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:A Simple Plot for a Literature ReviewThere are two things you need any time y…AcademiaSlate: "Police Erupt in Violence Nationwide" | Notice how writing style frames a story? Gr…The ongoing protests following the killi…Current_EventsEmotional Intelligence…

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:Real college classes have writing assignments and required reading.While I can imagine teaching a course th…AcademiaMy Summer Project: A WordPress Website for Stage Right, a Local Non-Profit Not too shabby, if I do say so mysel…AestheticsJournalism isn’t dying. But it’s changing WAY faster than most people understand.Think of journalism as…

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:Summer Project: Responsive Web DesignI spent more time than I’d like to admit…AestheticsSeton Hill's #CIO @PhilKomarny is moving on to @robotsNpencilsSeton Hill’s #CIO @PhilKomarny (who insp…AcademiaNichelle Nichols, ground-breaking Star Trek actor and NASA recruiter, 1932-2022 https://twitter.com/CNN/status/15538337…Current_EventsDrumming Kid Is Epic. That Is All.https://youtu.be/MRvHI8tgx8A AestheticsIn October, 2000, I was blogging about bobbed hair, Woolf, a CFP…

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

Similar:Police, citizens and technology factor into Boston bombing probeIn addition to being almost universally …Current_EventsNews Feed FYI: Click-baitingIt’s hard for me to think of Facebook as…BusinessOkay, a lot of the world is pretty awful right now, but here's an uplifting video about th…https://youtu.be/umW4koJU3e0AmusingColossal Cave: The Board Game by Arthur O'DwyerThe kids and I enjoy nerdy…

A playable game of Tabletop Pong

If that’s not good enough for you, try Similar:For Two Months, I Got My News From Print Newspapers. Here’s What I Learned.Farhad Manjoo says he’s a better, more-i…CultureHow We ReadI feel a little nerdier than usual when …AestheticsPac-Man”The kids who grew up steering Pac-Man a…DesignShattered Mirror #StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch (Season 4, Episode 20) Jake Meets…

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:Museum of Endangered SoundsImagine a world where we never…