Back in 2003, shortly after I moved with my wife and two young children to take my current job, I was eager to make new friends and rebuild my social network. One evening, my wife agreed to watch the kids so I could drop by the local branch of a national service organization in which…
In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. @thepublicpgh Similar:Ascending the path to High Hrothgar? No, just the snow-covered steps from the parking lot… Ascending the path to High Hrothgar?…PersonalIn-person classes heighten age-related hearing problems (opinion)My family tells me I’m starting to speak…AcademiaWhy Do So Many People on YouTube Sound the Same?So it…
[A] popular type of generative AI model can provide turn-by-turn driving directions in New York City with near-perfect accuracy — without having formed an accurate internal map of the city. Despite the model’s uncanny ability to navigate effectively, when the researchers closed some streets and added detours, its performance plummeted. When they dug deeper, the researchers…
I was perhaps a bit more conversational and chipper than usual during class today. A grinning student asked what I was drinking. (It really is just iced tea.) Similar:More #Blender3D practice. Additional details for a steampunk control panel. Just because.AestheticsOn the way to the theater for the show! Mrs Lovett in Sweeney Todd.PersonalShe’s wearing a…
I create five color variations of each #blender3d building I #design, and each of those has closeup, high, mid, and low resolution variations. It’s tedious but enjoyable. Kinda like knitting. #medievalyork #mysteryplay #aesthetics Similar:Treasure peaceful moments in a turbulent world.AestheticsHappy birthday to the son.PersonalHow Americans DieFantastic data visualization. How Ameri…CultureThe joy of text – the…
Journalism is not a crime. It’s not a crime if it offends the powerful. It’s not a crime if it doesn’t offend them enough to suit you. Yes, journalists make mistakes. Yes, you should take a break from doomscrolling for your mental health. But the First Amendment freedom of the press is crucial to democracy.…
I just caught myself thinking, “This doesn’t suck.” #medievalyork #mysteryplay #blender3d #design #aesthetics Similar:Dress rehearsal for Mamma Mia.PersonalJack Rollins-Frosty the Snowman I voiced Jack Rollins, writer …HistorySpotted: the North American tree daughter.NatureAirport retro video games collect spare coins in SwedenFliers arriving at Swedens two biggest a…AestheticsYes Virginia the Musical coming to ConnellsvilleCarolyn Jerz may be…
As part of an ongoing bid to get his hands on Vantablack, the super dark, light-absorbing material to which Anish Kapoor controversially has the exclusive license, artist Stuart Semple has legally changed his name to… Anish Kapoor. “It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a long time,” Semple told me. “I like the idea of being able to try a name…
Predatory publications are not concerned with writing quality (or even coherence), and thus also do not care about writing tools (although we could, perhaps, include generative AI as a tool that replaces those used by human authors). The rules change pretty radically as the predatory version does away with nearly all of the rules in…
Our family has seen David Whalen in the persona of Sherlock in five or six different shows. So happy Carolyn will be on stage with him this time. Similar:Past Tense, Part 2 (#StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch, Season 3, Episode 12) Sisko must channel socia…Rewatching ST:DS9 After the recap of …CultureIn August, 2002, I was blogging about…
“While my dad has always spoken lovingly and fondly of his old Camaro he sold for my ‘diaper money’ he was never sour about it,” Jared confesses. “There wasn’t negativity about it. He wasn’t sad. He wasn’t angry. He talks about the selling of the car like it was a duty.” This diaper money Camaro…
“While my dad has always spoken lovingly and fondly of his old Camaro he sold for my ‘diaper money’ he was never sour about it,” Jared confesses. “There wasn’t negativity about it. He wasn’t sad. He wasn’t angry. He talks about the selling of the car like it was a duty.” This diaper money Camaro…
I may have mentioned that I have a daughter who does things. @frontporchtheatricals Similar:Elevator shaft on a #steampunk #blender3d cruiser, just because. #design #aesthetics #blen… AestheticsLooking forward to Part 2 of #PPTPlaytime’s production “The Rivals” (live… now!)CultureThe Duolingo owl has been judging my German every day for the last year.EducationThe difficulty is the point (teaching…
If you like bloody, singing, punning demons you will love this show. Similar:Introduction to The Skin of Our Teeth (optimistic, absurdist metatheater; Thornton Wilder,…https://youtu.be/1okt8MIVTtsAcademiaThe Search, Part 2 (#StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch, Season 3, Episode 2) The Federation makes a ri… Rewatching ST:DS9 After the recap…MediaMeridian (#StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch, Season 3, Episode 8) Dax falls for a…
I am not in the splash zone but still definitely out of my comfort zone. Support the arts in your community. Similar:Breakfast Battle from "The Miracle Worker" (Pamela Lee as Annie Sullivan and Carolyn Jerz …Update: Here’s a clip of the whole break…CultureTwo Artificial Intelligence (AI) Chatbots Talk and Argue with Each OtherSounds like a…
I have a daughter who does things. If demon curses and buckets of stage blood are your thing, join the fun this weekend in Greensburg. (I will not be seated in the splash zone.) Similar:Why NORAD Tracks SantaThe call had come in on one of the top s…AmusingSilicon Avatar (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season 5, Episode…
Yes, Duolingo is free and I’ve learned a lot. No, I don’t like the psychological manipulation. I’m still using it but I changed my user name. Similar:Carolyn appears as homeschooled teenager "Carolyn." Free holiday show Tuesday at 7. PersonalChess tournament in Monroeville. Two losses, two wins.The boy’s personal best in terms of win-…CultureWe found a mushroom…
“Murdering meteorologists won’t stop hurricanes. I can’t believe I just had to type that.” — Michigan-based meteorologist Katie Nickolaou. A wide range of misinformation has been spread as Helene and then Milton gathered pace in the Gulf of Mexico, such as claims spread by Trump that Fema had run out of cash for hurricane survivors…
It’s so heartbreaking seeing the amount of disinformation being spread by elected officials and partisan agitators with lots of followers. FEMA is not out of money, it’s not confiscating damaged property, and it’s not biased for against any ethnic groups or political affiliations. Similar:One of my undergrad lit papers. Dot-matrix printed, with hand-written instructor annotatio…AcademiaIn…
My mother-in-law invited me to try out the 60- year-old tape machine that belonged to my father-in-law. When I worked in radio news in the late 1980s, we were still loading reels and splicing tape, so it all came back to me pretty quickly. Similar:Homeward (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season 7, Episode 13) Worf's foster…