Happy V-Day: Valentines for Journalists

Valentines for Journalists. Similar:No focus, no fights, and a bad back – 16 ways technology has ruined my lifeInsightful, funny list. (This guy is a g…AmusingDark Page (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season 7, Episode 7) Lwaxana suffers from a hidden trau…Rewatching ST:TNG Troi’s mother visit…Amusing“People are much more frightened than they are bigoted,” making his economic…

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:We are in a golden age for journalismMost handwringing about the state of jou…BusinessLetter to the editor: Setting record straight…

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:Egypt sentences Al Jazeera journalists to years in prisonAn Egyptian court has sentenced two Al J…Current_EventsI felt a great disturbance in the Fandom”…as if millions of voices suddenly cr…AestheticsHeard any good stories lately?My daughter has a terrible time settling…BooksThe Forsaken (#StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch, Season 1, Episode 17) Lwaxana…

Doom Iphone code review.

Fascinating software study of the Doom iPhone port.http://fabiensanglard.net/doomIphone/index.php Similar:The Media Pyramid: “Any content where ideology leads to falsehood is bad for you.”You Are the Media You Eat CultureOpinion: Don't link video games with mass shootingsContrary to Dr. Bushman’s suggestion, vi…AcademiaOverwhelmed? Start a new to-do list with "1) Breathe; 2) Make 'to-do' list" Felt momentarily overwhelmed…

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…

The Videogame History Timeline (beta)

I wish I’d seen this a few weeks ago, before my Video Game Culture and Theory class ended, but it’s still a welcome find. Similar:That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.AestheticsThe Secret Power Of Black TwitterA recent Pew study (Smartphone Ownership…CybercultureConnecting the Dots…Madeline Cash reflects on her boomer mot…CultureMeet octobot,…

Pee-wee Gets an iPad

Pee-wee Gets An iPad! from Pee-wee Herman Similar:How to interact with the introverted…My daughter spends a lot of time with he…DesignParchmap – Interactive Fiction with automapping, autocomplete, navigation, note taking, an…Parchmap is a wonderful expansion to the…AwesomeSanctuary (#StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch, Season 2, Episode 10) Many refugees from the other side… Rewatching ST:DS9 Sisko mildly brin…PopCultMénage…

"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…