November 2007

So…here’s the short version: A structuralist/semiotic analysis of diegetic and non-diegetic sound in the game BioShock and how signifiers are decoded by users and how user experience is affected by whether or not they pick up on dated references. Part of what makes BioShock such an incredible game is the setting/environment and sound is a…

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So, the fun thing about technology and the availability to the average person is their ability to create “stuff.” We talked in class about viral videos and game videos and anything else you can do with youtube and other online places that create networks. So my question is, wtf is Britney Spears still making money…

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Goffman’s Presentation of Self in Everyday Life was published in 1959 with the intent of establishing a description of meaning in social interaction.  Goffman said that people present an “idealized” version of themselves in public (front stage).  People present more consistent versions of themselves to coincide with norms and societal laws.  When not in public…

Read more My Paper: Goffman’s Presentation of Self and YouTube

I *believe* I have responded to all of the paper topics that have appeared on this blog. However, please don’t hesitate to ask for (further) feedback if any of the following apply: I didn’t actually respond to your post on your paper topic (d’oh!). You have since iterated on your topic, have some new thoughts,…

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I feel completely absurd writing a blog post to introduce poststructuralism, and indeed, I am *not* doing that here. Rather, I will do two things. I will try to restate the summary I made at the end of class today, and I will refer to the wikipedia entry on poststructuralism, which I think is not…

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We can divide the issues discussed in this class into three broad categories: concrete, particular designs; the underlying design concepts, insights, principles, and strategies that they rely on; and the deeper philosophical implications beneath them. Here’s one of my patentable scientific diagrams: At the top are actual, concrete designs: “dialing from favorites list on this…

Read more Concrete to Abstract: On the Goals of the Course