MetaFilter posts tagged with dune

Do we have wormsign?

Artw — Fri, 24 May 2013 09:12:05 -0800

In 1997, Last Unicorn gave Zug the chance at recreating Frank Herbert's 'Dune' through a new trading card series. He was originally told to base his work off of David Lynch's film, but after complications with licensing, "they told me to avoid similarity to Lynch's visuals" says Mark Zug. Mark Zug's Dune trading cards.

"i made visions on garageband"

Doleful Creature — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 11:56:38 -0800

"u should prob buy a mic/ interface and u might appreciate some instruments" A brief tutorial on music production by Claire Boucher, aka Grimes. Previously, and previouslier.

Thou shalt not make a machine in the likeness of a 1992 RTS.

zamboni — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 06:45:36 -0800

Play Dune II in your browser.

interesting compromises

codacorolla — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 10:26:23 -0800

"my interest in a lot of old game music now has very little to do with "nostalgia" or any associations i had with the games, and much more to do with the way the different kinds of hardware used created interesting compromises for composers that led them [to] making some really interesting sounds," Liz Ryerson collects sounds from the abyss. In her blog post here she details the history and appeal of five (mostly forgotten) game soundtracks which push the limits of the both the genre and the hardware. Soundtracks in the post:

She also maintains Lost Worlds, which is a collection of surreal, strange, and interesting game screenshots.

The Joy Machine

rewil — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 12:21:53 -0800

COLBERT: I suppose fear is like a drug. A little bit isn’t that bad, but you can get addicted to the consumption and distribution of it. What’s evil is the purposeful distribution of fear. As Paul said when he was faced with the gom jabbar, “Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration.”
PLAYBOY: Did you just make a Dune reference?
COLBERT: I did! [laughs] If you’re injecting fear into other people, then you’re trying to kill their minds. You’re trying to get them to stop thinking.

A thoughtful interview with Stephen Colbert in Playboy (NSFW ads)(Non-Playboy copy.)

Zeppelin Vs Pterodactyl

Artw — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 15:21:37 -0800

100 Wonderful and Terrible Movies that never Existed

An overgrown boy scout: truthful, inquisitive, courageous and caring.

crossoverman — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:23:40 -0800

The 50 best David Lynch characters. And David Lynch films - from worst to best. And David Lynch's best music moments. Craziest David Lynch moments.

Geography and Science Fiction

daniel_charms — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 13:08:49 -0800

GeoCurrents is blog dedicated to "map-illustrated analyses of current events and geographical issues", run by Martin W. Lewis, a Stanford senior lecturer. For the past week, they've been posting a series of articles on imaginary geography. See below for a list of the posts so far: Part 1: Geography and Science Fiction: the Creation of Realistic Alternative Worlds Part 2: The Elaborate and Curious Geographies of Frank Herbert and J. R. R. Tolkien Part 3: Speculative fiction and language Part 4: How to create an “exotic” language: Na’vi and Dothraki

As many games as grains of sand.

curious nu — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 13:54:21 -0800

Dune has been the subject of quite a few games, all with varying interpretations of the setting material. DUNE is an adventure game of sorts, drawing heavily on the David Lynch movie imagery, and roughly following the events of the first book. More or less. DUNE II was not the first real-time strategy game, but it is often hailed as the prototypical example, informing all that came after. Later games in this line, like Dune 2000, are effectively remakes or updates of the original game. Despite the fact that it plays pretty loose with some fundamental aspects of Dune, Dune II is probably the most Dune game to date, and there are some some fan projects to remake it for modern computers. It ignores some basic bits of the setting; you can build lots of vehicles which seem to be able to drive over the sand without any problems. Cryo Interactive made one Dune game (youtube playthrough) and attempted to make another, but went bankrupt. More videos from the cancelled Dune Generations: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,, 8, 9 There are also board and collectible card games. Lately, some folk have been recreating Dune in Minecraft.

Alright, so for our happy little desert, we're going to want to start with some "blue of the ibad" on our brush...

curious nu — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 13:44:15 -0800

The many covers of the Dune series. / Dune fan art found on deviantart, and other, different fan art, and some even more fan art. (Dune art previously)

If you walk without rhythm…

Nomyte — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 10:19:44 -0800

Insane, inscrutable, and angelic, Montreal artist Grimes's vocal melodies float on a barely subdued monster beat that threatens to uproot buildings and put holes in the ground. Halfaxa is the artist's second album, and also her second in the productive year 2010. Track 8 — Dream Fortress Track 13 — My Sister Says the Saddest Things (with bonus Kuroneko) Track 15 — Favriel (yes) (Album preview courtesy of BBC Music.) Before Halfaxa there came Geidi Primes (sic, January 2010), more tentative and searching: Track 1 — Caladan (♫) Track 3 — Zoal, Face Dancer (♫) Track 5 — avi (♫) Track 7 — Gambang (♫) (More tracks on Weird Canada.) ((Highly relevant — Sting as Feyd Rautha in Dune.)) Darkbloom, a split EP with d'Eon, graced the world this year with its more mainstream sound. Track 2 — Vanessa (with bonus Alphaville) Track 3 — Crystal Ball interview | interview live | live | live (MeFites of DC may have seen her at the 9:30 club in May, opening for Lykke Li.) Oh, and she's also a part-time illustrator.

Sean Young's Polaroids

xod — Fri, 27 May 2011 07:44:44 -0800

Some Polaroids belonging to Sean Young. Previously, some of her Super 8.

"What I wanted was to create a prophet"

Artw — Mon, 16 May 2011 22:49:40 -0800

"I wanted to do a movie that would give the people that took LSD at that time the hallucinations that you get with that drug, but without hallucinating. I did not want LSD to be taken, I wanted to fabricate the drug's effect." - Alejandro Jodorowsky's Dune (previously) is to be the subject of a new documentary.

I WILL kill you!

JHarris — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 17:20:54 -0800

In 1979, gaming company Avalon Hill (since bought by Hasbro) released a board game based on the popular science fiction novel Dune. Regarded by many as a masterpiece of the form, it is an asymmetrical wargame designed by Bill Eberle, Jack Kittredge and Peter Olotka, the people who created Cosmic Encounter. Six different factions vie for control of the desert planet Arrakis. As WickerNipple notes in his Everything node on the game, “Instead of giving subtle differences to the various factions like most games, Dune gives huge differences and advantages, that don't over-balance things only because every faction receives them.” The thing is, each player has special rules that give them very different options and abilities compared to the other sides, and yet the game remains balanced (especially when played by a full six players). The game has been long out of print due to the Frank Herbert estate refusing to re-license. Fantasy Flight Games is rumored to be working on a release of the game without the Dune license. Importantly, all the necessary files are available on the game's BoardGameGeek page to construct a copy of the game. (Homebrew game board - Rules, cards, counters and extras - Windows freeware game client and server) What makes Dune special? Here is the basic play of the game. It gets messed up a lot by all the special abilities, but it serves as a framework on which to base your understanding of it: The game lasts up to 15 turns. On each turn, a storm moves a semi-random number of spaces, eliminating all game pieces it travels through if they're in the desert. (There are many safe spaces to hide in.) Also, either spice or a worm emerges on a location of the planet; if it's a worm, it appears at the location where spice last appeared, devouring anything that happens to be there, such as units that scrambled there to claim the spice. Then the players bid on treachery cards, which give them special abilities or advantages in battle. Then the players take turns acting. On each turn, a player may move one collection of troops already on the planet, and may ship in from space one collection of troops from off-planet to a single location on the board. If two factions have troops on a space, they fight it out. Each side secretly determines which of his leaders he'll use in the fight (each has a name and a value), how many of his troops he'll use in the fight, and, optionally, an “attack” and a “defense” treachery card. This forms their battle plan. When both sides are ready, they reveal their plans. The number of troop counters fielded is added to the value of the leader. The player with the higher value loses the troop counters he committed to the fight; the other player loses all his troops on the space. Thus, you never want to commit all your troops, but as few as you can and still win. The leaders are retained unless the opposite player played a treachery card that attacks the leader; then he is killed unless he had a defense against that card. The attacks are poisons (which must be countered by poison defense), weapons (which must be countered by a shield), and the powerful lazgun. The lazgun has no defense, but if the other player tries blocking it with a shield it causes a huge explosion that destroys everything in the territory, regardless of the outcome of the battle. The players rush to be the ones to collect spice when it appears, although they must be mindful of the storm and the possibility of worm attacks, and they battle for control of the five stronghold locations. To win the game, a single player must control, with at least one troop token, any three strongholds at the end of a complete turn. If players form an alliance (which can only be made or broken at certain times), then they can claim a joint victory. If at the end of 15 turns no one has won, the Fremen player wins if he has control over three particular territories. If he hasn't won this way, the Spacing Guild player wins. All of the leaders in each faction has a card in the Traitor deck. At the start of the game each player is dealt four, and selects one to be a secret traitor for his side, discarding the others. If this leader is ever used against that player, the player reveals the traitor card and immediately wins the fight, kills the enemy leader and gains spice equal to his value. Complicating these basics are the special rules and advantages enjoyed by each side: The Atredies player has precognition, and gets to look at Spice and Treachery cards when drawn. He gets to look at them even if they are drawn face-down, giving him an advantage in tracking down spice locations, predicting worm attacks and deciding which treachery cards are worth bidding for and which other players have them. Additionally, when forming battle plans the Atredies player may look at one aspect of the battle plans of the other players before the fight and react accordingly. He also has access to the Kwisatz Haderach counter, which is worth a bonus in battle. The Harkonnen player is a master of treachery. He draws an extra treachery card every time he gains one (which the Atredies player does not get to see), can hold up to eight cards instead of four, gets to keep all four traitors drawn at the start of the game, and can capture enemy leaders, either to kill them or use them themselves for one turn. The Emperor player has access to the elite Sardaukar troops, which are double-strength, and also is given the spice the other players bid for treachery cards. Most sides gain income through spice harvesting, so an extra source is a substantial advantage. The Spacing Guild player pays half to ship his own troops onto the board, and furthermore receives the payments other sides (except for Fremen) pay to put their troops on the board. Again, alternate income sources are valuable in this game. The Fremen player has Fremakin elite troops that are worth double, and revives troops for free at the end of a turn (other factions have to pay beyond a certain number of free revivals on a turn). Furthermore they only lose half their troops in the storm, and are not only unharmed by worm attacks but may then ride them elsewhere on the planet. The Bene Gesserit player is difficult to play. Although in battle they have the Voice ability which forces the opponent to set one aspect of their battle plan as they dictate, they only get one free troop revival each turn, and they lack the Emperor's extra income to make up for it. They can sneak their troops onto the planet along with other shipments and without paying, and can also choose to “coexist” with other units in a space, choosing to fight only when they please. They also have a special way to win. At the start of play, the Bene Gesserit player writes down one of the other factions and which turn he thinks that player will win on. If this player wins or is a member of a winning alliance on that turn, then the Bene Gesserit player reveals the prediction and is in fact the sole winner! This gives the BG player a way to win by playing kingmaker, subtly influencing the direction of the game in favor of a given player in order to become the power behind the throne.

His name is a +2 Killing Word

Artw — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 12:16:54 -0800

The Dune RPG that never was.

Arrakis... Dune... Desert Planet...

Artw — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 17:17:37 -0800

Bill Sienkiewicz's David Lynch's Frank Herbert's DUNE.

Five more for Lucien’s shelves.

kipmanley — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 11:43:00 -0800

Five books to add to the holiday wishlists of children everywhere. [SLCH]

The stars my destination

kmz — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 13:46:53 -0800

The Zensunni Wandering, among other Dune maps. The universe of Farscape. The Foundation universe, in Thai. All courtesy of the Stars in Science Fiction section of Winchell Chung's comprehensive 3-D Starmaps site. It looks like the site has been linked before (1 2 3), but it's been a few years and I just ran across it today and thought it was share-worthy. Hope it's ok.

The Authorized Guide and Companion to Dune

Rhaomi — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:30:44 -0800

Snippets of poetry from the Imperium; a sample folk tale from the Oral History; brief biographies of over a dozen Duncan Idahos; two differing approaches to Paul Muad'Dib himself and to his son Leto II; Fremen recipes; Fremen history; secrets of the Bene Gesserit; the songs of Gurney Halleck -- these are just some of the treasures found when an earthmover fell into the God Emperor's no-room at Dar-es-Balat. Out of print for more than two decades, disavowed by Frank Herbert's estate, and highly sought-after by fans, the legendary Dune Encyclopedia is now available online as a fully illustrated and searchable PDF [direct link]. [Note: If you're unfamiliar with the Dune series, see the opening section of this TVTropes article for a spoileriffic crash course.] Conceived and compiled by respected science fiction scholar Dr. Willis E. McNelly in 1984, the phonebook-sized Encyclopedia was a work of speculative beanplating unlike any other. Drawing on the contributions of dozens of experts in history, linguistics, theology, botany, and a score of other fields, it presented a series of approximately 200 essays and articles on the Dune universe, copiously cited and cross-referenced. The level of verisimilitude is striking, as the entire tome was written from the point of view of a "Library Confraternity" of in-universe scholars existing thousands of years after the events of the books. Accordingly, its ponderous, heavily-footnoted entries are rich with arcane detail, citing hundreds of fictional papers and books, and even contain realistic measures of error and misinterpretation. The comprehensiveness of the project was no accident. Dr. McNelly was a close personal friend of Frank Herbert -- he conducted an extended interview with the author and his wife in 1969 (previously), and penned a heartfelt eulogy after Herbert's death from pancreatic cancer seventeen years later. This close kinship was reflected in the Encyclopedia, which Herbert personally vetted and contributed a foreword to. A record of McNelly's writings on Herbert and the Dune series can be found on his memorial webpage, including a two-part piece on the development of the Encyclopedia, essays about Herbert's literary influences and love of wine, and a collection of writings on the role of science fiction in literature. Unfortunately, after Herbert's death, his estate placed less and less emphasis on Dr. McNelly's opus, opting instead to highlight the new novels being turned out by Herbert's son. Repeated requests for a reprint of the Encyclopedia were denied, and it was eventually relegated to official "non-canon" status. With McNelly's death and the expansion of the new series of books, this state of affairs is unlikely to change. Still, the Encyclopedia remains a fascinating work, perhaps the finest example of "fan fiction" in sci-fi history. Some highlights: [Note: All page numbers refer to this scanned PDF linked to in the FPP. If that version goes down or is removed, you can find another copy here. The character-recognition process is not perfect, and there are a few instances of mis-scanned words scattered throughout the book. If you want to view a direct xerox-style scan of the Encyclopedia -- albeit one with different page numbers and no search function -- see here.]

A Chronology of Some Important Events in Human History (pg. 7) - An extensive timeline of the Dune universe, which charmingly compacts all of human history to date into only nine entries. The chronological baseline has been moved from (approximately) the birth of Jesus to the foundation of the Spacing Guild in A.D. 16,200. This makes deducing the "correct" years a bit difficult, but fortunately the grunt work has been accomplished by this fansite (albeit in Comic Sans). Note that a handful of the early dates are a century off due to an error in the Encyclopedia -- "The Great Struggle" should be in 1400, "Discoveries in America" in 1492, and the "Battle of Englichannel" in 1588. Al-Harba, Harq (pg. 14) and Al-Harba Question, The (pg. 17) - A biography and analysis of the Dune universe's Shakespeare, including examples of his work and questions about his true identity. Arrakis, Astronomical Aspects of (pg. 33) - The first in a series of articles detailing planet Arrakis, the central world in the Dune mythos, as well as its environment and evolution. Atreides, Leto II: God Emperor of Dune (pg. 98) - An account of the son of Muad'Dib, whose actions shaped the course of the later novels over thousands of years of history, and whose hidden historical cache formed the fictional basis of the Encyclopedia. Atreides, Paul (pg. 113) - A sprawling biography and analysis of the single most pivotal character in the series: Paul "Muad'Dib" Atreides, who founded a new religion and launched an epic holy war that changed the galaxy forever. Bene Gesserit Archives (pg. 157) - The first of seven articles describing the nature, history, and practices of the mysterious Bene Gesserit sisterhood. Follow-up articles include discourses on the Bene Gesserit Library and Chapter House on Wallach IX, their system of governance, their ranking system, their training techniques, and their extensive history (including hinted-at interludes as the driving force behind Wiccans, European royalty, and the Daughters of the American Revolution). Butler, Jehanne (pg. 194) and Butlerian Jihad ("The Great Revolt"); Its Cause and Effect (pg. 201) - An analysis of the Dune backstory's most central event paired with a biography of its most central figure. The Butlerian Jihad, a devastating war against "thinking machines," was Frank Herbert's way of constructing a baroque future not defined by advanced technology. The Encyclopedia's account of the Jihad differs significantly from later canon, most notably the controversial trilogy of prequel novels penned by Herbert's son Brian. Calendar, Standard Imperial (pg. 207) - An interesting exercise in devising a calendar system that spans tens of thousands of worlds. CHOAM (pg. 226) - An examination of how the "Combine Honnete Ober Advancer Mercantiles" trading society helped maintain the balance of power between the feudalistic Houses over millennia of war and political upheaval. Family Atomics, History of (pg. 290) - Traces the evolution of nuclear weapons back to the ancient mists of "Old Terra" (20th-century Earth). Due to a serious case of Future Imperfect, the familiar outlines of World War II are heavily and amusingly distorted to adhere to the neo-feudal "House" system that dominates the world of Dune. Fremen: Cultural Development to the Year 10190 (pg. 314) - One of many articles exploring the culture and history of the Fremen people of Arrakis. Companion articles include an account of their Jihad against the rest of the galaxy (led by Paul Muad'Dib) and a detailed examination of their language and customs. Holtzman, Ibrahim Vaughn (pg. 419) and Holtzman Effect (pg. 423) - The strange and tragic tale of the lost scientist whose research produced, among other things, near-instant communication and convenient interstellar travel. Imperium, Feudal Patterns of (pg 470) - An explanation of the basic structure of the galactic government. Mentats, History of the Order (pg. 515) - The first of three articles outlining the "Mentats," human computers that have come to replace advanced AI. Orange Catholic Bible, the Fundamental Scripture of the Imperium (pg. 553) - Adapted from the Appendix of the first Dune novel (a much pithier essay, in my opinion: 1 2 3) and ostensibly written by protagonist Paul Muad'Dib, this article explores the history of the O.C. Bible, the revered "Accumulated Book" of pan-religious scripture that forms the foundation of faith in the Dune universe. Includes a rare list of the tome's constituent books, a roster of contributing faiths, and a follow-up essay analyzing its impact on Paul Muad'dib that's rich with O.C. Biblical quotes. Rakis Finds, Discovery (pg. 582) - An account of the discovery of Leto II's secret "no-room" that contained much of the information discussed elsewhere in the Encyclopedia. Shai-Hulud (pg. 618) - An overview of the monstrous sandworms of Arrakis: their biology, life-cycle, and their role in the production of the all-important melange. Spacing Guild, Foundation (pg. 629) - A history of the Spacing Guild, the consortium that controls all trade and transportation in the galaxy through their monopoly on melange and the mutated pilots who sustain themselves on it.

Fabulous Bonus: Open source advocate Tim O'Reilly's full-length biography of Frank Herbert, now available for free through his website.

Sean Young's super-8 footage of the making of Dune

The Mouthchew — Wed, 05 May 2010 00:12:22 -0800

Dune, the motion picture was made in Mexico City, Mexico during the spring of 1983. I was there to witness David Lynch as the director and here's what really happened! (via)

The Waves of Sand Roll On

filthy light thief — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 14:11:29 -0800

In 1957, Frank Herbert was a journalist and writer of short stories, on his way to Florence, Oregon to do an article about the U. S. Department of Agriculture's attempts to control sand dunes that were shifting. The USDA was searching for something to stabilize the dunes, and they came upon European beach grass. Herbert's research was for an article tentatively titled "They Stopped The Moving Sands." The article was never completed, but his research of dune stabilization lead to larger ecological matters, and eventually the novel Dune. This year marks the 45th anniversary that novel. The world of dunes, both fictional and real, has changed quite a bit in the years. Though never completed, They Stopped The Moving Sands (select pages on Google Books) is now a section of The Road to Dune, a companion book to the Dune novels. The section includes the proposal from Herbert to his agent, as well as letters back and forth. Herbert casts the battle against the endless waves of sand in a larger scope, from The Horizon of Aten to the seemingly endless Peruvian dunes. Thomas Flippin of the Soil Conservation Service, director of the efforts to arrest the movement of the sands, commented that "the sand promises a slow death to everything it touches." As Herbert mentioned in "Dune Genesis" (Google Quickview / PDF), he saw the struggle over the environment as a key issue in future power struggles:

While this concept [of power structures, politics and the mistakes of (super)heroes] was still fresh in my mind, I went to Florence, Oregon, to write a magazine article about a US Department of Agriculture project there. The USDA was seeking ways to control coastal (and other) sand dunes. I had already written several pieces about ecological matters, but my superhero concept filled me with a concern that ecology might be the next banner for demagogues and would-be-heroes, for the power seekers and others ready to find an adrenaline high in the launching of a new crusade.

If not a full crusade, there was the mentality that dunes could be stopped and made into something more permanent. European beach grass was once used as the first of three stages of succession planting (abstract from a 1975 USDA article). Now, this foreign grass is classified as an aggressive invasive species in North America, as is one of the USDA's earlier choice for succession plants, Scotch Broom. Oreagon Dunes National Recreation Area was established in 1963, and is now . Some residents one area carved out a community, and formed Dunes City, Oregon that same year. In Colorado, the Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve was established as a national monument in 1932, and later expanded into a national park and preserve in 2000-2004. Elsewhere in the world, shrinking dunes are seen as environmental oases, the last locations for certain species. And ever-shifting dunes can hide armies for centuries, speaking in short to the archaeological potential for deserts and dunes of sorts. Back to the fictional side: Frank Herbert created a world that Arthur C. Clark likened to The Lord of the Rings, spanning six novels in the "Classic Dune" (works written by Frank Herbert), eleven novels that expanded the universe, written by Herbert's eldest son, Brian Herbert, and Kevin J. Anderson, plus another six short stories written by the duo. The derivitive works of the Dune universe range from much-despised (see also: the comic book adaptation) to still loved, influential classic (note: earlier RTS games do exist).

Tell me of your homeworld, Usul

Artw — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:03:19 -0800

Chris Foss concept art for Dune, with bonus Nostromo. The images were produced for Alejandro Jodorowsky's 1974 attempt at filming the story, with other artists involved including Moebius and HR Giger. Though the project failed Jodorowsky collaborated further with Moebius to lay the groundwork for his own Dune-like comicbook universe (and a trailer for an animated version of it was even created). More visions of Arrakis can be seen on this page of Dune cover artwork through the ages, with bonus midi Toto.

...I didn't actually read the link...

Artw — Thu, 28 May 2009 21:06:48 -0800

It’s only natural that if you wish to present yourself as a well-read person, a certain degree of complete bullshit is required. There’s no shame in lying about what you’ve read. There’s only shame in getting caught. Then you look like a doofus, and an illiterate one at that... How to lie about books.

We have wormsign the likes of which even God has never seen.

geos — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 08:01:16 -0800

LEGO^TM Sandworm! or if your prefer Twin Peaks.

Crazy Dune Ramblings

Pockets — Mon, 28 Jun 2004 22:23:00 -0800

While others are busy writing fan fiction about Dune, it’s nice to see that someone has discovered the TRUTH.