First-Person Tetris

An interesting spin on Tetris. Similar:Practicing with materials and geometry. The lamps and chair require hundreds of times as m… AestheticsHow to Keep Students Writing in the Age of AI Tools In a writing-intensive class, studen…AcademiaKitchen utensils for my steampunk villain's hideout. #Blender3D. There’s nothing particularly steampu…AestheticsLiteracy Debate: Online, R U Really Reading?A good feature…

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:Did Google just kill PR agencies? Lots of links, lots of repeated key wo…BusinessLooks like somebody’s webmaster accidentally preloaded a headline that would be easy to ed… Looks like somebody’s webmaster acci…Current_EventsBreaking: Student consults syllabus before asking question about course scheduleNASHVILLE, TN – Vanderbilt University is…AcademiaDon't use that "18 school shootings since Jan 1"…

A playable game of Tabletop Pong

If that’s not good enough for you, try Similar:Another #steampunk interior. High tech garden gazebo or away team dropship? Why not both? … AestheticsStar Wars Han Solo in Carbonite Silicon Ice Tray  Star Wars Han Solo in Carbonit…AestheticsPicture Books Languish as Parents Push ‘Big-Kid Books’Picture books are so unpopular these day…BooksThey grew up in a…

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:Why I Resist Web Redesigns (And Maybe You Do,…

Deus Ex Memories

I’ve just finished my final training run as a nanotech-augmented super-agent. Nasty terrorists holed up in the ruins of the State of Liberty have captured one of my fellow agents, and it’s my job to get him out. In real life, it’s 2002, and I’m just a guy in Wisconsin. My four-year-old son is asleep…

Video Game Culture and Theory

My online three-week course will start tomorrow morning. It will lean heavily on blogging, so chances are I’ll be a bit more productive than usual in that area. Video Game Culture and TheoryThis course isn’t about learning how to “win” a game, nor is it about programming or design. In fact, according to a recent…

Ms. Pac-Man: Feminist Hero

It’s a spoof, but it’s well-researched and contains plenty of insight. Similar:Fun and Games with Samuel Beckett and Pict.Beckett’s masterpiece Waiting For Godot …CultureUsing a Typewriter Simulator to Teach Media HistoryWorking on the syllabus for my “Media an…CultureThe Tempest, According to My 9yo DaughterShe’s 10 now, but here is her response t…CultureShowing vs. Telling (Example:…