“The MetroCard Vending Machines in New York’s subways are a classical case of programmer-directed hierarchical menu hell, forcing the user to make choices without knowing the consequences, and throwing the user off altogether at the smallest problem. With a little careful thought, we are able to improve the interaction considerably, while at the same time…
“This is the story of the revival of York Mystery Plays from the Festival of Britain in 1951 to the present day told by the many individuals who have been involved with the Plays – whether as actors, stage hands or front of house – through their personal memories, photographs and press cuttings.” —York Mystery…
Blessed be God, at the end of the last year I was in very good health, without any sense of my old pain, but upon taking of cold.1 I lived in Axe Yard having my wife, and servant Jane, and no more in family than us three. My wife . . . . gave me…
“The high-tech industry plans to launch a sophisticated new lobbying campaign later this month to strike back against Hollywood in a battle to shape rules of the road for new digital technologies. The Business Software Alliance and Computer Systems Policy Project….hope to convince Congress that strict copy-protection legislation that sets technological mandates would stifle innovation,…
“Clonaid, linked with a group that believes life on Earth was originally cloned by aliens, said two women had given birth to babies it had cloned. It at first said it would present DNA evidence but has delayed doing so.” —A Name for Clone Babies: ‘Hoax’ Wired) More news from the department of “duh”: the…
“Big media barons are routinely accused of dominating markets, dumbing down the news to plump up the bottom line, and forcing U.S. content on world audiences. But these companies are not as big, bad, dominant, or American as critics claim. And company size is largely irrelevant to many of the problems facing today’s Fourth Estate.”…
“I heard of the play when it opened in Paris. But I am ashamed to say I did not see it. I had no idea that it would shortly dominate my life….My 16-year-old daughter was baffled by the programme material detailing the play’s controversial history. ‘What on earth is there to understand?’ she said. ‘It’s…
“In 1811 the Herr von Reisswitz, the Prussian War Counselor at Breslau invented an innovative wargame. First, he constructed a table with a model actual terrain. He then represented units by blocks. Each side would give their orders to an umpire who was required to update the terrain table, resolve combat and tell each sides…
“In what will surely be regarded as one of the best science-fiction ‘fan film’ projects of all time, a pair of ‘Star Trek’ fanatics have created a new episode in exacting 1960s style using their own actors, sets and props.” Julio Ojeda-Zapata —“Star Trek” Reborn in Online EpisodePioneer Press) Sigh. I am such a Trek…
“You find technology virgins everywhere: Teachers who insist on getting detailed training for every new piece of technology that shows up; librarians who refuse to figure out the Internet text searching tools; doctors who won’t use computer technology because it is beneath them; managers who deny their employees access to the Internet. Common to them…
“Proposal. Develop a false website and organization concentrating on the newest national concern: videogame addiction and violence. This organization is called Mothers Against Videogame Addiction and Violence (MAVAV, www.mavav.org). There is a great amount of stereotypes about people who play videogames (anti-social, depressed, unintelligent) and a lot of videogame violence bashing and blame (scapegoat) by…
“Throughout the 1990s, my basic philosophy was this: Work=Boring, but Work+Speed+Risk=Cool. Speed and risk transformed the experience into something so stimulating, so exciting, so intense, that we began to believe that those qualities defined ‘good work.’ Now, betrayed by the reality of economic uncertainty and global instability, we’re casting about for what really matters when…
“For recent Ph.D.’s looking for positions in the fields of language and literature, the frantic surroundings of the M.L.A. convention offer the only dusty rays of hope. It’s a bleak landscape for academic job-seekers in any field, but this year, a flyer in the conference press room trumpeted ‘the sharpest decline in Language and Literature…
“The 1970s boast a slew of what could be pegged essential Internet milestones, including the advent of e-mail and the splintering off of ARPANET from military experiment to public resource. But perhaps the most famous of the lot is the acclaimed Jan. 1, 1983, switch from Network Control Protocol to Transmission Control Protocol and Internet…
“By processing information sent from physiological sensors the human counterpart wears, the Vanderbilt robot can detect when its master is having a bad day and approach with the query: ‘I sense that you are anxious. Is there anything I can do to help?’” —Feeling Blue? This Robot Knows It.Wired) The story includes an amusing opposing…
“Mr. Serkis is the human actor behind the computer-generated (CG) character Gollum, a wizened Hobbit who’s part manlike, part evil beast. More than just giving voice to the character, Serkis provided all its movements and facial expressions, which were later ‘painted over’ by animators.” Gregory M. Lamb —The Rise of “Synthespians” (CS Monitor) Gollum is…
“The 2000 handwritten pages include Tolkien’s translation and appraisal of Beowulf, the epic 8th century Anglo-Saxon poem of bravery, friendship and monster-slaying that is thought to have inspired The Lord of the Rings.” —Tolkien’s Translation of “Beowulf” Discoverednews.com.au) Grendel-riffic! Similar:Traces of ScribesBook historian Irene O’Daly notes that t…AcademiaStudy confirms that ending your texts with a…
I’ve worked hard on this document; can you help me meet my deadline? Please tell me what you like about it — I’ll feel so affirmed and flattered. If you get stuck, or hesitate, I will tell you what to do, so we can get through this testing faster. If you start making any serious…
“The look ‘n’ feel of your website is important. However, it is less important than your text-based content. In most commercial websites, the role of the traditional graphic designer is relatively minor. The role of the information architect is central. The role of the editor and author is critical.” Gerry McGovern —How important is the…
“EverQuest has a decidedly constructive and cooperative tone to it. There is no blood in the game. No disemboweled intestines splatter on your screen. Instead, players often find themselves chatting while waiting for a mob to spawn. The ranger may be fletching as he recounts a particularly close battle. The warrior chugs some Dwarven Ale.…