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:New rules governing drone journalism are on the way — and there’s reason to be optimisticMapping disasters? So long as you’ve…
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:The Internet Is RottingI do what I can. It’s disheartening how,…AcademiaLawyers who won Happy Birthday…
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:Jerz Family Tin Can Robot Warshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIBQkobPW…PersonalAfter a successful piano recital.CultureSo many dials to polish. More workstations. #steampunk #neovictorian #design #aesthetics #… AestheticsClassic. So good! #startrek #tosPersonalCrabby 10yo Ties Self to Pole to Protest InjusticeMy wife confiscated my preteen daughter’…CultureWhat blogging wasI’ve maintained this blog since the spri…Cyberculture
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:Liz Fosslien's insightful comic on unhealthy conflict vs. healthy conflict.PersonalReport to the bridge so the captain can assess your virtual upholstery skills. #blender3d …AestheticsAugust Wilson Trifecta (Two Trains, Ma Rainey and Fences on the same day)Fences was performed in the backyard of …CultureSeeing Floyd Collins, a musical about caving and journalism. Front Porch Theatricals.PersonalHappy to…
Similar:Seeing Floyd Collins, a musical about caving and journalism. Front Porch Theatricals.PersonalProfessor Sees Parallels Between Things, Other Things”By drawing parallels between things and…AcademiaAs I was preparing to take this screenshot, two more papers came in.I still have odd jobs to tie up, but I’m…AcademiaThey've got magic to do. Carolyn is the Leading Player. (Pippin, Oct…
Rewatching Star Trek: The Next Generation after a 20-year break. This low-stakes, character-driven rom-com pulled off everything it set out to do — fill out the romantic backstory between Riker and Troi, showcase Patrick Stewart’s comic timing, and set up an apparently unrelated B plot as the surprise resolution to the A plot. In her…
Rewatching Star Trek: The Next Generation after a 20-year break. The powerful, unpredictable Q conjures a Napoleonic scenario from Picard’s mind and takes the rest of the bridge crew there, leaving Picard on the Enterprise. Memorable not for the fuzzy-faced toy soldiers that get way too much screen time, but for a Shakespeare quote battle…
Similar:At Computers and Writing #cwcon for the weekend.Am I wise now? At an event for encouragi…AcademiaChipping away at the total as the final submissions pour in.PersonalSo, What's in It for Me?All in all, I enjoy my job very much, an…AcademiaMy student journos are meming it like bosses.PersonalOn the way to closing night of "Orphans."PersonalThose emails…
Similar:Yahoo, You Nagged Me Too Many Times; Bye!I have a Yahoo account that I use when a…BusinessWhen You've Already Got a Major, But You Love Books (Seton Hill English) When committee work is fun… making…AcademiaTwo classes will turn in final revisions at midnight Sunday, and final multimedia project…Still plenty of work to do before I…
Similar:Fall 2021 Grades Submitted Mission accomplished.AcademiaI apologize for this one. R2-D2 stars in Andrew Lloyd Weber's musical CATS.PersonalUnfinished pine and not so ornamented, for the workshops and service areas of my fantasy #…PersonalTouch Me Now: York Plays 2025A cast of hundreds participated in a pub…AcademiaTo all these tools I've loved before…While cleaning out my desk…
A Ferengi set on revenge tricks Picard into lowering the Enterprise’s shields and unceremoniously beams him into space.
Uh, no, actually the Ferengi plan involves finding a derelict starship Picard abandoned nine years ago and slipping a beach-ball sized “thought maker” into his personal effects, so that when he stops by his old cabin and gets a headache he can’t finish packing, so his uninspected trunk is brought to his quarters on the Enterprise, where opening the lid tips over a bucket, causing a marble to flip a little man into a tub, in which Picard re-enacts the Battle of Maxia and triggers the jittery vengeful descent of a little plastic cage.
She ended up waiting out the light cycle directly in front of me. When I looked straight ahead I was looking at her profile. With an innocent expression she continued to pretend not to notice she had cut me off, but I guess guilt or curiosity got the better of her, and she glanced to her left. I was ready.
In which Wesley commits a crime on the Legalistic Planet of Blond Joggers. (Rewatching Star Trek: The Next Generation after a 20-year break.) We get right into the story by having an away team return to the bridge and briefly report on their first contact with the Edo, a peaceful people who seem to spend…
Similar:More delightful #steampunk control panels. These are computationally efficient bitmap rect…PersonalBird flight simulator. The boy goes for altitude and distance, the girl does stunts.In the bird-flight simulator at the Pitt…CybercultureLetter of Recommendation: Fanny PacksWhat other accessory ensures the safety …CultureAdded a pilot and cockpit details to my flyby of a #steampunk scout ship. Costume is…
I had a complex model that I created in Blender 2.79, and imported (with some tweaking) successfully to Unity 2018 a few months ago. When I switched to Blender 2.8 and Unity 2018.2, I found big problems with my model. Blender 2.8b tells me that all the normals are exactly what I expect — the…