My daughter saw the Nyan Cat video, and then opened a rock-painting gift from a secret Santa. The result was inevitable. Similar:R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots) Full Play (via Zoom)All 3 acts and the epilogue to R.U.R. (R…BooksIn November 1999, I was blogging about books, camomile tea and Skylon 4, the death of Star…In November 1999,…
Before I was diagnosed with esophageal cancer a year and a half ago, I rather jauntily told the readers of my memoirs that when faced with extinction I wanted to be fully conscious and awake, in order to “do” death in the active and not the passive sense. And I do, still, try to nurture…
Okay, that’s enough work for one evening. I added a skeleton I had already created for another project, and I added new rigging for his wings and tail. I still need to add the fancy stuff, like having the eyes follow a target, having the limbs move automatically to follow the placement of the feet…
After another couple of hours of work, I’ve added the Griffin logo and a tail (trust me — it’s there). I’ve improved the lighting, and added some very subtle ambient occlusion (the inside of his beak and the inside of his eyes are shaded more realistically). I could probably do a better job differentiating such…
Correlation or Causation? – Businessweek. Similar:Thank You, Verizon, for this Confusing ScreenA few weeks ago, I had to get a new cred…BusinessMe loving my birthday truck, c. 1971. I adored this truck, and spellin…DesignYahoo, You Nagged Me Too Many Times; Bye!I have a Yahoo account that I use when a…BusinessThe Case for Banning Laptops in…
Holy ray-tracing, Batman, it’s a Blender 3D update! I have not had the chance to try out Blender 2.61, which features an ocean simulator, motion-tracking, and real-time ray-tracing. blender.org – Blender 2.61. Similar:Students say "math class is stupid and boring," and they are right. –Mathematician Paul L…I am working on some conference papers t…CultureVienna State…
To celebrate yesterday’s on-time submission of final grades, I spent part of last night and much of today working on this Blender 3D model of our school mascot, the Griffin. Similar:Last event of a busy day downtown. #AgathieChristie #murderontheorientexpressAestheticsIn December 2001 I was blogging aboutIn December 2001, I was blogging about …AmusingMy beautiful daughter…
I just posted the latest musical theater education packet, written by my wife, as she aims to make the most of our home-schooled children’s participation in Stage Right Greensburg’s student theater production. 1.10) Narnia, once a utopia or paradise, has become a sad, cold dystopia under the Witch’s rule. Read & discuss other examples of…
Pittsburgh Parent Magazine’s December issue features Seton Hill’s New Media Journalism major in a cover story by Kelli Robinson. Similar:Higgs Boson VideoGreat video about subatomic particles, f…AcademiaTrying out a new lens to capture creepy-toy-come-to-life choreography. AestheticsYep, it's time to read student papers on Flannery O'Connor.AcademiaWork-Life Balance, from 11(!) Years AgoI think I’m managing work-life balance…
This story features my Seton Hill colleague, Lee McClain. “It’s kind of like if you are looking at a bunch of leaves on a tree, you could study them, but you’d have to work really hard to tell them apart,” said McClain. That is how she sees faces. “That part of my brain that most…
If I were to say to a teacher: “Hey, you should try out this great IF game with your class”, it would generate a response ranging from “Fantastic, what’s it about and how do I play it” – from a teacher familiar with the principles digital game-based learning, to “I have adult students, they don’t…
“We take pictures of the clothes on a doll that stands in the shop, and then create the human appearance with a program on [a] computer,” he said. —Clothing Giant H&M Defends ‘Perfect’ Virtual Models – ABC News. Similar:Remember Who The Enemy IsGood article on Catching Fire. (I haven’…Books'Robot Journalist' Out-Writes Human Sports ReporterSports journalism…
I hope my student journos never have to face something like this, but I sent this link on to the editor, just to keep her informed. Many a journalist’s career has been made by being professional, while happening to be in the right place at the right time — Dan Rather was a little-known local…
Researchers have found a bright vein of gypsum, a mineral that could only have been deposited by water. The finding suggests that billions of years ago warm water flowed through underground fractures in the rocks. —NASA Rover Spots Unambiguous Evidence for Water on Ancient Mars | Wired Science | Wired.com. Similar:As if 2021 wasn't already…
Apple just released an update of its very nice iBooks. The Kindle still is my preferred ereader for personal reasons, but I prefer to teach with iBooks. Last year when I taught a literature survey, I experimented with asking students to use out-of-copyright free etexts, and to annotate them in iBooks. The fact that iBooks…
Kodak Brownie and Instamatic cameras were once staples of family vacations and holidays — remember the “open me first” Christmas ad campaigns? But it may not be long before a generation of Americans grows up without ever having laid hands on a Kodak product. That’s a huge comedown for a brand that was once as…
One of my journalism students posted this insightful and well-edited documentary. (She also posted a brief introduction.) HTML5 HTML5 480p FLV360p FLV360p MP4240p FLVFlash Similar:Understanding Shakespeare: "Pick a play. Click a line…"Pick a play. Click a line. Instantly see…CultureHow to Make a Website: Guide to Web Creation, Design & StylingI am a textual thinker, not…
A national study released Monday suggests there is a smaller percentage of young people involved in “sexting” — sending or receiving explicit or sexually suggestive images via cell phone or Internet — than previous studies found. via National study: Youth ‘sexting’ is downplayed – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Wait a minute… who or what is doing the…
Facebook has revolutionized the way we communicate — and class reunions have changed because of it. Some people keep in close touch electronically with almost daily updates online, so they don’t feel compelled to buy a ticket and travel across town — or across the country — to see former classmates. For others, enthusiasm for…
When our firstborn was little, my wife carefully avoided saying “no” to him, saying “no thank you” instead. When he melted down in public, he would scream, “No thank you! Noooo thaaaank YOOU!” The key to a new theory of tantrums lies in a detailed analysis of the sounds that toddlers make during tantrums. In…