Embrace technology to avoid 'crisis of relevance'

Universities “should not be doing anything in the classroom that could be done online” (Times Higher Education) I’ll give the speaker the benefit of the doubt, and interpret that to mean “could be done just as well online.”  Actually, I’ve recently been re-considering my goal of collecting and returning all feedback from face-to-face classes electronically.…

Hitler, as "Downfall producer" orders a [YouTube] takedown

Hitler, as “Downfall producer” orders a DMCA takedown from Brad Templeton on Vimeo. As I understand it, the DMCA is not actually involved — it’s YouTube’s internal content-management feature, that lets copyright owners register their material, so that YouTube can search its database and take down, or monetize, any and all instances. Similar:It’s alive! What…

Videogames are Art

Roger Ebert recently tweeted this video, calling it a “Brief, well-made video mounting an optimistic defense of videogames.”   Similar:'Atari Dump' Will Be Excavated, After Nearly 30 YearsThe New Mexico landfill or “Atari Dump” …AmusingMore #steampunk control panel bits for a #neovictorian #blender3D project. I have a master…AestheticsWhat It Means If You're A 'Paragraph Texter'A…

The 2010 Lyttle Lytton Contest

“I shouldn’t be saying this, but I think I’ll love you always, baby, always,” Adam cried into the email. –Shexmus Amed The winner from Adam Cadre’s “Lyttle Lytton” contest (an awful-first-line contest, named after the author who famously penned “It was a dark and stormy night”) My favorite was actually: There was only one man…

WTF Moment: LOC to acquire Twitter?

Similar:Somewhere out there, somebody is working really hard to come up with a meme to blame this …Front page of the Miami Herald newspaper…Business5 tips for choosing the right typefaceWhen it comes to picking a typeface, you…AestheticsThe Air Force's Rules of Engagement for Blogging [Updated]GlobalNerdy, via.You’ve probably seen ma…CybercultureTrials and Tribble-ations #StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch (Season…

Copyright Law at 300

The world’s first copyright law was passed by the English Parliament on 10 April 1710 as ‘An Act for the Encouragement of Learning’.  The Queen Anne Statute, as it is known, marked the beginning of modern copyright law.  Professor Gillian Davies, author of ‘Copyright and the Public Interest’, describes it as ‘the foundation upon which…

Pixels

PIXELS by Patrick Jean from ONE MORE PRODUCTION on Vimeo. Similar:UPDATE: BREAKING: 'Star Wars' Returns — 'Episode 7' Slated For 2015 And More Movies Plann…The moment in Attack of the Clones when …BusinessQuantity leads to quality – Austin KleonAnecdote: [A] ceramics teacher announced…AestheticsSynergistic Synthesis XVII Sub B1 Chair by Kenneth SmytheAfter my daughter’s theater workshop,…

Video games: the addiction

Today the most consistently pleasurable pursuit in my life is playing video games. Unfortunately, the least useful and financially solvent pursuit in my life is also playing video games. For instance, I woke up this morning at 8am fully intending to write this article. Instead, I played Left 4 Dead until 5pm. The rest of…

In Which a Young Lady Receives Her Illustrated Primer

Neal Stephenson’s Diamond Age (1995) features a fantastic interactive book that educates a neglected guttersnipe, turning her into a capable, intelligent independent heroine.  The iPad doesn’t quite match the vision of that book, but this video is still amazing. Similar:Facebook Axes “Trending” SidebarFacebook is discontinuing the “trending”…BusinessThe Forsaken (#StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch, Season 1, Episode 17)…