At the chess club holiday party.

Peter looks forward to his Wednesday evening visits to the Monroeville Chess club. (Last one until mid-January.) Similar:It's such a privilege to introduce these young people to Shakespeare's body of work.After starting my 200-level “Shakespeare…AcademiaFreshman writing students present their research projects in a suitably decorous setting. … Personaldungeon.jpg (JPEG Image, 2535×1616 pixels)Great Zork map.AestheticsI played hooky…

Commentary: What My Struggling Students Wanted Me to Understand

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…

Other than #StarTrek memes, my favorite part of the web is how it’s a rhetorical battleground for the fate of the free world.

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…

Carolyn and Alex in “The King and I”

Similar:Safety is a good thing.PersonalI created about a dozen basic building shapes, with textures to add variety. #goodenough #…I created about a dozen basic building s…AestheticsThis time of year I trust the process. Students are learning why a "yes/no" rese…PersonalMisaligned interior and exterior portholes. Bulkheads from the deck below visible above th… AestheticsA #steampunk control…

I rather like my camera. Bought a new zoom lens a few months ago.

Similar:Here for the daughter.AcademiaPict Free Summer Webinar: Shakespeare’s HeroesCultureAnother day, another 10 square centimeters of #steampunk control panel. #blender3d #blende…AestheticsThe choreographer daughter is doing a thing.The choreographer daughter is doing a th…PersonalAnother fun 10 sq cm of a #neovictorian #steampunk control panel. #elegance #design #aesth…AestheticsSpring 2025 Final Grades Submitted!Academia

The Girl at rehearsal (where else?).

Similar:I haven't seen this show since freshman year at Bishop Denis J O'Connell High Sc…PersonalUnder my academic robes… photographer vest with 3 frozen ice packs. #heatwave #HonorsCon…PersonalWe are all of us works in progress. Sometimes progress looks messy.PersonalI just realized I've been misspelling and mispronouncing "detritus" all my life. I’ve been a college English faculty…

Alex and Carolyn rehearse for “The King and I” Saturday night

Similar:I was briefly excited that Turnitin.com's new app works in a park with no WiFiThen I realized… I’m a guy who gets ex…AcademiaUpdating a villain's lair in #Blender3D. Still a work in progress.AestheticsAnd so it begins.BooksSupport the arts in your community! #augustwilson #radiogolfSupport the arts in your community! #aug…CultureThey still need work but we have…

Shall we dance? The girl tries on her ball gown for The King and I. Her featured show is this Saturday.

Similar:Making movie magic with my dueling gut-shot daughterAestheticsEnjoyed watching "Queen of Katwe" (Ugandan girl chess prodigy movie)I enjoyed watching this chess-themed com…CultureOpening night. Support local artists in your community!PersonalWhat about Socialization?Sometimes, I worry that by homeschooling…Current_EventsI'm happy with today's #steampunk control panel. To fill out the master plan I'm constrain…One of many steampunk control panels…

A woman approached The Post with dramatic — and false — tale about Roy Moore. She appears to be part of undercover sting operation.

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…

Fallout Monopoly with the boy.

  Similar:If Wishes Were Horses (#StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch, Season 1, Episode 16) Hallucinations become…Rewatching ST:DS9 Quark tries to inte…Culture"It's called an amphora," the artist says.AestheticsKeeping it classy. My 20yo son encounters the fruit-eating scene from the 1996 point-and-c…PersonalMaking progress.PersonalYou can be a Trek fan without loving TOS. But if we think tolerance and empathy are…

Curse you, conference proposal word limits.

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:Coding Sucks: Why a Job in Programming Is Absolute HellI enjoyed the essay, but the truths it…

Did you share Russian fake news? Facebook, apparently unable to insert items directly in our feeds, will make you jump through hoops to find out.

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…

Controlling behavior of HQ CEO hijacks what should have been a puff piece about popular HQ host Scott Rogowsky

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…

Taking Harassment Seriously Requires Serious Distinctions

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…

Details drive the news (new handout)

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…

Carolyn appears as homeschooled teenager “Carolyn.” Free holiday show Tuesday at 7.

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