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:Theatre Crowd Mustn't Be Bitter The enÂterÂtainÂment inÂdusÂtry seem…CultureAs a plucky grad student, I walked in the door ready to negotiate with a department that n…I think enough time has passed that I ca…AcademiaGenesis (#StarTrek…
Similar:You're Doing It for the Exposure!! The Oatmeal on working for “exposure…BusinessPerforming as Alquist in ActIII of Rossum’s Universal Robots. (Free Zoom performance of gr…https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL…Personal#SHUConvocation is about to begin @setonhilluniversityPersonalA vacation minibar story from 20 years ago.PersonalPlaying with depth of field (blurring details that are closer than and farther from the fo…AestheticsPictures only hint at…
No spoilers here. (I managed to avoid all spoilers, and hadn’t even seen the trailer. I did see still pics of porgs, though, and I knew the name of the character the StarWars Bros were hating on, so thank you to everyone who did their part to keep the secrets.) No intellectual critical distance for…
In the bird-flight simulator at the Pittsburgh Aviary, the girl twists and turns, careening around buildings, dive-bombing alleyways, and comes to a perfect landing in the middle of the street just as her timer runs out. The boy immediately heads up to clear the buildings, then flies toward the horizon to see how far he…
Pope Francis recently addressed Italian journalists: Your voice, free and responsible, is fundamental for the growth of any society that wishes to be called democratic, so that the continuous exchange of ideas and a profitable debate based on real and correctly reported data can be guaranteed. In our time, often dominated by the anxiety of…
If you were this person’s attorney, you’d probably want this social media blurb phrased a little differently. The headline attached to the story is clearer. Yes, the social media blurb is shorter, but I’d rather cut the “Twp” and make room for the unambiguous “and.” Derry man accused of assaulting female witness and attorney jailed…
Right now, I’m teaching “American Lit 1915-Present” for the last time. It’s the companion course to “American Lit 1800-1915,” which I’ll also never teach again. They are required courses for English majors who need to cover American Lit, but they were also designed to serve as electives. My colleagues and I have trouble covering the depth that we know our English majors need, without overwhelming students who are just looking to sample a bit of AmLit to fulfill a course requirement. So we’ve revamped both these courses, starting next fall. One new course will be “American Lit 1776-Present,” which will obviously cover fewer works than we can fit into 2 terms, but the benefit is we can be confident that any student who’s taken the course will have a clearer understanding of the scope of American literature. Another new course will be “Topics in American Literature,” which will allow us to go into some depth, without needing to cover a little bit of everything. I’m thinking of picking the focus “Literature and Government,” which could include “Rip Van Winkle,” All the King’s Men, To Kill a Mockingbird, Invisible Man (Ellison, not H.G. Wells) and Farhenheit 451.
“If you want to preserve democracy as we know it, you have to have a free and many times adversarial press… And without it, I am afraid that we would lose so much of our individual liberties over time. That’s how dictators get started.” — Republican Senator John McCain, in a Feb 2017 interview on…
The euphoria of getting my grades in Friday was short-lived. Similar:Misleading to suggest that because I have nothing left to mark that I have nothing to do, …PersonalAdding detail to a #steampunk control panel workstation. #blender3d #design #aesthetics #b…AestheticsSo this is Pi DayMy wife says she bought the pies intendi…AmusingIf I don't design the control…
Similar:I’ll be seeing the final performance tomorrow. @bigstormpcI’ll be seeing the final performance tom…PersonalReally enjoyed Prime Stage Theater’s video presentation of Mockingbird.Obviously I would have preferred to see …AestheticsHitting the weekend with just 6 ungraded papers. #partylikeaprof Hitting the weekend with just 6 ungrad…PersonalBoy that feels good. AcademiaMy mom’s Lionel train set (a gift…
Similar:Russian Grand Ballet Swan Lake.Personal"Oliver Twist" is a story of redemption for PICT Classic Theatre.Carolyn started rehearsals for PICT Clas…BooksAnother random background control panel for a #blender3d #steampunk project. I wish all us…AestheticsBeauty and the Beast (St. Vincent Summer Theatre)The girl (blue skirt and pigtails), who …Current_EventsAny pasta can become a pasta salad when the…
Similar:How to be a Medieval Spectator (Intro to Toronto York Plays 2025)This is what I’m in Toronto to observe.&…AcademiaPope calls Argentine kiosk owner to cancel paper deliveryThis is a very cute story, further illus…AmusingMechanical #greebles (more #Blender3D practice)https://youtu.be/NzUp-9e_olQAestheticsDon’t Want to Fall for Fake News? Don’t Be LazyFake news is not a problem caused by tho…CultureSpring…
Similar:Goodbye, Google Search. I've switched to search.brave.com …for now. I can’t stand Pinterest. I hate when G…BusinessA student just booked an appointment to discuss picking up journalism as a second major. E…AcademiaDani Girl (Oct 1-3, 2015) at the Geyer Performing Arts CenterVinnie Tresco, Carolyn Jerz, Matthew Hom…CultureTrying out a new lens to capture creepy-toy-come-to-life choreography.…
Similar:"A Mushroom at Last… A Mushroom Forever"I asked my 10yo why she was moping. “…AmusingIn a literature class, the author's words matter more than the author's life and times, or… Updating the graphic for a resource …AcademiaA former student contacted me to share her thoughts.A few years ago, I told myself I would s…AcademiaOn the…
This clever freshman writing student created a project in Texture, which is designed for branching narratives (such as the Choose Your Own Adventure stories). In the next few screens, he put up nodes showing older and more recent writing samples, asked me to choose which one showed the better writing technique, and gave me feedback…
Peter looks forward to his Wednesday evening visits to the Monroeville Chess club. (Last one until mid-January.) Similar:Your first attempt at a medieval gate and city walls will be your worst. #blender3d #medie…Your first attempt at a medieval gate an…PersonalMore details in the powder room of my villain's lair. #Blender3DAestheticsI just discovered what will grind…
I haven’t taught a developmental course at SHU, but when I teach freshman writing, I often encounter students who struggle with the transition from high school to college writing. Those who were praised all their lives as good writers can tell good personal stories, and they can deploy accurate summaries of non-controversial, “correct” facts. I give…
Saturday, Donald Trump tweeted that he knew Flynn lied, and that’s why he “had to fire” him. Critics immediately raised concerns, noting that if Trump did in fact know Flynn had lied, then Trump’s request that FBI Director James Comey “let this go” amounts to an obstruction of justice. Sunday, Trump’s lawyer John Dowd told…
Pop quiz for public relations 101. Scenario 1: You run a wildly popular app that incorporates video with a live host. You learn that a reporter is writing a personality profile of your host. Do you offer some cheerful quotes and then make a note to get your host to sign a new contract that handles…