Now Reading
Planned books:
None
Current books:
-
Mathematics for the Digital Age and Programming in Python by Maria Litvin and Gary Litvin
-
Statistics In Plain English by Timothy C. Urdan
Recent books:
- Practical Machine Learning in R by Fred Nwanganga, Mike Chapple
- Statistical Inference via Data Science: A ModernDive into R and the Tidyverse by Chester Ismay and Albert Y. Kim
- The Nature of Code by Daniel Shiffman
- Story: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting by Robert McKee
- The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature by Matt Ridley
-
Category Archives: General
Second Trip to Gettysburg
Yesterday I made my second trip to Gettysburg, just one week after my first trip. On this trip my goal was to see the Gettysburg National Military Park and more of the battlefield. I left later than I intended after … Continue reading
Trip To Gettysburg
On Saturday, July 15, 2017 I made my first trip to Gettysburg PA. Gettysburg is two and a half hours from Williamsport so it is not that far away but I don’t like driving south on Route 15. That highway … Continue reading
Posted in General, Travel
Tagged Antique Center of Gettysburg, Cemetery Hill, Evergreen Cemetery, Gettysburg, Gettysburg Heritage Center, Gettysburg Museum of History, Lincoln Diner, Lincoln Square, Majestic Theater, Shriver House Museum, Soldier's National Cemetery, Steinwehr Avenue, Sunset Ice Cream Parlor, The Parrot
Leave a comment
Trip To Altoona Pennsylvania
Yesterday I made a day trip to another city in Pennsylvania, Altoona. Altoona is most famous as a railroad town. But is also has a connection with Williamsport as being the birthplace of the science fiction writer H. Beam Piper who … Continue reading
Review of Sweat by Lynn Nottage
On Saturday, June 24, 2017 I saw the Broadway production of Sweat by Lynn Nottage at Studio 54. Although Studio 54 was an infamous disco nightclub in the late 1970s, it is now a Broadway theater managed by the Roundabout … Continue reading
Posted in General, Theater, Travel, Writing
Leave a comment
Sweating In New York City
I made yet another trip to New York City yesterday to see a play on Broadway. I was a bit surprised to find the Susquehanna Buses in bright new colors with advertising for Bucknell University. It must be part of … Continue reading
Posted in General, Theater, Travel
Tagged Drama Book Shop, Merilu Pizza Al Metro, Met Breuer, Molyvos, O'Lunney's Times Square Pub, Studio 54, Sweat
Leave a comment
Studying Dramatic Writing
I recently bought the book Into The Woods: a Five-Act Journey Into Story by John Yorke. I found this book recommended in a video Lauren Gunderson: On Structure. This proved to be a book for screenwriters by a British television … Continue reading
Posted in General, Theater, Writing
Leave a comment
Sensory Deprivation In New York City
Yesterday I made yet another trip to New York City to explore the heights of human achievement, which is what the skyscraper symbolically represents. And to a certain extent, cultural centers like New York City do attract talent from all … Continue reading
The Victim Mentality In The Arts
Writing about the victim mentality could get me in a lot of trouble on a web site like Howl Round which attracts a large number of Social Justice Warriors. But it is probably safe to share my thoughts here since … Continue reading
Posted in General, Programming, Theater, Writing
Tagged conservative, playwriting, social justice warrior, victim mentality
Leave a comment
Recommender Systems And Their Significance
Recently I bought an expensive book, Recommender Systems: An Introduction, by Dietmar Jannach, Markus Zanker, Alexander Felfernig, Gerhard Friedrich. This book could be used as a textbook for a class which may explain why it was so expensive. I bought … Continue reading
Information Is Not Knowledge
Technology is drowning us in information but this information is often of little use to us. It might be worthwhile to ponder the fundamental nature of information. Although I work in Information Technology as a knowledge worker, I have given … Continue reading
Posted in General, Programming, Travel, Writing
Leave a comment
The Gaspipe One-Act Play Festival
Last evening I attended the Gaspipe One-Act Play Festival at the Greenspace Center in Lewisburg. This play festival was offered by the RiverStage Community Theatre. Lewisburg is south of Williamsport on Route 15. It takes around 40 minutes to drive … Continue reading
How Amazon’s Recommendation Engine May Shape Your Destiny
I have recently discovered that Amazon’s recommendation engine is powered by an open source artificial intelligence framework called Deep Scalable Sparse Tensor Network Engine (DSSTNE), pronounced “destiny”. I have tried to figure out how the Deep Scalable Sparse Tensor Network … Continue reading
Brooklyn Heights – Mapping The Territory
Yesterday I made my first bus trip for 2017 to New York City. My goal was to explore more neighborhoods in Brooklyn. Although I only intended to explore Brooklyn Heights, I had time to wander around Dumbo too. Exploring new … Continue reading
Posted in General, Travel, Writing
Tagged Brooklyn Borough Hall, Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn Heights Promenade, Brooklyn Historical Society, DUMBO, Heights Cafe, Henry Ward Beecher Monument, Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, Merilu Pizza Al Metro, MetroTech Center, New York Transit Museum, New York University Tandon School of Engineering, Port Authority Bus Terminal, Sentinel Apartment, St. Ann's Warehouse, The Heights Players
Leave a comment
CAST’s The Boatwright by Bo Wilson
On Saturday afternoon I saw the play The Boatwright by Bo Wilson. I haven’t been writing reviews of the local productions I’ve seen, but there are a few aspects of this event that I should preserve for future reference. For … Continue reading
Posted in General, Theater, Writing
Tagged CAST, Community Theatre League, RiverStage Community Theatre, The Boatwright
Leave a comment
Production As Validation
Recently I made the observation that playwrights should not be using a production as validation because that is too discouraging. I would like to elaborate on this point. The reason production should not be considered validation is that it sets … Continue reading
Posted in General, Theater, Writing
Leave a comment
Cultural Consumers Vs Creators
There are two types of people in a culture, creators and consumers. Consuming cultural products is a passive activity. Creating cultural products is an active activity. The reader is a consumer and the writer is a creator. I have made … Continue reading
Thanksgiving In New York City
Yesterday I spent Thanksgiving In New York City. This posed some special challenges because everything was closed for the holiday but I still managed to explore the city. I went on this trip courtesy of my older brother who bought … Continue reading
Posted in General, Travel
Tagged Bushwick, Central Park, Lincoln Center, Macy's Parade, Thanksgiving, Troutman Street
Leave a comment
Sony Pictures Studio Tour
I spent my final day in Los Angeles doing the Sony Pictures Studio Tour. Sony Studios is in Culver City, another city incorporated into Los Angeles. I left my hotel earlier than usual, around 7:30 a.m., and took the Metro … Continue reading
Warner Brothers Studio Tour
On Thursday I moved on to my next studio tour at Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank. Burbank is to the east of North Hollywood. I took the Metro Bus Line 501 to Burbank California. This is a new bus service … Continue reading
Paramount Studios Tour
My final three days in Los Angeles were devoted to studio tours. On Wednesday I had a tour reservation for the Paramount Studios Tour. Paramount Studios is the only film studio still located in Hollywood. So I took the Metro … Continue reading