Zork: The Great Underground Empire

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,…

Stop Clubbing, Baby Seals

Similar:How to Lie with Data VisualizationData visualization is one of the most im…DesignTWEEN GIRL: "What's a tribble?"TWEEN GIRL: “What’s a tribble?” MY GE…PersonalContext matters. Trump called MS-13 gang members “animals,” but critics say he was talking…There are many, many legitimate, evidenc…Culture‘Belonging Is Stronger Than Facts’: The Age of Misinformation As much as we like to…

Tolkien v. Orwell: Who understood modern surveillance best?

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…

The Pixar Theory

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 trium…

The contrast between KTVU’s treatment of its triumphs vs errors reminds us of the difference between journalism vs public relations. Similar:Tweet: Came around the corner and saw my kids huddled on…Came around the corner and saw my kids h…TweetsFormer student: "I remember sometimes being annoyed with all of our blogging assignments, …A third alum in the last…

Woman’s work : Columbia Journalism Review

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:The Royale (ST:TNG Rewatch, Season 2, Episode 12)Rewatching Star Trek: The Next Generatio…BooksOde to Huckleberry Finn, Dec’d(Inspired by Emmeline Grangerford, Dec’d…Culture15 Grammar Goofs That Make You…

A quick primer on semicolons

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:How One Stupid Tweet Blew Up Justine Sacco’s LifeA PR professional should have known bett…BusinessThey grew up in a mostly analog/paper world and squirmed with joy the first time they clic…Today’s students have…

My Minecraft-obsessed tween made this blocky foam pig at art camp.

Next up: Stage Right summer musical theater camp starts Monday! Similar:Loved part 1 of Alec Silverblatt's Mon Valley Medium. Part 2 tomorrow at 7. #pptplayt…CultureCarolyn will portray Cosette Saturday at 2pm with 70 talented Stage Right castmates.The teen summer camp production of Les M…CultureEnjoyed watching "Queen of Katwe" (Ugandan girl chess prodigy movie)I enjoyed watching…