I Hate Your Blog — MC Frontalot

Very catchy tune. I love the way the meter of the refrain sputters, not unlike the sporadic posts of a blog that won’t die. Similar:Perspective | How NPR’s Steve Inskeep cracked the code for interviewing Trump The role of mainstream journalists i…Current_EventsSchiller schools internet on correct Apple device plurals, but Cook says "iPad Pros"”Siri, is…

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:A practical application of close reading skills: Nazi-spottingWhenever I teach a literature class, I p…AestheticsBlender Griffin, Part 3Okay, that’s enough work for one evening…AestheticsGoogle's Super Bowl Ad: A Romance in SearchI didn’t watch the game, but I did catch…AestheticsHow to lie with charts, by the @NYTimes I tend to defend journalism when sho…Current_EventsHow Zuckerberg’s…

A playable game of Tabletop Pong

If that’s not good enough for you, try Similar:Blaze of Glory #StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch (Season 5, Episode 23) Sisko needs imprisoned traito…Rewatching ST:DS9 At dinner with the …EmpathyCause and Effect (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season 5, Episode 18) time loop. Ka-boom. The En…Rewatching ST:TNG A smart, charac…AestheticsAging Gen-Xer Doesn't Find Bad Movies Funny Anymore”I got this…

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:Homeward (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season 7, Episode 13) Worf's…

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:Finished Reading The Chronicles of PrydainWe could hardly stop reading just before…BooksThe Geekling Worked a Shatner/Nimoy Tribute into GodspellMy geekling daughter, who in Willy Wonka…AmusingJournalists report what sources say and do. They can't report what sources think, believe …EmpathyAn English professor tries to help…

At 13,000 years, tree is world's oldest organism

The Jurupa Oak tree first sprouted into life when much of the world was still covered in glaciers. It has stood on its windswept hillside in southern California for at least 13,000 years, making it the oldest known living organism, according to a study published today. —Independent Reading this story reminded me of a story…

A sound you do not want to hear from your furnace

I canna give the furnace any more power! I hope the lithium crystals are still under warranty. Furnace.mp3 Similar:To DoTo Do (Jerz’s Literacy Weblog) 5: …AcademiaSparkle unicorn "Winston" lends ethos to a presentation on moral agency on anima…PersonalNot bad for a couple hours of work. #blender3d #blender3dart #steampunk #neovictorianNot bad for a couple hours of work.…

Every Day the Same Dream

I just played this Every Day the Same Dream. Simple, stark, and in places charming. I smiled and thought a little. Similar:A pleasant find: somebody left a painted rock by the side of the road.AestheticsRespect the Text: Teaching Textual Primacy to Non-English MajorsIn the past, I have used the first day o…AcademiaTerminated for Reading an…