First-Person Tetris

An interesting spin on Tetris. Similar:The Great Works of SoftwareI realized that each one of these techno…AestheticsTapestry (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season 6, Episode 15) The dying Picard has a chance to a…Rewatching ST:TNG Picard is in sickba…EmpathyDress rehearsal for The Nutcracker.AestheticsVideo Game about Cancer and GriefOn my list for the next time I teach “Vi…AestheticsReleasing…

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:Releasing a Tiny Game and Trying to Get Paid[G]ames is a bit more financially brutal…BusinessThis Woman Inspired One of the First Hit Video Games by Mapping the World’s Longest CaveThe Medium headline calls Colossal Cave …AcademiaParadise Lost #StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch (Season 4, Episode 12) Sisko Uncovers a Conspiracy on…Rewatching ST:DS9 Continuing from P…EthicsFacebook's director…

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

Similar:Jack Rollins-Frosty the Snowman I voiced Jack Rollins, writer …HistoryBattlestar Galactica 'Launch When Ready' Bridge Girl Fan Page (updated with links to archi… –Battlestar Galactica ‘Launch When …CybercultureWhy Doesn’t Ancient Fiction Talk About Feelings?Not a day goes by without The Girl remin…BooksAn English professor tries to help ChatGPT write and revise a sonnetShortly after my…

A playable game of Tabletop Pong

If that’s not good enough for you, try Similar:Bing's AI chatbot helped me solve a technical problem, then showed me manatees, then denie…I was searching for how to change the de…AcademiaWonderfully Detailed Tribute to 1970s British TV Show Space: 1999″A middle aged geek” puts it well: “Utte…AestheticsWhy We Dug AtariGame collectors have their story, too.…

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:Designing Cabinets in Blender3D — ExperimentsI designed these simple…

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…

Ms. Pac-Man: Feminist Hero

It’s a spoof, but it’s well-researched and contains plenty of insight. Similar:Letter to the editor: Setting record straight on Seton Hill newspaperHere’s my letter responding to an recent…AcademiaI Made a Cheerful Maze Game in Scratch Well, it’s cheerful unle…CybercultureMy undergraduate connects the Leontes/Polixenes conflict in The Winter's Tale to a pro wre…Today’s class on The…