SOMETIMES there is a huge disconnect between the people who make a product and the people who use it. The creator of a Web site may assume too much knowledge on the part of users, leading to confusion. Software designers may not anticipate user behavior that can unintentionally destroy an entire database. Manufacturers can make…
Because so little primary historical work has been done on the classic text computer game “Colossal Cave Adventure”, academic and popular references to it frequently perpetuate inaccuracies. “Adventure” was the first in a series of text-based games (“interactive fiction”) that emphasize exploring, puzzles, and story, typically in a fantasy setting; these games had a significant…
The internet news audience — roughly a quarter of all Americans — tends to be younger and better educated than the public as a whole. People who rely on the internet as their main news source express relatively unfavorable opinions of mainstream news sources and are among the most critical of press performance. —Internet News…
There is ultimately no way to “justify” SCMRPG in the minds of those who find it deplorable but I believe even the game’s detractors will find that the film fleshes out the controversy to better understand the future of games as a medium. The film is essentially a challenge to game developers to rethink the…
If we teach our children that school is a prison, then summer school is extra punishment for the worst offenders. The sting of humiliation and failure adds to the pain of having to go to school when your friends are free. That’s too bad, because summer school isn’t a punishment, it’s an opportunity. In terms…
Masahiro Mori’s Uncanny Valley hypothesis states that, as artificial beings get closer to resembling real humans, the slightest errors or inaccuracies can shift our responses from empathy to disbelief and even disgust. It’s why, in Toy Story, we love Woody and Buzz Lightyear, but are totally unmoved by Andy, their human owner. This is something…
James Hays and Alexei Efros from Carnegie Mellon University have developed an algorithm to help people who want to remove bits of photographs. The parts being removed could be unsightly lorries in the snaps of the rural idyll where they took a holiday or even an old boyfriend or girlfriend they want to rub out…
Vicary and Fraley modeled their study on a 1979 Random House interactive fiction series, “Choose Your Own Adventure,” which allowed the reader to select from multiple options at critical points in the story. Each choice directed the reader to a new scenario. This approach appealed to the researchers because earlier studies of individual behavior in…
Lately I’ve had the urge to play text adventure games, but I’m not sure what to play. I’ve been googling, but I’m overwhelmed by the variety of games available and can’t seem to find a useful review site. So… what should I play? —Recommend a few good text adventure games! (MetaFilter) I missed this thread when…
The New York Times Co. (NYT.N) plans to stop charging Internet users for access to its columnists and Op-Ed pieces on a section of its Web site known as TimesSelect, The New York Post reported on Tuesday. —New York Times to end paid Web service: report (Yahoo! | Reuters) Certain upscale and targeted audiences will pay…
To demonstrate world-class expertise, avoid quickly written, shallow postings. Instead, invest your time in thorough, value-added content that attracts paying customers. —Jakob Nielsen —Write Articles, Not Blog Postings (Alertbox) It’s been a while since I checked out Nielsen’s site. His overall point against blogs — which we can sum up in the old saying “nobody buys…
The study had youngsters sample identical McDonald’s foods in name-brand and unmarked wrappers. The unmarked foods always lost the taste test. Robinson said it was remarkable how children so young were already so influenced by advertising. The study involved 63 low-income children ages 3 to 5 from Head Start centers in San Mateo County, Calif.…
Interactive media are highly complex and at high risk for loss as technologies rapidly become obsolete. The Preserving Virtual Worlds project will explore methods for preserving digital games and interactive fiction. Major activities will include developing basic standards for metadata and content representation and conducting a series of archiving case studies for early video games,…
Like locked cell phones and copy-protected music, Facebook is on the wrong side of the open-network debate. Facebook is a sealed bubble. Facebook users are locked into Facebook, just as iTunes locks music fans to Apple’s iPod. This serves companies’ business interests, but not the wider interests of consumers. […] At this point, “friend” relationships…
Rather, Salen and other planners are looking at how games naturally engage players and teach them new skills, and hope to apply those principles to create kids who not only ace their SATs, but are also well suited for the 21st century. Games offer a context for problem-solving with immediate feedback, and often involve social…
The smell of a flower – The memory of a walk in the park – The pain of stepping on a nail. These experiences are made possible by the 3 pounds of tissue in our heads…the BRAIN!! —Eric H. Chudler —Neuroscience for Kids (University of Washinton) My son was asking me a lot of questions about…
Truthfully, I expected my new department would be grateful that I wasn’t having kids. But the unofficial motto here seems to be “We do babies!” And indeed we do….. I couldn’t believe that I was struggling to meet anyone who could go out for a drink. —Carol Peace —An Unexpecting Minority (Chronicle of Higher Education) Who…
A pity effort to hack into the hacker-only conference DEFCON was attempted by the NBC reporter Michelle Madigan. Apparently the Associate Producer for Dateline NBC entered the DEFCON with a hidden camera and tried to film attendees confessing to illegal activities. According to some sources, Madigan was working on an investigative piece called “Hackers for…
—3D Hectopus Animation (Rainbow Hector Weblog) Just a 3D, six-legged character animation. Not the best walk cycle I’ve ever seen, but it was fun making it.
An octopus with a porcelain plate stuck to its suckers has led to the discovery of a hoard of ancient pottery, South Korean scientists say. —Treasure trove ‘found by octopus’ (BBC) Thanks for the link, Rosemary.