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:Now I can relax a bit. (But just a bit.)PersonalEnjoying a peaceful fall moment while it's possible. Taking these moments as they come. AestheticsOh the Overthinks You Can Overthink: Horton the Elephant, the Wickersham Brothers, and Mas…Yesterday, I performed in a school matin…AcademiaAnother lovely variation of a #steampunk control panel. #blender3dart #neovictorian #desig…AestheticsI just looked…
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:Greebles make me happy.Before CGI, filming a science-fiction st…AestheticsPics from Thursday's dress rehearsal of Shrek: The Musical. This weekend only! @stage…PersonalOops. I’m going to bed now. I’ll fix it tomorrow.Oops. I’m going to bed now. I’ll fix it …AestheticsThe girl is the Dew Drop Fairy in @laurelballetperformingco The Nutcracker Saturday evenin…PersonalThe girl got picked for…
Similar:Handshakes Really Do MatterMonday night handshake/eye contact pract…CultureMake a date with #HeartOurArt at The Westmoreland Museum of American ArtWhile our daughter is performing in Stag…ArtTonight's Supermoon.AestheticsLive theater. August Wilson's Jitney, in the back yard of the August Wilson House.PersonalMy 14yo Helps Teach a Vacation Bible School Class In character as “Pontius Pilate,” wa…PersonalHow Not 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:The Benefits of No-Tech Note TakingI quibble with The Chronicle headline wr…AcademiaI just discovered what will grind up a significant portion of my free time over the break.So Khan Academy now has a grammar unit. …PersonalCooper Hewitt: the typeface by Chester Jenkins “[S]ince Cooper Hewitt is a governme…AestheticsReuben Klamer, designer of Trek's "phaser rifle"…
Similar:When is the phrase "when asked about…" part of good news writing? Rarely.A new graphic for an existing handout, w…AcademiaMy kids are in a tree. How's your Friday?PersonalStarting my “Writing about Literature” class by having students react to a John Donne sonn…PersonalRepresenting the Humanities at Accepted Students Day.Representing the Humanities at Accepted …PersonalSeize the Day!PersonalOverflow…
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:The Toulmin model for analyzing arguments came up at a faculty pedagogy workshop today. I … AcademiaWATCH two undercover Sunday Times journalists being stung while trying to sting on TVHeidi Blake and Jonathan Calvert who run…AmusingScreening of "Indentured" (short film the girl and I filmed in January)PersonalPinkalicious — "Buzz Off"My daughter plays the Bumblebee in…
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:Two classic novels returning to Accomack schools following voteAccomack County Public Schools announced…BooksThe Xplor Store: The Forgotten Carnegie Science Center Exhibit? (Guest Post by Leigh Jerz…The other day, my wife suggested a Carne…BooksLast event of a busy day downtown. #AgathieChristie #murderontheorientexpressAestheticsHow Trump Is Making Journalism School Great AgainThis is an important time to teach peopl…AcademiaWhy…
Similar:How do I cite a tweet in MLA Style?According to the Modern Language Associa…AcademiaThose shoggoths hacked from lungs unspeakable1) Last night, I’m fairly certain some …AmusingFaculty lining up for #SetonHill's "Go Orientation" — new ceremony hands students from th…AcademiaAnd Now for This Breaking News Report “Police have cornered the suspect wh…Amusing8 (Short Halloween film by…