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:Yeah natural born creative genius is a cool myth, but have you tried grinding through hour…PersonalNgram for "postpartum depression," "rest cure" and "yellow wallpa…Filing this for the next time a student …BooksSweet Lenten RegretsThis Lenten evening / Your orphaned feas…AestheticsHow reading fiction can help…
[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:Empty InboxMy to-do do list and my “Follow Up” fold…CybercultureThe difficulty is the point (teaching critical thinking skills differs from teaching facts…In the past few years I…
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:When backwards newbie poets writeWhen backwards newbie poets write Up rh…AestheticsNo, this photo of people wearing coats standing in front of bare…
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:Cursor*10 (nekogames)I don’t remember where I was when I saw …AestheticsThe barbican at Mickelgate was pulled down in the 1800s but I made a rough approximation f…The barbican at Mickelgate was pulled do…PersonalI accidentally did too much DuoLingo. I don't want to…
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:Heard any good stories lately?My daughter has a terrible time settling…BooksIndustriousness. Self-improvement. Thrift. And orange slime. The girl amusing herself on our 70m …Aesthetics"Shakespeare in Love" with…
“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:Stage Right's "The Secret Garden": Performing with My Talented Daughter This weekend has been magical. Frida…CultureStudents are trusting software like this to do their work. The technology will continue t…CultureAuditioning in Pittsbugh (flanked by shots from recent performances).CultureThe girl will be Mrs…
If you like bloody, singing, punning demons you will love this show. Similar:George Joseph Jerz (1933-2023)George Joseph Jerz, born on September 3r…EmpathyOh the Overthinks You Can Overthink: Horton the Elephant, the Wickersham Brothers, and Mas…Yesterday, I performed in a school matin…AcademiaBacon Starry Night MemeI’ve no idea where the “Bacon Starry Nig…AestheticsZagg Rugged iPad Air2 keyboard…
I am not in the splash zone but still definitely out of my comfort zone. Support the arts in your community. Similar:It's been a Dwarf Fortress afternoon. AwesomeSTAR TREK's Still as Relevant on the 50th AnniversaryIn situations of change, it is natural f…CultureCarolyn choreographed a fight-dance adaptation of Romeo and Juliet.PersonalLooking for Par'Mach in All…
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:In July 1999, I was blogging about Dante's ashes, Apollo 11, gender-neutral language, and …In July, 1999, I was blogging about:…
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:Each building in my #medievalyork simulation has four levels of detail (so that distant ob…AestheticsMore Evidence That, to Trump, "Fake News" Means Critical NewsNothing really new here, just calling…
“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:In September, 2003, I was blogging about the emerging fad of internet…
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:I Hate Your BlogI hate your blog. Your recipe for…