Wonderful Performance of Raymond Scott’s “Powerhouse”
Fantastic composition, deeply embedded into the brains of any kid who grew up watching Looney Tunes. Raymond Scott recorded “Powerhouse” on this day 75 years ago.
Poetry Out Loud (first round)
At lunchtime, I ducked out of the office for a Poetry Out Loud competition for homeschoolers in the Greensburg area. These kids are so bright and delightful, it’s a real treat to see them displaying their talents. My son (who turned 14 this week) won this round with his recitation of Poe’s “Annabel Lee.” The…
John Glenn fever takes hold of Cape Canaveral as 1st American in orbit recalls 50 years ago
The Russians beat us into orbit, and for the moment only the Russians can ferry American astronauts to the International Space Station. It’s hard to believe that just seven years after the first American was launched into orbit, Americans were walking on the moon. (It would be nice to see someone walk on Mars in…
Gamasutra – News – Second Life developer acquires experimental game studio LittleTextPeople
LittleTextPeople, founded by writer Emily Short and Maxis veteran Richard Evans, has so far focused on the development of software that replicates complex social interaction. For instance, among its internal technology is a simulator that models social behavior and individual personalities. —Gamasutra – News – Second Life developer acquires experimental game studio LittleTextPeople.
They may take our books, but they can’t take our love. « Beth Anne Swartzwelder
A thoughtful blog entry from a student in my “Media and Culture” class. When I clicked on the link to “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore,” despite the interesting title, I was expecting something very academic. But what I found was something so moving that inspired great emotion in me. I guess that I…
You are standing in a field. There is a meme here.
Via David Thompson
Twitter / Search – “couldn’t remove your contacts” – All Tweets
Twitter / Search – “couldn’t remove your contacts” – All Tweets.
Poetry Out Loud : Learning Recitation
I’m one of the judges in a “Poetry Out Loud” competition tomorrow afternoon. I regularly assign recitations in my literature classes, and resources like this may help students from stressing out, since the site is full of well-phrased dos and dont’s for reciting poetry. Please keep in mind that there is no definitive recitation or…
NBA Players Scoff at Mathematical Model Suggesting When to Shoot
Interesting application of math to sports. In analyzing teams’ shot quality, shot rates and shot percentages, Skinner found that the average NBA squad has a 4 percent probability of shooting the ball when left with 15 seconds on the shot clock in their final possession. The ideal rate is 12 percent. Skinner didn’t offer guidelines…
How iPhone Apps Steal Your Contact Data and Why You Can’t Stop It
Nothing really new in this article, but it’s useful to be reminded of how valuable our data is to those who want to make money off it (without our permission). Apple allows any app to access your address book at any time—it’s built into the iPhone’s core software. The idea is to make using these…
At Dogs Against Romney rally, lots of humans against Romney
When reporters report on what reporters are doing, you know it’s a non-story. The group was set to make its biggest news splash yet on Tuesday—holding a rally outside the Westminster Kennel Dog Club Show at Madison Square Garden in Midtown Manhattan—this time with real dogs. The event attracted at least 15 reporters, 10 photographers…
My daughter likes Machinarium.
We finished the game over the weekend. Delightful. via My daughter likes Machinarium. – YouTube.
Lucy Prebble on Gaming
I may seem laughably sentimental about what’s essentially pixels jiggering about. But somewhere deep inside when I was little I wanted to be an artist. And a whole art form has developed in my lifetime. I remember for the first time reading: “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own…
Lucy Prebble on Gaming
I may seem laughably sentimental about what’s essentially pixels jiggering about. But somewhere deep inside when I was little I wanted to be an artist. And a whole art form has developed in my lifetime. I remember for the first time reading: “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own…
Mercyhurst name change will take some time | GoErie.com/Erie Times-News
A pleasant little reference to old-school letter-writing. At Seton Hill College, which gained university status in 2002, the switch cost about $200,000. The team there also relied on community goodwill: They asked business owners along Route 30, a major traffic corridor in Westmoreland County, to re-letter their moveable-type signs to congratulate the new Seton Hill…
Blender 3D Introduction
I’ve been showing some of my Blender 3D creations to members of my son’s FIRST Robotics Competition team, and several of them asked me to teach them how to make a game. Blender 3D is a fantastic (free! open source!) tool that can model 3D computer-generated scenes and characters, render high-quality videos, as well as…
Virginia Home-Schoolers Make a Play to Join High School Teams – NYTimes.com
My old college roommate, Rob Bell, is the state legislator behind this bill. Robert Bell, the legislator who is sponsoring the Virginia bill, said it represented increasingly nuanced parental thinking as home-schooling has evolved into a more mainstream activity, up from 850,000 students nationally in 1999 to 1.5 million in 2007, the latest figure available…
Teens prefer Facebook, Twitter to television?
A survey of 1300 people across the UK was carried out by Opinion Matters on behalf of the agency, and found that 65 percent of 16-24 year-olds rated social media as their favourite hobby, rather than watching television, reading or playing video games. […] TV was considered as a favoured leisure activity by 54 percent…
Seton Hill Supports “Man of La Mancha” Student Outing (Feb 17 and 19)
Seton Hill University students can attend a local professional production of the musical theatre classic “Man of La Mancha” for just $10 Feb 17 and Feb 19. As part of the Stage Right Theatre Company’s professional season, the show will be staged February 17 – 19 at the Greensburg Garden Civic Center. Seton Hill University students can…
10 Ways Being a Theatre Major Prepared Me for Success | Wayfarer
I was not a theatre major, but I did have various paid jobs in my college theatre department, including working in the scene shop, painting billboards, writing press releases, etc. Nothing excites my 9yo daughter like acting. On her one day off between her last two shows, she built a sock puppet theater out of…