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…
Space Shuttle Challenger Destroyed (my reflection on the 28th anniversary in 2014) I was in my final semester of high school. I remember Principal Burch came over the loudspeaker to announce that the Challenger “blew up on the pad,” which I knew wasn’t true because I was watching a TV… probably in the library. Years…
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:Samaritan Snare (ST:TNG Rewatch, Season 2, Episode 17)(Rewatching…
Peter and I spoke to a reporter from EpochTimes.com after the Shen Yun show yesterday. I said I was interested to hear the group’s message in favor of religious freedom, and was surprised to encounter the anti-Communist stance. After I found this picture on the EpochTimes.com website, I scanned through its news feed and noted…
Similar:Justice (TNG Rewatch, Season 1, Episode 7) When Wes trips on a fence, joggers' god gets in…In which Wesley commits a crime on the L…CultureA #neovictorian master status display board for a #steampunk #blender3d project. Inspired …AestheticsStephen Coles’ The Anatomy of Type, reviewed.Talk nerdy to me. You’re my type. What …AestheticsMore household props for a…
One of seven touring groups devoted to sharing China’s traditional culture. The name means “beauty of divine dance.” Much emphasis on acrobatics and fluid motions. A recurring theme was interaction with the divine, and one number set in the present day focused on two brothers, one a police officer and one who falls in love…
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…
I spent an hour on this. Below is the original version, as generated by imageflip.com, before my edits. Similar:A Grave Tale (a short story I narrated for WAOB Audio Theatre)A Grave Tale (WAOB Audio Theatre) Wri…LiteratureA surprising detail in bank records helped a historian bust a longstanding myth about Iris…A scholar uses bank records to…
In a section of my dissertation, I dove into office gender politics of the late 1940s, in order to explore just what Arthur Miller’s original audiences would have thought about the wire recorder that appears in Death of a Salesman. In the play, Willy Loman’s boss Howard thinks of the cutting-edge device as a domestic…
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…
I adored this truck, and spelling words with the letters. When I got older, it was the shuttlecraft for my Star Trek figures. Similar:Yes, Duolingo is free and I’ve learned a lot. No, I don’t like the psychological manipulat…Yes, Duolingo is free and I’ve learned a…EthicsHello, I’m Dr. Jerz, I’ll be your server tonight…
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:Quebec teen discovers ancient Mayan ruins by studying the starsThis sounds like the plot of a Young Ind…CultureHappy memories of PC games I played with my son…
Physics simulation demo: crate made up of mostly loose boards. #Blender3d #design #practice Similar:The Struggle to Save Ballet From ItselfA former dancer reckons with the rigors …AestheticsUnmarked assignments. Major drafts came in over the weekend so I lost some ground but I kn…PersonalI Cannot Begin to Tell You How Proficient I Am in Microsoft WordIs…
A brief respite from grading. Similar:My Kids Are Shatner Than MostI passed along to my geeklings an apprec…DramaYes, I spent the last hour designing this brutalist pen holder for a virtual production of…AestheticsSalesman at Pittsburgh Public Theatre. PersonalHearing "Godzilla on My Mind" author Wiliam TsutsuiPersonalMore modeling in #blender3d. Very happy with reflections and lighting. (The teacup…
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…
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…
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.…
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:Enjoy the showmanship as a 94yo woman performs in a dance competition.https://youtu.be/8LOdmka4_90AestheticsPrepare for the Ultimate GaslightingThoughtful essay from…
Feeling classy while I lose. Similar:I broke the garage door when I left for work this morning. Fixed it when I got home.PersonalHelp! I may be running out of excuses for not wearing…Help! I may be running out of excuses fo…CultureCombined, base color, roughness and metallic passes. #Blender3d steampunk control panel. AestheticsMy daughter who sometimes…
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…