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:Modular components to mix and match. The upper storeys are next. #blender3d #medievalyork…
Similar:Online dating is a method of virus controlI first met my wife in person, but we we…UncategorizedPittsburgh Post-Gazette reducing print edition to 2 days a week; cites plan to go all digi… The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is scaling …BusinessWhich State Offers The Best Online Casino With No Deposit Bonus?An in-person casino opened up a few…
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:ChatGPT Can't Kill Anything Worth PreservingMany are wailing that this technology sp…AcademiaDo Cultural Critics Have Any Value Left?[T]he Internet has dramatically…
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:Ex-Pope Benedict says the Selfish Gene is science fiction. He's half rightThe Selfish Gene is…
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:Among today’s major professional accomplishments: installing this hook. #springbreakMy office door feels more complete now. …AcademiaEnjoying some sibling nerdtime with Lego The Hobbit.GamesPopulating my simulation with a crowd. Tweaking and experimenting. #unity3d #medievalyork …PersonalDean Jones Dead: Disney Actor Was 84″The Love Bug” was one of the movies tha…Current_Events“Thank you for being kind.” —Friday afternoon email…
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:Synergistic Synthesis XVII Sub B1 Chair by Kenneth SmytheAfter my daughter’s theater workshop, I …AestheticsDesk trays, with procedural wood materials by Blendermada. #blender3dAestheticsSnape and Ginny at the Hogwarts Club event.PersonalThe annual patriotic showing of #1776 has begun.CultureA few Dwarven Moments in Stage Right's Snow WhiteThe dwarf scenes were a real hoot. …DramaLovely #greebles give attractive…
Similar:Fanciful Fun in Theatre Factory’s “The Fantasticks”A great review from Pittsburgh in the Ro…CultureI just picked up both Aslan's How and Cair Paravel. #narnia #monopolyPersonalAuditioning in Pittsbugh (flanked by shots from recent performances).CulturePreparing for some serious nerd time with the family this summerSet phasers to “nerd”! This summer I’ll…CultureMy too-big Android phone stresses the pockets…
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:The Anatomy of a Shakespeare Play: King Lear (Free video lecture from Pict, 2pm Friday)PersonalAfter a productive run-through of West Side Story, the girl decided to slide out from unde…AmusingAn Unexpecting MinorityTruthfully, I expected my new department…AcademiaI accidentally did too much DuoLingo. I don't want to advance to the harder league. Come o…EducationNot doing well.…
Similar:A pleasant Independence Day photo shoot with the daughter.AestheticsStudent journalists assemble! The Setonian club fair table is looking spiffy.PersonalYes I do own a copy of the 1975 Star Trek Enterprise blueprints, but this guy annotated hi…PersonalThe Course of True Fun Never Did Run Smooth: A Midsummer Night's Dwarf Fortress ReflectionI am in rehearsals to play…
Similar:I have two scenes in a horror film. My head appears in a third scene.During Fall Break, I filmed my scenes fo…AestheticsThey've got magic to do. Carolyn is the Leading Player. (Pippin, Oct 21-29) AwesomeSpring 2025 Final Grades Submitted!AcademiaWhat About “The Breakfast Club”?I made three movies with John Hughes; wh…CultureIf I don’t stock the officers’…
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.