A blogger has started chronicling a journey through the classic 1980s computer game, Zork. Before King’s Quest and its successors took the realm of adventure gaming into colorful graphics, adventure titles were solely text. Infocom specialized in these during the 80s, including the Zork series, Planetfall, and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. But Zork,…
From Profhacker: If you’ve ever wanted to do sophisticated text analysis on your smartphone, you’re in luck. The University College of London Center for the Digital Humanities team made up of Melissa Terras (@melissaterras), Steven Gray (@frogo) and Rudolf Amman (@rkamman) has just released Textal, a free smartphone app currently available only on iOS that…
Similar:An Adjunct's Death Becomes a Rallying Cry for Many in AcademeBecause I blogged Kovalik’s editorial ye…AcademiaShe doesn't have keys or a phone or an ID. Why does my tween need a purse?To stash her Lemonheads and Smarties. ht…AmusingMedia Bias Chart (liberal, moderate, conservative; news, analysis, slanted but responsible… Ad Fontes Media Ethics'New York Times' considers legal action…
Interesting set of observations exploring the limits of omniscience and the sheer scale involved in watching an entire population. Failures in empathy lead to misinterpretation of anonymous rebellion in plain sight. Tolkien’s most potent and intimidating image of centralized surveillance, the Eye of Sauron atop a tower, taking in the whole world, has resonated with…
This project looks promising. I’ve donated the money I was going to spend on a haircut. We’re keeping our UI super simple. The experience is entirely sound and story: Writing + Voiceover + SFX + Music. With either a spoken word or a simple tap on the screen you can listen to the drama unfold…
A recent Pew study (Smartphone Ownership 2013) found that blacks were about 10% more likely than whites to own smartphones, and that young urban people regardless of income are very likely to own smartphones. (With older people, a smartphone is more of a luxury.) It’s little wonder, then, that phone-friendly Twitter has been such a…
These are shoe-holding racks at a local indoor play area, where I took my daughter and a friend for a few hours. Why buy six different rainbow-colored shoe-holding racks, if you’re not going to arrange them in the proper order? I really wanted to pick up the purple one and at least put it in…
Sample, improved lyrics: “An old man turned 98 /He won the lottery, and died the next day (from a severe paper cut from his lottery ticket).” Similar:Anthony Weiner, Reality Star of Sorts, Returns to the StumpBecause my beginning journalism students…AmusingWhy scientists should care about artMy artsy daughter loves stories about sc…ArtVanessa Otero's Complex vs. Clickbait,…
Rewatching the classic Trek episode “The Conscience of the King,” which features a Shakespearean acting troupe. In one scene, McCoy writes a report on a wedge proto-iPad… …but in the very next scene Kirk scrawls on a piece of paper. This episode also features characters doing computer searches, using an exposition-friendly voice interface to call…
At least three journalists left NBC, after the network aired a tape of George Zimmerman, edited in a manner that substantially altered its content. Filed in Seminole County, the suit adds that “NBC News saw the death of Trayvon Martin not as a tragedy but as an opportunity to increase ratings, and so set about…
Jon Negroni creates a meta-narrative to connect every Pixar movie, using Boo as the still point in the turning universe. Every Pixar movie is connected. I explain how, and possibly why. Several months ago, I watched a fun-filled video on Cracked.com that introduced the idea (at least to me) that all of the Pixar movies…
The contrast between KTVU’s treatment of its triumphs vs errors reminds us of the difference between journalism vs public relations. Similar:Jury Duty UpdateI’m a happy, responsible, and no-longer-…GovernmentHow hate and misinformation go viral: A case study of a Trump retweetOn Sunday night, President Donald Trump …AcademiaHello, there, mini.Hello, there, mini. Let’s restore you fr…TweetsParallel structure…
Last week, the Fox-afiliated KTVU fell for a prank, repeating offensive fake names for the pilots involved in the crash of Asiana Flight 214 last week. [S]even-year veteran KTVU producer Brad Belstock closed his @producerBB Twitter account after his last Friday tweet just moments after the names were read aloud on the air by Tori Campbell.…
Francesca Borri writes of being a freelancer and a woman covering the war in Syria. (When my life gets hectic, a story like this helps me keep some perspective.) Similar:Professor Sees Parallels Between Things, Other Things”By drawing parallels between things and…AcademiaBecause words matter, old sport.AcademiaTapestry (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season 6, Episode 15) The dying Picard…
Is your Sunday feeling incomplete because you haven’t read anything about punctuation today? This explanation of the semicolon should help. You’re welcome. Similar:Presidential RhetoricCultureChess tournament in Monroeville. Two losses, two wins.The boy’s personal best in terms of win-…CultureThe ChatGPT Lawyer Explains HimselfAs Mike Edwards notes, “AI doomers will …CultureFlipped Classes: Omit Housekeeping Mechanics from Recorded…
My wife is something of a hoarder. Now, as it happens, I have saved my half of the slip of paper that I tore so that we could write down each other’s phone numbers back when we were about 22, but she saves old catalogs and phone books (phone books!) from years ago. Sometimes, when…
So I’m not being selfish… this is a parenting strategy. Similar:New Theory Suggests Chatbots Can Understand TextFar from being “stochastic parrots,” the…CybercultureBoston Herald Guild Members Boycotting Twitter After Reporter SuspendedMembers of the Herald’s editorial guild …Current_EventsMake a date with #HeartOurArt at The Westmoreland Museum of American ArtWhile our daughter is performing in Stag…ArtYounger Americans and Public…
Next up: Stage Right summer musical theater camp starts Monday! Similar:How We Can Help Students Survive in an Age of Anxiety Today’s students have also lived…AcademiaPerspective | Could ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’ really be done? We found out. The three of us approach them in…AmusingHow not to attract women to coding: Make tech pinkJust watched…
Testing a tool to automate connections between iOS apps. Similar:Schadendrücke: Click-shameHomeMaybe Star Wars 7 won't suck, but I'm not holding my breath.I was burned in 1999 when I saw The Phan…HomeSHU Commemoration of September 11 Terrorism Attacks — Looking Back After 10 YearsCome to listen. Come to share. Come toge…CultureLEGO turned itself around by analyzing…
Similar:Wonderful Retro Control Panel in Seton Hill University Dining RoomI gather the purpose of these consoles -…AcademiaMr. Spock, weren't you wearing blue and black a minute ago?AmusingTrying something a bit different for today's 10 sq cm of #steampunk #blender3d control pan…AestheticsRespect the Text: Teaching Textual Primacy to Non-English MajorsIn the past, I have used the…