Our Readers' Coolest Geek-o'-Lanterns

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The Power of Suggestion

Jason Lutes: With every step “forward” in any area of human endeavor, something is gained, and with rare exception there is a concomitant loss. I feel this keenly in video game design, as the cutting edge of graphics slices into the future, opening up new and ever hotter arteries of experience for the player, but…

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…

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:Shall I Encode Thee In DNA? Sonnets Stored On Double HelixIf you took everything human beings have…CultureThe Righteous MindI just finished “The Righteous Mind: Why…CultureDo Black Holes Create New Universes? Physicist Lee Smolin InterviewCan’t…

Reindeer in the Snow II — Blender3D

The new clip improves on last night’s version, I’ve added blinking eyes, improved the nose glowing effect, and moved one of the legs a bit. Update: Here’s the file if you’d like to use it. Reindeer.blend Similar:I’ve roughed out earthen embankments for the city walls. I know there was at some point a …I’ve roughed…

Reindeer in the Snow — Blender3D

I’ve been using Blender3D for about two years now. Here’s a little Christmas animation I whipped up. That’s supposed to be sparkly glowy things coming from his shiny nose, but it looks more like a puff of breath. I’m pleased with the head motions. I’ve got the eyes rigged up so they can blink and…

Frotzophone

Adam Parrish: The Frotzophone is an interface for making music with interactive fiction. The topography simulated in the game is used to generate sound, as is the player’s path through the game. A Frotzophone “performance” looks just like playing a text adventure; but in addition to playing a game, you’re also playing music. Here’s a…

Police urged to drop photofits for caricature

Guardian (UK): Police forces should issue comical caricatures of the criminals they are hunting instead of standard photofits, according to a team of scientists who found that cartoon-like faces are better at jolting people’s memories. Similar:ABC News executive placed on administrative leave after reports surface of insensitive, ra…The Huffington Post reports that dozens …CultureWhy I…