The Smithsonian exhibit on videogames renewed some of the discussion about what art means. For some kids visiting the exhibit, the discussion helped them to think critically, perhaps for their first time, about what it means for something to be art or not. One precocious ten-year-old, Ryan Puthumana
Remember that viral video back in 2006 where the WoW raid is getting ready and one guy just charges straight in, yelling “Leroy Jenkins!”? It’s been made into a short film about a bank heist. It has a little less chatter and a lot of the same lines, creating the same uncomfortable feeling that someo
Microsoft developed the Kinect with video games in mind, but hackers and hobbists had other ideas. When the Kinect was first released, Adafruit, a New York electronics company, offered $3,000 for whoever could crack the PC drivers first. The incentive worked and immediately after the open source Kin
Italian street artist Combo playfully combines real-life celebrities with cartoon ones in the streets of Paris. One of his most recent works shows Muhammad Ali taking down Street Fighter‘s Ryu. Which one would win in a real fight? We’ll leave it to the fanpeeps to settle that one. Also, it’s unclear
For Colson Whitehead, B-movies appealed because of their rarity. In the days before VHS and DVR, that time The Flesh Eaters was playing might be the only opportunity to see the film. He enjoyed A Clockwork Orange and Aliens alongside his cinema-going family. I didn’t draw a distinction between good
So-called “helicoptor parents” supervise their children constantly and moniter all the media they consume to make sure they don’t run into anything terrifying. With good reason—violent, innuendo-filled videogames and television shows aren’t appropriate for young children. But parenting wasn’t always
Advertising firms have never really gone for photorealism, but rather a fantasy version of reality. Photoshop was just a stepping stone in their journey to using competely computer-generated images, which are often clearer and cheaper. The images are hyperreal: so perfect and realistic that we can’t
Men are like / pantyhose / they either / run / cling / or don’t fit right / in the crotch -anonymous toilet graffiti Before the Internet, memes had to propagate through physical means like chain letters (laboriously hand copied), billboards, and graffiti. Bathroom graffiti in particular allows resea
The open source movement is all about changing technology from “how do they do that?” to “why didn’t I think of that?” Media artists (game designers, web designers, etc) are embracing open source by contributing to software like Processing and openFrameworks. The creative media software make things
Even with an ideal therapist, therapy doesn’t work for everyone. Figuring out beforehand could save therapy-goers money and disappointment. One trend in medical research is to look at a person’s genetic profile to see if it affects how they will respond to a certain medication. Psychology researcher
Babies and toddlers don’t learn much from television programs, much though Baby Einstein would have you believe otherwise. TV watching can actually be harmful for infants and toddlers, as its viewing is linked to delayed speech and sleep disturbances. There hasn’t been as much research on how young
What’s the difference between Kirby’s Dream Land and Catherine? ESRB ratings help parents know that not all cartoon-styled games are for children, but who helps parents know about ESRB ratings? For the California Bay Area, the San Francisco Giants will star in public service announcements that will
Conversation is a kind of game, with unwritten rules and a spectrum of success if persuasion is part of the angle. Individuals with Asperger’s don’t have the intuitive knowledge it takes to “just talk.” Often, they form explicit rule sets to help them understand what is socially acceptable. Mordecha
Computers, ipods, and video game consoles provide entertainment and ways to connect with others digitally. But like all physical objects, they wear out and require disposal. Since electronics contain toxic chemicals as well as precious metals, it’s best to recycle them (in some states it’s even ille
The startup Ubi Interactive has developed a way to turn any surface into a 3D touchscreen. A projector assisted by a Kinect camera senses hovering and wall-touching hands. Their software works with windows, and 3D gestures such as waving or beckoning are in the technology’s future. Anup Chathoth, on
Obscenties generally fall under three categories: sexual, animal/scatological, and religious. You might hear cursings from all three categories in a given Call of Duty session, but when was the last time you heard the religious curse “Golly!”? Words that are now laughable were once obscene: Golly, z
Those suffering from ADHD find relief in medication, but the medication only relieves symptoms; it doesn’t treat them. One summer camp for children with ADHD offered training in social skill and attention and awarded children points for following rules. The children had to compare their points at th
Photo from Buren’s new exibit Daniel Buren, a conceptual artist known for his use of stripes, has a new exhibit that uses glass, stone, and fabric to transform the Grand Palais into a kaleidoscope of color. Understandably, Buren sees all art as part of the society and location from which it springs:
Icons in religious art are easily discernable depictions of deity and angels. For believers who didn’t have easy access to scriptures, icons were a way they could remind themselves who they worshipped. Now we have icons that represent not only religious figures, but are pictograms for anything that
While American museums are slowly supporting popular animation, Japan’s Suginami Animation Museum has been eagerly embracing it since 2005. Their past exhibitions have examined Astro Boy and “eastern anime.” The museum values anime even if it’s made for little kids. This spring the Suginami Animat
