Peter Nitsch build another interesting video to text application. ASCIImeo is, like the name implies, a portal, where you can watch Vimeo-videos in ASCII-format. A really strange mixture of high-tech and lo-tech. Check out for example Flight404’s Magnetophere/Nebula in ASCII-video.
There is a new pixelart-book (+ CD-ROM) available, from the Japan designstudio Maniackers Design. Just right at the moment, that work is only available in Japan, i.e. via Amazon Japan. Let’s hope, that some local retailers will get copies of this book, too. To look inside the book: Maniackers Design set up a flickr-fotoset to promote the work.
Screenshot-detail game “Hase und Wolf”
PolyPlay was videogame-machine in the GDR (German Democratic Republic aka DDR). There you could insert coins, select and play some computergames. They had very lovely names like “Wasserrohrbruch”, “Schießbude” or “Hirschjagd” (in English: “Pipe Burst”, “Shooting Gallery” or “Stag-Hunting”).
PolyPlay was the only public videogame-machine in the whole country, manufactured by the “Kombinat Polytechnik und Präzisionsgeräte Karl-Marx-Stadt”, that’s why “Poly” in the name of this machine. The videogaming in the GDR was very special, because most of the stuff were more or less copies from games played in the West part of Germany. The whole GDR was more or less disconnected from the international videogame-developments.
And now comes the best part: There is a website, completely dedicated to the PolyPlay-machines. There you can also play the original games, just within your browser! How cool is that? Take the retro-dive now.
First Person Tetris… hmmm….. What could that be? I just do not want to spoil you, just have play! Yay!
Take Metroid and old C64-games and mix them all together to an addictive and emotional blend: voila! Then you have an idea of the Flashgame: VVVVVV. The members of the spaceship-crew were lost after an accident and your mission is, to get them all together again. Addictive stuff, be sure, I warned you! They receive extrapoints for a decent sounddesign (plays well with the graphics) and the catchy tune in the backround. (via)
Edit: The longer I play, the better it gets. The music is absolutely brilliant, the levels exquisite. The story and the characters all lovely. I also sense a good amount of “Time Fcuk“, for example in the gameplay itself. Simply the best game I’ve seen so far in 2010. All thumbs better all fingers up for this tiny great game! Made by distractioware, music by Magnus Palsson.
Limited edition of Oversteps, 22. March 2010
Surprise, surprise! Autechre are about to release a new album called “Oversteps” on 22. March 2010. No sound-excepts yet, but if I would judge by the cover-artwork, this album could sound a little like the “Tri Repetae“. And that would be great, because at the time of Tri Repetae Autechre really invented much interesting things in music. The last three albums were much to, hmm, let’s say “academic”. Just wait and see if this two UK-guys once again re-invented music or not.
A totally freaky album was released on the french netlabel “Da ! Heard It Records”. Like the title suggests, the topic is about “Hadoupi”, the “Three-Strikes-Law”, that was established in France. This will allow to disconnect filesharers from the internet. Sad, but true. In own words of the creators of this album “Mr. Hadopi” is a “vibrant ode to free culture“. The music is a really wild mixture of broken beats, echoes of break dance, funk and disco and a good dose of chip- and computermusic. Download of the day!
Get it at the release-site, download it as .zip (ogg / mp3) or pre-listen at last.fm.
