1989 Any particle physicist can have a website! 1993 Any researcher can have a website! 1995 Anybody at a university can have a website! 1996 Any company can have a website! 1997 Anybody can have a crappy website! 2001 Anybody can have a decent website if it’s a blog! 2003 Tech companies can help anybody have a blog! 2005 Big… read more
Why the physical form of smartphones and the unreliable operation of cellular networks has made hanging up the telephone impossible.
“Can I use my telephone to call Grandma?” my daughter asks. She means the Western Electric model 500 we bought at an antiques store at her insistence — a curiosity that is now more household sculpture than communication appliance. The model 500 is the most common telephone set ever made, issued by Bell Systems from the 1950s through their divestiture… read more
The logic of California higher education funding
Today California announced the introduction of legislation to require schools to accept credit for certain online courses, including those offered by MOOC providers like Udacity and Coursera. Let’s review the logic of this process. Massively cut funding to California public education. Simultaneously, reduce public receipts, in part by offering massive tax forgiveness to the most profitable California industrial sector, technology.… read more
I finally upgraded to OS X Mountain Lion. There are a few new things to get used to, not the least of which is the horror of having desktop notifications (even if they can be turned off). But I’m more confused by a very specific behavior in Mail.app surrounding message deletion. I noticed that sometimes when I delete a message,… read more
A poem about the Polish hunter's stew
I haven’t “blogged” for some time, mostly because I’m not sure how to blog anymore. I think you just post stuff, but it’s longer than a tweet? I’m going to take a swing at it by posting this nearly two-century old poem about the Eastern European hunter’s stew Bigos: Bigos is no ordinary dish, For it is aptly framed to… read more
Today, the most novel feature of new technology is ordinariness.
The logo for the Dutch videogame studio Guerrilla Games is an object lesson in mixed metaphor: an orange “G” contorted into the chevron shape of a military rank insignia. Guerrilla insurgencies are often organized and sometimes even state-based, but they are hardly represented by the formal emblem of command and control military structure. Guerrilla warfare is irregular, asymmetrical, and lithe.… read more
Three reviews as three lenses through which to approach and appreciate an unusual videogame.
Originally published at Gamasutra One: Nil Person Videogames are narcissistic. They are about you, even when they put you in someone else’s shoes. You are a space marine among hell spawn. You are a mafioso just released from prison. You are a bear with a bird in your backpack. You are a Tebowing Tim Tebow. We may think we play… read more
A new multi-touch puzzle game for the iPad and iPhone is about form, not function—and it's about to become a status symbol.
Some media exists for you to “consume”: to read, to watch, to play. Even though a book, television show, or video game isn’t destroyed by this encounter like a cheesesteak or a firework might be, the creative work is meant to be made a part of ourselves. To transform us in some way. But other forms of media don’t aspire… read more
A Toilet Training Koan
Some time ago I lent my voice to the audio guide for a Koine Greek curriculum for kids. Around the time it was released, we found out a family friend’s then-three year old had taken to listening to the CD at bedtime, not for the Greek but just because he liked the sound of my voice. At the same time,… read more
Two conveniently juxtaposable views on universities today, from two billionaires. First, Michael Bloomberg made a $350 million commitment to his alma mater Johns Hopkins, which he credits with establishing his future as a leader. The contribution brings his total philanthropy to Johns Hopkins to $1.1 billion. In addition to funding need-based financial aid, Bloomberg’s donations have made possible a physics… read more