While Pittsburgh has become more metropolitan in the last generation, the culture here one county to the east still bears witness to its rust belt past. This may sound dull as ditch water to those who believe that the “flyover” states are inhabited largely by clodhoppers, fundamentalist zealots and loudmouthed Babbitts. In fact, Lauck’s aim…
I like introducing my English majors to coding. Here’s a computer scientist who’s returning the favor, advocating the importance of writing skills. “If you succeed in attaining a position that allows you to do something great, if you do something that really is great, and if you realize that it’s great, there’s still one more…
By the end of the semester you will be able to: * Write a good clickbait headline * Fire off a snappy tweet to trolls * Use facts ironically to disprove the President * Locate Sean Spicer in a variety of diverse hiding places * Pin a congressional candidate in under 60 seconds —McSweney’s Internet…
Similar:I'm Gradually Losing My Hearing. (It’s Part of Aging.)During a department meeting today, I not…AcademiaThe Fantasticks (Oct 18-27, Theatre Factory) https://youtu.be/SYp1jQaSwjo …CultureWhile searching my bag for a cable, I found an unexpected wealth of food-substitute items.AmusingSparkle unicorn "Winston" lends ethos to a presentation on moral agency on anima…PersonalPreview of "The Fantasticks" (thanks, Tribune-Review, for covering…
Successful people may just be lucky; focusing too much on their successes can silence the honorable failures that we can all stand to learn from. People who consider themselves “lucky” take more risks, and are therefore more likely to discover opportunities. They brush off their failures rather than dwell on them. People who consider themselves…
I wrote the following in 2004, when my son was 6 and my daughter was 2. The time is waning that my son will want nothing more than to play Battleship and The Magnificent Race with me all afternoon. Some day I’ll make a silly joke, and my daughter won’t giggle with glee, she will…
Sobering analysis. Would I be able to follow this advice in the unthinkable event I had a personal account to share? Terrorists use social media to recruit, but they also depend on you and the media to use it to amplify their message…. The motivation for terrorism is not mere murder or maiming but the…
Does the world need another working definition of digital humanities? Do you have one? Here’s mine. Digital Humanities is the deliberate, critical application of emerging technology to the study of traditional subjects such as literature, art, philosophy, and language, often (but not always) with a focus on how those traditional fields are now using emerging…
Many a high school student has muddled through a book report in a single caffeine-fueled sitting, but successful research term papers or quarterly progress reports require planning. In technical writing, a prototype might be a full table of contents (with summaries for each major section) and one or two complete chapters. If conducting a survey is…
The girl was concerned she wasn’t nerdy enough, so she’s taken to wearing a prop ring on a chain around her neck and calling it “My Precious.” (Photo credit: Kelly Tunney.) Similar:The Homecoming (#StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch, Season 2, Episode 1) War hero rescued by Kira has …Rewatching ST:DS9 Quark receives a Ba…CultureRules of Acquisition (#StarTrek…
I’m gobsmacked by the creativity that went into researching, writing, and crafting this layout. A look at how students in the Kansas City region commemorated the campaign in keepsakes meant to be enjoyed by all classmates, no matter their leanings. Source: It Was Hard This Year to Keep Politics Out of High School Yearbooks Similar:Star…
The Washington Post, famous for breaking the Watergate scandal that brought down Nixon’s presidency, is churning out top-quality journalism in the age of Trump. As an organization the Post is gaining readers, hiring journalists and scooping its competition. As a private company since 2013, when the deep-pocketed Amazon founder Jeff Bezos bought it for $250…
This is why I spend time teaching my journalism students about how to write photo captions. Which description is more trustworthy? Which description will likely get more shares on social media? Similar:Here I am sketching spaceships like I’m 12 again. I feel like re-reading the novelization …AestheticsEmpty InboxMy to-do do list and my “Follow Up”…
Similar:Remembering the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster (1986)Space Shuttle Challenger Destroyed (my …CultureThere’s Something Off About LED BulbsWhen I’m stressed, or I feel life is spi…AestheticsSweet Lenten RegretsThis Lenten evening / Your orphaned feas…AestheticsGrandpa Joe's Candy Store.Sugar rush at Grandpa Joe’s Candy Store….AestheticsChoosing Carolyn's HeadshotWhich of these headshots do you like bes…AestheticsToday I didn't save the…
Similar:"No, no, the drink, the drink,–O my dear Hamlet,– The drink, the drink! I am poison…PersonalOn Office Hours and Student Contact at the Small Liberal Arts College I don’t expect students to be constantl…AcademiaFanciful Fun in Theatre Factory’s “The Fantasticks”A great review from Pittsburgh in the Ro…CultureThinking about physical therapy and cheerful, chatty older…
Not a day goes by without The Girl reminding us that everyone else her age has a phone — but she also compares her desire for a phone to Gollum’s desire for The Ring. Many adults have told her she’s lucky not to carry around the burden of social media updates, though part of her…
This fall I will be teaching Shakespeare again; but thereafter, as part of a curriculum redesign, Shakespeare will be rolled into a “Shakespeare in Context” course that will also need to address Beowulf, medieval drama, Arthurian legend, Chaucer, Marlowe, etc. I intend to do this by teaching five different Shakespeare plays, focusing on one play…
It used to bother me that people got all excited about the color shirt that was being worn by a particular person holding (or throwing, or tossing, or avoiding) a small round object. Then I read the Onion article “Walking Sports Database Scorns Walking Sci-Fi Database:” A self-described “sports fanatic” who experiences vicarious thrills through…
Similar:Opening night! So great to see live local theatre.Personal"Godspell" is sure to entertain audiences of all ages and faithsThat’s me in the white shirt, with a tie…CultureFinished the female officers for my neovictorian steampunk personal project. #blender3d, #… Female officers, from the le…AestheticsPopulating my simulation with a crowd. Tweaking and experimenting. #unity3d #medievalyork …PersonalThis…
Similar:On this date in 1999 I first added a date to the list of web links I had been curating. (T…On this date in 1999, I first dated an e…CybercultureClues (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season Four, Episode 14) Data's faslehoods nonpluss and Pic…Rewatching ST:TNG After the crew blac…EmpathyThey both reached for the gun.PersonalA Conversation with…