In 10 Years Our iPads Will Be Here

Our iPads will one day be stacked on a pallet, like these old PCs. They’ll be retro curiosities, having done their jobs — empowering us to build even better tools. Similar:We are the product that Facebook has been testingUp to now, I refrained from posting anyt…BusinessPost Gazette Corrects Headline of Seton Hill iPad FollowupEveryone makes…

Ian Bogost – Gamification is Bullshit

This rhetorical power derives from the “-ification” rather than from the “game”. -ification involves simple, repeatable, proven techniques or devices: you can purify, beautify, falsify, terrify, and so forth. -ification is always easy and repeatable, and it’s usually bullshit. Just add points. Game developers and players have critiqued gamification on the grounds that it gets…

Apple, publishers conspired against $9.99 Amazon e-books, says lawsuit

I was doing a lot of impulse buying during the $9.99 days, but since then, on occasions when I’ve seen the ebook offered at a higher price than a paperback, I have just turned to interlibrary load instead. “Terrified” by Amazon’s Kindle e-reader and discounted e-book pricing, five major publishers allegedly acted together to increase…

Students aim for Broadway in musical with true-life focus

David Mahokey of Dunbar, a senior at Point Park University, and Greg Kerestan of Greensburg, a senior at Seton Hill University, wrote the 20-song score and script, respectively, for ″In Control,″ a musical that focuses in part on Mahokey’s real-life battle with bone cancer. Two free performances of ″In Control,″ directed by Anthony Marino, artistic…

‪MC Frontalot – It Is Pitch Dark‬‏ – YouTube

Which is cooler? That my 13yo son was just sitting at the kitchen table singing lyrics to MC Frontalot’s “It Is Pitch Dark,” or that my 9yo daughter was chiming in with corrections? It Is Pitch Dark Similar:More split-screen actinghttp://youtu.be/EGgeZWskEs8DesignThe Game (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season 5, Episode 6) Cadet Crusher vs Fun Risian GadgetRewatching ST:TNG…

Books Without Borders

The heartbreaking thing is that this fall, over 10,000 bookstore employees across America will be out of work. The way the publishing industry is going, many of those people won’t be able to find jobs that are even tangentially related to books anymore; they’ll go on to work in movie theaters and grocery stores and…

Karel Capek Slighted

The layout of this display at the Carnegie Science Center almost makes it look like the Maria duplicate in Metropolis came before Karel Capek’s play RUR (which was written in 1920, first performed in 1921). Similar:In July, 2000, I was creating handouts on the sounds of poetry, prototypes, and writing fo…It seems that an unusually…

Carnegie Science Center Model Train

The control panel. Similar:Mixed ReceptionThis activity is set in a research group…AcademiaCreating textures for background buildings in a medieval theater simulation project. I can…Creating textures for background buildin…AestheticsHow not to attract women to coding: Make tech pinkJust watched videos of the musicals “Tho…AcademiaFacebook Ad Refreshes Interrupt the Composition ProcessSo I’m trying to edit a Facebook…

USS Requin

Images from an extended tour of a cold war submarine. (We liked the tour we took last year so much, my son and I came back.) [portfolio_slideshow size=medium trans=scrollHorz ] Similar:Long-Haulers Are Redefining COVID-19Our understanding of COVID-19 has accret…Current_EventsDatalore (TNG Rewatch, Season 1, Episode 12) Data's bro wants to be with a big crystal tr…In…

Stage Right Greensburg Wizard of Oz

My daughter, as the wizard, with her talented castmates, in our local theater school’s preteen summer camp musical. Similar:A full minute standing ovation after that rousing final “Alleluia.” Thrilling!PersonalCreating textures for background buildings in a medieval theater simulation project. I can…Creating textures for background buildin…AestheticsCarolyn as Hodel and Peter as Lazar in the Stage Right…

Bluejay Catching a Bug

My friend and colleague, Balázs Tarnai, shared these pictures of a bluejay catching a bug on his garage roof. Similar:Snow White: The Musical Opens Fridayhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiIRCoHoN…AestheticsIn Pittsburgh, science gets playfulImagine: sharing a secret with a friend …AestheticsSon Doong Cave in Viet Nam Featurers Skylight, JungleAs a fan of Colossal Cave Adventure, I’m…AestheticsI just finished "Beyond Eyes"…

LEGO figures flying on NASA Jupiter probe

LEGO figurines representing the Roman god Jupiter, his wife Juno and Galileo Galilei are flying to Jupiter. (NASA/LEGO) August 4, 2011 — They have launched aboard the space shuttle, visited the space station, and flown to Mars. Now, three more “very special” LEGO figurines are set to fly to Jupiter with NASA’s Juno spacecraft. The…