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:It's been nice knowing you, iPad3 It’s been nice knowing you, iPad3, but…TweetsHow hate and misinformation go viral: A case study of a Trump retweetOn Sunday night, President Donald Trump …AcademiaTweet: For an anatomy project, my #geekling made a Vulcan…For an anatomy project,…

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:Missouri governor vows criminal prosecution of reporter who found flaw in state website • …I’m shocked… shocked that a reporter p…Current_EventsDetails like headlines matter. Journalists should…

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:I'm not a big fan of Disney's corporate greed.I’m not a huge fan of Disney, largely be…AcademiaHistorians Admit To Inventing Ancient GreeksI knew it! Busted!! “One night someone…

“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:How Social Media Silences DebateThe Internet, it seems, is contributing …CultureThe Abomination of Ebooks: They Price People Out of Reading Random House, which jacked up its eboo…BooksWhy do academics dress so badly? (Answer:…

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:The Blood and the BlameMoments after Donald Trump was…CultureA Thursday throwback to end 2015.Personal"Gen Zers know the difference between rock-solid news and AI-generated memes. They just do…Over the past couple of years, researche…CultureLysistrata live.Current_EventsScratch 3.0 beta is available. Try out the text-to-speech blocks!PersonalThe Ongoing Obsession with Shakespeare’s True IdentityI’ve never…