Author Archives: Katherine Wikoff

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About Katherine Wikoff

I am a college professor (PhD in English, concentration rhetoric) at Milwaukee School of Engineering, where I teach film and media studies, political science, digital society, digital storytelling, writing for digital media, and communication. While fragments of my teaching and scholarship interests may quite naturally meander over to my blog, this space is intended to function as a creative outlet, not as part of my professional practice. Opinions are my own, etc.

“Feel It Still” — Looking back from Portugal. The Man to Quincy Jones

Posted on January 9, 2018 by Katherine Wikoff

Love, love, love this fabulous song, “Feel It Still,” by Portugal. The Man. Especially the horns! It reminds me of the even more fabulous Quincy Jones jazz sound of the 1960s. Which inspires me to post a few of my … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Lines Through Blinds

Posted on January 8, 2018 by Katherine Wikoff

Or should that be “Blinds Through Lines”? Back to work at Milwaukee School of Engineering after a two-week break. I realized this morning that I take a lot of pictures from this window. It’s right next to the printer/copier in … Continue reading →

Posted in Milwaukee, Photography | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

More interesting stuff about pigeons and people

Posted on January 7, 2018 by Katherine Wikoff

After my post on dovecotes ran a few days ago, my friend, colleague, and fellow blogger Sally Cissna published a really fascinating blog post about the relationship between humans and pigeons a century ago. Her post contains several old newspaper … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, History, Popular culture, Technology | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Cool Google Docs “Insert Symbol” Feature

Posted on January 6, 2018 by Katherine Wikoff

I was just working on something in Google Docs and needed to insert a letter “a” with a circumflex. I clicked on “insert symbol” and searched for “a,” but none of the options were what I needed. Then I noticed … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity, Grammar, punctuation, usage, mechanics, Learning, Technology, Writing, blogging | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Of dovecotes and pigeonholes and ortolans and extinction

Posted on January 5, 2018 by Katherine Wikoff

In reading a novel set in England around 1815 this past week, I followed two characters into a “dovecote” that had fallen into disrepair. I’d heard that term before and vaguely associated it with some kind of architectural feature similar … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, Food, History, Milwaukee | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Reliving the famous “Ice Bowl” 50 years later

Posted on December 31, 2017 by Katherine Wikoff

Today’s Milwaukee Journal Sentinel contains a fascinating oral history of the December 31, 1967, “Ice Bowl” NFL Championship Game between Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers and Tom Landry’s Dallas Cowboys. Link to the article here. Several thoughts come to mind … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Life, Milwaukee, Popular culture | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Reflecting on the Importance of Imperfection

Posted on December 29, 2017 by Katherine Wikoff

It’s hard to believe now, but it must have rained last week. That’s when I snapped this photograph of/in a puddle on the sidewalk in front of MSOE’s Campus Center. This recurring puddle has been a remarkably fertile source of … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Milwaukee, Photography | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Snowdusted Leaf

Posted on December 28, 2017 by Katherine Wikoff

Taken this afternoon as a light, powdery snow fell across Milwaukee.

Posted in Milwaukee, Nature, Photography | 4 Comments

Yes, every minute matters!

Posted on December 21, 2017 by Katherine Wikoff

Made a Starbucks run during a two-hour break in between meetings and dinner with a job candidate last Thursday. Stopped on the way back to take the first photo when I noticed the striking shadows cast against the lower level … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Milwaukee, Photography | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Mozee After Dark

Posted on December 20, 2017 by Katherine Wikoff

The Milwaukee School of Engineering logo, created by Brooks Stevens (the industrial designer famous for the Jeep Wagoneer and the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, among other things), as reflected in the windows of the old German-English Academy Building last night when … Continue reading →

Posted in Milwaukee, Photography | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments