Happy V-Day: Valentines for Journalists

Valentines for Journalists. Similar:Date a girl who reads.I earned a +8 or +9 spousal bonus when I…AmusingKnow your rights: photographers — what to do if you are stopped or detained for taking ph…When is it legal to make a video in a pu…CultureBecause words matter, old sport.AcademiaA week of nonstop breaking political news stumps AI…

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:I was 'raped' in VR – the effects can 'mirror' real sex assaultsThis is offensive, deeply troubling, and…CultureToday's Google Doodle…

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:More #steampunk control panel goodness. #blender3d #design #aesthetics #blender3dartAestheticsIn defense of the Selfie StickI’m sure there are hipsters, even now, l…AmusingA ‘Dewey Defeats Truman’ Lesson for the Digital AgeIf we were surprised Tuesday…

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:Ray Harryhousen, visual effects pioneer, dies  The Harryhausen family regret to…AestheticsI try to create one brand new element, modify one existing element, and reuse existing ele…AestheticsWhy scientists should care about artMy artsy daughter loves stories about sc…ArtSpring 2025 Final Grades Submitted!AcademiaThe storage shelves of my fantasy steampunk…

Doom Iphone code review.

Fascinating software study of the Doom iPhone port.http://fabiensanglard.net/doomIphone/index.php Similar:Looking for Par'Mach in All the Wrong Places #StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch (Season 5, Episode 3) …Rewatching ST:DS9 Outside the O’Brien…AmusingIn February, 2001, I was blogging about computer nostalgia, Napster, a horror typing game,…In February, 2001, I was blogging about …CybercultureIdeal Homeschool Summer Day: Studying Latin, Justifying Nilla…

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:Keyboard Shortcuts for Novelists Use the command-alt functions to add s…AestheticsAs Twinkle Twinkle is to Suzuki musicians, so is a wooden shipping crate to CGI modelers. …https://youtu.be/diQF9buONqY I ha…AestheticsMaking Interactive Fiction Mainstream: ReadersJon Ingold describes the gamelike storyt…AestheticsMars Panorama — 10yo with iPad Pretends Her Bed Is NASA…

"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…