Category Archives: General Comment

Canavan’s ‘Avatar’ and the War of Genres

December 21, 2009 – 4:20 pm

Just a bit of Gerry Canavan on Avatar and the question of genre, re science fiction In the beginning Avatar seems to situate itself firmly within this generic mode, with a group of scientists and mercenaries from Earth who have arrived on Pandora in spaceships to study the natives and drill for valuable minerals (not [...]

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RIP Knickerbocker

October 23, 2009 – 3:03 pm

When Knickerbocker was a puppy, he’d dash around and knock the hell out of our older terrier X, Arrow, unmindful of her own age and ricketiness. Like all Labs he couldn’t help but fling himself into everything. He had a few good years after a serving of diabetes, back troubles, and arthritis and eventually couldn’t [...]

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On Silliness

October 4, 2009 – 12:08 pm

I had an interesting set of exchanges with the company that installed my boiler. It’s a three year old installation. It’s time for a second cleaning and so I called the company and asked to schedule. They asked if I was a customer. I said yes. They said, not according to our computer. I said, [...]

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Imagery

May 17, 2009 – 6:51 pm

Jeremy Jones on Harry R. Truman: Every May the 18th, I think about Mt. St. Helens and specifically Harry R. Truman. Every year. I feel a strange bond with that man, even though we never actually spoke. It’s amazing what an impact on one’s life twenty or thirty letters from third and fourth graders can [...]

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Professor Brown and the Weblog

May 14, 2009 – 5:32 pm

My friend and writer Bob Brown has created a weblog. It will be interesting to see what he makes of it. He writes: I am not really a technological Luddite, though I’d like to be right now. The reason? My PC has been attacked by something called a self-replicating virus, which sounds suspiciously like an [...]

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Black Days, Part 2

April 21, 2009 – 11:24 am

A quote from Philip Zelikow: Which underscores the importance of moral analysis. There is an elementary distinction, too often lost, between the moral (and policy) question — “What should we do?” — and the legal question: “What can we do?” We live in a policy world too inclined to turn lawyers into surrogate priests granting [...]

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Against Technology

April 17, 2009 – 4:22 pm

Kevin Kelly lays out some “core” arguments against technology in a effort to understand them. It’s a start. And the subject should continue to be interesting. Has he articulated them clearly so that others can engage? I’m not sure. Take argument number 3: Contrary to Technology Itself. Technology proceeds so fast it is going to [...]

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Ground Bees

April 17, 2009 – 3:26 pm

We have a major miner bee colony in our yard. Or, should I say yards, as they’ve spread. They’re cute little bees and don’t bother. They’re good aerators and come to their holes with lots of pollen, a welcome spring addition to the “green” garden. We have plenty of bubble bees, too, bumbling about. Out [...]

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News Papers and New Media

April 9, 2009 – 10:54 am

Lunch time and I’ve been reading a lot about newspapers and the demise issue. Here’s Doc Searls. The bottom line here is that a lot of good people are working on solutions. These solutions are not the same old stuff in new wrappers. They’re original ideas, some of which the papers will have no control [...]

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Congratulations

March 6, 2009 – 12:20 pm

Congratulations are in order for two Tunxis students. Beau Anderson has been accepted into the University of Connecticut’s Masters in Public Administration Program. In addition, Lonnie Ann has been accepted into Savannah College of Art and Design. Congratulations to both of these fine humans.

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Cars

February 23, 2009 – 7:40 pm

So, who’s going to purchase these cars?

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A Night of Comedy and Satire

February 14, 2009 – 9:34 am

Tunxis Community College Presents A Night of Comedy, Satire, and Theater “The Book of Leviticus Show,” “Kitty the Waitress,” “Funeral Parlor”* by Christopher Durang. Directed by George Sebastian-Coleman “The Hail Mary Pass” by Patrice Hamilton. Directed by Patrice Hamilton Here are the audition dates: Wed. 5:30-8:30pm February 18 Rooms 6-127 & 6-128 Sat. 10am-12 pm [...]

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Accidents

January 6, 2009 – 8:45 pm

I’ve just received word that a good friend and colleague of mine, Art Adolfson, coordinator of our Math and Computer Science honors program is in the hospital after being hit on his bicycle by a car. This is an excellent person. He will be on leave and should recover, which is good to hear.

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Regulation

January 2, 2009 – 7:42 am

Here’s an odd article in the paper this morning called Charter School’s Preschool at Risk. It’s an example of dropped balls and waste regarding licensing law and categories. For several reasons. The issue has swept Jumoke into a legal battle that could have ramifications for all charter schools in the state. Although under state law [...]

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Coffee Stuff

November 29, 2008 – 2:56 pm

I caught this lamp in my coffee Friday morning. Don’t know how it got in there.

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