July 20, 2017
“...keep them playing – and paying.”
Server Crashes, 40GB Patches and DLC: Gaming's Biggest Irritations Explained [The Guardian] “Video games have changed immeasurably since the days of tape loading and cover-mounted floppy discs. Today, we get lifelike 3D virtual worlds where the player can seamlessly connect with companions and opponents from every corner of the globe. An online triple-A title will now offer literally hundreds of hours of fun spread across years of play. Yet, inflation aside, the price we pay at the till remains the same now as it was 25 years ago. To make this possible, a lot of things have changed about the way the games industry works – but those changes haven’t always been well received. When problems arise, frustrated consumers will often blame “money-grubbing” publishers or “lazy” developers. But is that fair? We asked the industry to explain five of the most controversial aspects of modern games buying – and, crucially, why they happen. 1. Downloadable content 2. Season passes 3. Day-one patches 4. Pre-orders 5. Server crashes” [more inside]
The One Where Rachel Killed Everybody
"a love story between one woman and her vagina"
Yes, God, Yes is a 10 minute film by Karen Maine starring Natalia Dyer. It is based on Maine's experiences of growing up Catholic in the Midwest in the 1990s, and coming of age sexually in the age of America Online. Maine was interviewed by Marta Bausells about Yes, God, Yes in The Guardian.
I want to be able to remember those stories and enjoy them while I can
The Heartbreaking Story Of A Man And His ‘68 Camaro - David Obuchowski
I ask him if his dad still knew about the Camaro in the end. He says he did, and they’d reminisce about it often.
“Oh, he’d get a kick out of it. We’d get a kick out of it when we’d talk about it. I’d say, ‘Remember, dad, when I was in the service, and I heard from my friends you were cruisin’ Main in it?’ And he’d laugh.”
I ask him if his dad still knew about the Camaro in the end. He says he did, and they’d reminisce about it often.
“Oh, he’d get a kick out of it. We’d get a kick out of it when we’d talk about it. I’d say, ‘Remember, dad, when I was in the service, and I heard from my friends you were cruisin’ Main in it?’ And he’d laugh.”
The Lawyer, the Addict
The Lawyer, the Addict (New York Times). Tragic and thoughtful piece about one of the brightest stars in the Silicon Valley legal industry, drug abuse in the profession, and the mental health tolls of a professional culture of overworking.
Life Advice in Exchange for Potatoes
There's that whole zero gravity thing...
The Deep Joy
Y-40 "The Deep Joy" pool first opened on 5 June 2014 and was designed by architect Emanuele Boaretto. It is 40 metres (131 ft) deep, making it the deepest pool in the world. It contains 4,300 cubic metres (1,136,000 US gal) of thermal water kept at a temperature of 32–34 °C (90–93 °F). Watch Guillaume Néry go deep. [more inside]
Wooowww!
MoMa's First Fashion Exhibition In 73 Years
Items: Is Fashion Modern? the first show the Museum of Modern Art has devoted to the subject since Bernard Rudofsky’s seminal exhibition “Are Clothes Modern?” in 1944, takes up the multiplicity of questions provoked by a design field that, despite playing an integral part in all of our lives, continues to defy easy comprehension. via
Why is everything so heavy?
When they call you a bitch, say thank you.
The Living and the Dead
In a film, on the news, you watch a war. While in a war, you mostly hear it. In October, Iraqi forces set out to retake Mosul, one of Iraq’s largest cities and ISIS’s biggest stronghold in the country. It would take them nine months and cost thousands of lives. [more inside]
c'mon baby, skew the locomotion
Cut & Shut is a short surreal animation of VWs, mostly Beetles, moving in strange ways. By designer Chris LaBrooy.
Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth
It has been suggested that Stanley Kubrick, the truly gifted director who was responsible for such classics as 2001: A Space Odyssey, was hired to help fake the Apollo landings. Given Kubrick’s painstaking attention to detail, it is now well known that he was involved in this elaborate conspiracy. [more inside]
What Do You Mean You Don't Speak My Language?
"I only think about the next mile"
"Terry Fox dipped his artificial leg into the ocean at St. John’s, Newfoundland on April 12, 1980, just before setting out to run across Canada, to raise money for cancer research. During those early days of his Marathon of Hope, as he covered the equivalent of a marathon a day, very few people knew of the 21-year-old from Port Coquitlam, B.C. But through the spring and summer of 1980, Fox captivated the nation with his display of will and strength." This is that story in the words of people who were there.
US senators seek to make boycott of Israel a felony
Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) is a way for people to non-violently protest the Israeli treatment of Palestinians in a manner similar to the boycott of apartheid South Africa in the 20th century. BDS is supported by such orgs as Black Lives Matter and Jewish Voice for Peace. US senators have recently proposed a bipartisan measure, the Israel Anti-Boycott Act (S. 720), that will make such boycott a felony with up to 20 years of imprisonment. The ACLU, while not supporting a boycott, has come out in opposition to this bill since it would "punish U.S. persons based solely on their expressed political beliefs". [more inside]
Pancreas broken? Make your own.
Dana Lewis has Type-1 diabetes so, she went ahead and built something for that. She built and programmed a computer to monitor her blood sugar levels and adjust her insulin levels automatically. Then she founded Open APS to be a repository for her design, and to let other people use it. She has gotten plaudits from both the maker and the medical community. On her twitter account, Lewis often uses the hashtag #wearenotwaiting. Is she the first wave of a breaking trend?
The Medieval Spanish Chef
The Medieval Spanish Chef, written by Susan Lord-Williams, is a comprehensive and ongoing blog covering the cuisine of the Iberian peninsula primarily during the medieval period, with its mixture of Roman, Arabic, North African, and Sephardic Jewish influences. Each post is inspired by a word connected in some way to a recipe, providing some history and etymology to enjoy along with the delicious food. [more inside]
Great Grandpa: "anxious bubblegum grunge" from Seattle
The Seattle indie-rock band Great Grandpa doesn't ignore the gracelessness of youth. It embraces it. Dubbed "slacker rock" in that NPR review by Maria Sherman, and "anxious bubblegum grunge" in a Pitchfork review by Ian Cohen, with comparisons to Weezer and Speedy Ortiz (Bandcamp), you have a decent idea of what to expect. If not, the quartet has their debut album and earlier EP up on Bandcamp, and the label for their album, Double Double Whammy, posted the full album to YouTube. In support of that 2015 EP, they made a music video for Mostly Here, and for a few tastes of them live, here's Teen Challenge from their new album, plus, Mostly Here and Cheeto Lust from their EP, plus No Hair as a bonus cut.
When even the upside lets you down
88 Lines About The 45th President
Democratic lawmakers have filed a "no-confidence" resolution against Donald Trump, listing 88 reasons why he's not fit to be President. Speaking to the New York Times, Trump provides many additional reasons. And speaking of things that no one likes that refuse to go away, Senate Republicans are back to work on a putative health care bill.
The South Will Rise Again On HBO
Alternate takes on the American Civil War have been a literary niche for a while now, covering angles from the survival of President Lincoln to the South winning the war. Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss will continue that peculiar institution with a future HBO series titled Confederate.
There's no way I can justify my salary, but I'm learning to live with it
The BBC has disclosed the salaries of stars earning £150,000 or more. This has caused discussion about salary levels, transparency and the gender pay gap. [more inside]
The first rule of Robotwars: Bring your own pen
Olivia Wilde and Tom Sturridge on their stage roles in visceral '1984'
Take 15 minutes to listen to john Horn talk to Olivia Wilde and Tom Sturridge about the stage adaptation of George Orwell's 1984. You can also read the interview highlights, but there's a lot more in the interview.
Earth Unplugged
BBC's Planet Earth II team has posted a series of HD "visual soundscapes" on YouTube, pieced together from leftover footage of some of the most beautiful and isolated places in the world.
Ten hours of mountains; ten hours of jungle; ten hours of islands; ten hours of desert.
🎵A-li-ens / Crash landed, right on the planet🎵
Demi Adejuyigbe, aka @electrolemon, has scored a sneak-peak of Will Smith's new track for Disney's Aladdin! Check it out quick before Disney take it down. He's also been posting videos of Will Smith's lesser-known film soundtrack work for Arrival, Moonlight, and Hacksaw Ridge. (They're all end-credit tracks so contain some spoilers). [more inside]
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