Tired brain can’t quite process this Wired summary of a scholarly paper, but I enjoyed how the good writing helped me peek into a field I know so little about. Time moves as it does because humans are biologically, neurologically, philosophically hardwired to experience it that way. It’s like a macro-scale version of Schrödinger’s cat.…
The unavoidable truth is that first draft of history is no longer written in tomorrow’s newspaper. Instead, it’s tapped out on new and social media, which is thick with rumor and conspiracy. There’s little journalists can do about crap on the internet; taking aim at disinformation is like firing a machine-gun at an unruly flock…
Another of the many, many reflections on the big story of the weekend. In 1984, George Orwell famously described a totalitarian political order in which people were kept as docile subjects in part by a daily ritual called “Two Minutes Hate” in which the population directs all of its pent up fury at “Goldstein,” a possibly…
My social media network includes people who fully supported the narrative voiced by Phillips and magnified by social media outrage, who now feel the shifting narrative proves how hard “the media” work to excuse the misbehavior of smirking, entitled, racist bullies. (But they might agree the Hebrew Israelites went too far.) My social feed also…
With the Enterprise in drydock for a computer refit, Riker ends up in the holodeck, fascinated by the sultry hologram he asks the computer to create so someone will admire his trombone talents.
Similar:A #steampunk control panel in context. #blender3d #design #aesthetics #blender3dartAestheticsNo, the AHCA Doesn't Make Rape a Preexisting ConditionA Republican Facebook friend posted a li…Business"The Nightmare of Prince Prezelsky"Leigh, Peter, Carolyn and I had fun reco…AmusingPittsburgh Post-Gazette reducing print edition to 2 days a week; cites plan to go all digi… The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is scaling…
I was in college and grad school during the original run of Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994), and followed the series very closely. During the last couple of seasons of Deep Space Nine (1998–99), my wife and I had our first child, I started a tenure-track job, and I fell out of the TV-watching…
I gather the purpose of these consoles — maybe a dozen, scattered on pillars throughout the school’s Lowe Dining Hall — was to call for service? I seem to remember seeing some text on at least some of the consoles. I’m curious! Similar:Support the arts in your community! I’m here for the daughter and the…
Similar:My new inspiration as I work on my syllabuses I applaud you, person who, halfway …AcademiaCrying Myself to Sleep on the Biggest Cruise Ship EverI’ve felt a bit like this guy the last f…CultureSoldiers and Sailors Memorial and Museum Another visit to Pittsburgh with my his…CultureAugust Wilson Trifecta (Two Trains, Ma Rainey and Fences…
Once upon a time, local newspapers could depend upon a steady stream of local classified ads — people advertising looking to hire a handyman, or to sell their old sofa or used car. The income from local ads in locally-owned newspapers would go back to the communities, in the form of the paychecks for the…
Rewatching Star Trek: The Next Generation after a 20-year break. The Enterprise visits a sexist planet run by women, where… well, that’s about it. There’s nothing particularly science-fictional about the plot, except that the Enterprise is tracking a space-freighter and looking for space-survivors who disappeared years ago near this space-planet. There’s nothing strategic about the…
From Buzzfeed: Sitting before the Stars and Stripes, another flag pinned to his lapel, former president Barack Obama appears to be delivering an important message about fake news — but something seems slightly…off. Similar:Oh, No. YouTube is Deleting Videos.Oh no. First YouTube institutes a “COVI…Current_EventsPreschoolers Outsmart College Students In Figuring Out GadgetsThis is flexible,…
The girl tried to weird me out with a video of the Latvian “blblblblbl ah ah” guy. I retaliated with Devo’s “Whip It” and Max Headroom, then finished her off with “Now is the time on Sprockets when we dance.” Similar:Good Twitter thread on how confirmation bias leads to conspiracy theoriesSo why are so many…
In “Datalore,” an encounter with Data’s more human-like “brother” showcases Brent Spiner’s acting talents and the optical FX crew’s mad split-screen skillz. While I enjoyed the plot twists and character bits as they happened, as a work of science fiction this episode offers little beyond popcorn “evil twin” fare.
The opening captain’s log lampshades an unprompted, random visit to Data’s home planet. The “Data practice sneezing” scene is silly, but the character development subtly allies Data’s desire to be human with Wesley’s desire to be respected by adults. The scene also accustoms us to the idea that Picard uses Wesley to deliver in-person messages, which kinda sorta helps explain why in this episode Wesley ends up where he needs to be to witness just enough to suspect Lore, but not enough to prove anything to the dumb-as-a-fencepost adults.
Similar:Spring 2023 Midterm Grades: Submitted!PersonalThe Last Jedi: Oh, the Feels.No spoilers here. (I managed to avoid al…MediaVery impressive mural has been installed in Admin for SHU’s Centennial.PersonalJames Goodwin Clonney: Mother's WatchThis painting, of two impish children ta…AestheticsGame night at our local library.GamesScience Fair VictoryIn this photo from the front page of tod…Art
My 20yo son, who plays a lot of Star Wars battle simulations, was very taken with the music and story. I had read about this game when it came out, so some plot points were spoiled for me, but I still teared up at the end. You can find it for a very reasonable price…
Rewatching Star Trek: The Next Generation after a 20-year break. The first of (far too) many “trapped on the holodeck” episodes. Exhausted while preparing for a high-stakes diplomatic ritual, Picard takes a break in a virtual-reality simulation of a 1940s detective novel. I remembered enjoying Brent Spiner’s portrayal of Data adapting to the noir setting,…
Sometimes people get the name of my school wrong. On a whim, I searched Google for “dennis jerz seton hall” and found a recent letter to the editor that referenced one of my handouts: Verify or Duck: Good Journalists Confirm Details They Didn’t Witness Dennis Jerz of Seton Hall University writes “Good journalists confirm details they…
Similar:Pop Culture Showdown with My Retro DaughterThe girl tried to weird me out with a vi…AestheticsIf you like bloody, singing, punning demons you will love this show.If you like bloody, singing, punning dem…AmusingFind yourself someone who makes you plomeek soup like Nurse Chapel makes for Spock.PersonalTopics in Am Lit: August Wilson — Online J-Term course…
Similar:Am I a Bad Father Because I Let My Daughter Eat M&Ms in Her Mashed Potatoes?[poll id=”2″] AestheticsSupport the arts in your community!PersonalThe daughter experiences her birthday cookie AestheticsDean Jones Dead: Disney Actor Was 84″The Love Bug” was one of the movies tha…Current_EventsMore #steampunk control panels. Recessed workstations with fold-down keyboards. #blender3d…PersonalThe School of Humanities…