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:Son took out trash w/o being asked; daughter wore papercraft tophat to grocery store. Life…I took my daughter to an Alice-in-Wonder…ArtFascinating, and very sad, story behind an iconic National Geographic photo.Fascinating, and very sad, story behind …AestheticsHow are you holding up? What difficult choices have you made? How…

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

Mars Panorama — My 10yo Pretends Her Bed Is NASAs Curiosi – YouTube. Similar:Churnalism SearchAt the University of Virginia, one summe…CultureVideo Game about Cancer and GriefOn my list for the next time I teach “Vi…AestheticsWhispers of the Past-Herb Morrison and the HindenburgIn this short documentary, I voice Herb …CultureAudisee Presents: The War of the WorldsAs…

Choosing Carolyn’s Headshot

Which of these headshots do you like best? Let me know on Facebook. Carolyn Headshots. Similar:Chess tournament in Monroeville. Two losses, two wins.The boy’s personal best in terms of win-…CultureMy 14yo Helps Teach a Vacation Bible School Class In character as “Pontius Pilate,” wa…PersonalIdeal Homeschool Summer Day: Studying Latin, Justifying Nilla Wafers, and Making a…

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:Diaper Money Camaro Comes Home Four Decades Later“While my dad has always spoken lovingly…AwesomeAstaire Unwound (Ceiling Dance from "Royal Wedding")My high school…

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:Midterm Grades Submitted.AcademiaInternet Explorer and Murder Rates: More Fun with Causation and Correlation IE.png – mlkshk.AmusingRolling Stone and UVA: The Columbia School of Journalism ReportSloppy journalism can ruin lives. Check …AcademiaOedipus Tyrannos (Oedipus Rex) –…

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…