"Reality, unlike games, is broken." – Jane McGonigal
An open letter to my students regarding masks in the classroom. Dear students, I want to talk for a minute about the University’s recent announcement that they’re lifting mask requirements in the classroom. I’m going to ask you all to … Read More »
Today, I just want to say to my colleagues, students, and friends of color, that if you need my help, I am here for you. Tell me how to help YOU, if you want it. If you don’t, know that … Read More »
It is January 20th, 2020, and my city is in a declared State of Emergency. So far (as of 4.26pm) nothing bad has happened. There has been no natural disaster, no major snowstorm. Today, in Richmond, Virginia, on Martin Luther … Read More »
Recently I’ve seen something happening across multiple venues in my professional career, both at my own institution and in organizations of which I am a part. That thing is this: colleagues are being targeted for harassment, doxxing, and threats because … Read More »
So I know I don’t post here a lot anymore, but today’s level of ridiculous is just that, so I feel like this is worth posting. Even if GamerGate ended back in 2016, more or less, as Breitbart writers and … Read More »
So I’m a big fan of technology. I own a lot of it. I have a smartphone, a work laptop, a personal laptop/tablet convertible, a work tablet, and two gaming consoles. That does not include the two laptops and two … Read More »
I do not live in Charlottesville. I have been there, driven through its streets, walked on its campus. I live about an hour and a half from Charlottesville, but today–every day–I am responsible for the chaos on its streets and … Read More »
A few posts I made around the election (pre-election and post-inauguration) made a comparison between our current President and Shakespeare’s Richard III. I still think that comparison is horrifyingly apt, and the past few weeks have only added to the … Read More »
Do not turn over the rock. Do not open the envelope. Do not look behind the curtain to see the tiny man pulling the strings or heaving the bellows. Do not listen at doors or peer through keyholes, hoping to … Read More »
In this day and age, We must be the exceptional. To sit back, to remain Comfortable and safe in our brick houses, Keeping silent out of fear Of awkwardness at parties Or embarrassing ourselves in front of our boss, Closing … Read More »
Today, instead of doing research, I decided to do something to help other people research. As groups of scientifically-minded people begin to organize a March for Science headed to Washington D.C., I thought it would be a nice gesture to … Read More »
Rise Up, Day 3 (from 23 January 2017) It rained again today, Large, thick drops, Like sobs, As though the sky, A pathetic fallacy, Wept for the loss Of our dignity On the first Monday After hope was sworn away. … Read More »
I decided, the day of the inauguration, that I felt compelled to do more than just rant at a blank screen. I was reminded by a colleague that circumstances like these produce some of our greatest art… And so I … Read More »
It’s Inauguration Day. A day–ostensibly–for celebration and the arrival of a new era. Except that a new era is not always a cause for celebration, and, for many Americans today, it most certainly is not. I have struggled for a … Read More »
This morning, I have a lot of rage. I am grieving for the nation of which I thought I was a part, and angry at the nation of which I learned I am a citizen. I learned a lot of … Read More »