Robots that Suck

“When humans use a personal computer, we enter into the computer’s world. If it can’t do something, or if it crashes, too bad; we have to deal. But a robot enters into our world. If floors are uneven, if legs get in the way, if lighting conditions change, the robot has to deal.” George Musser‘s…

The Word Doctor

“A serious literary magazine published by a hospital? Sounds unlikely. But the Bellevue Literary Review, published by the New York University department of medicine at Bellevue Hospital, is drawing on a long literary heritage. Bellevue has nursed William Burroughs, Eugene O’Neill and many other close-to-the-edge writers and artists. Danielle Ofri, the review’s editor-in-chief and a…

Biblical Technical Writing: Plan for Repairing Solomon's Temple Found

“Israeli geologists say a purportedly ancient stone tablet detailing repair plans for the Jewish Temple of King Solomon is genuine… Our findings show that it is authentic… If officially authenticated, the find would be the first piece of physical evidence backing up biblical texts. It could also intensify competing claims to the site in Jerusalem’s…

The Curse of Pooh

“Pooh would no doubt scratch his fluff-stuffed head in disbelief at what’s going on. Shirley and her daughter, Pati, are embroiled in an epic legal battle with the Walt Disney Co. over the merchandising rights to the world’s most beloved bear. Shirley’s former husband, Stephen Slesinger, acquired the merchandising rights to Winnie the Pooh in…

Games-to-Teach Research

“From an educator’s perspective, games may be the most fully realized educational technology produced to date. Tom Malone (1981) showed how games use challenge, fantasy, player control, and curiosity invoking designs to create intrinsically motivating environments. More recently, Lloyd Rieber (1996) has argued that digital games engage players in productive play — learning that occurs…

Games * Design * Art * Culture

“Why is this a hobby horse of mine? Largely because I’ve been trying to promote the idea that games are an artform since I was a teenager, when I first started designing them professionally. Also because the rest of the world, both inside and outside the game industry, is starting to realize the validity of…

Elvis Again

“The commemoration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of August 16, 1977 seemed more than anything a media mirage churned up by Graceland smoke machines. A Graceland spokesman had recently discussed the problem facing the operation: if Elvis Presley was indeed immortal, his fans were not. Many of Elvis’s original fans were dying off; if the enormously…

Lomborg Responds to Dishonesty Accusations

“The main conclusion by DCSD [Danish Committee on Scientific Dishonesty] finds that my book is ‘clearly contrary to the standards of good scientific practice’ because of systematically biased selection of data and arguments. But since the DCSD has neglected to take their position on the technical scientific disputes their conclusions are completely unfounded. The DCSD…

Montreal English is a "Linguistic Laboratory"

“Some people prefer ‘sneakers’ to ‘running shoes,’ others ‘soda’ to ‘pop.’ But it’s in Montreal – where many people use the French ‘liquor douce’ instead of ‘soft drink’ – that some Canadian language scholars are really bubbling with enthusiasm over the nature of English. ‘It’s so special because it’s the only major city in North…

Music in English Detective Fiction

“Music, a social and artistic activity of the first importance, inevitably makes its way, often quite a substantial way, into literature of all kinds. Monographs have been, or could be, written on music in Jane Austen’s novels, or Thomas Hardy’s, or J. B. Priestley’s, or on music in Galsworthy’s FORSYTE CHRONICLES, to name a few…

Someone Writing about Their Reading of Google

“An act of reading electronic language involves: Setting up an electronic language environment; Selecting particular input into the electronic text; Receiving the output; Analyzing what the electronic text does.” —Someone Writing about Their Reading of GoogleTechnacy Weblog) I’m reminded of Espen Aarseth’s definition of Cybertext — a system that includes not only the array of…

In Praise of Clutter

“Although office clutter is usually almost entirely work-related, it tends nevertheless to be treated as though it consisted of the dirty socks and crisp packets of an adolescent. Workers are confused. They know that creating clutter is an essential part of the way they work, but they are made to feel guilty about it.” —In…

New Game "There" Puts you There

“By downplaying competition, There hopes to attract women to its universe, which is roamed much like the legendary computer game Myst. In fact, some areas look and sound like the mythical Myst island with the constant chirping of birds and distant roar of surf. ‘If we can build a product that women love, guys will…