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:Did you see that guy’s license plate?Did you see that guy’s license plate? …AmusingAirlock for a #steampunk #blender3d project featuring #neovictorian #greebles. #blender3da… AestheticsNot doing well. As usual.PersonalWe Tried to Do Vanlife Right. It Broke Us Down.Shortly before…
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…
Similar:I just discovered what will grind up a significant portion of my free time over the break.So Khan Academy now has a grammar unit. …PersonalHe checkmates me in two moves. I lasted about a half hour, and went down fighting.Personal"Only You" — 11yo Carolyn Sings a Power Ballad from "Starlight Express"The observation car Pearl sings…
Similar:Many of these individual steampunk control panel elements are repeated, but I've arranged …AestheticsI pulled out a shelf on my teaching station and was greeted by this lovingly arrayed arsen…PersonalTARDIS from today's 3D printing class.AestheticsIn Which I Bow Before the Mistress of Teen SnarkThe Girl: I’m sorry I’m being so… Me:…Culture"I'm a geek. Deal with…
During the original run of Star Trek: The Next Generation, my college roommate and I invited our friends over to our duplex for Star Trek parties. Our local TV station ran the show at midnight Sunday, which was a terrible time, but we sometimes had 30 people over. Though we kept in touch virtually, I…
Yesterday, I asked my students, “How many of you spent $4 on a cup of coffee in the last month? How many have spent that much to support local news?” “If people don’t get local news, they don’t know what’s going on in their community. If they don’t know what’s going on in their community,…
Similar:My more or less daily 10cm section of a #steampunk control panel. #blender3d #blender3dart…AestheticsAnniePersonalWe'll Always Have Paris (TNG Rewatch: Season 1, Episode 24)Rewatching Star Trek: The Next Generatio…MediaChilling on Forbes Avenue with a small friend.Chilling on Forbes Avenue with a small f…AestheticsJesus Christ SuperstarI have a daughter who does things. Her n…CultureSet design for a…
Similar:#SHUConvocation is about to begin @setonhilluniversityPersonalEmpty InboxMy to-do do list and my “Follow Up” fold…CybercultureWhen she isn't playing Hodel, she'll be dancing with a bottle.PersonalYork Corpus Christi Pageant, Toronto, June 7I’ll be in Toronto next week to observe …AcademiaFaculty lining up for #SetonHill's "Go Orientation" — new ceremony hands students from th…AcademiaFight choreography via teleconference.…
Similar:The daughter introduced me to this wonderful Martin Freeman comedy. Kind of like School of…PersonalFoggy April morning on the hill.Personal10 years later it’s so much worse.PersonalLook what I found on my shelf in a closet. #history #archaeology #media Look what I found on my shelf in a cl…PersonalAlex and Carolyn rehearse for “The King and…
This looks like a deliberate attempt to plant a “fake news” story, presumably in order to discredit the Washington Post for falling for it. Verify, verify, verify. The Post did its homework, and did not fall into the trap. Sadly, this story will be used to discredit people who come forward with legitimate sexual assault…
I spend a lot of time re-educating my students, assuring them that my job as a college professor is not to give them a checklist, and then award points for each item they ticked off correctly; nor is my job to teach to a test. Shortly after I started teaching in my current job, a…
Similar:Carolyn and her friend Travis on Twin Day at summer camp.PersonalNot bad for a couple hours of work. #blender3d #blender3dart #steampunk #neovictorianNot bad for a couple hours of work. #ble…AestheticsFamily ( #StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season Four, Episode 2) Picard Retreats to Family Vineyar…Rewatching ST:TNG after a 20-year break….DramaThings are not going well when the…
I’m frustrated by these accursed conference proposal maximum word counts. (10) Curse you, conference proposal word limits. (6) Damn proposal word counts!! (4) Cut wherever possible. (3) Trim wordiness. (2) Simplify. (1) Actually, that helped. Back at it. Similar:Travel trouble, gun restrictions and no more ‘Mr Trump’: the trials of life as a felon It’s…
Did you share fake news from Russia during the US Presidential election? Grudgingly following up on a Congressional order, Facebook will permit you to jump through hoops to find out. Because Facebook apparently does not have the technology to insert items of its choosing directly in user feeds, the social media company has helpfully provided…
A few minutes ago I heard about HQ for the first time, through a friend’s Facebook post. An item or two down in my feed I saw a different FB friend had linked to this story. The Daily Beast describes a tense encounter with a CEO who calls a reporter, threatens to fire his own…
Editor and columnist Jonah Goldberg questions his fellow conservatives who call for the resignation of Al Franken (a Democrat; junior senator from Minnesota), equating the allegations against him with the allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, all the while downplaying the serious allegations against Roy Moore (a Republication; Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of…
I have nothing against essays, but not every writing task requires an essay. I tell my students they will be more successful if they produce a narrative personal essay because it’s the right genre for the occasion, not because it’s the only genre they feel comfortable writing. This handout is my latest attempt to help…