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Entries Tagged as 'lifestyle'

against the tyranny of the unpaid internship

April 1st, 2010 · 1 Comment

Dear employers of the world, Stop cheaping out on the young ambitious people of the world by offering only “unpaid internships.” It’s class warfare anyway you cut it, and unless you are quite literally a mom and pop establishment, I think you can afford to shell out $3,000 for a summer of exploitative work. Don’t [...]

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Tags: Culture · art · boston · brown university · california · culture studies · free culture · ideas · lifestyle · politics

A Playable Idea: The Critical Gamer Initiative

February 1st, 2010 · 3 Comments

It has become completely impossible to ignore the massive social, economic, and cultural implications of video games. It is an industry that has outsold cinema and publishing for years. Its myths and characters have escaped consoles and computers for popular culture at large. And more and more people are becoming “gamers” everyday. Revolutions in casual [...]

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Tags: Culture · Internet · culture studies · free culture · games · ideas · lifestyle

the browser’s frieze

November 3rd, 2009 · No Comments

over the summer, i got a chance to see gustav klimt’s beethoven frieze nestled in the basement of the architecturally stunning (but otherwise uninteresting) secession building. having had no idea before of the mere existence of the beethoven frieze i was totally stunned by the beauty and scale of frieze. measuring at least 6 feet [...]

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Tags: Culture · adventure · art · brown university · culture studies · ideas · lifestyle · media · remix

assassin’s creed for ds: adventure as a medieval flea circus

August 25th, 2009 · No Comments

my dream of assassin’s creed when my a good friend of mine first got assassin’s creed, i was enchanted by its premise. as a serious lover of medieval history, particularly the crusades, the concept of gaming a 12th century jerusalem was immediately attractive to me. when i finally saw the game, i realized that the [...]

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Tags: Culture · culture studies · games · lifestyle · semiotics

The Invasive Ether

July 29th, 2009 · No Comments

Now that the internet has become an ambience, we have become enveloped by it. Just ten years ago, society traveled to the internet. It was something somewhat site-specific, a cafe, a library, a corporate office. At that point, the internet still had a certain physicality- one could move into its reach, and, more importantly, out. [...]

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Tags: Internet · culture studies · ideas · lifestyle · media · technology

Game/Theory Decisions: Why I am getting a Nintendo DSi

July 14th, 2009 · 1 Comment

i’ve been missing my gaming fix lately. this time last year, i was rock band-ing daily a la berkman center, and even exercising my gamer theory with monthly mit-harvard game design meetings hosted by the ever brilliant gene koo. anyway, between a brother who is no longer all that interested in video games (or staying [...]

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Tags: culture studies · games · lifestyle · technology · travel

Brutalism, Ice, Hockey, Beer – Montreal as Another Dimension

February 17th, 2009 · No Comments

Canada is like a popular American movie remade by amateurs with French subtitles. You recognize certain scenes, and the plot feels familiar, but somehow the whole thing is off. Not that this is bad thing. Indeed, I rather like it. Valentine’s Day Trip A recent jaunt up to Montreal for a weekend both confirmed everything [...]

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Tags: Sports · adventure · lifestyle · travel

doubt-less

January 9th, 2009 · No Comments

doubt is an actor’s vehicle, a film of great performances, but without any real drive to its narrative. where philip seymour hoffman, meryl streep, and amy adams put in exceptional performances, they seem to be almost freestyling through a listless and contrived story-line. perhaps this artificiality has something to do with the fact the doubt [...]

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Tags: Culture · culture studies · film · lifestyle · media · semiotics

secret santa knows the way to my heart

December 15th, 2008 · No Comments

the first awesome present of the year has been given, and received by me. this delightful remote control wall-e was a gift of a housemate for our seasonal secret santa, and boy did she impress. my wall-e moves backwards, forwards, and turns! the noises are user-provided, but i am more than capable of that! Waaaaaahhhhhllll-eeee!

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Tags: brown university · christmas · lifestyle · technology

how to ride the the ripta

November 6th, 2008 · 1 Comment

some of the best soulsearching in the world can be done on the ripta 60 bus. take the outbound from providence on a weekday night. take the 10:40; it will be half-empty. there will be a place to sit in the back, a seat on the right, where you’ll be able to see the water. [...]

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Tags: adventure · brown university · lifestyle · providence · rhode island