Author Archives: jbj

It turns out that it’s bad karma to talk smack to your mother.  In the morning, when we were all going out to “shovel” the quarter-inch of snow so we could play basketball, The Little Man was slightly irritated about … Continue reading →

At PopMatters this morning, I have a (slightly tardy) review of Darren Wershler-Henry’s recent book, The Iron Whim: A Fragmented History of Typewriting:  The Iron Whim‘s thesis is that the iconography of typewriting is almost preternaturally self-deconstructing. Typewriting produces the … Continue reading →

Via Paraphernalian, the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography advent calendar/contest.

Attention future students in my Brit Lit II (and perhaps The Victorian Age) courses:  When it’s time to sit the exam on the Victorian period, you can count on the following question appearing as extra credit:  Why can’t Tennyson’s famous … Continue reading →

Hey, did you know that kids like the winter holidays?  Shocking, I know, but I have proof: This is the first year he’s been interested in jumping into raked leaves.  Lots of merriment. (What I particularly like about these pictures … Continue reading →

On the one hand, it seems certain that the recent NEA report alleging a steep decline in reading is alarmist and overdrawn, relying on a tendentious understanding of the history of literacy and underestimating reading in new media. On the … Continue reading →

Monday at preschool, The Little Man was asked what he would be thankful for on Thursday.  His answer: “The food, because if the Indians didn’t share their food with the colonists, then they would all have died.”  (We like to … Continue reading →

<pouting> Special thanks to the League of American Theaters & Producers for wrecking Thanksgiving: The latest round of talks between the producers’ league and the stagehands’ union broke down last night, leaving no end in sight for the strike that … Continue reading →

While glancing briefly at my gmail spam folder, I found these lovely seasons’ greetings: Man power, sex-mas is comming soon! It’s nice to see them getting into the holiday spirit, instead of relying on fear and self-loathing.  I almost sang … Continue reading →

I have a “Views” essay on InsideHigherEd.com this morning, urging faculty to see assessment as a force for good.  From the point of view of actual experts on assessment–which I am not–it probably has a bit of a “water is … Continue reading →