Blogging History: Precedents for "Internet makes us dumb"; 3D movies are dumb gimmicks

Cory Doctorow 12:00 pm Thu Sep 18, 2014

One year

Internet dumbing-down hysteria compared against previous waves of anti-tech backlash: Salon has a refreshing take on the effect of the net on wider culture, courtesy of Dennis Baron, author of the new book A Better Pencil. Baron places hysteria about the net's supposed dumbing-down in context with other panics of years gone by.

Five years

3D movies are doomed to gimmickhood: "Why economics condemns 3D to be no more than a blockbuster gimmick," discusses the difficulty of making truly 3D movies (that is, movies that lose something crucial in 2D) in a world where movies need to find a home on 2D small-screens in order to recoup.

Blogging History: Painting characters on coin-heads; UK wants brawl-proof pint glasses; EFF kicks Diebold's ass

One year Coins painted as fictional characters: Andre Levy, a designer in Frankfurt, likes to paint coins. Five years Britain seeks ban on glass pint-glasses to prevent bar-brawl injuries: The British Home Office is looking for proposals to make it harder to attack people with pint-glasses, including a mandate that all pint sleeves be made… READ THE REST
Blogging History: Soviet plane-spotting head-gear; Ralph Lauren visits Uncanny Valley; Internet bubble's blessings

One year Soviet plane-spotting head-gear: Drakegoodman scanned this 1917-ish photo of Soviet planespotters in exotic headgear; according to a commenter, the binox are focused at infinity "so that when you found the source of the sound by turning your head, you could see the aircraft creating that sound." Five years Ralph Lauren opens new outlet… READ THE REST
Blogging History: Non-gender kids' clothes retail; London cops apologize for geek-mugging; Lucas ships Xbox malware

One year Better way to organize kids' clothing departments: Ever since our daughter's birth, my wife Alice and I have found ourselves shopping the "boys" section of the department stores for things like pyjamas and tees and rubber boots, this being the only way to get stuff that isn't pink, covered in glitter, hypersexualized (you… READ THE REST
The AtomXS is the instant emergency power-up charger every smartphone owner needs

When the new flagship phone of the Android universe, the Samsung S21, rolls out on Jan. 29, it'll be the latest smartphone leap forward, yet still part of a curious trend that doesn't make any buyers happy. Just like the iPhone 12 when it debuted last year, the S21 will be hitting store shelves without… READ THE REST
All of these reusable water bottles can help save the planet while they save you up to 40% off

It's just a water bottle, right? Wrong. A decade ago, most of us loved the convenience of bottled water. Now, a plastic water bottle has undergone a public perception metamorphosis. What was once the height of ease and simplicity is now basically viewed as a detriment to the environment. READ THE REST
Want to learn to code? These 12 learning bundles will teach you everything you need to know

If you want to learn to code, but don't know where to begin…welcome to programming. Seriously, there are dozens of different avenues for understanding how to use everything from Java and Python to C++, Ruby on Rails, and more. Each programming discipline or tool also comes with its own set of strengths and weaknesses that… READ THE REST