Now Reading
Planned books:
None
Current books:
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Mathematics for the Digital Age and Programming in Python by Maria Litvin and Gary Litvin
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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
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Category Archives: Writing
New Playwriting Web Site
I have finally created a web site that will be devoted to my playwriting efforts at: http://robertsrobbins.com/ This web site will serve that purpose better than my Williamsport Web Developer web site. I plan to use this new blog for … Continue reading
Posted in Theater, Writing
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Glitter Girls Review
On Friday, August 30, 2019, I saw The Glitter Girls by Mark Dunn at the Community Theatre League. This play was a comedy written by a playwright who appears to have some special relationship with the Community Theatre League. As … Continue reading
Posted in General, Theater, Writing
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Exploring State College and Penn State University
On Saturday, July 6, 2019, I explored State College and the Penn State University. I had only been there once before, in 2015 for the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts. That is not an ideal time for visiting the … Continue reading
Posted in Pennsylvania, Theater, Travel, Writing
Tagged Beaver Avenue Parking Garage, Cozy Thai Bistro, Eisenhower Auditorium, Fraser Centre, Nittany Lion Shrine, Palmer Museum of Art, Pasquerilla Spiritual Center, Paterno Library, Pattee Mall, Penn State Downtown Theatre Center, Penn State University, State College, State Theatre, The Nittany Lion Inn, Webster's Bookstore Cafe, Westgate Building
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James V. Brown Library Spring Book Sale Haul
Last evening I went to the Spring Book Sale held by the Friends of the James V. Brown Library. I found the following books: Nocturne by Adam Rapp – a play by a playwright I am familiar with Moon-Child by … Continue reading
Oleanna – A Misunderstood Play
This evening I saw the David Mamet play Oleanna in Lewisburg, as performed by the RiverStage Community Theatre. I did not realize it, but I have seen this play before. I keep a list of all the plays I’ve seen … Continue reading
Posted in General, Theater, Writing
Tagged David Mamet, Oleanna, RiverStage Community Theatre
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How To Avoid Diversity Drama
I have been following all the drama over the efforts to make our culture more diverse because it could impact my literary ambitions. I don’t object to diversity in theory because diversity is variety and like most creative people I … Continue reading
Posted in General, Theater, Writing
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Souring on Diversity
I have been a lifelong liberal and I have always accepted the tolerance promoted by the Left but recently I have begun to sour on the diversity agenda. It seems as though the Left has taken a turn towards getting … Continue reading
Posted in General, Writing
Tagged culture, diversity, feminism, gender, human nature
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The Gaspipe One Act Play Fest 2018 Review
On Sunday April 22, 2018 I drive down to Lewisburg to see the Gaspipe One Act Play Festival for 2018. I chose this date to avoid driving home in the dark and to give myself a little time in Lewisburg. … Continue reading
Posted in Pennsylvania, Theater, Writing
Tagged Gaspipe One Act Play Festival 2018, Lewisburg
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Vanya and Sonia and Marsha and Spike Review
On Friday evening, April 20, I saw Vanya and Sonia and Marsha and Spike by Christopher Durang at the Community Theatre League’s Moyer Studio. I have read this play so I already knew the story. Christopher Durang is a famous … Continue reading
New Plays – Why Theaters Produce New Plays
If you are an aspiring playwright, it is important to analyze, as objectively and dispassionately as possible, why any theater company should want to produce a new play. After all, producing a new play carries considerable risk. It takes a … Continue reading
Posted in Theater, Writing
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Chicago Vacation – Day Three – Monday
On the first weekday of my vacation I still didn’t have anything major planned so I decided to explore the Wicker Park neighborhood. For breakfast I had an omelet and a cheesy muffin. I went to Walgreens at 8:41 a.m. … Continue reading
Posted in General, Travel, Writing
Tagged Chicago Dramatists, Myopic Books, Poetry Foundation, Reckless Records, Wicker Park
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Artistic Destiny
The concept of a personal destiny is unpopular in our culture. We like to think that people forge their own destiny, that you can be a self-made man. We also like to think that everyone has an equal chance of … Continue reading
Posted in General, Writing
Tagged aesthetic appreciation, artists, creativity, talent
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Online Hate Speech Suppression Technology
There has been a lot of debate on how to handle hate speech online. Some people want hate speech removed wherever it appears while others want to protect free speech at all costs. Major technology companies like Google plan to … Continue reading
Posted in General, Writing
Tagged artificial intelligence, automation, Google, hate speech
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Fun Home At The Millbrook Playhouse
On August 3rd, 2017 I saw my third show at the Millbrook Playhouse in Mill Hall. This show was a musical based on the graphic novel Fun Home by Alison Bechdel. The interesting thing about this show is that the … Continue reading
Posted in General, Theater, Writing
Tagged Alison Bechdel, Clinton County, Fun Home, Millbrook Playhouse
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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
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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
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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
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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