Playing with Spore and messin’ with our gene pool

Play is to our time what work was to the Industrial Society: our dominant way of knowing, doing and creating value. Now Spore has arrived in North America to mess with our gene pool. The multi-genre “massively single-player online game” allows a player to control the evolution of a species from its beginnings as a […]

Read More

The seven senses of the world’s best-designed newspapers

The Society of News Design has announced the World’s Best Designed Newspapers, an award I conceived as chair of SND’s design competition back in 1995. Once again no American newspapers. Papers in Europe, Mexico and former Eastern bloc countries have dominated the World’s Best competition, reflecting the emergence of free expression and the flourishing of […]

Read More

The right brain rules at SND

Of all the news organizations, the Society for News Design is the only one that is truly global, cross-disciplinary and creative. Right Brainers rule this week at SND’s annual workshop at Red Rock Resort, tucked next to the mountains about ten miles from the Vegas strip. The creative class represents the best hope for a […]

Read More

Can video games make pro football more interesting?

Earlier this week I was mesmerized by two young adults playing Madden NFL 09 on a big screen at the neighborhood Best Buy. The experience was a lot more fun than watching the Skins-Giants snoozer on NBC last night, even with analysis from Madden hisself. This Sunday, ESPN merges video game graphics with real-life analysts […]

Read More

Now on TV: Why Microsoft is so PC

Ah, I’d rather go to the Apple site for the Mac-PC ads. Microsoft’s lame campaign about nothing is about as creative as watching Bill Gates try on shoes. Dale PeskinDale is co-founder emeritus of We Media. www.wemedia.com

Read More

WSJ mag’s metaphors: Fragile futures and Sarah’s run

The Wall Street Journal launches its new luxury magazine this weekend with coincidental choices. Its advance cover-story wraps a model in newspaper (with a self-referential nod to The Journal) in a piece about fashion’s fragile future. Perhaps not the metaphor intended by a newspaper. But, look, inside .. isn’t that you-know-who? Before she was picked […]

Read More

To GOP: Sorry about the news. Blame us, buy the shirt.

The news media is taking heat for reporting on politicians who lead or want to lead the country. The president doesn’t like it. John McCain, who ought to be grateful for the vetting, doesn’t like it. Bill O’Reilly doesn’t care for it. But Sarah Palin shows she can take it. The GOP has found its […]

Read More