Raising a stink over printer ink

The price of printer cartridges has long irritated consumers and their advocates, and they say the lack of information from manufacturers only aggravates the situation. One recent study even estimated that consumers could save billions of dollars a year if they were armed with full information about how much it would cost to operate various…

First-Person Tetris

An interesting spin on Tetris. Similar:My #Blender3D set design for a Zoom-based production of Rossum's Universal Robots, which I…I’ve loved this 1920s play for almost 30…AestheticsHow Are Websites Made?This one chart is actually the punch lin…AmusingThe State Of Media EmploymentThis is why I require my “new media jour…BusinessIn a literature class, the author's words matter…

What Type are You?

Why did Brian Wilson use Cooper Black on the cover of Pet Sounds? Why did Obama use Gotham for his election propaganda? It has long been apparent that typefaces reflect the character of the person using them, and that type choice, as well as the words that are typed, is a powerful conveyor of meaning. At…

Nil by mouth

Afer extensive treatments for cancer, including the removal of part of his jaw, film critic Roger Ebert is still critiquing movies and writing, but he is unable to speak; he also can’t eat or drink. His recent column reflects on life without a mouth. One day in the hospital my brother-in-law Johnny Hammel and his…

The Turtlenecked Hairshirt

Ian Bogost has stirred up some discussion with his post on how digital humanities has challenged the humanities at large.  I’ve been very happy with the level of support I’ve received from my English colleagues, my humanities colleagues, and the dean, but all interdisciplinary, hybrid, and emerging fields rub against the sharp edges of the…

Colossal Cave Adventure Playthrough (with my 11-year-old son)

  Similar:Richard Scarry unfinished manuscript to be publishedSome of my happiest memories of fatherho…AestheticsThe Mere Presence of Your Smartphone Reduces Brain Power, Study Shows The researchers found that participants…AcademiaInside Voices — A Weekend MusicalCarolyn was in this short movie, conceiv…AestheticsVideo-Game Violence Is Now a Partisan IssueScholar and essayist Ian Bogost traces t…CultureYoungster in a tight spot…

My 11yo Son and I Play Adam Cadre's 9:05 (Interactive Fiction Playthrough)

Similar:GenZ prefers searching with TikTok, Instagram over GoogleEducating myself about how today’s colle…CybercultureDOJ Enters Into Landmark Web and Mobile App Consent DecreeUnder the consent decree cite to http://…Current_EventsPlanet of the Blind: Oprah, If Only You Had Read the Book!I can’t wait for a TV network by and for…BooksData-Related Deaths, 1960-2019 (Excluding Fatalities Caused by Misreadings,…

A playable game of Tabletop Pong

If that’s not good enough for you, try Similar:Serious reading takes a hit from online scanning and skimming, researchers say  The brain was not designed for r…BooksThis Is What Summer Vacation Is For: Designing a Steampunk Airsloop with Blender 3DSummer vacation means if I am telling my…AestheticsI just finished recalibrating the port scanner station and…

What art thou, Pez?

What are thou, Pez, that must needs be dispensed? T’ be merely wrapped would leave thee so incensed? T’were better still to leave the fingers sticky, Than be vomited up by the likes of Mickey. — Mark Janello Curtis Allina, 87, Put Heads on Pez Dispensers Similar:My Memories of "Joseph…" [an original cast member reflects…

Deus Ex Memories

I’ve just finished my final training run as a nanotech-augmented super-agent. Nasty terrorists holed up in the ruins of the State of Liberty have captured one of my fellow agents, and it’s my job to get him out. In real life, it’s 2002, and I’m just a guy in Wisconsin. My four-year-old son is asleep…

Video Game Culture and Theory

My online three-week course will start tomorrow morning. It will lean heavily on blogging, so chances are I’ll be a bit more productive than usual in that area. Video Game Culture and TheoryThis course isn’t about learning how to “win” a game, nor is it about programming or design. In fact, according to a recent…