ABC is developing the steampunk adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Yes, really.

As gimmicky as “steampunk Huck and Tom” sounds, the characters actually may be quite well suited for steampunk. Twain’s novel Tom Sawyer Abroad was a play on Jules Verne-style adventure stories, and featured a mad professor and his absurd, futuristic airship. And Tom Sawyer had his own mystery story with Tom Sawyer, Detective. However, Twain…

Vote for Carolyn’s Headshot — Round 2

Vote for Carolyn’s Headshot — Round 2. Similar:Happy ice cream turkey cake day. AestheticsRay Harryhousen, visual effects pioneer, dies  The Harryhausen family regret to…AestheticsMy 4Cs StoryI chaired a session on Friday, and gave …AcademiaMedea at Seton Hill University.CultureYou aren’t doing it wrong… if no one knows what you are doing.PersonalEvery conversation between a parent and…

Mars Panorama — 10yo with iPad Pretends Her Bed Is NASA Rover

Mars Panorama — My 10yo Pretends Her Bed Is NASAs Curiosi – YouTube. Similar:Socrates envisaged a time when we would forget how to remember.From Daisy Dunn’s review of Puchner’s Th…Books20 Things 20-Year-Olds Don't GetI expect my English majors not to balk w…AcademiaGrading writing: The art and science — and why computers can’t do itTech companies…

Choosing Carolyn’s Headshot

Which of these headshots do you like best? Let me know on Facebook. Carolyn Headshots. Similar:Happy Easter!PersonalEnjoying the “Science of Pixar” 3d computer modeling and storytelling exhibit with my son….Enjoying the “Science of Pixar” 3d compu…PersonalStar Trek The Original SeriesAmazing mural. Amazing.   …AestheticsTales from the Antiquities Theft Task ForceA shot of Kim Kardashian leaning ag…AestheticsIs…

Dozens of Plagiarism Incidents Are Reported in Coursera’s Free Online Courses

“If we really are trying to teach the world, including people from other cultures, we have to take a responsibility to educate people about plagiarism, not just vaporize people for it,” said Mr. Severance, who is also a clinical associate professor of information at Michigan, in an interview on Wednesday. —The Chronicle of Higher Education.…

Dennis G. Jerz | Associate Professor of English -- New Media Journalism, Seton Hill University | jerz.setonhill.edu

If in question, have more GOOD than BAD? University of Georgia Student Journalists Walk Out

My students and colleagues sometimes wonder why I don’t approve the Seton Hill student paper before it’s published, or give students grades on their published work. Student journalists at the University of Georgia resigned en masse rather than relinquish editorial control to an “editorial director” and nonstudent staff. In a draft outlining the “expectations of editorial…

Stage Right Water Sprite

Last week my daughter and I were a little too early to see the Westmoreland Museum of American Art’s new exhibit, so we revisited some of our favorite items in the permanent collection. Similar:Humanities research is groundbreaking, life-changing… and ignored Most arguments for “saving” the humani…AcademiaFolger Shakespeare Library on "The Fate of Ophelia"On my ride…

SCUBA Diving at the Pool

Because a beautiful sunny day at the pool apparently by itself isn’t enough, we upped the ante with SCUBA gear. Similar:Dax (#StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch, Season 1, Episode 7) Jadzia Dax faces the legal consequences …Rewatching ST:DS9 Dax is apprehended …CultureRIP Flash: Why HTML5 Will Finally Take Over Video and Web in 2014I am not a…

Official Rules to Nanofictionary

I was at a youth car wash today, watching my son and the other the kids spray each other (and sometimes the cars). One of the customers happened to be carrying an anthology of dystopian science fiction. We got to chatting, and he told me about this parlor game — which sadly seems to be…