exam: the killing room meets the saw series
Eight talented candidates have reached the final stage of selection to join the ranks of a mysterious and powerful corporation. Entering a windowless room, an Invigilator gives them eighty minutes to answer one simple question. He outlines three rules they must obey or be disqualified: don't talk to him or the armed guard by the door, don't spoil their papers and don't leave the room. He starts the clock and leaves.
The candidates turn over their question papers, only to find they're completely blank...
via io9, IN THEATERS FROM 2010 JAN 8
omm writer: word processing with a twist
Ommwriter is a simple text processor that firmly believes in making writing a pleasure once again, revindicating the close relationship between writer and paper. The more intimate the relation, the smoother the flow of inspiration.
If you are a scriptwriter, blogger, journalist, copywriter, poet or just someone who enjoys writing, welcome back to concentrating. (ommwriter.com, via electro^plankton)
007 on a personal note, freqwensiz detjund
My blog is a true and honest kin of Cthulhu now. It is HUGE and sleeping and when it rumbles, it makes people weep and castrate themselves, drowning in gentle flows of urine and Ukrainian mail-order bride brochures. To translate Damagetalk back to English, I am not lost, just busy with everything else. The admin board is full of half-finished articles about violence, splendorous eyecandy and loose, loose women. I'm leaving the wondrously prestigious but otherwise completely deadpit place I've called my job for two and half years and I'm back to sharpening my freelancing and other mad mind skillz I was told to neglect. Two of my three storage drives have siphoned themselves through with arduous work to a Nirvana where you have clouds of porn, porn and wu shu. Those two terabytes also included eight years of photographs, creative writing, scripts, ideas. Basically I've lost most of my past. The people who know about this are concerned that I have not yet kicked cute animals into blood jellies. Instead, I'm now working on occult methods to retrieve data from thin air and old acquaintances' mailboxes. The admin board is full of half-finished articles about violence, splendorous eyecandy and loose, loose women.
sin and punishment 2
One game even I continually neglected to mention over the course of E3 -- not for lack of interest, but simply from the constant torrent of incoming games -- was Sin and Punishment 2, which, as you can see from the trailer above, is looking as fantastic and ephemerally pastel as it should.
The game is, of course, the sequel to the Nintendo 64 original that took some seven years to finally make its way to the states (under Nintendo's Virtual Console banner), years spent working up a near-mythical level of cult acclaim. via offworld
bioshock cosplay aquarium photoshoot
This was a colossal effort, and just like the original display of the piece, several hands went into making it happen. Much thanks to my friend Kim and Jay for getting up at 5am to come with us and be our handlers, to the Georgia Aquarium staff for this amazing opportunity, and to Matt Nicholson (and his fiancée!) of Dim Horizon Studio for doing such fantastic photography and editing. (at volpin props via nerdcore)
the hesitation
The Hesitation, by Juha Arvid Helminen. This Deviantart find is highly praised by both IO9 and Coilhouse and we are wading six feet deep in our own turbulence to finally get things started and done. At the same time. Wonderfully and hilariously inexplicable Yoda talk at 0:35!
conspiracy - actuator
After 3 years of silence.
...
You expected more, didn't you?
Too bad.
We have to lower the bar you know. Anyway.
This intro was supposed to be done for Breakpoint, Scenecon, Riverwash, Assembly, probably Evoke too, and at some point it was also planned to be a Function invitation, but we could not finish the thing, probably 'cos we failed to even START it. Oh well. Hope you like it still and we hope Still likes it. For the record, it IS 1AM, so excuse us, if we're only moderately coherent. Also, WE'RE REALLY HAPPY AND WE'LL LET OURSELVES FINISH, BUT FAIRLIGHT HAS THE ONE OF THE BEST INTROS OF ALL TIME. *cough* (via pouet)
lapp, light art performance photography
LAPP originates on a real-time basis directly in front of the camera. Created between opening and closing the shutter. The pictures shown here are in each case one single photo, not a result of working on the computer. With especially developed light and luminous tools they are projected on the sensor. within a performance, form and color by light arrange such complicated figures and light forms. (core.form-ula via warren ellis)
how to make shichimi toogarashi
七味唐辛子 aka seven flavour chili pepper. According to >BoingBoing's Taste Test, this seven-ingredient Japanese spice is found at home dinner tables and yakitori restaurants and it enhances natural flavours of high quality meat and vegetables. His recipe contains ground chile pepper, black peppercorns, tangerine peel, nori, black sesame seeds, white poppy seeds (or black cannabis seeds) and minced garlic, Wikipedia has a few alternatives for ingredients. (via boingboing)
turbo: the movie (between the devil and the shiny, shiny dancemat)
Jarrett Lee Conaway's TURBO is a slick, hybrid monster that pays honest tribute to the fighting games of almost two decades, paired with the same reverence towards Japanese arcades with their blinding mosaic of DDR dancemats, teenager decadence and a palette of white, blue and even more blue. On a budget of 100 thou bucks and the dedication that spills forth from the same grass roots approach that we used for our projects in the scene (whatever that means, whichever scene we're talking), this is a textbook example of how to make a short movie. Storywise, it is obviously constructed out of clichés (ones that pave the way for the fighting scenes quite well), technically and visually this is a TREAT, look no further. I'm exceptionally glad to see better and better amateur and semi-professional SF and cyberpunk shorts coming up on YouTube, so ladies and gentlemen, pay some kudos for this genetlemen and his crew. Almost missed Linda Lee from this one. Read Kotaku's feature on how this film unfurled into action from an idea. (turbothemovie.com)
újabb cikk a magyar cyberpunkról
A magyar SF-et – ugyanúgy, ahogy a teljes magyar irodalmat – mindig egy különös kettősség jellemezte. Egyszerre volt elmaradva a Nyugati „trendektől”, és mindeközben mégis tűntek fel olyan írások, melyek megállták a helyüket a külföldi művekkel szemben, sőt, előfordult, hogy bizonyos aspektusukban túl is léptek rajtuk. (...) Az információs társadalom, a számítógépek, a globálissá váló világ, a Távol-Kelet dominanciája – akár technikai, akár kulturális téren – csak a kommunista rendszer fölbomlása után valósulhatott meg, amikor szabadon áramolhatott – kezdetben még kontrollálatlanul – az információ. Ugyan már a nyolcvanas években is jelentek meg elvétve cyberpunk felé tendáló írások – pl. Gáspár András novellái a Galaktikában –, igazán a kilencvenes évekig kellett várni a „klasszikus” magyar cyberpunkra.
Via Csordás Attila/Galaktika érkezik az új tipp arról, hogy a spektrum másik oldaláról hogyan tekintik át a magyar CP-t, szigorúan irodalmi oldalról, Gáspár Andrástól László Zoltánon keresztül Csepregi Tamásig. A fictionkulton most úgyis a CP a kiemelt téma, fűrészporízűen, de gerincesen átrágják magukat Gibsontól Ruckerig, az Appleseedet következetesen Applesheadnek írják, ahol már vérzik a szemem, de több is veszett már, úgyhogy tovább, Csepregi Tamás-interjú, még egy SF meetupos videón gyorsajánlóként is megjelenik az új nagy reménység, a szerzővel készített interjút elolvasom kétszer, az éjjelnappaliban kezembe gyűrt blokk is izgalmasabb annál, amit a potenciális olvasó elé (elém) tár, a könyvet már meg sem merem venni, abban mi lehet, de hogy is kell ezt iskolásan, nyálgőzös-diplomatikusan lezárni? a kezdőknek és a témával ismerkedőknek viszont hasznos információk tömkelelegével szolgálhat, itt megint megindult a vér a szememből, kénytelen vagyok visszavonulót fújni. Itt a link, harapd.
the ultimate underground home
What many people fail to realize when they see something like a run-down nuclear missile base is that (beneath the grime, water and other signs of age) the underlying materials are often of the best quality and likely to last at least a few lifetimes after being outwardly restored – from top-notch concrete to high-grade steel. Peden became so enamored with his own unique living space that he switched from a life of teaching to a profession of selling missile silos around the United States. (via dornob via @dawe_)
faith & the muse, ankoku butoh
After last night's terrific performance of Faith & The Muse (touring with the Ankoku Butoh release), I'm once again thankful to Zero of NegativeArt for getting the band to Budapest and keeping that very special spirit alive.
assassin's creed 2 live action movie, full version
When the Duke of Milan is brutally murdered, the Assassin Giovanni Auditore is dispatched to investigate. The answers he uncovers implicate Italy's most powerful families reaching all the way back to the Vatican itself. As Giovanni draws closer to the truth, he becomes hunted himself. He must expose the conspirators before he joins their ever growing list of victims. Lineage is the prequel to the Assassin's Creed II story, revealing the machinations of 15th century Italy through the actions of Ezio's father, Giovanni.
medical armor: healing stages of human trauma
Our next and final feature on Late-to-the-Party Sunday is this collection of prosthetics-inspired, insectlike body armor created by recent University of the Arts London graduate Úna Burke, blogged everywhere and recently rediscovered by Haute Macabre. (via coilhouse)
the berlin shards: teched 2009 and all the rest
A több ezernyi geeket egy fedél alá hozó konferenciák töretlen, megalomán pszichológiával működnek, ez pedig az első nap délutánjára rakott keynote-on látszik meg igazán. A megnyitóról nem maradhatnak el a Microsoft evangelistáiból porondmesterré avanzsált ön- és közhergelő showmanek, akik tízről - pontosabban hétről - számoltatják vissza a tömeget. A Messe Süd huszonötös számú hangárjában összegyűlt több ezer szakmabeliből hármat a színpadon elhelyezett masszázsszékekbe invitálnak, valamint sört és pálmalevélutánzattal integető lányokat ajánlanak fel nekik, hogy jobban átérezzék az új Windows-termékek adta professzionális könnyedséget - amilyen nagy csinnadrattával hívják fel a rendszergazdák új generációját, ugyanannyira megunt színpadelemként tolják ki őket egy óvatlan pillanatban.
A hiba ott válik igazán szembeötlővé, amikor a főként fejlesztőkből álló, kódban gondolkodó hallgatóságnak Stephen Elop, a Microsoft üzleti divíziójának elnöke nekiszögezi a gazdasági válságból is előnyt építő, mindent betonba döngölő újhatékonyság koncepciót, a the new efficiency-t. Mindezt humorosnak szánt reklámfilmekkel is alátámasztja, amelyekből megtudhatjuk: a túlsúlyosnak, kopaszodónak és szemüvegesnek beállított rendszergazdák arról álmodoznak, hogy kollégáik igazából szeretik őket, az irodai meglepetésbuli csúcsa az, amikor a tortát saját arcukon kenik végig, hétvégén meghibásodott szerverek javítása helyett embernagyságú rókákkal szeretnének labdázni és fagylaltozni egy réten, a biztonságtechnika örök ellensége pedig egy epilepsziás nindzsa, aki oda rúg, ahol éppen van levegő. A meghökkent közönség itt kezd el kivándorolni a teremből, tucathosszú fürtökben, amit még az sem fékez meg, hogy megtudhatjuk, mitől lesz jó az új Exchange Server. (right here) Bentebb meg képek and then some more pictures inside.
death beat club 010: ringz
Hat éve írtam egy könyvet (”könyvet”), elmentettem és úgyhagytam, néha kipostoltam belőle részeket, aztán kitöröltem őket, hadd maradjon exkluzív az élmény. Most elővettem, kiporolom és felrakom ide anélkül, hogy kiadnám, ha nem tudok jobbat írni ennél, meg is érdemlem. A tizedik részt a NIN/Bowie-klipközös I'm Afraid of Americans hirdette és valami, amire már nem emlékszem, de nyolc éve négy kávétól se írtam volna ilyet, de lassan nem is számít ez már. Életemben nem írtam novellát, ez a második. Enjoy.
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commemorating the berlin hardcore
In Berlin until the end of this week on Tech Ed 2009. The hotel smells like wonderful lady staff, wabisabi sterility, coffee that's generally considered to be mouthwash by both the journalistic and the intelligence community and expensive but non-functional WiFi. Sorry as it is, very few updates this week from the city of techno and gangbang revolution. If any readers are out on a spree to headlock or headscan the editor of the upcoming The Dose mags, take me out on a wardrive. Be seeing you all.
death beat club 009: you know we fake tonight
Hat éve írtam egy könyvet (”könyvet”), elmentettem és úgyhagytam, néha kipostoltam belőle részeket, aztán kitöröltem őket, hadd maradjon exkluzív az élmény. Most elővettem, kiporolom és felrakom ide anélkül, hogy kiadnám, ha nem tudok jobbat írni ennél, meg is érdemlem. A kilencedik részben: mi történt megint Witheringgel, mit kell tudni a függőségről és mit kell tényleg tudni a függőségről. (More about hush on opusunderground and cargo-london.)
Az előző részek:
008: the noble eightfold bandwidth
007: keep fucking it up
006: lay lady lay, drunken boxing style
005: need
004: death follows the enemy
003: k for kickstart, d for defense
002: sm rounds
001: here and now
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the matrix has a cunt: a thesis on gibson and cyberpunk, part 6
Cyberpunks, riot people, disturbed intellectuals, thesis dealers, horny hi tech lo life speedfreaks - The Representation of the Body in the Works of William Gibson is coming to an end with the works cited. (Seriously, Cyberpunked really wanted to know if the thesis really is a thesis with all the MLA works cited standards - yes, it is. Back in the days when it actually compelled me enough to get really meticulous about it? Nowadays, not that much.) In this part I'm closing it up but before that comes the part that was the hardest to write, I guess, writing about gender and technology. I know that the American literary criticism crowd is very hell-bent on sexual and gender issues, me, I was more drawn to interface and eyecandy and I truly didn't care if the Matrix had a cunt or not. But it probably has, as it turned out during a few lessons of movie aesthetics - oceanliners are giant cocks and the ocean is nothing but... I think that was the point where I stumbled out for the second coffee of the day. Never to return. If someone actually tries to explain that to you again, bottle him in the neck. (You can find the previous thesis parts here: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4 and part 5.)
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