History of Video Games since 1889

Yes, that’s 1889. —History of Video Games since 1889b> (GameSpot) Similar:Greebles make me happy.Before CGI, filming a science-fiction st…AestheticsPioneering Harvard Blog Site Wrapping It UpI still use blogs.setonhill.edu, which I…AcademiaWindows 3.1 Turns 30: Here’s How It Made Windows EssentialAfter watching all the episodes of the 8…AestheticsExcessive Copyright Strikes Again in 2016Current US law extends copyright…

When the Geeks get Snide

"What venerated ‘alpha geeks’ and lowly ‘smurfs’ share is a tendency to talk about people as if they were machines. To be ‘uninstalled’ means being fired or dismissed, whereas a ‘plug-and-play’ refers to a new employee who fits in without any additional training."  (Rebuttal: Don’t Tweak the Geeks) —When the Geeks get Snide (NY Times;…

Marx, Money, and Mysticism after Mao

"They may love capitalism. They may have no interest whatsoever in political theory. But they believe that Marx was always right and always good." English professors? Hardly. —Marx, Money, and Mysticism after Mao (Partisan Review) Similar:Pa. agency explains why it enacted new 'no force-on-force rule' for Bushy Run, other sitesAttending the re-enactment of the Battle…CultureUntil…

Bloggus Caesari

“This bridge will be a massive undertaking: the Rhine is a wide, deep, and fast-moving river. My engineers and I have devised a way to build the bridge in such a way that the stronger the current, the more secure the bridge will be.” —Bloggus Caesari (Julius Caesar’s Weblog) Similar:All the world’s an appA review…

Boring, grey-haired government contractors are hot

; trendy young dot-com refugees come begging. (WashPost) —Boring, grey-haired government contractors are hot Similar:Toasty Warm Bed (designed by drunk AI neural net)AestheticsI didn't exactly set out to achieve this goal, but it's not hard to do the minimum to keep…EducationThe Unstoppable Rise of the Digital Content CreatorThis is why I have been encouraging blog…BusinessFrom…

Hemingway's "Old Man"Dies at 104

"Everything about him was old except his eyes and they were the same colour as the sea and were cheerful and undefeated…" wrote Hemingway in his 1952 novel, The Old Man and the Sea. Gregorio Fuentes was Hemingway’s friend, and probably the inspiration for the story. —Hemingway’s "Old Man"Dies at 104 (BBC) Similar:The six wives…

On the Implausibility of the Death Star’s Trash Compactor

“Once ejected into space, wouldn’t the flattened, living-room-sized, and extremely solid panes of trash that result from such a primitive, unidirectional trash compactor pose serious hazards for Empire starships in the vicinity?” —On the Implausibility of the Death Star’s Trash Compactor (McSweeney’s) Similar:The history of Tetris randomizersA pleasantly detailed analysis of how th…CybercultureThe Best of…

Glove Lends the Deaf a Hand

A teenager has attracted international attention for developing a glove that can translate sign language into printed text. —Glove Lends the Deaf a Hand (USA Today) The article suggests that a glove that reads finger positions will free deaf teenagers from needing the services of adult interpreters. Yet sign language is a rich and complex…

The Tightening [Adacemic] Job Market

This is the time of year that college departments hiring new faculty members whittle down to two or three promising candidates, from the dozens or even hundreds of applicants. (A candidate for a UWEC English department job is interviewed towards the end of the article.) —The Tightening [Adacemic] Job Marketb> (Chronicle) Similar:Watching Shakespeare With Your…

Does the Pope S– In the Woods?

: "Nowadays, art that prompts ‘controversy’ usually has one thing in common: it’s bad. Bad in conception or bad in execution, and frequently bad in both." Lileks —Does the Pope S– In the Woods? Similar:If You Think You Hate Puns, You're WrongI wrote my college application essay on …AmusingTrump Is Making Journalism Great AgainLong gone…

What is Genius?

"If Einstein had died as a child, someone else would have discovered General Relativity; if Beethoven had died as a child, the Opus 111 Sonata would never have been written." Dennis Dutton —What is Genius? (Philosophy & Literature) Similar:How My Mom Killed Facebook Lest you think this is just a compli…CybercultureDownloading Great ExpectationsA few weeks…

"'Google Effect' Reduces Need for Many Domains"

"With the rise of search tools that unerringly bring you to the page you want, the need for a highly specific domain name — one that a casual Web user would be able to guess — has practically disappeared." Dan Gillmor —"’Google Effect’ Reduces Need for Many Domains"b> (SiliconValley.com) Similar:The neglected history of videogames for…

12 Steps to Stop Using Microsoft

A student project on why Microsoft is evil includes this parody of the Alcoholics Anonymous "12 step" program. Sammy Carranza  —12 Steps to Stop Using Microsoft Similar:Star Wars: TIE Fighter 20th Anniversary RetrospectiveIn the Star Wars films, the empire is ev…CybercultureHemingway: The First Draft of Anything… Facebook.AmusingZork: The Great Underground EmpireA blogger has started chronicling…

Bernard Shifman is a Moron Spammer

A clueless fellow looking for a job in information technology sends out his resume in a mass mailing. Bernard Shifman, an unrepentant spammer, then threatens to sue practically anyone who even mentions the incident. Pete Moss documents what is most likely the end of Mr. Shifman’s career. —Bernard Shifman is a Moron Spammer Similar:Younger Americans…

Anger Plays Key Role in Human Cooperation

An experiment in which group members could pay for the privilege of fining free-loaders suggests that the threat of being punished by angry peers helps to check selfish behavior. (Consider this in light of the "Bernie Shifman" article.) —Anger Plays Key Role in Human Cooperationb> (New Scientist) Similar:MLA Citations: Your attention to detail establishes your…

The Lord and the Ring

“It began as a fireside story spun by a Catholic dad. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings became a great epic that has inspired conversions, steeled young people in virtue, and changed lives — including mine.” John Zmirak —The Lord and the Ring (catholic.net) Similar:What Jane [Austen] Saw: 1796 Shakespeare GalleryYou are invited to time…