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:Wendy's Bests Internet Troll, Then Unwittingly Posts Completely Unrelated, Obscure Racist …I fixed the clickbaity title for you. A …BusinessResearch Before Google Books (from 2006)Me: It took a few days for the spool of …AcademiaWhere…

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:Obama vs. Romney D&D Smack-Down at NYC GalleryThis week, if you head to the Allegra La…AestheticsFuturistic Acrylic Chair (Blender 3D Animation)Yesterday, I sketched a chair I found at…AestheticsYou're not going to read thisI ask my students to contextualize links…BusinessShe was a musical ingenue Sunday, filmed a slasher movie past midnight…

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:Drumming Kid Is Epic. That Is All.https://youtu.be/MRvHI8tgx8A AestheticsBlender 2.8 Released. Please leave us alone together for a few days.I’ve been using the beta for months, but…CybercultureStar Trek The Original SeriesAmazing mural. Amazing.   …AestheticsHappy memories of PC games I played with my son (now 19) sitting on my lap.While doing some spring cleaning around…

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

Similar:I accidentally started a Wikipedia hoaxHoaxes roam the Information Superhighway…BooksPeer Review Paranoia: The system is built on trust between scholars. AI is undermining tha…From an essay that includes a reflection…AcademiaTeenage Usability (Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox)Teens often work on laptops with track p…CybercultureThe Decline of Wikipedia: Even As More People Than Ever Rely on It, Fewer People…

A playable game of Tabletop Pong

If that’s not good enough for you, try Similar:Requiem for the NewsroomWhen I worked at a radio news station in…CultureCopspeak, "the past exonerative" tense, and punching NazisIn the Constitution, any suspect is inno…CultureUnification, Part 1 (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season 5, Episode 7) Picard Questions Sarek a…Rewatching ST:TNG Informed that t…DramaThe 19th Annual Interactive Fiction Competition…

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:John Speed’s 1611 map of #medievalyork features a “scale…