Spent a productive work day doing nothing but optimizing my blog.

Spent a productive work day doing nothing but optimizing my blog. Added a very nice plugin for displaying thumbnails of related posts. Similar:NASA Releases New Earthrise ImageNASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO…AestheticsWhat Do Happy Teens Do? Hint: It doesn't involve their phones.I was surprised to see how closely happi…CultureLoved part 1 of Alec Silverblatt's Mon Valley Medium. Part…

RT @mykidcancode: Managing Your Preschooler’s Fasc…

RT @mykidcancode: Managing Your Preschooler’s Fascination with Apps – bit.ly/lv1ZyR #parenting #technology Similar:Deus Ex MemoriesI’ve just finished my final training run…CybercultureBooks vs. Kindles: The Choice No One Made Ever”I bought a Kindle. I didn’t immediately…BooksVideo: Curiosity's Seven Minutes of Terror – NASA Jet Propulsion LaboratoryYes, the Mars rovers are cute and wonder…DesignThat Uplifting Tweet You…

Maybe I’ll just delete these QUARTER OF A MILLION spam comments.

Not kidding — 254,460 spam comments in my trash folder! Similar:The secret police: Cops built a shadowy surveillance machine in Minnesota after George Flo…Many of the same people who reject maski…Current_EventsSnarky Error Message Comments on "the transience of linked information in the internet age…Arent you glad you didnt cite to this we…AmusingIn major step, UCSF…

“Bach is not for the weak of mind.”

“Bach is not for the weak of mind.” — Miss Renee, my kids’ piano teacher. “I’m in trouble.” — Peter, my son. Similar:Late night set construction for The Miracle Worker.ArtWhy It’s So Hard For Foley Artists To Make Footstep SoundsAccording to Foley artist Stefan Fratice…AestheticsGround-nesting Yellowjacket WaspsWhile my 16yo son was mowing the lawn wi…CultureQ…

Classroom collaboration marketplace

While I am uncomfortable with the whole “classroom as marketplace” metaphor, since it’s pretty much gamifying without the fun, I am nonetheless interested in this strategy for encouraging students to collaborate by having them attach a value to the artifacts they present to the class for sharing.. We shop for everything from apps to ideas.…

Study: Singing together synchronizes your heartbeat

The researchers found that each singer’s heartbeat was linked to the song’s melody – i.e. the speed and structure of the music. They also found that when the choir sang together, their heart rates tended to increase and decrease at similar times. “As soon as the singing begins, (the hearts) start following each other,” Vickhoff…

In Defense Of Metaphors In Science Writing

We live in an elegant universe. The cosmos is like a string symphony. Genes are selfish. There is an endless battle between thermodynamics and gravity. Do you love these statements, or hate them? The reading world gets pretty divided over whether or not it’s okay to apply metaphors and similes to descriptive science writing. It…

The Reading Project

Literature majors and students otherwise drawn to literature courses can be an introverted bunch. Students overall can at times resist course projects that fall outside the expected parameters of a given discipline. Yet my class proved my assumptions wrong. Many of the students were nervous, to be sure, but overall they seemed to enjoy the…

Tweet: Feeling productive. Hammered out eight scripts fo…

Feeling productive. Hammered out eight scripts for training vids (3-5min each). It helps that I had an outline & know the content well. Similar:Carolyn Gombell Is Not a Real Person: #JusticeforCarolyn Is a Campaign Against Twitter Ref…Fascinating use of social media. To be c…Current_EventsI asked my geekling whether she was ready for bed…I asked my…

Tweet: So, the correct quote from “Miri” is actually “No…

So, the correct quote from “Miri” is actually “No ‘blah blah blah’” not “No more ‘blah blah blah.’” Classic Trek trivia I did not know. Similar:And the girl has succeeded in getting me to wear t…And the girl has succeeded in getting me…TweetsMaybe I'll just delete these QUARTER OF A MILLION spam comments.Not kidding –…

The Library Adjacent to My Ethership Control Room Needed Books

For me, summer vacation means spending hours modeling shelves full of antique books in Blender-3D, so that the library adjacent to the bridge in my steampunk ship-of-the-line looks more lived-in. Similar:Show, Don't (Just) Tell (another update)AcademiaWhat About “The Breakfast Club”?I made three movies with John Hughes; wh…CultureDaughter doing a thing. Interviewing the Pittsburgh Dance Council’s…

Tweet: Came around the corner and saw my kids huddled on…

Came around the corner and saw my kids huddled on the couch, reading an Iron Man comic. http://t.co/S3xPQoZh1o Similar:Parallel Structure vs. Faulty ParallelismI just touched up a handout on Parallel …HumanitiesJury Duty UpdateI’m a happy, responsible, and no-longer-…GovernmentI asked my geekling whether she was ready for bed…I asked my #geekling whether she was rea…AmusingMaybe I'll…

The Humanities: What Went Right?

The search for what went right might take a hard look at the job market for our graduates. One recent survey, by the Web site payscale.com, paints a somewhat depressing picture of salaries, with humanities majors typically earning from $5,000 to $15,000 less than those with undergraduate professional degrees. Fifteen years after graduation, however, the…

Handshakes Really Do Matter

Monday night handshake/eye contact practice. [W]hen was the last time you analyzed your handshake? Consider these questions: If you are a male and you meet a female, who should extend their hand first? If you are a male and you are meeting another male, who should extend his hand first? If you are a female…

My daughter found where all the missing pens and pencils end up

Similar:Valid for any new yearEthicsRediscovering History’s Lost First Female Video Game DesignerRCA’s console never rivaled the impact o…CybercultureSpring 2024 Grades: SubmittedSpring 2024 Grades: SubmittedPersonalRevision: Don't just wash off your old sedan. Turn it into a pink monster truck or a solar…If your writing teacher lets you revise …Academia"Moorish girl" in Man of La Mancha. (Vulcan…

‘LOL, JK’: Texas teen faces 8 years in prison for making ‘terroristic threat’ online

An Austin, Texas, teenager faces eight years in prison for making a “terroristic threat” after he made a sarcastic comment online about shooting up a school. —Washington Times. Similar:Google Books ruled legal in massive win for fair use (updated)Update in a legal battle that’s been goi…BooksMy Summer Project: A WordPress Website for Stage Right, a…

Tweet: RT @EKSwitaj: Higher Ed drinking game: every time…

RT @EKSwitaj: Higher Ed drinking game: every time someone says MOOC, buy 1000 bottles of liquor, drink three shots, and say you drank all 1… Similar:What kids do when Dad won't hand over the iPod So I’m not being selfish… this is …EducationIt's been nice knowing you, iPad3 It’s been nice knowing you, iPad3, but…TweetsHow…