First-Person Tetris

An interesting spin on Tetris. Similar:Why your brain’s so bad at letting go of negative comments Negative comments engage avoidance…CybercultureAlike (2015)This short film reminds us why art matte…AestheticsJuly 7, 1936: Get a Grip — Phillips Screws Up the ToolboxThis Wired article also mentions the Can…BusinessMy meme about the distracted boyfriend memeAmusingBeam me up, Chewie. AmusingInside the…

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:Trump’s war on the media is driving students to journalismTwenty-one-year-old political science st…AcademiaIt's been a Dwarf Fortress afternoon. AwesomeA practical application of close reading skills: Nazi-spottingWhenever I teach a literature class, I p…AestheticsFlannery O'Connor reading "A Good Man is Hard to Find"It’s striking to hear her audience erupt…AestheticsMentoring skills, communication/listening, empathy, critical thinking define…

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

Similar:Sam Shepard Giggles, Doesn't GoogleI wrote my undergraduate honors thesis o…CybercultureTeachers finding games give a leg up on learningThanks for the link, Dana. Experts sa…CultureNon-Euclidean Doom, where the value of pi is not 3.14159Weirdly beautiful. Wonderful bit of game…CybercultureBuzzFeed plagiarism, deleted posts: Jonah Peretti explains.In 2012 my former Slate colleague Farhad…BusinessKickball Ice Cream Maker Is…

A playable game of Tabletop Pong

If that’s not good enough for you, try Similar:The history of Tetris randomizersA pleasantly detailed analysis of how th…CybercultureThe Muse #StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch (Season 4, Episode 21) Jake meets his muse; pregnant runaw…Rewatching ST:DS9 From his spot on the …MediaThe Distracted Classroom: Transparency, Autonomy, and PedagogyI don’t ban technology in my classroom, …AcademiaA Matter of…

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:A hedge fund’s ‘mercenary’ strategy: Buy newspapers, slash jobs,…

crazy…creative…it's a fine line

What would be more awesome than a colorful display of iconic images from 100 beloved games? How about a colorful display of iconic images from 100 beloved games on cupcakes? Similar:Bad Doggy — practicing "Tomorrow" with a human Sandyhttp://www.youtube.com/v/718e4XsNvGY …AmusingSerious reading takes a hit from online scanning and skimming, researchers say  The brain was not…

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:Voiceover artist Gayanne Potter urging ScotRail to remove her voice from new AI announceme…When I was working in radio news in the …CultureEntire staff of Russian TV channel resigned during a live stream with last words: “no war”…The Entire staff of the Russian TV…