Today's workload included requesting a "less-depressing used chair" #lowexpectations #partylikeaprofessor

Similar:The boy wins once again. #chessGamesWhy scientists should care about artMy artsy daughter loves stories about sc…ArtAll the Classroom’s a StageSome good observations in this essay. As…AcademiaMore household props for a #blender3d #steampunk project. I had made the spice rack and utensi…Aesthetics"Chores" — Clip from Snow White: The Musical (Stage Right Greensburg, Sept 2012)Here’s what…

Survivorship Bias – You Are Not So Smart

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…

Saints and Poets, Maybe They Do Some

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…

Think Before You Tweet In the Wake of an Attack

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…

Digital Humanities: A Definition

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…

Prototypes in Technical Writing: What are They?

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…

Adding a little Middle-Earth drama to a photo shoot.

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:"seriously, the guy has a point" — on the Charging Bull and Fearless Girl ControversyArt conveys significance; however, much …AestheticsThe girl around the house…

Amazing High School Yearbook Politics Spread

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:Trump…

Washington Post, Breaking News, Is Also Breaking New Ground

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…

Same photo, two different interpretations.

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:First Day in the Theatre for Twelfth Night (May 3-12) Daughter: (is sad her “first day in …CultureDogmeat and I may yet win this…

The girl enjoyed seeing Alex Noble and the rest of the cast of Sive. (Last shows, 2 & 8 today.)

Similar:My #AugustWilson #Steampunk NightmareToday is my last official day teaching a…AcademiaUnfinished pine and not so ornamented, for the workshops and service areas of my fantasy #…PersonalAfter purchase of latest accessory, I can no longer close my camera bag. #ConspicuousConsu… With the money I saved by working on…PersonalLook what mysteriously appeared outside my office door!PersonalWhat the…

Salesman at Pittsburgh Public Theatre.

Similar:A student who is writing her research paper on Taylor Swift made a passing reference to Ka…PersonalThese chairs were cheap, but it really annoys me how the design collects water.PersonalAnother delightful section of a #steampunk #neovictorian control panel. #design #aesthetic…AestheticsWe Tried to Do Vanlife Right. It Broke Us Down.Shortly before I got married, my…

Why Doesn’t Ancient Fiction Talk About Feelings?

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…

Old English Has a Serious Image Problem

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…

In Defense of Liking Things

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…

Procession #classof2017

Similar:The Duolingo owl is proud of me.PersonalWhat blogging wasI’ve maintained this blog since the spri…CybercultureOut for a walk during some downtime. Paused to appreciate this beautiful city of #Pittsbur…Out for a walk during some downtime. Pau…PersonalAdding details to a clip-art silhouette, for a project that will be released in a day or t… An important…

You may move your tassels from right to left. #classof2017

Similar:The chief engineer of a fantasy #steampunk flagship needs a small booth for shift change r…AestheticsToday’s adulting was brought to you by a failed motor vehicle inspection. #notacarguy #win…The car shop wanted to charge over $300….ModdingThings that have made me start singing "Tradition!" in my head so far todayAfter last night’s first rehearsal for…

Graduation procession #classof2017

Similar:Come see Carolyn and her talented castmates in The Fantasticks (Theatre Factory, Trafford …PersonalPreview of "The Fantasticks" (thanks, Tribune-Review, for covering the arts community)For Luisa, Jerz’s character, “the world …CultureI just picked up both Aslan's How and Cair Paravel. #narnia #monopolyPersonalSpent the morning in a socially distanced recording studio.PersonalVisiting my parents. Admiring their original Hallmark…

About to launch.

Similar:Did you see that guy’s license plate?Did you see that guy’s license plate? …AmusingMe loving my birthday truck, c. 1971. I adored this truck, and spellin…DesignAttending the Texture Contemporary Ballet.PersonalMore #steampunk control panels. Recessed workstations with fold-down keyboards. #blender3d…PersonalThe chief engineer has a forward-facing station, on a platform above the technical staff c…PersonalCrabby 9yo…

Faculty assembling in launch tube beneath Salvitti Gym. #classof2017 @setonhilluniversity

Similar:Settling in to enjoy live theater. Support the arts in your community!PersonalMoonBot (from the family steampunk bedtime RPG 2007-2013) vs. a crate and lamps.https://youtu.be/h2P2Ve-oZ1U AestheticsThe choreographer daughter is doing a thing.The choreographer daughter is doing a th…PersonalAnd now that June’s almost over, it’s time to start prepping for the fall term. (Sigh.)PersonalHow are you holding…