I took my daughter to an Alice-in-Wonderland-themed library summer reading wrapup party, where she threw herself into every craft table. Then she wore one of her creations as we went grocery shopping. Meanwhile, my son, who stayed home to watch another DVD lecture on superstring theory, took out the garbage without being asked. Today…
My 11yo performed the part of “Patrice” in the clever coming-of-age musical “13” Saturday. Here she is with the leading character Evan (played by Anthony Marino — a very talented fellow with several movies on his resume). The content was a bit edgy for a cast that included kids as young as 8, so some…
We’re kind of in the eye of the storm, between a whirlwind summer and the routine of the academic year, and I really couldn’t disagree with my wife when she reminded me of this project. I remember using my original iPad 1 to sketch out the measurements for the wood I intended to buy in…
I don’t know her, other than as the author of this inspiring essay. May you, every day, connect with the brilliancy of your own spirit. And may you always remember that obstacles in the path are not obstacles, they ARE the path. —Jane Catherine Lotter Obituary. Similar:Why Is Othello Black?To us today, the word “black”…
At a certain point, the transit papers will get so complex that you will, inevitably, start making a lot of mistakes. This can become a serious problem as every incorrectly reviewed passport will deduct more and more cash from your pay at the end of the day. With your family’s lives on the line and…
I used to say that PowerPoint slideshows were the fan-fold-paper computer banners of the 1990s. Similar:Testing Facebook ThumbnailWhy does Facebook always use this image …CybercultureIn December 1999, I Was Blogging About Joseph Heller, E-Journalism, and Travel WritingIn December 1999, I was blogging about: …Business[E-Mail is for Old People] –[E-Mail is for Old People] (User Frie…AmusingMore world-building…
With great power comes great responsibility. Looks like I need to create a new unit on design. @jessiedylan @abbfleck @goudyliv84 @KatySny Similar:Juror's CreedWhile researching my obligations for #ju…CultureShe doesn't have keys or a phone or an ID. Why does my tween need a purse?To stash her Lemonheads and Smarties. ht…AmusingYes, I do feel rather awesome…
Does anybody know of any local (within an hour or so of Greensburg) professional or college productions of Shakespeare this fall? I’m taking students in my “Shakespeare” lit seminar to see Seton Hill’s “Comedy of Errors” in September. “Romeo and Juliet” at Pitt Playhouse in mid-December is too late for me. Similar:On the Hatred of…
One year ago today, NASA’s Curiosity rover touched down on the surface of Mars and began studying the planet. The rover may be lonely out there on its first birthday, but it won’t go entirely without celebration: NASA has repurposed Curiosity’s soil analysis system to play the tune of “Happy Birthday to You” out loud for…
The lineup is solid, no doubt about it, and speaks to the health of and the prospects for what’s come to be called “long-form journalism.” (Why long-form instead of just “long,” I couldn’t tell you. But, as long as I’m in a parenthesis, I can say that another positive development is the arrival of several…
I took my kids to a water park all day, and spent it completely off the grid. This is big news. The Washington Post Co. agreed Monday to sell its flagship newspaper to Amazon.com founder and chief executive Jeffrey P. Bezos, ending the Graham family’s stewardship of one of America’s leading news organizations after four…
I made a lot of impulse Kindle purchases during the phase when so many books were $9.99. I’ve never bought an iBook… whenever possible, I buy via Kindle instead, as a consumerist means of protesting Apple’s meddling with the price of books. US regulators have called for Apple to be forced to cancel certain e-book…
If I ever over-react to a tweet, I hope the tweeter is as understanding as Hilary Sargent. Politico’s Ben White changed his Twitter profile photo yesterday to a new photo, which showed him kind of smirking (or something). A week or two ago I yelled at Business Insider for not including Ben White in some…
Businessman John Henry, the principal owner of the Boston Red Sox, has entered into an agreement to buy The Boston Globe for $70 million, a massive drop from its record $1.1 billion price two decades ago. Similar:Journalism by the Numbers (a pedagogical play in one scene) #math (Lights up on a college journa…CultureDid you like…
The kids and I enjoy nerdy board games. (I love both of you very much, but when we play Star Trek Monopoly, Daddy is ALWAYS the captain’s chair.) Similar:The press lobby is going feral—ignore it Given that they need to write multiple…Culture"Syllabus Day": The Absolute Worst Way to Start the SemesterI’d rather blog about prepping…
To summarize the findings: because they didn’t teach to the test, the professors who instilled the deepest learning in their students came out looking the worst in terms of student evaluations and initial exam performance. To me, these results were staggering, and I don’t say that lightly. Bottom line? Student evaluations are of questionable value.…
The idea that generations of Shakespeare scholars got it all wrong appeals to the Saturday morning “kids rule!” ethos, where the kids smirk into the camera, adult authorities are easily duped, and the bad guys foreclosing on the pizza parlor can be thwarted by dumping a bucket of water on their legal documents. Similar:Created a…
Filing this wonderful resource for the next time I introduce students to the subject. Before beginning our journey to learn HTML and CSS it is important to understand the differences between the two languages, their syntax, and some common terminology. As an overview, HTML is a hyper text markup language created to give content structure…
I didn’t expect a pseudo-Elizabethan rendering of Star Wars to be great literature, but the R2 soliloquies add an unexpectedly amusing new narrative layer. So far, I can say the “Chorus” character is overused, too frequently walking onstage and delivering lines of exposition that ought instead be woven into the expanded dialogue between the characters.…
I asked my #geekling whether she was ready for bed; with her mouth full of mouthwash, she imitated Capt. Pike’s two-flash no. #tos #startrek Similar:Don't call it "social distancing" or you just might get a polite correction from the admin…AcademiaMy wonderful daughter.PersonalMy 13yo homeschooler had no idea how to open a little milk carton. I…