Owly 2

Carolyn, my five-year-old, wept in the middle of “Owly 2: Just a Little Blue.”  The Owly books use no words, just icons and facial expressions to tell some very complex stories. Carolyn likes stories about adventure and friendship, and she’s a visual learner. Once I helped her interpret the first few speech bubble icons, she…

Gravitation: a video game by Jason Rohrer

Gravitation: an autobiographical video game. I’m sick right now, or I’d give a better description. Not quite as emotional for me as the same designer’s Passage, but another short game that illustrates the possibility of packing games with an emotional argument. Similar:York Plays 2025: Five cameras, adding up to ~100 hours of footage.Study finds AI…

Retro Sabotage – True Self

Retro Sabotage remixes Pac-Man.  Lots more where that came from. Via MetaFilter. Similar:York Plays 2025: Five cameras, adding up to ~100 hours of footage.Study finds AI tools made open source software developers 19 percent slowerTouch Me Now: York Plays 2025I MacGyvered myself a heat sinkHow to be a Medieval Spectator (Intro to Toronto York Plays…

Aardvarchaeology : Ruins of Childhood

Aardvarchaeology has a fascinating piece on abandoned suburban treehouses. These sites and their formation processes reflect children’s psychological characteristics. Kids have little sense of order, short memories and strange rationality. They also have no idea that childhood is brief and transient. They will happily fill their treehouses with junk without any thought that they might…

Up Right Down # 1

Up Right Down already features over a dozen versions of the same story. What’s yours? (Via) THE PLOT: In a bistro in Paris a young woman (A) tells her three girlfriends (B, C, and D) about the affair she had with an American tourist, who returned home promising to write, and hasn’t. It’s been over…

Seton Hill University – Google Maps

I just noticed that Google Maps has added Greensburg to its street view service. How long has this been available?  Here’s a look up Seton Hill’s lovely sycamore-lined driveway.View Larger Map Similar:Study finds AI tools made open source software developers 19 percent slowerI MacGyvered myself a heat sinkUnemployment rates for recent college grads: Overall, 5.8%;…

Lego Timeline

The Lego brick system was patented 50 years ago today. Gizmodo offers this timeline. Similar:Study finds AI tools made open source software developers 19 percent slowerBusiness as Usual #StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch (Season 5, Episode 18) Quark accepts a lucrative …Touch Me Now: York Plays 2025I MacGyvered myself a heat sinkUnemployment rates for recent college grads:…

Rejlander, Oscar Gustave

Interesting historical anecdote of an early attempt to make an artistic statement with photography, using visual elements that were acceptable in painting, but considered controversial in photography: Rejlander’s “Two Ways of Life.”  (via Metafilter). Useful, perhaps, as a point of comparison for what happens when video games cross the line, and attempt to make serious,…

People in Order

One hundred different people hitting a drum, from age 1 to 100. A short film by Lenka Clayton and James Price. Similar:York Plays 2025: Five cameras, adding up to ~100 hours of footage.I may have mentioned that I have a daughter who does things. Her next is "To Battle: A Fig…The Scapegoat by Richard Maples…

Cursor*10 (nekogames)

I don’t remember where I was when I saw a link to Cursor*10. I thought “Cooperate by oneself” was a good example of “All your base are belong to us” English, but it actually makes sense. It’s like time travel. Very cool.   Similar:The Scapegoat by Richard Maples (1957 Sci-Fi Short Story)Business as Usual #StarTrek…

Blade Runner's Influence on Videogames from 1UP.com

1up: Ten years ago, Westwood released its point-and-click adventure game adaptation of Blade Runner. Blade Runner was, if nothing else, a towering achievement in terms of evoking the original film’s memorable aesthetic. The game’s mo-cap sprites moved against dim, smoky noir backdrops; every exterior shot felt exhilaratingly accurate, while interior locations were ominous and claustrophobic.…