Via KurzweilAI: Changes brought about by the internet will be dwarfed by those prompted by the networking of everyday objects, says a report by a UN body. As anyone in new media can tell you, ubiquitous computing is not a new idea. Technologies like Bluetooth, nanotechnology, and the Big-Brotheresque RFID will allow us to begin [...]
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Google Your Genes; Or, Why Are Computers So Stupid?
Computers are stupid. I’ve suspected that for a while now and have been saying it out loud only recently. I think much of their stupidity stems from the fact of my communication with them, or lack thereof. First of all, there’s this stupid keyboard on which my hands — evolved for different tools — have [...]
Frasca’s Proposal
Following the cue from Moulthrop, Gonzalo Frasca considers the larger cultural context of gaming in his “Videogames of the Oppressed: Critical Thinking, Education, Tolerance, and Other Trivial Issues.” Frasca believes that video games, properly theorized and constructed, can help players realize alternative points of view for dealing with their local realities (93). Calling on Augusto [...]
Configuration and Interpretation
The section of First Person on ludology suggests that video games should be studied differently than one would study a narrative; i.e., they are not (just) stories, so the considerations of play must be considered foremost. The most useful discussion in this section centers around configuration.
Journalism Is Dead
A student of mine, Hannah Marney, is working on her senior project addressing blogging as a phenomenon and how it impacts journalism today. She theorizes the “journalistic blogger” with the help of a Marxist critic I suggested she read: Hans Enzensberger. I’m excited to see a solid and much-needed project being undertaken by one of [...]
Holodeck?
C|Net is reporting that a project in Japan plans on marketing a holodeck-like 3D television by 2020. Not only do they propose three-dimensional images and surround sound, but also the ability to transmit touch and smell to produce an immersive experience. The project is part of a larger effort to promote “universal communication”: “a concept [...]
Academics Who Blog
A friend forwarded me an interesting discussion going on in the blogosphere about a recent Chronicle article “Bloggers Need Not Apply.” Terri Senft does an excellent job summarizing the article’s main points on her blog, and adding a couple of her own, like what should and should not be discussed before tenure. Continuing the conversation [...]
