Those who have tried to plough through the works of Ferdinand de Saussure or Jacques Derrida are likely to flee from anything with “semiotics” in the title—and with good reason. Without a significant amount of time and dedication, the field is nearly impenetrable. “This Means This, This Means That“, however, delivers on a promise to explain the obscure field of semiotics by way of example. …
With additional reporting by James Thorne Realizing that competing with the popularity of smartphones and tablets is a game they’ve already lost, toy manufacturers are finding ways to incorporate apps and devices into their product experience. New options range from simple tactile cases to QR codes and elaborate augmented reality board games. We’re really impressed by the breadth of the examples we discovered at the …
The comprehensive language of architecture has been mastered by only a select few. While many of us may have a basic grasp from that freshman survey course, most would be hard-pressed to identify the difference between Roman and Greek doric columns, let alone identify the “squinch” on modern high-rise buildings. Reading Architecture, a new book by Owen Hopkins, aims to demystify the lexicon in a …
