Our future robot overlords never looked so squishy. A team of Harvard University scientists has built an entirely soft robot — one that’s inspired by an octopus. The octobot, described this week in the journal Nature, could pave the way toward more effective soft robots that could be used in search and rescue, exploration and…
Similar:Incoming Seton Hill Students Pick Up Their MacBooks and iPads TodayI find it impossible not to be cheerful …AcademiaJournalism ethics and the elephant in the room.The point of “the Rosenthal Rule” is not…CultureNew Handout on Surviving Group Projects in CollegeI posted a new handout with tips on surv…AcademiaOn Stephen Hawking, Vader and Being More Machine…
This short film documents an early attempt to use hypertext to help students study poetry. A fascinating early collaboration between computer science and the humanities. Similar:In the Hands of the Prophets (#StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch, Season 1, Episode 19) Keiko's scienc…Rewatching ST:DS9 A candidate for Baj…CultureStudents must learn how to get things wrong. Only one subject…
Similar:Picking up books for another termAcademiaStudents Don't Read Syllabi, Exhibit 58623https://twitter.com/ConnorMEwing/status/…AcademiaHow 'Fiddler On The Roof' (And Writing Its Sequel) Helped An Actress Find ClosureI’m not sure what I think of this yet. M…BooksTop deck of a #neovictorian #steampunk cruiser needs an airlock at the top of the spiral s… AestheticsViral Video Vilifies Foul-ball FanA…
If movies about space have taught us anything, it’s that no one can hear you scream. If you get lost in space, nobody’s going to find you. Unless you’re a spacecraft with a direct link to NASA. Then, there is hope for you yet. STEREO-B, from the Solar and Terrestrial Relations Observatory mission, went missing on…
Today my son asked me to take him shopping for his favorite foods. He’s tired of fast-food take-out. I told him I was busy today running the spotlight for and videotaping yet another one of Carolyn’s performances (this time her voice teacher’s summer revue).
The poor boy has been left at home a lot while the rest of us did so much theater over the summer. He competed in a chess tournament last week. I fell asleep in the next room. He came in second place. (I have no pictures. I’m a bad father.)
While secondary schools pour their resources into helping students get into a good university, and adults rush to teach teens how to behave well socially, no one’s covering what kids need to know for, you know, the actual classes. I have a clear picture of what’s missing from their preparation. Here’s what to tell your…
AFTER A 14-YEAR run, Gawker.com is shutting down next week. Gawker Media’s new owner, US Spanish-language TV network Univision, made the decision to shut down the site after bidding $135 million for the web publisher’s seven-site portfolio in a bankruptcy auction earlier this week. (A bankruptcy judge is set to approve the final sale later…
Helen Keller, rendered blind and deaf after an infection as a toddler, learned the gift of language from her patient and determined teacher, Annie Sullivan. Their story is told in the play The Miracle Worker (and my daughter plays Helen in three more shows this weekend at Latrobe’s Cabaret Theatre). As a young woman Helen Keller…
Similar:Someone I know very well is in the trailer for Midnight (2020)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5BczlGs…CultureCarolyn and Nick in Beauty and the BeastAestheticsPuns really matter to us over here in English.I swore I would wield my powers only for…AcademiaThese buildings are so much better than my first try about a month ago, and good enough fo…These buildings are so…
Business Insider calls this article an “anecdote… provided by linguist and cross-culture studies expert Richard Lewis.” The article provides several direct links to other works by Lewis, including an Amazon link for his book and an advertisement for the services he offers to businesses. The article makes many unsourced claims, and assumes that all Americans…
Similar:Greensburg student wins Shakespeare contest A Greensburg student did the Bard pr…CultureI created about a dozen basic building shapes, with textures to add variety. #goodenough #…I created about a dozen basic building s…AestheticsMemories of Toronto Yonge Street EncountersI arrived in Toronto in 1992 as a 22yo g…Culture"I might be putting a little too much effort…
Similar:Here is an example of how I teach with Inform 7.Here is an example of how I teach with I…AcademiaI’ve finally started to create female uniforms for the #neovictorian fantasy #steampunk æt…PersonalHello, I’m Dr. Jerz, I’ll be your server tonight for Christmas on the Hill. Hello, I’m Dr. Jerz, I’ll be your serv…PersonalComing up for…
Similar:Zooming into the abyss: Black squares don’t contribute much to the learning environment.PersonalWhy I Rarely Blog about My Home Building ProjectsWe’re kind of in the eye of the storm, b…ModdingThe Rivals #PPTPlaytimeA great production of a delightful play.CultureHitting the weekend with just 6 ungraded papers. #partylikeaprof Hitting the weekend with just 6 ungrad…PersonalAnother random background…
Similar:More rehearsing. More dancing. PersonalLove outdoor theater. Love #Chekhov ! Love #cherryorchard Support the arts in your city. @…PersonalI have for some reason reached another #duolingo milestone.CultureA selfie with a Chekov action figure after learning of Anton Yelchin's deathCurrent_EventsThe daughter missed her graduation ceremony because she was performing in Kinetic Theatre'…The daughter missed her graduation cerem…AcademiaWho…
Trump offers plenty of opportunities for his detractors to criticize him. In the case of BabyGate, it does appear that the media were quick to spread an unflattering story without confirming some key facts. From a reporter seated one row behind the crying baby: “Mom and baby, very much not kicked out, came back to their seat a bit later. The baby was sucking a pacifier, silent.” There’s a little more to the story than the transcript and video suggest.
Kinetic Theatre‘s production was full of great twists that honor the source material while also smashing the fourth wall. (Carolyn has worked with all three cast members in PICT’s Great Expectations and/or Oliver Twist.) Similar:How America fell in love with crazy amounts of air conditioningBy the 1950s, as air conditioners became…BusinessThe Outsiders — four sold-out weekday matinees; four…
I’d rather blog about prepping my fall classes than actually start prepping my classes, so here you go. I don’t spend much time on the syllabus on the first day, though I do show students where key topics are, and I do assign a take-home syllabus quiz. (“If Gus Griffin tells you he’s worried about…
We spent Sunday afternoon at the Sadecky’s Puppets studio/workshop in Tarentum, Pa. Carolyn recorded an audio track for a musical adaptation of “Heidi,” to be synced with performances of live puppeteers touring across 9 states during the coming school year. Mr. Sadecky, who has been performing with his puppets since the early 80s, was charming…
Americans are more worried than enthusiastic about using gene editing, brain chip implants and synthetic blood to change human capabilities. Majorities of U.S. adults say they would be “very” or “somewhat” worried about gene editing (68%), brain chips (69%) and synthetic blood (63%), while no more than half say they would be enthusiastic about each…