Rewatching ST:TNG When Picard is up in the middle of the night amusing himself with his archaeology hobby, he’s annoyed to find that Stellar Cartography has taken communications, library systems, and the replicators offline. When he heads down there, the officer in charge is taking some sensor readings that are so delicate they can be…
Objective news reporting is an ideal. Wherever humans are involved, there will be bias. There’s nothing intrinsically wrong with journalism that reports with a particular slant, but informed consumers of news who want to understand a complex issue aren’t served by one-sided media coverage that flatters and amplifies their world view. This chart sorts popular…
If you said hello to me recently and I didn’t seem interested in smalltalk, but just raised my eyebrows, made friendly sounds, and drifted on, I hope I didn’t seem indifferent. I really was glad to see so many familiar upper halves of faces at the Lamp Theatre last night, but it was also kind…
The role of mainstream journalists is significant, and, overall, their record has been far less than stellar. Too many, whether in a one-on-one interview or at larger sessions with a number of reporters, have failed to push back in a way that matters. Trump is such a facile talker — one who specializes in dazzling…
Rewatching ST:TNG The Enterprise-D visits Deep Space Nine, so that the producers can take advantage of the beautiful promenade set and jam in a guest appearance from DS9’s Dr. Bashir. O’Brien doesn’t appear in this episode, but he’s mentioned in a brief and completely unnecessary scene where LaForge complains the pasta on DS9 “tastes like…
Similar:A little board-gaming for Labor Day.PersonalMy Father's Day adventure included replacing the family gaming computer (a 2011 Mac Mini…..One of the benefits of working at Seton …AcademiaWhy do academics dress so badly? (Answer: they are too happy)I used to wear a suit and tie when I tau…AcademiaHaven (TNG Rewatch, Season 1, Episode 10) When a…
For decades, champions of the video game industry have touted gaming’s cultural impact as the equal of literature, film and music. Traditionally, the classic works from those mediums have been preserved for study by future generations, and amid gaming’s global rise in relevance, a group of video game scholars and advocates is pushing to preserve…
Similar:Made it to the closing performance @quantumtheatreDramaThis Is What Summer Vacation Is For: Designing a Steampunk Airsloop with Blender 3DSummer vacation means if I am telling my…AestheticsMore modular low-poly background buildings. I’ll do some more facades then move to the nex…More modular low-poly background buildin…AestheticsVisiting the KLBE Air MuseumPersonalLoved part 1 of Alec Silverblatt's Mon…
Similar:Did you put enough donuts in the elevator shaft of your #steampunk #neovictorian cruiser t…https://youtu.be/lSgv5L0sXtc &nbs…AestheticsDress rehearsal for Mamma Mia. This weekend only.PersonalI was briefly excited that Turnitin.com's new app works in a park with no WiFiThen I realized… I’m a guy who gets ex…AcademiaIt's been a Dwarf Fortress afternoon. AwesomeFrom Shakespeare to Sondheim to…
Rewatching ST:TNG Picard is in sickbay with a gaping hole in his chest. Crusher can’t save him. In a white void, Picard meets a familiar figure, Q, who claims to be God, and conjures up a vision of Picard’s father (who is *so* disappointed), and voices from Picard’s past — people he says have died…
Similar:n+1: The Stupidity of ComputersComputers are pretty dumb, but they’re d…CybercultureThe Naked Now (Season 1, Episode 2: ST:TNG Rewatch) When a script that blows chunks makes …With a large ensemble, we saw many scene…Culture15 Times "Filler Text" Became a Journalist's Worst EnemyIt doesn’t happen often but when filler …AmusingUnplugging for a Few Hours at…
Similar:A Christmas Carol — new audio adaptationBooksReader, I ushered him. @pictclassictheatrePersonalLeveling up my skills in #blender3D. Using invisible shapes to cut holes …DesignMurder Is Her Hobby: Frances Glessner Lee and The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained DeathSimulations are powerful tools for under…AestheticsUsing a Typewriter Simulator to Teach Media HistoryWorking on the syllabus for my “Media an…CultureReception…
My friend from high school passed away a few days ago. What an amazing preacher. So intelligent, so approachable, so passionate. What a loss to the Diocese of Lansing and everyone who knew and loved him. I am laughing through my tears at his aside, “I want to smack ’em!” (I knew him…
Rewatching ST:TNG Troi wakes up, looking like a Romulan. When Subcommander N’Vek tells her she’s impersonating the imperial intelligence officer Major Rakal, and that she’ll be killed if she doesn’t play along, he invites her to use her empathic powers to see whether he’s lying. He’s not. He’s using the assumed authority of “Rakal” to…
A conspiracy theory featuring a news story that NPR posted early on Jan 6 2021 and then updated after the pro-Trump demonstration turned into an anti-democracy riot was shared widely last year. My meme explaining the concepts of time-stamps and updating a breaking news story didn’t get shared nearly as much. People who already believe…
Rewatching ST:TNG LaForge gets a little too involved when investigating the disappearance of a lieutenant posted on a remote relay station. On a routine supply mission near the Klingon border, the Enterprise-D finds only a friendly dog and a mystery. The plot requires the details of the mystery to remain fuzzy so that LaForge has…
Similar:Google Pledges $300 Million to Clean Up False NewsThis is a welcome step, but we cannot tr…CulturePeter vs. the PenguinsFor the past hour, Peter (who is not yet…AmusingThe case for puns as the most elevated display of wit Geary admits that he often makes pun i…CultureThe ChatGPT Lawyer Explains HimselfAs Mike Edwards notes, “AI doomers…
Some of my amazing colleagues have collaborated on an amazing NEH-funded summer institute that provides teachers in grades 6-12 with resources for teaching about genocide. The event, scheduled for summer 2022, includes units on the erasure of Native Americans, an empathy-building Narrative 4 storytelling workshop, and more. There’s a stipend for participating in this event,…
Similar:Very impressive mural has been installed in Admin for SHU’s Centennial.PersonalWe are cruel. We always have been. The Internet did not make us soWe didn’t start the flame war. Scandalou…CultureToday's 10 sq cm of #blender3d #steampunk control panel. #aesthetics #design #blender3dartAestheticsRelics (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season 6, Episode 4) When a huge hollow sphere traps a…
Similar:My 20-year-old Java Program Is Was Broken!So a harmless little Java program I wrot…CybercultureGranting a Student SuperAdminGoddessOMGWhatHaveIDone Network PrivilegesI should probably not grant a student su…AcademiaPersuasion: Logos, Pathos, Ethos and Kairos Persuasion: Logos, Pathos, Ethos a…AcademiaShatoetry iPhone app lets you put… words… in… William Shatner's… mouthWilliam Shatner and technology go way ba…AestheticsShe was nervous about the…