January 28, 2020
The strange death of a Sherlock Holmes fanatic
“I don’t think we’ll ever know for sure what really happened. Unlike in detective stories, we have to live without answers.” [more inside]
Less like a puzzle and more like a mystery.
Seven years and three weeks ago today, an aging delivery driver named Conway picked up one final haul from Lysette's Antiques and began his search for the underground highway that would lead to his final destination. Today, the magical realist, anti-capitalist, Appalachian adventure game Kentucky Route Zero finally comes to a close with the release of the elusive Act V, plus the newly available TV Edition for Playstation, Xbox, or Nintendo Switch. Haven't heard of KRZ? Launch trailer. Reviews from Kotaku and Polygon. If you're intrigued, maybe try out one of the free interlude episodes? Personally, I would recommend Un Pueblo de Nada (previously) or The Entertainment. They'll give you a little taste of the world of the Zero. [more inside]
Today You, Tomorrow Me
The best way to say “hello” to modern classical music is to listen to it
Generative art, built from genetic code of artificial events
Generative art can be an intimidating topic — it seems like there is a lot of math involved, and art is tricky in itself! But, it doesn’t have to be difficult — you can build some really cool things without a math or art degree. This post will break down what generative art even is and how you can get started building your own generative art. (Free Code Camp) Ready for some next-level stuff? Dig into 22 years worth of papers from Generative Art Conferences. OK, too much? Weave silk, er, create generative art online (previously), or pick up some generative art placeholders [via Mltshp], in patterns made up of colored cells, in the style of Piet Mondrian, Georg Nees, Vera Molnar's Un Deux Trois artwork, Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures album cover, made of colorful triangle mesh, circles packed together, or mazes created using the 10 PRINT Commodore 64 generative art program.
"Ah"
Vox and countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo offer a glimpse behind the scenes of the New York Metropolitan Opera's recent staging of Akhnaten, Philip Glass's opera about the monotheist Egyptian monarch, featuring juggling, a twelve-Anthony-sized sun, and a tastefully pixellated slow-motion nude descent of a staircase.
Libertarians Can’t Save the Planet
John Quiggin, Jacobin: Libertarians Can’t Save the Planet — Libertarians once claimed they had the answer to the environmental crisis. But the reality of climate change has simply exposed the futility of their creed.
“You Guys Are Scaring Me”
How a woman processed her rape by New York Mets Dwight Gooden, Vince Coleman, and Daryl Boston, fought for justice, and got discarded as a “groupie” during the “Year of the Woman.” Daniel Engber weaves her story together with the media coverage of Clarence Thomas’ sexual harassment of Anita Hill, William Kennedy Smith‘s rape of Patricia Bowman, and Mike Tyson’s rape of Desiree Washington; sexual and domestic violence by numerous Mets players including David Cone amid the team’s early 90s decline; and the widespread cultural backlash to 1992’s version of the “Me Too” movement.
*lo-fi music softly playing in background*
Coffee Talk: a chill coffeeshop game where you play therapist to vampires, cat girls, and succubi [Game Trailer] “Coffee Talk is a game about listening to people’s problems and helping them by serving up a warm drink out of the ingredients you have in stock. It is a game that depicts lives as humanly as possible, while having a cast that is more than just humans. Immerse yourself in the stories of alternative-Seattle inhabitants, ranging from a dramatic love story between an elf and a succubus, an alien trying to understand humans’ lives, and many others modern readers will find strongly echo the world around them.” [more inside]
Becoming an occultist
The western mystery traditions are becoming more and more enticing to millennials. An interview with a DePaul university PhD philosophy candidate on esotericism.
"So I stare up at the flashing map and pray I’ll make it to Leslie."
Singer Donna O'Regan wrote a song about taking the TTC, and the many trials and tribulations travelers must endure to get to their destination.
Military Maps, 1532-1815
George III's collection of military maps comprises some 3,000 maps, views and prints ranging from the disposition of Charles V's armies at Vienna in 1532 to the Battle of Waterloo (1815). They are now available online. The index map viewer is here. [Story via The Guardian]
sanda seivom
They call me Arivu/
I’m one of you/Equality is my dream/Ambedkar and Periyar live forever/And my rap is the product of their rationality! [more inside]
The Germany Shock: the largest economy nobody understands
Netanyahu Officially Indicted
Netanyahu Officially Indicted in Court After Withdrawing Immunity Bid.
Avichai Mandelblit, Attorney General of Israel, has indicted Benjamin Netanyahu on three cases: 4000, 2000, and 1000. [more inside]
Avichai Mandelblit, Attorney General of Israel, has indicted Benjamin Netanyahu on three cases: 4000, 2000, and 1000. [more inside]
The computer is a magic box. Many graphic images are hidden inside it.
The Art Of Computer Designing: A Black and White Approach
"This book is a beginner's introduction to calling forth these images as author Sato shows how to create figures with basic shapes - i.e., lines, arcs, squares and circles - and does so simply, clearly, and above all very logically. This is an everyday guide to computer illustrating, a collection of design ideas and a compendium of Mr. Sato's own computer art works. All the shapes in this book are black and white, but it is a black and white world full of potential. Just looking at the myriad manifestations of form is a joy, but for those who will use it to begin creating their own shapes this book offers far, far greater pleasure." [courtesy the Internet Archive] [more inside]
Eulogy to last one minute, without hesitation, repetition or deviation
Nicholas Parsons, comedian, actor, radio presenter and host of Just A Minute, has died at the age of 96. Nicholas Parsons on Wikipedia.
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