Ancient in Internet Time

I wonder what's become of these kids.



In other game-relatedness, pervs:

I am sitting in a pink computer chair, behind a white desk. I am playing Super Hexagon. There is another woman standing behind my seat, watching me carefully. If I fail to achieve a satisfactory time, I will be physically punished in some capacity. And she is also doing her best to distract me, lithe fingers exploring my shoulders, neck, face.

A normal session of Super Hexagon, for me, is a series of near-instant failures punctuated by an occasional good run. Having this presence behind me radically alters the way in which I play the game. It's not so much the threat of punishment that raises the stakes for me, but the fear of disappointing her, of letting her down.

She's asking me questions while I'm playing now but I'm finding them hard to answer. I've heard that the best Hexagon players need something like this -- the distraction actually helps them do better. But my head is already fuzzy from the earlier blows, I feel myself slipping into subspace. She asks about how I'm experiencing things and the best I can muster is something about how much more tense I am than usual. "That's a pretty surface observation," she remarks, disappointed, and I feel completely embarrassed.

Her loose grey top slips off her shoulder, her body a disheveled puzzle of skin and fabric zones.

In this space we can act on otherwise dangerous instincts--for me, an exhilarating cruelty, a way to be powerful and manipulative and terrible in a way that harms no one. For her, being swallowed into this place where it’s safe to be ashamed, struggling, and vulnerable.

For both of us, a way to be incredibly close to another human being, to share our darkness with each other.

Other forms of pervs lose in a minority decision:

The 5-4 ruling written by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg concluded that there should be a "gateway," albeit narrow, though which offenders can pass if they are able to make a credible case for thier innocence regardless of the passage of a deadline. Chief Justice John G. Roberts and Justice Antonin Scalia were among the dissenters. The high count sent the case back to the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati for consideration on that point.

Buildings as furries:

Swedish firm Belatchew Arkitekter has designed a conceptual add-on to buildings that challenge the notion of fixed structures while also providing a necessary function. Their "Strawscraper" concept involves cloaking a building -- Söder Torn, one of the tallest buildings in Stockholm -- in thin, movable plastic straws, or "hairs," that capture wind and convert it into electricity. The proposed design also includes the adding of 16 floors to the structure, restoring the vision of Söder Torn as designed by the original architects, Henning Larsen, before a disagreement between them and the client forced them to quit the project.

Book review:

That's the real joy of "Moving Innovation: A History of Computer Animation." Marrying his obvious skill as a storyteller to his encyclopedic knowledge of animation history, Sito has crafted this ridiculously readable book which is just loaded with entertaining insights. Sometimes surprising ...

Director Ted Berman and Richard Rich asked to get the multiplane camera out from storage to create some shots (for The Black Cauldron ). The multiplane was a device invented at Walt Disney in 1937 to simulate the illusion of depth using 2D flat art. This was done by mounting a camera vertically to shoot down through layers of background art painted on glass, all moving to precise calibrations. The multiplane was expensive to use, and Walt had it mothballed after Lady and the Tramp (1955). When (Berman and Rich) tried to get it running again for Cauldron, they discovered hardly anyone remembered how to use it and no one had left behind any written instructions.

Other times quite melancholy ...

Starting in 2003 the Walt Disney Company had begun to eliminate most of the traditional animation crew trained by the golden age masters, as simply as one would dump an old typewriter in the attic ... When master animator Frank Thomas died in 2004, there was a memorial at the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood. Many of the former Disney animators there paused to wonder if they were there to mourn Thomas or their own careers ...

"Moving Innovation" is a must-read. Not just if you're an animation fan or a film history buff. But also if you want an up-close look at some of the most powerful people working in Hollywood today.

How to write good:

“Want to jack off together some time?” our friend August said to my husband, Jeff, one night over the phone. He invited Jeff to masturbate with him as casually as he might ask him to lunch. “It’s not a gay thing. It’s an Indian blood brothers thing,” he added.

Jeff was speechless. August was married to Dana, also a friend (their names have been changed, of course). Did she know what her husband was doing behind her back?

After gently declining the invitation and hanging up, Jeff told me about their conversation. “August made me promise not to tell you, but I didn’t think it was right to keep it from you,” he said.

I wanted to close my eyes and pretend this was not happening.

[...]

Besides, Jeff and I were running out of friends. As a childless, married couple in our mid-30’s, it was hard to find other DINKS (double income, no kids) to spend time with.

[...]

Marilyn Friedman is the founder of Writing Pad, a creative writing school in Los Angeles.