Digital Copyright Reading List

Copyright: Your Right or Theirs? In Defense of Copyleft Timeline- A History of Copyright in the U.S. SUL- Copyright & Fair Use- Copyright FAQ Digital Copyright Reading List Similar:My Tween Preps to Program a Lego Hobbit GameAs part of a course I’m teaching on “Dig…CybercultureThe worst-case scenario Converging in a tense section of Huntsville: A…

Electron Band Structure In Germanium, My Ass

“Now, let’s look a bit more closely at this data, remembering that it is absolutely first-rate. Do you see the exponential dependence? I sure don’t. I see a bunch of crap.” Undergraduate physics student Lucas Kovar reconsiders his career choice. —Electron Band Structure In Germanium, My Ass Similar:In a literature class, the author's words matter…

Marjorie Garber’s Academic Instincts

“Amateur and professional are mutually interconnected. Amateurs are sometimes professionals; professionals are sometimes amateurs. Moreover — brace yourself — history exists.” Marjorie Garber‘s Academic Instincts blows kisses at the literary establishment. Review by Russell Jacoby. Similar:Without ComPUNction: Doing verbal battle at the O. Henry Pun-Off World Championships. “It doesn’t have to be good. It just…

Victor Borge’s “inflationary language”

“Twice upon a time there lived a boy named Jack in the twoderful land of Califivenia.” Read a sample of the late comedian Victor Borge’s inflationary language. Richard Lederer. Similar:C.S. Lewis: "On the Reading of Old Books"Gearing up for teaching a new “American …Books'Inappropriate' dance moves lead to calls for student lessons in Peters Mr.…

Nearly 20 years after giving up on it, a grown man finds a walkthrough for the classic text game, “Savage Island.”

Nearly 20 years after giving up on it, a grown man finds a walkthrough for the classic text game, “Savage Island.” James Lileks revels in computer nostalgia.  Similar:The Measure of a Man (ST:TNG Rewatch, Season 2, Episode 9)Rewatching ST:TNG after a 20-year break….CultureCandy Land Was Invented for Polio Wards It is a game absent strategy,…

Are Users Stupid?

“Typically, when project managers observe their design undergoing a usability test, their initial reaction is: Where did you find such stupid users? Jakob Nielsen —Are Users Stupid? Similar:AI coding assistants do not boost productivity or prevent burnout, study findsMy job is often to help students underst…BusinessWhat if Generative AI turned out to be a Dud?I’m…

AltaVista

may be crappy, but its CEO claims to have patented the search engine. Kieren McCarthy.AltaVista Similar:The Assignment #StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch (Season 5, Episode 5) Keiko is not herself after a t…Rewatching ST:DS9 On a bustling morning…DramaI Regret to Inform You That My Wedding to Captain Von Trapp Has Been CanceledI must confess to being rather…

Sharing news articles via email: compulsive metacontent

One example of metacontent: “People often pass around news articles via e-mail. Some even do it compulsively, in part because it’s so easy…” NY Times (registration required) Similar:The Classic Typewriter Page Frequently Asked QuestionsHow can I get rid of That Old Typewriter…AestheticsNASA Calls It A Mission As Curiosity Rover Fills Up Whole 2-Gigabyte Memory CardMore…

Once again, The Onion gets it right: Clinton Not Expecting To Collect White House Security Deposit

Once again, The Onion gets it right. Clinton Not Expecting To Collect White House Security Deposit Surveying the White House’s walls and bathroom fixtures in preparation for move-out, President Clinton said Monday that he expects to forfeit his security deposit. “It’s just not worth it,” Clinton said. “I’d rather lose the $575 than have to…

Who Killed George Washington?

“Once we accept something as ‘good,’ we often persist in doing it even when the result is clearly bad, while telling ourselves that we just haven’t done enough of it. We are subject to a defect of reason…” Dave Kopel —Who Killed George Washington? (National Review) Similar:Beatrix Potter-pinching and Žižekian swipes: the strange world of book…

DirectTV’s war against hackers

Fascinating account of DirectTV’s war against hackers. Slashdot. Similar:Is it okay to say clanker?Clanker is a derogatory term used to ins…CybercultureLessons (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season 6, Episode 19) Picard and a new officer bond over …Rewatching ST:TNG When Picard is up i…AestheticsThe Business 9 Women Kept A Secret For Three Decades, by Lori Weiss Over…

Allen L. Sack

, a Notre Dame football player in the ’60s, argues that “The gap between college sports and the fundamental mission of higher education has widened significantly since that time.” Allen L. Sack Similar:The reluctant wisdom of a science major in my freshman writing class.”There’s nothing left to say,” said a sc…AcademiaHandshakes Really Do MatterMonday night handshake/eye contact…

Healing the Web

The lessons I learned in just over an hour showed me how poor most Websites are and just how easy it would be for companies to perform their own usability tests to fix a lot of the problems.–David Lidsky, Healing the Web Update: Dec 2014. I originally blogged the above back in 2001. Lidsky’s brief article, written as the…

Writing Effective E-Mail

Top 10 Tips:  Write a meaningful subject line; keep the message short and readable; avoid attachments; identify yourself; don’t flame (and more). Jessica Bauer. —Writing Effective E-Mail Similar:Making Interactive Fiction Mainstream: ReadersJon Ingold describes the gamelike storyt…AestheticsIntroduction to The Skin of Our Teeth (optimistic, absurdist metatheater; Thornton Wilder,…https://youtu.be/1okt8MIVTtsAcademiaFired for Making a Game: The Inside Story…

Rethinking Internet news

“A new era of newspaper experiments on the Internet, fueled in part by the fear that the Web will not generate profits, has begun.” (NY Times… free registration required.) —Rethinking Internet news Similar:Facebook Puts a Downer on UpworthyFacebook Inc. changed its newsfeed algor…BusinessDetailed Articulation of Feet in Unity3DI’m following a lot of tutorials, and co…AestheticsYounger…

Monsters and dungeons and gender, oh my

“Fighting monsters and escaping from dungeons is a whole different world when you’re a woman. Men are oh-so-helpful when they’re not busy whistling at you.” Andy Patrizio cross-dresses as a half-naked elf babe. Wired.com Similar:Hard Time #StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch (Season 4, Episode 19) O'Brien deals with the implanted m…Rewatching ST:DS9 A haggard O’Brien, wi…JusticePick Up…

Filter THIS!

The American Library Association is none too pleased with a new federal law requiring Web filters in public schools and libraries, and has decided to sue. ZDNet —Filter THIS! Similar:What is a CRT and Why Don't We Use Them Anymore?I remember when I started seeing politic…AestheticsShould your grieving mum see your digital secrets?A US state…

The ultimate snack-chip adjective

“As any snack aficionado knows, crunch-tastic is the ultimate snack-chip adjective, outranking crunch-riffic, crunch-rageous, and even crunch-mongous.” The Onion. Similar:Syllabusing Like a BossAcademiaEverybody Dies (Shakespearean Tragedy Infographic) The image (by Magee and Griffin) is an…AestheticsMe: Carolyn, are you ok? Carolyn:Just reminding myself that I am a gift.AmusingI'm not a big fan of Disney's corporate greed.I’m…

Textual detective Don Foster works with the FBI

For textual detective Don Foster, “it’s certainly been interesting going to Shakespeare class, coming back to my office and talking with the FBI or the police department about some document in a criminal case.”  Todd Winters. Similar:What can you do with an English Major?AcademiaBWW Review: TWELFTH NIGHT Is Farcical Fun at Prime StageIn his review,…