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:Where is the tipping point?What if universities stopped buying acad…AcademiaHow Daydreams and Videogames Can Make Us Confident In Real Life (Yes)Is there a daydreamer in your life? Ther…CultureThis Is Not a Book: Thomas Jefferson &…

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:A week of nonstop breaking political news stumps AI chatbotsChatbots are designed to give conversati…CybercultureCause and Effect (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season 5, Episode 18) time loop. Ka-boom. The En…Rewatching ST:TNG A smart, charac…AestheticsIn education, Apple must augment the reality of the cheap notebookIn 2012, Apple tried to position iPads a…CybercultureCan…

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:I touched up an intro to hypertext essays from 2000.When I initially wrote this introduction…CybercultureThe Language of Gender ViolenceOppressors deny their own agency and deh…CultureAstronauts cloaked Klingon space patch: Star Trek-inspired…

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…

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

Similar:The Nth Degree (ST:TNG Rewatch, Season 4, Episode 19) Barclay Evolves Rewatching ST:TNG Engineering schlub …MediaWhy Shouting Down Speakers Is Absolutely WrongWilson offers a good explanation of the …AcademiaElon Musk has officially killed Twitter. The zombie platform lives on as X, a disfigured s… Whereas Twitter was once a fountain of…BusinessQuidditch Comes to Seton HillwartsVisitors…

A playable game of Tabletop Pong

If that’s not good enough for you, try Similar:‘Because’ has become a preposition, because grammarThe construction is more versatile than …AmusingHow to Lie with Data VisualizationData visualization is one of the most im…DesignWhat Could Have Entered the Public Domain on January 1, 2015?If the pre-1978 laws were still in effec…BooksAnalysis | The fake news 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:Riding on Square WheelsStan Wagon, a mathematician at Macaleste…DesignFake…

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:What's a namber? (archived)Update, December 2024: Sadly, the “what’…CyberculturePost-publication review as an efficient alternative to pre-publication peer reviewAndrew Gelman of “Statistical Modeling, …AcademiaNo filter October…