Spartan Daily, November 7, 2006

Volume 127, Issue 41https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/spartandaily/10299/thumbnail.jp

Exploration of the theory underlying the construction of a multi-puzzle contest

Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Humanities, Program in Writing and Humanistic Studies, 1998.This is an exploration of the rules and guidelines that underlie the structure of a multi-puzzle contest (a competition consisting of one large puzzle made up of a number of smaller constituent puzzles). The MIT Mystery Hunt, a multi-puzzle contest held on campus each January, is the second-largest annual event of this nature in the United States. The theories put forth in this exploration were culled from personal experience. Having played in four MIT Mystery Hunts and constructed two, as well as participating in other multi-puzzle contests such as the Miami Herald Tropic Hunt, the Random House $10,000 Trivia Challenge, and the National Puzzlers' League convention extravaganza, I am familiar with the specific format in question. Furthermore, I have a firsthand understanding, from both sides of the contest, of what is necessary and what is optional and, more importantly, what works and what does not. It was found that the structural framework of a multi-puzzle contest is rather loose; most of the guidelines and elements are optional. The only necessary aspects are the most basic structural components: an endgame and a number of individual puzzles. However, while a multi-puzzle contest can technically work without a majority of the elements discussed, many of these must be included for such a contest to be a successful form of entertainment. The most vital aspects are theme and variety; others that should be included are puzzles that use the available geography and experimental puzzles. Ultimately, the puzzle maker should design the multi-puzzle contest he would most like to participate in himself.by Mark Louis Gottlieb.S.B

The Parthenon, April 7, 2014

The Parthenon, Marshall University’s student newspaper, is published by students Monday through Friday during the regular semester and weekly Thursday during the summer. The editorial staff is responsible for the news and the editorial content

Are Groups more Rational than Individuals? A Review of Interactive Decision Making in Groups

Many decisions are interactive; the outcome of one party depends not only on its decisions or on acts of nature but also on the decisions of others. In the present article, we review the literature on decision making made by groups of the past 25 years. Researchers have compared the strategic behavior of groups and individuals in many games: prisoner’s dilemma, dictator, ultimatum, trust, centipede and principal-agent games, among others. Our review suggests that results are quite consistent in revealing that groups behave closer to the game-theoretical assumption of rationality and selfishness than individuals. We conclude by discussing future research avenues in this area.group decision making, interactive decision making, rationality, discontinuity effect

Constructing the Eastern Coyote: A temporal analysis of the scientific and social production of a controversial Northeastern canid

Eastern coyotes (Canis latrans var) have confounded the scientific and social boundaries established by postcolonial United States. The first eastern coyote specimen on record comes from Otis, Massachusetts in 1957. At the time, this unknown and unnamed wolf-like creature sparked fear amongst human residents of the Northeastern United States. Threatened by the presence of this predator, Northeasterners launched coyote killing efforts similar to the eradication campaigns that had previously failed in the Western United States. Today, Massachusetts officials estimate that 11,500 eastern coyotes occupy the state, living amongst people and pets in every county. This abundance of eastern coyotes and proximity to people are now common in the Northeast. Pulling from 253 historical newspaper articles and 33 contemporary ethnographic interviews, I explore how western scientific thought has instilled categorical boundaries that are temporally reflected in Northeasterners’ perceptions of the eastern coyote. I aim to illustrate that over time, conceptual boundaries formed through Cartesian dualism and perpetuated by an evolving socio-ecological climate have constructed how Northeasterners perceive the canid. These boundaries have been maintained through the eugenic desire to promote purity; broken by the unique adaptability of the eastern coyote; and reshaped to prioritize the canid as an ecologically and aesthetically valuable creature with which Northeasterners must coexist. Today, Northeasterners’ attitudes towards eastern coyotes are oriented towards coexistence. Although this trend is generally apparent, some people still hold varying opinions regarding the threat posed by coyotes. However, these concerns are not as divisive, nor as harsh as those of the past. These new positive perceptions correlate with a shifting social climate that prioritizes inclusivity and reformed cultural expectations that challenge historical notions of social status, such that socio-cultural factors have come to shape these regional socio-ecological relations. The dynamic construction of this controversial canid reveals the power of society in defining the line between human-wildlife “conflict” and interspecies relationships based upon “coexistence.” This study thus illuminates the beginning of efforts to decolonize the western ecological mind and deconstruct the nature/culture dichotomy in a regional context. While Northeasterners of the past constructed the eastern coyote as a “vile varmint,” Northeasterners of the present have transformed the eastern coyote into a “wild animal that is here to stay.

Serious games for information literacy : a scoping review and design recommendations

PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the literature on digital games designed or adapted for information literacy instruction, as well as practical design recommendations. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The paper presents an analysis of a compiled set of peer-reviewed articles on games in the provision of information literacy instruction published between 2013 and 2018, categorized by game mechanics utilized. FINDINGS: Application of the inclusion criteria led to 12 papers considered relevant. Synthesis of the papers suggests that although studies indicate positive outcomes for information literacy games, such games continue to rely on transcription of declarative tasks to digital environments. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: While previous literature reviews provide summaries on information literacy digital games, this paper not only presents an up-to-date review but also provides step-by-step instructions and worked examples for aligning information literacy learning mechanics with game mechanics.Post-printIncludes bibliographical references

Theory of the Avatar

The internet has given birth to an expanding number of shared virtual reality spaces, with a collective population well into the millions. These virtual worlds exhibit most of the traits we associate with the Earth world: economic transactions, interpersonal relationships, organic political institutions, and so on. A human being experiences these worlds through an avatar, which is the representation of the self in a given physical medium. Most worlds allow an agent to choose what kind of avatar she or he will inhabit, allowing a person with any kind of Earth body to inhabit a completely different body in the virtual world. The emergence of avatar-mediated living raises both positive and normative questions. This paper explores several choice models involving avatars. Analysis of these models suggests that the emergence of avatar-mediated life may increase aggregate human well-being, while decreasing its cross-sectional variance. These efficiency and equity effects are contingent on the maintenance and protection of certain rights, however, including the right of agents to free movement, unbiased information, and political participation.information and internet services, computer software, equity, justice, inequality, synthetic worlds