5March2008
Posted by Toner under: Gaming; Nerd Culture.
A sad day for nerds everywhere (and I mean that with the utmost respect), Gary Gygax, co-creator of the Dungeon and Dragons role playing game died yesterday. I actually only played the game a few times (the kids I grew up with were more into things like going out side and exercise and sunlight and that sort of stuff, but I was always a closet nerd), but, as someone who was into fantasy and sci-fi, I would pour over the books and modules and use them for research for short stories and such.
Love it or hate it, nearly every RPG out today (Warcraft, Baldur’s Gate, whatever) was in someway inspired by D & D.
Here’s the cover’s of the books and box sets when I bought them so many years ago…
Technorati Tags: Dungeon and Dragons, fantasy, sci-fi, RPG, Warcraft, Baldur’s Gate, D & D
14February2008
Posted by Toner under: Nerd Culture.
I’ve noticed a lot of things happening lately, that, in sci-fi, horror and/or fantasy stories are usually harbingers of doom… Lets look at some shall we:
Making a black hole in a lab - In Brian Keene’s “The Rising” the coming Zombie war is a direct result of scientist creating a [tag]black hole[t/ag] under lab conditions which somehow rips open the fabric of space and time allowing evil spirits to inhabit and reanimate our dead.
Custom Virus = World ending plague!!!! The headlines have been legion lately (no pun intended) about all sorts of crazy stuff being done to viruses in labs around the world. Can you say Hot Zone? I am Legend? The Stand?
The United States, last bastion of hope and freedom becomes some sort of bizaro-America, (like when the cast of the Enterprise meets themselves in the alternate reality where it’s all war all the time) where we’re really nasty, torture people and invade countries bringing upon ourselves the end of civilization as we know it…
Environmental Neglect: People have crapped-up the environment to the point that to survive we must either live in domes or find another planet… Logan 5, two days to sanctuary…
The animals are turning on us…
All the corporations merge into uber corporations who eventually have their own armies and rule the planet with an angry, juice-bar fueled , scooter riding fist.
Our own stupidity kills us.
Be careful out there folks…
Technorati Tags: Brian Keene’s, The Rising, Zombie
14February2008
Posted by Toner under: Design; Nerd Culture; UX; info design.
RIP: Yahoo! Design closed down - data visualization & visual design - information aesthetics…
From Infostethics:
An anonymous source just informed me the entire Yahoo! Design Innovation team (once coined yHaus ) has been laid off, part of a closing-down of all innovation teams at Yahoo. in addition, their work has been completely removed from their original website. Infosthetics has posted their work here & here, & luckily had stored some copies of their works locally.
infosthetics (and sadrhino!) feels bad for the people involved. how does Yahoo! wants to increase their share price by firing creative, talented people? Google, Swivel, Many Eyes, Stamen: are you hiring?
Technorati Tags: Yahoo! Design, Yahoo, yHaus
13February2008
Posted by Toner under: Design; Nerd Culture; UX; info design.
Nice regional newsmap, Yahoo! NewsGlobe allows you to see top stories by rotating a lovely 3D globe. Seems it only does top stories for now.
7February2008
Posted by Toner under: Design; Nerd Culture.
Neatorama » Blog Archive » The Evolution of Tech Companies Logos. Walk down memory lane with Microsoft (with one very “green” logo- you’d almost think they were a trail mix company), Apple, Google and others.