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Event Calendar
Mark Bernstein on Blogging
July 5, 2008 – 9:41 am
Michael Wesch - from The Chronicle
June 28, 2008 – 9:51 am
Michael Wesch, an assistant professor of cultural anthropology at Kansas State University, set out to study the culture of YouTube users, and he ended up becoming a video star in the process. He and his students have been lovingly documenting how people are using their Web cams to express themselves, and his short videos about the new ways the Web is connecting people have been viewed millions of times.
Katie on Hyperwords
April 24, 2008 – 9:16 am
Katie has put up a post on hyperwords, an extension of browser technology. She’s obviously been doing research on Ted Nelson.
I used Hyperwords extensively in the past but found that the app was a little too aggressive on the page. Anyone else try it?
Sphere: Related ContentHuang Hypertext
April 24, 2008 – 5:01 am
Kai Huang’s hypertext, In the Store, is up at Hypertextopia. His linking technique is interesting.
And John, his character, gets what he deserves.
More Apps for Study
April 17, 2008 – 11:08 pm
Growing Up Online
April 16, 2008 – 8:57 am
For our (future) discussions regarding social networking, Frontline has a great piece on Growing Up Online: Just How Radically is the Internet Transforming Childhood?
Great journal/blogging ideas here for discussion. You can watch the complete program online too. Take the time to check this out.
Sphere: Related ContentREMINDER! First Draft of IF Project Due
April 11, 2008 – 4:12 pm
Just a gentle prod/reminder that students first draft of their IF project is due on Thursday, April 17.
IF Code from Class 03/27
March 28, 2008 – 5:27 pm
I have posted the code from the collaborative story “The Good, The Bad, and The Lolli” done in class. I took the liberty of dressing it up quite a bit. There are minimal interactions but the map, locations, and characters are all there (I think there was a piano player but I cannot remember the name of that character.)
Also, the IF Project - Spring 2008 is here in case you missed it. Note the two due dates!
Now we move on to new stuff.
Sphere: Related ContentIF Primers: Short-Form IFs
March 14, 2008 – 3:02 pm
Steve and I had a brief discussion yesterday regarding interactive fiction The discussion was based on some thoughts I’ve been having recently about (my perception) the lack of short-form works of IF. That is, tight, succinct, efficient works in various genres that could be completed in less than a half-hour.
These works would be differentiated from Speed-IF where the works are written in a 2-hour time frame. What I am proposing are works that can be played to (some) conclusion in a very short time period. The development period would be of least importance as the goal would be to create short works that explore the literary possibilities of the medium and to serve as illustrations to students whether they are in a literature class or learning about game/simulation creation.
Some existing works that are along my line of thinking are Pick Up the Phone Booth and Die, Aisle, Exhibition, Shrapnel, 9:05, Photopia, and Nine Points are just a few off the top of my head. Other suggestions are welcome.
Perhaps a call for entries?
Sphere: Related ContentSkype on the iPhone?
March 14, 2008 – 9:46 am
This article from the New York Times caught my eye this morning.
Sphere: Related ContentiPhone 2.0 will turn this phone into an engineering tool, a game console, a free-calls Skype phone, a business tool, a dating service, an e-book reader, a chat room, a database, an Etch-a-Sketch…
Code from class on 3/13/08
March 14, 2008 – 9:15 am
“Class 080313″ by John Timmons
Maximum score is 1001.
When play begins:
say “In this game, you need to find a way to open that locked cookie jar.”
The Foyer is a room. “The Foyer is an austere place. Only an old oil painting on the wall.”
The yellow pencil is in the foyer. The description is “This chewed-up old pencil has seen better days.”
The old oil painting is scenery in the foyer. The description is “The painting is a depiction of a hunting scene that has gone terribly wrong.”
A cookie jar is a locked lockable container. It is on the cabinet. The description is “This is a clay jar with the words COOKIES written on the side.” The magic key unlocks the cookie jar.
A chocolate chip cookie is in the cookie jar. It is edible.
A cabinet is a supporter in the foyer. The description is “Its a lovely granite-topped cabinet accented in auburn mist.”
The comfy chair is a enterable supporter in the foyer.
After entering the comfy chair:
say “You flop your fat ass down.”;
award 1000 points.
After getting off the comfy chair:
award -500 points.
The coffee pot is a switched on device. It is on the cabinet. The description is “Nice coffee pot.”
The magic key is a thing.
Instead of switching off the coffee pot for the first time:
now the magic key is in the foyer;
now the coffee pot is switched off;
say “As if by some miracle, a magic little key falls on the floor in front of you.”
Sneaky Images
March 13, 2008 – 10:39 pm
I lend my computer to a student so that he can work on his IF project and I find this on the desktop.
Cool.
Interactive Fiction Assignment Part 2
March 13, 2008 – 11:06 am
This week we will continue our journey into the production of interactive fiction by learning how to populate our worlds with items to be looked at, examined, and interacted with. Then we will begin to delve into the more complex issues of how to make these worlds behave appropriately.
This will cover items 2 and 3 from the Interactive Fiction Assignment.
I have posted PDFs of the class handouts at my Inform 7 Snippets page.
Sphere: Related ContentGames and Politics
March 12, 2008 – 2:36 pm
This story and its narrative have been bursting online:
As we’ve been tracking on GamePolitics, Iraqi artist Wafaa Bilal, a faculty member at the Art Institute of Chicago, was invited to present at - and then abruptly booted from - Rensselaer Polytechnical Institute.Sphere: Related ContentFollowing his RPI expulsion, Bilal’s Virtual Jihadi exhibit was moved to the nearby Sanctuary for Independent Media in Troy. On Monday night, a local Republican political figure, Robert Mirch (left), led a protest against Bilal’s work outside the Sanctuary. Mirch, by the way, also happens to be the Public Works Commissioner for the city of Troy. In that capacity, he is responsible for enforcing building codes.
