Disneyland is a perfect model of all the entangled orders of simulation. To begin with it is a play of illusions and phantasms: pirates, the frontier, future world, etc. This imaginary world is supposed to be what makes the operation successful. But, what draws the crowds is undoubtedly much more the social microcosm, the miniaturized…
Described in its patent filing as a “hype-generating mechanism with fully integrated Mac compatibility,” the iLaunch is powered by Intel dual-core processors optimized to calculate a product’s gravitas. Apple claims the iLaunch can garner the same amount of press attention as a major scientific discovery, high court ruling, celebrity meltdown, or natural disaster at 200…
—Field of Rainbows [Copyeditor’s Make Mistake’s Sometime’s] (Jerz’s Literacy Weblog) The caption should read “photographer’s shadow.” The mistake doesn’t come close to overshadowing the power of this great photo. Similar:It not only went VROOM, it carried chunky plastic letters that could *spell* VROOM.Tonight, when I got home after all the e…AestheticsWitness Accounts in Midtown Hammer Attack…
Of Dental X-Rays and Sales Pitches (Jerz’s Literacy Weblog) I went to the dental office at Sears yesterday, where I noticed that the woman X-raying my teeth didn’t entirely disappear behind the lead wall when she pushed the button. Three times I watched, and I could see her elbow and part of her hand. Before she…
French philosopher Jean Baudrillard, a social theorist known for his acerbic commentaries on consumerism and excess, died Tuesday, his publishing house said. He was 77. —Noted French philosopher Jean Baudrillard dies (Jerusalem Post) When I first heard of this, I checked the Wikipedia entry, and was a little surprised to see no information on his death.…
Maybe tomorrow I’ll think this is cute. In the meantime, I trust no one named Vladimir. God help me if I dream about this… —Karissa Kilgore —Nabokov will play you, fool (Sugarpacket) One of my students vents her frustration at being completely fooled during her first encounter with Vladimir Nabokov’s Pale Fire. Similar:In September, 2003, I…
Remakes are common these days for several reasons, primarily the fact that Hollywood is short on new ideas. Plus, the original story is actually pretty good, even if the movie failed to live up to its promise. Capricorn One is not exactly a classic, but it does have some great ideas, great scenes, and a…
The human population has swelled so much that people alive today outnumber all those who have ever lived, says a factoid whose roots stretch back to the 1970s. Some versions of this widely circulating rumor claim that 75 percent of all people ever born are currently alive. Yet, despite a quadrupling of the population in…
“To use the Minute Paper,” Angelo and Cross write, “an instructor stops class two or three minutes early and asks students to respond briefly to some variation on the following two questions: ‘What was the most important thing you learned during this class?’ and ‘What important question remains unanswered?’ Students then write their responses on…
Here’s the dirty secret that you’ll never see printed in a publisher’s glossy promo material: Every textbook on the market is a crashing bore to read. All the publishers will assure you that they’ve added special features designed to attract today’s young people and that the prose is lively and engaging. Yeah, right. The colorful…
—Darth Vader being a smartass (YouTube) Similar:The eagles in Lord of the Rings are a plot hole, but also an us problemPart of my enjoyment of genre franchises…BooksSurprised by Mama Cass Elliott's "Different" — powerful folk-pop ballad in trippy 60's "H…I miss the convention in movies and TV s…CultureNarnia board game — enjoyable family activity (but…
I took one of Jill’s classes two years ago and got addicted to blogging. I still keep it up although I don’t write as much anymore, partly because of what Elin said I think: it’s too separated. Facebook, flickr etc. connects, and are more “chill out” places where it’s ok to simply goof around and…
—XYZZY Awards 2006 (IF Wiki) The XYZZY Awards are the Oscars of the Interactive Fiction community. I’m usually watching the kids on the weekend when the awards ceremony is held, but I always enjoy reading the transcript. The winner of Best Game is The Elysium Enigma. Similar:Newly acquired technology for teaching writing in the age of…
You Can Never Have Too Many Cabinets (Half-LIfe 2 Mod) (Jerz’s Literacy Weblog) (Although that is probably too many ovens.) The kids are in bed, my wife is watching TV, and I’ve got a few hours to fiddle with Hammer on a Saturday Night (well, it’s a bit past midnight now, actually). Soon I’ll go up…
Performing a morality play – especially one penned in the Middle Ages – might not seem too appealing to an average college theater student. Dr. Terry Brino-Dean, associate professor of theater and director of the Seton Hill University theater program, has come up with a way to give “Everyman” — a medieval drama that deals…
Chess pastry cutters handmade in brass by Biggles to celebrate the first year of Ms Sophie Sarin’s “Thursday Chess Club”. Each piece can be made into biscuits. Not only do you have the satisfaction of taking a piece, but you can eat it as well! —Edible Chess (Biggles) They are advertised as “one of a kind”…
Politicians and other moral crusaders frequently create “folk devils,” individuals or groups defined as evil and immoral. Folk devils allow us to channel our blame and fear, offering a clear course of action to remedy what many believe to be a growing problem. Video games, those who play them, and those who create them have…
Anyone, she wrote, “has the right to free speech. No one has the right to be employed at a newspaper. That is a privilege.” She continued: “At the Collegian, we hold our staff members to high standards and require them to act professionally on and off the job, particularly when they are representing the Collegian…
I sometimes wonder if half the fun of action games isn’t pretending to be a kid again: you can run and run and never get tired. Also, jump down the stairs without worrying about a sprained ankle. —Andrew Plotkin —Review: Myst Online: Uru Live (Zarf) That was just a parenthetical comment, but its the reason I…
Today we harness the masses for everything from choosing the next pop star on American Idol to perfecting open source software and assembling Wikipedia articles. But perhaps the most widespread and vital uses for group input online are in scoring systems. In addition to eBay feedback, these are the customer ratings that Amazon.com and Yahoo…