See also my resources on interactive fiction (text adventure games), programming in Inform 7, making games in Scratch, and coding hypertext stories in Twine.
Here are my rough notes, almost liveblogged (posted when I passed through the lobby and had momentary access to WiFi). Laura K. Smith, journalism; TV news background and PR. English and communication arts program. Journalism and j-education going through turmoil as the profession changes in life-altering ways. Technology, convergence, multi platform; changes in our revenue…
We are mindful that questions have been raised about the educational value of an approach to learning so heavily dependent on the experimental use of a very new piece of mobile technology—skeptics have called the iPad a gimmick, a marketing tool, a toy, or a passing technology whim. Yet our faculty and staff believe that…
I’m very interested in this, since I’m hoping to teach “Video Game Culture and Theory” again this January. Atari’s Greatest Hits brings the best of retro gaming to iOS with 100 Classic Atari Games. This suite brings you the hottest Arcade and 2600 titles from Atari. For those who love the classic gaming experience this…
The move would transform the electronic market and add to Rowling’s already impressive net worth. J.K. Rowling is considering releasing digital versions of her lucrative Harry Potter books. Though she has declined eBook deals for years, her agent Neil Blair now says, “The e-book format is now something that is being actively considered,” according to the…
Okay, this one was cute, too. Top 5 Viral Pictures of 1911.
One of the better April 1 gags I’ve seen in a while. Love the “lick a stamp and place it down” gesture. Gmail Motion BETA.
Through the magic of FaceTime and the very light iPod Touch 4, yesterday my daughter gave me a ride in her Barbie car. Today, I took her flying in a Jedi fighter. The iPod Touch easily fits into larger toys. My daughter sat at my MacBook, and watched on the screen as I gave her…
I spent hours fighting to remove a virus from the virtual Windows box on my MacBook. I could have just flipped a switch and restored a backup, but that would have let the bad guys win.
How writers should not respond to criticism. It started when Big Al himself posted a review of a self-published novel by British writer Jacqueline Howett called The Greek Seaman. He starts off with a friendly bio note of the author and offers a link to her own blog, and gives a short objective description of…
Great news from the world of digital archiving. That is in fact the main office of the Internet Archive, yes, that Internet Archive, and yes, this has really happened… It primarily means I can stop thinking about where my next meal is coming from or live in terror of getting sick and start thinking where…
I’m not sure my students really need to read what I tweet while I watch episodes of the 1979 Buck Rogers shows, but it’s very interesting to see how Twitter impacts the perception of a faculty members’ professional ethos. The researchers created three accounts on Twitter for three fictional “professors” named Caitlin Milton, Caitlyn Milton,…
Some people don’t seem to get it. Here, in 2011, are 15 sites I’ve not featured before, all of which try to prevent you linking to them (usually restricting the “right” to link to just the homepage or else requiring written consent). YOU’RE ALL IDIOTS. I have, of course, linked to them – click the…
All games, from Starcraft to Scrabble to Angry Birds and beyond, provide players with complex problem spaces to explore in ways that are both fun and challenging. These spaces might take on the tone and texture of an ancient civilization, horror film, intergalactic space station, or mafia headquarters. When designed well, games can evoke a…
When my son was young, I noticed that videgames had taught him that problems are surmountable, so long as you have enough tries. That’s not always true, of course, or practical. We had a chat about things dying, and as I struggled to lightly broach the subject with him I ended up talking about the…
A weblog’s most characteristic feature — the prominence of the most recent entry — has consequences for long-term discussions. But those archives are linkable; a really good blog entry exists in a network of other related posts. Constantly linking to your own ideas can be a form of narcissism, but judicious back-linking can overcome the…
A VCU survey this year found that 43 percent of students said they use mobile devices as their primary way to access the Internet, up from 10.2 percent just two years before. Last fall, 63 percent of freshmen said they own a smartphone and 73 percent expect to have one by next year. Va universities…
A good analysis. Beyond that, $15 per four-week period gives you access to the website and also its smartphone app, while $20 gives you access to the website also its iPad app. But if you want to read the NYT on both your smartphone and your iPad, you’ll need to buy both digital subscriptions separately,…
From the NYT press release, an interesting compromise, that recognizes the value of traffic from search engines and blogs. Full digital access will cost an eye-popping $420/year, or $35/week. Will subscribers have to put up with online ads? All users of NYTimes.com are able to enjoy 20 articles at no charge each month (including slideshows,…
This looks very, very interesting. I may experiment with this in one or more of my classes this term. When we launched the new Google Docs last April, one of the big changes was moving comments to the sidebar and letting people reply to comments. Today, we’re updating comments in Google Docs to facilitate rapid and…
Crates and barrels are 3-D versions of the dots that PAC-Man eats. They’re features of the gaming genre, not only because they are easy to generate, but because we already know what they do. As gamers, many of us roll our eyes at the clichés that have sprung up within the industry. Every red barrel…