Thursday, November 3 2011
‘Masters of Doom’ A Great Man History of Gaming
In recounting the rise of John Carmack and John Romero, Masters of Doom chronicles two of video games' most influential creators and documents pivotal years in the medium's history.
Friday, October 21 2011
‘The Origins of Political Order’ Is Delightfully Bipartisan and Sure to Raise Eyebrows
The esteemed political scientist's latest book provides a thought-provoking look at the political history of past civilizations, and is sure to offer plenty of fodder for conversations about the present.
Thursday, September 22 2011
Social Climbers: Social Climbers
On this 1980 album, the words lack the confidence the music conveys, so instead of luring you in with a convincing musical world, it more often ends up throwing a fit for attention.
Thursday, September 8 2011
Telling Hamlet What to Do: Video Games, Art, and Cultural Hierarchies
Games have not stumbled upon a new way of creating and interacting with art, they have rediscovered an older system.
Friday, August 19 2011
Chet Baker: In New York
A defining figure of '50s West Coast jazz meets up with some defining figures of '50s East Coast jazz. And they make an adequate record out of it. No foolin' -- totally adequate!
Thursday, July 28 2011
Youth in the Age of ‘Mortal Kombat’
Musings on Mortal Kombat's cultural significance from a biased observer. As absurd as it might sound, Mortal Kombat was a formative experience for me, both in terms of my relationship to video games and my broader cultural and political identities.
Monday, June 20 2011
Where’s Woody?
What does an artist the caliber of Woody Allen do when he’s reached the pinnacle of his artistic accomplishment -- while only in his early 40s?
Thursday, June 16 2011
Summer in New York Is Musical Heaven
It's the scavenger spirit of self-discovery, with the relative high frequency of opportunities to catch bands at small venues early on, that makes the summer in New York a joy.
Friday, June 10 2011
Despite many bright notes, theater in New York seems to be having an identity crisis
Monday, May 23 2011
Gazing upon the Bitch-goddess of Quantification: ‘The Information’
We are drowning in a sea of information. Shall we stop to count the waves, or try to make sense of it all? The first of these two is the way of information theory.
