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:Doctor Bashir, I Presume #StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch (Season 5, Episode 16) Smarmy hologram des…Rewatching ST:DS9 Quark watches with …AmusingWired and Business Insider remove articles by AI-generated ‘freelancer’Journalists who can’t verify their sourc…Current_EventsCanadians Love Poop, Americans…

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:William Shakespeare’s Star WarsBecause apparently I am not already nerd…AestheticsMultitasking while studying: Divided attention and technological gadgets impair learning a…Fairly early in the semester, I can spot…AcademiaThis is what the techbros are excited about? Really?Some 2300 years ago in ancient Greece, P…AcademiaTrees (an "Interpretive Travesty")A tree whose hungry mouth is…

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:Digital literacy is different from print literacy. How do we balance the trade-off?My job includes teaching students to rea…AcademiaA former student working in SEO shared this. I miss Google classic.AmusingConfuse Students…

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:All the Classroom’s a StageSome good observations in this essay. As…AcademiaConspiracy (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season One, Episode 25) Parasitic Bug Doppelgängers on…Rewatching Star Trek: The Next Generatio…MediaWhy Photojournalism Matters World Series: Chicago Tribune & th…AestheticsBoston marathon bombing: All the mistakes journalists make during a crisis like the Boston… First, do not pass on speculatio…Current_EventsReplacing…

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

Similar:Would YOU trade a Hank Aaron rookie card for a Roberto Clemente… for her? Full Bloom (Au… In Suzanne Bradbeer’s play FULL BLOO…ArtHow Facebook – the Wal-Mart of the internet – dismantled online subculturesFacebook wants you to spend more time on…BusinessCave Gave Game: Subterranean Space as Videogame Place | Electronic Book ReviewElectronic Book Review just…

A playable game of Tabletop Pong

If that’s not good enough for you, try Similar:I Hate Your BlogI hate your blog. Your recipe for vegan …Amusing5 Ways to Avoid Being Rude (According to 100-Year-Old Etiquette Rules)If you are a gentleman, never lower the …CultureGraphic Design Pun Cards Sara Heffernan designed these wonder…AestheticsClicking, collaborating, and talking in the libraryOur local paper did…

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:If I don't design the control panels for my…