In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. @thepublicpgh

In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. @thepublicpgh Similar:What’s Lost as Handwriting FadesWhen I used a Windows XP Tablet computer…CultureRay Harryhousen, visual effects pioneer, dies  The Harryhausen family regret to…AestheticsWilliam Zinsser: What Is Good Writing? (Clarity, Simplicity, Brevity, and Humanity.)Most of the students in my “News Writing…CultureYeet with Emily Dickinson (according to…

Despite its impressive output, generative AI doesn’t have a coherent understanding of the world

[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.)

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:My Anti-Linkbait Pledge: Cynical Overhyping vs. Simply Being OnlineWhen I find something interesting that a…CultureSharing a root beer float with your dad doesn't fix everything that's wrong…

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

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:At the chess club holiday party. Peter looks forward to his Wednesday…GamesUntil next term, I have zero more unmarked assignments. #fistpumpUntil next…

I just caught myself thinking, “This doesn’t suck.” #medievalyork #mysteryplay #blender3d #design #aesthetics

I just caught myself thinking, “This doesn’t suck.” #medievalyork #mysteryplay #blender3d #design #aesthetics Similar:Designing Cabinets in Blender3D — ExperimentsI designed these simple 3D cabinets in B…CybercultureClever Modernization of Hamlet: Polonius with an iPhoneI teach Shakespeare in a literature clas…CultureLighting really makes a difference! A glimpse into the captain's ready room, off the offic… AestheticsThe Enemy…

As part of an ongoing feud over the rights to use a particular shade of ultra-black paint, artist Artist Stuart Semple legally changed his name to that of his rival, Anish Kapoor

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…

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.

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:What if thinking is underrated?What if the most underrated skill in sch…AcademiaA Thursday throwback to end 2015.PersonalYeah natural born creative genius is a cool myth, but have…

A young father sold his beloved sports car for “diaper money.” Years later, the man’s son gave him a surprise birthday present.

“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 am not in the splash zone but still definitely out of my comfort zone. Support the arts in your community.

I am not in the splash zone but still definitely out of my comfort zone. Support the arts in your community. Similar:I am slightly ahead of the boy. Rare.PersonalStill More FaceTime FunI realize that video-chatting teenagers …MediaSinéad O'Connor's open letter to Miley CyrusI was never a fan of Sinéad O’Connor, bu…AestheticsColossal Cave: The Board Game…

I have a daughter who does things. If demon curses and buckets of stage blood are your thing, come have some campy fun this weekend in Greensburg. (I will not be seated in the splash zone.)

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:Second Sight (#StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch, Season 2, Episode 9) Sisko falls for a woman who kee…Rewatching ST:DS9 Sisko narrates a pe…PopCultArsenic…

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.

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:Where is the comma in "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" supposed to go?https://youtu.be/sxfxy-3dGz0AmusingI know that look.This was my 9yo today. She doesn’…AmusingInterface (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season 7, Episode 3)…

‘It’s mindblowing’: US meteorologists face death threats as hurricane conspiracies surge

“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.

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:He Googles for some random memes to connect with weak prose, but…

My mother-in-law invited me to try out the 60- year-old tape machine that belonged to my father-in-law.

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:Why fake news worksFake news works on our emotions, usually…CybercultureEclipse!PersonalAs…