That moment when you're logging into a table read of #RUR (Rossum's Universal Robots), the 1920s Czech play that invented the "robot rebellion" SF trope, and and you see this…

Similar:Find yourself someone who makes you plomeek soup like Nurse Chapel makes for Spock.PersonalI accidentally did too much DuoLingo. I don't want to advance to the harder league. Come o…EducationFaculty assembling in launch tube beneath Salvitti Gym. #classof2017 @setonhilluniversityPersonalHow Not to Be a Jackass at Your Next Academic ConferenceOkay, I confess, I was once in…

How’s newsgathering during COVID-19 at the state level? Depends on the governor.

Journalists covering state responses to the coronavirus pandemic are hampered as officials reduce seating in briefing rooms, introduce unreliable technology and, in some cases, refuse real-time questions. Governors have also seemingly used the crisis to retaliate for critical coverage, blocking access or reducing press pools to friendlier outlets. But some state governments have pivoted with more…

Dennis G. Jerz | Associate Professor of English -- New Media Journalism, Seton Hill University | jerz.setonhill.edu Logo

In April 2000, I was blogging about HTML frames, the future of reading, grammar, Kairos, and Hypercard

In April 2000, I was blogging about… HTML frames (who remembers how much they sucked?) The sorry state of web design (AskTog) The future of reading “Rules grammar change: English traditional replace to be new syntax with” (The Onion) Journalism students who don’t read or watch journalism A design critique I published in the innovative…

Wide-angle view of a villain’s secret lair. #blender3d

Similar:It was Mrs. White with the revolver in the ballroom. #winning GamesCheckmate. Crushed again.GamesReally enjoyed watching Your Name with the family. Visuals hooked me, but the story kept m…AestheticsIgnorance Meets an Invisible DisabilityI’m sure my young, healthy-looking frien…CultureJust a #neovictorian avatar in spats and a tailcoat, checking out the back porch and bridg… AestheticsT-Shirts for…

The Coronavirus Is Rewriting Our Imaginations

Possibly, in a few months, we’ll return to some version of the old normal. But this spring won’t be forgotten. When later shocks strike global civilization, we’ll remember how we behaved this time, and how it worked. It’s not that the coronavirus is a dress rehearsal—it’s too deadly for that. But it is the first of many calamities that will likely unfold throughout this century. Now, when they come, we’ll be familiar with how they feel.

World Press Freedom Day. (Don’t take the free press for granted. Journalists are not the enemy. Unless you are tyrant whose rule depends upon feeding misinformation to the public. In which case, yes, a free press is your enemy.)

Similar:Hanging with the rude mechanicals @setonhilluniversityA Midsummer Night’s Dream.CultureThe Best Word Book Ever, 1963 and 1991.As a child, I obsessed over many Richard…BooksWhere No One Has Gone Before (TNG Rewatch, Season 1, Episode 5) Wes's warp-drive guru help…Rewatching ST:TNG after a 20-year break….CultureStage Right's "The Secret Garden": Performing with My Talented Daughter This weekend has…

Intagrate Lite Plugin Problems

I’ve been using the Intagrate Lite WordPress plugin, which creates a new WordPress blog entry out of every photo I post to Instagram. A few months ago the plugin stopped working, but recently the developer updated it. I’ve noticed that I frequently have to refresh my connection between Instagram and WordPress, by logging in to…

Loved part 2 of Romeo and Juliet @thepublicpgh #pptplaytime (Next week: Tartuffe)

Similar:Back in the MLAAs the humanities decline in the United …AcademiaDennis Jerz, R.U.R (Rossum's Universal Robots), Karel Capek's "Fantastic Melodrama" – YouT…”In which the origin of the word “robot”…AestheticsMcCain's 2008 Concession Speech: Republicans interrupt their candidate's concession speech…That moment during McCain’s concession s…CultureYep, it's time to read student papers on Flannery O'Connor.AcademiaApology of Socrates, By…

My current Zoom backdrop. #blender3d #partylikeaprof

Similar:Game night at our local library.GamesIntroduction to Twine (Tutorials by Vegetarian Zombie) I will always love Inform 7, but I c…AcademiaUtility Tactical Waist Pack Pouch Military Camping Hiking Outdoor Hand Waist Bag: Sports &…Really. These things aren’t at all assoc…AestheticsThe Hidden Subversive Messages of [MGM's Screen Adaptation of] The Wizard of OzWhen I tried teaching…

“Oh, that I were a glove upon that hand. That I might touch that cheek!” #pptplaytime Romeo and Juliet @thepublicpgh

Similar:Before I Go: A Stanford neurosurgeon’s parting wisdom about life and timeA very moving reflection by a dying man,…CultureI regularly teach Uncle Tom's Cabin, but have never seen it before. BooksYes Virginia the Musical coming to ConnellsvilleCarolyn Jerz may be only 11 but is alrea…Current_EventsEx-Pope Benedict says the Selfish Gene is science fiction. He's half…

Look at the adorable little tape casette. Adventure International / Scott Adams Inc. spoke at a University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire English Festival event, may 2001.

Similar:I may or may not make a zapping sound under my breath while phasering your ticket. @prime_… AestheticsJournalism, Fake News, and "Clickbait Defamation"Sometimes when my social media contacts …CultureLLM error rates  I worked on LLMs, and now I go…AcademiaTraditional Reporters and Data-driven Analysts Both Underestimated Trump's ChancesA data-driven news outlet that gave Trum…CultureContagion (ST:TNG Rewatch,…

Lounge area of a steampunk villain’s lair. Still needs a light fixture or two. #blender3d

Similar:In Pittsburgh, science gets playfulImagine: sharing a secret with a friend …AestheticsInterview: Bjarne P. Tveskov, Classic LEGO Space Designer – Boing Boing GadgetsBoing Boing interviews Bjarne P. Tveskov…AestheticsWhat Do People Do on Mobile Devices? (Infographic)A handful of vignettes communicating the…BusinessGetting to the Point in Academic Writing Don’t spend three pages establishing…DesignProgress on a customizable "[E]…

Here’s some good writing from The New Yorker: “Seattle’s Leaders Let Scientists Take the Lead. New York’s Did Not”

If you think of science like the multiple-choice quizzes in a high school science class, where there’s exactly one correct answer that your teacher knows in advance, then watching science happen in real time can be confusing. Especially when it mixes up with politics, business, and human stubbornness. If socially disruptive anti-virus actions work, they…

Fight choreography via teleconference. As You Like It @steelcityshakespeare

Similar:Enjoyed making a 3D print of the captain’s chair from the #steampunk bedtime stories I use…Enjoyed making a 3D print of the captain…Personal"It's called an amphora," the artist says.AestheticsThe Girl Has Started Rehearsals for PICT Classic Theatre’s Jane EyreI’ve chauffeured the girl into Pittsburg…BooksCarolyn as Luciana in the PPT Shakespeare Summer Intensive DramaThat's what's been bothering…

It’s reckless and dangerous for a leader with a habit of doubling down in the face of criticism to brainstorm that wildly on coronavirus treaments

Today my Facebook feed featured memes that mocked Trump for telling people to drink bleach, pour it into their bodily orifices, etc. He did say some reckless things, but Donald Trump did *not* suggest that people inject bleach, drink disinfectant, or expose their bodily orifices to sunlight. An opinion on the president is more valuable if…

Part II of the Mon Valley Medium was a powerful experience. Funny and painful. @thepublicpgh #pptplaytime Looking forward to Romeo and Juliet next week.

Similar:Irony in Blakes7 Reboot?RT @Laroquod: @DennisJerz If #Blakes7 tu…BusinessSynergistic Synthesis XVII Sub B1 Chair by Kenneth SmytheAfter my daughter’s theater workshop, I …AestheticsTeacher suspended after pro-Trump yearbook photos alteredFree speech is valuable. It’s dangerous …CultureThe Begotten #StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch (Season 5, Episode 12) Kira and Odo face surrogacyRewatching ST:DS9 Odo walks stiffly i…DramaThe Mystery of…

What’s My Cue? Let’s Talk Shakesepare with Andy Kirtland Virtural #Britsburgh

Similar:Today’s #blender3d modeling, inspired by a satellite photo courtesy of Google Maps. (I’m n…Today’s #blender3d modeling, inspired by…DesignHow newsroom managers can invest more time developing their staff — and why it mattersOne of my most consistently rewarding pr…BusinessThe Myth of the MegalithI have found that archaeologists are sel…CultureMy current Zoom backdrop. #blender3d #partylikeaprofAestheticsRubric for the…

What Each Side of the COVID-19 Debate Should Understand About the Other

I’m very conscious that my lockdown experience has been fairly smooth. I’m teaching two classes right now, versions of which I have already taught online. At home, my nuclear family is getting restless and bored, but we’re busy and productive. Yesterday afternoon I went for a walk with my son in our quiet little suburb.…