This history of video game graphics is a walk down memory lane
Blogging this so I can assign it to my “Video Game Culture and Theory” class.This history of video game graphics is a walk down memory lane | Polygon.
Dungeons & Dragons & Philosophy
In one of the most compelling chapters, “‘Others play at dice’: Friendship and Dungeons & Dragons,” Jeffery L. Nicholas offers several examples of friendships between characters and players in D&D (as well as friendships from Lord of the Rings, The Princess Bride, A Song of Ice and Fire, and his own life. “One reason Aristotle…
‘A Klingon Christmas Carol’ Translates Dickens’ Scrooge Fable to ‘Star Trek’ Universe for Fifth Chicago Season
Be still, my nerdy heart. (The other heart can go on beating.) Written by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom and Sasha Warren, A Klingon Christmas Carol is the first play ever to have been performed entirely in the Klingon language. The made-up tongue was developed for the Star Trek universe by Marc Okrand from basic elements created by…
Important University of Virginia Messages Regarding Sexual Assault
University of Virginia president takes an important first step in addressing serious allegations of sexual violence. I gained no personal benefits from the fraternity/sorority culture at UVa, and while I understand not all fraternities are party-first houses, I would not shed a tear if the whole fraternity system shut down permanently. Beginning immediately, I am…
Surprise: Humanities Degrees Provide Great Return On Investment
Completing a humanities degree is a good marker for economic success. I regularly tell my students that their liberal arts degree will make them competitive for internships, and that it’s the internships (plural) that will get them their entry-level jobs. The present value of the extra earnings that graduates in humanities majors can expect over…
#Gamergate—and what it means for gaming in education
Gamergate originally began as a hashtag in social media after an independent game developer’s ex-boyfriend made public allegations against her regarding a close relationship between the developer and a journalist in exchange for positive press, which was later proven false. Since then, the controversy has escalated to reveal what many in the gaming industry say…
Stage Right Theatre Company’s ‘Fiddler’ all about family, on, off stage
I am thrilled to be part of this great cast. “The thing that makes ‘Fiddler’ so special is the story of family, the story of tradition,” says Tony Marino, artistic director at Stage Right Theatre Company, which brings a production of “Fiddler” to The Palace Theatre in Greensburg from Nov. 21 to 23. Marino says…
Rehearsal Rabbi-Cam
This weekend, I will be playing the rabbi in Stage Right Theatre Company’s production of Fiddler on the Roof. Here is a video I made last year, during the dress rehearsal of Children of Eden, using a handheld iPod Touch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHnGyB8dYfs Here is a picture of a rabbi. On his forehead, he’s wearing a phylactery —…
1 small shirt for a man, 1 giant leap backward for women: Column
Idea for a scientist pull-cord doll: “Fashion is hard!” Very interesting in the light of this: I made a shirt for one of my close pals @mggtTaylor for his b’day. Did not expect this!! #shirtgate #shirtstorm #Rosetta #Shirt #sewing — Elly PriZeMaN (@ellypriZeMaN) November 13, 2014 Here’s Glenn Reynolds’s take: So how are things going for…
A college tells faculty it’s illegal to speak to student journalists
Congratulations, President Meadows. You have turned the little local squabble you wanted to silence into a very public issue. (See “Streisand Effect.”) Meadows said even though the administration is not prevented from speaking with students about the labor impasse, he had declined to answer [student journalist] Garber’s questions about the dispute. That, Meadows said, means…
Rehearsing ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ is like trying to herd cats onto a grid and make them walk it perfectly.
I’m really enjoying the experience. I’ve made a playlist of all the numbers I’m in, and as I drive or do laundry I’m mentally practicing the choreography. What do we do again after the sunburst? Am I supposed to cut in front of or behind Travis when we zip our two separate lines into a…
“Cool” Rosetta Mission Scientist Matt Taylor Objectifies Women via T-Shirt, Language
How very sad that someone with this level of visibility is making the choices Matt Taylor has been making. A female scientist who chose to appear at a public event dressed like the sexualized women on Taylor’s T-shirt would likely be criticized as unprofessional, so it’s only fair to wonder what Dr. Taylor was thinking when he chose to wear…
Vienna State Opera, funny ballet.
Vienna State Opera, funny ballet. Слава Украине! – YouTube.
The Sentence That Knocked Down the Berlin Wall (But Almost Didn’t)
Words that defined Ronald Reagan’s presidency, as remembered by the White House speechwriter. As a speechwriter you spent your working life watching Reagan, talking about Reagan, reading about Reagan, attempting to inhabit the very mind of Reagan. When you joined him in the Oval Office, you didn’t want to hear him say simply that he…
I gave my class a Poem to read. The author’s Name — I hid.
I gave my class a Poem to read. The author’s Name — I hid. I said, “How would you recognize A poet — edited? “What if each Dash I have removed — And lowercased each Quirk?” The students said, “Well, Dr. Jerz, Then you would be a jerk.” The prose version: The poem I showed…
Things that have made me start singing “Tradition!” in my head so far today
After last night’s first rehearsal for “Fiddler on the Roof,” things that have made me start singing “Tradition!” in my head so far today: 1) Reading the name “Alyssa.” (Alyssa!) 2) Thinking about textbooks for next semester. (Edition!) 3) Thinking about hell. (Perdition!) 4) Turning on my car engine. (Ignition!) 5) Thinking about my upcoming…
35% of my site visitors right now are using mobile devices
This year I have seen an uptick in the percentage of users who are visiting my website with a mobile device. About a year ago, I introduced a responsive web design on my site, with the idea of making it more friendly to narrow screens. I’m glad that design was already in place before I…
Homeownership in America Has Collapsed—Dont Blame Millennials
Yes, the article is interesting, but I’m blogging it for the Jane Austen reference. It is a truth universally acknowledged that a journalist in possession of a negative statistic must find a way to blame Millennials for it. In 2012, Jordan Weissmann and I observed that young people were turning away from homes and cars,…
Pope Francis declares evolution and Big Bang theory are right and God isn’t ‘a magician with a magic wand’
The theories of evolution and the Big Bang are real and God is not “a magician with a magic wand”, Pope Francis has declared. Speaking at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, the Pope made comments which experts said put an end to the “pseudo theories” of creationism and intelligent design that some argue were encouraged…
Seattle Times ‘Outraged’ FBI Created Fake Web Page, News Story To Catch Suspect
The FBI fabricated a story to look like a news piece with an Associated Press byline about bomb threats against Lacey’s Timberline High School in 2007, according to documents obtained by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and revealed by the ACLU on Monday. The FBI also created a fake email link “in the style of…