The Myth of the Megalith

I have found that archaeologists are seldom receptive to the notion of ancient astronauts—although one could argue that, when the archaeologists went looking for answers, all they managed to find was an even bigger and more mysterious stone block. —The New Yorker. Similar:My laptop hard drive is full & my comfort-food shelf is emptyMy laptop…

Christmas Day Truce 1914: Volunteers re-enact football game on Belgium fields

Men in authentic period uniforms of the Lancashire Fusiliers and Seaforth Highlanders re-enacted the moment on Christmas Day 1914 when silence fell and men climbed out of mud-filled trenches on both sides to play football together. Similar:Playing video games linked to breast-feeding, not crimeGreat piece from Ben Kuchera at Ars Tech…AmusingLaying out our anti-socialization defenses…

Gingerbread USS Enterprise

Mr. Sulu, set phasers to delicious! Which makes no sense, but hey, it’s a gingerbread starship Enterprise. Gingerbread USS Enterprise – Imgur. Similar:Another delightful section of a #steampunk #neovictorian control panel. #design #aesthetic…AestheticsBehind the bar in the officers' pub, from the #steampunk bedtime stories I used to tell my…AestheticsGettysburg Address event marks 150th anniversary of…

A Pedestal, A Table, A Love Letter: Archaeologies of Gender in Videogame History

A thoughtful, informative article on the importance of Roberta Williams, co-founder of Sierra Online (an adventure game titan from the 1980s). Drawing from both media archaeology and feminist cultural studies, this contribution first outlines the function Roberta Williams serves as a gendered subject of game history. The remainder of the essay is organized as three…

One Does Not Simply: An Introduction to the Special Issue on Internet Memes

When we envisioned a journal of visual culture issue on ‘Internet Memes’ over two years ago, we sensed that the best way to be generous to our subject matter was to not presume to know what it would look like. Academic publishing – characterized by its long review periods and labored revision processes – habitually…

Parable of the Polygons – a playable post on the shape of society

A very clever interactive essay that uses embedded game-like simulations to show a point. Parable of the Polygons – a playable post on the shape of society. Similar:The Media Bubble is Real — And Worse Than You ThinkIn the early 20th century, print journal…CultureMost Television From Before 2000 Is Trapped in the Uncanny ValleyJust as…

12yo Actress Carolyn Jerz on Pict Classic Theatre’s Great Expectations: “Your heart will be torn.” (WCNS “Steppin’ Out”)

My daughter, who plays Young Estella in Pict Classic Theatre’s “Great Expectations,” was interviewed on Tony Marino’s WCNS “Steppin’ Out” local arts radio talk show. I’ve embedded the 10-minute segment below. During the segment, she told a ghost story about the Charity Randall theatre, she said her favorite scene is the manners lesson Pip receives from…