Watching a National Guard helicopter lift off after an EMS display

Just spending an August evening with the boy. Similar:The Xplor Store: The Forgotten Carnegie Science Center Exhibit? (Guest Post by Leigh Jerz…The other day, my wife suggested a Carne…BooksStudents in “A.I. and the Future of Literacy” are presenting now in Cecilian Hall. @setonh…PersonalSpace Shuttle Challenger (Destroyed 28 Years Ago Today)I was in my final semester…

Marching in a parade and watching a patriotic musical

Happy Independence Day, fellow Americans. “Saltpeter, John!!!” Similar:Learn to code? No: Learn a real languageI don’t see learning to code as a substi…CultureThis weekend! GeyerPAC.comPersonalMy son showed me Seven Samurai. I had never seen it before. Amazing!I’m going to have to watch this one agai…AestheticsJudge rules Jim Acosta can have his White House pass back…

The Declaration of Independence (Dramatic Reading)

I rather enjoyed recording this oral interpretation of the Declaration of Independence for WAOB Audio Theatre. Similar:Obama vs. Romney D&D Smack-Down at NYC GalleryThis week, if you head to the Allegra La…Aesthetics2001: A Space Odyssey – Discerning Themes through Score and ImageryIncredibly detailed close reading of the…AestheticsSimulated iceberg, preserved artifacts and re-creations at the Titanic…

Solitaire Chess

Spent a relaxing evening in playing solitaire chess puzzles with the boy. Similar:Blood & Laurels : Emily Short's Versu launches iPad GameEmily Short (Galatea, First Draft of the…Current_EventsDr. Seuss Racism Controversy: A Dr. Seuss Expert Unpacks the Author's History With Racism,…Nobody is banning, cancelling or censori…BooksServing at Christmas on the Hill 2025PersonalMy Tween Preps to…

Unity3D Maze Game Tutorial

Workspace for an in-progress Unity3D tutorial. Installing the Unity Hub. (Unity.com documentation) Tutorial Assets <- Download, unzip Place in [YourUnityProject]/Assets Video Tutorials: Unity3D Game Spaces for Beginners (#CWCON 2019 #e11)   Similar:What is Technical Writing?I noticed an uptick in traffic to an old…AestheticsIt's Friday night in July, and I'm jamming with my fall course preps.The…

Back in the MLA

As the humanities decline in the United States, the country is losing the craft of understanding, losing its capacity for citizenship. Even educated people are increasingly unable and unwilling to distinguish between fake and real information, becoming a community that cannot understand itself as anything more than a circulation of figures. Self-righteousness takes the place…

The Righteous Mind

I just finished “The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion,” a very accessible mainstream (non-academic) book by social psychologist Jonathan Haidt. Takeaways: Our rational minds are to our emotional/instinctual selves like riders on an elephant. When the elephant leans even slightly to one side, the riders look in that direction…

Skin of Evil (TNG Rewatch, Season 1 Episode 23)

My rewatch reflection on the Star Trek:TNG episode “Skin of Evil,” in which the crew encounters a malignant oil slick. Some good character moments with Worf and Yar, and some good solo acting from Marina Sirtis as Troi psychoanalyzes a disembodied voice. While I appreciate the Roddenberrian argument against playing along with a power-mad enemy’s sick games, dramatizing a that philosophical concept is not enough to carry a full episode. If you’re a fan the final holodeck send-off scene is worth watching but overall it’s a weak episode.

The Crucible, Geyer PAC (Scottdale, May 16-19)

My wife is directing Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. Opening night is tonight. Geyer Performing Arts Center.   Similar:I'm really enjoying seeing how my students are responding to Hamlet.As part of a class assignment, one stude…AcademiaUpdated a "Gender Neutral Language" handoutMTV recently ditched the “Best Actor/Act…AcademiaMary Rodgers, Composer of Once Upon a Mattress and Daughter of…

Laughter and Light Abound in Prime Stage’s “Twelfth Night”

Kudos to Prime Stage for a Twelfth Night that truly sings. Stage director Andy Kirtland has created a lovely adaptation of Shakespeare’s 1601 comedy. A vibrant intimacy connects the players and audience, supporting a wonderful production that’s superbly enjoyable for both those who know this play and for anyone experiencing Shakespeare for the first time. Kirtland transports an ensemble…