Book Review of Nick Montfort and Ian Bogost (2009). Racing the Beam: The Atari Video Computer System. Cambridge; London: The MIT Press. – Digital Culture & Education

In Montfort and Bogost’s case study platform studies also suggest a useful approach to media histories. Their work on the Atari VCS focuses on the role of creative individuals in the process of game development for the platform, and the book earmarks several important moments in videogame history. These moments are traced back to the…

The Lord Justice Hath Ruled – Pringles Are Potato Chips

To protect itself from millions of dollars worth of taxes, Proctor & Gamble UK tried to defend a lower court’s ruling that a Pringle is not a potato chip. At some point, a potato-chip-like item is so different from a potato chip that it can no longer be called one — but when?– Adam Cohen,…

History of Editorial Games, Part One

A good overview of a genre I’ve been following from the beginning. I sometimes wonder why references to political cartoons aren’t more common in discussions of games about current events. At any rate, the article begins by mentioning the importance of Flash, the 9/11 attacks, and Gonzalo Frasca’s thought-provoking response, September 12th. Water Cooler Games,…

Security Fix – Microsoft Update Quietly Installs Firefox Extension

This sort of thing makes me very unhappy… without my permission, Microsoft pushes out an add-on for a competitor’s product. The service pack for the .NET Framework, like other updates, was pushed out to users through the Windows Update Web site. A number of readers had never heard of this platform before Windows Update started…

Jerz's Literacy Weblog (est. 1999)

Daily Archives: 1 Jun 2009

Book Review of Nick Montfort and Ian Bogost (2009). Racing the Beam: The Atari Video Computer System. Cambridge; London: The MIT Press. – Digital Culture & Education

The Lord Justice Hath Ruled – Pringles Are Potato Chips

History of Editorial Games, Part One

Security Fix – Microsoft Update Quietly Installs Firefox Extension