Portrait of a Ten-Year-Old Girl

This thoughtful article demonstrates how to use colorful details to keep a reader engaged enough to absorb statistics and trends. What could be just an amusing slice of a Canadian girl’s life of carpools, playdates, and self-invention becomes a launching point for social commentary. The author does refer to herself, but deliberately, selectively; to serve…

My son showed me #PacificRim.

My son showed me #PacificRim. Liked the child actress in the flashback. Enjoyed the feuding scientists. The rest? Flashy, soulless CGI. Similar:The Ship #StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch (Season 5, Episode 2) Sisko defends his claim to salvage a…Rewatching ST:DS9 The Ship On a mine…DramaWriting, Coding and Education: Why They MatterBack in my grad school days, I…

Conflict Strategies for Nice People

Nothing to do with Christmas… just thinking about the upcoming group projects due in my online J-Term course. I should also probably re-read some Dale Carnegie, which I do every few years. Teams need conflict to function effectively. Conflict allows the team to come to terms with difficult situations, to synthesize diverse perspectives, and to…

What’s wrong with the way I talk?

Wife & daughter competing w each other to imitate brassy actress from Singing in the Rain. “Whaat’s wrong wit’ da way I taawk?” #pleasestop Similar:Desk trays, with procedural wood materials by Blendermada. #blender3dAestheticsThe third Google hit for " #steampunk control panel" is a #blender3d image I cre…PersonalTrektacular Google DoodleAmusingU Michigan's North Quad Complex: A Media…

Merry Christmas 2013

Similar:Talkback session after the matinee and my brother and faculty colleagues after the evening…Talkback session after the matinee and m…AwesomeLast weekend I roughed out shapes to represent buildings, in order to provide some sense o…Last weekend I roughed out shapes to rep…PersonalPrime Stage presents ‘Twelfth Night’ as season-ending productionLooking forward to seeing this! Set in…

Theory Trading Cards

This set of 21 Theory Trading Cards, published by AltaMira Press, is based upon the online trading cards which have been so popular at David Gauntletts website www.theory.org.uk. Being actual cards, these are two-sided and contain more information; and whereas the online cards were only an official set of 12, for the published version, 21 new…

RT @Historiator: “@dancohen: Finally upgraded to O…

RT @Historiator: “@dancohen: Finally upgraded to OS X 10.9. It feels like a Borges story about OS X 10.8.” @MikeArnzen @DennisJerz Similar:My Minecraft-obsessed tween made this blocky foam pig at art camp. Next up: Stage Right summer musical th…AestheticsI asked my geekling whether she was ready for bed…I asked my #geekling whether she was rea…AmusingHabits…

RT @Rhymestyle: First leaked photo from the set of…

RT @Rhymestyle: First leaked photo from the set of Star Wars Episode VII http://t.co/xji8x9J5zL Similar:RT @DDeClaudio: Who do you think controls the news…RT @DDeClaudio: Who do you think control…TweetsTweet: For an anatomy project, my #geekling made a Vulcan…For an anatomy project, my #geekling mad…TweetsCarolyn Gombell Is Not a Real Person: #JusticeforCarolyn Is a Campaign Against…

RT @Historiator: Nicely balanced, real-time post m…

RT @Historiator: Nicely balanced, real-time post mortem on last night’s Twitter event. @DennisJerz @PhilKomarny @magawelek http://t.co/IwQ0… Similar:Parallel structure in writing: Use it!These comic panels cover the issue well….HumanitiesShe doesn't have keys or a phone or an ID. Why does my tween need a purse?To stash her Lemonheads and Smarties. ht…AmusingParallel Structure vs. Faulty ParallelismI just…

RT @PhilKomarny: @Historiator @DennisJerz @magawel…

RT @PhilKomarny: @Historiator @DennisJerz @magawelek Glad that it ended with some donations to @AidforAfrica justinesacco.com Similar:Juror's CreedWhile researching my obligations for #ju…CultureRT @JordanFor: One of the counters from the Civil…RT @JordanFor: One of the counters from …TweetsLoved seeing A Comedy of Errors @setonhillLoved seeing A Comedy of Errors @setonhi…TweetsMaybe I'll just delete these QUARTER OF…

A Word About Group Projects

Okay, students… who loves group projects! Let’s hear it for group projects! (Crickets… crickets…) Okay employers… who puts “Ability to work in a team” at the top of a Forbes Magazine list of 10 skills employers say they seek in new hires? Employers: (cheering wildly) We do! We do! Here are the 10 skills employers say they seek,…

Why NORAD Tracks Santa

The call had come in on one of the top secret lines inside CONAD that only rang in the case of a crisis. Grabbing the phone, Shoup must have expected the worst. Instead, a tiny voice asked, “Is this Santa Claus?” “Dads pretty annoyed,” said Terri Van Keuren, Shoups daughter, recalling the legend of that…

I Made a Cheerful Maze Game in Scratch

Well, it’s cheerful unless you touch something red AND DIE. Similar:The History of Typography Told in Five Animated MinutesOpen Culture. AestheticsThe right — and surprisingly wrong — ways to get kids to sit still in class When it came time for me to make sugge…CultureJournalism Isn't Dying. It's Returning to Its Roots.An important reminder that…

I made a cheerful maze game in Scratch. It’s cheer…

I made a cheerful maze game in Scratch. It’s cheerful unless you touch something read AND DIE. scratch.mit.edu/projects/14908… made w/ Scratch Similar:Tweet: For an anatomy project, my #geekling made a Vulcan…For an anatomy project, my #geekling mad…TweetsMaybe I'll just delete these QUARTER OF A MILLION spam comments.Not kidding — 254,460 spam comments in …CybercultureDesert Bus:…

RT @Historiator: Please note @PhilKomarny @magawel…

RT @Historiator: Please note @PhilKomarny @magawelek @VissatMaureen “@HistoricalPics: All this technology is making us antisocial. http://t… Similar:Overheard at Quora: "Why after all these years is Moodle still so ugly?"Moodle is a free course-management tool …AcademiaParallel Structure vs. Faulty ParallelismI just touched up a handout on Parallel …HumanitiesRT @PhilKomarny: A floppy disc… In #context htt…RT @PhilKomarny:…

Nerd-buddies

“He likes Lord of the Rings, Star Wars *and* Star Trek!!” — my nerdling daughter, eyes shining, about a new friend. Similar:Narrative, Creativity, and EvolutionMy students are finishing up Hayles, My …AcademiaRubric for the Rubric Concerning Students’ Core Educational Competency In Reading Things I…Sadly, this only barely counts as satire…AcademiaSubtle Stylesheet Tweaks for Mobile SiteOn…