Sunday, June 28, 2009

new reviews in cyberculture studies (july 2009)

each month, RCCS Reviews pumps out free, full-length reviews of books about contemporary media and culture. books of the month for july 2009 are:


Cheating: Gaining Advantage in Videogames
Author: Mia Consalvo
Publisher: MIT Press, 2007
Review 1: Bryan G. Behrenshausen
Review 2: Tanner Higgin
Review 3: Ray Vichot
Author Response: Mia Consalvo

Digitizing Race: Visual Cultures of the Internet
Author: Lisa Nakamura
Publisher: University of Minnesota Press, 2007
Review 1: Yuya Kiuchi
Review 2: Nicholas Knouf
Review 3: Koen Leurs
Review 4: Andrea L. Volpe
Author Response: Lisa Nakamura

Evocative Objects: Things We Think With
Editor: Sherry Turkle
Publisher: MIT Press, 2007
Review 1: Chris Foster
Review 2: Gloria Gannaway
Review 3: Linda Levitt
Review 4: Albin Wallace

enjoy. there's a bit more where that came from.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

when wikipedia meets the library: a case study from the university of san francisco

tomorrow evening i'm giving a talk at san francisco public library. i'll be discussing some assignments i use to get college students to create, share, and collaborate. it's free! you should go!

if things go as planned, i'll be discussing this:




and then this:





and finally this:









update: here's a photograph from my perspective. thank you sfpl!

Monday, June 15, 2009

yer invited! when wikipedia meets the library: a case study from the university of san francisco

free and public talk at san francisco public library! this wednesday evening!


the san francisco public library herb caen magazines and newspapers center presents When Wikipedia Meets the Library: A Case Study from the University of San Francisco. more info at the SFPL magazines and newspapers center blog.

see you there.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

my summer reading list

every year, roy christopher collects and compiles cool summer reading lists. here's my contribution to this year's list.

my summer reading list

1. michael pollan's second nature: a gardener's education (new york: grove press, 1991)

i dig michael pollan. reading pollan gives me ideas for both my garden and my classroom. this book comes highly recommended by USF colleague, friend, and homesteader melinda stone.


2. erik davis' the visionary state: a journey through california's spiritual landscape (san francisco, california: chronicle books, 2006) - with stunning photographs by michael rauner.

this book is about california, sacred and profane buildings, shamans, pranksters, psychedelic visionaries, the prayer wheel in berkeley, the chapel of the chimes in oakland, and the alan watts library in druid heights, something i first learned about in arthur magazine.


3. mary appelhof's worms eat my garbage: how to set up and maintain a worm composting system (kalamazoo, michigan: flower press, 1982)

i want to be able to gather our food wastes, walk them outside, and feed them to worms. in return, i want and expect, with time, rich compost for our garden. this book will help.


4. karl linn's building commons and community (oakland, california: new village press, 2007) - published under creative commons

i'm tired of reading books about building community online. i want to read a book about building community offline - with help from community gardens, public exhibits, and neighborhood commons.


what's your summer reading list look like?

yer invited: work day / class day / feast day in the garden

yer invited!

USF's garden project is delighted to announce our first WORK DAY / CLASS DAY / FEAST DAY of the summer! please join us this sunday, june 14th and welcome our newest garden project member justin valone.


where: USF's campus garden

when: sunday, june 14th, 10 am - 2 pm

who: members of the USF campus community and friends

what: we will gather to weed, water, and help plant the southwest plot (formerly known as the fava bean plot). also, our new teacher justin valone will teach us some gardening skills and how to harvest.

what to bring: bring any food scraps (no meat, no bread) for our compost pile; bring a plate and fork for our garden-picked lunch; and bring a canvas or plastic bag to take some garden goodness back home with you.

see you there.

Tuesday, June 02, 2009

new reviews in cyberculture studies (june 2009)

each month, RCCS Reviews pumps out free, full-length reviews of books about contemporary media and culture. books of the month for june 2009 are:


Digital Shock: Confronting the New Reality
Author: Herve Fischer (Translated by Rhonda Mullins)
Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2006
Review 1: Jamie Switzer

Internet Inquiry: Conversations about Methods
Editor: Annette N. Markham, Nancy K. Baym
Publisher: Sage, 2008
Review 1: Anne Beaulieu
Review 2: Yana Breindl
Review 3: Luca Tateo

Las Metáforas de Internet
Author: Edgar Gómez Cruz
Publisher: Editorial Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, 2007
Review 1: María Lourdes De Panbehchi
Review 2: Javier Gómez Murcia (en Espanol)
Author Response: Edgar Gómez Cruz

enjoy. there's a bit more where that came from.