Working on the syllabus for my “Media and Culture” class on the history and future of the book. Similar:Higgs and Englert Are Awarded Nobel Prize in PhysicsBeautiful, beautiful science writing by …Current_EventsThe daughter is in "Very Berry Dead," a new play which opens this Friday and runs for two …The writer, director, and one of…
I’m spending a few days visiting my parents in Northern Virginia. Similar:When your January term starts Dec 18. #partylikeaprofAcademiaA pie slice from the ring surrounding the ballroom, from the #steampunk bedtime stories I …AestheticsI'm nerdy enough to give my 15yo a used copy of "The Hero with a Thousand Faces." I’m nerdy enough to give…
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:Rossum's Universal Robots (Act 1) Artistic ProsperityThe first act of Artistic Prosperity’s v…CultureEveryone Nov 1AmusingLooking forward towards the wardroom (center) and the officers' pub, the Gear and Hea…AestheticsIndustriousness. Self-improvement. Thrift. And orange slime. The girl amusing herself on our 70m …AestheticsShe doesn't have keys or a phone or an ID. Why does my tween…
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:Another section of a #neovictorian control panel for a #steampunk #blender3d project. I h…AestheticsFull Bloom opens next weekend. Tickets 724-527-5777.PersonalPreparing for some serious nerd time with the family this summerSet phasers to “nerd”! This summer…
Similar:My college writing students are out making short videos responding to a prompt.While my students are out of the room ma…AcademiaFor the record, if I should happen to be murdered by someone with a gun… For the record, if I should happen to …Current_EventsThoroughly enjoying Collaborators at Quantum Theatre.PersonalPushing and pulling vertices. Components that fit…
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:The reception line begins. Grad2018PersonalThe third Google hit for " #steampunk control panel" is a #blender3d image I cre…PersonalI actually don't mind Canvas — it just happens to be the course management system I have …AcademiaHappy to see a familiar face in a slide during…
Similar:Journalists play a vital role in a democracy. That sometimes includes serving the public b…PersonalLighting makes a difference. The officers' pub from the interplanetary cruiser #steampunk … AestheticsProud of My JournosI saw several heads that I recognized, b…AcademiaRandom #steampunk workstation with a porthole, because why not. Most of the surfaces are f…AestheticsChoosing Carolyn's HeadshotWhich…
Similar:The Rivals #PPTPlaytimeA great production of a delightful play.CultureHappy Sweet Sixteen, Carolyn!The girl spent her birthday weekend open…PersonalThinking about the new semester vs. Creating submission slots in CanvasPersonalThe Bremen Town Musicians (WAOB Audio Theatre) My daughter plays the narrator, my…HumanitiesThe captain will shortly address the officers and crew. Please have the custodial bots pol…AestheticsI created…
Similar:How to be a Medieval Spectator (Intro to Toronto York Plays 2025)This is what I’m in Toronto to observe.&…AcademiaMy virtual army of grey capsules is just barely smart enough to follow my avatar around. #…My virtual army of grey capsules is just…AestheticsIs Babylon 5 secretly the most influential TV show of the past 25 years?When…
Similar:Looking in on the officers' wardroom (conference and dining) one deck above the main … I thought of the interior as “Missisip…AestheticsStar Trek: The Next Generation Rewatch I was in college and grad school dur…CultureI asked my geekling whether she was ready for bed…I asked my #geekling whether she was rea…AmusingSome new locations for my…
Similar:Treasure peaceful moments in a turbulent world.AestheticsOut & About: Stage Right holds its annual Heart of the Arts Gala Source: Out & About: Stage Right…CultureI just thought of a time before you were born when I should have been kind, but I can't re… Sometimes when I’m driving along los…AcademiaNew CarWednesday morning my resourceful brother…BusinessThis…