Firefox 6: Ok, it's still cool.

Scarygirl: 2d needn't be a bore

Scarygirl Game Trailer from Touch My Pixel on Vimeo.

What a job. Part of my work right now involves Unity3d a gorgeous gaming engine. As a result I've been kicking around in gamedev circles more than ever, especially indie games. Some of my favorites are those with 2d graphics that pull out all the stops. This trailer for Scarygirl showcases an endless variety of stylish designs. The characters are lovingly detailed and produced, the colors incredible. I'll be posting some more of my faves this month so stayed tuned if you're into that.

Thanks Google, I needed that.

I found the Les Paul Doodle at 2am when I was supposed to by studying for a final. It's the kind of thing that gives me hope. As a programmer, there's a demand for all kinds of work that's not audio, and not shared, and for the most part I'm just doing what comes my way these days. But once in a while I get a chance to make some music or play with some sound and I really remember why I came to digital in the first place. It makes music so easy and so spontaneous. Who didn't play that doodle guitar? It was irresistible. When we look at the future of music, the future of folk music especially, we ought to remember my mother's definition: folks play it, don't they? Audio has long been the ugly stepchild of the web: there's not much capability for looping and layering without a plugin like Flash, and browsers may or may not support Javascript without latency. HTML5 has a new standard for audio, but when can we use it for complex projects? Even though Apple supported it with Safari, they only supported their own MP3 format, not even open-source OGG. BOOOO Mr Jobs! Anyway, the Google guitar is programmed exquisitely: the sound is dynamite, there's no latency on my machine, and you can play chords. Plus they released the code. I love you Google. There will be a marimba on my home page soon.

A Trip Through the Uncanny Valley

Check out this vid with Hiroshi Ishiguro with blatant suggestions toward the gaming and sex industry. I gotta love his lack of fear. 'Probably it will be more fun.'

I've been taking a writing class this semester and my final research paper is being published in serial form on my other blog, Munjeli Cookbook. The paper deals specifically with the superstitions in the Western traditions that inhibit the creation of androids in human form. I've come think after significant reading that the unease we have with humanoids in contrast to say, Japan, where developers are making dopplegangers of themselves, has to do with the deeply embedded Judeo-Christian mythology of the Golem. It seems in our traditions a man-made man never comes to good ends. Check out the series and let me know what you think in the comments.

Beyond the Uncanny Valley

Android Roundup: Joey Chaos

You gotta love Hanson Robotics: it's an art school hi-tech mashup creating ironically lifelike robots. Ironic because the thing people expect in a perfect robot is perception, yet it's something we rarely get out of another person. Joey Chaos' self centered ramblings seem more lifelike than any android searching for something appropriate to say. If you build a personality with a certain aspect of selfconciousness, like that hair, and the piercings, you can get away with less responsive or intelligent answers. Let me be specific: you can build a dumb blonde with a nice rack, and it'll seem more realistic than a nerdy Asian chick. One thing I think could have helped out Joey is more slang (though he's all over it in terms of 'cool' vocabulary) and some well placed vocal crutches such as 'like, man...'. But the well place 'Yo,' is an excellent start. He'd also fare better as a tenor I think, with a regional accent of some sort. Love the politics, nice touch.

Android Roundup: Gemenoid-DK

Some say the market for companionbots will be women; they traditionally are alienated from the institution of prostitution because of the exploitation of women but the number of women paying for it is increasing. They tend to go on vacation and indulge in tourism in the Caribbean or Southeast Asia. It's referred to politely as a 'Vacation Romance'. Well, the market is a bit different in other ways too. A Madame in Spain who runs a brothel for women was quoted in Love and Sex with Robots discussing the importance of conversation to her female clientele. When I saw the Gemenoid-DK, with his distinguished greying hair and mild manners, I thought, hey, that's a gold mine. It'll be interesting to see if the dynamic plays out that way, but one indicator seems to be the strong market for women's bedroom toys.

Android Roundup: Repliee Q1

She's been around for a while, and just seems to keep getting better. Repliee Q1 is a Japanese humanoid robot that has made great strides in lifelike movement and expression. I was rather impressed with how fast she was moving in this video which is about a year old. While some people are always going to complain about the smoothness of her movements, there's definitely been improvement in her gestures and postures, and there are a few moments where she really hits her stride in this video.

Sex With Robots: When Not If.

I went to a new class today and as part of the discussion we were asked about potential topics for a research paper. When I mentioned I was interested in doing a paper about the emergence of androids in the sex industry it was news to some. It's funny how my media habit has got me seeing it as a done deal when others are completely in the dark. Writing a paper will at least give me an excuse for all of those creepy teledildonic links I've collected. Regarding the issue, I'm an optimist. After reading David Levy's book Love and Sex with Robots I've had time to adjust to the idea and do some research of my own. Stay tuned, I'll post more on the issue as I study it.

From My Reader: The Comics Journal on Lines and Colors

Lines and Colors is a blog about visual arts that profiles some great illustrators and painters. They linked into this newly redesigned comics site which had loads of information on the production techniques for graphic novels and the like.

 

 

Sent to you by Ele via Google Reader:

 

 

New website for The Comics Journal

via lines and colors :: a blog about drawing, painting, illustration, comics, concept art and other visual arts by Charley Parker on 3/7/11

The Comics Journal is a venerable (30 year) print publication that aimed to bring highbrow criticism and commentary to the oft maligned field of comics.

In the process it has been alternately unbearably stuffy and highbrow, and wonderfully informative and in-depth, often featuring book-length interviews with comics creators. I'll take the good with the bad and say that it has overall been a welcome addition to the limited world of comics journalism, even as the mainstream media and web journalism have taken up the slack in recent years and expanded the range of writing about comics as an industry and an art form.

The Comics Journal's own website, unfortunately, has been less than stellar. Despite some excellent blog writing and other occasional standouts, the overall presence has been weak and not well focused.

That looks to be changing, as new editors Dan Nadel and Tim Hoder, editors of the Comics Comics site, have launched a new, redesigned version of the TCJ site, with declared intentions that sound like the site can become a new destination site for those interested in comics on many levels (including highbrow). The first change of note is a new, much better and more usable interface.

The new editors promise that in addition to new material, both short posts and in depth material, the archives from the print magazine will continue to be added to the site, with the remainder of the past issues online by the end of 2011.

[Via Comics Beat, Heidi MacDonald (@Comixace) by way of Eric Orchard (@inkybat)]

 

 

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Sounds Like: the Weather in Nebraska

Nathalie Miebach: sculpture
I was chasing links around some sites of women in technology when I came across this gem: Nathalie Miebach uses weather data to generate musical scores and related sculptures. It's worth a look at her site. The playful colors and dynamic shapes are a new take on a complex data source. When we talk about data visualization the reasoning isn't always accurate and detailed analysis. Sometimes art will bring us a better sense of the gist of a thing, and in the long run, that understanding can promote better 'big picture' decisions.

Chromazone

• Chromazone - About Us - Digital Imaging for Display, Exhibition and Point of Sale Graphics

  tags: flash inspiration webdesign cool_site

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Found this while researching C# on Stack Overflow. Someone was trying to reproduce the mouse effect. I spent how much time just mousing around the landing page? That little map in the corner was particularly compelling. On my second visit I was using the links like orange cones and driving around as fast as I could. Good design makes a monkey out of me. 

Nerd Music

I found myself thinking recently about how to integrate science and art. Honestly, I think scientists do it better. Well, put it this way: I can forgive imperfect art better than bad science. If an artist wants to make art about science, they'd better know their stuff. Sloppy, goofy, off the cuff art is merely expressive, and that's an asset in the arts.

Geeks at Christmas

An software performance at North Point Community Church highlights the pros and cons of the instruments. The musicians are not generally as lively as they would be with acoustic instruments: especially the guitar players looked cramped. Some of the sounds were better than others. Still the fun of the performance for me was the accessibility of the instruments: anyone with an iPhone or iPad can find these apps, and pile more. Multi-instrumentalists could become more common even on acoustic instruments with the exposure to software versions to play with first. No one is likely to stop playing the guitar for an iPhone version, but it's fun to have sounds in your pocket.

Snakes and Math

A really cool and fast paced video by Vi Hart discusses knot theory and some aspects of topology. Her drawing is elegant, and the experiments she produces are captivating. Pick up a pencil when you have some time and enjoy the design possibilities of these techniques. She brings it to the table without a single number, but somehow, you understand the process is logical, and therefore expressible mathematically.

Arduino Percussion with PureData

I wonder what the neighbors think about all that tapping on the pipes? What I love about this thing is the objects are chosen so astutely for their sounds: I think it's a lampshade making that gong sound. Nice work.

The Land of Lisp

Really. I have the soundtrack to Why's Poignant Guide to Ruby, and now I'm dancing around the house to this. Of course one reason to learn Lisp is Impromptu, the live coding app developed by Andrew Sorensen for Mac OSx. He writes in Scheme, and the tutorials on his site are great. Lisp has got my attention for other reasons too. Expression is critical in modern multimedia coding, where applications are developed and practically thrown away. I really just need a language to build from point A to point B, with out developing a pile of supporting code.

Radiohead cover with old hardware

Friday Fun With Hard Drives – Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat

There's something very poignant to me about old hardware. Once it was the latest and the greatest, but technology moves so quickly, its all disposable long before it's actually falling apart. Still, it isn't a good idea to get sentimental and keep using an ancient machine as your primary. Better to repurpose your hardware into geeky performance art.

Fantastic Planet

Topless Robot - 7 Essential French Sci-Fi Films
This groovy article in Topless Robot brought up an old favorite. I remember coming across Fantastic Planet in the middle of the night on some odd TV station when I was in high school. The stylish yet clunky animation and ominous tone of the film was compelling. I didn't realize it was French, but I'm not surprised. If you haven't seen it yet, it's worth the energy to look it up. The soundtrack is something too. So not Disney.

Xylophone Bicycle Bridge: Designboom Contest Entry

Fantastic Xylophone Bicycle Bridge Plays Music As You Ride | Inhabitat - Green Design Will Save the World
Inhabitat posted about this beautiful design for an environmental instrument. As a cyclist rides over the bridge the keys play a tune. The design was an entry in the Designboom's Seoul Cycle Design competition, and the article includes a map with the potential sites in Seoul. I love this not just because I'm a musician and a cyclist, but because it contributes to the sonic landscape in the city.

There's so much noise on the roads here in L.A. During the recent CicLAvia I was struck by the silence of the street full of cyclists. You could hear people talking as they rode along, children laughing, a quiet background of clicks and whirs as chains adjusted and gears shifted. Now and again a bell was rung. The Xylophone Bridge gives the bike and the river a voice to sing together. A crossing is celebrated, and  I think this is art because of the symbolism.

If You Don't Have Time to Knit...

Make: Online : Clock knits, tells time
Make magazine always has cool stuff, but the artist, Siren Elise Wilhelmsen, from Germany has a whole site full of cool. The clock knits a stitch in time (which I suppose saves nine) for a whole year. I love to knit. One of the reasons I find it compelling is the time it takes to make something stitch by stitch. Even though I'm not a slow knitter, the act always seems contempt for the clock. In fact, I often do some knitting just to thumb my nose at a deadline. Currently I'm working on a large shawl, and each long row takes about ten minutes. It's not much time really, but if I make time to work on it, I feel as though I've cheated the rush of modern life.