Writing Good English

I’m getting ready to teach a one-credit journalism course on editorial writing, which will also be a test case for a potential “topics in advanced composition” course. This essay looks like a good way to start the class. The good nouns are the thousands of short, simple, infinitely old Anglo-Saxon nouns that express the fundamentals…

'Rude' texting students say they're only multitasking

Two Seton Hill sources are mentioned in this local story. Millennials appreciate professors who bring technology into the classroom, whether it’s YouTube, PowerPoint or posting grades online after assignments, said Theresa Conley, 27, a junior at Seton Hill University in Greensburg. “That way, you can see where you’re at and what you’re getting, so you’re…

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:In April, 2002, I was blogging about an autistic person's guide to asking a girl on a date…In April, 2002, I was blogging about …BooksSuch pictures fill my weekday world at fiveYour pictures fill my…

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:Facebook "Grid View." Is this new? My first thought is that I rather like it.I just noticed an option for viewing a F…AestheticsWander (1974) — a lost mainframe game is found!Interesting news for historians of digit…Current_EventsShrek Image Mashup (Musical Theatre Promo)Hey, Tony. See this photo of Shrek? H…AestheticsIndustriousness. Self-improvement. Thrift.…

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:New infographic to help our graduating English majors make sense of their capstone project…AcademiaTexture WriterI’ve only glanced at TextureWriter, but …CybercultureDigital Humanities: A DefinitionDoes the world need another working defi…AcademiaPittsburgh in the Round review of The Outsiders”It’s due to a slew of rich, physically …BooksAnonymous comment cards from student journalists at the end of…

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

Similar:Canada's Globe and Mail Uses Expandable Inline Meta-articles to Explain Its CoverageJournalism matters. Educated citizens wh…CybercultureShould you trust media bias charts? – PoynterTraditional journalism values a focus on…CultureFont vs Typeface: bold and italics are fonts, but Arial and Times New Roman are typefacesAestheticsWar via TikTok: Russia's new tool for propaganda machine “This is the way…

A playable game of Tabletop Pong

If that’s not good enough for you, try Similar:Understanding 9/11: A Television News ArchiveStunning collection of thousands of hour…CulturePrime Stage's THE OUTSIDERS Stays Golden at the New HazlettCherry, the upper-class go-between spann…BooksCapitalists Tell Facebook They've Had EnoughIt started as a murmur of dissent, but o…BusinessIn December 2001 I was blogging aboutIn December 2001, I was…