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