Storytelling: Video games’ next killer app

A decent introduction, with rich links. Nothing really new, though. The problem, as experts like Ultima creator Richard Garriott and Infocom veteran Steve Meretzky explain in a recent documentary, is that gaming is a relatively young field. Game makers still haven’t mastered their craft the way artists, playwrights and filmmakers have. When compared to more…

Serious Games SIG

A note on the conference room door says the Serious Games SIG will be meeting at the Bedford party. I was actually kind of looking forward to attending the SIG instead of the party. Oh, well. Similar:The Hidden Signs That Can Reveal a Fake Photo Farid emphasises that forensic techniq…CybercultureWe Got A Look Inside The…

Crossing Our C’s: New Media Communication, Composition and Creative Writing

Here are my rough notes, almost liveblogged (posted when I passed through the lobby and had momentary access to WiFi). Laura K. Smith, journalism; TV news background and PR. English and communication arts program. Journalism and j-education going through turmoil as the profession changes in life-altering ways. Technology, convergence, multi platform; changes in our revenue…

Designing Education: What Video Game Designers and Rhetoricians Can Learn From Each Other

Overheard as people settle in… “Are we ARGing or LARPing?” These are my rough notes, very lightly edited. Looks like 50 or 60 people — a good crowd. Liz Losh and Bonnie Lenore Kyburz are presenting in separate panels elsewhere… I hope somebody’s blogging there. Chair Matt Davis Samantha Blackmon Designing Education: What Video Game…

Rubrics, Peer Response, and Student Self-Assessment

These are very rough notes; not liveblogged, but posted as I walked through the lobby and got a free wifi connection. SRO Scott Geisel, “Analytical Steps toward Creating Self-Sufficient Writers: Rubrics, Peer Response, and Self Assessment” (Comp and business writing.) There isn’t much research into peer review. Cindy Selfe: “I can’t believe we’re still asking…

Story of the Week; Contextualizing Bartleby

Just stumbled across the wonderful “Story of the Week” web page, from the Library of America (publishers of the ubiquitous black-with-a-red-white-and-blue-ribbon classics). The current run of baseball-themed stories aren’t really my thing, but the archives go back to 2009. Further exploration of the site led to this thoughtful response to “Bartleby the Scrivener,” a precursor…

Still More FaceTime Fun

I realize that video-chatting teenagers everywhere already know this, but last night, while holing up in my hotel and preparing for the Conference on College Composition and Communication, I checked in with my family by video call. My wife, who usually doesn’t really care for computers at all, was interested enough to hang around for…

Where’s my gravity gun?

At the Mariott Marquis in Atlanta. A citadel of formed concrete. I’m in a Half Life 2 state of mind. Your browser does not support the video tag Similar:Paramount Erases Archives of MTV Website, Wipes Music, Culture History After 30 Plus YearsI was never really a fan of MTV, I assum…BusinessI went with frisse. German…

Tech Woes

I wore out my key to the media cabinet. It snapped right off in the lock. Similar:Latest on Napster(See also: Digital Hollywood- No Resolut…Current_EventsEye of Sauron, Hobbit Door, Palantir and One Ring Easter Eggs.AestheticsVersu's Epilogue: How an Interactive Fiction Pioneer's 15 Year Project Ended Up in Limbo a…However there’s a particularly sad tale …BusinessI was…

J.K. Rowling Is Now Considering Harry Potter e-Books

The move would transform the electronic market and add to Rowling’s already impressive net worth. J.K. Rowling is considering releasing digital versions of her lucrative Harry Potter books. Though she has declined eBook deals for years, her agent Neil Blair now says, “The e-book format is now something that is being actively considered,” according to the…

iPad vs. Netbook for a 1:1 | EdReach

Here’s an interesting reflection — are iPads worth the extra cost, when compared to netbooks? EdReach says no. (More on that later.) At Seton Hill, students get a very nice MacBook (and they trade up after two years), as well as an iPad. It’s been great being at a university that is so supportive of…

YouTube – Top 5 Viral Pictures of 1911

Okay, this one was cute, too.  Top 5 Viral Pictures of 1911. Similar:Facebook Hired Journalists to Train Its Trending Topics AlgorithmRecently I noticed an unusually incendia…BusinessIn June, 2000 I was blogging about anagrams, 1750 Paris, ambiguity, a hyperlink patent cl…In June, 2000, I was blogging about …AmusingA Robotic Dog’s MortalityFascinating video journalism from the Ne…CultureMissouri…

Gmail Motion BETA

One of the better April 1 gags I’ve seen in a while. Love the “lick a stamp and place it down” gesture. Gmail Motion BETA. Similar:The school mocked. I turtled.Draft: “As my classmates tormented, I sh…AcademiaDownloading Great ExpectationsA few weeks ago, I bought an audio recor…BooksHow PatrioticAmusing"Godspell" is sure to entertain audiences of all ages and…