Writing Virtual Worlds in the Inform Programming Language (Full-day Workshop, C & W 2012)

For educators who are interested in both computers and writing, interactive fiction games (aka text adventures) offer exciting possibilities. This workshop introduces the interactive fiction programming language Inform, which uses a syntax that resembles ordinary English. Here is a sample of Inform 7 code: The Hotel Lobby is a room. A buffet table is in…

Reading Position

In our homeschool household, we do lessons year round. Knowing that she would have to finish her lessons before I took her to a party today, my daughter got up before the rest of the house. When I came into the kitchen to get myself breakfast, I found her like this, on the last chapter…

Some colleges slow to prep education majors for how to teach online

When Bartos took over Principles of Instructional Technologies at Seton Hill last year, she revamped the course that taught use of computer programs like Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint in classrooms. “It’s because of the evolution in technology — we really had to,” said Bartos. “I address right in my class that there’s a strong…

Griffin Run Cycle Test – YouTube

Here’s a quick run cycle, with some background detail thrown in for testing purposes. Similar:WordPress duplicate images driving me crazy I’m using the Atahualpa Theme with WPT…HomeAnother 40sq cm chunk of a #steampunk control panel. I'll do three more variations followi…AestheticsUnity3D Maze Game TutorialWorkspace for an in-progress Unity3D tut…AcademiaU.S. Public Wary of Biomedical Technologies to…

Nyan Cat Rock

My daughter saw the Nyan Cat video, and then opened a rock-painting gift from a secret Santa. The result was inevitable. Similar:Depression Dog Successfully Previewed HTML in DIY LOL GENERATOR      AmusingDatalore (TNG Rewatch, Season 1, Episode 12) Data's bro wants to be with a big crystal tr…In “Datalore,” an encounter with Data’s …CultureHow…

Blender Griffin, Part 3

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…

Blender Griffin, Part 2

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

Correlation or Causation? – Businessweek. Similar:Old English Has a Serious Image ProblemThis fall I will be teaching Shakespeare…AcademiaLGN Launches Quandary to Develop Ethical Thinking through PlayThe Learning Games Network, a non-profit…CultureA Note to My Remaining Students at the Close of the 2021 Fall SemesterOf course, the power outage meant that w…AcademiaMorgan 'Super Size Me' Spurlock…

Blender 3D Update

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:The poetry of deafnessMy auditory processing disorder makes it…AestheticsVenus Flytraps Are Even Creepier Than We ThoughtI clicked for the topic, but it was…

Blender Griffin

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:Google's Super Bowl Ad: A Romance in SearchI didn’t watch the game, but I did catch…AestheticsAnother delightful section of a #steampunk control panel. #blender3d…

Narnia Lesson Plans: Activities Related to the Musical (based on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) — Jerz’s Literacy Weblog

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: Future-oriented College Majors

Pittsburgh Parent Magazine’s December issue features Seton Hill’s New Media Journalism major in a cover story by Kelli Robinson. Similar:Limit child TV viewing to an hour each day, study urgesThe study followed about 1,000 people fr…HealthThirteen seconds. Dozens of bullets. One explosive photo.Forget for a moment that the picture is …CultureThe Schizoid Man (TNG Rewatch:…

Losing Face

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…