Deeply buried beneath theoretical arcana, I hereby proclaim that this blog shall henceforth mostly be concerned with my dissertational scriblings. At random intervals I will raise a topic or post paragraphs/sections from my manuscript in the vain hope that someone (that’s you!) will take it upon him/her-self to think along and perhaps to comment should some sequence of words strike you as discussable, unreasonable or just plain nuts.
Quote of the day
The Danes are somewhat defensive and reluctant towards using the possibilities of technology as we often fear the coming of a “control society”. But at the end of the day, the technology can give us a more secure society.
Author of report based on “recommendations” from government authorities (source)
So the control society will be really safe? Wow, that solves everything, doesn’t it?
List of things that are poorly named
Some things are just poorly-to-exceptionally badly named:
1) Charles Darwin’s The Origin of Species had almost incomparably important things to say about a wide range of phenonemena, but it said next to nothing about speciacation (the origin of species, that is)
2) Reeves and Nash’ Media Equation is pretty much the idea that people treat things as if they were people. It’s not an equation and it’s not about media.
3) (Economic) Game Theory is not really about games (although sometimes it is) and it’s not a theory.
Should we award special consideration to things that seem to succeed despite being so uninformatively named?
(Other examples?)
The public interest (UFOs and girls)
Somehow I think the “most viewed” list of my Flickr photos gives a rather clear, in perhaps not terribly surprising, glimpse of the general taste.
Update: The original link didn’t work unless you were me. So I’ve inserted the most viewed list below.
Turning Japanese
Had the pleasure today of visiting the Tokyo Game Show to take part in what was a genuinely chaotically entertaining experience. New consoles where everywhere but apart from that, horse racing seems to be the game theme of tomorrow. Saddle up, gentlemen.
Afterwards I met up with Espen, Espen’s friend, and Lisa Galarneau of Social Study Games fame. We were led wisely through the Ginza district to find both beer and raw fish in suitable quaintities.
Tomorrow I’m off to Kobe for the Icec 2005 conference.