Overheard at Quora: “Why after all these years is Moodle still so ugly?”

Moodle is a free course-management tool that many schools (including mine) use to manage the online components of courses (including computer-graded quizzes, discussion forums, and the submission of online papers). The tool is powerful, but the interface offers a bewildering array of options, so that casual users are often dismayed by how many checkboxes it…

An Evening with a Board Game and Grandma

By the way, I won. Similar:Today's 10 sq cm of #blender3d #steampunk control panel. #aesthetics #design #blender3dartAestheticsMonument Valley: Minimal story, but an engaging world and a satisfying ending.I was in no rush to finish the beautiful…AestheticsSome new locations for my #neovictorian #steampunk personal project. Created in #blender3d…AestheticsAfter the haircut. The girl seems to like it.PersonalThe…

Mavens Advice On Digital Influence [INFOGRAPHIC]

Seton Hill’s CIO is one of the experts cited in this infographic. The world’s best business and leadership experts share their insights to help CMOs, CIOs, and CEOs bolster their digital influence. This interactive infographic is a high-level summary of their advice. Similar:Common Sense Media's AI Initiative When the kids were little, my wife…CybercultureStudent: “Just…

Yes, I do feel rather awesome right now.

Lost brand-new earbuds. Reached in pocket of freshly-washed pants & found old earbuds. (They work!) Looked down & spotted new earbuds. #win Similar:Today’s adulting was brought to you by a failed motor vehicle inspection. #notacarguy #win…The car shop wanted to charge over $300….ModdingSo happy to work with @crissycp and benefit from her kindness and baking…

Fun With Charts: Scale Matters

At first glance, this chart makes it look like food stamp usage has gone from almost nothing at some unspecified time in the past, to some huge amount over a span of who-knows-how-long. Only a fraction of the visitors to the site will click on the chart to see the scale, which reveals that the…

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:A big day for our first year writing students! So much energy in the room!   AcademiaMy son showed me #PacificRim.My son showed me #PacificRim. Liked the …CybercultureSolitaire ChessSpent a relaxing evening in playing soli…AmusingCNN's Chris Cillizza on Trump's definition of "Fake News"Here’s some excellent analysis of Trump’…CultureJon Bentley | My Life in ArtWonderfully weird…

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…

It’s Finally Ironic (You’re Welcome, Alanis)

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:'Fontgate': Microsoft, Wikipedia and the scandal threatening the Pakistani PMI would call this “typefacegate,” but th…CultureShow, Don't (Just) Tell (another update)AcademiaPlaywright #AugustWilson Takes Center Stage on U.S. Postal Service…