Where is the tipping point?

What if universities stopped buying academic journals, and put the money towards hiring editors who helped their faculty publish their scholarship in their own free, open-source journals? I don’t know how much labour goes into running a prestigious journal, but let’s say all the universities that really need those specialised mathematics journals sat down and…

Most Christians don’t actually care about Starbucks cups. Here’s what we do know.

No Christians in my social media feed care about the design of that cup. Lots of people in my social media feed have reposted stories critical of the silly Christians who get all worked up about the design of the cup. Full disclosure: I don’t drink coffee. [C]ontrary to a few breathless media reports, most Christians…

Reading should not carry a health warning

Similar:Stapler jam during a midterm exam.My years of watching MacGyver definitely…AcademiaEmpathy in a Downtown Sub ShopSitting in a downtown sub shop. A half d…CultureThe daughter sings and performs Shakespeare at the Westmoreland Arts & Heritage Festival t…CultureInternet hyperlinks do not infringe on copyright, EU court advisedWhile European Union rules say every act…Current_EventsWhy Creative Side Projects…

Hanging with the rude mechanicals @setonhilluniversity

A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Similar:Scratch 3.0 beta is available. Try out the text-to-speech blocks!PersonalLittle Women (Thurs-Sun)PersonalI know that look.This was my 9yo today. She doesn’…AmusingLetter to the editor: Setting record straight on Seton Hill newspaperHere’s my letter responding to an recent…AcademiaFinal grades are due tomorrow. My Fall 2020 is almost over. I survived.Final grades are…

Surprise: Humanities Degrees Provide Great Return On Investment

The conventional wisdom is that humanities majors are wasting all that tuition money and dooming themselves to lives of underemployment. The conventional wisdom is wrong. Humanities degrees are actually worth well more than the cost of college. […] The present value of the extra earnings that graduates in humanities majors can expect over their lifetime…

Seton Hill takes on Shakespeare’s ‘Dream’

Students in my Shakespeare class will be attending this play. Student actors at Seton Hill University are off on a journey through one of William Shakespeare’s most popular romantic comedies, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Not even the writing style of the Bard — sometimes difficult to master for those new to the playwright’s poetic verse…

Editors and editorial board quit top linguistics journal to protest subscription fees

When I publish as a scholar, my goal is not to make money, but to share my intellectual creation. That’s part of my job description, so my university writes my paycheck with the expectation that I will publish. My publications will have more impact if more people read them. Hiding them behind subscription paywalls will…

‘Star Trek’ TV Series in the Works

I am not sure what I think of this. I’m guessing it will feature new characters in the rebooted universe, but I don’t see any info on that. Who exactly was the audience for this vague announcement? The new Star Trek will introduce new characters seeking imaginative new worlds and new civilizations, while exploring the dramatic…

Every Post-Game Press Conference (Weird Al)

Similar:The Myth of the Fake Geek Girl It’s not surprising, then, that being a…CultureIn Purgatory's Shadow #StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch (Season 5, Episode 14) Garak answers a coded …Rewatching ST:DS9 Kira helps Odo re-a…DramaIs Superman the next Drudge? Clark Kent quits newspapers in latest issue Even Clark Kent can see through the wri…Current_EventsLimit child TV viewing…

After the haircut. The girl seems to like it.

Similar:Merry Christmas 2017 PersonalStage Right offers four versions of its musical 'Annie' | TribLIVELeapin‘ Lizards! There are four versions…CultureOut for an April stroll.NatureLego goes steampunkBe still, my nerdy heart. Steampunk —…AestheticsCelebration of Writing — a big presentation day for freshman writing classes.PersonalThe ballroom of my #steampunk fantasy space cruiser is now a less lonely place. Thanks…

Before the haircut.

  Similar:Stage Right spreads the gospel of music with 'Godspell'The Tribune-Review is very dependable in…Current_EventsDowntime with the boy.PersonalSeton Hill students Emily Vohs, Elizabeth Burns, Jake Carnahan-Curcio and Carolyn Jerz in …Seton Hill students Emily Vohs, Elizabet…AcademiaEye of Sauron, Hobbit Door, Palantir and One Ring Easter Eggs.AestheticsEveryone Nov 1AmusingMy brother drove my mother in to see…

‘NPR Voice’ Has Taken Over the Airwaves

  In literary circles, the practice of poets reciting verse in singsong registers and unnatural cadences is known, derogatorily, as “poet voice.” I propose calling this phenomenon “NPR voice” (which is distinct from the supple baritones we normally associate with radio voices). This plague of pregnant pauses and off-kilter pronunciations must have come from someplace.…