TV for kids

I've been doing research for a current project (designing a children's literacy building adventure game) and had to watch a bunch of kids' tv. With the exception of Hannah Montana (which is, admittedly, trite and redundant), most shows for kids are really terrible.

[Before my darling readers can voice objections, I'll clarify why HM is an exception.]

Hannah Montana is a brilliant show, even though the plots are overly simplistic and about as formulaic as mcdonald's hash browns. Here's why: In the minds of every young girl lurks a brave, talented and outgoing superstar - whatever her real world inclinations or behaviors may be. And the show doesn't glamorize being a celebrity, in fact, it's quite the opposite - being famous is the source of all of Miley's problems [let's not get into the real life story behind the show, let's just go with the message]. And even better, it doesn't get her out of problems when the going gets tough, she actually has to rely on being a thoughtful, caring and considerate person. For once, thank you Disney.

But based on an admittedly short-lived review, I can find almost no other highlights.

Dora's [the Explorer, of course] cool cause she's bilingual, and the way they integrate the spanish language learning into the show is seamless and probably really educational [I'm no child development expert]. But even though I'm certain that they've formulated the extremely simplistic and repetitive format from some high falutin' child research, that sh*# is BORING.

And what's with the we're-in-a-computer-but-it's-actually-TV thing going on with both Dora and Super Why? And why are they talking to me and standing there like idiots waiting for me to respond? I'm sure this works for little kids - at least in terms of provoking a response and a certain level of engagement with the show - but are we training them to be simpletons?! Egads!

From a game design perspective, I find this really promising. It means that TV is trying too hard, and that they've lost touch with the value of their own medium...which also means that the field is WIDE OPEN for cross-platform and integrated content development, if only someone would create it [aHEM! cough, cough. :D]!

I hark back to the days of Warner Brothers


Hanna Barbera


and everything Jim Henson ever touched


I never felt that I was being talked down to, and even though I didn't necessarily understand everything, I can still watch all those shows and not want to shoot myself out of boredom and/or frustration. What frightens me about this contemporary approach is that it sacrifices real, profound, thoughtful storytelling as well as a multidimensional level of interaction - see, the beauty of not understanding everything you're watching is that your brain is activated on many levels, even unconscious ones, and that's gotta be a good thing!

Sheesh. Even Tom & Jerry did it better than this (and they don't talk)!

Oh, by the way, I finished my thesis project

and you can read all about it on my portfolio site phobewankenobi

Books I have on the shelf that I will not be reading

before I leave school, that is:

Whole Life Economics, Barbara Brandt (1995)
Economic Heresies, Joan Robinson (1971)
Creating Alternative Futures, Hazel Henderson (1978)
Exercises in Economic Analysis, Joan Robinson (1960)
Essays in the Theory of Economic Growth, Joan Robinson (1962)
Introduction to the Theory of Employment, Joan Robinson (1939)
Economics of Imperfect Competition, Joan Robinson (1964)
Victory Point, Ed Darack (2009)
American Spartans, James A. Warren (2005)
Marines in the Garden of Eden, Richard S. Lowry (2006)
Metaphors We Live By, George Lakoff & Mark Johnson (1980)
Knowledge Processes in Globally Distributed Contexts, Kotlarsky et al (2008)
The Information Society: Emerging Landscapes, Zietinski et al (2005)
Growing Up Online: Young People and Digital Technologies, Sandra Weber & Shanly Dixon (2007)
Great Business Teams, Howard M. Guttman (2008)
The Laws of War, Michael Howard et al (1994)
High-Speed Society, Hartmut Rosa & William E. Scheuerman (2009)
Hierarchy, Knut M. Rio & Olaf H. Smedal (2009)
Philosophy and Organization, Campbell Jones & Rene ten Bos (2007)
Unpacking Globalization, Linda E. Lucas (2007)
Virtual Organization, Abbe Moshowitz (2002)
Virtual Organizations: Systems and Practices, Camarinha-Matos et al (2005)
Managing Imaginary Organizations, Bo Hedberg et al (2002)
Uncanny Networks, Geert Lovink (2002)
Managing Media Companies: Harnessing Creative Value, Annet Aris & Jacques Bughin (2005)
The Individual in the Changing Workplace, Naswell et al (2008)
Exploring Virtuality Within and Beyond Organizations, Niki Panteli & Mike Chiasson (2008)
Organizational Ethnography, Daniel Neyland (2008)
If You've Raised Kids, You Can Manage Anything, Ann Crittenden (2004)

And the books I have read that I will miss...

Virtual Teams, Lipnack & Stamps (1997)
Cartoon History of the United States, Larry Gonick (1991)
The Future of Work, Thomas W. Malone (2004)
Mastering Virtual Teams, Duarte & Snyder (2001)
Women and the Distribution of Wealth, Deere & Doss (2007)
The Experience and Meaning of Work in Women's Lives, Grossman & Chester (1990)
The 51% Minority, Liz Wiehl (2007)
Happiness, Bruno S. Frey (2008)
Feminism, Objectivity & Economics, Julie A. Nelson [I love you Julie! Wooooo!] (1996)
Economics for Humans, Julie A. Nelson [hooooooooo!] (2006)
The Invisible Heart, Nancy Folbre (2001)
Work and Family, Ferber & O'Farrell (1991)
Liberating Economics, Barker & Feiner (2004)
Why Women Mean Business, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox & Allison Maitland (2008)
If Women Counted, Marilyn Waring (1988)
The Endless Day: The Political Economy of Women and Work (1982)
The Sexual Division of Work, Shirely Dex (1985)
Working Mothers, Jean Curtis (1976)
Capitalism and Commerce, Edward W. Younkins (2002)
Proceedings of the Academy of Political Science: The Economic Position of Women (1910)
Valuing Children, Nancy Folbre (2008)
Work in the Lives of Married Women, Proceedings of a Conference on Womanpower (1957)
Enlightened Power, Coughlin et al (2005)
Woman's Worth, Leghorn & Parker (1981)

Sigh. It's a little early to get sentimental, but I'll miss you, carrel.

Autism is probably the future

Such a sweet story. A dad in the UK decided to invent a speaking program for his non-verbal autistic son. And soon it's going to be available for any windows PC.

An Introduction to Speaks4Me from ATT-Videos on Vimeo.

f-a-c-a-d-e

CGI insanity!

a ridiculous amount of memory on a chip

I can't wait to build an extension of my brain. Thanks HP.