Harrison Baker
Harrison works as an aquarist at Oregon State University's Hatfield Marine Science Center. He is currently pursuing an MS in Free-Choice Learning Science Education.
Metal and culture
This post will be a light one, as most of my waking—and non-waking—hours are now occupied by a very small person who emerged from my wife recently. This very small person falls asleep when I play a certain type of music at a low volume, which got me thinking. What makes a thing or circumstance [...]
Fish Stick Boyfriend
I’d like to introduce you to a type of Science Center visitor I call “Fish Stick Boyfriend.” Here’s a common demographic profile, based on my own experience: -White -Male -30-35 years old -Visiting with a female companion (and sometimes children) The interaction generally follows a simple pattern. Fish Stick Boyfriend frowns and paces while his [...]
Bits and Pieces
-A simple hex map -A bag of small rocks -Two dozen tiny plastic dinosaurs -Two 20-sided dice -Nine six-sided dice -100 poker chips Deme‘s trial form is just about ready to emerge—marsupial-like—to finish its gestation outside the warm pouch of my imagination. Since its dramatic overhaul last year, the core concept has been consistent: a [...]
“Board games by the numbers” (From The PA Report)
As I gear up for Deme‘s first play tests, I find it useful (if intimidating) to look past the initial design phase to what its future might hold. If I choose to publish Deme as a boxed-and-ready board game, I’ll have in mind Ben Kuchera’s recent piece for the Penny Arcade Report. Kuchera interviewed James [...]
With their shovels slung behind them
Source: Uploaded by user via Free-Choice on Pinterest We spent this morning doing renovations on the NOAA tank. We deep cleaned, rearranged rocks and inserted a crab pot to prepare for the introduction of some tagged Dungeness crabs. NOAA used to be a deep-water display tank with sablefish and other offshore benthic and epibenthic [...]
Defining an audience
It seems that a convenience sample really is the only way to go for my project at this stage. I have long entertained the notion that some kind of randomization would work to my benefit in some abstract, cosmic way. The problem is, I’m developing a product for an established audience. As much as I’d [...]
Changing the Rules?
For those of you just joining us, I’m developing a game called Deme for my master’s project. It’s a tactical game that models an ecosystem, and it’s meant primarily for adults. I’m studying how people understand the game’s mechanics in relation to the real world, in an effort to better understand games as learning and [...]
Rolling Twenties
After talking to a developer, I’m switching to a turn-based format for Deme. I probably should have done this to begin with, and my reasons for not doing so earlier owe a lot to my own misconceptions about myself. I don’t think of myself as a turn-based game fan. When I find out a computer [...]
Same old changes
Note: This will be my last post as a regular blogger, though most of you will have observed that Katie has taken over as Your Friend and Humble Narrator in recent weeks. You’ll still hear from me. I have much work to do on my project—work that will warrant intermittent updates within the physical context [...]
Go!
What have we done today? – Renovated the Ocean Today kiosk and installed new drivers for the touch screen – Installed a new TV for the wave energy video display – Installed new solid state video players on wave energy display and hypoxia exhibit – Drained the smaller wave tank after its prototype test – [...]