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…
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…
The particular nature of drone warfare is also a contributor to the higher stress levels. While the number is very small, officials who conducted the study said they did encounter a handful of pilots who suffered symptoms of PTSD — post-traumatic stress disorder — directly linked to their experience running combat operations. Unlike traditional pilots…
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…
“When someone goes into music, they have a different set of values and perspectives than someone with an engineering degree or a political science degree,” Reed says. “ConAgra likes that diversity. They like that you’ve got people with very different orientations coming in and they feel it adds energy and perspective to the work force.”…
Here’s a quick run cycle, with some background detail thrown in for testing purposes. Similar:World Trade Center Literary and Cultural Reflections (first posted September 11, 2001) Not knowing what else to do, in the nu…AestheticsHow Facebook and Twitter control what you see about FergusonOn Twitter, I see tear-gassed civilians,…CultureI'm having scads of fun designing #steampunk…
My daughter saw the Nyan Cat video, and then opened a rock-painting gift from a secret Santa. The result was inevitable. Similar:Lounge area of a steampunk villain’s lair. Still needs a light fixture or two. #blender3dAestheticsAmong today’s major professional accomplishments: installing this hook. #springbreakMy office door feels more complete now. …AcademiaMy Memories of "Joseph…" [an…
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:The Hidden Signs That Can Reveal a Fake Photo Farid emphasises that forensic techniq…CybercultureYou're not going to read thisI ask my students to contextualize links…BusinessHere's some good writing from The New Yorker: "Seattle’s Leaders Let Scientists Take the L… If you think of science like the multi…CultureAlmost Flat DesignApple, Google…
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:This is what an "umm" looks likeThis image, of the audio waveform from a…Media"It's called an amphora," the artist says.AestheticsGambit Part 1 (#StarTrek…
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:Why Computers Will Never Write Good Novels If it were possible to build a digit…BooksElderly woman who botched religious fresco demands royalties – TelegraphThe…
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:Empathy in a Downtown Sub ShopSitting in a downtown sub shop. A half d…CultureThere's No Substitute for FictionWhat do Peskin and Astington recommend f…BooksStephen Greenblatt's The Swerve racked up prizes — and completely misled you about…
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:Actually, this post really *is* about ethics in journalism.People – journalists and non-journalists…Current_EventsLet's talk about AI art…
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:Real college classes have writing…