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:Actors too reverent with Shakespeare, says Mark Rylance”To take a song like Honky Tonk Woman an…CultureThe Girl at rehearsal (where else?).PersonalI get a little workplace gift as the academic year closes.I get a little workplace gift as the aca…PersonalMy contribution to WAOB Audio Theatre’s…
[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:Celebration of Writing — a big presentation day for freshman writing classes.PersonalAnother section of a #neovictorian control panel for a #steampunk #blender3d project. I h…AestheticsHelp! I may…
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:Overview of the Forward Ops station, one deck below the main bridge of the fantasy #steamp…PersonalBar Association #StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch (Season 4,…
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:Robots Are Coming for Our PoemsThe robots are quickly and surely coming…AestheticsHaven (TNG Rewatch, Season 1, Episode 10) When a low-stakes rom-com shows Troi's beau and …Rewatching Star Trek: The Next Generatio…MediaBlender Griffin, Part 3Okay, that’s enough work for one evening…AestheticsWhy did…
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:Surprised by Mama Cass Elliott's "Different" — powerful folk-pop ballad in trippy 60's "H…I miss the convention in movies and TV s…CultureLaughter and Light Abound in Prime…
“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:Out for a walk during some downtime. Paused to appreciate this beautiful city of #Pittsbur…AestheticsTaking the Lid Off the McDonald’s Coffee CaseHave you heard the story about the lady …BusinessWriting School Papers: Does Your First Version Say It All?My colleague Mike Arnzen…
If you like bloody, singing, punning demons you will love this show. Similar:Three more performances of Jane Eyre. Closes Saturday night! @pictclassictheatrePersonalVote for Carolyn's Headshot — Round 2 Vote for Carolyn’s Headshot — Round…AestheticsChess tournament in Monroeville.PersonalI dunno what to call this but it really hit the spot.PersonalI'm in the timeline where the Borg are…
I am not in the splash zone but still definitely out of my comfort zone. Support the arts in your community. Similar:The Lost Art of Proofreading Plenty more where those came from. T…AmusingSlicing up a massively detailed trimsheet to simulate reflections and geometry for four va…PersonalAfter purchase of latest accessory, I can no longer close…
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:Pinkalicious — "Buzz Off"My daughter plays the Bumblebee in “Buzz…AestheticsHard Time #StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch (Season 4, Episode 19) O'Brien deals with…
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:Updating a villain's lair in #Blender3D. Still a work in progress.AestheticsSplit Infinitives in English: Not Actually Wrong, But UnwiseThe rule against split infinitives is a …CultureFormer student: "I remember…
“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:CBS News Suspends Twitter Posting ‘In Light of the Uncertainty’ About Musk-Owned…
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:"Moorish girl" in Man of La Mancha. (Vulcan Moorish girl.)PersonalThank…