Virtual school shooings: interviewing two of the most hated game creators alive

You may or may not be familiar with V-Tech Rampage, a flash game created by Ryan Lambourn. True to its title, the game allows the player to take on the role of Cho Seung-Hui and re-enact the fateful school shooting of April 16th. The game drew hatred from the mainstream media and gamers alike; many…

'Venus Redemption'

Venus Redemption is a unique episodic casual game created for 30+ female gamers, with a rich plot written by a noted novelist. Unlike other casual games, it features powerful storylines, deep characters, emotion-based interactive conversations and exciting adventure gameplay. However, like traditional casual games, it’s extremely easy to play, requiring only the ability to move…

You Down with MCP? Twenty-five years later, 'Tron' and other 'geek' classics are more compelling than ever

The film’s extreme stylization — dark backgrounds, glowing neon colors, polygonal landscapes, geometric vehicles, and an absence of external lighting — was an aesthetic decision that embraced the limitations of computer-generated imagery. “The actual process of making something out of polygons, then shading it, became a design influence,” explains Taylor. “Not only was the film…

Poems About Fathers

—Poems About Fathers (Poetry Foundation) Having a father and being a father, I found this page interesting. When my own daughter is a teenager, I might not like “Fifteen” as much as I do now. Similar:Code? Not So MuchI teach my journalism students to write …ArtEarth doesn't need more 'successful people'.The plain fact is that the…

Tools for Teaching Basic Programming Concepts

Tools for Teaching Basic Programming Concepts Alice and Scratch. Filing for future reference. Similar:Robots Are Coming for Our PoemsThe robots are quickly and surely coming…AestheticsJournalism Tips: Newsworthy vs SnoozeworthyA newsworthy story is recent (rather tha…CultureThat’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.AestheticsMy daughter was five or six when she created the…

Will you, won't you… Blackwell's Quadrille

Will you, won’t you… Blackwell’s Quadrille (Jerz’s Literacy Weblog) “Will you, won’t you, will you, won’t you, will you join the dance?” — Lewis Carroll’s “Lobster Quadrille” I just tried to order an examination copy of a book from Blackwell Publishing, and when I got what looked like an error message on the final screen (or…

Shakespeare hates your emo poems

—Shakespeare hates your emo poems (Threadless) Interesting cultural phenomenon… sell a T-shirt, then create a website that lets customers upload photos of themselves wearing the T-shirt. The result turns the rebellious and snarky T-shirt designs into the uniforms of conformist consumer zombies. Similar:The Novel as a Tool for SurvivalMuch of what Krystal writes about the no…BooksPhoto…

The civil war in four minutes

—The civil war in four minutes (YouTube) Similar:If I don’t hang my own artwork on the walls of my #steampunk fantasy ship-of-the-line, who…Aesthetics50 Years Ago: The World in 1961 – Alan Taylor – In Focus – The AtlanticA fantastic series of photos exploring t…AestheticsThere's No Substitute for FictionWhat do Peskin and Astington recommend f…BooksPress X to…