The End of the Email Era

When people can more easily fire off all sorts of messages–from updates about their breakfast to questions about the evening’s plans–being able to figure out which messages are truly important, or even which warrant a response, can be difficult. Information overload can lead some people to tune out messages altogether. Such noise makes us even…

The first action heroine

In the figure of the coltish, resolute Sigourney Weaver, Alien may just be the film that overhauled the old, unreconstructed horror genre and dared to put a woman centre-stage. Because make no mistake: a horror movie is what Alien is. “It’s basically a haunted house film,” explains the critic David Thomson. “The only difference is…

Tips on Writing a Literary Book Review

I’ve asked students in my “Writing about Literature” class to write a book review, in order to establish a connection to the literary world outside the classroom. The Purdue Online Writing Lab has a brief handout, Writing a Book Review, which begins by explaining the difference between a “book report” (written for the teacher who…

Alice and Kev

Robin Burkinshaw has finished Alice and Kev, an interesting exercise in computer-assisted storytelling, using screen shots from The Sims 3 to tell the story of a homeless father and daughter. Originally the story was told serially, with a few posts a week; then there were a few very long gaps, but the story is finished…

Insidious pedagogy: How course managment systems impact teaching

Course management systems (CMSs), used throughout colleges and universities for presenting online or technology-enhanced classes, are not pedagogically neutral shells for course content. They influence pedagogy by presenting default formats designed to guide the instructor toward creating a course in a certain way. This is particularly true of integrated systems (such as Blackboard/WebCT), but is…

The Simpsons on Classroom Technology

Full episode. “Text ‘uncle’! Text ‘uncle’!!” “But why talk… when I could text?” “That text was totally worth the 15 cents it cost to receive it!” “Then Zach Skyped us, liveblogged our spelling bee, and friended us on Facebook!”“Faculty lounge talk out in the halls?” Similar:Not a #carguy but I pried open the hatch of…

Walkthrough (Zork Funk)

Walkthrough pifieErrol Download this MP3 Directly Similar:In November 2001 I was blogging aboutIn November 2001, I was blogging about …AmusingFired for Making a Game: The Inside Story of I Get This Call Every DayHe knows that if he’d instead posted a s…BusinessVintage TV News Coverage of Pac-ManVintage TV news coverage of Pac-Man. …CybercultureHave 40 years…

The Fiction Generator

All kinds of awesome metatronics going on here. Similar:Life would be so much better if all the interfaces we encountered looked like #Steampunk c…AestheticsCommonly Misused Words: ITS and IT'S AmusingCreative writing majors getting rich as demand skyrocketsSee, it’s funny, because poets need to s…AmusingExcessive Copyright Strikes Again in 2016Current US law extends copyright for 70…

Federal Judge Rules Video Games are Protected "Expressive Works"

On Wednesday, a federal district court in Los Angeles dismissed Brown’s claim against Electronic Arts for the use of his image in its Madden NFL series. Judge Florence Marie-Cooper essentially found that video games are “expressive works, akin to an expressive painting that depicts celebrity athletes of past and present in a realistic sporting environment.”…

Online Books, Poems, Short Stories – Read Print Library

A good collection, on a well-designed page. www.readprint.com Thanks for the suggestion, Josh. Similar:Programming as Magic Spells in Erica Sandbothe's New NovelIn her new novel, Codecrafter, Sandbothe…BooksStar Wars, Star Trek And V Author Ann Crispin Passes AwayAs a high school student, I wrote a fan …BooksMy 10yo Launches a Soda Bottle Rocket http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbNu8…AestheticsYou didn’t make…

The 15th Annual Interactive Fiction Competition

>get text games Similar:The U.S. government and Facebook are negotiating a record, multibillion-dollar fine for th…Are you still relying on Facebook to fil…BusinessWhat a 21st-Century English Major Can Do: Screencast Demo of an Inform 7 Text-Adventure Jo…Have I mentioned lately that I have some…AcademiaAstronauts cloaked Klingon space patch: Star Trek-inspired emblem revealed The current commander…

Everyone Appreciates a Little Boost

I just got a phone call from the parent of a prospective student I spoke with on a campus visit over the summer.  The student has decided to come to Seton Hill, and the parent told me that the time I spent talking with the family over the summer was a major factor. (I’m sure…

Clockwords – Unique Word Game

A fun, free steampunk word game. Too bad I have to work today… Similar:Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reducing print edition to 2 days a week; cites plan to go all digi… The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is scaling …BusinessThe disinformation system that Trump unleashed will outlast him. Here’s what reality-based… Highlights from a column by Margaret S…UncategorizedShen Yun Chinese…