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:How Not To Make Professional ContactsTowards the end of my year-long radio ne…AmusingIs There a Santa Claus? (Reading of 1897 editorial by Francis Pharcellus Church)https://youtu.be/qZUEO8zD6EQ CultureA surprising detail in bank records helped a historian bust a longstanding myth about Iris…A scholar uses bank records to track the…BusinessLiberal Arts Classes Could Teach Neil deGrasse Tyson a…

Hanging with the rude mechanicals @setonhilluniversity

A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Similar:My 11yo, of the opening chapters of a YA novel with an orphan heroineMy 11yo, of the opening chapters of a YA…BooksResponding to Literature at the College LevelA new handout, based on the opening lect…AcademiaCollege Instructors Don't Require Enough WritingI was surprised a few years ago to learn…AcademiaEvita in Zelionople CultureIntroduction…

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:Writing Tips for Critical Thinking  Critical Thinking Matters Pers…AcademiaBeatrix Potter-pinching and Žižekian swipes: the strange world of book theftsWe caught a gent last Christmas with £40…BooksCharles Schulz's Letter About Democracy, Discovered 50 Years Later | KQEDJoel Lipton, 10 years old at the time, w…ArtEmpathy in a Downtown Sub ShopSitting in a downtown sub shop. A…

After the haircut. The girl seems to like it.

Similar:World Press Freedom Day. (Don't take the free press for granted. Journalists are not the e…PersonalAnother visit to downtown Pittsburgh with my history-loving son.CultureSeeing a different cast. Break all the legs!CultureLittle Women (the daughter plays Amy, the youngest sister)PersonalIn the Hands of the Prophets (#StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch, Season 1, Episode 19) Keiko's scienc…Rewatching ST:DS9 A…

Before the haircut.

  Similar:Track and field fundraiser:photo by Carolyn. FIRST ONE!!!PersonalDress rehearsal of The NutcrackerPersonalShy Preschooler Won't Say Her Lines in "Peter Pan" Rehearsal (Stage Right! Greensburg)Little Maggie isn’t so sure she wants to…DramaMore world-building props for a fantasy #steampunk #Blender3D project.DesignOn set. #indiefilm #historicaldrama #creativity #enjoylifePersonalSettling in to enjoy live theater. Support the arts in your…

‘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.…