The Future Is Not a Zero-Sum Game
The false premise of replacement means the future isn’t destructive, just additive.
Daniel Radcliffe Sings Tom Lehrer’s “The Elements”
Harry Potter may be a magician, but Daniel Radcliffe is more of a scientific sort.
Mandelbrot and Taleb on the Financial Crisis
The passing of the “father of fractals” allows us to contemplate complexity in our lives, especially our economic lives.
Government Printing Office Introduces “Squeaks the Mouse,” Celebrating the Miracle of Print
In the Internet age, the GPO celebrates print with a comic book — a video worth watching for its throwback charm.
Is the Medium Still the Message When the Medium is Pervasive?
McLuhan posited “the medium is the message.” Is it still? GenY might teach us a thing or two.
Making Ink: A Movie About an Amazing Craft
The crafts of print are refined and amazing, truly mature and interesting technologies in their own right. Here’s to the technology of liquid color.
Copyright: A Fairy Tale
A clever video montage explaining copyright issues, including fair use.
State of the Art II — The Future of Technology in the Classroom
Harvard’s Paul Bergen: “The slow accretion of technology into the educational system is the result of the teacher and not the learner.”
Let the Adaptations Begin!
The infrastructure for change is in place and largely working. What might that mean for publishing and academic cultures? (The first of a four-part series.)
Dance, Dance, Dance on Labor Day
You will be smiling by the time this ends, celebrating the day of labor.
Older Adults Adopting Social Media at Rapid Clip
Social media takes a leap among older adults. Is it because they were once young Internet adopters?
Teaching the End of Print — Using Books Poised on the Edge of Oblivion
A teacher publishes a syllabus contemplating a print era bounded by two inventions — the printing press and the networked screen. It’s part of a sweep of interesting observations.
Good God! Can’t a Journal Author Have Any Fun Anymore?
An article’s authors and a journal’s editor are surprised when a puff-piece backfires. Thanks for the pretentious seriousness, blogosphere.
“Cognitive Surplus” — Look What Can Happen When We Turn Off the Television
Clay Shirky’s new book is smart, snappy, and insightful. You should read it if you want to understand why people are adding social media to their lives.
Conan Doyle Creates Holmes for Science, Then Descends Into Pseudoscience
The creator of the detective of the scientific age seems to have abandoned science as he aged.