Happy V-Day: Valentines for Journalists

Valentines for Journalists. Similar:Morgan 'Super Size Me' Spurlock at Seton Hill Morgan Spurlock, w…BusinessBenedict XVI (Pontifex) on TwitterJohn Paul II was a master of communicati…Current_EventsWhy You Hate Google’s New LogoThe new logo retains the rainbow of colo…BusinessWhat You Need To Know About WordPress 3.9 Users are now able to create audio and…Current_EventsLine breaks are really,…

Frisbee inventor dies at 90

Walter Frederick Morrison, the man credited with inventing the Frisbee, has died at the age of 90. —Guardian Similar:Computer scientist Leslie Lamport to [Brandeis] grads: If you can’t write, it won’t comput…I like introducing my English majors to …AcademiaPope Francis calls for "news communicated with serenity, precision and completeness"Pope Francis recently addressed Italian …CultureR.I.P. Blogging,…

Peter West, Trying the Dark: Mammoth Cave and the Racial Imagination, 1839-1869

Interesting examination of role-playing, illusion, identity, and power in Kentucky’s Mammoth Cave, one small branch of which was the inspiration for the 1976/7 computer game Colossal Cave Adventure. In the middle decades of the nineteenth century, Kentucky’s Mammoth Cave was a popular tourist destination for travelers from around the United States and beyond. The cave…

Typography and Textuality

Zach Whalen is turning his dissertation into a blog-web-thing, in the hopes of developing a book-thing. In whatever form it takes, it’s an interesting approach to a textual study of video games. This study asks how the design and configuration of text in videogames contributes to their textuality. I argue that videogames are texts in…

The Superbowl, Technology, and the Police State (1984-2010)

There’s a dissertation in here. All I have the energy to do today is imply a connection. Using a police state to market technology in 1984: Using a police state to market technology in 2010: Similar:‘Hunger Games’ to digitally recreate Hoffman filmmakers behind the “Hunger Games” mo…CybercultureYouTube Now: Why We Focus on Watch TimeYouTube has…

Google’s Super Bowl Ad: A Romance in Search

I didn’t watch the game, but I did catch the buzz about this ad. Yes, I did tear up. (Wired has details.) Similar:BuzzFeed plagiarism, deleted posts: Jonah Peretti explains.In 2012 my former Slate colleague Farhad…BusinessWe are the product that Facebook has been testingUp to now, I refrained from posting anyt…BusinessBias Check! Consult different sources for…

The great global warming collapse

It is dangerous to use local weather events (such as a heavy or light winter) to make judgments about global climate. With that caveat, I’m blogging the following because I’ve noted a shift in the online discussion about “global warming,” or the more general “climate change”. This essay does a good job exploring the events…

Obligatory Snowpocalypse Photo

Here’s hoping I left gas in the snow-thrower. Similar:Attending Religious Perspectives on the War in Gaza. Attending Religious Perspectives on the…PersonalI try to create one brand new element, modify one existing element, and reuse existing ele…AestheticsUVA administrator awarded $3M in Rolling Stone caseJurors awarded a University of Virginia …AcademiaBing’s A.I. Chat Reveals Its Feelings: ‘I…

Doom Iphone code review.

Fascinating software study of the Doom iPhone port.http://fabiensanglard.net/doomIphone/index.php Similar:New Graphic for MLA Style Paper HandoutThe other day, I noticed that if you Goo…AcademiaOverwhelmed? Start a new to-do list with "1) Breathe; 2) Make 'to-do' list" Felt momentarily overwhelmed by the da…CulturePhysics simulation demo: crate made up of mostly loose boards. #Blender3d #design #practic… https://youtu.be/OqqlWZvWaqM Physic…AestheticsIn…

ENG 111: Pop Up Scholarship

Our first few readings in my freshman writing course were personal essays, with a clear narrative.  We read an academic paper today, and there’s another assigned for Friday.  A few students are already reporting feeling a little lost in the detail. I gather this is because they are used to reading textbooks, where all the…

Pee-wee Gets an iPad

Pee-wee Gets An iPad! from Pee-wee Herman Similar:'Fontgate': Microsoft, Wikipedia and the scandal threatening the Pakistani PMI would call this “typefacegate,” but th…CultureKairos: Open Since 1996As a plucky new faculty member I wrote a…AcademiaStudents Produce Breathtaking 3D Simulation of 17thC LondonThe haze effect lying over the city is b…DesignThe 22 rules of storytelling, according to…

"Can We Tape?"

I usually carry a digital voice recorder with me.  In most states it’s legal to record a conversation if all parties consent, although Pennsylvania law requires that all parties to a conversation be notified that a conversation is being recorded. “It is always legal to tape or film a face-to-face interview when your recorder or…