Much Ado About Nothing (Beatrice is my literary crush.)

Similar:I'm marking them faster than they come in, which is a good thing. I won't be doi…PersonalHappy Easter 2020 CultureIf you win the very first time you play a game, that means you are skilled and brilliant, …AwesomeSold out opening night of Mamet’s Oleanna. Chilling. Gasps from the audience. Office furni…Sold out opening night of…

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

In November 1999, I was blogging about books, camomile tea and Skylon 4, the death of Star Trek, and the “active user paradox”

In November 1999, I was blogging about John’s Book Pages (by a CS grad student who had recently read Gene Wolfe and Anthony Bourdain, among many others) What camomile tea has in common with the attack squadron over Skylon 4 (rec.humor newsgroup reference to a disastrous “tandem story” assignment) “Nimoy is, to say the least,…

In praise of the sci-fi corridor

Corridors in science-fiction movies. I love them. I wasted too much of my childhood and youth imitating and developing the superb production sketches of Ron Cobb, Syd Mead, Ralph McQuarrie and many others. I walked round Elstree studios collecting precious vacuum-formed sections of cloud-city corridor from The Empire Strikes Back, some months after principal photography stopped.…

No more braces!

Similar:At the Johnstown Flood Museum. (May 31 1889 the neglected dam at the South Fork Fishing an…At the Johnstown Flood Museum. (May 31 1…CultureWorked a short day today, and it shows. Tomorrow is another day!PersonalThoughtful Gestures Sometimes Speak Louder than WordsShe ended up waiting out the light cycle…AmusingThe Rivals #PPTPlaytimeA great production of a delightful…

The Internet Archive Is Digitizing & Preserving Over 100,000 Vinyl Records: Hear 750 Full Albums Now

These people do important, amazing work. While shiny, digitally mastered vinyl releases pop up in big box stores everywhere, the real musical wealth lies in the past—in thousands upon thousands of LPs, 45s, 78s—relics of “the only consumer playback format we have that’s fully analog and fully lossless,” says vinyl mastering engineer Adam Gonsalves. Few institutions…

Who left these on my office door? *fake cough sounds like “Betsy”*

Similar:My too-big Android phone stresses the pockets of one of my favorite shirts. My grandmother…PersonalThe Fantasticks closes today at 2.PersonalOne of my students is demonstrating the perceived value of brand-name vs no-name products…. PersonalSnape and Ginny at the Hogwarts Club event.PersonalAnother 10 sq cm section of a #steampunk control panel. #blender3d #blender3dart #designAestheticsHey there, chaotic world…

“I don’t view Shakespeare’s work as intimidating anymore.” — midterm reflection from college freshman

“It has made me more confident in myself, and I don’t view Shakespeare’s work as intimidating anymore.” –freshman student reflecting on the first half of my “Shakespeare in Context” course. In lieu of reading comprehension quizzes, I have students post informal responses. They respond to an orientation lecture and each act of the play as…

The difficulty is the point (teaching critical thinking skills differs from teaching facts to memorize)

In the past few years I have seen more students who are very bright, hard-working, and grade-conscious, who are very comfortable when they have a list facts to memorize, or a formula to follow. Rather than thinking of a revision as an opportunity to develop, these students think more transactionally than organically about their learning, and prefer to see revision as a punishment for not getting it right the first time. I see it instead as an integral part of the critical thinking process.

The Woman in Black

Last night’s preview was a layered treat. A theatrical framing story, the story being dramatized, and a story being uncovered. twists and chills at every level. Well done. Similar:Wearable Tech: Rest in Peace, Google Glass: 2012-2014I did enjoy the opportunity to play with…CultureOklahoma Was Never Really O.K. (Frank Rich, Vulture)”Oklahoma! was greeted as jingoistic ent…AestheticsHow…

"The plain fact is that the planet does not need more successful people. But it does desperately need more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers, and lovers of every kind." –David Orr, Earth in Mind #empathy #ethics #humanities #aesthetics #science

Similar:Coming up for the girl is another classic show: The Fantasticks.So looking forward to seeing her in this…CultureHow are you holding up? What difficult choices have you made? How can we all help each oth…Carolyn and were recently cast in a hist…CultureOh that sweet, sweet feeling of progress.PersonalProgress.PersonalA quick Sunday visit to #fortligonier with my…

The Scarlet Letter (Prime Stage)

Similar:Carolyn, Easter 2017 PersonalMy brother is visiting to play a game of chess with his nephew and watch his niece perform…GamesChess with my son. As usual, it didn't go well for me.GamesThey figured it out.PersonalAnother section of a #neovictorian control panel for a #steampunk #blender3d project. I h…AestheticsEaster collage 2018.Personal

They both reached for the gun.

Similar:Take a look at the moon tonight!I wish I had the time or energy to get o…AestheticsArsenic and Old Lace. I haven't seen this show since I played the lead as a high school ju…CultureHow to interact with the introverted…My daughter spends a lot of time with he…DesignI broke the garage door when I left…

Go not to the elves for counsel, for they will say both no and yes.

Similar:Leftovers from the food my colleagues brought in to bribe/reward those few students who sh… Leftovers from the food my colleagues b…AcademiaI’m fairly satisfied with this version of a medieval building trimsheet. (Source photo is …I’m fairly satisfied with this version o…AestheticsAbove the ready-room desk is the captain's power-napping loft, because self-care is i…AestheticsFolger Shakespeare…

A dinosaur and an octopus are among those doing a speed-writing workshop in my journalism class.

Similar:Geometry and color maps for wooden desk tray. #Blender3D #practiceThe blue image is a “normal map,” which …AestheticsAfter you finish your brass-polishing shift, join me at the Gear and Heart to swap stories…AestheticsMore rehearsing. More dancing. PersonalDr Jerz I think your microphone glitchedhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPqnXF7A…AcademiaAscending the path to High Hrothgar? No, just the snow-covered steps from the parking…

Next up for the girl: Amy, the youngest sister, in Little Women: The Broadway Musical. Nov 21-24.

Similar:Little Women (the daughter plays Amy, the youngest sister)PersonalAnother random background control panel for a #blender3d #steampunk project. I wish all us…AestheticsI apologize for this one. R2-D2 stars in Andrew Lloyd Weber's musical CATS.PersonalSee The Nutcracker!@laurelballetperformingco dancers and full @westmorelandsymphony orches…DanceChess with my son. As usual, it didn't go well for me.GamesHe checkmates me in…

The Fantasticks closes today at 2.

Similar:The Scarlet Letter (Prime Stage)PersonalAnother 10 sq cm of #steampunk control panel. #blender3d #blender3dartAestheticsCarnegie Science Center: Roboworld (and a bit of SportsWorks)Here’s a brief video, made up of clips I…CultureThe daughter is in “Very Berry Dead,” a new play which opens this Friday and runs for two …The daughter is in “Very Berry Dead,” a…

The boy plays chess with his uncle before seeing The Fantasticks.

Similar:Every few years, I Google the name of the kid who saw "The Empire Strikes Back" the night …HistoryA dinosaur and an octopus are among those doing a speed-writing workshop in my journalism …PersonalI came of age playing too many CD-ROM point-and-click adventure games to ignore these stee…I came of age playing too many CD-ROM…

Rehearsing for Little Women Tuesday (Carolyn plays Amy)

Similar:In-home schooling popularity slipping across stateWe were on our way out the door to see A…CultureWe love us some Sherlock any way we can get it.PersonalFirst Day in the Theatre for Twelfth Night (May 3-12) Daughter: (is sad her “first day in …CultureIn a literature class, the author's words matter more than the author's life…