Why Is Othello Black?

To us today, the word “black” carries with it a specific cluster of associations informed by history, culture, stereotypes, and literature. Othello may have started in conversation with Shakespeare’s definition of blackness, but today, he speaks with ours. A much more interesting question, really, is: Why is Othello black? Why did Shakespeare write a domestic…

One of my students is demonstrating the perceived value of brand-name vs no-name products. The Oreos are gone. She can't give away all the off- brand.

  Similar:One wild place. (Sunday.)  NatureOut & About: Stage Right holds its annual Heart of the Arts Gala Source: Out & About: Stage Right…CultureClassic. So good! #startrek #tosPersonalSome editing and cropping makes this cartoon a perennial. EthicsDress rehearsal of The NutcrackerPersonalStudents whom I haven't met yet… Students whom I haven’t met yet, I’l…Academia

Celebration of Writing — a big presentation day for freshman writing classes.

Similar:"Shakespeare in Love" with the Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra and Stage Right!When I teach Shakespeare, I will from ti…CultureMy basement dehumidifier was flashing an error code. YouTube had a tutorial with a possibl…My basement dehumidifier was flashing an…PersonalI came of age playing too many CD-ROM point-and-click adventure games to ignore these stee…I came of age playing…

Audisee Presents: The War of the Worlds

As new age synthesizer music, a rich baritone narrates: “Audisee presents: The War of the Worlds. The year is 2015 A.D. From the first launching into space, in 1961, to the establishment of a base on Jupiter this year, man has not encountered extraterrestrial life forms.” When I was about 10 or 11, I loved…

Amazing show. Young lovers, a witty (but often stupid) servant, speeches, rants, exaggerated "takes," and no villain at all, just misunderstanding upon misunderstanding.

  Similar:One strategic twist-tie, and my bedside cable-tangles are a distant memory.PersonalLooking forward to more live local theater. (Support the arts!)PersonalLooking forward towards the wardroom (center) and the officers' pub, the Gear and Hea…AestheticsJustice (TNG Rewatch, Season 1, Episode 7) When Wes trips on a fence, joggers' god gets in…In which Wesley commits a crime…

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:Get ready for Generation ZStudents continue to change… I’m doing…CultureHow the Ballpoint Pen Killed Cursive The ink used in a fountain pen, the …CultureDear Jacksonfish.com: Please contact me to discuss your plans for compensating me for this…Here’s a comment I left on the jacksonfi…BusinessMy #Blender3D set design for a Zoom-based production of Rossum's Universal Robots,…

Hanging with the rude mechanicals @setonhilluniversity

A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Similar:On Death and iPods: A RequiemI never owned a classic iPod, though I d…CultureMerchant of Venice Part 2 live, now! #PPTPlaytimeDramaRehearsing 'Fiddler on the Roof' is like trying to herd cats onto a grid and make them wal…I’m really enjoying the experience. I’ve…CultureAgain with the @shu.pippinPersonalIn January 2000, I was blogging…

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…