I was today years old when I was informed that the "Uhluhtc" they are attempting to raise in the Den sequence of 1981's 'Heavy Metal' is, in fact, Cthulhu spelled backwards. There is no excuse for this oversight on my part. My apologies.

This is sold out, but I'm moderating a Holland Talk with Dr. Robert Ballard at the Kiewit Luminarium next Friday, February 20th! (Scroll down to see my ugly mug.) kiewitluminarium.org/holland-talks/

I'm glad this homage to Charlie Stross that I've been hauling around FOR YEARS is finally topical. #accelerando #iykyk

Huh. I won a teaching award.

My god, we're all a bunch of weirdly put together monkeys.

1-31-07 NEVER FORGET

Two Thursdays ago, when i was teaching Alice Wong's "Disabled Oracle Society," i taught this new crop of student about the myth of Cassandra, and how Apollo's curse wasn't just that no one listened to her, but that the more she tried to make people listen, the more hostile they got. So.

Happy Burns Night to all who celebrate!

Happy hashtag#OceanExplorationDay! The @oceandiscleague.bsky.social estimates that we have only explored 0.001% of the deep ocean. For the world's largest habitat on Earth, we must continue exploring to ensure the protection of this biosphere.

Happy Ocean Exploration Day! January 23 marks the anniversary of Jacques Piccard and Don Walsh's first descent to the deepest known point on Earth. Today, we celebrate all global efforts to explore the ocean and those who dedicate their lives to this work. Share how you explore! #oceanexplorationday

I have just come across the term "vibefounding" and I am now very disturbed. Alert! Alert, @oddletters.bsky.social and @wolvendamien.bsky.social !

"And I Would Have Gotten Away With It Too, If It Weren't For You Meddling Kids!" #3DPrinting

We are now accepting applications for the 2026 Accessing the Deep deep ocean training & mentoring program for early-career professionals, focusing on Africa and the Western Indian Ocean! Apply by March 4, 2026: gqr.sh/HcTT. #oceanexploration #AccessingTheDeep @challenger150.bsky.social

🎶 "There's a picture opposite me Of my primitive ancestry Which stood on rocky shores And kept the beaches shipwreck-free"🎵

Super stoked to be once again nominating the best visual effects of the year! We are are the wizards who make the magic. #VESNominationEvent

🎶 "Then I got Mary pregnant And, man, that was all she wrote And for my nineteenth birthday I got a union card and a wedding coat We went down to the courthouse And the judge put it all to rest No wedding day smiles, no walk down the aisle No flowers, no wedding dress" 🎵

I've always wanted a US Navy Mark V diving helmet. So I made one! 256 hours of 3D printing, but spread across 4 printers, and then endless hours of sanding, bondo, sanding, filler primer, sanding, painting, more sanding, and it's almost done! #DigitalFabrication #3DPrinting

First google search of 2026.

So, class of '88, who else is crying after the Stranger Things finale? I have always been truly sorry I couldn't be there with you that day for commencement, but the Summer road tour beckoned and bards and mages often don't get to pick our own destinies. I love you all.

Post a perfect album from the 90s that isn't Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, or Alice In Chains.

Post a perfect album from the 90s that isn't Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, or Alice In Chains.

Why, yes, it is Christmas Day and, yes, I am grilling. Because I CAN. #TriTip

Wishing you the most delicious of mornings!

Wishing you the most delicious of mornings!

“You will be visited by three spirits”

Why, yes, we did choose our Christmas wines based on their nautically themed labels, why do you ask?

In case you'd like to build the WiFi-enabled Automagical Menorah for yourself or someone else next year! www.instructables.com/WiFi-Enabled...

Ok, my Chicago peeps. I can't be the only one whose father used to bellow "Jesus Criminy Dutch!" when he got upset. And yet no one seems to know what I'm talking about...

It works! I upgraded to an Arduino Uno Release 4, which has WiFi, so now the menorah checks the date and time and if it's Hanukkah AND after sunset, automagically lights the correct number of candles. You can still use the button to light the candles manually as well.

🎵 "And the train whistle blows And the carnival goes 'Til there's only the tickets and crows..."🎶

🎵 "And the train whistle blows And the carnival goes 'Til there's only the tickets and crows..."🎶

The shamas now lights the candles properly.

I made my daughter a menorah with an Arduino. The 'shamas' will be the LED in an arcade button you'll need to press to light the next candle. Yes, the LEDs all flicker.

You get 1 teacher to teach you magic.

Hello, old friend.

🎵 "We can live beside the ocean Leave the fire behind Swim out past the breakers Watch the world die" 🎶

Murphy Dunne (keyboards) Willie "Too Big" Hall (drums) Tom "Bones" Malone (trombone/sax/trumpet) Blue Lou Marini (saxophone) are all still with us. RIP Steve "The Colonel" Cropper. :(

The extremely satisfying moment when all your Arduino DuPont jump wires are organized by color, length, and connector type. #3dprinting

They have all found their place in their new home.

Tonight's double-feature of 'Withnail and I' and 'An American Werewolf in London' works because... ??? Comment below:

Last night's impromptu Medieval fantasy double-feature of "Season of the Witch" and "Ladyhawke" was post-Thanksgiving dinner perfection.

Ok, this one hurt. "Dirty Dancing came out in 1987 and was set in 1963, so if it was remade now in 2025 then it would be set in 2001, and now I need a little lie down in a dark room for a while."

"How was Mars?" is a question I never really thought I'd be asked, but I've been asked it quite a bit lately. Swing by Ignite at the @carsoncenterunl on Friday, November 14th, to hear what being an analog astronaut on a simulated mission to the red planet is like! events.unl.edu/2025/11/14/1...

CURRENT MOOD:

My father (pictured far right) would've been 82 yesterday. His mother had been an actress from a line of famous Vaudeville performers, and I of course entered the world of the Theatre at the age of 7 without knowing any of this.

Halloween night, Love Library became haunted — by imagination. Students from the Carson Center for EMA Story Lab 1 class transformed the stacks into a living, breathing mystery: nine story pods, one sealed artifact, and a ritual to contain what whispers between the shelves. #ARG #ImmersiveTheatre

UNL Ghosthunting Collective – FIELD ALERT Reports of spectral activity in Love Library have increased 300%. We’re assembling a rapid response team to investigate nine anomalous zones. Begin your investigation at the first floor Ask Us desk. go.unl.edu/unl-ghosthun...

This is one of my favorite and meaningful memories of this mission. Analog astronaut Karim Garad of the Egyptian Space Agency helps me suit up for my first ever EVA. This is what it's about. Exploring together. Achieving together for a future world without borders.

Ain't gonna lie, after two weeks in isolation with just my crewmates, I'm a little fascinated by all the humans in this airport.

What's the saying? Dress for the job you want? T-minus 1 day! #worldsbiggestanalog #analogastronaut #armash #mars