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:Another very rough day. Students are cheerful and patient, obviously happy to be here.Another very rough day. Students are che…AcademiaAnother chess tournament with the boy.GamesPeople with autism spectrum disorder avoid eye contact because it causes anxietyMy culture has taught me that eye contac…CultureIn February…
[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:What You Read Matters More Than You Might ThinkSeton Hill is revamping its freshman wri…AcademiaOn my fantasy #steampunk cruiser, every uniform is a parade dress uniform. #Blender3D…
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:Thoughtful analysis of how the tension, shot choices, and music contribute to a memorable …https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vbq9xy8a…AestheticsFinally — the pace at work subsides a…
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:What are you eating at midnight breakfast?PersonalNarrative, Creativity, and EvolutionMy students are finishing up Hayles, My …AcademiaWhat kids do when Dad won't hand over the iPod So I’m not being selfish… this is …EducationFrom Shakespeare to Sondheim to Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker, everything you…
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:The Declaration Of Independence, 240 Years Later (NPR)When in the Course of human events, it b…CultureThis is the first time during the pandemic that we’ve brought this…
“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:Homage to PoeMichael Dirda offers a thoughtful assess…BooksWhat a great time everyone had at the "Cabbies."CultureThe Shape of the World, According to Old Mapshttps://www.visualcapitalist.com/shape-o…AestheticsMy college writing students are out making short videos responding to a prompt.While my students are out of the…
If you like bloody, singing, punning demons you will love this show. Similar:I was perhaps a bit more conversational and chipper than usual during class today. A grinn…I was perhaps a bit more conversational …AcademiaThe Loss (#ST:TNG Rewatch, Season Four, Episode 10) Troi's Empathic Sense FlatlinesRewatching ST:TNG after a 20-year break….EmpathyColossal Cave: The Board Game…
I am not in the splash zone but still definitely out of my comfort zone. Support the arts in your community. Similar:Stunning picture of my daughterAestheticsBuilding a ridiculous amount of detail as I create tiles for distant sections of a #blende…AestheticsThe Most Epic Demo in Computer History Is Now an OperaThis is nice, but what…
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:Seeing a different cast. Break all the legs!CultureAfter a productive run-through of West Side Story, the girl decided to slide out…
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:My students were awesome. So many thoughtful final projects. So much growth. A stressful, …PersonalSave our children from the Grammar TribeSimilarly, “dived” is the traditional pa…CultureAP wins reinstatement to…
“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:I'm not really a royal watcher but I'm fascinated that the UK…
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:Full Bloom opens next weekend. Tickets 724-527-5777.PersonalEmily Dickinson’s Singular Scrap…