I expect that many of my students will be living the experiences documented in this study of how young people encounter news; nevertheless, it’s difficult to notice your own environment if you can’t compare it to *different* environments. Because I grew up with the three TV network news shows and the copy of The Washington…
Fairy tales are transmitted through language, and the shoots and branches of the Indo-European language tree are well-defined, so the scientists could trace a tale’s history back up the tree—and thus back in time. If both Slavic languages and Celtic languages had a version of Jack and the Beanstalk (and the analysis revealed they might),…
Anybody seen a post tagged this way? If so, I’d welcome a screenshot. On Friday, Facebook debuted its new flagging system for fake news in America, tagging hoax stories as “disputed” for some users. First announced amid criticism of the company for its role in spreading misinformation during the 2016 election, the new feature uses…
If you understand the environment in which medieval scholars created and used books, you can better appreciate why medieval books look and function the way they do. Understanding the cultural impact of computers requires us to study the development of both hardware and technology. Playing a text adventure game on an iOS device is convenient,…
Leigh, Peter, Carolyn and I had fun recording “The Nightmare of Prince Prezelsky” for WAOB Audio Theatre’s “All for One Stories.” (Peter plays the prince, Carolyn narrates, and my wife and I are among the servants. The full 9-minute story is online.) Prince Prezelsky needs to fight a dragon to keep his kingdom safe. But…
Wilson offers a good explanation of the position that shouting down speakers is not a form of constitutionally-protected speech. Such arguments are especially important on college campuses, where it’s the job of students to engage with new ideas — even uncomfortable ones; and the job of faculty members to equip students with the critical thinking…
Similar:Challenge Accepted.PersonalOne of my students is demonstrating the perceived value of brand-name vs no-name products…. PersonalDo you get your news mostly from social media? I check NPR, Drudge, and news.google.com.Do you have a regular news-consumption r…CultureAs coronavirus cases climb, the White House line is consistent: Everything is well in handTraditional journalism aims for neutrali…Current_EventsLooking forward…
One photo from the event shows her scrolling through pictures on her phone. I’ve seen captions that suggest she is ignoring the people in he room, retreating to her social media bubble for comfort and self-affirmation. This photo shows she had placed herself in that awkward position to get a picture. There are scores or…
You can’t get much more American than Thomas Jefferson. He did not love every newspaper reporter on the planet; however, he wrote that, if forced to choose between government without newspapers or a newspaper without government, he would not hesitate to choose a newspaper without government (under certain very sensible conditions). The people are the…
Kudos to the reporters from Time and AP who showed solidarity with the banned outlets. Reporters from The Times, BuzzFeed News, CNN, The Los Angeles Times and Politico were not allowed to enter the West Wing office of the press secretary, Sean M. Spicer, for the scheduled briefing. Aides to Mr. Spicer only allowed in…
My Media Aesthetics students are studying the power of fake news. This is good news for supporters of the First Amendment. A new poll from Quinnipiac University suggests that while people may be broadly unhappy with the mainstream media, they still think it’s more credible than Trump. The president regularly accuses the press of “fake…
Michael Henninger took this wonderful photo of Carolyn and the boy she tied with, CAPA’s Logan Schiller. Both had been in the same coaching session with Ken Bolden Saturday morning. (Thank you, Ken!) Pittsburgh Public Theater’s 23rd annual Shakespeare Monologue & Scene Contest that began Feb. 6 with more than 1,000 student participants culminated Monday…
I seem to be educating future enemies of the American people. Donald Trump has branded his critics in the US press “not my enemy” but the “enemy of the American people”, in a tweet that came a day after he launched a sustained attack on the media during a White House press conference. In his…
Similar:A Christmas Carol (WAOB Audio Theatre)Marley was dead. (I voice the narrato…BooksCarolyn featured on Steel City News for The Nutcracker The credit at 0:30 should read “Caro…AestheticsCriminal Code: Procedural Logic and Rhetorical Excess in VideogamesGreat example of the application of well…CultureVery Berry Dead Makes a Big Impression at Big Storm Performance CompanyCarolyn Jerz lights up…
Similar:On the Importance of Nonverbal Feedback in the Classroom [an Anecdote]I don’t generally like teaching with sli…AcademiaMy daughter found where all the missing pens and pencils end upAmusingFinal grades are due tomorrow. My Fall 2020 is almost over. I survived.Final grades are due tomorrow. My only u…AcademiaThe Ongoing Obsession with Shakespeare’s True IdentityI’ve never been…
There is a part of me that misses the 80s. I miss the loud grating sound a floppy drive disk would make for a second or two before it loaded a new area of your text-based adventure game. You knew, when you heard that sound, that something important was happening. Everything about this “How To…
A professor who had been a conservative undergraduate (but who now identifies as libertarian-left) offers advice to red students who feel marginalized in a blue academy. Take the tremendous opportunity of a college education to sharpen your skills and deepen your knowledge. Read Edmund Burke, Matthew Arnold, Russell Kirk, Thomas Sowell, Michael Oakeshott and Peggy…
Similar:Standardized Test Scores Don't Really Measure LearningThere are ways to raise a child’s test s…AcademiaLego goes steampunkBe still, my nerdy heart. Steampunk —…AestheticsPerseverance lands on Mars today! Here's what you need to know Today, February 18, 2021 at 20:44 UTC …AwesomeAbout 30 years after I first saw John Speed’s 1676 map of York, today I…
Similar:Random eye candy for props in my #Blender3D #retrotech project. Turned two circle logos in…PersonalCelebration of Writing Fall 2018Personal#PPTPlaytime adaptation of The Merchant of Venice.Top — nonverbal addition with Jessica an…DramaParent: "Why don't you use one of your stress balls?" The girl: "They don't like me."PersonalHad a blast watching all the amazing entries in Pittsburgh's…
When my son was about five, I sat him on my lap and let him explore the world of Riven (the sequel to the point-and-click adventure Myst). I remember feeling his back muscles tense up when he approached a cave and the music got creepy. “Can I go in?” he asked. I told him he…