Beast Number

666 is the occult “number of the beast,” also called the “sign of the devil” (Wang 1994), associated in the Bible with the Antichrist. It has figured in many numerological studies. It is mentioned in Revelation 13:18: “Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the…

Choose Your Own Adventure Returns

A quarter-billion copies sold worldwide as kids raced to discover lost civilizations, navigate black holes, and go in search of … the Yeti. This summer, eight of the original titles return to bookstores, revamped with 21st-century references (cell phones!). Will they become popular again? — Michael Reilly If you think nostalgia will help the books…

Cute vs Brainy

Don’t call me “Honey.” Call me “Smart Girl.” —Carolyn Maureen Jerz (age 4).Cute vs Brainy (Jerz’s Literacy Weblog) How perceptive children are, at an early age. Of course, next week she’ll be back to “My name is Sally. My family was killed in a car crash. Can I be your new girl?” or “I want to…

Online chess video about two pawns that fall in love

—Online chess video about two pawns that fall in love (Chess Maniac) This was a cute computer-generated story. It’s about six or seven minutes long. I wish I knew more about it. Similar:iTunes 11: It’s time for Apple’s horrible, bloated program to die.At the head of the team is a grizzled ol…AmusingYou have 20 minutes before…

Games and Status

There are still people who think disposing of the trash in a regular, professional and safe manner is more important than writing deep and penetrating pieces of literature – which nobody reads anyway. They admire carpenters who can build good houses to live in, gardeners who can make trees and flowers grow, farmers who can…

Codes on Sites 'Captcha'

The codes, called captchas, are also showing up more often amid a boom in new Web services, ranging from blogging tools to social-networking sites. The trickiest ones “make you not want to go to those sites anymore,” says Scott Reynolds, a 29-year-old software architect in Ocala, Fla., who lambasted the devices on his blog last…

Introduction: The Wealth of Networks seminar

Yochai Benkler’s The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom is a very exciting book. It captures an important set of developments — how new information technologies make it easier for individuals to collaborate in producing cultural content, knowledge, and other information goods. It draws links across apparently disparate subject areas to…

Losing Their Edge?

In “Are Elite Universities Losing Their Competitive Edge?,” the scholars examine evidence that the Internet — by allowing professors to work with ease with scholars across the country and not just across the quad — is leading to a spreading of academic talent at many more institutions than has been the case in the past.…

What Really Counts in Getting In

Two types of participation made it more likely students would end up at elite colleges: yearbook or school newspapers and “hobby clubs.” (The authors regretted that there was no breakdown on the impact of various hobbies, so it is unclear if photography clubs do better or worse than chess or other topics.) Numerous activities had…

Nintendo Amusement Park

The Nintendo Amusement Park is a first attempt at making a life-size re-creation of Super Mario Bros. Players strap into a powered bungee system that lets them jump 12 feet in the air, collect coins and snag magic mushrooms. It’s hoped it will eventually be expanded into a full Mario Bros.-style obstacle course. —Nintendo Amusement…