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:America's ShakespeareShakespeare continues to be the most per…CultureMedea at Seton Hill University.CultureThe Cosmic Brownie fairy has visited my office. Is “brownie fairy” redundant? Thank you an…PersonalMedia Bias Chart version 11, Aug 2023 — Journalism sorted by bias (Left / Center / Right),…Whether a source…
[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:I had already created the little utility craft on the lower left, but this weekend I expan…PersonalSeven reasons why blogging can make you a better academic writerI’ve…
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:Many things in the world are awful, but my latest #Blender3D work on my #steampunk control…One of many steampunk control panels I’v…AestheticsRemembering…
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:Tips to Improve HappinessKing says many simple and effective tech…CultureWatching ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ with 18,000 teenagers was one of the most profound theate…The arts are vital to our lives as human…BooksMany things in the world are awful right now but my…
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:White House photo access controls public imageRather than permit photojournalists to s…CultureOn the Virtues of a Dadsplained Literary ChildhoodThe last book I read to her was Wutherin…BooksI…
“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:Office Hours in the Pool Hall My favorite story comes from the week …Academia4 Skills to Help You Stand Out In Any Job InterviewAn employer will never ask you to write …BusinessR.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots) Artistic Prosperity TrailerWe rehearsed and recorded a…
If you like bloody, singing, punning demons you will love this show. Similar:Carolyn and spider friends performing "Power" from Stage Right's Sleeping B…PersonalThe Problem with Quotes on the InternetAmusingSummer photos of the daughter.PersonalStar Trek Beyond was an enjoyable nerdy family outing.Personal"I might be putting a little too much effort into designing the cravat for the…
I am not in the splash zone but still definitely out of my comfort zone. Support the arts in your community. Similar:Edward Gorey illustrates H. G. Wells's The War of the Worlds, 1960 Edward Gorey illustrates H. G. Wells’s…AestheticsIt not only went VROOM, it carried chunky plastic letters that could *spell* VROOM.Tonight, when I got…
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:Details for a modular mid-range scoutship, from the #steampunk #neovictorian bedtime stori…Details for a modular mid-range scoutshi…AestheticsOver the years I have…
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:Why Teachers, Parents, and Society at Large Have Destroyed Kids’ Love of LearningI have experimented with rewarding stude…CultureFriday night board game therapy. #startrek #monopolyPersonalMicrosoft “lobotomized” AI-powered Bing Chat, and…
“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:“Your resume is not about you:” Insights from a journalism hiring manager…
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:No space for over-30s as relaunched MySpace erases its pastKeep…