Interesting Drug

History Really Is Fun!: ‘The History of Zork’:

“ Gamasutra has published the second installment of its series that ‘present[s] in-depth histories of the first ten games voted into the Digital Game Canon,’ and the subject this time is Zork. It’s a fun look back, and perhaps forward - at least according to the author, who says flat out that ‘My goal is to persuade you that the text adventure is still a viable genre for modern gamers, even in an age when software and hardware developers are making breakthrough after breakthrough in graphics and animation.’

It’s a history, an homage, a bit of a love letter, and a fun read overall.

What Zork seemed to contribute more than anything was the idea that the computer could simulate a rich virtual environment much, much larger and nuanced than the playing fields seen in games like Spacewar! or Pac-Man. Furthermore, the game demonstrated the literary potential of the computer. Thousands upon thousands of gamers have been charmed by the wit and elegance of Zork’s many descriptions.

GameSetWatch also pointed out that Matt Barton, the author, made the full interviews available on his own website, so you can find them here.

The History Of Zork [Gamasutra]

”

Looking for weird old shit in NYC.:

“If one were looking for random army/navy surplus stuff in NYC, where might one find it?

Not talking about khaki pants and backpacks…more vintage gas masks and other weird stuff. Where in this lovely city can one go down into a dark, dingy basement and emerge with said treasures? Help! (Subway accessible much preferred.)”

Schwing: Bona-Phone, Stealing iPhone Thunder:

“With all the innovations surrounding the iPhone, we didn’t expect a product like the Bona-Phone to come along and steal the limelight. Featuring breakthroughs like ‘touch-bone’ dialing and easy-to-hold shaft design, the learning curve of the $30 Bona-Phone is considered much lower given its organic, intuitive design. Trust us, if Meredith Viera was demoing the Bona-Phone on the Today Show, she would have had no problems ‘answering’ the thing.

Product Page [via nerdapproved]

”

3Doku 1.2:

“

About 3Doku Are you addicted to Sudoku? Can you solve a Sudoku schema blindfolded with your hands tied behind your back? Do you need more complexity? …more challenge? …more headache? …more dimensions? Try 3Doku! 3Doku brings the traditional Sudoku game to the third dimension. In a 9×9x9 cube, 27 Sudoku schemas intersect one another along the three axis. Every 9×9 bi-dimensional schema must be solved keeping in mind that every single cell belongs to the selected schema and also to the other two placed on the orthogonal planes. With 4 difficulty levels and 4 initial values distributions you can customize your game and have every time a new exciting challenge to solve.

“

Making Creativity Fun: Street Fighter II Ported To Etch-A-Sketch:

“Capcom’s arcade hit Street Fighter II: Championship Edition is making an appearance on yet another platform, as screens of the new Etch A Sketch release have shown up in our mailbox. Looks okay, I guess, but the colors are all washed out and the frame rate reportedly sucks—something like one frame per week. Still, it’s nice to have it released on another portable platform.

Thanks for the heads up, Elliot! And nice work. Michael McWhertor

Street Fighter II [The Etch A Sketchist]

”

Dan Witz’s Summer Project 2007:

“

You can learn more about Dan’s work by clicking here.

”

The IPhone Could Cost You Nearly $6,000:

“When you add the total cost of the required 2-year contract to the base price of the Apple iPhone, its true cost is between approximately $2,000 and $6,000.”

Then It’s at Least Two Sins:

“Street preacher: Oh, you poor ladies. You are on your way to Hell. Stop holding each other like that! Don’t you know that lesbianism is a sin?
Girl: Dude, that’s my mom!

–Jay St

”

The baby on Nirvana’s Nevermind album is 17 (Pic):

“Wow i feel old.”

Satellite dishes as decorative objects:

“Cory Doctorow:

A local artist and his pupils decorated the dishes of Amsterdam’s ’satellite city,’ an immigrant neighborhood.

Link

(via Neatorama)

”

Play Tron Online and Offline:

“Sometimes it is not just play. You need to think about strategy, timing and other things in order to win. Like all games I blog about, here is another one that is bound to get you thinking. Based on the light cycle sequences from the film Tron, the aim of the game is to be the last player riding. So avoid running into walls, your own tail and…”

Gadgets: Mooing Thong the Perfect Garment to Orchestrate a Break-Up:

“
I don’t know how you make this posing pouch, the epitome of flawless taste, actually moo - and I’m not sure I want to know either.

This tasteful $13 thong is perfect bedroom attire for any man who wants to break up with his girlfriend but doesn’t want to be the dirty perp. Light the candles, fire up the Barry White, crack open the champagne and slip into this. Soon, dear reader, you will be single again - and single you will stay, once news of what you wear for sexy time gets out to the other ladies in the ‘hood. A trumpeting elephant would be a different matter, though…

Product Page [Novelty Gifts via Nerd Approved]

”

XGamestation Hydra: DIY 8-Bit Game Console:

“The Hydra 8-bit console kit has more juice than an NES, and you can write your own games for it. $200 gets you instructions on how to program for the Propeller processor, a keyboard, mouse, NES-ish joypad, and a 128KB rewritable cartridge to match its 128K EEPROM.

Thinkgeek [via BoingBoing]

”

Trial Period For Wii Browser To End July 1st:

“Browser developer Opera has confirmed that the Wii Internet Channel, which offers full web browsing access via a free trial version of its browser, will no longer be free to download after July 1st, instead costing console users 500 Wii Points ($5). Opera notes that purchasing the channel through the Wii Shop Channel will net users full access to the browser, while those who download before the current trial period expires will retain the application …

”

Repair your iBook’s logic board with a candle:

“Filed under: Hacks, iBook, Mods

Mark at Geek Technique received a 700mhz G3 iBook with video issues. The machine would boot, but produce no image on the display or when connected to an outside source. In fact, the issue he was experiencing has been documented by Apple, and a repair program was put in place. However, the program had expired by the time Mark received his ‘book. What’s he to do? Set that sucker on fire, that’s what.

Mark found an article that describes how the video chip becomes detached from the logic board, and how it can be re-soldered back in place. Lacking the proper tools, he tried a tea light, which didn’t reach the required temperature. Finally, he burned some alcohol and White Spirit on the board, rebooted the machine and it worked! The video chip had been re-attached, and the iBook was functioning perfectly.

Well done, Mark.

Read‘|’Permalink‘|’Email this‘|’Comments

”

[Scary] Ten predictions about climate change that have ALREADY come true:

“London Times

”

Germany imposes ban on Tom Cruise:

“The German government bans makers of Tom Cruise’s latest movie from filming because the star is a Scientologist.”

Perez Hilton In Alien Paparazzi Suit:

“Gossip blogger Perez Hilton is suing a rogue Los Angeles
photo agency, claiming the organization is unfairly competing against his blog
by, among other things, employing a platoon of illegal
aliens who physically threaten the paparazzi
competition.”

Drug addled driver makes mess of farmer’s field:

“Mark Frauenfelder:

A driver allegedly zonked on cocaine tried to elude police by driving through a cornfield. The moron ruined the farmer’s crop, as seen in this photo. Link (Thanks, Joel!)

Reader comment:

Gareth says:

The image of the cornfield destroyed by a driver on cocaine trying to evade police reminds me of experiments conducted by Ulrike Heberlein at UCSF wherein fruit flies were exposed to cocaine vapors and their paths in a glass box were traced. The resulting images show clearly how stoned out of their little minds these flies got.

Specifically this image:

And this caption:
Computer-generated traces of the locomotor behavior of a group of five flies exposed to volatilized free-base cocaine. Each panel corresponds to a 1-min period starting 2 min after the end of the cocaine exposure. (a) Mock exposure; (b) exposure to 100 µg of cocaine; (c) exposure to 200 µg of cocaine.

”

Fun Facts: Ocean Spray Contains Dye Made From Insect Shells:

“Did you know that the dye used to color Ocean Spray is derived from bug shells? Ocean Spray contains cochineal extract, made from, natch, the shells of the cochineal insect.

Other products…

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]”

Facing The Music:

“A tattoo-laden Aryan was arrested today for allegedly murdering a corrections officer who accompanied him to a medical appointment at the University of Utah’s hospital.”

Camera angle mistake reveals Criss Angel’s secret! (picture story):

“Tivo recording shows the secret behind Criss Angel making a moving go-kart vanish into smoke.”