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:Little People, Big Fun:…
More progress as I continue to level up my #blender3d skills. Similar:The Dauphin (ST:TNG Rewatch, Season 2, Episode 10)A pretty 16yo destined to bring peace to…AmusingThe Big Boy GraveyardOn road trips in my youth, watching the …AmusingLessons (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season 6, Episode 19) Picard and a new officer bond over …Rewatching ST:TNG When Picard…
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:UPDATE: BREAKING: 'Star Wars' Returns…
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:Family ( #StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season Four, Episode 2) Picard Retreats to Family Vineyar…Rewatching ST:TNG after a 20-year break….DramaThings may be awful, but at least an invasive species of spider the size of a child's hand…AmusingA Grave Tale (a short story I narrated for WAOB Audio Theatre)A Grave Tale (WAOB Audio Theatre) Wri…LiteratureMy project starts…
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:Girl Moved To Tears By Of Mice And Men Cliffs NotesIn what she described as “the most emoti…AcademiaQ Who? (ST: TNG Rewatch, Season 2, Episode 16)Rewatching Star Trek: The Next Generatio…MediaRude mechanical sighting! Shakespearing it up with @newrentheatreco.Personal“The author talks about [topic]” is filler. Your professors want your college-level ideas.AcademiaTales from the Antiquities Theft Task…
Yes, this was the decisive moment. I ended up cleaning my son out when he landed here later in the game. Similar:Thinking about physical therapy and cheerful, chatty older gents…I feel like I’m living in a sitcom. A…CultureI love a little courtyard. I think I’ve made enough #blender3d buildings for now. On to th…PersonalChoosing Carolyn's…
Using invisible shapes to cut holes in the hull, and a shrinkwrap modifier to align the cockpit frame and the glass. Similar:My student journalists sport their fashionable “What Would Jerz Do?” wristbands.AcademiaInto the depths of code. Algorithmic archaeologies and cave fantasies in video gamesThe full article (by Angelo Careriis) in…AcademiaWhy Were Old Video Games So…
Similar:Evita in Zelionople CulturePinkalicious — "Buzz Off"My daughter plays the Bumblebee in “Buzz…AestheticsWhy ‘Cats’ the Movie Fails So FlamboyantlyI can’t seem to get into superhero movie…AestheticsMy Daughter's Synesthesia: "S" Is Always Red, and "T" Is Lime GreenAccording to a color-picking test at syn…AestheticsAnother section of a #steampunk control panel. Useful for a cutaway shot after…
A great production of a delightful play. Similar:Ancient Sea Rise Tale Told Accurately for 10,000 Years”It’s quite gobsmacking to think that a …CultureShakespeare on EclipsesPrepping for tomorrow’s first meeting of…AcademiaSocial Media Companies Aren’t Liberal or Conservative. They’re capitalist.Facebook cares more about scalability—th…BusinessI Made My Friends Test the 19th Century’s Hottest Dating Tactic: Reading AloudThere are…
(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:Spring 2022 Midterm Grades: SubmittedPersonalA Message from Hester Prynne (Student Video)Have I mentioned lately that I have awes…AcademiaHeard any good stories lately?My daughter has a terrible time settling…BooksThe Battle (TNG Rewatch, Season 1, Episode 8) A Ferengi plots tricks with Picard's former …A Ferengi set on revenge tricks Picard i…HistoryOutsiders. Four sold out matinees this…
Similar:My Latest Classic Tales Online PurchaseJust finished listening to B. J. Harris …BooksScratch StatsScratch is a kid-friendly programming sa…CybercultureFirst steps towards reconstructing a 30-year-old simulation. Marking the locations of the …First steps towards reconstructing a 30-…AestheticsCarolyn and her friend Travis on Twin Day at summer camp.PersonalMove Along Home (#StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch, Season 1, Episode 10)…
Similar:Sherlock Holmes and The Woman (daughter and I rehearsing for a live recording Friday after…CultureMore household props for a #blender3d #steampunk project. I had made the spice rack and utensi…AestheticsThe Best of Both Worlds, Part 2 ( #StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season Four, Episode 1) Your res…Rewatching ST:TNG after a 20-year break …PersonalTwittering The MachineI’ve never…
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.…