Sobering report from the New York Times, providing evidence that COVID-19 deaths have been over-reported. Mortality data in the middle of a pandemic is not perfect. In most places, the disparities between the official death counts and the total rise in deaths reflect limited testing for the virus rather than intentional undercounting. Officially, about 355,000 people had…
Similar:It's Friday night in July, and I'm jamming with my fall course preps.The dean sends me an email at 9:07pm. In…AcademiaR.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots) Artistic Prosperity TrailerWe rehearsed and recorded a Zoom recordi…ArtAs Twinkle Twinkle is to Suzuki musicians, so is a wooden shipping crate to CGI modelers. …https://youtu.be/diQF9buONqY I ha…AestheticsStick to facts, but write…
Updating the graphic for a writing handout on how to write instructions, which I created in 2000. Similar:The Rise of "Synthespians"”Mr. Serkis is the human actor behind th…ArtLovely set for @prime_stage Frankenstein. The daughter joined this cast less than a week a…PersonalWhat Was the TED Talk?The title borders on clickbait, but the …CultureShakespeare on EclipsesPrepping…
Updating the graphic for a resource I created in 2012. Similar:What Can You Do With An English Degree? | Seton Hill UniversityOne of our seniors interviewed recent gr…AcademiaYesterday my wife took this last known picture of our two teenagers. The boy is 20 today. PersonalAbout the Sinkhole in the Adjunct Faculty Lounge, and Other Mid-Semester AnnouncementsI…
On social media recently I saw people mocking Trump for “refusing” to unveil the traditional presidential portrait of Obama, and I saw people attacking “the fake news media” for pushing a narrative designed to make Trump look bad. The original NBC story that broke this item accurately states that neither Trump nor Obama is interested…
(Rewatching ST:TNG after a 20-year break) The meddlesome entity Q, stripped of his powers, throws himself at the mercy of Captain Picard: “in all the universe you’re the closest thing I have to a friend, Jean-Luc.” Lots of well-done banter and self-absorbed patter from actor John De Lancie. While Worf and Crusher have memorable reactions to…
I just found a post on economics in early computer games, tucked away as a “Draft” in my WordPress database, dated Jan 2011. I’m not sure why I never published it. The web page I was responding to has disappeared from the Internet, so I’ve linked to the Wayback Archive instead. Similar:What employers really want?…
More progress as I continue to level up my #blender3d skills. Similar:Kindle App Vs. iBooks. (Spoiler: They’re Virtually Identical Now!)I noticed with interest that Kindle now …AestheticsWhy do journalists use "allegedly" when they report on obvious crimes captured on video?Look at this picture. A guy in a uniform…EthicsHitting the weekend with just 6 ungraded papers.…
Every time I have taught an online class, I have made it asynchronous. I’m blogging these synchronous teaching tips so I can find them again when I’m prepping my fall classes (which will likely be HyFlex). The tips offered here won’t miraculously eliminate the initial awkwardness of virtual class sessions, but they’ll help. And over…
About a dozen local TV news stations aired a video segment produced by Amazon. Some identified the source, but most just let TV viewers assume the video was a news story, rather than a PR piece hosted by an Amazon employee. Journalism matters. See Forbes for details on the story. Similar:Citations: Efficient In-text QuotationsWhen writing…
Fascinating use of social media. To be clear, this story about “Carolyn Gombell” is a fabrication, intended to spark Twitter to take action against people (such as Donald Trump) who use Twitter to publicize unfounded accusations. Will that matter to people who share it? It’s parody accounts, not journalists, who are retweeting this story as…
Similar:Overwhelmed? Start a new to-do list with "1) Breathe; 2) Make 'to-do' list" Felt momentarily overwhelmed by the da…CultureErmahgerddon: The Untold Story of the Ermahgerd GirlDeciding against the coonskin cap, Golde…AmusingAbout 30 years after I first saw John Speed’s 1676 map of York, today I was working on a r…About 30 years after I first…
Powerful writing, by Matthew Schneier. Most of the essay is on the power of poetry as an oral art form. (See also Poetry is for the Ear and Poetry Writing Hacks: Top 10 Tips.) But I blogged it because of the paragraphs about the author’s father. Right now, a machine is breathing for my father,…
Yet in a circle pallid as it flow by this bright sun, that with his light display, roll’d from the sands, and half the buds of snow, and calmly on him shall infold away Deep-speare’s creation is nonsensical when you read it closely, but it certainly “scans well,” as an English teacher would say—its…
Similar:Two Artificial Intelligence (AI) Chatbots Talk and Argue with Each OtherSounds like a typical grad school semina…AmusingBlank template details and a wider view of a 30cm x 30cm grid of brass and glass #neovicto…PersonalAn important day to remember.Never again.PersonalThe beauty from some Olympic skaters was not worth seeing a child emotionally broken on li…I didn’t…
Yes, this was the decisive moment. I ended up cleaning my son out when he landed here later in the game. Similar:Overheard: "This is the best show I've ever seen at the Geyer" and "Who IS that girl playi…Gasps from the audience, shouts of “No!”…CultureA picture of puffy white clouds floating in a blue skyAestheticsMy…
Using invisible shapes to cut holes in the hull, and a shrinkwrap modifier to align the cockpit frame and the glass. Similar:Aging Gen-Xer Doesn't Find Bad Movies Funny Anymore”I got this cool tape off eBay containin…AmusingI Find Myself in Another Showhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=517BhV1j0…DramaThirteen seconds. Dozens of bullets. One explosive photo.Forget for a moment that the picture is…
Similar:The Fantasticks (Oct 18-27)PersonalLet’s Make the Academic Job Market More HumaneIt’s been decades since I’ve had the “I’…AcademiaYou are in a book. There is a typo here.Sigh. Critical Path – Dan Amrich …BooksComing of Age (TNG Rewatch: Season 1, Episode 18)Rewatching ST:TNG A character-heavy e…MediaGrades submitted.AcademiaCarolyn is in PICT Classic Theatre adaptation of Oliver Twist…
A great production of a delightful play. Similar:Am I a Bad Father Because I Let My Daughter Eat M&Ms in Her Mashed Potatoes?[poll id=”2″] AestheticsJournalist Nellie Bly Began her Around the World in 72 Days Tour Nov 14, 1989 From Wikipedia: In 1888 Bly suggest…CultureNovel defined: a term used by some students to mean “any…
(Rewatching ST:TNG after a 20-year break) Crusher finds herself sympathizing with the charming terrorist who kidnapped her. After last week’s “The Hunted” and the week before’s “The Defector,” it seems the writers are very interested in humanizing perceived enemies. An unusually exposition-heavy captain’s log establishes the Enterprise is visiting a non-aligned world shaken by terrorists.…