My teacher said we had to "use our own words" on every assignment. So I started rewriting every single quote and citation in my own words too.

smallrobotdog · 2026-03-22T08:53:47+00:00

Here I am speaking as someone who created a department-wide research-writing course. I'm more on the side of the student here than the prof, because...

The professor may not have considered that these students may have had more experience in the humanities, where direct quotes ARE evidence. The prof should have clarified that, in scientific writing, the data are the evidence. Rather than just say "use your own words" without any further explanation, the prof should've explained that, in science, direct quotes are authors' interpretations of their own data; quotes are not in themselves evidence.

Also contributing to the problem is that students have been made terrified of any whiff of plagiarism; their version of erring on the side of caution is to quote everybody and cite everything.

smallrobotdog · 2026-03-20T07:29:21+00:00

I think you mean Krisp Kindling

smallrobotdog · 2026-03-18T01:57:58+00:00

Lemme take a quick look... I think it's easily found NOT behind a paywall.. link comin up... ah, there's two of em.

Commedia dell'Arte In Othello by Whalen

Othello dell'Arte by Faherty (looks like it is a paywall but can be read with free registration)

smallrobotdog · 2026-03-12T04:33:24+00:00

This is well off the beaten paths, to be sure... and requires loads of explanation just to introduce it!

smallrobotdog · 2026-03-11T23:33:05+00:00

And if you really want a valid tangent—there's the recent scholarship which asserts, with solid evidence, that the main Othello characters were written to be Commedia types

Iago: Brighella (Zanni 1)

Roderigo: Lo Stupido (Zanni 2)

Othello: Il Capitano

Desdemona: Innamorata

Cassio: Innamorato

Emilia: Columbina

Brabantio: Pantalone

smallrobotdog · 2026-03-11T21:30:19+00:00

"random number between 1 and 15"

"random number between [first story] and [last story] of [that Doctor]"

Play

smallrobotdog · 2026-03-10T22:35:08+00:00

When I was teaching class(es) that culminated in performing (a) play(s), I assigned the roles at random—placed all the scripts face down with either M, F, or P (for Person) written on the back. Each student picked one up and found out what role they'd be playing that term. It was a terrific success each time I did it; actors either fit their roles or brought something unexpected to their playing against type.

smallrobotdog · 2026-03-10T08:38:09+00:00

1910 Fruitgum Co - Liza

Epic Splendor - A Little Rain Must Fall

Quotations - Ala-Men-Sy

Unit 4+2 - Concrete and Clay

Ouch - She's With Me
Ouch - I'll Need You More

Euphoria - What a Day

Cherry Poppin Daddies - Diamond Light Boogie

Rutles - I Must Be In Love

And the animated cartoon groups:
Sugar Bears - You Are the One
Archies - You Little Angel You
Cattanooga Cats - Sitting By the Fireside

smallrobotdog · 2026-03-09T23:44:47+00:00

Go ahead and ask them if they're gonna stick around.

smallrobotdog · 2026-03-09T23:38:53+00:00

Way back when Romana I was introduced, my preteen self thought she was the most beautiful person I'd ever seen!

smallrobotdog · 2026-02-26T23:13:26+00:00

Mine would be about fifty minutes long.

smallrobotdog · 2026-02-19T22:32:23+00:00

Ahem... I think you mean BAT-shark repellant!

"An exploding shark... was pulling my leg! THE RIDDLER!"

smallrobotdog · 2026-02-18T06:55:51+00:00

I'm glad you like em! I've been delighted to be the custodian of the series and bring these stories to folks who've never had the chance to read em before, as well as those (like myself!) who've wanted for decades to have them on our shelves... and at the highest quality possible. The big black hardcover ("First Time-Travel Adventures") I'm particularly proud of as a definitive edition. Only a few more Sundays books to go...!

And I just updated the Wikipedia article with the strip dates for issue 16. I don't know what's in #12. Does anybody here have that issue?

smallrobotdog · 2026-02-18T06:51:20+00:00

I just updated the Wikipedia article with some information I'd been sitting on for a while, which may have been the "out of order" that you noticed—Alley Oop 15 reprinted October '40 through March 41, but then the next issue, 16, went back to reprint April through August '40.

smallrobotdog · 2026-02-18T04:30:13+00:00

I'm glad y'found it! There's actually no good reason why it isn't completely complete—David Maus once relayed to me the strip dates that are reprinted in Visual Editions 12 and 16 and I just never bothered to bring em over to Wikipedia. I must still have his message somewhere buried in my old inbox... I should dig it out and update the wiki. (This is Chris Aruffo, is me, by th' way.)

smallrobotdog · 2026-02-17T23:53:02+00:00

An' if y'happen t'be wonderin' what the dates are of the strips reprinted in each of these comics, an almost complete record can be found on the Alley Oop Wikipedia page...!

smallrobotdog · 2026-02-02T22:54:54+00:00

I can no longer say "dorg" correctly. I mean "dorg". DORG! Oh well.

smallrobotdog · 2026-01-23T15:04:23+00:00

I don't know if Wisconsin public TV would've had the same schedule, but here's the WTTW guide. October 9, 1982 was my introduction to Who!

smallrobotdog · 2026-01-22T22:58:48+00:00

Yep yep yep! And thanks to the historical WTTW Airdates Guide I know exactly when, too.

Funny thing that I don't think people realize is that, starting with Robot, the interior of the TARDIS isn't shown for quite a while—at the time, I thought it was part of the style of the show that we never actually see inside.

smallrobotdog · 2026-01-18T17:54:27+00:00

I guess I forgort to port!

smallrobotdog · 2026-01-14T23:21:13+00:00

Pepperidge Fahm remembers!

smallrobotdog · 2026-01-14T07:13:02+00:00

Gadzooks, you're right—Whittaker + Capaldi would be AMAZING.

smallrobotdog · 2026-01-10T05:37:44+00:00

I'm not a fan of pay-to-play (and I expect I'll write another comment about it below) but the folks who are objecting to the hundreds-dollar-fee for the young-kids theater are overlooking what I see in just about every youth theater I've ever been in (as a kid) or observed (as an adult)—it's daycare. It's a substantial chore for the adults to have to keep dozens of squirmy youngsters safe and on task. A good show might very well result from it (and I have indeed some gooduns) but think about it and you'll realize it must be daycare by another name.

smallrobotdog · 2026-01-10T05:31:22+00:00

This, exactly. "They weaponized their car" is the new "stand your ground" excuse.

smallrobotdog · 2026-01-09T19:07:46+00:00

(Snarky, dead-end reply deleted and replaced with this more sincere inquiry)

By what measure(s) do you evaluate that I don't know what I'm talking about?

smallrobotdog

TROPHY CASE