Useless code and comments in code—these are the zombie figures of software. They serve no purpose in a program’s execution, but they exude what Mark Marino calls extra-functional significance. They have meaning beyond the program. They speak not to the machine or the compiler, but to a different audience, another reader. In software development, that…
There are of course emotional consequences for becoming married. Lines 1167-1172: if( age >= 0.85 ) { dieSpouse(); } if( age >= 0.95 ) { diePlayer(); } This is the most famous, emotionally manipulative part of Passage. Those six lines are basically the reason we study this game at all. —Poking around in Passage |…
The most detail I’ve ever seen about Will Crowther’s other creative projects; here, in a conversation dated 1996, he discusses “different ‘adventures’”, and reveals that he wrestled with many of the same challenges that interactive fiction programmers faced through the 1980s and on to the present. I have at various times made different “adventures.” Two…
What a story! The collection includes an Action Comics No. 1, from 1938, which features the first appearance of Superman and is expected to sell for about $325,000. A Detective Comics No. 27, from 1939, features the first appearance of Batman and is expected to get about $475,000. A Captain America No. 2, from 1941,…
If political powerbrokers want to buy newspapers, what are the obligations of the journalists involved? What if the journalists, as a group, tend to agree with the politics of the purchasers? “Nobody wants to stifle news,” said Mr. Rendell, a two-term mayor of Philadelphia in the 1990s. Journalists at both papers are so concerned that…
A good example of correlation. (Simply changing your Facebook content won’t automatically make you a better worker or student, but certain Facebook details do correspond to achievement in the offline world.) Researchers spent about 10 minutes looking at photos, wall posts, comments, education, and hobbies on Facebook profiles, while answering personality-related questions including whether the…
At midnight tonight, participants in the FIRST Robotics Competition must stop working on their robots and seal them up in a plastic bag. Here’s the working bot my son’s team built. Pretty good for a rookie team. Similar:Dinosaur Comics Creator Stuck in Skate Park Hole Takes His Predicament to Twitter In Real ……
Archivists estimate the life of any digital platform to be less than ten years, sometimes less than five. All hard drives fail sooner or later, and they need to be run periodically to lubricate themselves. Tape degradation can be quite quick; one expert found that 40 % of tapes from digital intermediate houses had missing…
Fantastic composition, deeply embedded into the brains of any kid who grew up watching Looney Tunes. Raymond Scott recorded “Powerhouse” on this day 75 years ago. Similar:Adam Savage’s 10 Commandments Of MakingAdam Savage took a few minutes today at …AestheticsReally enjoyed watching Your Name with the family. Visuals hooked me, but the story kept m…AestheticsFace…
At lunchtime, I ducked out of the office for a Poetry Out Loud competition for homeschoolers in the Greensburg area. These kids are so bright and delightful, it’s a real treat to see them displaying their talents. My son (who turned 14 this week) won this round with his recitation of Poe’s “Annabel Lee.” The…
The Russians beat us into orbit, and for the moment only the Russians can ferry American astronauts to the International Space Station. It’s hard to believe that just seven years after the first American was launched into orbit, Americans were walking on the moon. (It would be nice to see someone walk on Mars in…
LittleTextPeople, founded by writer Emily Short and Maxis veteran Richard Evans, has so far focused on the development of software that replicates complex social interaction. For instance, among its internal technology is a simulator that models social behavior and individual personalities. —Gamasutra – News – Second Life developer acquires experimental game studio LittleTextPeople. Similar:Should the…
A thoughtful blog entry from a student in my “Media and Culture” class. When I clicked on the link to “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore,” despite the interesting title, I was expecting something very academic. But what I found was something so moving that inspired great emotion in me. I guess that I…
Via David Thompson Similar:The Cover Letter That Led to Awesome InterviewsWhen I do a career planning unit, I am o…BusinessBlood Oath (#StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch, Season 2, Episode 19) Glory to Dax and her three aging… Rewatching ST:DS9 A rowdy Klingon…AmusingStar Trek The Original SeriesAmazing mural. Amazing. …AestheticsAnother 40sq cm chunk of a #steampunk control…
Twitter / Search – “couldn’t remove your contacts” – All Tweets. Similar:Local news is the building block of a national democracy.Yesterday, I asked my students, “How man…BusinessFacebook’s Instant Articles restore subscription options they previously strippedThe ability to serve content faster than…BusinessWhere the press is free, and every man able to read, all is safe. —Thomas…
I’m one of the judges in a “Poetry Out Loud” competition tomorrow afternoon. I regularly assign recitations in my literature classes, and resources like this may help students from stressing out, since the site is full of well-phrased dos and dont’s for reciting poetry. Please keep in mind that there is no definitive recitation or…
Interesting application of math to sports. In analyzing teams’ shot quality, shot rates and shot percentages, Skinner found that the average NBA squad has a 4 percent probability of shooting the ball when left with 15 seconds on the shot clock in their final possession. The ideal rate is 12 percent. Skinner didn’t offer guidelines…
Nothing really new in this article, but it’s useful to be reminded of how valuable our data is to those who want to make money off it (without our permission). Apple allows any app to access your address book at any time—it’s built into the iPhone’s core software. The idea is to make using these…
When reporters report on what reporters are doing, you know it’s a non-story. The group was set to make its biggest news splash yet on Tuesday—holding a rally outside the Westminster Kennel Dog Club Show at Madison Square Garden in Midtown Manhattan—this time with real dogs. The event attracted at least 15 reporters, 10 photographers…
We finished the game over the weekend. Delightful. via My daughter likes Machinarium. – YouTube. Similar:ThinkGeek :: Star Trek Enterprise PlushSet phasers to “Squeee!” ThinkGee…AestheticsMerry Christmas 2013Current_EventsGames Based Learning through Text Adventures As I make progress in designing the cl…AcademiaThe Horror… The Horror! How Music in Horror Games Effects Player ExperienceFrom one of my students,…