Discourse Chronicle

May 04, 2008

Gaming helps students hone 21st-century skills (eSchool News)

Studies of the brain have pointed to data suggesting that repeated exposure to video games reinforces the ability to create mental maps, inductive discovery such as formulating hypotheses, and the ability to focus on several things at once and respond faster to unexpected stimuli. -Laura Devaney

[From Elizabeth. The article focuses on possibilities with Second Life in a classroom.]

Posted by kuechebj at 12:35 PM | Comments (0)

April 15, 2008

4 C's 2008 Recap (Discourse Chronicle)

[Here is a recap with lessons learned from when Elizabeth and I attended the C's with four other colleagues:

Day 0

• People with a controlling personality often hurt other people's feelings without thinking about it.

• Driving through stormy weather adds stress to fatigue.

• Planning solves many problems, but cannot account for everything, such as being delayed by Interstate accidents.

Day 1

• Adjusting to weather down south is more difficult for some than others.

• People with a controlling personality make bad team players.

• I caught up with Dr. Jan Swearingen (a graduate mentor of mine) at a Hayden-McNeil publisher party.

Day 2

• I met Dr. Cynthia Selfe at a newcomer's breakfast and we talked about my current research on Second Life, which led to a request for a copy of a paper I am revising about avatar creation, and encouraged submission to the academic journal Computers and Composition.

• I requested many examination copies from publishers that the "Book Fairy" will leave for me later.

• I missed many interesting panels due to grading student papers and working on my own seminar papers.

Day 3

• I listened to presentations about Second Life in the composition classroom and understandably noticed minimal attention being given to theory and application.

• Elizabeth and I caught up with Dr. Dennis G. Jerz (an undergrad mentor of mine) and we snapped a picture of us in front of Preservation Hall to send to our mutual friend Dr. Joel Pace (another undergrad mentor of mine).

After spending a total of 30 hours in a van on a road trip with five other personalities, I admit the trip is definitely a learning experience, but with all due respect toward my colleagues - I prefer traveling with Elizabeth or alone. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 10:46 AM | Comments (3)

March 28, 2008

Three Writers are Drawn by the Allure of Comics (NPR)

As comic books — or, in more highbrow parlance, graphic novelizations — nudge their way onto the shelves of bookstores and the pages of literary magazines, some well-known writers are trying their hand at the genre. Pop-culture icon Joss Whedon, best-selling novelist Jodi Picoult and rapper Percy Carey are among those feeling the lure of comics. -John Ridley

[From Elizabeth. Comics and graphic novels transition easily from page to screen using storyboards, but a storyboard is different from a comic panel, which Scott McCloud explains in Understanding Comics and Making Comics. I remember strongly disagreeing with associating comics and film in a portfolio paper for my MA degree, but Mark C. Rogers presented a similar argument at last year's National PCA with "Wile E. Coyote Still Died for Your Sins: Intertextuality and Continuity in Sandman and Animal Man". BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 03:12 PM | Comments (0)

March 25, 2008

National PCA 2008 Recap (Discourse Chronicle)

[Elizabeth and I returned from presenting in San Francisco on Saturday. Both of us presented well and I am always pleased with how National PCA keeps getting better every year as I celebrate my fifth consecutive year presenting at that conference. Here is a recap about our trip:

Day 0

• Our friends David McClure and Suzan Aiken provided a ride to the airport despite learning about us flying out of Cleveland two days beforehand

• Continental Airlines kindly served a small breakfast with cereal, milk, and fresh fruit along with a snack

Day 1

• Elizabeth and I caught up with my comic scholar colleagues Area Chair Nicole Freim, her husband Jason Tondro, and Amy Nyberg at dinner

• I attended and supported fellow BGSU PhD student Jeff Geers as he panel chaired for the first time

• I caught up with other comic scholar colleagues such as Gene Kannenberg, Jr. and his wife K.A. Laity (author of Jane Quiet)

Day 4

• Elizabeth and I attended each other's presentations and believe we did well

• My keyring with laminated sheets using "15 min.," "10 min.," "5 min.," and a giant "STOP" sign received good praise as a timekeeping device

• I briefly caught up with Rey Valdez, a PhD student colleague from Texas A&M, who presented on Saturday

• I caught up with John Shelton Lawrence and he asked me to comment on an article he is submitting to a magazine about comics

• I also caught up with Erica Benson, an English professor from UW-Eau Claire, who knows Patrick Day (a professor-mentor of mine from undergraduate work)

• I won "The Korvie" from The Institute for Korvac Studies (a parody panel poking fun at academia and comic scholarship by comic scholars)

One conference down and one more to go. Elizabeth and some of our colleagues are presenting at the 4 C's conference and facilitating a half-day workshop for college writing programs next week. I am going with them as moral and tech support since videotaping is involved with the workshop. I look forward to it because the 4 C's is a major conference in the field of Rhetoric and Composition and being there will also give me a chance to catch up with professor-mentors I have not seen in years such as Dennis G. Jerz. I do remember, though, that techies dress in black! BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 08:51 PM | Comments (0)

March 18, 2008

National PCA 2008 (Discourse Chronicle)

[No blog this week. I am presenting "Community, Rhetoric, and Poetics in Superman: Birthright" at the National Popular Culture Association conference. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 02:55 AM | Comments (0)

March 16, 2008

National PCA 2008 Updated (Discourse Chronicle)

[Elizabeth's presentation moved again due to a conflict with our flight leaving San Francisco. Here is her presentation as printed now in the program:

Friday, March 21, 2008, 8:00am - 9:30am
Golden Gate Hall Salon C2
406 Gender Studies VI: The Monstrous Feminine in Popular Fictions
Chair: Kirsten T. Saxton, Mills College

“Good Hair and Bad Girls: Depictions of Female Depravity in Popular Literature”
Kathryn Stull, Mills College

“Gods and Models: Chuck Palahniuk’s Feminized Revision of the Ubermensch in Invisible Monsters”
Adrienne Cacitti, Mills College

“Of Smug Marrieds (ugh) and Singletons (v.v.g.): Bridget Jones’s Subversive Grammar and the Constraints of Discourse”
Elizabeth Fleitz, Bowling Green State University

“Mommie’s Bloodlusting and Vamping: Dracula as the Autogamous Mother in Bram Stoker’s Dracula”
Joe McDermott, Mills College

I feel bad about setbacks Elizabeth experienced due to her Area Chair because I plug National PCA hard since I always have a great time with it. I know things happen without warning, but like bad customers in retail, people talk and negative feedback makes everyone working on popular culture suffer. Unfortunately, most presenters do not return after having a bad experience with PCA. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 09:46 PM | Comments (0)

March 09, 2008

Students 'should use Wikipedia' (BBC News)

"You can ban kids from listening to rock 'n' roll music, but they're going to anyway," he added. "It's the same with information, and it's a bad educator that bans their students from reading Wikipedia."

In 2005, at the height of the controversy over the site's accuracy, Mr Wales told the BBC that students who copied information from Wikipedia "deserved to get an F grade". -Alistair Coleman

[Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales's take on citing Wikipedia now and then. An important distinction is made here in that college attempts teaching students how to conduct research in an academic environment toward producing a new or overlooked argument. The constantly changing accuracy or possibility of inaccuracy robs students from finding niches and innovating older ideas. I continue banning my students from citing Wikipedia and I know I am NOT a bad educator. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 10:25 PM | Comments (4)

Naïve Teacher Believes In Her Students (Onion)

"I remember when I started here," said Jim Hawes, who has taught math at Bishop Kelly for 11 years. "I thought I could get the kids to appreciate the symmetry of math and the intrinsic beauty of a balanced equation. That got beaten out of me midway through my second year, when my car was keyed, my house was TP'ed, I got 12 magazine subscriptions I never ordered, and someone phoned me at 1:30 in the morning and called me a faggot. Now, I'm just happy if they can parrot back the quadratic formula and don't put soap in my coffee." -The Onion

[Amen! I honestly love teaching English in college, particularly composition, but bad students ruin everything for everybody. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 06:41 PM | Comments (2)

March 08, 2008

Jim Gaffigan and Hot Pockets! (YouTube)

[From Jim Gaffigan's Beyond the Pale comedy special. Hilarious! BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 07:35 PM | Comments (0)

March 07, 2008

STUDY COMICS: Graphic novel journalism explains the news better (Street)

Look at this list of award-winning graphic novels. Especially if you want to understand another item in the news, like Kosovo peeling itself away from Serbia (graphic journalist Joe Sacco's Balkan War novels shed ink and insight on the region. To understand what's popping off in Palestine, check out Sacco's book of the not-quite-a-recognized-country's same name.) And how else would a layman understand the 9/11 Commission's report? -Kell Dailey

[Here at BGSU, freshman students are required to take two composition courses, Eng 111: Introduction to Composition and then Eng 112: Varieties of Writing. I am currently teaching Eng 112 and students gain exposure to reading academic articles while learning to argue in writing, but they often complain that articles are not entertaining enough. I wonder if students might be more interested in composition and English as a subject if a textbook presented material in graphic novel format like Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics, Reinventing Comics, and Making Comics. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 08:00 AM | Comments (1)

Freeverse unveils iPhone gaming plans (Macworld)

Freeverse's first idea is for a line of "Flick Sports" products for the iPhone and iPod touch -- 3D games that utilize the device's unique input controls for immersive gameplay. Freeverse said it's working on golf, bowling, soccer and baseball games to start. -Peter Cohen

Posted by kuechebj at 07:52 AM | Comments (0)

March 01, 2008

VG Cats #248: Humble Suggestion (VG Cats)

[I found this webcomic hilarious because I know Elizabeth's research is on cookbooks and cooking. However, I imagine from a feminist perspective, many things are going wrong in these three panels. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 08:34 PM | Comments (0)

February 19, 2008

Sony killing 80GB PS3, introducing 120GB or 160GB model with Dual Shock 3? (Engadget)

According to Ars Technica, Sony has some big plans for a PlayStation 3 refresh, starting with a phase-out of the 80GB model. According to an "inside source" -- which Ars claims has been consistently right on video game-related predictions -- the console-maker's new plot is starting to take shape, holding fast to a two-SKU approach on packages, upping the hard drive capacity on systems, and including the Dual Shock 3 controller. The new bundles will take the high / low road, with the source stating that the 40GB model will remain on shelves, while the 80GB, Spider-Man 3-inclusive system will disappear, only to be replaced with a 120GB or 160GB configuration. Of course, right now these are just words on a screen, though in light of Best Buy's recent stock changes, there certainly is an air of movement over at Sony. -Joshua Topolsky

[From Elizabeth. She asks "If the DualShock controller gets any stronger, will anyone be able to still hold on to it? Plus who really needs 160GB of saved games?" and I am not sure the vibration function on the controller is strong at all. I imagine that players who play the MMORPGs like Final Fantasy XI probably need that much hard drive space, but maybe PS3 games are larger files compared with PS2. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 08:20 AM | Comments (2)

February 08, 2008

Rejection [BGSU Graduate Student Senate] (Discourse Chronicle)

Due to the large number of applications that were received, the FPD Review Committee developed a specific set of criteria and guidelines that applications had to fulfill for acceptance. Due to the nature of the selection process, these criteria and guidelines were created to ensure the quality and fairness for all applicants. Unfortunately, your application was denied for the following reason: Transportation expenses not justified.

[I attempted this small grant opportunity at BGSU as assistance toward my upcoming trip to San Francisco for National PCA this March, but I neglected explaining purchasing two plane tickets covers both Elizabeth and I since we split costs. I am not hurt badly because I expected a rejection. The amount awarded for successful proposals is split evenly among all winning applicants regardless of need or importance.

However, I used this letter as a teachable moment with my freshmen students today. I allowed a student to open and read it aloud in class. All of them pulled for me and hoped for an acceptance, but since I failed, I drove home the point that no matter how good we are as writers we may always become better. I believe my students understand that and we continued having a good class. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 01:48 PM | Comments (2)

February 07, 2008

National PCA 2008 Update (Discourse Chronicle)

[Elizabeth is presenting with me in March at the National Popular Culture Association conference here:

Saturday, March 22, 8:00am - 9:30am
Golden Gate Hall Salon B1
341 Gender Studies VIII: Resistance and Subversion of Gender Identity in Contemporary Popular Novels
Chair: Catherine S. Cox, University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown

Of Smug Marrieds (ugh) and Singletons (v.v.g.): Bridget Jones's Subversive Grammar and the Constraints of Discourse
Elizabeth Fleitz, Bowling Green State University

“Not only what society has made them”: Re-inscribing Hegemonic White Masculinity in Contemporary Women’s Chick Lit
Katie O’Donnell Arosteguy, Washington State University

A Tension in Contemporary Femininity: Psychoanalysis and Phoebe Gloeckner’s The Diary of a Teenage Girl
Allison Lakomski, Simmons College

Signatures of Gendered Subjectivity in Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home”
Catherine S. Cox, University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 06:24 PM | Comments (0)

January 23, 2008

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers to Perform at Superbowl XLII Halftime Show (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers)

Broadcast to nearly 1 billion people in over 230 countries and territories worldwide, the Super Bowl is the marquee event of American sport and television.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers will rock this year's Super Bowl Halftime Show as legendary talent such as Prince, Paul McCartney, and The Rolling Stones have in recent years.

Superbowl XLII will be broadcast on FOX on February 3, 2008. -Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Official Site

[I watch Super Bowl Sunday each year for its commercials, but this year will be an extra treat now! BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 09:50 PM | Comments (3)

January 10, 2008

Knight Rider Announcement (NBC)

Executive Producer Doug Liman ('The Bourne Identity' Franchise and 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith') and Executive Producer David Bartis ('The O.C' and NBC's 'Heist') have joined together to bring back the 1980's television classic "Knight Rider." The two-hour movie event brings KITT and a talented cast of young and seasoned actors into the 21st century with speed, drama, love and triumph. David Hasselhoff as a special guest star returns as Michael Knight. -NBC.com

[Awesome! I remember the original Knight Rider was my favorite show as a kid and I watched both movies, Knight Rider 2000 (based on the series) and Knight Rider 2010 (loosely based on the series), so I will definitely check this one out. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 11:01 PM | Comments (2)

December 29, 2007

James Bond stamps to be launched (BBC)

The centenary of the birth of James Bond creator Ian Fleming is to be marked next month with six extra-long UK stamps, Royal Mail has said.

Each stamp has been lengthened to show a number of different Bond novel covers, with first-class stamps featuring Casino Royale and Dr No. -BBC News

[From Eden. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 10:19 AM | Comments (0)

December 10, 2007

"Superbad" DVD Pulled From Wal-Mart (G4)

Remember Superbad, and how that McLovin dude got a fake Hawaiian ID? Yeah, well, apparently the Hawaiian gentry aren't too happy about that ID being on the cover of the DVD, so they got it pulled from Wal-Mart in their state. See, they don't want kids to know what a Hawaii driver's license looks like, so they can't replicate one. -Gizmodo

Posted by kuechebj at 08:08 PM | Comments (2)

November 29, 2007

Sneak Peak of James Blunt on Sesame Street (You Tube)

[Our Introduction to Composition professor watches a lot of Sesame Street with his young daughter and constantly references this version of James Blunt's "You're Beautiful". A good adaptation intended to teach kids about triangles, but nowhere near as hilarious as the "My Cubicle" parody. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 05:30 AM | Comments (0)

November 26, 2007

Rejection [Rhetoric Society of America] (Discourse Chronicle)

Dear colleague,

I am sorry to report that our program committee has been unable to offer your proposal, "Superman Blue: Convention, Innovation, and Longevity", reference 0203, a place on the RSA 2008 program.

Competition for program space was unusually fierce because this year’s RSA conference has attracted unusual interest. You should know that only in exceptional cases will people who proposed more than one paper be permitted to present multiple times.

[I know taking rejections personally is a trap because those are based on fit, not quality, nor subject matter. However, I believe in myself a little less when it happens. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 11:44 PM | Comments (2)

November 20, 2007

Man uses Wii calendar to catch cheating wife (Gamepro)

"[In Nov.] I flip through the Wii menu and visit the Mii Channel so I can peruse the many friends that I have created with the guys that I played with in Iraq," writes Tony in an email to GoNintendo. "As I go through the characters, I see there is a Mii that I have not created. It's a guy strikingly similar to my wife's [alleged lover].

"To be sure of this, I went into the Wil Message Board and click on the Calendar option. Through this menu I was able to identify the many nights my wife's Mii and this 'other' Mii Character played Wii Bowling together." -Blake Snow

[According to the article, Tony is an Armed Forces member who returned home after serving a tour in Iraq and passed time playing games on his Nintendo Wii. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 08:41 PM | Comments (0)

October 23, 2007

New Graphic Novel: Say "No" to Internet Piracy (Wired)

Initially, I was skeptical about a comic strip deploring online file sharing. But the 18-page story does what the NCSC set out to do: explain the court system in an interesting way. I guarantee you I wouldn’t have been able to read a black and white document on this stuff but I whizzed through it in its graphic novel format. -Miyoko Ohtake

Posted by kuechebj at 03:15 PM | Comments (0)

October 12, 2007

In Some Schools, iPods are Required Listening (New York Times)

The Union City district, which has a $197 million annual budget, places a priority on bilingual classes because more than one-quarter of its students are learning basic English skills. District officials said the stakes are high; 4 of the district’s 12 schools have been identified as needing improvement under the federal No Child Left Behind law, largely because not enough bilingual students have passed the state reading and math tests. -Winnie Hu

[I theorized that my language skills, although I am a native speaker of English, derive from constantly listening to music on the radio and personal devices (Sony Walkman and Discman) and I thought if people struggling with learning English followed suit, then perhaps language acquisition would be easier. Now I see my hypothesis is right. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 02:34 PM | Comments (0)

September 27, 2007

Teaching Mr. Kuechenmeister (Discourse Chronicle)

[Today I taught my section of Introductory Writing with Elizabeth as an observer and I realized how far I come with my teaching. The lesson focused on giving my students practice with integrating sources using a handout showing small sample passages without quotes and then quotes alongside them. Students needed to copy the passage and insert the quote where appropriate with proper formatting. I originally planned on covering MLA style and giving students an opportunity to practice doing that as well, but time slipped away and we will deal with it next time.

I remember feeling self-conscious whenever someone observed me while I taught because I thought evaluation accompanied observation. For some reason, previous observations happened on days when I seemed not at my best, so I thought having Elizabeth watch me then would add stress because of our relationship. However, I conducted class confidently and completely forgot that I was being observed. I never experienced that before in my teaching and I take it as a sign that I am continuing to be an always improving instructor. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 08:37 PM | Comments (3)

August 23, 2007

Agatha Christie Gets the Graphic Novel Treatment (iF Magazine)

From the BBC comes the rather unusual news that the works of famed mystery writer Agatha Christie will be adapted in a series of 83 – count ‘em, 83! – graphic novels, the first twelve of which will be released next month to coincide with Agatha Christie Week, September 9-15. -Tony Whitt

[My officemate, Eden, told me about this upcoming adaptation since she does research on mystery genre literature and detective fiction. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 03:38 PM | Comments (0)

‘Batgirl’ flap reopens debate over sexism in comic books (Nashua Telegraph)

So why the sexism charge? Well, originally the book was solicited with the 1967 cover to “The Million Dollar Debut of Batgirl” on the front, a standard shot of Batgirl running toward the reader with the Dynamic Duo reacting in the background. But when the book arrived, another cover had been selected – the first page of “Batgirl’s Costumed Cut-Ups” (“Detective” No. 371, 1967), where Batgirl is depicted as being more concerned with her lipstick than fighting crime. -Andrew A. Smith

[Smith points out that the chosen cover image is slightly misleading since "Cut-Ups" shows Barbara Gordon / Batgirl overcoming doubts about being both a woman and a crime-fighting superhero. However, fans reactions are divided by gender, with men saying "What’s the problem?" and women saying "If you don’t see the problem, that is the problem." BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 03:25 PM | Comments (0)

August 14, 2007

Animator vs. Animation (alanbecker)

[Flash animation of stick figure vs. cursor. From Toby. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 11:41 AM | Comments (0)

August 11, 2007

Simulated Relationships Offer Insight Into Real Ones (Science Daily)

Vicary and Fraley modeled their study on a 1979 Random House interactive fiction series, "Choose Your Own Adventure," which allowed the reader to select from multiple options at critical points in the story. Each choice directed the reader to a new scenario.

This approach appealed to the researchers because earlier studies of individual behavior in relationships asked participants to make choices based solely on descriptions of isolated events. The sequential nature of the new study was more like an actual relationship, Vicary said, in that it involved ongoing interactions with the same partner.

[From Jerz's Literacy Weblog. I found this finding particularly fascinating: “It is interesting that even when highly insecure individuals experience responses as a direct function of their actions, they are still relatively slow to adopt beneficial relationship choices,” the authors wrote. “It is possible that insecure individuals simply do not realize the detrimental impact that their actions have on their relationships.”

The reason is because after reading the first statement, it may be possible to understand its message as saying one cannot teach an old dog new tricks. However, taken together with the next statement the message changes into one that emphasizes how important communication is in a relationship. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 05:08 PM | Comments (0)

July 29, 2007

Supersize Me—and All My Friends (Scientific American)

Supersized portions and a lack of exercise may not be the only reasons for the spread of obesity in the U.S. A new study finds that having an obese friend makes a person 57 percent more likely to develop a bulging waistline too.

The effect was strongest for close friends but also occurred if friends of friends—or even their friends—gained weight, suggesting that obesity spreads as a kind of social contagion, the same phenomenon popularized in the 2000 book The Tipping Point as an explanation for fads from trucker hats to management philosophies. -JR Minkel

Posted by kuechebj at 09:22 AM | Comments (2)

July 27, 2007

Starbucks "Glen" Survivor Commercial (You Tube)

[Best commercial or greatest commercial? A hilarious parody of Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger" from Rocky III. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 07:56 AM | Comments (0)

Disney to cut smoking from movies (Canada)

Disney president and CEO Robert Iger told Ed Markey, that concerns raised by the lawmaker about cinema’s influence on underage smoking prompted the action. Disney also plans to place anti-smoking ads on DVDs of films in which the actors light up. -Brooks Boliek, Reuters

Posted by kuechebj at 07:29 AM | Comments (0)

July 23, 2007

Vibrating GPS rings could make traversing foreign lands easier (Engadget)

The rings vibrate in a variety of manners to instruct the wearer which direction to go, which could certainly help an English tourist in Japan feel a lot more at home. Granted, even the inventor admits that the current design is entirely more suited for a lady, but we can envision quite a few macho gents putting their pride aside in order to refrain from being lost. -Darren Murph

[I recently returned from a vacation visiting my parents in Wisconsin and left my Aggie Ring at home, so this invention is probably not for me. From Elizabeth. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 11:06 AM | Comments (0)

July 18, 2007

30-Second Bunnies Theatre Library (Angry Alien Productions)

[Hilarious re-enactments of great movies like Superman, Spider-Man 1 and 2, James Bond, and Star Wars along with others! From Monty Ernst. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 04:08 PM | Comments (1)

July 17, 2007

Confessions of a Teenage Fug Queen (Go Fug Yourself)

Before we elect her the official ambassador of "how our society should be educated on," however, we thought we should put this budding young teacher to the test by taking a red pen to her screed**. And, sure, everyone makes mistakes now and then -- we certainly are not immune -- but we do feel that anyone calling us to educational arms (among other things) should be fairly well outfitted with weapons herself. -Heather

[A two page composition critique of an email sent from Lindsay Lohan's Blackberry. From Elizabeth. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 11:43 AM | Comments (0)

July 07, 2007

Women are no chattier than men (Philadelphia Inquirer)

While the study deals only with how much men and women talk, Mehl also found some robust sex-specific differences he plans to publish later. "Men talk about technology, sports and money. They use more numbers," Mehl said. "Women talk about fashion, but also about relationships." -Erika Gebel

Posted by kuechebj at 06:07 PM | Comments (0)

July 06, 2007

Avril Lavigne's Girlfriend sued (Monsters and Critics)

Songwriters Tommy Dunbar and James Gangwer, members of The Rubinoos, allege Lavigne's hit 2007 single 'Girlfriend' is strikingly similar to their 1979 song 'I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend'. -Monsters and Critics: People News

Posted by kuechebj at 11:59 AM | Comments (0)

July 03, 2007

Colbert’s comics coming soon (Quillblog)

Entertainment Weekly is giving the world a sneak peek at Stephen Colbert’s new comic book series, entitled Stephen Colbert’s Tek Jansen. The five-issue series features art by Scott Chantler, of Northwest Passage fame, and follows the intergalactic adventures of Jansen, the hero of a sci-fi novel that Colbert’s Comedy Central host character claims to have written. The title is a nod to William Shatner’s TekWar series. -Megan Grittani-Livingston

Posted by kuechebj at 05:04 PM | Comments (0)

Kwik-E-Mart Comes to Life (ABC News)

While fast food tie-ins are still a major part of generating hype for a new film, today Hollywood seeks larger and more creative means to create buzz. Call it organic, viral or guerrilla marketing.

The latest incarnation came this week when 7-Eleven transformed 12 of its convenience stores into caricatures of the Kwik-E-Mart as part of a promotion for "The Simpsons Movie." -Scott Mayerowitz

Posted by kuechebj at 03:51 PM | Comments (0)

July 01, 2007

My Cubicle (You Tube)

[A parody of James Blunt's "You're Beautiful". I heard it as part of a conference paper in Boston. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 07:11 PM | Comments (0)

Supergirls in comics (Times of India)

Comic-book writer, Gerry Conway, responsible for the death of Gwen Stacey (Spiderman) and rape of Cinder (Cinder and Ashe) says, "Male creators of comics act out subconscious adolescent male hostility toward women in their art." Samarjit Choudhry, VP Gotham Comics (India) disagrees, "Superheroines are killed as often as the superheroes." -Himank Sharma

[Sharma claims a lack of female readership among comics due to preferences for "humorous, light hearted comics" over "high-action, superhero-versus-the baddie-in-mid-air drama." I disagree with Sharma's apparently black-and-white assessment on why women read fewer comics. The description given for superhero comics is also true for manga and an increasing number of women are attracted to that format. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 05:04 PM | Comments (0)

Marvel Comics Will Bury Captain America on Thursday (Associated Content)

In the issue that came out on March 7th of this year, Captain America was shot by an assassin's bullet. This outraged many fans of Marvel's oldest superhero. It also made many fans realize the political connotations of the storyline that led up to one of their favorite hero's deaths.

The current storyline for Marvel Comics centers around the Superhero Registration Act. The goal of the act is to have all of the superheroes officially register with the government, and to reveal their secret identities. -L. Vincent Poupard

Posted by kuechebj at 04:43 PM | Comments (0)

May 08, 2007

Six Flags Over Texas (Alliance Wake)

The University of Texas won the Spring 2007 Collegiate Team Challenge hosted by Texas A&M and North Texas on April 28-29 in Beaumont Texas at Set-x Lake. The weather could not have been more perfect with blue skies, temperatures averaging 85 degrees, and zero wind. Six schools represented in the event including North Texas, Texas A&M, Texas, Texas Tech, Louisiana Tech, and Steve F. Austin. The tournament was pulled by Texas Tige with their new 2007 RZ2. The first day of the event was packed with competitive riding from all of the teams. Key riders in the first day included John Aulick (Texas A&M), John Marshall (Texas Tech), Mark Heger (Texas), Joram Hadden (Louisiana Tech), Slayt Ebeling (Texas A&M), and Clint Hibbard (SFA). -Leo Lasecki

[Leo was a freshman in my Composition and Rhetoric course this semester and he shared his online publication with me soon after our course ended. I understood teaching as a thankless job from an earlier time, but once in a while, instructors see things like this come around. The best feeling is knowing that maybe I had something to do with it. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 11:39 PM | Comments (1)

May 04, 2007

Spider-Man 3 (Sony)

[I am definitely impressed with Spider-Man 3, despite some casting reservations about Topher Grace as Eddie Brock / Venom, but Grace's performance is a perfect counterbalance for Tobey Maguire. Fan buzz points toward potential actors and actresses to replace Maguire (Peter Parker / Spider-Man) and Kirsten Dunst (Mary-Jane Watson) if they opt out from Spider-Man 4. Losing Maguire and Dunst is risky since both performers present true representations of their characters, but Spider-Man 3 is a logical departure point. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 09:20 AM | Comments (0)

April 24, 2007

Graphic novel draws out history of Israel (Cleaveland Jewish News)

Starting from biblical times, the small volume condenses the entire history of the Jewish people into a few pages of illustrations, with the majority of the work focused on the recent epoch in which the modern state of Israel was created. While this abbreviated account might offend the sensibilities of some religious scholars, it reveals, practically at a glance, the historical connection of Jews to the Holy Land and the basis for Zionism. -Alan Smason

[A.David Lewis's Lone and Level Sands comes to mind here. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 11:45 AM | Comments (1)

April 15, 2007

Carrie Underwood - Before He Cheats (You Tube)

[Here is something I notice about this video that really bothers me. According to CMT, this song hit #1 on Billboard's Country charts and helped Underwood's album go five times platnium last year, but now this song is shooting up the pop charts as DJs and VJs herald it as a "new" song. Naturally, appearing on Country and Pop charts makes Underwood a successful crossover artist like Shania Twain, but what bothers me is that DJs and VJs are treating her as if she is brand-new whereas before they were aware of a crossover artist's previous success. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 10:33 PM | Comments (2)

GTA IV's setting sparks outrage in NYC for being too close-to-home (Gamepro)

Based on the game's highly-publicized trailer, examples include such spot-on pixelated representations of famous New York landmarks as Coney Island's Cyclone roller coaster (renamed as the "Screamer") and the MetLife Building (renamed "GetaLife"). Many of the other examples require no such clever name changes, including the city's iconic Statue of Liberty, the world-famous Brooklyn Bridge, and the distinctive architecture of the Flatiron Building. -Gamepro Staff

[Jeff Gertsman, editorial director at Gamespot.com, is quoted as saying "We've seen games that have been set in real cities, and that has been a weird route to take. By setting it in Liberty City they can get away with that satire" in the report by NY Daily News. Gertsman is right about fictional settings based on real-world equivalents and how commentary may be made using that method, but Erich Auerbach discusses that phenomenon in Mimesis: Representation of Reality in Western Literature and Aristotle also talks about mimesis in his Poetics long before Gertsman. Comics are notorious for using mimetic settings and the best example is probably Marvel since almost all of its heroes reside in New York City (Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, Avengers, Daredevil). BK

Posted by kuechebj at 06:00 PM | Comments (0)

April 14, 2007

Analysis: Why Did Sony Cut the 20GB PS3 Production? (Playfuls)

Dave Karraker, Sr. Director, Corporate Communications at SCEA, explained Sony’s decision in an interview with GameIndustry.biz: “At launch, we offered two separate models of PLAYSTATION 3 to meet the diverse needs and interests of our PlayStation fan base. Initial retail demand in North America was upwards of ninety percent in favor of the 60GB SKU, so we manufactured and shipped-in accordingly. Due to the overwhelming demand for the 60GB model from both retailers and consumers, we have ceased offering the 20GB model here in North America. In addition to the larger internal hard drive, the 60GB PlayStation 3 features added storage media slots and built-in Wi-Fi not found in the 20GB system. Based on retailer and consumer feedback, we have decided to focus our current efforts on the more popular 60GB model.” -Dan Nicolae Alexa

Posted by kuechebj at 09:00 PM | Comments (0)

Record biz sends piracy warnings to universities (Reuters)

"Without question, this new enforcement initiative has invigorated a meaningful conversation on college campuses about music theft, its consequences and the numerous ways to enjoy legal music," said Steven Marks, executive vp and general counsel for the RIAA. "The question we ask of students is this: With high-quality legal music options available for free or deeply discounted, why take the twin risks of exposing your computer to viruses or spyware by downloading from an illegal site or exposing yourself to a costly lawsuit?" -Brooks Boliek

[I honestly do not understand the appeal of downloading music. I still buy CDs and new albums bought on the release date result in a cheaper cost per song than if I downloaded it, but then again, I also like having a backup in case a file becomes corrupted on my iPod. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 07:01 PM | Comments (0)

April 13, 2007

Apple's iPhone Delays Mac OS X 10.5 (NewsFactor)

While Apple is promising several new features in Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, Mac fans won't be able to get their hands on the Leopard OS until later this year as a result of Apple diverting Leopard engineering and testing resources to the launch of the highly anticipated iPhone, which couples iPod-like functionality with smartphone capabilities. -Barry Levine

[Darn! I hoped to buy an iMac over the summer since I thought Leopard would be released by then, but I guess my 256MB RAM desktop gets to live longer now. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 04:27 PM | Comments (0)

April 10, 2007

Acceptance [Bowling Green State University] (Discourse Chronicle)

I am glad to be able to let you know that the rhetoric faculty is impressed by your file and that it recommended you for admission to the Rhetoric & Writing PhD Program.

[Awesome! Official letter is on its way. Now only Purdue is left...BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 02:01 PM | Comments (1)

January 30, 2007

Going Graphic (Deseret News)

Graphic novels are a loose genre comprising lengthy comic books — often hundreds of pages long — that contain literary elements such as a plot and characterization. Some graphic novels feature favorite comic figures, such as Superman. Others are fantastical adventures, Japanese comics, or attempts to retell Shakespeare.

[....] He recommends adults curious about graphic novels start with "Maus: A Survivor's Tale" by Art Spiegelman, a Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel about the author learning about his father's experiences as a Jew in Poland during the Holocaust. -Laura Hancock

[I wonder what "loose" means here because both comic books and graphic novels are capable of achieving unity in an Aristotelian sense, although I believe graphic novels accomplish that task more successfully due to its independence from serials, but I notice nothing is said here about the content.

I commend Dr. Stephen Gibson for choosing Maus as an option for graphic novel reading, but as a starting place, I might suggest Will Eisner's A Contract with God instead since that title is an "original" graphic novel. I recently fielded questions from friends and colleagues about how graphic novels might be incorporated into college English classes. For Introduction to Literature-type courses, I suggested titles such as Watchmen, Maus, Sandman, and League of Extraordinary Gentlemen along with McCloud's Understanding Comics and Eisner's Comics and Sequential Art. For Creative Writing, I recommended those same titles, except I would use Eisner's Graphic Storytelling and Visual Narrative and McCloud's Making Comics. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 12:14 PM | Comments (1)

January 23, 2007

Superman Musical Card (Hallmark)

Hallmark has released a new range of musical cards with a selection ranging from Movies, Songs, and Television. Included in the Movies range is a Thank You "Superman Returns" card that features Brandon Routh on the cover, with the John Williams "Superman" theme played by the card. The cards are available at your local Hallmark Gold Crown store. -Steve Younis

Posted by kuechebj at 01:04 PM | Comments (0)

Buddhist Channel Examines Superman (Buddhist Channel)

Yes, Superman (played by Brandon Routh) is not enlightened after all. He can only save physical lives, and not save individuals' spiritual lives - though he might inspire many with his compassion in action. Superman was featured almost in a god-like way with a host of archetypal comic book super powers, while Lex Luthor (played by Kevin Spacey) comments that "gods are selfish beings who fly around in little red capes and don't share their power with mankind." Well, it's not so much that he doesn't want to share, but that he can't share his power, it being his self-earned karmic birthright! Similarly, the enlightened cannot literally make us wise, but can only share with us their wisdom on how to become as wise as them. -Shen Shi'an

[Many of us graduate students choose Analyzing Visual Rhetoric as our first paper units when teaching freshman composition. Here is a brief visual analysis of the Superman Returns movie poster through a religious studies lens using Buddhism. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 12:48 PM | Comments (2)

January 12, 2007

Duck Dodgers - The Green Loontern pt2 (YouTube)

[What if Duck Dodgers picked up Hal Jordan's Green Lantern costume at the dry cleaners by mistake? Hilarious! BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 10:54 AM | Comments (0)

January 09, 2007

Keep it in the panels (Orlando Sentinel)

Admittedly, Moore has good reason to be grumpy. Movie producers have butchered four of his books or characters over the years with varying degrees of gore. (Five if you count Swamp Thing; Moore won't.) Unfortunately, his tends to be a lonely voice in pop culture, where fanboys endlessly debate the casting of the next big superhero movie as if it were a foregone conclusion. -Tod Caviness

[Caviness continues with a list of graphic novels which should never be adapted to film: Alan Moore's Watchmen, Neil Gaiman's Sandman, David Lapham's Stray Bullets, Tony Millionaire's Sock Monkey, Rob Schrab's Scud: The Disposable Assassin. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 01:56 PM | Comments (0)

Creativity's in the bag (Des Moines Register)

Jennifer Mahr: Designs From Mahrs

[...] Last spring, Mahr, who works in corporate relations at Principal Financial Group, looked for a new purse and couldn't find one she liked.

She decided what she wanted most was a purse with Death on it.

"So the first purse I made was for me," she said. "It has all my favorite themes. And from there people saw it and said, 'Oooh, can you make me one?' and it's turned into quite a little business." -Erin Crawford

[Death from Neil Gaiman's Sandman graphic novels. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 01:42 PM | Comments (0)

December 31, 2006

More than doodles to this story (Buffalo News)

From there, Brunetti arranges about 80 comic strips - everything from a few simple panels to snippets from full-length graphic novels - in a rough parallel to the evolution of a work of graphic fiction. We move from simple drawings and sight gags to densely illustrated, or experimental, examinations of sex, economics and the human condition. -Dan Murphy

Posted by kuechebj at 01:16 PM | Comments (0)

December 30, 2006

Jim Rugg Aims to Catch Your Eyes with "Plain Janes" (Comic Book Resources)

As DC Comics recently announced, the comic book company behemoth announced a new line of comic books aimed at the broader female audience, with a new imprint called Minx. The first book scheduled to hit in May is the 176 graphic novel "Plain Janes," from writer Cecil Castellucci and artist Jim Rugg. -Arune Singh

Posted by kuechebj at 01:06 PM | Comments (0)

December 27, 2006

1 vs. 100 (NBC)

To stay in the game, the player must answer trivia questions and get every one right -- wrong answers from the mob eliminates them from the game, driving up the cash prize for the player. If the player can eliminate all 100 members of the mob, which will also be stacked with surprise opponents, such as geniuses, valedictorians, grandmothers and other game show champs, he will go home with the $1 million top prize. However, if the player gets one answer wrong, the game is over and "the mob" will split the player's winnings up to that point and a new contestant gets to take on "the mob."

[Here is another interesting game show from NBC hosted by Bob Saget alongside Howie Mandell's Deal or No Deal. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 02:20 PM | Comments (2)

November 14, 2006

Spring 2007 Book Order (Discourse Chronicle)

[Here is my list of assigned textbooks for my freshman composition students next semester with rationales:

Writer's Harbrace Handbook (Third Edition)
Texas A&M University uses the Harbrace Handbook as a standard adoption, but our department is not switching to third edition until next year, due to custom cover requests. Despite that, I received permission to assign this new edition early because I learned about a new chapter on visual rhetoric after a recent meeting with its author, Dr. Cheryl Glenn.

Signs of Life in the USA: Readings on Popular Culture for Writers (Fifth Edition)
An excellent collection of popular culture essays about topics ranging from Barbie dolls to comic books and film. I chose this text as my reader because my students provided feedback wishing for in-class examples that may seem more familiar to them. I may develop lessons from its readings, but more importantly, I am assigning oral presentations about them as a means of encouraging in-class participation on a regular basis. I am also able to speak better on popular culture than some other topics, thus improving my teaching due to increased confidence over material.

Understanding Comics
Scott McCloud's text discussing comic books in comic book format. I assigned a few chapters from this book already and students responded extremely well and claim McCloud's presentation helped them learn difficult concepts such as Aristotle's Model of Argument (Ethos, Logos, Pathos). Many of its chapters relate with our four paper topics and will act as a supplement to our handbook readings.

Writing Traditions
A compositional exercise workbook containing sample student essays and covers concepts such as summary and paraphrase, plagiarism, MLA format, peer review, and others. Non-negotiable.

Typical American
Gish Jen's novel about Ralph, a Chinese immigrant graduate student working on his PhD in Engineering, and how him and his family become Americanized. Non-negotiable. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 12:49 AM | Comments (2)

November 03, 2006

The Day the Music Died (Wired)

Gene Luen Yang is a teacher in the San Francisco Bay Area who also happens to be a fine illustrator. He produced a graphic novel (or "comic book," as we used to call them), American Born Chinese, which has been nominated for a National Book Award in the young people's literature category.

I have not read this particular "novel" but I'm familiar with the genre so I'm going to go out on a limb here. First, I'll bet for what it is, it's pretty good. Probably damned good. But it's a comic book. And comic books should not be nominated for National Book Awards, in any category. That should be reserved for books that are, well, all words.

This is not about denigrating the comic book, or graphic novel, or whatever you want to call it. This is not to say that illustrated stories don't constitute an art form or that you can't get tremendous satisfaction from them. This is simply to say that, as literature, the comic book does not deserve equal status with real novels, or short stories. It's apples and oranges. -Tony Long

[From Ted. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 02:53 PM | Comments (2)

October 13, 2006

Images (Wombat's World)

Ironic, because the book is all about image: the vision of the Green Knight when he arrives amid the Yuletide revels; the image of perfection that Gawain's shield represents, a pentangle on one side and Mary on the other; the picture of the perfect chivalrous knight that Gawain finds burdensome when he's face to face with an avid reader of romances and doesn't feel up to the role; and the picture of heroism that Gawain measures himself against -- and finds he is lacking. -K. A. Laity

[Kate is referring to the cover of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight translated by W.S. Merwin and how it relates with the story. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 03:57 PM | Comments (0)

Read Comic Books on Your Nintendo DS (Joystiq)

Joystiq's sister site DS Fanboy recently posted about a homebrew effort called Comic Book DS that lets you transfer comics from your computer and read them book-style with the DS flipped on end. You don't have to conceal issues of Action Comics underneath an old copy of Newsweek that you swiped off your dentist's waiting table on your commute any longer. Now people will think you're doing some serious work on your stylish PDA while you secretly use the touchscreen to pan and zoom on comic panels -- pure genius. Comic book fanboys can rid themselves of their secret shame. -Kevin Kelly

[I may disagree with concealing comic books, but when Kelly mentions "Final Fantasy XXXIV: Tax Time," I find it hilarious. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 03:08 PM | Comments (0)

No Undergrad Left Behind (NY Times)

Take a look at what passes for subjects of scholarly and instructional focus on campuses. Should taxpayer dollars really go to underwrite courses in such things as the history of comic book art? Policy makers and tuition payers need to be made aware of what sorts of courses institutions consider appropriate to fulfill core academic requirements, if anything resembling an academic core even exists. And there needs to be a greater emphasis on teaching students what they need to know, rather than what faculty want to talk about. -Eugene Hickok

[Thanks, Ted. I am obviously going to give an emphatic "Yes" to funding courses like history of comic book art. Comic studies are interdisciplinary and its applications are probably as flexible as rhetoric. However, increasing awareness and encouraging disciplines to dialogue with one another is a current goal, evidenced by the Carnegie Initiative on the Doctorate. I also disagree about faculty interests conflicting with students learning necessities. I always try and incorporate my research interests with comics and popular culture into my lessons as examples when teaching essential concepts such as composition or literature. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 01:32 PM | Comments (0)

October 10, 2006

Comment Stampers (Discourse Chronicle)

[I contemplate about whether or not having stampers with our frequently used comments on them such as "Comma splice - move clause and revise sentence" or "Pronoun disagreement" is more efficient than writing those out each time, but then our students may not be able to tell how much energy is invested into reading and commenting on papers.

A student forgot to pick up his homework from my stack along with his rough draft a few weeks ago because he said "it wasn't green enough" referring to how much I dig into them. I only dig hard on rough drafts because a chance (albeit a small one) exists for my students to work on problems in revision, rather than no chance if I dig into final drafts since our students do not receive opportunities to revise once we complete a paper assignment.

I remember commenting on papers when I mentored as an undergraduate under Dennis G. Jerz with his freshman composition students and learning how to plow through papers thoroughly, yet efficiently. Efficiency equated to a total of six hours working with 30 papers, but four years later, my best is three hours with 24 papers. However, each new paper assignment seems to introduce other pitfalls for composition students to fall into along with common errors from previous work. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 09:04 PM | Comments (2)

Google Snaps Up YouTube for $1.65B (AP | MyWay)

Internet search leader Google is snapping up YouTube for $1.65 billion, brushing aside copyright concerns to seize a starring role in the online video revolution. -Associated Press

[From Jerz's Literacy Weblog. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 04:51 PM | Comments (0)

October 07, 2006

Online video running wild (Market Watch)

If Google reaches a deal with YouTube, the combined company would be a more potent force against MySpace, the social-networking Web site that has become the No. 1 provider of video on the Internet, according to comScore Networks, a market-research firm. -Ben Charny

[I know lots of people use Facebook, MySpace, or both, but MySpace as number one for online video? I always wish MySpace would develop more aesthetically pleasing and usable pages. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 11:12 PM | Comments (2)

September 25, 2006

Tom Petty - Saving Grace (You Tube)

[People who know me know I am a Tom Petty fan. "Saving Grace" is the first single from his new solo album, Highway Companion, following up Full Moon Fever and Wildflowers. Sweet! BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 11:10 PM | Comments (0)

September 21, 2006

Facebook - A Badge of Honor (Discourse Chronicle)

[I am in my office holding an extra day of office hours waiting for any students to come and ask for help before we turn in our first papers tomorrow. As I wait for anyone to visit, I am working on my coursework for next week along with blogging and checking things out on Facebook. I decided to try searching for my last name on Facebook and I found one student group called "Kuechenmeister's class. Fall 2006." I am beaming with pride as my students communicate with one another thinking I am not on Facebook. I view that as a badge of honor and I love it! BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 03:24 PM | Comments (1)

September 15, 2006

Our Father, who art in MySpace (Telegraph)

The campaign, which is run by the ecumenical charity Churches' Advertising Network, aims to provoke debate about God among young people this Christmas.

[...]

The group, which has no formal links with the Roman Catholic Church or the Church of England, has ruffled feathers in previous years by depicting Jesus as Che Guevara. It has also portrayed the Last Supper as a boardroom meeting of multinational companies, with Judas as Microsoft.

The latest image of Jesus among the beer dregs is supposed to highlight the trend for finding religious faces in ordinary objects and selling them on eBay. Examples include the Virgin Mary on a toasted cheese sandwich. -Amy Iggulden and Alex Wellman

[I dislike blogging on religious issues or stating my faith publicly (especially in Texas), but here is an advertisement with rhetorical merit. I might use it when I teach English 104 again in the spring. Iggulden and Wellman also point out an accompanying MySpace page featuring this Jesus ad. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 02:58 PM | Comments (0)

'Tweens' curl up with graphic novels (Christian Science Monitor)

Not everyone is impressed by graphic novels. Some teachers refuse to assign them to their students, claiming they aren't challenging to read. But many librarians and teachers stand by the books.

"Reading graphic novels leads to reading other things," says Robin Brenner, a young-adult librarian with the Brookline Public Library in Massachusetts. "There's a value in and of themselves, not just as a bridge to reading 'real books.' " -Randy Dotinga

[Believing graphic novels are not sophisticated reading is a serious mistake and teachers who are refusing to use graphic novels on those grounds must be members of an uninformed persuasion. I am convinced people holding such an attitude are hindering scholarly progress each time I read an article making a similar statement.

I am wrapping up a four-week unit on Analyzing Visual Rhetoric with my freshman composition students next week and two things made it especially hard. First, high school curriculums divorce rhetoric from composition and only focus on the latter which leads to value being assigned to the final draft (product). Second, students lack a necessary background in rhetoric to discuss analysis and argument, so instructors must fuse rhetoric and composition again and emphasize the writing process. Theoretically, if we improve the process our students use to produce the product, then the product is improved as a result.

Brenner's comment fuels the unnecessary negative stigma associated with comics and graphic novels by alluding to these texts as if they are gateway drugs, which may be an apt metaphor, if we substitute books for drugs. Comic books and graphic novels are capable of leading young readers to read increasingly difficult texts if we are willing to make connections between literature and comics or graphic novels, but I am thinking the answer lies in encouraging people to read. I know one reason I became an English major to begin with is because I knew if I did not, then I may never read texts most people encounter, but I also love reading. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 02:14 PM | Comments (0)

September 13, 2006

Teaching Mr. Kuechenmeister (Discourse Chronicle)

[Teaching my freshman composition students proved especially difficult for me this week because I noticed many of them are unable to remain interested during a full 50-minute period. Many students lose interest, fall asleep, or show visible signs of boredom about halfway through a period. Looking at such a situation as an instructor who is passionate about English studies (particularly rhetoric and composition), I instinctively blame myself and my presentation style, which leads me walking out of my class feeling less confident and that lack of confidence infects everything else I do. I feel like a failure at something I wanted to do since I can remember.

I imagine freshman students having a much harder time understanding rhetoric compared with me during my third year of undergraduate when I learned about it. Therefore, I spent one week on learning about rhetoric and the rhetorical situation; one week on reading visuals and argument; one week on basic composition and drafting; and then next week I plan on devoting one period to MLA citation and one period to peer review before my students turn in papers next Friday.

I hoped my students learned how to identify parts of the rhetorical situation, move from identification to explanation using sentences, change those sentences into an introduction, and then apply concepts of argument to develop body paragraphs analyzing details from their visual before providing a conclusion. I notice most of them succeeding at these tasks in their homework, but not in class. Maybe I am asking for too much or not guiding them enough...I feel like I failed teaching this unit. How will I teach my students to write the other three papers if I failed at the first one? BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 06:54 PM | Comments (1)

September 08, 2006

Windows Vista pricing favors PC upgrades (Register)

The pressure is therefore on Microsoft to put the hard sell on Vista to convince consumers to buy a new machine. Jupiter Research reckons 52 per cent of American households own at least one PC, leaving plenty of room for a second. Microsoft faces an uphill task, though, as Vista is due in January, when wallets will be lighter in the wake of the Holiday spending frenzy. -Gavin Clarke

[Mac is also introducing a new OSX called Leopard. Rarrr! BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 02:45 PM | Comments (2)

Comic Books for Girls (Associated Content)

It's no wonder girls don't read comics books. The comic book store is teeming with unwashed, testosterone drenched males, who generally all turn their head at the first sign of a female in the store. Even if the girl is willing to brave the perils of the comic shop, they're treated to a large selection of huge boobed and often hostile female superheros. -Rudy Ascott

[Ascott explains how certain comics women like reading are available for purchase online or at bookstores such as Borders or Barnes and Noble, suggesting female readership of comics and graphic novels is an underground concept, which I am willing to agree on. However, Ascott's stereotypical claim about males and comic shops forces me to question whether or not a similar argument may be proposed about why comics make men less attractive to the opposite sex. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 01:58 PM | Comments (0)

New Sept. 11 Book Is Riveting (Ledger)

Sept. 11, though, was no fantasy, and thus I approached "The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation," a graphic novel, with a certain appalled fascination. I love comic books -- the "graphic novel" designation is a nice upgrade in nomenclature for the genre, but changes nothing -- and I received a great deal of my early moral education from them. And we know, courtesy of artists such as Art Spiegelman, that comic books can handle deadly serious topics the way superheroes deal with emergencies: deftly and well. -Julia Keller

Posted by kuechebj at 01:42 PM | Comments (0)

Comic books for Christians (Charlotte Observer)

Some Christians question whether comics are appropriate for religious content. Some apparently shy away from the books because they think "graphic novel" means adult material. Some mainstream stores are reluctant to carry books appealing to what they view as a small niche. -Tonya Caldwell

[Why do people automatically assume that "graphic" means "adult"? I remember teaching literature students taking a course on The Novel that graphic novels differ from comic books in two significant ways. First is length since comic books are mostly 22 pages in length with a comfortable maximum number of panels being nine (graphic novels are at least 100 pages following a similar convention). Second is the audience because graphic novels are not targeting younger readers as a monthly comic book supposedly does. Instead, graphic novels target more mature readers and may not relate with its monthly title companion, which I taught separates graphic novels from trade paperbacks. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 01:19 PM | Comments (0)

April 27, 2006

Scott McCloud at Abilene Christian University (Scott McCloud)

[4/21- McCloud]: And then, only two days later, on May 4, I'll be speaking in Abilene, Texas at Abilene Christian University (on the subject of comics, not religion, obviously!). 7:00 pm in Cullen Auditorium.

[Unfortunately, I will be presenting at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire English Festival next week, but I love McCloud's books and consider him as a contemporary of Will Eisner. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 03:50 PM | Comments (0)

April 21, 2006

Comic books the next frontier for product placement (Ad-Jab)

Both Marvel and DC, the two largest comic book publishers, have signed deals that will integrate product placement in the issues of some of their titles. DC will have a new hero called The Rush drive a Pontiac that the publisher says is just as important to that character as the Aston Martin is to James Bond. Marvel is jumping in whole hog by putting the Nike swoosh logo in a variety of places such as car doors and character t-shirts. Pontiac has also partnered wth Marvel in a deal that will have their cars appear in some titles. The product placement deals also include print ad buys. The whole thing is largely because the comics industry has been selling itself less and less as a kids thing and more and more a hobby of 20-something guys. That's roughly the same demographic as the one constantly being sought out by advertisers so the partnership is a natural fit for both parties.

[I always believed comics are capable of being mimetic. Marvel already uses such a technique because most of its universe is set in New York City, but I wonder if product placement helps DC also achieve that connection with us as an audience, since its universe is mostly fictional cities like Metropolis and Gotham. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 12:30 PM | Comments (0)

March 31, 2006

Marvel & DC's Super-Hero "Claim" (ComicsResearch & Such)

Marvel and DC have been claiming and attempting to enforce this "trademark" for many years. According to this link (one of several) from the US Patent and Trademark Office's "Trademark Application and Registration Retrieval system," Marvel & DC claim a "First Use in Commerce Date" of October 1966. Most knowledgeable folks aggree that this claim is bogus on many levels, but that hasn't stopped the USPTO from allowing the publishers to register the claim successfully and repeatedly over the past few decades. Digging around the archives via TESS reveals that all TM claims aren't automatically registered - some are denied. But from what I can tell, they've never denied Marvel & DC's claim.

Apparently, just because the USPTO allows you to register a trademark doesn't actually mean that they're endorsing your claim's validity - they're just aggreeing that, well, you've made the claim (tax dollars at "work," folks!). I suppose if someone with deep enough pockets and stamina to spare were to take Marvel & DC to court over this, the claim's bogus nature would be revealed and overcome. But until then, these two "super-gorillas" continue to throw their imagined weight around.

[A posting from Gene Kannenberg, Jr. The Comics Scholars' Discussion List has spent some time on this issue recently. Sarah Peters, a colleague of mine in the English department, sent me a blurb about it from NPR. None of us are lawyers, so I want to hear a lawyer who works in Intellectual Property comment, especially since issues like trademark and fair use come up frequently on the list. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 09:52 AM | Comments (2)

March 23, 2006

College students assigned comic books, best-sellers (News-Record)

Salisbury also uses "Birth of a Nation," a comic-book novel by Aaron McGruder, creator of the popular cartoon strip "Boondocks." And she's not the only professor outside the art department assigning comics. An English 105 class this semester was required to read "Watchmen" -- a dystopian comic about superheroes who are outlawed by presidential order and struggle with existential dilemmas.

[Joel Pace, one of my undergraduate mentors, taught Neil Gaiman's Sandman series for a long time in his Introduction to Literature course. Now he is switching to Blackpool. David Myers assigns Maus and Sally Robinson assigns Watchmen in their curriculums here at Texas A&M University. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 01:26 PM | Comments (0)

March 13, 2006

Making Comics (Scott McCloud)

In Making Comics, I’ll do my best to cover the storytelling secrets I don’t see any other books talking about, including:

• Choosing the right moments to make into panels; what to include, what to leave out.




• Framing actions and guiding the reader’s eyes.




• Choosing words and images that communicate together.




• Creating varied and compelling characters with inner lives and unforgettable appearances.




• Understanding body language and facial expressions.




• Creating rich, believable worlds for your readers to explore.




• Picking the tools that are right for you, and understanding how those tools evolved.




• Navigating the vast world of comics styles and genres.

Whether you want to draw graphic novels, superheroes, neo-manga, comic strips or webcomics, you’re going to be putting one picture after another to tell a story. This is the book where I'll do my best to show you how.

[Coming September 2006. I am looking forward to it now that I resolved to use McCloud and Eisner together. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 01:47 PM | Comments (0)

March 09, 2006

A Lesson in Data and Analysis for the New York Times (Heritage Foundation)

It is regrettable that the Times reporters refused to acknowledge academic research that contradicts their conclusions. This continues the newspaper’s trend of poor reporting on abortion statistics over the last decade. For example, during the 2004 election season, the Times reported Glen Harold Stassen’s erroneous finding that abortions had increased during the George W. Bush’s presidency. When the Alan Guttmacher Institute later released more comprehensive data showing that abortions had actually declined since President Bush’s inauguration, the Times was among the media outlets that failed to report the finding, much less correct its own record.

[A rhetorical deconstruction by Michael J. New, PhD. His article points out shortcomings about the New York Times's findings reported in yesterday's front-page story “Scant Drop in Abortion Rates if Parents are Told". BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 01:29 PM | Comments (0)

March 06, 2006

Finding Inspiration Through Comic Books (CBS 3 Philadelphia)

“His uncle suggested that he start reading comic books and with that. his uncle Neal introduced him to the X-Men,” described Axel.

It started way back when he loved dressing like the very characters he was reading about, just "kickin’ around" the idea scored a major interest.

“This is the first X-Men issue that I ever received from my uncle, the one that started this sick obsession of mine,” said Nash Axel.

[...]

“It’s easier for me to read now. I can honestly say I’m the only person in my class reading Hamlet. When everyone else is using Spark Notes, I’ll actually read it cause I enjoy it,” he said. “I can’t wait to go to college to get a degree in accounting.”

[A literacy success story using comic books. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 12:23 PM | Comments (0)

March 02, 2006

A-B-C rejects KFC ad because of policy against subliminal advertising (MSN Money)

It turns out a hidden message in a K-F-C ad is too close to subliminal advertising for A-B-C. The network says it's following a longstanding policy and won't air the commercial with the message. A-B-C is airing a different version, with the message frame cut out.

No other network has refused the ad.

Viewers can slowly replay it to find a message to enter on the fast food restaurant's Web site to get a coupon for a free sandwich.

A University of Missouri advertising professor says he doesn't think it's a subliminal ad. In fact, he thinks it's just the opposite -- because people have been told to look out for the message.

The Kentucky-based company is pleased with the results. It says more than 70-thousand people have entered to receive coupons.

The strategy is meant to counter the growth of new technology that lets viewers skip through commercials.

[CNN reported about KFC's ad a few days ago, but the ad had not been pulled by ABC yet. I remember seeing that commercial a few times and I never felt compelled to log on and get my coupon for a free sandwich. However, I also don't sit and watch something frame-by-frame, either. I agree with the advertising professor's assessment about KFC's tactic of telling audiences that something is hidden in its ad. I might add that some controversy is being generated from recent media coverage and that strategy worked well for Mel Gibson leading up to Passion of the Christ was released in theaters. My Dad pointed out to me that controversy = free publicity and here we see it in action again. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 02:51 PM | Comments (0)

February 27, 2006

Deal or No Deal Returns (NBC)

The rules are simple. Choose a briefcase. Then as each round progresses, you must either stay with your original briefcase choice or make a "deal" with the bank to accept its cash offer in exchange for whatever dollar amount is in your chosen case.

Once you decide to accept or decline the bank's offer, the decision is final.

Contestants are encouraged to ask friends or family in the audience for advice; however, only the contestant's answer will be considered binding and final.

[Yes! My favorite game show is back on NBC this week. I do not consider myself a game show fanatic or anything, but I love Deal or No Deal, which trumps Who Wants to Be A Millionaire in my book. I highly recommend watching this absolutely unique game show. Hosted by Howie Mandell. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 01:24 PM | Comments (5)

February 24, 2006

Spiegelman squeaks out (Corvallis Gazette-Times)

Spiegelman’s stories and artwork are part confessional and part societal commentary, part humor and part nightmare. He doesn’t set his cartoons and graphic novels in a fantasy world in order to fly his theories and messages in under our conscious radar.

Instead, he forces us to examine the very real world we live in by baring his own animated soul on small rectangular sheets of paper. In doing so, he packs a plane full of sweaty dynamite and aims it directly between your eyes.

[...]

Equally as engaging, if not quite as hauntingly fully realized, Spiegelman’s 2004 series of political cartoons, “In the Shadow of No Towers,” was an an angry emotional and intellectual reaction to the events of Sept. 11, 2001.

By offering an intensely personal account of his and his family’s experiences during and following the collapse of the towers, he simultaneously gives us the most intimate view we’ve had of the tragedy, but also the least pretentious, most scathing critique of the Bush administration’s opportunistic response.

The resulting cartoons were turned away by every mainstream publication in our country, eventually appearing in the Jewish Daily Forward and several European magazines. Fortunately for us, the pages were collected into a hard-bound addition that communicates perfectly one man’s rage, astonishment and sense of loss in the wake of a galvanizing act of terrorism.

[Ryan Malphurs and Jennifer Hayley are two rhetoric colleagues from the English department who research 9/11 and terrorism. Jen is using Spiegelman's In the Shadow of No Towers in her current project. The article above places that collection of political cartoons into perspective with Spiegelman's graphic novel Maus: A Survivor's Tale. Spiegelman is speaking at the University of Oregon on February 27, 2006. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 03:41 PM | Comments (0)

Judaism through comics (Jerusalem Post)

Avraham studied drawing and painting in art school, and has been passionate about reading and creating comic books since childhood. Yet something was missing from his life as a secular artist, and seven years ago he started to become more observant. For four years, Guy stopped creating art, which didn't seem as important to him as learning Torah and performing mitzvot.

The 29-year-old started studying in Yeshivat Abirin Yaacov with Rav Avirevach in Tel Aviv seven years ago. He continues to learn every day, though the now married father of two is working once again as a full-time artist.

[...]

Hatzelem, a graphic novel, illustrates the life of a cubist man in a cubist world, and his quest for a circular form. The work is somewhat autobiographical, an allegory for the artist's own search for spiritual truth. The idea for the circle within the square comes from Jewish sources, illustrated as geometric diagrams of a square within a circle, and another one of the converse, in the Babylonian Talmud (Succot). Hatzelem opens with a text by Rabbi Isaac Luria (Ha'arizal), discussing the square steps to the higher levels of this world and the primordial round steps that will return in the world to come. It closes with another dozen Jewish sources - midrashim, Etz Ha'hayim, Sfat Emet and the Zohar among them - all discussing the symbolism of the circle and square. But Barchil uses only a minimum of text, and only as a framing device. The viewer is shown the mystical narrative through the elegant black-and-white pictures alone.

Posted by kuechebj at 03:33 PM | Comments (4)

February 20, 2006

Do Calcium Pills Work? (Time)

A study of more than 36,000 healthy postmenopausal women determined that taking a standard calcium-and-vitamin-D supplement for seven years had no significant effect for most of them on preventing fractures in the spine, arms and hips, although it did lead to a 1% improvement in hip-bone density. Yet women who managed to take the vitamin-mineral combo at least four days out of five had a statistically significant 29% fewer hip fractures. And women over 60 suffered 21% fewer broken hips.

A companion study found no beneficial effect on the rate of colorectal cancer. But those women were not at any particular risk of colorectal cancer. Other studies have concluded that men and women who have already had one precancerous polyp surgically removed from their intestinal tract develop fewer subsequent polyps if they take calcium supplements.

[...]

But there are still some quirks in the data. More than half the participants were also on hormone therapy, which is known to increase bone density. Moreover, most of the studies' subjects were already getting more calcium and vitamin D from their diet than the average American woman. Maybe supplements work best in people who need them most. Finally, the women were on the chunky side, which also protects bones.

[A few years ago, I was taking a multi-vitamin because I was learning how to cook on my own and constantly caught a cold during winter (four consecutive infections). Now, I learned how to make a few more things in the kitchen and maintain a policy of "If I don't eat it, then I must drink it," referring to fruits and vegetables. Whenever I go to the grocery store now, half gallons of orange juice and V8 are not uncommon for me to buy. I also stopped taking multi-vitamins and I am not entirely sure they were doing anything for me at all. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 03:36 PM | Comments (2)

Comic books, songs express forest management woes (Web India 123)

A documentary - 'Forest Dialogues' - produced jointly by Cambridge University and Moving Images and directed by Sanjay Barnela, showcased the successes and failures of the Joint Forest Management experience in Harda.

It voiced the views of academicians, tribals and forest officials of Madhya Pradesh. The film also incorporated excerpts of a street play 'Jungle Ki Katha' (The story of the forest), which was performed in villages surrounding the forest areas in Harda.

In collaboration with the Viveka Foundation, a Delhi-based publishing house, comic books that narrated the plight of the tribals were also released.

Published in both English and Hindi, the books were released by Mercy Mathew, a social worker who has lived in the Gond tribal hamlets of Madhya Pradesh for the last 20 years.

[A few of my colleagues in the English department and the Fisheries and Wildlife department are interested in environmental rhetoric. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 11:34 AM | Comments (0)

McDonald's sued over french fry ingredients (Houston Chronicle)

Debra Moffatt of Lombard, Ill., seeks unspecified damages in a suit filed Friday in Cook County Circuit Court that accuses the company of misleading the public. Her attorney, Thomas Pakenas, said his client has celiac disease that causes gastrointestinal symptoms when set off by eating gluten, a protein found in wheat.

[...]

On Friday, Mark and Theresa Chimiak of Jupiter, Fla., sued the fast-food chain, claiming their 5-year-old daughter has an intolerance to gluten. On Wednesday, Nadia Sugich of Los Angeles sued McDonald's, saying she is a vegan and would not have eaten the fries if she had known they contained dairy products.

Until recently, the company had said its fries were free of gluten and milk or wheat allergens and safe for people with dietary issues related to the consumption of dairy items. But this month, the fast-food company quietly added "Contains wheat and milk ingredients" to the french fries listing on its Web site.

Posted by kuechebj at 11:27 AM | Comments (0)

February 18, 2006

Discourse Chronicle Word Cloud (Snap Shirts)

[From Girl Meets World. Another ridiculously fun web toy. BK]

Posted by kuechebj at 12:28 AM | Comments (0)

February 17, 2006

Apple Hackers Encounter a Poetic Warning (Yahoo!)

Apple confirmed Thursday it has included such a warning in its Intel-based computers since it started selling them in January.

The embedded poem