How can a nostalgic, branching-path story-game encourage my 100-level journalism students take risks and learn from their mistakes? Using the ChoiceScript programming language, which features a robust stats system that can remember and respond to player choices, I coded up a “writing your first news story for the student paper” scenario, which unfolds as a…
I was approached on LinkedIn with the opportunity to work to help train an AI, for an hourly wage that’s much higher than I would get for teaching an extra class at my university. I thought about it. I told myself it would help me do my job better if I have a clear sense…
Support the humans who make art in your community. Death of a Salesman. #wirerecorderlife #fountainpenlife #howdotheywhipcheese #nobodydastblamethisman #bernardwormrising Similar:My colleague Dr. Cusick bakes Irish soda bread every year to honor Saint Patrick's Day.AcademiaThe exposition officer needs instant access to a pencil case, logbook and mission-critical…AestheticsSlicing up a massively detailed trimsheet to simulate reflections and geometry…
Beautiful set. Support the humans who do arts in your community (instead of settling for AI sludge.) Similar:Volunteering at our local food bankEthicsMy too-big Android phone stresses the pockets of one of my favorite shirts. My grandmother…PersonalChallenge Accepted.PersonalDress rehearsal of The NutcrackerPersonalHelp! I may be running out of excuses for not wearing…Help! I may be…
Vibing to a park saxophonist as I code for an upcoming conference presentation, and wait to see The Coffin Maker. A neighbor is sending some distinctly fruity smoke my way. Similar:My 13yo and 18yo enthralled by WarGames.Wife likes movies. Son likes military th…CultureFie upon your multi-page, ad-stuffed crapfest of shame. (Don't click!)What I wrote is…
Details for a modular mid-range scoutship, from the #steampunk #neovictorian bedtime stories I used to tell my now-adult children. #blender3d Similar:"We Need to Be More Vigilant With What We Trust From the Internet." –Fake PresidentFrom Buzzfeed: Sitting before the Sta…Cyberculture15 Grammar Goofs That Make You Look SillyBeautiful synergy of word and image. Pro…AestheticsWould YOU trade…
Proper commenting is an important part of coding any project, especially in an educational context. #ChoiceScript #journalism Similar:Carolyn's "waiter with wobbly stack of plates" bit from Hello DollyPersonalMy Parents (aged 72 and 78) Demonstrate a Ballroom Dance PoseThis is how my parents finish their Arge…AestheticsMore delightful #steampunk control panels. These are computationally efficient bitmap rect…PersonalStunned…
My basement dehumidifier was flashing an error code. YouTube had a tutorial with a possible fix. The thing is running now. Waiting to see whether the error returns. Similar:Cheerful scene from @pictclassictheatre Jane Eyre (getting great reviews; 11 more performa…PersonalThe Daughter's 21st Birthday Current_EventsMy crowd simulation handles 2000 capsule NPCs at 130fps. I’m really pushing…
Joel Lipton, 10 years old at the time, wrote to Peanuts cartoonist Charles Schulz. Fast-forward to this past February, when Lipton and his wife were cleaning out their closet. […] “Dear Joel,” the letter reads. “I think it is more difficult these days to define what makes a good citizen then it has ever been…
Apple has apologized, but like writer Peter C. Baker, I’m not quite ready to let go of that really horrifying ad depicting a roomful of beautifully displayed musical instruments, sound gear, art supplies, and even toys being slowly squashed by a huge hydraulic press (ostensibly to highlight the creative potential of the latest iPad). Picture…
I’m very amused at this nerdy news story about some tension between a judge who asks for legible documents and a lawyer who files documents with flasher typography. While I recognize that language changes and the distinction between “font” and “typeface” is unimportant to the general public, I teach my journalism students that historically…
This friendly gangster was parked at WalMart in Johnstown yesterday. Similar:Puns really matter to us over here in English.I swore I would wield my powers only for…AcademiaOne strategic twist-tie, and my bedside cable-tangles are a distant memory.PersonalSteampunk officer uniforms — test #Blender3D #Unity3Dhttps://youtu.be/SDh4TW8ujNg The vide…AestheticsA #neovictorian #steampunk ship-of-the-line needs a dramatic flag and a conveniently…
It’s unlikely to be at the forefront of the former president’s mind as he reflects on the verdict, but one immediate consequence is that Trump will probably lose the honorific title of “Mr” in the news pages of the UK’s Daily Telegraph. The Telegraph’s style guide states: “Defendants in criminal court cases … are to be referred…
Frog and Toad at the Mountain Playhouse with the daughter. Similar:Gil Gerard (1943-2025) I built a model of the two-pronged Sta…CultureCheckmate. Crushed again.GamesThe girl on Halloween 2018. (The boy and I were watching the 1931 Frankenstein at the libr…PersonalNerd Break! Listening To: Wilhelm Scream / Castle Thunder / Amen Break (While Watching Lig…In order to…
She’s wearing a shirt with a frog. We are in town to see the Frog and Toad musical. This seemed logical. Similar:Lining up for Honors Convocation 2016. #setonhillAcademiaThe Hubble spotted this smiley face in spaceReading each other’s facial expressions …AestheticsSorry, not sorry. I don't want such friends. Back in 2003, shortly after I moved …CultureMore…
At the Johnstown Flood Museum. (May 31 1889 the neglected dam at the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club broke, unleashing devastation on the valley below.) Similar:The Wedding PresentI’m approaching day 900 in my Duolingo a…CultureI was perhaps a bit more conversational and chipper than usual during class today. A grinn…I was perhaps a bit…
Your first #blender3d retractable #steampunk landing wheels will be your worst. But you have to start somewhere. Similar:Even in the U.S., Chinese Students May Have Tiananmen ‘Amnesia’But now that he was at college in Americ…CultureTuxedo Pooh Reads Oscar Wilde I spent an hour on this. Below is the …AestheticsThe Dog and the Oyster (Aesop Fable)I…
My contribution to WAOB Audio Theatre’s plan to record all the proverbs. Similar:The choreographer daughter is doing a thing.The choreographer daughter is doing a th…PersonalCarolyn appears as homeschooled teenager "Carolyn." Free holiday show Tuesday at 7. PersonalMan arrested in DC with weapons is released; says he made a mistakeA man arrested at DC checkpoint yesterda…CultureLessons…
Already facing scandal, the Washington Post‘s new-ish CEO and publisher, Will Lewis, has announced that the newspaper will be pivoting to artificial intelligence to turn around its dismal financial situation. […] The paper’s chief technology officer, meanwhile, announced to staffers that going forward, WaPo is to have “AI everywhere in our newsroom,” according to Tani. It’s unclear,…
Three different sized buildings. Still working on variations for the biggest one. #blender3d #medievalyork #mysteryplay Similar:Interview: Bjarne P. Tveskov, Classic LEGO Space Designer – Boing Boing GadgetsBoing Boing interviews Bjarne P. Tveskov…AestheticsOn the Importance of Nonverbal Feedback in the Classroom [an Anecdote]I don’t generally like teaching with sli…AcademiaIn July 1999, I was blogging about Dante's…