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:Washington Post Cartoonist Who Quit Over Bezos Cartoon Wins Pulitzer PrizeFormer Washington Post cartoonist Ann Te…CultureNever use very. Write the word damn instead. Your editor will strike out the damn.CultureThe Naked Now (Season 1, Episode…

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:Another fun 10 sq cm of a #neovictorian #steampunk control panel. #elegance #design #aesth…AestheticsMy beautiful daughter says "Happy Valentine's Day"   View t…AestheticsOut for a walk and saw this. I hope you are having a nice day.Out for a walk and saw this. I hope you …AestheticsMaking the Switch to…

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:Captain, the Fake News Detectors are Offline! Slate has a good article about Willi…CybercultureWhy Audiences Hate Hard News—And Love Pretending OtherwiseA reminder that polls that ask people to…CultureToday's Google Doodle is…

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:No, this Jeopardy! contestant was not making a white supremacist hand gestureConspiracy theories, knee-jerk tribal th…Current_EventsAn Academic Conference Where YOU are the Hero: Interactive Fiction in Print and OnlineI wish I had known about this in advance…AcademiaTime’s Arrow, Part 2 (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season 2, Episode 1) Data (fate preordained)…Rewatching ST:TNG Some time has passe…CulturePrototypes…

A playable game of Tabletop Pong

If that’s not good enough for you, try Similar:Trektacular Google DoodleAmusingIn August, 2001 I was blogging about… Broken Links and Poor Information Ar…AestheticsOut of the Zuckersphere, (back) into the BlogosphereThis is why I still blog. While commerci…AcademiaJournalism Isn't Dying. It's Returning to Its Roots.An important reminder that “objective” j…CultureI can’t fix this broken world but…

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:I did not bother to click on the llama…