stopped Saying ‘Hurry Up’Adorable photos help tell this story abo…CultureCan't upload photos to Facebook from my MacBookI spent 30 minutes trying to upload abou…CybercultureAnother chess tournament with the boy.Games“Thank you for being…

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:So glad to be attending another live theatrical production. @quantumtheatre never disappoi…Projections, live music, sounds, props, …BusinessGround-nesting Yellowjacket WaspsWhile my 16yo son was mowing the lawn wi…CultureEnjoying some sibling nerdtime with Lego The Hobbit.GamesThe problem I just learned about calls for tea in the big mug.CultureAs Twinkle Twinkle is to Suzuki musicians, so is a…