Creative Criticality

Culture on My MindProfessional EngineerJune 4, 2026 It’s been a while. On January 15th, I started a prep course to study for the Professional Engineer licensing examination, and the course started in earnest on January 19th. That was day I posted about Classic Concentration before dedicating pretty much all of free time to studying. I put off taking this exam for years. My education was…

Culture on My MindClassic ConcentrationJanuary 19, 2026 Almost as a rule, members of Generation X talk about watching The Price is Right when they stayed home from school. That show was engaging and energetic, and acted as a feel-good balm when you really felt like crap. On those sick days, The Price is Right was one popular option. Another was Classic Concentration. Classic Concentration was a…

Culture on My MindStar Trek at 60: Physical Appearances in the 24th CenturyJanuary 15, 2026 In May 2007, Patrick Stewart shared an anecdote about a bald man being cast as a Star Trek captain. The interview clip can be found on the BBC’s YouTube channel. Culture on My Mind is inspired by the weekly Can’t Let It Go segment on the NPR Politics Podcast where each host brings one thing to the table…

  Culture on My MindThe 2025 LEGO Star Wars Advent CalendarJanuary 12, 2026 My family has been doing the LEGO advent calendars since 2015 and I chronicle the daily builds on Instagram. Each of the annual box sets has been spotlighted on this site. This year, we continued our tradition of building the Star Wars calendars. The joy of this calendar is seeing how LEGO interprets ships and locales…

Culture on My MindNarrative Diversions(Summer and Autumn 2025 Edition)January 5, 2026 Narrative Diversions is a look at the various pop culture things I’ve been watching, reading, and playing over the last few months. This edition covers July 2025 through December 2025. Since this edition is behind due to my work schedule, most of the descriptions will be shorter. Movies Superman (2025) – PG-13I…

Culture on My Mind2025December 31, 2025 It has been a rough year. I was at a yule party a week or so ago. It was a grand time with good food, great discussions, and the meeting of a few new friends. It also held a few moments of reflection as a small group of us gathered around the table as the night wound down. We each held lit candles and reflected on the year behind and our hopes for the year…

Culture on My MindDrew StruzanNovember 24, 2025 Drew Struzan was an huge part of my childhood and geek upbringing. His artwork graced album covers, book covers, collectibles, and over 150 movie posters from the 1970s through the 2010s. His airbrush technique was a favorite of Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, and was developed during his years working on B-movies. He died at home on October 13,…

Culture on My MindDragon Con Report 2025 #11: Dragon CultsNovember 5, 2025 One of the ways that I like to prep for Dragon Con is by listening to the Dragon Con Report podcast.  Brought to you by the ESO Network, the podcast is a monthly discussion on all things Dragon Con that counts down to the big event over Labor Day weekend in Atlanta, Georgia. The show is hosted by Michael Gordon, Jennifer…

Culture on My MindThe Quest for Sunshine Preservation(Autumn 2025 Edition)November 3, 2025 It’s that time once again. Daylight saving time is the practice of advancing clocks by one hour in warmer seasons to make darkness fall at a later clock time. It is utilized in several countries around the world and the concept has caused controversy since the earliest proposals. To this day it affects the…

Culture on My MindDragon Con Report 2025 #10: 2025 Dragon Con DebriefOctober 27, 2025 One of the ways that I like to prep for Dragon Con is by listening to the Dragon Con Report podcast.  Brought to you by the ESO Network, the podcast is a monthly discussion on all things Dragon Con that counts down to the big event over Labor Day weekend in Atlanta, Georgia. The show is hosted by Michael Gordon,…

Debrief: Dragon Con 2025 Atlanta, GA – August 28 through September 1, 2025 Dragon Con 2025 has come to an end. Despite being a busier year, it seemed a lot lower key and easier to manage than in previous years. Attendance was reported at 75,000, up 3,000 from last year. That attendance number was capped by badge sales, and traffic management felt much better this year. Those 75,000 fans did a…

Culture on My MindWe Don’t Do Kings Here (Round Two)October 18, 2025 Today marks another series of demonstrations and protests across the United States. Known as the “No Kings” movement, it includes more than 1,500 cities and towns to oppose the current administration. This follows the first round of protests held on June 14th when millions of citizens took to the streets. Organizers of today’s…

Culture on My MindNarrative Diversions(Winter and Spring 2025 Edition)September 24, 2025 Narrative Diversions is a look at the various pop culture things I’ve been watching, reading, and playing over the last few months. This edition covers January 2025 through June 2025. Since this edition is so far behind due to my work schedule, most of the descriptions will be shorter. Movies Wicked (2024) –…

Culture on My MindDragon Con Report 2025 #8: Revelry Round UpAugust 27, 2025 One of the ways that I like to prep for Dragon Con is by listening to the Dragon Con Report podcast. Brought to you by the ESO Network, the podcast is a monthly discussion on all things Dragon Con that counts down to the big event over Labor Day weekend in Atlanta, Georgia. The show is hosted by Michael Gordon, Jennifer…

Culture on My MindDragon Con Report 2025 #7: Bunny HutchAugust 27, 2025 One of the ways that I like to prep for Dragon Con is by listening to the Dragon Con Report podcast. Brought to you by the ESO Network, the podcast is a monthly discussion on all things Dragon Con that counts down to the big event over Labor Day weekend in Atlanta, Georgia. The show is hosted by Michael Gordon, Jennifer…

Culture on My MindDragon Con Report 2025 #6: Trek TrackAugust 26, 2025 One of the ways that I like to prep for Dragon Con is by listening to the Dragon Con Report podcast. Brought to you by the ESO Network, the podcast is a monthly discussion on all things Dragon Con that counts down to the big event over Labor Day weekend in Atlanta, Georgia. The show is hosted by Michael Gordon, Jennifer…

Dragon Con 2025 Atlanta, GA – August 28 through September 1, 2025 Dragon Con! It’s an annual tradition for me. It’s also a family reunion of sorts as I catch up with dear friends from around the world. This year will be my sixteenth time attending and my tenth year as an attending professional. If you plan to be there, you can find me at various places over Labor Day weekend according to the…