Watching a National Guard helicopter lift off after an EMS display

Just spending an August evening with the boy. Similar:Is this the little girl I carried? Is this the little boy at play?PersonalLighting makes a difference. The officers' pub from the interplanetary cruiser #steampunk …  AestheticsMy schedule every Friday this term. (Payback for teaching a course over Christmas break.) PersonalMore #steampunk control panel bits for a #neovictorian…

Marching in a parade and watching a patriotic musical

Happy Independence Day, fellow Americans. “Saltpeter, John!!!” Similar:The Lost Art of Paste-UpWhen I started using a word processor as…AestheticsA Fistful of Datas (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season 6, Episode 8) Worf Trapped in Western S…Rewatching ST:TNG Silly Gagh-Western …AmusingRereading “Writing to Learn”Rereading “Writing to Learn,” William Zi…AcademiaYep, it's time to read student papers on Flannery O'Connor.AcademiaI…

The Declaration of Independence (Dramatic Reading)

I rather enjoyed recording this oral interpretation of the Declaration of Independence for WAOB Audio Theatre. Similar:Princess of Wales photo furore underlines sensitivity around image doctoring Catherine’s attempts to adjust a famil…CultureThat’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.AestheticsWork / Life Balance: UnlockedI think I must be doing something right …AcademiaIN-ZOOM…

Solitaire Chess

Spent a relaxing evening in playing solitaire chess puzzles with the boy. Similar:Star Wars' Original, Scum-Caked BrillianceThe B-movie shoddiness of actors and aes…AestheticsAmong today’s major professional accomplishments: installing this hook. #springbreakMy office door feels more complete now. …AcademiaThe Case for Breaking Up With Your ParentsI already felt fairly independent from m…AcademiaThe Media Pyramid: “Any content…

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:Why Our Children Don't Think There Are Moral FactsIndeed, in the world beyond grade school…CultureKafka Meets Charlie BrownThis year marks the 100th anniversary of…AmusingOpen…

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:Exploring Myst's Brave New World”We wanted a true persistent world. If y…CybercultureThe boy approved of the WWII historical fiction Dunkirk. CultureFinished Reading "Deathly Hallows" for the First TimeWhem my kids started reading the books o…BooksReal college classes have writing…

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…