Star Trek: The Menagerie

Just finished watching a two-part episode of classic Star Trek. I know all the old episodes backwards and forwards, since as a kid I made audiocassette tapes of the after-school reruns, and listened to them over and over. (The writers were never confident that the special effects would be any good, so a character always…

RT @THATCampPGH: @DennisJerz Registration is open…

RT @THATCampPGH: @DennisJerz Registration is open for #THATCamp #Pittsburgh! Spread the word…. Similar:Judge: Apple conspired to fix eBook prices.Judge: Apple conspired to fix eBook pric…BooksDesert Bus: The Worst Video Game Ever CreatedPenn and Teller are involved with this s…BooksHow hate and misinformation go viral: A case study of a Trump retweetOn Sunday night, President Donald…

13: The Musical Promo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40MbeApiXXI Here are some clips from a heartfelt, belty ballad that my daughter and her good friend will be singing this weekend in “13: The Musical.” They’ll each be playing the part of Patrice (the protagonist’s love interest) on different nights. The song is “The Lamest Place in the World.” We spent a fun afternoon…

How My Mom Killed Facebook

Lest you think this is just a complicated revenge scheme against my mom (which, let’s be clear, it is), it’s this exact phenomenon that keeps driving Facebook’s user engagement numbers down. Far more than the fears about future employment, more than the creepy coworker who “likes” all your bikini pictures, it is the fear of…

And Now for This Breaking News Report

“Police have cornered the suspect who reportedly put as many as 25 words on single line of this text. If caught, he faces… … a lengthy sentence.” Via Cheezburger Similar:5 myths about Facebook’s Messenger appReal journalism takes a look at that Huf…BusinessGoogle Docs "Writing to Learn" ActivityI created a fresh Google Docs page with …AcademiaIn…

National Dance Day

In the restaurant parking lot after dinner (thanks, Grandma Pat) I mentioned to Carolyn that today is National Dance Day. She rarely needs much encouragement to perform. Similar:We are all of us works in progress. Sometimes progress looks messy.PersonalUnderstanding Poetry INCIDENTAL COMICS: Understanding Poetr…CultureWhat Was the TED Talk?The title borders on clickbait, but the …CultureThe…

“Peter, if black holes aren’t a good conversation starter…”

“Peter, if black holes aren’t a good conversation starter at the picnic, what else might you try?” “Superstring theory?” That’s my boy. Similar:Once On This Island (next weekend)PersonalVincent Connare, Inventor Of 'The Most Hated Font,' Defends HimselfA typographic engineer, Connare was work…AestheticsIf you win the very first time you play a game, that means you…

She doesn’t have keys or a phone or an ID. Why does my tween need a purse?

To stash her Lemonheads and Smarties. http://t.co/Fr1luEpZ2b Similar:CEO’s brutalist office, for a Zoom-based production of R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots)….AestheticsThe Onion's Supreme Court Briefing on Satire Is StunningFrom October: A man who was arrested ov…AmusingThe Unbearable Weakness of Trump’s MinionsNote that the URL of this story indicate…AcademiaFirst They Got Sick, Then They Moved Into a Virtual…