I had a great time hanging out with my mom on her birthday. I am still not sure why she insists on having White Castle every year. My stomach can’t deal with it anymore.
Tamir Rice and the fears of Black parents
As a father of two young black children, the Tamir Rice situation terrifies and angers me. The thought that someone could arbitrarily murder your child in cold blood and then have the state, and large sections of the American public, justify that action is beyond disturbing.
My son asked to borrow one of my video cameras to capture shots of him and his friends skateboarding. He was initially upset when I told him no. All of my HD cameras are black could be mistaken for something else by a trigger-happy cop. As a result, I went out and bought my kid an HTC Re camera that looks like a white inhaler so that no one could mistake it for anything dangerous.
I had a black HD camera I used to use with a one-handed pole grip for action shots until I thought about how it might look to some scared cop. And really when we pull back the curtain I believe that most cops are terrified of black people. This accounts for many of their overreactions. Now some honestly hate us, but some of that hate is a direct by-product of their fear.
This was the original action camera he wanted to use. The shame is that it is a great camera, far cheaper than a go pro but with similar quality. However, the form factor is too problematic, especially in black or silver.
The last time I looked, selling untaxed cigarettes didn’t carry the death penalty. To get away with murdering a Black Male in America all you have to do now is say you felt “threatened” or he was a thug/criminal. What happened to due process? When did it become ok to carry out judgment & execution for petty crime? The problem Black people are having is that Black males are dehumanized and depicted as threats worthy of death. In our justice system, I have yet to see the prosecutor seek the death penalty for stealing, walking, or running however this sentence is imposed on Black Males by police at a disproportionate rate.
NY Cine Radio: The 2015 Christmas Special
It is a Festivus miracle! Here is the New York Cine Radio Christmas Special that I spoke of in an earlier post when I was interviewed on TV! This week on the podcast the gang and I discuss the new “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” film and Continue reading “NY Cine Radio: The 2015 Christmas Special”
Interviewed on WPIX!
In an earlier post I mentioned that I was recently interviewed at the Star Wars: The Force Awakens premiere by Mario Diaz of WPIX channel 11. The story that didn’t make the final segment edit is that this wasn’t the first time I had played hooky to see a Star Wars film. You see near the end of my senior year of high school my best friend Jeff and I hatched a plan to be the first people to see Return of the Jedi without having to brave the insane lines that were forming in Manhattan prior to the opening day. During that time the world had gone Star Wars crazy. People had been lining up nearly a week in advance of the premiere of Jedi to guarantee that they would be among the first to see the final episode of the original trilogy. However while Jeff and I were both hardcore Star Wars fans, we knew that neither one of our moms would let us miss that much school for a movie.
So Jeff and I came up with the brilliant plan to ditch only one day of school and Continue reading “Interviewed on WPIX!”
Episode 7: Time to play hooky
The pictures above are of me standing on line for the 8am early morning showing of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. There has not been a more eagerly awaited and anticipated film in years, and keep in mind that includes all of the recent Marvel/DC/Superhero films that have dominated the box office as of late. Nerds and geeks love Star Wars probably as much, if not more so than they love Star Trek and Doctor Who.
I was going to wait until next week so see the new Star Wars film because I expected it to be a mad house, but while I was heading into the office I walked past the theater. There was no line outside for the earlier showing. I then decided I couldn’t wait and took a chance that tickets were available. Luckily there were spots still unsold and I was able to purchase a ticket. So I texted a colleague and rescheduled my 10am meeting until later in the day and went in to enjoy the show.
While waiting on the line I was approached by Mario Diaz of WPIX Channel 11 news. Mario Diaz is best known his reporting on the NYPD “Stop and Frisk” policy, as well as being the reporter that Continue reading “Episode 7: Time to play hooky”
New Media Tech – Fall 2015 Project Lab
Life after ITP
As part of an alumni panel discussing life and career possibilities after graduation, I was invited once again to speak to students in the NYU Interactive Telecommunication Program. It was a great event, but I must admit to having a good laugh at the fact that I was the oldest person on the panel by far.
The funniest thing was when I mentioned the year I graduated a student in the front row mouthed the word “wow”. Dat’s right son, I’m a straight up ODG (Original Digital Gangsta)! Protect ya neck!
Speaking at the Grad Center
A colleague of mine, Michael Mandiberg, invited me to be a guest lecturer for a class he was teaching at the CUNY Graduate Center. The students in his class were PhD candidates within the CUNY Interactive Technology and Pedagogy certificate program. Over the course of the semester his class examined how people and technologies have shaped academic classroom and research interactions in the past, and how they are reshaping the university in the present.
I spoke on the topic of “The Digital Humanities & the Future of Academic Inquiry and Publishing”. Michael thought that my previous papers, interviews, and conference presentations on the topic of digital scholarship would help spark a lively debate among his students.
Online Learning: What’s in it for CUNY?
For those who are interested, here is the full video of the discussion I participated in during the recent 2015 CUNY IT Conference on the topic of “Online Learning: What’s in it for CUNY”.
College choices
We have just been having a great run of good fortune lately. My daughter received her first college acceptance letter this weekend. I am just overjoyed that her first acceptance letter is from a school that my daughter really likes and that we can send her to and still afford to retire one day! This is sure to be the first of many positive letters because she has worked really hard over the past few years. It is nice to know that she will have options.