Not completely yes. First: most obviously, the Memex (had it ever been built) would have operated on photo-mechanical, rather than digital technology. (As you watch the animation, you can hear the machanical operation sound, that sound would be a proof to believe that it is not digital media) Second, the operation of the memex is…
We live in the dark ages of digital media. We fantasize about the infinite possibilities and revolutionary potential of the Web, about how free information wants to be, about uploading our brain to a hard drive — but we actually know less about the creative computing that happened in our lifetimes than some people know…
A Picture is Worth… Sigh. Do you remember when Jackson was black? As an academic, I try to keep an open mind… but in my humble opinion, this very talented man is really, really disturbing. I assume the mugshot, which I found on Drudge, is the same one that won’t show up when I try…
Nick Montfort’s Twisty Little PassagesLiteracy Weblog) I just ordered my copy of Twisty Little Passages: An Approach to Interactive Fiction — Nick Montfort’s study of riddles, Adventure, Zork, and beyond.
James Glassman and TCS have given birth to something quite new in Washington: journo-lobbying. It’s an innovation driven primarily by the influence industry. Lobbying firms that once specialized in gaining person-to-person access to key decision-makers have branched out. The new game is to dominate the entire intellectual environment in which officials make policy decisions, which…
“In order to maintain airspeed velocity, a swallow needs to beat its wings forty-three times every second, right?” Actually, wrong. By comparing the European Swallow with bird species of similar body mass, we can estimate that the swallow beats its wings 18 times a second with an amplitude of 18 cm… Jonathan Corum —Estimating the…
Yesterday was the 140th anniversary of Lincoln’s famous address. There is only one known photograph of President Lincoln at Gettysburg (here’s the detail view if you’re having a hard time spotting him). The Library of Congress website explains that the image sat for more than half a century in the National Archives before anyone recognized…
Their one-star bombs were nasty and relentless?landing at a rate of five a day. My characters were undeveloped, my structure sloppy, my prose trite. There were complaints of money and time wasted and of friends never again to be trusted. Some hated the book so much they were forced to put it down. One argued…
Phone Pranks and Gender on CampusLiteracy Weblog) I’m at my desk, working late. The phone rings. An unfamiliar female voice says, “What’s your favorite scary movie?” I tell her I don’t have one. “That’s a very nice blue shirt you are wearing,” the voice continues. “It goes well with your red tie.” I look out…