My Kids Are Shatner Than Most

I passed along to my geeklings an appreciation for hammy sci-fi overacting.   Similar:Each building in my #medievalyork simulation has four levels of detail (so that distant ob…AestheticsCaptain’s Holiday (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season Three, Episode 19) Picard’s Archeologica…Rewatching ST:TNG after a 20-year break….AmusingBreakfast Battle from "The Miracle Worker" (Pamela Lee as Annie Sullivan and Carolyn…

Cave Gave Game: Subterranean Space as Videogame Place | Electronic Book Review

Electronic Book Review just published an article I wrote with Dave Thomas, on cave space in video game ecology. Parts of this article are a companion to my 2007 Digital Humanities Quarterly article on the 1970s text computer game Colossal Cave Adventure. Crowther’s translation of real world caving experience into the digital medium provides a…

The Tribune-Review published a nice preview of Dani Girl.

My daughter Carolyn, Matthew Hommel, Vinny Tresco, and my wife are in this show.  (My wife is also the director.) The show runs Oct 1-3 (Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 at the Geyer Performing Arts Center in Scottsdale, Pa.) Geyer production ‘Dani Girl’ offers inspiration to those touched by cancer. –Tribune Review Similar:And now that June’s…

NASA confirms the best-ever evidence for water on Mars

Mars is the only [other] place where we have solid evidence for liquid [water]. —The Washington Post –– Similar:It's reckless and dangerous for a leader with a habit of doubling down in the face of crit…Today my Facebook feed featured memes th…Current_EventsSTEM Education Is Vital–But Not at the Expense of the HumanitiesPromoting science and technology educati…AcademiaCNN…

All the ‘Happy Birthday’ song copyright claims are invalid, federal judge rules

In a stunning reversal of decades of copyright claims, the judge ruled that Warner/Chappell never had the right to charge for the use of the “Happy Birthday To You” song. Warner had been enforcing a copyright since 1988, when it bought Birch Tree Group, the successor to Clayton F. Summy Co., which claimed the original…

Joust @setonhilluniversity discussion of summer book #readyplayerone

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Allergic to Grammar Errors

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Kafka Meets Charlie Brown

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the publication of Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis. An opportune time, then, to revisit R. Sikoryak’s “Good ol’ Gregor Brown,” which first appeared in Russ Kick’s The Graphic Canon, from Seven Stories Press. —Literary Hub Similar:Multimodal Composition: Every time a student submits a narrated PowerPoint, a puppy cries.AcademiaScratchy "Cloak of Darkness" on…

Academic robe, Is this the year I finally send you out to be cleaned? Nah, Febreeze is good enough for you. #SHUConvocation @setonhilluniversity

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Journalism students guiltily ignoring the “no electronic devices” note in the program during Fall Convocation

That moment when you see a dozen or more of your own journalism students guiltily ignoring the “no electronic devices” note in the program so that they can livetweet Honors Convocation. Similar:Writing School Papers: Does Your First Version Say It All?My colleague Mike Arnzen talked about th…AcademiaAffect (v. "to change") vs. Effect (n. "the result")I…

#SHUConvocation is about to begin @setonhilluniversity

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Thank you, anonymous person who left a container of Oreo minis outside my door.

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Details matter in journalism.

Get the brand of the beer, the make, model and year of the car and the name and breed of the dog. Here’s a great story that suggests journalists also “get the brand of the bra.” Similar:No, the AHCA Doesn't Make Rape a Preexisting ConditionA Republican Facebook friend posted a li…BusinessIt Costs So Much to…

Letter of Recommendation: Fanny Packs

What other accessory ensures the safety of your essentials, with easy access, while also liberating your hands? The fanny pack, when used properly, enables a whole host of activities that other bags render awkward: a deep embrace, a dance party, the ability to quickly find and swipe and secure your MetroCard. Through its rare combination…