CLICK or TAP article TITLES to view. Curated by Wes Fryer.

🔄 Updated: April 13, 2026 at 8:30 PM EST
✍️ Wes' Blogs Yesterday

Camp USAFA Memories

This evening my Air Force Academy roommate and buddy, Brad Ball, let me know that an Academy graduate and CS-05 Wolfpack 4 degree we both knew, Brian Burns, passed away in November...

#camping #cooking #dad #nature #travel

Spot the Bot: Notes and Takeaways

How to spot fake accounts and sort fact from fiction in social media. This week I virtually attended an excellent “Lunch & Learn webinar” hosted by …

#Webinars #Technology #North Carolina

Spot the Bot: Notes and Takeaways

This week I virtually attended an excellent “Lunch & Learn webinar” hosted by the Center for North Carolina Politics and Public Service at Catawba College, titled &...

#AI #edtech #isafety #MediaLit #socialnetworking

How America turned against the First Amendment

Moderation laws. Book bans. Courts that keep getting played. America’s politicians are tired of the First Amendment getting in their way, and no one seems to care. The First Amendm...

#Section 230 (CDA) #First Amendment #Bill of Rights #Constitutional Amendments #Constitutional Law

The Walls Are Closing In

Watch the hands, not the face. The face, today, is Melania Trump — six minutes, no questions, televised from the White House. A denial of any …

#Pam Bondi #Melania Trump #U.S. Politics #Jeffrey Epstein #Epstein Files

Artemis II Mobile Wallpapers - NASA

Artemis II Wallpapers Download Artemis II wallpaper backgrounds for your mobile device. Setting Earth Apr 7, 2026 JPEG (1.23 MB) Edge of Lunar Day Apr 7, …

#Artemis II #Artemis (NASA) #Moon Missions #Space #NASA

Sketchnote to AI InfoGraphic

a powerful #create2learn media workflow Today was one of my favorite lessons in my middle school media literacy class: We started our “Froot Loop …

#Media #Media Literacy #Infographics #Data Visualization #News Media

Sketchnote to AI InfoGraphic

Today was one of my favorite lessons in my middle school media literacy class: We started our “Froot Loop Conspiracies” unit about the Moon Landing Hoax, Lateral Readin...

Sketchnote to AI InfoGraphic

Today was one of my favorite lessons in my middle school media literacy class: We started our “Froot Loop Conspiracies” unit about the Moon Landing Hoax, Lateral Readin...

#AI #creativity #digitalstorytelling #MediaLit #playingwithmedia

Reject Genocide and War Crimes

I reject genocide and war crimes, which are the exact actions the President of the United States, Donald Trump, has openly professed he wants to do and will do. This is morally rep...

Values of the Ancestors

Thank you, Henry Guimond, Dave Courchene II, and Jeremy Hansen for this poignant reminder about the values of our ancestors, which are still so important today: Respect (the buffal...

Values of the Ancestors

Reminders from the Artemis mission patch of Canadian astronaut, Jeremy Hansen Thank you, Henry Guimond, Dave Courchene II, and Jeremy Hansen for this poignant reminder about the...

#History #Ideas #ancestors #artemis #Canada

Artemis 2 Pre-Launch Videos

Here are the 3 videos I’m sharing with my middle school students today in class and discussing, in advance of the scheduled NASA launch of the Artemis 2 mission this evening ...

The King is Not Well

Our president is not mentally well and has not been for a long time.It is simultaneously jarring, sad, tragic, and potentially devastating (both physically and psychologically) for...

Fighting With Your Camera

Video transcript:Good morning everyone. Today is Monday, March the 30th, 2026. This is Wes Fryer in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is about 7:20 in the morning before school, and I ...

The Evil Myth of Replacement

What a treat to hear Dr. Ibram X. Kendi speak in uptown Charlotte twice today, once at the No Kings 3 rally and protest before the march, and again at the Carolina Theatre for a s...

Update: March 27, 2026

Video available on Substack, Facebook and YouTube. (Duration: 28 minutes) On March 27, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina, Wes Fryer shares a Heal Our Culture video update focuse...

#Democracy #History #Human Rights #Media Reccs #Podcast

Do you hear the people sing?

There’s a very familiar face in the front row of this photo from today’s Charlotte Observer, taken at the October 18, 2025 No Kings 2 protest:More ‘No Kings&#8217...

Two Books via Mickey Bogart

Yesterday I had a wonderful opportunity to visit with one of my favorite high school teachers, Mrs. Bogart — and it was a wonderful visit. She recommended both of the books p...

Update: March 13, 2026

Video available on Substack and YouTube. On March 13, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina, Wes Fryer shares a second video-style update for the Heal Our Culture Project, urging vi...

#Books #Community #Democracy #History #Media Reccs

Vibe Coding a Mythological Creature Spinner

This school year, I’m unable to use SpinTheWheel.io, a random animal selector I’d been using for one of my favorite middle school creature-design projects. Last spring ...

#AI #coding #creativity #Design Create Share #playingwithmedia

The Dove and The Crown

Happy Friday. I can’t say it’s a Good Friday, because not only is this not Easter weekend, yet another war (this time in Iran) is raging in our world and as a citizen o...

Media Recommendation: “The Chosen”

Several years ago, when Shelly and I were working and teaching at Casady School in Oklahoma City, Father Tim Sean Youmans shared the television series “The Chosen” with...

#evangelism #history #Jesus #movies #technology

Update 1 March 2026

Wes Fryer in Charlotte shares a Heal Our Culture update focused on maintaining hope through community and wise voices, including a choir concert and Black History Month sermons he ...

#Community #Democracy #Human Rights #Media Reccs #Podcast

Shame On Kansas

This is a good reason to not relocate to Kansas or other rabidly red states today. Imagine waking up and learning your state legislature has just invalidated your drivers license a...

#Human Rights #culturewar #gender #identity #kansas

Shame on Kansas

This is a good reason to not relocate to Kansas or other rabidly red states today. Imagine waking up and learning your state legislature has just invalidated your drivers license a...

Interrogate War Propaganda

In notable news today, the United States has launched an another illegal war, this time against the nation of Iran. As is the case with all issues of foreign policy, there’s ...

AI Ethics and The Pentagon

This would seem crazy in an earlier era, but today almost anything could happen with our current executive branch leadership.Hegseth met with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei on Tuesday ...

Seared Sea Scallops with Andouille Orzo

Print Seared Sea Scallops with Andouille Orzo #wprm-recipe-user-rating-0 .wprm-rating-star.wprm-rating-star-full svg * { fill: #343434; }#wprm-recipe-user-rating-0 .wprm-rating-s...

#Main Course #Recipe #Wes Fryer #orzo #scallops

A Powerful Story

In my 55 years of life on our planet and 32 years as a professional educator and teacher, I’ve shared a lot of stories and more than a few presentations. This evening, I beli...

#AI #DEI #digitalstorytelling #ethics #history

USA Comparisons to Nazi Germany

I shared this as a comment on one of my Academy classmate’s Facebook pages, who is arguing that anyone who compares the United States today to Nazi Germany is an idiot:I agre...

AI Superprompt Fact Check

Here is a “Mike Caulfield AI superprompt fact check” for a recent FB post about a British citizen who was detained for six weeks in the United States by CBP / US Custom...

Voices of Kids in ICE Detention

“I Have Been Here Too Long”: Read Letters from the Children Detained at ICE’s Dilley FacilityHundreds of children are currently being held with their parents at a...

Ep 4: Cairo and Democracy’s Fragility

Wes Fryer records episode four of the Heal Our Culture podcast from Charlotte, North Carolina on February 15, 2026, framing it as a “letter to the future” for his unborn grandchild...

#Democracy #History #Ideas #Podcast #cairo

Podcasts Are The New Books

Podcasts are coming for books:Once the internet started, yes, you could go and research online, discover the history of the Tudors or whatever, but you’d probably spend ages....

Digital Defense Against the Dark Arts

My spouse and I are big Lord of the Rings as well as Harry Potter fans. We love the books and we love the movies. Over Christmas break I started re-reading the Harry Potter book se...

#AI #edtech #MediaLit #socialnetworking #badactors

300 More Journalists Fired

The Washington Post fired 300 journalists or 30% of its staff this past week. Then the CEO since 2024, Will Lewis (the architect of these mass layoffs) abruptly resigned.News journ...

Snow Day Brisket

Print Snow Day Brisket #wprm-recipe-user-rating-1 .wprm-rating-star.wprm-rating-star-full svg * { fill: #343434; }#wprm-recipe-user-rating-1 .wprm-rating-star.wprm-rating-star-33...

#Main Course #Recipe #smoker #video #Wes Fryer

Shelly’s Crustless Quiche

Print Shelly’s Crustless Quiche #wprm-recipe-user-rating-2 .wprm-rating-star.wprm-rating-star-full svg * { fill: #343434; }#wprm-recipe-user-rating-2 .wprm-rating-star.wprm...

#Breakfast #Recipe #Wes Fryer #breakfast #eggs

Crockpot Corned Beef and Cabbage

Print Crockpot Corned Beef and Cabbage #wprm-recipe-user-rating-3 .wprm-rating-star.wprm-rating-star-full svg * { fill: #343434; }#wprm-recipe-user-rating-3 .wprm-rating-star.wpr...

#Main Course #Recipe #Wes Fryer #beef #brisket

Oven Apple Crisp

On a cold winter evening, there’s nothing quite like the warm, spiced aroma of baking apples and cinnamon wafting through your home. An apple crisp is just the thing to not o...

#Dessert #Wes Fryer #apple #apples #dessert

Shāna Blake: "Rise Up" (Video)

On Sunday, January 11, 2026, thousands of Charlotte residents and neighbors gathered in First Ward Park uptown for the “ICE Out for Good” protest rally and march, spons...

I Want To Be A Scientist (Rachel at Age 9)

This is an audio recording by Rachel Fryer recorded in September 2012, when she was 9 years old. This is the earliest recording I know of when Rachel mentions the possibility of at...

#dogs #littlesister #podcasts #science #Rachel

Nature, Screens and Healing

My New Year’s Day morning meditation podcast supplement today was: “Best Of: How Spending Time In Nature Helps Our Health” by #NPR1A. This podcast episode from NPR’s Studio 1A f...

#1:1 #digitaldiscipline #edtech #health #MediaLit

Stories About AI: December 2025

This is a narrated video version of a presentation I shared on December 26, 2025, at Meadowlark Hills Retirement Community in Manhattan, Kansas. In addition to my slides, additiona...

Vivaldi Web Browser

Sometimes my social media feeds in Flipboard on my iPad bring serendipitous links to my attention, and that was the case early yesterday morning with this video from South Iceland ...

#apple #edtech #MediaLit #opencontent #playingwithmedia

Scratch Animation Reverse Engineering

A teacher friend in Oklahoma sent me the following video clip, which I converted to an animated GIF via Adobe. Her question to me was, “How did the student code this in Scrat...

#creativity #edtech #MediaLit #playingwithmedia #coding

3I/ATLAS Deep Fake Videos

For many years (at least six for me) we’ve heard warnings about “deep fake” videos and the ways artificial intelligence / AI platforms will accelerate the dissemi...

3I/ATLAS Deep Fake Videos

For many years (at least six for me) we’ve heard warnings about “deep fake” videos and the ways artificial intelligence / AI platforms will accelerate the dissemi...

#AI #ethics #MediaLit #science

Candied Sweet Potato Bites

Print Candied Sweet Potato Bites #wprm-recipe-user-rating-5 .wprm-rating-star.wprm-rating-star-full svg * { fill: #343434; }#wprm-recipe-user-rating-5 .wprm-rating-star.wprm-rati...

#Recipe #Side Dish #Wes Fryer #cooking #sweetpotato

Fact Check Substack with a Superprompt

CLAIM: On 20 November 2025, 30,000 students in Charlotte, North Carolina, staged a walkout from school to protest Trump’s ICE immigration raids in the city. FACT CHEC...

#AI #MediaLit #socialnetworking #factcheck #medialit

Breakfast Sausage Ring

Print Breakfast Sausage Ring #wprm-recipe-user-rating-6 .wprm-rating-star.wprm-rating-star-full svg * { fill: #343434; }#wprm-recipe-user-rating-6 .wprm-rating-star.wprm-rating-s...

#Breakfast #Wes Fryer #biscuit #biscuits #breakfast

Money Talks!

MONEY TALKS.We’re hitting them where it hurts this weekend. We’re calling for a weekend supporting local businesses over corporations.🚫AMAZON🚫🚫T...

Whiteness and Racism

Tomorrow we’re going with our church to Charleston, South Carolina, to visit the International African American Museum. Shelly and I have lived here in Charlotte for 3.5 year...

#Racial Healing #blackhistory #history #museum #racism

Burning DVDs in 2025

This evening I successfully burned two DVDs for the 40th Anniversary of the Mint Hill Historical Society, which is coming up on Saturday. For several years now I’ve been volu...

#apple #digitalstorytelling #edtech #MediaLit #open source

Vibe Coded: AI Who’s Who

Over the weekend I successfully completed my eighth vibe-coded project, and I’m really excited about it! It’s called the “AI Cultural Canon,” and it’s basically a Fireb...

#AI #coding #design #edtech #literacy

Children of the Resurrection Sermon #Sketchnote

Reverend Dot Killian shared a sermon today at Caldwell Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, titled “Children of the Resurrection.” She preached on Luke 20:...

#digitalstorytelling #Jesus #questions #sketchnotes #DotKillian

Inbox Alchemy via Vibe Coding

Back in September I wrote about my “DIY Federated Reader” experiment: a Gmail-to-Mastodon bot that turns my newsletter inbox into a public, federated news stream I’m able to ...

#AI #blogs #edtech #literacy #MediaLit

Google Sites Comment Magic

For a long time, I’ve wanted a simple way for my students – in this case, my adult Sunday School class participants—to share comments directly on a webpage I’ve made wi...

#AI #coding #creativity #edtech #MediaLit

Podcasting with Substack

I bring tidings of GREAT joy: After many hours of work this weekend, all 361 episodes of “The EdTech Situation Room” podcast are now available on Substack… AND ar...

#distributed-learning #edtech #MediaLit #playingwithmedia #podcasting

EdTechSR Ep 356: Beyond AI Hype

Welcome to episode 356 (“Beyond AI Hype”) of the EdTech Situation Room from August 20, 2025, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week, Dr. Jason Neif...

Creating YouTube Shorts with Descript.com

I recently created and published a series of shorts for YouTube (videos less than 60 seconds long, all formatted with a portrait (9 x 16) rather than landscape aspect ratio from th...

#AI #apple #creativity #digitalstorytelling #distributed-learning

Vibe Coding with AI

Today I facilitated the webinar “Vibe Coding with AI” for the MediaEd Club of the Media Education Lab. I mainly shared stories of two of my recent vibe coding projects,...

#AI #coding #creativity #edtech #MediaLit

Reclaiming Our News Feeds

To heal our culture, we need to reclaim our news feeds and collaborate to reinvent social media. The loss of many local newspapers, combined with the tendency for our “Big Te...

The Good Boy Gazette

I (Wes Fryer) created this 3.5 minute story on with Google Gemini’s experimental “Storybook” mode, using the following prompt:Tell an adventure story of the golde...

Reclaiming Our News Feeds

To heal our culture, we need to reclaim our news feeds and collaborate to reinvent social media. The loss of many local newspapers, combined with the tendency for our “Big Te...

#Community #Ideas #AI #design #Gemini

Reflections on the Mormon Church

This evening I watched YouTube independent journalist Johnny Harris’ outstanding video, “Why the Mormon Church is So Rich,” and it has prompted me to reflect on a...

#identity #questions #struggles #theology #christianity

Murder on the Light Rail

This is a tragic story on multiple fronts, both for the victim and the accused perpetrator. Homelessness and the terrible state of our mental health system in the United States can...

Exposing White Terrorism

Subscribe nowIn a clip that is going viral on TikTok, Confronting Whiteness graduate, Dr. Katherine Godby, speaks truth to power to county commissioners about the violence of vote...

The Magna Carta of Christian Equality

This morning for my morning meditation, I watched Rev. Ben Boswell‘s sermon at Collective Liberation Church in Charlotte on August 3, 2025, “The Liberating Reality of a...

#God #Holy Spirit #Jesus #LGBT #questions

Double-Grilled Meatloaf Burgers

For this year’s 4th of July cookout, I wanted to go beyond your average backyard burger. Don’t get me wrong — I love a simple cheeseburger hot off the grill, but for this hol...

#Main Course #Recipe #Wes Fryer #backyard #bbq

Commit To Do Better

At the start of every Caldwell Presbyterian Church worship service, our leaders share a “land acknowledgment,” remembering and acknowledging the native people and First...

Faith, Genocide, and Silence

This evening, I had the opportunity to attend a powerful Zoom session hosted by Rev. Dr. Ben Boswell, pastor of Collective Liberation Church here in Charlotte, North Carolina. The ...

Faith, Genocide, and Silence

This evening, I had the opportunity to attend a powerful Zoom session hosted by Rev. Dr. Ben Boswell, pastor of Collective Liberation Church here in Charlotte, North Carolina. The ...

#History #Human Rights #Religion #activism #apartheid

Frederick Douglass on White Evangelicals

Multiple Christian denominations have notable and lamentable histories of “getting it wrong, BIG TIME” when it comes to interpreting and applying the Scriptures of the Holy Bible. ...

#History #Racial Healing #Religion #blackhistory #christianity

Log: Andouille-Beef Meatball Sandwiches

Today’s lunch was an experiment, basically using some of our leftover and available ingredients as we wrap up our time in the mountains at an Airbnb. This was tasty, but would’ve b...

#Log #Main Course #Wes Fryer #lunch

USAFA Letter: 13 August 1990

My mother, Angie Fryer, kept meticulous records of every letter I sent home as a cadet at the US Air Force Academy from 30 June 1988 to 27 May 1992. She also kept numerous other re...

#dad #history #littlesister #fryer #SERE

Holy Voodoo Fried Chicken

Print Holy Voodoo Fried Chicken #wprm-recipe-user-rating-8 .wprm-rating-star.wprm-rating-star-full svg * { fill: #343434; }#wprm-recipe-user-rating-8 .wprm-rating-star.wprm-ratin...

#Main Course #Recipe #Wes Fryer #chicken #dinner

Belafonte and the Undertow

I have started to read “The Undertow: Scenes from a Slow Civil War” by Jeff Sharlet.The book opens with a touching and detailed portrait of Harry Belafonte, who I will ...

Healing the Broken Narrative

"Healing the Broken Narrative" (CC BY 2.0) by Wesley FryerIn this political moment of triumph as well as “barn burning” for the political far right in the United States...

Trust and Democracy

"Trust and Democracy" (CC BY 2.0) by Wesley FryerGreat keynote presentation by Jennifer Nadel of “Compassion in Politics” in the UK in today’s “Compassionat...

Salt, Sugar & Fat

My mom, Angie Fryer, was not only a fantastic gourmet cook, but also very concerned about the ways processed foods and the food industry had transformed and continued to transform ...

Our Family: Ghibli Style

Wow, the Substack article, “The Colors Of Her Coat” by Scott Alexander taught me several new things:About the medieval origins of lapis lazuli, ultramarine and the colo...

NotebookLM Goes to Sunday School

This morning I led our adult ACE Sunday School class at Caldwell Presbyterian Church, as our study of the Book of Acts moved into the 12th Chapter. My lesson plan was to read and d...

#books #discipleship #podcasts #technology #AI

USAFA Memories of 3 Generations

This evening after dinner dad, Rachel and I recorded an audio interview discussing our memories of basic training and our first two years (respectively) at the US Air Force Academy...

#dad #littlesister #podcasts #wildcat #youtube

Uncle Charlie and Jesus’ Love

This past Sunday, Shelly and I both taught Sunday School lessons at our church in Charlotte, North Carolina: Caldwell Presbyterian Church. I taught the adult lesson for our “...

#digitalstorytelling #gifts #God #Jesus #kids

USAFA Class of 1963 Memories

Yesterday I hopped on a Zoom call with Wayne LeFors and Tom Fryer, both 1963 graduates of the US Air Force Academy. Wayne and dad talked, laughed, and told stories together for an ...

#Uncategorized

All In the Family – The Wards

This is a 15.5 minute video Shelly’s dad, Carl Ward, created about their family with a lot of archival photos. I found this today as I’ve been doing some updates to thi...

#dad #granddaddy #history #mom #video

Son of Man in The Bible Project

Frequently in the Gospels of the Bible, we hear Jesus call himself, “The Son of Man.” The December 2018 video from The Bible Project, “Why Jesus Called Himself th...

#God #history #Holy Spirit #Jesus #questions

Lessons from the Prophet Amos

These are my notes from today’s Sunday School lesson and worship service at Caldwell Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, North Carolina on January 21, 2024. “Praying The Hours” is...

#God #Holy Spirit #mission #worship #justice

Ask for Signs and Directions!

These are some of my notes and “takeaways” from a sermon shared today on January 7, 2024, by Rev. Dorothy J. Killian at Caldwell Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, North...

#God #Holy Spirit #priorities #questions #worship

No Human Hierarchy in God’s Family

Through the YouVersion Bible app for iPhone, Shelly (my wife) has discovered the “Eyewitness Bible Series” of videos. This morning, on her recommendation, I watched the...

#books #digitalstorytelling #God #history #Jesus

AI Helps Sunday School Lesson Planning

Our adult Sunday School class (ACE) at Caldwell Presbyterian Church is reading and studying the book, “Grace Can Lead Us Home: A Christian Call to End Homelessness” by Kevin Nye. T...

#God #grace #technology #book #claude

Home Electric Generator Test

Yesterday I tested my home backup electric generator for the first time and created a 16.5 minute video about the experience. In this article, I’ll share some of the highligh...

#dad #prepper #commprep #electricity #emergency

MHK Dusk Takeoff to DFW Sunset Landing

A 2X video of my flight this evening from Manhattan, Kansas to Dallas – Fort Worth, featuring the MHK takeoff sequence and the  DFW landing sequence just after sunset. T...

#dad #travel #trip #flying #sunset

Boots and Catalysts

I’m wearing the warmest boots I currently own, a pair of Thinsulate hunting boots I bought a few years ago at Academy Sports in Edmond, Oklahoma, in advance of a winter &#822...

#dad #prepper #travel #weather #catalyst

Examples of Christian Digital Storytelling

If you happen to be a long-time (or even “one time”) member of First Presbyterian Church of Edmond, Oklahoma, then the videos I’m going to link here may bring you...

#digitalstorytelling #evangelism #technology #dw4jc #fpce

Lessons from Prison Ministry

This morning Shelly and I planned and recorded a 97 second video, “Lessons from Prison Ministry.” This focuses on our experiences several years ago with a wonderful Okl...

#digitalstorytelling #mission #service #ministry #outreach

“The day after” (Thanksgiving)

“The day after.” (Thanksgiving) "The Day After (Thanksgiving)" (CC BY 2.0) by Wesley Fryer Rain in our forecast all day long. It is lovely as it fall...

#dad #nature #weather #leaves #thanksgiving

I’m a Communitarian Prepper

I’ve decided I’m a “Communitarian Prepper,” and I’ve started a new website to share related resources. This aspirational journey started this past sum...

#camping #dad #prepper #scouts #community

Paprika App for Recipes

I love using the Paprika App (www.paprikaapp.com) for saving and using recipes! It’s available for iOS, MacOS, Android and Windows. For years my mom used the MacOS recipe pro...

#cooking #dad

Saving Family Audio from 2010 on iPadio

One of the hazards of using 3rd party websites for recording and sharing media files is they sometimes go offline. Some people (like @tonyvincent) have referred to this as the &#82...

#littlesister #podcasts #audio #ipadio