Rumored Apple Tablet and the Rumored Future of Print

The hype machine is cranked to frenzy and the air is smokey after the Apple’s latest burst, Come see our latest creation. The more perspicacious among us are connecting dots»via« between Apple’s product announcement and the New York Time’s...

Posted by mistersquid on January 19, 2010 2:14 PM

The Demise of Naiveté

This time of year is always a mixed bag for me. I grew up in a largely Korean household which practiced no distinct holiday traditions. Christmas gift-giving was limited mainly to adults giving gifts to the children. The season...

Posted by mistersquid on December 20, 2009 9:53 AM

The Decline of the English Department

Early in his analysis of The Decline of the English Department, William Chace asserts that what is at the root of the decline is the failure of departments of English across the country to champion, with passion, the books...

Posted by mistersquid on October 10, 2009 11:57 AM

Harry Connick Jr. Hates Blackface

The contestants, all medical professionals, are none too talented and, judging by their routine, racially oblivious. The audience cheers the jerking minstrels, clapping to the beat of a racial lampooning. At 1:49 Harry Connick Jr. looks dumbfounded, and at...

Posted by mistersquid on October 9, 2009 6:57 AM

Some Thoughts Regarding the Creation of Text-to-Speech Audiobooks Using Consumer-Grade Software, or One Possible Outcome for Academic Professionalism as a Result of Fully Digitzed Text

Codex Books, Audiobooks, and Assistive Devices: A Tale of Near Misses The last book I checked out of Alden Library while still a faculty at Ohio University was Clay Shirky’s 2008 Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing without...

Posted by mistersquid on September 17, 2009 9:47 PM

Friction and Its Discontents

Those of you who know me in real life probably aren’t surprised by my blogging hiatus. Those of you who know probaby aren’t either. I suppose I’m the only one who’s surprised. In the last year (has it been that...

Posted by mistersquid on May 4, 2009 10:27 PM

Writer

This morning, I finished reading "Those Who Write, Teach” by David Gessner, an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, who discusses the effect of academic teaching (Creative Writing) on writers. In addition to being an excellent read,...

Posted by mistersquid on September 20, 2008 12:16 PM

Resurface

The two areas which have absorbed my attentions for the last two months (outside the shambles that passes for my personal life) has been my teaching and my writing. This entry is about the writing part of my life, research...

Posted by mistersquid on May 10, 2008 10:09 PM

After Creating New Syllabi1

If I didn't mention it already, the academic conference blog is now an official subgenre. Quoting: Shuttle Bus Service A free shuttle service will operate between Professional Courtesy and Thinly Veiled Contempt. Buses will also stop at Ambition, Exhaustion, and...

Posted by mistersquid on January 2, 2008 10:05 PM

Damned spot

Three graduate students in philosophy have begun an anonymous blog where they have found the courage to decry the heartache that is their job market. There are a thousand things I'd like to cover regarding the protocol of the philosophy...

Posted by mistersquid on January 1, 2008 12:17 PM

Pleasures and Joys

One of the pleasures of being an academic (as distinct from an intellectual or smart person, etc.) is occasionally gathering with colleagues for an evening of conviviality and camaraderie.December is a season of stress for many US academics. The weather...

Posted by mistersquid on December 16, 2007 12:30 PM

Iconophobia

This post is intended as a mild rant. Forgive me if it goes farther than that. On my workstation, I don’t use any instant messaging client because in addition to being sticky, instant messaging clients are designed to facilitate interruption....

Posted by mistersquid on October 6, 2006 8:25 AM