Why UC 256 Isn't Fun (Yet)

Does anybody else feel like UC 256 just isn't fun yet? I'm enjoying most of the readings and assignments, but something about the class has been bothering me. What follows is not a rant, but rather a halfway-done-the-semester reflection on the class. It's fairly obvious that the grading system of UC 256 is modeled after the classic game feature of "leveling up." As a student earns points from completing assignments, he eventually reach a new tier,...

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Why Jeremy Lin Drives Me Crazy

       I’m going to come right out and say it: I don’t like Jeremy Lin.  I can’t stand him. People ask me all the time how I could possibly feel this way. And they're right too. He is a fairy tale story, an international phenomenon, and is single handedly saving the New York Knicks’ season. Well, it’s probably the last point that drives me crazy. No, definitely.             The...

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Minor Quest 1

                    On Friday January 27, four of our guild members Alex Chen, Michael Scheible, Jon Lipkin and Elise van den Berg went to the game library as part of our Minor Quest. We didn’t have trouble finding the library since we have some game fanatics in our guild who already knew where the library was. Jon and Elise had never been to the library and were intrigued by the place.  It...

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Playing Nice

I found an awesome article about a guy who is trying to play the open-world RPG Skyrim as a pacifist monk (watch the video after the break for more). In a game designed to reward strength and the ability to defeat opponents at any cost, he is making an attempt to complete the game without killing anything. The game is versatile enough to support his attempt. One can use a calm spell to turn any ravaging man beast into a civilized, non-aggressive...

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