Learn from this typesetter’s mistake

Wisdom to keep in mind as I plan for this semester’s “History and Future of the Book.”   FAIL Blog. Similar:Interior Detail of Steampunk Convertible Gazebo Spent much of Tuesday wrestling with co…Aesthetics"The threat is no longer simply from government censorship."After using examples from Warsaw and Pra…CultureOh dear, George Lucas! Why the Star Wars universe…

Constitutional Kombat: Psychological Evidence Used to Restrict Video-game Violence

Violent video games have triggered substantial controversy due to highly publicized incidents of youth violence that have been allegedly inspired by the content of such games. Several jurisdictions have passed legislation penalizing the distribution of violent video games to minors and used psychological research to support the justification for such laws. However, courts have consistently…

on lesson plans and pedagogic tactics

I am far less interested in turning my students into good bloggers, or good podcasters, or good YouTubers, and far more interested in helping them develop the big-picture synthesizing and evaluative skills that will enable them to learn whatever comes along next, and to keep learning whatever comes next.  Of course, I also ask students…

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:Bing’s A.I. Chat Reveals Its Feelings: ‘I Want to Be Alive. 😈’In a two-hour conversation with our colu…Current_EventsWhy 'Gangnam Style' Is Actually a Study in Mind ControlI’m not sure “thank you” is the right wa…CultureMany of these individual steampunk control panel elements are repeated, but I've arranged …AestheticsRhythm of the…

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…

I Hate Your Blog — MC Frontalot

Very catchy tune. I love the way the meter of the refrain sputters, not unlike the sporadic posts of a blog that won’t die. Similar:In October, 2002, I was blogging about stupid space explosions, the superiority complex, w…In October, 2002, I was blogging about …CybercultureDon't Be Cruel[M]angled syntax, disordered thinking, a…Academia"Daddy, I'm sick of your…

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:Principal fires security guards to hire art teachers — and transforms elementary schoolThe school was plagued by violence and d…ArtHalloween Candy Poisonings, School Shootings and Human Psychology What can parents do to minimize thei…Current_EventsThe Measure of a Man (ST:TNG Rewatch, Season 2, Episode 9)Rewatching ST:TNG after a 20-year break….CultureDuke stops assigning numeric values to…

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

Similar:Progress on a customizable "[E] to Activate" system (Visual Scripting, Unity3D)https://youtube.com/shorts/-X8eBT5QoPY …CybercultureIs Babylon 5 secretly the most influential TV show of the past 25 years?When my wife and I were grad students in…CultureFrazetta's "A Princess of Mars" painting sells for $1.2 million at auctionI’ve read about 11 of the Edger Rice Bur…AestheticsHaven (TNG Rewatch, Season…

A playable game of Tabletop Pong

If that’s not good enough for you, try Similar:Google Pledges $300 Million to Clean Up False NewsThis is a welcome step, but we cannot tr…CultureI Was Fired for Making Fun of Trump After 25 years as the editorial cartoo…CultureThe Digital-Humanities BustDinosaurs evolved into birds. Not all of…AcademiaOverheard at Quora: "Why after all these years is…

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:Where No One Has Gone Before (TNG Rewatch, Season…

crazy…creative…it's a fine line

What would be more awesome than a colorful display of iconic images from 100 beloved games? How about a colorful display of iconic images from 100 beloved games on cupcakes? Similar:A new study shows that students learn way more effectively from print textbooks than scree…Saving this for next term’s “History and…BooksGranting a Student SuperAdminGoddessOMGWhatHaveIDone Network…