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:The Man Who Photographed GhostsThis review of a book about early photog…AestheticsThe Best Word Book Ever, 1963 and 1991.As a child, I obsessed over many Richard…BooksThings That Will Freak out Every OCD PersonA good collection. I’m only linking to i…AestheticsThe Teen Brain “Shuts Down” When It Hears Mom’s CriticismWired summarizes an egghead study for th…CultureMaking…

Loved part 1 of Alec Silverblatt's Mon Valley Medium. Part 2 tomorrow at 7. #pptplaytime

Similar:Loud as a Whisper (ST:TNG Rewatch, Season 2, Episode 5)Rewatching Star Trek: The Next Generatio…DramaRefreshing my memory of working with reel-to-reel tape as a radio news intern (c. 1989).HistoryDozens of Colleges’ Upward Bound Applications Are Denied for Failing to Dot Every II’m not saying that the Upward Bound kid…AcademiaBlog ten-beat lines of verse, like Shakespeare…

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.…

Toasting Shakespeare at the Bard’s Birthday Bash

Organized by Pittsburgh Shakespeare in the Park. Similar:Kids Rarely Read Whole Books Anymore. Even in English Class. Twelfth-grade reading scores are a…BooksWhy the British Tell Better Children’s StoriesIf Harry Potter and Huckleberry Finn wer…BooksConfronting the Myth of the 'Digital Native'It’s one thing to be able use a service …AcademiaBy the way, humans sent a robot…

Coronavirus: advice from the Middle Ages for how to cope with self-isolation

Like many people, I curate my social media posts. After a month of coronavirus lockdown, I’ve been curating more than usual. I have spent (many) sleepless nights scrolling through news reports in slack-jawed horror; I’ve (often) felt overwhelmed; I’ve lost my temper at my family (regularly). I haven’t posted about such events because I don’t…

Journalism, Fake News, and “Clickbait Defamation”

Sometimes when my social media contacts are complaining about “the media,” they are really responding to headlines, which they cite as examples of “fake news.”   Sometimes the headlines they respond to are creative interpretations supplied by a third party with a dog in a particular fight; but other times I can see very clearly…

Happy Easter 2020

Similar:Beautiful. No Data / Lore opposition required. AestheticsYou come very close to successfully combining argument and explication here… I recently came across a box of old wr…AcademiaVerification HandbookOne of journalism’s most treasured clich…Current_EventsThe Passenger (#StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch, Season 1, Episode 9) Dead criminal keeps committing…Rewatching ST:DS9 In a runabout, Kira…CultureNo, this photo of people wearing…

Prepare for the Ultimate Gaslighting

Thoughtful essay from Julio Vincent Gambuto. Get ready, my friends. What is about to be unleashed on American society will be the greatest campaign ever created to get you to feel normal again. It will come from brands, it will come from government, it will even come from each other, and it will come from…

Dog and TP Wall

Similar:Practicing my Unity3D design skills. Forgot to turn on gravity.https://youtu.be/PkxxiPAmTFg I’m brus…AmusingWhere is the comma in "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" supposed to go?https://youtu.be/sxfxy-3dGz0AmusingVery Berry Dead Makes a Big Impression at Big Storm Performance CompanyCarolyn Jerz lights up the stage from he…Awesome"Khan!!! the Musical!!!" (Star Trek Parody) 6-Minute Highlight Reel 2022https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrfLWDbJ…AmusingThe Drinks are On Us!…

The Enemy (ST:TNG Rewatch, Season Three, Episode 7) — LaForge and a Romulan Cooperate to Survive

Rewatching ST:TNG after a 20-year break. LaForge is stranded on a hostile planet with a nervous, injured Romulan. The “mutual enemies must learn to cooperate” storyline is by-the-numbers, but I still enjoyed it. I don’t remember ever seeing this episode before, but seeing the frequently reused “planet hell” set (featuring a distinctively stair-stepped sloping wall)…

Fake Graph: The Actual “Dunning-Kruger Effect” Is NOTHING Like I Thought It Was

For years, I’ve been teaching a fake graph. In pretty much every course I teach, on some day when students seem discouraged or distracted, I’ll draw an X axis labeled “Experience” and a Y-axis labeled “Confidence,” and sketch out the “Dunning-Kruger Effect” curve, as preparation for an informal pep talk. (Update, 27 Nov 2021: My…