Similar:Using a Typewriter Simulator to Teach Media HistoryWorking on the syllabus for my “Media an…CultureTook the whole day off and spent part of it making #greebles with #Blender3D because reaso…AestheticsA vacation minibar story from 20 years ago.PersonalCrazy, Kinetic, Acoustic Visit to the Carnegie Science CenterA few days ago, I blogged about visiting…EducationWhy scientists should…
A student in my “American Literature: 1915-Present” class used the medium of a 2D graphic adventure game to deliver her multimodal final project. (Students also wrote a traditional term paper.) You are the cameraman of a new TV show based on Thornton Wilder’s “The Skin of Our Teeth.” But things quickly go downhill when a…
Reagan recognized that as leader of the free world, his words carried enormous weight, and he used them to inspire the unprecedented spread of democracy around the world. | President Trump does not seem to understand that his rhetoric and actions reverberate in the same way. He has threatened to continue his attempt to discredit…
A mechanism description analyzes (that is, subdivides into components for further scrutiny) an object in space. When you try to organize your major subsections, if no other obvious pattern seems appropriate, you can always fall back on the more-important-to-less-important strategy. Don’t sell the object. A technical writer is not required to persuade the reader that the object is wonderful,…
Don’t spend three pages establishing that some people burn to death, some people freeze to death, and some people drown. Start by saying what we need to do now that the iceberg we are stranded on has caught fire. Similar:Episcopal bishop on President Trump: ‘Everything he has said and done is to inflame violen……
The car shop wanted to charge over $300. I found the part online for under $40. With the help of a YouTube video, the job took about 45 minutes. (Much of that time I spent wandering around my house looking for tools. Grateful that my father-in-law gave me a ratchet set as a wedding present.)…
Similar:I think I smelled a hint of my mint toothpaste just now. Wishful thinking, or another sign…For the past 2 weeks I have slept a lot,…AcademiaAfter a successful piano recital.CultureMy mother-in-law invited me to try out the 60- year-old tape machine that belonged to my f…My mother-in-law invited me to try out t…AwesomeHidden Spaces,…
That’s a prop knife in my right hand. Similar:Vanessa Otero's Updated Media Bias Chart (Liberal/Mainstream/Conservative; Facts/Analysis/…Otero goes into great detail describing …CultureEdible Chess Chess pastry cutters handmade in bra…AestheticsMe Checking into My #4C19 Conference Hotel RoomI’ll just mark a few more papers before …AcademiaDisruptions: Texting Your Feelings, Symbol by SymbolBeing a word-oriented thinker, I don’t…
I have no reason to trust Facebook to filter my news for me. However, so many people get their news by social media, maybe this will be an easy way for people to check whether a viral meme is a hoax. Maybe an option marked “Look up vetted news reports related to this post.” Yes,…
In general, I avoid clicking on any headline with the weasel words “can” or “might.” However, I did enjoy this reflection on the positive impact of literary reading. I’m teaching a compressed online literature course, so that involves re-reading the literary works I assigned, as well as engaging with what my students write about those…
Similar:Peter's Evil Overlord ListPeter Anspach posted this list. Here are…AmusingHomage to PoeMichael Dirda offers a thoughtful assess…BooksTolkien v. Orwell: Who understood modern surveillance best?Interesting set of observations explorin…CultureThe bots are coming. And they have poems. Yet in a circle pallid as it f…CybercultureLiteracy Debate: Online, R U Really Reading?A good feature from the New York…
Similar:My #AugustWilson #Steampunk NightmareToday is my last official day teaching a…AcademiaAmanda Knox responds to high-profile movie profiting off of her nameAmerican student Amanda Knox was wrongfu…CultureUnity Normal Problems (Importing an object from Blender 2.8b)I had a complex model that I created in …AestheticsComputers and Writing workshop on Inform 7. (Happening now. In an asynchronous…
Similar:Appreciating the production values and so-stupid-it-might-be-brilliant comedy in Avatar: T…The daughter is showing my wife and me “…AestheticsKindle App Vs. iBooks. (Spoiler: They’re Virtually Identical Now!)I noticed with interest that Kindle now …AestheticsAnother random background control panel for a #blender3d #steampunk project. I wish all us…AestheticsA question I find myself thinking all the time.PersonalOn Her…
Working on the syllabus for my “Media and Culture” class on the history and future of the book. Similar:30 Web Designs Featuring Vintage Style Typography30 Web Designs Featuring Vintage Style T…AestheticsWe ask 3 Broadway photographers: How do you turn a live show into a still image?Great story about the art of photographi…AestheticsShowcase of 60 Free…
I’m spending a few days visiting my parents in Northern Virginia. Similar:The annual patriotic showing of #1776 has begun.CultureDani Girl (Oct 1-3, 2015) at the Geyer Performing Arts CenterVinnie Tresco, Carolyn Jerz, Matthew Hom…CultureA picture of puffy white clouds floating in a blue skyAestheticsPracticing with materials and geometry. The lamps and chair require hundreds of…
Words, words, words. With the advent of the stream of consciousness in twentieth-century literature, it has come to seem that the self is very much a thing made of words, a verbal construction forever narrating itself and reconstituting itself in language. In line with the dominant, internalist view of consciousness, it is assumed that this…
Similar:Prime Stage Theatre Makes A Statement With Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” For Carolyn Jerz, who plays Viol…CultureThat moment when you're logging into a table read of #RUR (Rossum's Universal Robo…PersonalMerchant of Venice Part 2 live, now! #PPTPlaytimeDramaSecond episode of “Electron Jones” paranormal detective audio series is up. waobaudiotheat…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTe47W3S…AmusingStar Trek Beyond was an enjoyable nerdy family…
A Google self-study found that its own most successful employees had soft skills, such as mentoring ability, empathy, and critical thinking and problem-solving. “Those traits sound more like what one gains as an English or theater major than as a programmer,” according to the Washington Post. [A]mong the eight most important qualities of Google’s top…
Instead of flagging links to questionable news items, Facebook will instead hide them. Which is nice, but it still means we have to trust the algorithm Facebook uses. (Don’t trust Facebook to filter your news for you.) False news undermines the unique value that Facebook offers: the ability for you to connect with family and…
“Dammit Mom, I’m a daughter, not a theoretician!” — the girl, responding to a pointed rhetorical question. Know Your Meme Similar:I am a dog and I am a good boy and I am prepping my Spring courses.AcademiaExplaining Twerking to Your ParentsI still haven’t seen the video, but this…AmusingShe’s on her way to the @thepublicpgh for…