While much of the talk covered well-known libraries (SDL, OpenAL), game engines (Ogre, Irrlicht), physics engines (Bullet, Tokamak), and content creation tools (Blender, GIMP), there were a few surprises. One was how many open source game-creation systems I found (4, more than the zero I expected). These are Game Editor (2d with export to some…
Jaw-droppingly cool– though it probably helps if you’ve ever worked with Flash. Animator vs. Animation Similar:Vandal scratches Poe phrase into car at dealershipLanguage nerds will appreciate this news…AmusingEverybody Dies (Shakespearean Tragedy Infographic) The image (by Magee and Griffin) is an…AestheticsIn praise of the sci-fi corridorCorridors in science-fiction movies. I l…AestheticsAnother section of #steampunk control panel,…
On Wednesday, a federal district court in Los Angeles dismissed Brown’s claim against Electronic Arts for the use of his image in its Madden NFL series. Judge Florence Marie-Cooper essentially found that video games are “expressive works, akin to an expressive painting that depicts celebrity athletes of past and present in a realistic sporting environment.”…
Any college professor knows the depressing feeling that comes when you stay up late marking a stack of papers, and a high percentage of students don’t even bother to pick them up. One instructor made an art installation out of abandoned student essays. As an instructor of art for the past 7 years, I have…
It’s hot here in Sacramento. I got lost wandering the UC-Davis campus looking for the Computers & Writing registration table. I discovered lots of bike paths — several of them more than once. I stumbled upon a building with people whom I recognize from various conferences. There was a nice snack table. I had helped…
The current summer 100 Days project gathers a group of story writers, poets, visual artists, musicians, and programmers for one hundred days of creative effort. Each artist’s work will be unique yet build on the work of others in the collective. Here we make, remake, shape and reshape. Steve Ersinghaus :: Story Carianne Garside ::…
Clever piece on a games-themed theater performance in Brooklyn next month. One of the more unusual plays in this year’s Antidepressant Festival is Adventure Quest, which mimics old-school computer adventure games, combining live action with vintage graphics and 8-bit music. For those too young to remember these strange, puzzle-intensive artifacts of the Reagan era, the…
A budding artist learns his real skill is not artistry, but the ability to critique. I’m blogging this for the next time I introduce iteration as an important cognitive skill — something that requires dedication, time, and a willingness to take risks in order to learn from failures (something that doesn’t often fit will with…
A great little indie game by Daniel Benmergui. The game is also a poem. Today I Die Similar:[E-Mail is for Old People] –[E-Mail is for Old People] (User Frie…Amusing‘There’s a certain madness to it’ … fans await new chord in John Cage gig with 616 years l…The organ composition is called “As Slow…AestheticsPrincipal fires security guards…
His ear was severed by a sword wielded by his friend, the painter, Paul Gauguin, in a drunken row over a woman called Rachel and the true nature of art. Gauguin lied about the incident and fled, two German art historians now believe. Van Gogh covered up to protect his friend and was placed in…
Wonderfully technical discussion of interactive fiction programming issues, presented by Andrew Plotkin at Penguicon 7. Coding is art, art is code. As I write this, Inform 7 is approaching its third birthday. I7 is a tool for creating interactive fiction (text adventure games). Like all the most powerful IF development tools, I7 is a programming…
Unicorns are much more fun when they move. It took about two minutes for my daughter to do the drawing, about an hour and a half to make the model (while my daughter played at my feet), and another two hours to make the animation (long after she was in bed). Similar:Remember Who The Enemy IsGood article on…
Fascinating story of a forger who tricked both the Nazis and the Allies. Sounds like a great subject for a non-fiction novel. Brought in for questioning, van Meegeren refused to give up the name of the painting’s rightful owners and was sent to prison on charges of treason, a crime punishable by death. Six weeks…
My wife can’t stand computers, but she’s more than an honorary geek because she knows her classic sci-fi. She pegged this scene instantly. In this re-creation from “The Cage,” green-skinned Orion slave girl Vena dances for Captain Pike. Why does Elchesen put in the hours necessary to create such images? “The time involved depends on…
Remediation of a classic? A satire on visual cruft? http://www.tomas-nilsson.se/ Slagsmålsklubben – Sponsored by destiny from Tomas Nilsson on Vimeo. Similar:Editors and editorial board quit top linguistics journal to protest subscription feesWhen I publish as a scholar, my goal is …AcademiaMagnetic Scrolls Original Games Source Code Recovered!Here we have possibly the only surviving…CybercultureFirst time experimenting…
A nifty little primer, compiled by Nate Piekos. CROSSBAR I This is probably the biggest mistake seen amongst amateur letterers. An “I” with the crossbars on top and bottom is virtually only used for the personal pronoun, “I.” The only other allowable use of the “crossbar I” is in abbreviations. Any other instance of the letter should just…
Bring on the bongo drums and the black turtlenecks — this looks like fun. Students in a poetry class were asked to write their poetry on a piece of fruit, and then share their text with the class. Melanie stood holding her Cassaba melon like a globe or Yorick’s skull in her left hand and…
I made this slide up for a conference presentation a few years ago. (Of course, it applies to the procrastinating professor, too.) Similar:Why You Should Blog to Get Your Next Job It’s your resume, only better: E…BusinessWAOB MisSpelled (final episode airs)The final episode of the fantasy/comedy …AmusingIn March, 2001, I was blogging about "All Your…
In the past, I have pointed out copy-editing weaknesses at Story Book Forest at Idlewild Park, in southwestern PA. When I was last there, shortly before Halloween, my son stopped in his tracks and said, “They repainted the Little Miss Muffet Sign!” And he was right… they repainted some of the signs. Just now, when…
Via The FPP — first-person painter! I wish the creator hadn’t chosen to go eerie with the mood, that seems like cheating a little… it’s so easy to go scary. Still, it’s beautiful And it’s an XNA-developed title. Interesting. The Unfinished Swan – Tech Demo 9/2008 from Ian Dallas on Vimeo. Similar:Have you been "workslopped"…