(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:Google's AI could probably…
More progress as I continue to level up my #blender3d skills. Similar:Stage Right's 'Seussical' offers songs, messagesThe Tribune-Review does a great job cove…Current_EventsI MacGyvered myself a heat sinkI’m getting ready to record about 18hrs …DesignA student who had often been frustrated during my class used this poem in her final reflec… PersonalElementary, Dear Data (TNG Rewatch:…
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:The girl’s first day on…
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:Apparently, I needed to watch a supercut of doors and corridors from Star Trek.I did in fact search YouTube for videos …AestheticsBREAKING: British Burn Washington … 2 Centuries AgoTwo hundred years ago this week, during …AmusingTraditional Reporters and Data-driven Analysts Both Underestimated Trump's ChancesA data-driven news outlet that gave Trum…CultureYep, it's time to read student…
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:ALL ABOUT 'ARCHIE' – Jason Robert BrownA few years ago, my daughter got to perf…CultureThe Importance of Writing Skills in Tech-Related FieldsGood writing skills are valuable, even i…Academia#blender3d is teaching me more than I ever thought I’d need to know about roof geometry. E…#blender3d is teaching me more than I ev…PersonalHow Facebook and Twitter control…
Yes, this was the decisive moment. I ended up cleaning my son out when he landed here later in the game. Similar:Proud of My JournosI saw several heads that I recognized, b…AcademiaDC Just Announced Plans For Choose Your Own Adventure Style Digital ComicsIt’s rather hard to believe it took them…GamesMeme alleging Trump said “Africans Are…
Using invisible shapes to cut holes in the hull, and a shrinkwrap modifier to align the cockpit frame and the glass. Similar:Life in Code and Software (Open Humanities Press)This book explores the relationship betw…AcademiaTeaching Composition with Interactive FictionI’m on a committee that is exploring a m…AcademiaIs Superman the next Drudge? Clark Kent quits newspapers in…
Similar:The Royale (ST:TNG Rewatch, Season 2, Episode 12)Rewatching Star Trek: The Next Generatio…BooksOh , potatoes and molasses. If you want some, you can ask us. PersonalFall colors are past their peak but it's still a beautiful late October day.Personali trained an ai chatbot on my childhood journal entries – so that i could engage in real-t…I…
A great production of a delightful play. Similar:A new study shows that students learn way more effectively from print textbooks than scree…Saving this for next term’s “History and…BooksDon’t Text While Parenting — It Will Make You CrankyThe study summarized in Time Magazine lo…CultureStage Right's Alice in WonderlandMy daughter shared the role of Alice thi…CultureEpic Game…
(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.…
Similar:Why Doesn’t Ancient Fiction Talk About Feelings?Not a day goes by without The Girl remin…BooksFULL BLOOM (Aug 31-Sep 2)PersonalSeriously, clouds? Now?PersonalThe girl as Gimli, Legolas, Aragorn and Thorin. #proudofthegirl #notentirelysurewhy #still…AestheticsFact check: You can safely ignore that "HOW TO FIGHT COVID AT HOME" meme I noticed this meme a few days ago. I…Current_EventsSomething to Ponder…
Similar:The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (workshop premiere of a new musical by Greg Kerestan) I really enjoyed seeing the first work…CultureMy kids are in a tree. How's your Friday?PersonalSurprised by Mama Cass Elliott's "Different" — powerful folk-pop ballad in trippy 60's "H…I miss the convention in movies and TV s…CultureFirst page of a student’s Texture…
Similar:Physics simulation demo: crate made up of mostly loose boards. #Blender3d #design #practic… https://youtu.be/OqqlWZvWaqM Physic…AestheticsNext up for the girl: Cherry in "The Outsiders" (March 6-15)BooksBeam me up, Chewie!AwesomeStage Right's Alice in WonderlandMy daughter shared the role of Alice thi…Culture"It's called an amphora," the artist says.AestheticsOpens Wednesday.Personal
Researchers identified more than 100 false narratives about COVID-19 that are proliferating on Twitter by accounts controlled by bots. Among the misinformation disseminated by bot accounts were tweets that conspiracy theories about hospitals being filled with mannequins, or tweets connected the spread of the coronavirus to 5G wireless towers, a notion that is patently untrue.…
(Rewatching ST:TNG after a 20-year break.) A great Trek morality drama, most obviously inspired by the challenges faced by US troops returning from Vietnam, but light on preachiness and heavy on action. Impressed by the cultured and intellectual Angosians, Picard offers to help them recapture a violent prisoner who escaped a penal colony. The prisoner’s…