#i thought this was a photo/video at first but its pixel art! amazing

[hcafilm]

Unit 1 - Part C

Silver Arts Award Unit 1 Part C: review arts events

What event did you attend? I went to two event. The first place I went to was the London transport museum in Covent Garden. Here I went to an event: a tour of the museum in which I learnt about its history. I also went to the London Transport Museum’s Depot in Acton, on a tour which expanded on what we learnt in the Covent Garden Museum in terms of the different vehicles and designs present in its history and the characters who drove these buses, but also gave us new insight into what goes on with the Museum behind the scenes.

What did you see/do?

At both events I saw old London buses, as well as trains, trams and even carriages (horse-drawn and electric) from times gone by. I asked questions about interesting people such as Isambard Kingdom Brunel and collated information on him from the LTN. In Acton, we learnt about the first black female bus driver and how groundbreaking this was. We also learnt that women could not drive underground trains until 1973, which shocked female members of our group.

When did it take place?

I went in late June to both places and am continuing to visit them for filming work throughout early July. I went on a Saturday several times and will continue to do so until shooting stage in Holborn House later in July, which will be during the week. Both actual tours took about half a day each and were each on a saturday.

Describe what happens at the arts event

Jenna took us on a tour of the TFL museum in Covent Garden. I saw some artwork which really stuck out to me from a creative point of view.

I really enjoyed the TFL posters, the favourite of mine being an old poster for ZSL (the London Zoo). The advert was effective, as it had a drawing of penguins standing in an amusing pose yet at the same time vivid and life-like. This would mean that it appealed to both children and their parents at the same time and not only made this zoo look appealing, but also made TFL look like a fun, enjoyable and, perhaps most importantly, welcoming, transport service. It was not something you would expect to see on a poster for a transport network and thus certainly caught the viewer’s attention.

Another thing which appealed to me were the TFL signs. The signs are of course iconic, but all put together in a display case made me realise their artistic value, not only as individual works of art but also as a whole. We learnt how the signs were designed to be really unique: a special font was created in 1916 (known as the Johnston font) and the signs - except special variants - all consisted of the familiar TFL colours (red, white and blue - perhaps not coincidentally also the colours of the Union Jack) and were designed in the shape of famous Roundel logo of TFL. 

 Seeing all these together was almost overwhelming and showed just how many stations there are in London supported by TFL. It reminded of how big our city is and how much work would have to go into not only providing transport from station to station, but also providing beautiful logos for each station. I looked at all of these signs in their glass case and it was quite moving to see some of them, as they were relics of a bygone era in my city’s history.

We also got taken on a tour by Jenna of the TFL depot in Acton, in which we saw old maps used by the transport service. My favourite were the novelty maps, one of which was made out of lego and another which had different tube lines showing famous figures in history put into different (e.g. leaders of China). It was interesting to see the different colours and seating designs (textile) used for different old trains.

Museum:

(taken at the Depot but I saw a similar picture at the museum - I used this bigger image to avoid pixelation)

Depot:

Which art forms were involved?

We were artistically inspired by the way museum was laid out, as it felt like the interesting objects were each leading on to the next one, thus pulling us through the chronologically ordered museum. We  saw the design art form used in curating the museum, as well as the Moquette of TFL (textile design). We also saw the graphic design on old TFL maps, which inspired us in making our movie poster.

At the depot, what was used was textile and, like at the museum, curation was also important, as was transport design.

What was the context of the event? (e.g. was it part of large tour/a temporary exhibition/part of a film festival/an online event etc.)

It was part of a large tour of a permanent exhibition at TFL and was organised as part of our filmmaking project in association with TFL.

The depot tour was similarly part of the course we were doing and is normally only open to the public once a year.

Was there anything unexpected about what you saw/experienced?

Yes, I was surprised by how beautiful the designs of the various TFL signs (and map booklets) were and how much thought, creativity and love went into making them. I was also surprised by the various types of seats used in the trains, as not only would they be aesthetically pleasing for a film shot, but they were also designed to look beautiful and to provide comfort for passengers, perfected over decades (their design changed very music).

I was surprised to see how old buses could look like an art installation when all displayed together in their different colours (most were different shades of red, but one countryside bus stuck out with is magnificent dark green tint) - an amazing piece of curation. I was impressed also by the futuristic interior of a 1970s/80s train, which looked like a piece of art in itself.

What did you think was good and why?

I think the tour by TFL was good, as it let me understand the design aspects better and how they related to the history of London and TFL, which I would not have been able to work out on my own, as previously I had no idea about design or how something could connect so deeply to the people of London and they transport they used. The tour of both places was interesting and brought the old vehicles to life and made me imagine the sort of people who went on them.

I thought the colours of the seats was great, as the mixes of often reds and blues made these very old vehicles still come to life and would have made it a pleasant experience for the passengers.

Was there anything about the arts event you didn’t like ? Why?

I did not like that we did not get to link the design of the TFL logo, seats etc. more to how our films looked, as the design of these logos and vehicles was and is so beautiful that it would be a shame not to include these obvious sources of inspiration in our film-making process.

I did not like the fact that they did not have even older vehicles like very ancient horse-drawn carriages at the Depot, as I wanted to see a longer history from then till now, but it was still a great experience.

What was the creative impact of the event?

Seeing all the TFL signs together reminded me of the vastness of London, but it also reminded me how a transport network can create logos which not only serve a purpose but are also very beautiful. It also reminded me of the work that goes into TFL, not only in providing transporting but also of creating each of these logos and creating posters which can interest children and adults alike.

I have learnt that one must not forget the role of transport in making a city work. Transport functions beneath the surface (sometimes quite literally) and so those who use it can take it and maybe even its staff for granted, when in fact it has played a vital role in expanding London and creating the modern culture of our city.

I will take away with me the thought that transport can serve my local area and various modes of transport in all forms are highly beneficial to London. I will think of how hard the TFL staff work, as well those creative figures who worked on making the logos which are almost equally important in the transport service.

Did the event develop your knowledge and understanding of the art form(s)?

The first part of the event (museum tour) made me understand better the purpose of design in creating a positive public image of the transport service and made me see how graphics could be used to create appealing images to the public, which hadn’t really occurred to me before in the domain of public transport.

The second part of the event (Depot tour) made me see how transport design can be used to give new life to old vehicle and how curation can be used to show how vehicles improved over time without making any appear inferior to the other.

How will you share your review with other people, and how will you evidence this (e.g. photos, videos, feedback from others)?

I will include photos of the transport which I have taken and I will get feedback from other members of my group, as well as our advisors and the museum staff and I will upload all I have written, filmed and photographed etc. online on a blog run by the HCA and used by our group.

[texturesmaterialculturelab-blog]

Filmmaker Chaz Barracks on his documentary, #DontTouchMyHairRVA and the politics of black hair

For years, black women have vocally expressed frustration with the multiple ways our bodies have been historically commodified and violated for the pleasure of a white audience. Despite the 2013 “interactive public art exhibit” called “You Can Touch My Hair,” where strangers were allowed to approach the textured coifs of black women as they statically held signs that asked them to touch their hair, black women have not only had to fight off the advances of everyday people, but have also had to endure dehumanizing, state sanctioned racial profiling, as TSA agents routinely search black women’s natural hair. 

Even with the 2016 release of Solange’s hit record “Don’t Touch My Hair” on her award-winning album A Seat at the Table, Solange still faced digital cropping of her crown on the October 20, 2017 cover of the British pub Evening Standard Magazine. Recently, art director and designer Momo Pixel used a little of her #blackgirlmagic to develop the “Hair Naw” video game, which allows you to craft your own black woman avatar as she navigates the complexities of personal and aesthetic expression. 

In the midst of these important and lively conversations taking place about the politics of black hair, embodiment, commodity, and self-care, #TeamTextures sat down with filmmaker Chaz Barracks, who recently screened his short film “#DontTouchMyHairRVA” at the Afrikana Film Festival. Chaz is also a Ph.D. student in the Media, Art, and Text (MATx) doctoral program at Virginia Commonwealth University. Chaz is also founder of the program, I AM MY LIFE, which serves as a creative platform for youth/community projects and workshop curriculum by merging education, the arts, and personal narrative to build and sustain inclusive and equitable spaces. 

#TeamTextures: What was your inspiration behind your film, #DontTouchMyHairRVA? 

Chaz Barracks: I think as a graduate student there always were these underlying feelings of being an imposter, disrupting the space, working really hard to get into a PhD program and then feeling like it’s not what you thought it would be because you’re not represented as a black, gay, first generation college student and I think there was an illusion about coming to an art school for my doctoral degree that it would be dope, and it would be woke, and I would be surrounded by black folks that are doing really cool work and are on the come up, but it’s very similar to being at a typical white institution because in the doctoral space, we are not very well represented. So, when Solange’s album, “A Seat at the Table,” came out, I was very inspired by her use of her personal narrative to be used as expertise. I think that album really inspired me. It was very therapeutic. That album inspired a lot of my art making, a lot of stories that I told, a lot of my writing for class. The film centers black women and incorporates black women as our point of reference to talk about all of the hidden narratives within the black community to show that we are really not a monolith and that there is diversity within diversity. Richmond for many of us, represents Black history, the current culture, and rich Black presence in this city. As the city brands/changes fast into “RVA,” which really reflects gentrification, new white-owned businesses like coffee shops and startups in places that can be more PoC/Black/queer-centered---RVA stands for us saying to whiteness do not to 'touch' our hair. As Richmond transforms into RVA, do not leave 'Richmond' (the black history) behind. 

TT: Who is your audience for this film? 

CB: When I first started out, I think one of the beautiful things about this project is even though I’m the director, I don’t consider myself the “leader” of the film because its driven by the narratives of the women in the film. I am evolving as well throughout the project, so if you had asked me this question when we first started, I would have said that this is a film for black women and I was intentionally trying to minimize that it is directed by a black male, but recognizing that I come from black women and that black women have been the foundation of my life: my mom, my grandmother, my mentors, and how that has always been an existing thing in my life, I think the audience is just for black women but also for black men. I think it’s important that black men see another black man holding space to honor and center black matriarchy and black feminism. Really, it’s for us and it’s by us. It’s not just about black women, it’s about black men holding space to honor black women. 

TT: How does your own personal narrative play into the film? 

CB: I was raised by a single mom, and then my mom was incarcerated for most of my later childhood years. Then my sister took me in, and my grandmother was very helpful in raising me as well and then my aunt was, so for me, I have always been surrounded by strong, black women. Yes, some of them have flaws like everybody else, but I never had such consistent male roles in my life. Especially since I am in school and learning more about the media and how media misrepresents black women, it’s always been a kind of contrast from how I see black women, because I’ve been influenced by so many different Black women, who inspired my learning and personal growth. I’ve always seen them as the backbone to so many social movements, and so it feels amazing to be using a part of my graduate experience to do a project that really roots from within me. To do a project that really centers people who have been instrumental in my life. Even though the black women in the film are not my family members, they also share narratives of being the backbone in their families, and communities, and I believe that their personal stories…I think learning from black women’s stories is educational, it is research, it is academic. But I also think that speaks to the institution and how our stories and our existence is so silent and not centered and when students here are given opportunities like this to connect to black expertise that is in the community, the relationship just builds so naturally and I don’t think you can get that in a classroom. 

TT: When will we be able to see the film? 

CB: We have had a few small screenings, and surprising to me, I just came back from the Virginia Film Festival to show the film this weekend. Spike Lee was the keynote and it was amazing to be in the same room, same space as him and really hear about his process in telling Black stories that are important to diversifying narrative and misrepresentation. It was also shown at the Afrikana Film Festival which was in October, and when we made the film with the [VCU Division for Inclusive Excellence Social Justice] grant, the goal was to finish it so we could submit it to Afrikana Film Festival because that’s the only black film festival in Richmond and we wanted their audience to see the film first and get feedback and all the feedback has been surprisingly good. Then it will also show at December First Fridays, location TBD. In the spring, when I finish the 29-minute version of the film, I definitely think we will screen it during Black History Month. What I am really trying to do with the project, I am very interested in how space dictates mission, and I think because it is such a dope opportunity that this institution – predominantly white folks are running this institution – have given us the funds, the resources to make this film and have really have had no control over how it’s directed, who’s in it thus far, I want to use this moment to inspire FUBU [for us, by us] projects like this. What I mean by that is I am not solely interested in screening the film on VCU’s campus because I think it’s important that since the community---the hairdressers, the moms, the daughters that are in this film who are not affiliated with the university---see the film in community spaces that help enhance the larger premise of this work; supporting Black diversity and plurailty in our narratives.

(photo credits: Sha Rich)

[tshelsii]

I attended SWC5 in Seoul on the global package SM offers and I wanted to share my experience on the tour and at the concert with everyone! Mainly so I can talk about the global package and explain what it is and how it works as there wasn’t too many sources about it when I was doing my research prior to going on the package.. That and I also wanted to talk about the awesome experience I had at the concert, because oh my god SHINee was absolutely incredible!!

The third day of the global package: My free time at SM Coex and SWC5 Sunday concert and my after thoughts

I had set my alarm at a time so I could get a decent amount of sleep despite how late I had been up. Of course though, my body hates me and likes to sometimes wake me up before my alarm goes off and refuses to let me get back to sleep after that. So I had a pretty grouchy morning because of that, but the fact that I was watching Bottle Top Bill while putting on my cool as heck new SWC5 Taemin shirt to head down to Coex made me feel a lot better about the lack of sleep I had. Thankfully my hotel was only an easy 10 minute walk away from Coex, so I had gotten there on time and though the lines were pretty bad, they were no where near as horrible as the day before!

My first stop was the store; since I wanted to try and get all the merch that I had picked up the day before once again. I had gotten pretty much all the things I had wanted, besides the SWC3 snapback that I wanted the most out of everything I had yesterday.. But I picked up the Misconceptions of Me snapback to make up for it, and I’ve worn it so much already so! Looking around the store would still be really cool even if you couldn’t buy anything! It’s just really cool to see all these pieces of merchandise and things that the artists under SM promote! They also had a bunch of things you could buy that some of their idols wore in music videos or just regularly. For example they had that pixelated gun hat that Jonghyun wears quite a bit, even the hat that Key wore in some of the pictures for SWC5! They also had a bunch of huge photos at the back of the store, and the SHINee ones are particularly beautiful, eheh. But yeah! I lined up for maybe.. 20 minutes? However long it was, it wasn’t as long as I had waited the day before thank god. I also spotted my friend who I was in line with yesterday again as well! It was funny to run into her at the same place again ahaha. I paid for all the stuff that I got and then went to another counter and showed a staff member my receipt and my SWC ticket. I didn’t mention it earlier, but the people on the global package got given a little SHINee magnetic bookmark before entering Coex the day before, I got Taemin! You could also get the bookmarks when you spent a certain amount in the Coex store and presented your ticket! I think you got one bookmark for every 25000 won that you spent? But I got another three with my receipt; Taemin, Jonghyun and Jinki!

My next stop was the café since I really wanted the SHINee popcorn tin and the SHINee bottle that they sold the slushies in. The journey up there was really cool! They had a bunch of photos of their artists covering the walls there, a huge cabinet of a bunch of the awards their artists have won and also a really gorgeous Girls’ Generation display of costumes and props from some of their music videos! The Girl’s Generation display is probably my favourite permanent part of Coex, it’s just so pretty!! The café is really cool though; I actually didn’t mind another long wait in line because there was so much to look at. Just looking at the idol snacks was amusing enough for me, since it’s still really funny thinking about some of the food they sell. The SHINee cheese sausages are still and always will be very bizarre to me. They also had a bunch of vinyl records on display, prettily designed cakes of some of their groups (They had a SHINee View era one! But tbh, the Red Velvet one was my favourite; it was really pretty and detailed!) and some progress of some of the artworks that SM sells based on their groups. I really loved the TVXQ one! I hadn’t noticed on first glance, but it was actually Max and U-Know’s silhouettes that create the pattern, I was really fascinated by it! I also got to see my friend who I had seen earlier once again as I traded the second Taemin bookmark with her friend’s Minho and Key, which I’m super grateful for, omg. I was only expecting to get Minho or Key, not both of them?? So yeah, I was super thankful that she gave me both of them for one bookmark and allowed me to get all five of the bookmarks so easily! After paying for my popcorn, I went over to the actual café counter and got the slushie I wanted while admiring all the cute little cupcakes. I really liked them, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to bring myself to eat them so I didn’t bother buying one, otl. Thankfully that line took less than minutes so I was quickly out of the café and making a beeline up to the SHINee exhibition to have a better look around. Also, tip. Don’t think that you can walk around with a big bag of merch and drink your stupidly sweet SHINee slushie that’s covered in condensation, because you can’t. It was a very stupid idea.

There were a couple of other things that I crossed by to get up to the exhibition, but I decided that I cared about the exhibition the most, so I made my way up there first before taking my time to look through the other things on my way back. Though it was only small, I really did enjoy the SWC exhibition quite a bit! It was really cool seeing the outfits they wore, the old concert goods and art by the two artists that collaborated with SHINee for this concert. As I was making my way into the outfit display, one of the J-shawols on my tour group said hello to me! It was really nice since I hadn’t spoken to her before but she still said hi to me, it made me smile! There were two things from the exhibition that made me giggle quite a bit, things that were both found on Key’s outfits. 1, the fact that they put their initials on the collars of their outfits. It’s pretty clear why you would need it, but its still super cute! 2. Key’s white suit from the opening of Tokyo Dome/SWC4 has little Key charms on it! How adorable is that!! I really loved the set up for the outfit display. It was so bright and colourful, and though it was a simple set up, it really did display the concept that the promotional pictures that SWC4 had. I liked it a lot. I also wasn’t aware of the fact that the exhibition had past concert pictures and merch on display too, so I was pleasantly surprised! I really love the Bridge Ship House artworks a lot. They looked fantastic on the merch that I had gotten, but even more amazing blown up at such a huge size (The artworks were so big, oh my gosh)! The Seong Lib artworks were also really beautiful as well. It was really cool seeing some of the many panels that made up the teaser video SM had posted and some of the details that I had missed while watching it. I really liked their art style too, it was constructed with such a simple use of lines, yet it still captured so much detail while still holding a simplistic look. It was really beautiful. The merch wasn’t overly exciting for me because I had seen most of it while I was in the Coex store, but it was still cool looking back at it all opened and nicely displayed before me. The photo display made me want to weep, mainly the photos from the first and second SWCs. All of the pictures from the first concert are extremely adorable, especially this one of Key that I really wanted a print of but I restrained myself because I’m totally responsible with handling my money.. Heh. SWC2 was the first SWC that I experienced so to see all the photos again made me super happy, especially the Taemin ones, gosh. I was a really big taemint until mid 2013 and I adored Taemin’s pictures from SWC2 so much back then, gosh. I had a lot of taemint feelings again seeing those pictures printed and presented so nicely before me, otl. I would recommend going there if you got the chance, but it’s no longer there so.. It was good! It would have been very well worth a visit if you could have gone!!

I was pretty quick to get out of Coex after that since it was getting busier and I wanted at least an hour to sit down in my own company before going to the last concert. I quickly stopped by the handprint display they had and took photos of SHINee’s hands as it was quite crowded there and had a look at the REALLY BIG photo displays. The display of the photos that you can buy are HUGE. You could buy the photos at that size too for over 100000 won. It was insane, but still so cool to see the pictures at such a large scale in such amazing quality. After that, I darted back to my hotel and relaxed for a bit while watching some AFL program. I think that was the only time of my entire life that I was actually excited to see Matthew Pavlich on TV, it was very odd.

We left for the concert at 2pm as the Sunday concert was starting at 4pm, which I liked very much since Australian shows are usually held quite late on Sunday despite the fact everyone has stuff to do on Monday morning. I applaud SM for the early Sunday start, even if that wasn’t their intention. But yes, the bus trip wasn’t too exciting as it was just a run down of getting back to the bus 30 minutes after the concert again or you’re stuffed and I just messaged my friend to make plans to catch up after the concert. I didn’t have to wait around the venue too much to wait to get in, I walked along with the shawol from Hong Kong who I had spoken to the day before and we helped one another figure out which gate we were to go through. I really wish I had gotten some sort of social media from her so I could contact her again, she seemed nice..

I got into the stadium with a lot of time to spare and also much more battery life in my phone compared to the night before, thank god, so I spent most of my time fiddling on facebook and trying to figure out how to catch up with the K-Shawol who I had befriended the night before as she was still outside. Since I was on the floor, literally only seats away from one side of the extended stage, the security were a lot harsher with us taking photos. A younger K-shawol was seated next to me for the night and kept getting told off by security for taking photos before the show started, and even though the security worker saw me taking photos too, she didn’t tell me off. For some really dumb reason though, I offered to the K-shawol that I could send her the photos? She said no, which was fine, but like.. How was I even thinking of sending her the photos?? I literally have no clue what I was planning to do, its been irritating me ever since I asked her. Ugh. Soon the venue was starting to pack up and I was starting to get anxious about the shawol who I had met the day before and if I would see her again, since I’m really good at making easy things difficult for myself. But while I was fiddling on my phone, I randomly looked up and she was trying to get my attention from the end of my row. I thought that we had given up trying to catch up again but she still managed to get into my section and see me, so I was really happy! We only got to fuss over our seats and chat for like a minute, but I was really happy to be able to thank her for being so nice. To make her even lovelier though, oh my god, she gave me some gifts. Honestly, I was absolutely touched and I still can’t get over the fact that she gave me something after just meeting me. I’ve been writing this over several days so I don’t know if I mentioned that I’m a very lonely person yet, but I am so I don’t have many friends and I’m definitely not used to gifts, so to have someone do such for me just ahhhh!! It made me feel so horrible for only giving her a measly water bottle.. I hope I can see her again one day and make up for the gifts she gave me! So after thanking her as many times as I could, I climbed over many people to get back to my seat and have a better look at what she had given me. She gave me two Coex photos of Jonghyun, one from Everybody era and the other from Married to the Music! I was so touched because like I reckon they would have been things she already had in her collection so I was really so touched that she had given them to me. And the whole time I had been in Korea I had been drinking this grapefruit water thing, because it was super delicious. I didn’t even mention it to her at all, but she gave me the lemon version of the water?? It’s just lemon-flavoured water, it’s not something to be amazed by. I know but I was okay, leave me be. It made me giggle so much ahh. I was just really happy that she even wanted to catch up with me again, but to give me such lovely gifts too? Gosh, I’m just really touched. Thank you so much!! Cries.

The second day of the concert was just as enchanting, if not more than, the first day. I was so close to the stage, it was insane. In my five years of being a shawol, I never thought that I would be seeing them so close. It was amazing! I had so many moments where I just stood there like “Holy Shit, they’re actually this close to me.” There was especially this one moment with Taemin where he was dancing towards my end of the stage and I was just speechless and couldn’t believe that it was actually him? Like this was actually Lee Taemin coming towards me and putting his all into his dancing? It was such an odd thought for me having never seen them before that weekend! I want to be able to think that to myself again! There was also a time where Key was on my end of the stage doing some of their slower songs towards the start of the concert, and I probably spent a good minute having to stand there and register that it was actually him right there before me. And Minho was smiling so much at us too, and it was so close too! Ahh, I love Choi Minho. Pretty much, the second concert was the day where I was finally registering that after five years of waiting and hoping to see SHINee before me was actually happening. Though, it didn’t seem to work too well since it honestly still hasn’t hit me yet that I’ve actually seen SHINee now, and it’s been a little over two weeks now!

Though the concert was absolutely amazing, there was obviously one thing that happened that made me feel so worried by the end of the concert. During Ready or Not, I saw Jinki on all fours on the main stage while everyone was running about. I tried to brush it off as “Oh he’s just doing something funny to amuse the people sitting in front of him.” But I obviously couldn’t because he wasn’t actually doing much? I was so confused but then towards the end of the song, he literally threw himself backstage. It was horrible. Saviour was the song that played after he did that, and I really couldn’t enjoy it as much as I did the night before. I could see Jinki surrounded by all these staff and him just lying on the ground, I was so worried. I just wanted for him to be okay, to have some sort of indication that he was going to be okay. They took a quick break after Saviour and so many people around me were crying, many bawling their eyes out. It was so heart wrenching to see them all cry.. SHINee came back with Jinki though, and he seemed okay besides the bandage they had put over his foot/shoe. (I seriously hope they actually put something on his foot, because all I could see was a bandage wrapped around his shoe and that would have done nothing to properly support his ankle. Otl.) But I was proved wrong when he actually started dancing because he was weakly moving about and doing limp jumps while preforming Everybody. While it was so heart breaking to watch him weakly go about the dance, I admired him so much for pushing through the pain he was in and still preforming for us. I’m someone who gives up really easily, so to witness him pushing through something that would be extremely difficult for him to do was really inspiring. I’m sure I’m going to think about what he did that night when reality starts being a bitch to me again and use it to help me try and get through what ever it may be. Though having Jinki getting hurt was horrible, it really did make me admire him and SHINee so much more than I already do. They go through so much just to make us happy and to put on a great show, even if it’s hard for them to do so. It’s just so admirable and I’m really so grateful that all of SHINee works so hard for their dreams and to make us happy. I really am so thankful for all of their hard work.

There wasn’t much left of the concert after that since they had to cut out a few songs and early due to Jinki’s injury. Though it was sad to not get the full set list during the concert, I was completely okay with it since it meant that Jinki wasn’t straining himself. They preformed Romeo + Juliette on the main stage as the last song before they spoke for a bit. This was the only time I cried during the two concerts, it felt kinda odd to because everyone had just been sobbing over Jinki and I was crying while everyone else around me was okay. It was just that I had started thinking that this might be my last time ever seeing them properly in front of me, that when they walked backstage soon that I would never see them again. (Oh shit, I’m getting teary rn just even thinking about it.) I started to think about just how much they really meant to me, how by this trip to see them they had made me do so many things I have always wanted to do but never had the guts to do so. I’m so so thankful for them making me go on this trip, because they made me do something that I was scared shittless about and that people disapproved of, which are the biggest things that hold me back in life.. But I still did it and had never felt happier in my entire life having done that for them. I was just.. So thankful that they had made me do this and live out some of my biggest dreams that I was starting to believe would never actually happen. I just wanted to do it all again and again. I wanted feel all this happiness I was sharing with them again. I wanted to be brave and venture out into the world to see them again. I just didn’t want this to be my last time seeing them before me and letting them hear and feel my support, even if it was amongst thousands of other people. They’ve made me so determined to chase after my dreams, even if they take a bit to get to and it’ll take a lot of hard work to do so, because I will be able to do it. Even though I’ve spent all this money and time travelling just to go see them, I’m so set on doing it again in the near future. I’m already planning with one of my best friends to go to the next Tokyo Dome concert with her and do so many things in Tokyo that we’ve always dreamt of. I’m so excited, I can’t wait! I really hope that we can do it and see SHINee together too! I refuse to let this be the last time I see them, I’m determined to make sure that its not!

The concert soon ended after SHINee’s talk with us, and despite Jinki’s injury, we still chanted for SHINee to come back on stage for an encore stage, because we’re just desperate little shawols who want to see SHINee. Though I knew it was unlikely they were going to come back, I still tried my hardest to chant for them despite being so out of breath after singing and chanting through the entire concert. But we all eventually gave up on them coming back and started making a move out of the venue and taking pictures inside the venue, since security wasn’t telling us off any more ahaha. Since I didn’t have the K-shawol to chat to on my way out and I had also promised I would call them the night before but I didn’t because I’m a horrible friend, I decided to call my friend while walking to the bus. It was so nice to talk to her since I had kept to myself the entire concert and she fully understood how I was feeling because she had gone on the global package before too. So after swearing a lot and probably speaking way too loudly, I’m so sorry to all the fans who were walking beside me to the buses, I just get so loud and swear so much when I’m hyped up otl, I settled down on the silent bus yet again and fiddled with my phone. The vibe in the bus was definitely a lot different from the night before, obviously because of what had happened and also because it was the last concert day so we were all obviously worn out. We all got given another water bottle and cookie set on the way back too which was nice because I liked those cookies a lot, otl.

Though the concert was over, my fun for the night wasn’t over just yet! One of the friends who I had made on twitter wanted to catch up, and her friend also tagged along too! Since we were all fairly close to Coex, we decided to go there and find something to eat. Since I got there a bit earlier than them, I roamed around SM Coex by myself for a bit and oh my gosh it was so weird to be there when it was so empty! (I think it was about 10pm or 10:30pm when I got there? I honestly don’t remember.) Though it was such an odd feeling to be there while it was empty, I actually got a chance to have a proper look around all the places I skimmed over while I was waiting. I actually got to hold my hands to the SHINee handprints and found out I have bigger hands than all of them, even Minho. Otl. It was quite depressing since I thought I maybe had smaller hands than him but nope. Otl. Either way, I pulled myself together and went back up to the exhibition and got to have another good look around there with a few other Shawols before waiting up on there for my friends to arrive. It was cool waiting up there since they were playing Dream Girl on the big TV display they have on the fifth floor and were changing the set up of the little stools for f(x)’s 7th anniversary, it was funny watching the staff figuring out where all the seats were meant to go. Soon enough my friends arrived and honestly, it was so nice to meet them both. I wasn’t extremely close with my friend who I had made on twitter and I didn’t know her friend, but we instantly got on really well and conversation (Something I struggle with quite a bit) flowed so easily! It was just so nice for once not to worry about making things awkward and just being comfortable to be myself, even when meeting a new person! We looked around the exhibition for a bit and fussed over all the pretty costumes, merch and pictures of SHINee there together before going back to the fifth floor. My friend from twitter and I both really wanted to get a copy of the cute black and white SHINee photo where they’re all smiley with one another, but as we were about to get it they were shutting the printing stand, so with out that gorgeous photo of SHINee with us, we decided to leave before we got locked in for the night.

We headed into the Coex shopping centre for a few minutes with hopes of finding us some food. We soon noticed that everything around us was shut, that the food court looked like it was a fair distance away from us and that everyone was heading out the door so we decided to follow suit and go to McDonalds, since it was the only place we knew we could rely on not to shut on us at this time of night. I don’t eat fast food, I haven’t been since I was in primary school, and I don’t think I had eaten Maccas for at least.. 2 years I think before that night? So it was very weird to travel all the way to Korea and have McDonalds when I don’t even like it. Though it was weird to be there, I had a lot of fun there! We pretty much just sat there and spoke about the weekend, what we had gotten up to while we were in Korea and other things while eating our kid’s meals. With the kid’s meals that we had ordered, they had forgotten to give us the “toys” (They were Magic School Bus books), so I, as an adult who was with other adults, asked for these kids’ books. It was very awkward but very worth the book that I’ll probably never be able to read. Once we had finished eating our very mature meals we sat there chatting for a bit, well mainly my new friend and I as my friend from twitter was falling asleep at the table, which was funny in itself. While she was dozing off though, She Is started playing in the restaurant and obviously we both started to freak out while she was practically asleep. Honestly, it wasn’t even that hilarious, but gosh I was laughing so much. She woke up mid way through it and her reaction to it was so funny, I actually started to cry because I was laughing so much?? It was just so amusing at the time! Though we were just sitting in McDonalds late at night, I had so much fun with them! I don’t never do impromptu meet ups, especially so late, so it was really so fun to do something out of the ordinary for me with two really awesome people! I really hope we can see one another again and have another nice time like that with one another; it’d be so cool! Also, I would like to apologise to them both if I was very weird that night, because when I’m half asleep and happy I do weird stuff. I’m sorry. Ahaha!

Eventually I made my way back to the hotel at around midnight after having a really good night with time with them both and promising that we would all try our hardest to go to Tokyo Dome one day. On my way back up to my room there was a J-shawol who was in the elevator with me who pointed out my Taemin shirt and had a quick conversation with me on the way up to our floor. It was nice to have a quick chat with her, but also very bitter sweet for me because she was the last shawol that I spoke to that weekend. If I hadn’t seen SHINee that weekend, the highlight of my weekend easily would have been the shawols. I just really love shaowls. The international fans did put me off a little bit at first, but my friends who I got to meet and the Japanese and Korean shawols I briefly encountered made up for them. SHINee really do have an amazingly wonderful fanbase supporting them and after being there and amongst them all, I’m so much prouder than I already was to say that I’m a Shawol.  They’re all just so lovely and love and support SHINee so much, they’re just really wonderful. Thank you shawols for making my weekend so awesome and making me feel at home with you all and SHINee! After making myself feel sad thinking that was my last shawol encounter for the weekend, I headed back into my room and gushed about my emotions on my snapchat before settling to go to sleep far too late at night for how tired I was.

The next morning really wasn’t exciting at all. I just got the last bits and pieces of my room packed away before checked out of the hotel before 12pm. Leaving the hotel was so depressing because it was pretty much establishing that this was it, my SWC5 weekend was over now.. That it had all happened now and now I would have to wait until my next possible chance to see SHINee to experience it all again. After that I had a very sleepy subway trip back up to the other hotel I had been staying in before my SWC weekend..

I don’t regret going on this trip for SHINee at all. SHINee has meant the world to me for five years and to finally see them after so long.. The chance and experience is priceless to me. This trip has proven to me that SHINee was and will always worth those years of support I’ve given them and all the money I have spent. They’re just worth it. They’re just worth all the love in the world, and though I knew that already after having gotten to know them over the years, seeing them preform in front of me really proved it for me even more. I can’t recommend enough taking the global package tour if you can. It’s going to cost you a lot, yes, but trust me when I say that if you’re a shawol that every dollar you spend is going to be worth it in the end. I’m going to treasure this weekend for the rest of my life, not only because of the fact that I got to see SHINee and actually go to Korea, but this trip has allowed me to find out more about myself that I would never find having not gone on this trip and just watching from a far in Australia. I was able to live out some of my biggest dreams and do things that allowed me to develop in ways that I would have never been able to if I decided to listen to what my family wanted and stayed in Australia. This trip has given more me more than just the chance to see SHINee and I’m so proud to say that it was SHINee who allowed me to do this for myself, because I really needed to do it. I’m just so incredibly thankful that SHINee allowed me to do this, because it really has impacted me in only positive ways at this stage and I’m sure that it’ll continue to impact me positively for many years to come. I’m going to cherish this incredible experience for the rest of my life and it’s all thanks to SHINee.

Next Post: SHINee haul video (Including concert merch and global package goods) All the posts in this SWC5 series

[cjoat-boost]

During my mental break, I’ve been trying to recover from a traumatic experience that occurred last month…I probably won’t be venting about my life anytime soon. But it is really messed up. Anywho, been resting, practicing mindfulness, my period came on, so I’ve been trying to control my temper, etc. 

But here’s an update, I did some more artwork. I’m going to give you that today. I’m going to recommend a few apps, youtube channels, and show off some artists and musicians, in this post. I’ll also mention some servers for you guys to join. In also munching on some organic cinnamon bears by the Wholesome brand. You can’t beat them. 

Apps I use on my phone!

Here’s some apps I use in my everyday life. Some you have to pay a little more for but it’s definitely worth it.

Triller | https://apps.apple.com/us/app/triller-social-video-platform/id994905763 | Personally I have not tried This. But since a TikTok is getting banned in the US and China, I thought well, might try this out. Despite TikTok’s racism and shadowbanning, I liked making small little clips. No matter how embarrassing it is. So give it a try you never know.

Polarr | https://apps.apple.com/us/app/polarr-photo-editor/id988173374 | Okay. I had to include this app into this list. Y’know? This is my favorite photo editing program. It’s simple, it’s sleek, and it’s so fun to mess around with stuff in your photos. I never knew this great of an app exists a year ago? You can add effects, get rid of some unwanted features, or just do a simple touch up. It’s available on the computer, and tablet and phone.

Telegram | https://apps.apple.com/us/app/telegram-messenger/id686449807 | it’s a messenger app. Yes. I know. But! Hear me out! You can set it up to have this so password protected. It encrypts all of your conversations. You get all kinds of stickers to include in your conversations. Honestly? It’s fun, interactive, and safe from unwanted eyes. 

Notebloc | https://apps.apple.com/us/app/notebloc/id1077023687 | oh my gosh what can you do. It’s a free app. With premium scanning capabilities, at no cost to you. It’s amazing to be honest I believe it’s better than Evernote. Just give it a shot.

YouTube channels I watch!

Here’s a list of YouTube channels I highly recommend for a good laugh, interesting fun, SpeedPaints, gameplay, etc.

Jacksepticeye | premium content. Amazing. Loud voice. Beautiful and happy man. Plays many video games, has a lot of reactions, it’s beautiful honestly. Watch his videos.Neebs Gaming | My favorite series on this channel (and I’m currently listening to) is his Subnautica series. It is absolutely hilarious. It’s great. This guy(s) turned this game and made a video show out of it, it’s so laughable. I love it. 

Adrian Von Ziegler | Beautiful channel, perfect inspiration music. D&D campaign music! And taking Celtic Music back to its roots. Oh my gosh it’s absolutely amazing.

Penny Jacobson | Held by our very own CJOAT social media manager! Show her some support, please she’s trying her best.

Epic Meal Time | These guys are absolutely insane. Don’t know how to cook, but made the best cooking show on YouTube (in my opinion) oh but seriously, if you want diabetes for your eyes? This is perfect for you.

Mark Haynes | BEST DANG PIXELATED ANIMATED SHOW EVER. SUPER MARIO BROS Z! WATCH IT! IT’S BEAUTIFUL HOLY CRAP IT HAD ME HOOKED.

Sprocket Tech | Okay I cant help it, this channel reached 40 subscribers as of this week. 1 active commenter, things are absolutely gravy. If you could show some love to the speedpaints and other playlists made in this channel… it would be amazing. Youtube is special but yknow? We’re trying.

Discord Servers to join!

Here’s a list of servers I’m in, and I watch you to take part in. It’ll be amazing if you showered them in support.

UNDERTALE ROLEPLAY Server | Universal Server Invite | https://discord.gg/PQdJX5n

Creator’s Museum: Do you specialize in any of the creativities of arts, (meaning you Create something no matter how long ago or how bad or good you think it is) | Do you need support from others or a place to network? | Do you want to dump all of your stuff in a Safe and friendly place? | Do you have a fandom or two to share? | And most of all, want something to entertain you while you’re bored | Creator’s Museum is the one server for you! We are a community that advertises and supports our members, we’re honest, sweet, trustworthy, empowering fandoms, being allowed to express ourselves, and just giving each other some attention! Got a server you want to gorge? We’ll partner with you. For the entire month of December every year, as soon as you join, you get a gallery of your own to dump everything you want in. For the rest of the year, you get your gallery if you stay two weeks. We have tourneys, and challenges, and some extra Notification ping friendly action. come in and say hi, dump as you please, and make a friend or two! | https://discord.gg/amWDkyz

My Art Currently As on Pride Month 2020!

  Happy PRIDE

Underwater Tram Battle

Medieval Ref

Glowing Eye (Black Lives Matter)

(ᴇʀᴢᴀʜʟᴇʀ ᴛʜᴇ ĐɆⱤ₳₦₲ɆĐ#2276‘s Character) Erzahler (my Art Though)

Baby Medieval (Thank RedKammy on Twitter for the F2U Lineart)

Chymrali’s Small Body Compared to Her Large Wingspan

Chymrali Catching Dreisig

Fire Practice

3D Filter Practice

I’m Sorry (Soul Update)

Dawn (Halo’s Character) & Graffonti (My Character) Ship Child

Michael & Grillby’s Ship Child

Rebelle Missing His Special Someone

Black Lives Matter Mask

Rebelle’s Soul (Crap I spelled his name wrong)

Post-Birthday Rebelle (21 years old As of June 30th)

Comet! FtM Space Dazzler

Rebelle Flexing In Space

Nilla da Beana

Mystic Anthromorphic Rabbit

Human Form turned into Medieval

EDIT: Okay! So after my art getting called demonic and a severe psychosis breakdown; PLUS, a motivational religious talk from my biggest supporter, my mother, Kelli Wise. Love you, Meema! I decided to completely disregard what my grandmother and my uncle said about my art, and continue posting what I love to draw. Especially since I’m on Art Fight! Can’t be feeling down and below, since my art needs to and is constantly improving. So below I’m going to show my Art Fight Identification Card for 2020! And the Art Pieces I’ve been doing there and recently as of July!

So far I have over 520 points! Come and attack me! I dare you!

Just Child Me, checking in on you.

After I vented for a bit, my close friends sent comfort, jokes, and love my way. I love those guys.

Just my skeleton form in bitty form.

This is the symbol for my character, Chymrali.

Galaxy Swirl Nightmare

OwO Slime

This was my first art attack. While I am not proud of it, I’m still glad this is what set me off.

Pfffhehehehe a certain couple “broke” when they saw this. They loved him, and they both loved the art.

She liked this one. ^^ This was my second art attack.

This was my third art attack. Even though I didn’t get any into for it, I got the Grace of meeting a Parody of James Bond.

Another D&D character! I love drawing Drows. They’re just so fun to draw and colour without going full on black and white.

This was @Fluffaros two characters! I hope they become canon. They haven’t confessed but i hope they do.

This was an attack on Team Spice’s MissOccult. (She loved it btw.)

This was an exact scene from Doldrum’s campaign.

I was thinking about my pup, Shy, may she Rest In Peace. I created this in her memory.

MissOccult attacked me back with beautiful art!! So I attacked her back in revenge (more like love) with another character she loved.

This is an improvement of some of my previous attacks!

This was just practice drawing honey. Could be better but you know.

this could possibly be my first lineless art piece. I’m surprised it turned out so well.

I loved messing with the blues on this piece. It was very fun to do. Also YAY FIRST SUCCESSFUL BACKGROUND! Probably not first but you know.

Trust me, their character design looked a lot better when Vmii did it. But I’m just glad I could throw in a throwback piece for the background.

Was listening to Clarity as I made this caption. I think it impacted the art. It’s nice to pair with the piece.

BEST PIECE BY FAR! I’m so proud of this.

Certainly not the best but not my worst either. But Grandmother seems to like this one.

Girasol Guerrero Sirena Princesa Gianna

…No comment on this one…it brings back pain.

I’m black in America, fighting for our rights to be here in unity and empathy.

Kitten…Be Safe…

Intermission From Life During my mental break, I’ve been trying to recover from a traumatic experience that occurred last month...I probably won’t be venting about my life anytime soon.

[fmservers]

A fictional Facebook Portal videochat with Mark Zuckerberg

TechCrunch: Hey Portal, dial Mark

Portal: Do you mean Mark Zuckerberg?

TC: Yes

Portal: Dialling Mark…

TC: Hi Mark! Nice choice of grey t-shirt.

MZ: Uh, new phone who dis? — oh, hi, er, TechCrunch…

TC: Thanks for agreeing to this entirely fictional interview, Mark!

MZ: Sure — anytime. But you don’t mind if I tape over the camera do you? You see I’m a bit concerned about my privacy here at, like, home

TC: We feel you, go ahead.

As you can see, we already took the precaution of wearing this large rubber face mask of, well, of yourself Mark. And covering the contents of our bedroom with these paint-splattered decorator sheets.

MZ: Yeah, I saw that. It’s a bit creepy tbh

TC: Go on and get all taped up. We’ll wait.

[sound of Mark calling Priscilla to bring the tape dispenser]

[Portal’s camera jumps out to assimilate Priscilla Chan into the domestic scene, showing a generous vista of the Zuckerbergs’ living room, complete with kids playing in the corner. Priscilla, clad in an oversized dressing gown and with her hair wrapped in a big fluffy towel, can be seen gesticulating at the camera. She is also coughing]

Priscilla to Mark: I already told you — there’s a camera cover built into into Portal. You don’t need to use tape now

MZ: Oh, right, right!

Okay, going dark! Wow, that feels better already

[sound of knuckles cracking]

TC: So, Mark, let’s talk hardware! What’s your favorite Amazon Echo?

MZ: Uh, well…

TC: We’d guess one with all the bells & whistles, right? There’s definitely something more than a little Echo Show-y about Portal

MZ: Sure, I mean. We think Alexa is a great product

TC: Mhmm. Do you remember when digital photo frames first came out? They were this shiny new thing about, like, a decade ago? One of those gadgets your parents buy you around Thanksgiving, which ends up stuck in a drawer forever?

MZ: Yeah! I think someone gave me one once with a photo of me playing beer pong on it. We had it hanging in the downstairs rest room for the longest time. But then we got an Android tablet with a Wi-Fi connection for in there, so…

TC: Now here we are a decade or so later with Portal advancing the vision of what digital photo frames can be!

MZ: Yeah! I mean, you don’t even have to pick the pictures! It’s pretty awesome. This one here — oh, right you can’t see me but let me describe it for you — this one here is of a Halloween party I went to one year. Someone was dressed as SpongeBob. I think they might have been called Bob, actually… And this is, like, some other Facebook friends doing some other fun stuff. Pretty amazing.

You can also look at album art

TC: But not YouTube, right? But let’s talk about video calling

MZ: It’s an amazing technology

TC: It sure is. Skype, FaceTime… live filters, effects, animoji…

MZ: We’re building on a truly great technology foundation. Portal autozooming means you don’t even have to think about watching the person you’re talking to! You can just be doing stuff in your room and the camera will always be adjusting to capture everything you’re doing! Pretty amazing.

TC: Doing what Mark? Actually, let’s not go there

MZ: Portal will even suggest people for you to call! We think this will be a huge help for our mission to promote Being Well — uh, I mean Time Well Spent because our expert machine learning algorithms will be nudging you to talk to people you should really be talking to

TC: Like my therapist?

MZ: Uh, well, it depends. But our AI can suggest personalized meaningful interactions by suggesting Messenger contacts to call up

TC: It’s not going to suggest I videchat my ex is it?

MZ: Haha! Hopefully not. But maybe your mom? Or your grandma?

TC: Sounds incredibly useful. Well, assuming they didn’t already #deletefacebook.

But let’s talk about kids

MZ: Kids! Yeah we love them. Portal is going to be amazing for kids

TC: You have this storybook thing going on, right? Absent grandparents using Portal to read kids bedtime stories and what not…

MZ: Right! We think kids are going to love it. And grandparents! We’ve got these animal masks if you get bored of looking at your actual family members. It’s good, clean, innovative fun for all the family!

TC: Yeah, although, I mean, nothing beats reading from an actual kid’s book, right?

MZ: Well…

TC: If you do want to involve a device in your kid’s bedtime there are quite a lot of digital ebook apps for that already. Apple has a whole iBooks library of the things with read-aloud narration, for example.

And, maybe you missed this — but quite a few years ago there was a big bunch of indie apps and services all having a good go at selling the same sort of idea of ‘interactive remote reading experiences’ for families with kids. Though not many appear to have gone the distance. Which does sort of suggest there isn’t a huge unmet need for extra stuff beyond, well, actual children’s books and videochat apps like Skype and FaceTime.

Also, I mean, children’s story reading apps and interactive kids’ e-books are pretty much as old as the hills in Internet terms at this point. So, er, you’re not really moving fast and breaking things are you!?

MZ: Actually we’re more focused on stable infrastructure these days

TC: And hardware too, apparently. Which is a pretty radical departure for Facebook. All those years everyone thought you were going to do a Facebook phone but you left it to Amazon to flop into that pit… Who needs hardware when you can put apps and tracker pixels on everything, right?!

But here you are now, kinda working with Amazon for Portal — while also competing with Alexa hardware by selling your own countertop device… Aren’t you at all nervous about screwing this up? Hardware IS hard. And homes have curtains for a reason…

MZ: We’re definitely confident kids aren’t going to try swivelling around on the Portal Plus like it’s a climbing frame, if that’s what you mean. Well, hopefully not anyway

TC: But about you, Facebook Inc, putting an all-seeing-eye-cum-Internet-connected-listening-post into people’s living rooms and kids’ bedrooms…

MZ: What about it?

[MZ speaking to someone else in the room] Does the speaker have an off switch? How do I mute this thing?

TC: Hello? Mark?

[silence]

[sound comes back on briefly and a snatch of conversation can be heard between Mark and Priscilla about the need to buy more diapers. Mark is then heard shouting across the room that his Shake Shack order of a triple cheeseburger and fries plus butterscotch malt is late again]

[silence] 

[crackle and a congested throat clearing sound. A child is heard in the background asking for Legos]

MZ: Not now okay honey. Okay hon-, uh, hello — what were you saying?

TC: Will you be putting a Portal in Max’s room?

MZ: Haha! She’d probably prefer Legos

TC: August?

MZ: She’s only just turned one

TC: Okay, let’s try a more direct question. Do you at all think that you, Facebook Inc,

might have a problem selling a $200+ piece of Internet-connected hardware when your company is known for creeping on people to sell ads?

MZ: Oh no, no! — we’ve, like, totally thought of that!

Let me read you what marketing came up with. Hang on, it’s around here somewhere…

[sound of paper rustling]

Here we go [reading]:

Facebook doesn’t listen to, view, or keep the contents of your Portal video calls. Your Portal conversations stay between you and the people you’re calling. In addition, video calls on Portal are encrypted, so your calls are always secure.

For added security, Smart Camera and Smart Sound use AI technology that runs locally on Portal, not on Facebook servers. Portal’s camera doesn’t use facial recognition and doesn’t identify who you are.

Like other voice-enabled devices, Portal only sends voice commands to Facebook servers after you say, ‘Hey Portal.’ You can delete your Portal’s voice history in your Facebook Activity Log at any time.

Pretty cool, huh!

TC: Just to return to your stable infrastructure point for a second, Mark — did you mean Facebook is focused on security too? Because, well, your company keeps leaking personal data like a sieve holds water…

MZ: We think of infrastructure as a more holistic concept. And, uh, as a word that sounds reassuring

TC: Okay, so of course you can’t 100% guarantee Portal against hacking risks, though you’re taking precautions by encrypting calls. But Portal might also ‘accidentally’ record stuff adults and kids say in the home — i.e. if its ‘Hey Portal’ local listening function gets triggered when it shouldn’t. And it will then be 100% up to a responsible adult to find their way through Facebook’s labyrinthine settings and delete those wiretaps, won’t it?

MZ: You can control all your information, yes

TC: The marketing bumpf also doesn’t spell out what Facebook does with ‘Hey Portal’ voice recordings, or the personal insights your company is able to glean from them, but Facebook is in the business of profiling people for ad targeting purposes so we must assume that any and all voice commands and interactions, with the sole exception of the contents of videocalls, will go into feeding that beast.

So the metadata of who you talk to via Portal, what you listen to and look at (minus any Alexa-related interactions that you’ve agreed to hand off to Amazon for its own product targeting purposes), and potentially much more besides is all there for Facebook’s taking — given the kinds of things that an always-on listening device located in a domestic setting could be accidentally privy to.

Then, as more services get added to Portal, more personal behavioral data will be generated and can be processed by Facebook for selling ads.

MZ: Well, I mean, like I told that Senator we do sell ads

TC: And smart home hardware too now, apparently.

One more thing, Mark: In Europe, Facebook didn’t used to have face recognition technology switched on did it?

MZ: We had it on pause for a while

TC: But you switched it back on earlier this year right?

MZ: Facebook users in Europe can choose to use it, yes

TC: And who’s in charge of framing that choice?

MZ: Uh, well we are obviously

TC: We’d like you to tap on the Portal screen now, Mark. Tap on the face you can see to make the camera zoom right in on this mask of your own visage. Can you do that for us?

MZ: Uh, sure

[sound of a finger thudding against glass]

MZ: Are you seeing this? It really is pretty creepy!

Or — I mean — it would be if it wasn’t so, like, familiar…

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg arrives to testify before a joint hearing of the US Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee and Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill, April 10, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo: JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images)

[sound of a child crying]

Priscilla to Mark: Eeeew! Turn that thing off!

TC: Thanks Mark. We’ll leave you guys to it.

Enjoy your Shake Shack. Again.

Portal: Thanks for calling Mark, TechCrunch! Did you enjoy your Time Well Spent?

Via Natasha Lomas https://techcrunch.com

[doxampage]

Recreating a Virtual City with Multicolor 3D Printing

Brace Yourself Games is an indie video game studio based in Vancouver, Canada. For the upcoming launch of their new city building simulation game, “Industries of Titan”, they wanted to present their concept in a more original way – and used 3D printing to bring the game to life! We spoke to Antoine Lendrevie, Art Director at Brace Yourself Games.

1. Can you tell us about yourself?

Hi! My name is Antoine Lendrevie, and I’m the Art Director at Brace Yourself Games. I work full time on our new game, “Industries of Titan”, which is an industrial city-building simulation/strategy game for PC. Basically you start by creating your city, and at some point you’ll need to compete with another city on the same map, either economically, politically or through combat – or a mix of all these elements. Our previous game was “Crypt of the Necrodancer”, which is an award-winning roguelike rhythm game.

2. Can you tell us some more about the 3D-printed model?

We attended PAX West, a big video game exhibition in Seattle, where we were showing a demo of our game for the first time. We wanted to create some original, eye-catching props for our booth to attract people and get them excited about visiting our booth and trying the game. Since our game is mainly a city builder, we thought it would be fun to have a physical version of a city block from the game.

The “Industries of Titan” 3D model vs. the 3D-printed version in Multicolor+Why did you use 3D printing to create your project?

3. Why did you use 3D printing to create your project?

“Industries of Titan” is made with volumetric pixels, which I knew would fit well with 3D printing due to its cubic form. The cities in our game are also made using tiles, each one representing a building. It was easy to take the 3D model of those tiles and 3D print multiple tiles to create a city block. In the end, we 3D printed 16 tiles (each one measuring 15×15 cm), as well as some little cars to place on the roads. 3D printing was the only way we could physically represent a part of our game with such high fidelity and attention to detail.

4. Why Multicolor+? Are you happy with the result?

When I researched 3D printing services online, I think i.materialise was the only one to offer detailed, directly colored 3D printing with good quality, good materials and a competitive price. In the end, the 3D-printed models looked exactly like the models in the game, including colors and textures – we were all really pleased with the result! I also have to say that the team was very helpful in the process and that the shipping was quite fast.

The public at the exhibition were all very curious when they first saw the entire 3D-printed diorama, and they were amazed by the quality of it. A lot of them took photos and videos, and we even got a shoutout for the “Coolest Prop” of the show on GeekWire! We look forward to using Multicolor+ again in the future!

A sneak peek at what “Industries of Titan” will look like in the game

Are you a games fan? Be sure to check out Industries of Titan and sign up for news of the launch!

Are you interested in using 3D printing to create models? Discover how this model of the Cathedral of Šibenik in Croatia was made, or get inspired by Kees-Jan van Vessem’s beautiful scale model trains.

Once you have a 3D file of your model, upload it to our online 3D printing platform and choose from 100+ materials and finishes.

Recreating a Virtual City with Multicolor 3D Printing published first on https://getyourprintingcompanies.tumblr.com/

[streetslight-blog]

All These Will Be The 5 Best Most Useful Android Telephones You May Become Right Today (Might 20 17)

The best collection of all Android watertight mobiles of their absolute most widely used suppliers (Samsung, Sony, HTC, Alcatel, Lenovo, CAT and much more).  Do not get this phone due to its 4K display - perhaps not merely will the eye never observe exactly the gap between 4K and 2K onto the display such a dimension, nevertheless the large part of the full time that it works in an image that is up-scaled to conserve battery life.  Building including also an total superior texture and rear, bezels that are nominal, along with a all-glass entrance -- S-7 border and also both the Galaxy S 7 might be the Android mobiles which you are able to buy.  This, BestinClass speakers and also and the Razer Phone components, create that among the Android mobiles out there.   You are able to stay informed about the brand new apparatus on our listing of Newest Tracfone smart-phones or only see our Mobile Phone evaluations page at which we all comprise all of the critiques we have achieved for Tracfone apparatus.  Increasing significance to be uber-connected is fueling the requirement for smart-phones from the nation.  You also can tune in to songs when you have included your music.  It's a smart-phone that is basic, however, comes in a relatively affordable cost of 30 around the Tracfone site.  Even the EMUI pc software is sometimes described as a tiny heavyhanded plus it is not as sterile whilst the pure Android connection with Pixel, however also at #475, the Honor 8 Guru has been a good thought for the ones that desire a bigscreen, highly effective and durable mobile which wont ruin your banking accounts.  https://drasticds-emulatorapk.com/ When it truly is really a system which runs Android Nougat, the Xposed frame-work isn't readily available for your own OnePlus 5 only nevertheless.  It sets it well already as well as also elsewhere.  LG manufactures even the Google Nexus 5 and can be merely #299-and it's the boon of as an Android telephones designed.  The Cherry cellular One would be the Android one particular mobile that's already accessible the Philippines.  Whether you are looking for smartphones that are state-of-the-art cell telephones or anything else in between, it is all in your palms.   The smartphone also operates Android 7.0 Nougat functioning platform also can be driven by 1.25GHz quadcore MediaTek chip.  Even the i-phone 7, also along  with all the i-phone 7 Plus, now has now aided Apple to recover the name of high  smart-phone manufacturer on earth, at Q4 20-16 top to underside, it has a professionally crafted smart-phone using standard scores which high industry (as a result of a crazy spec sheet ).  It's the security characteristics that plant it firmly of the iPhone.  Every call among the checklist preceding other than also the ZTE Blade z-max and also the samsung-galaxy S-8 Lively is available direct.   It has all over again proven the remainder of your contest just how exactly to earn a top smartphone smart-phone, also its particular battery, camera lifetime and overall performance is still right up there also.  The Pixel two is just a cellphone that is boring and soon it turns on.  The hardware melts away to present you together with machine, with a border eyesight of their Android long run.  CAT mobiles may possibly perhaps not function as the beautiful mobiles on the market nevertheless they're undoubtedly the most mobiles.  The LG Fiesta is available on Amazon and also the samsung-galaxy J-7 Sky Guru is offered with air time package for $ 14-9.   LG's most up-to-date flagship is not attempting to sell in addition to the business could enjoy, but it will not prevent it from getting just one of their greatest mobiles available on the industry.  An written report from July 2013 said that the share of the smartphone industry, directed by Samsung services and products of Google, was 64 percent in March 2013.  You may pick smart-phones running on  operating systems like Blackberry OS, Android, Windows, i-OS as well as, based up on your own own preferences.  There exists a lot and it is tough to distinguish on industry contrary to the kind of Samsung and LG, whether it's flagship flat specs.  The colourful and glistening design is fresh new however wont be to every one, even although we are happy it watertight.   Many high tech Android mobiles can be bought completely un-locked for approximately 250, zero strings attached.  Find out More using ZenFone AR.  The entire world's very first 5.7-inch smart-phone with Tango and also day-dream from Google.  Chinavasion offers affordable and the best mobiles cellular phones straight from the suppliers.  Head into our coming smart phone webpage to find out that which we are most enthusiastic about it particular year.  Google has distinct vision because of the flagship tablets.  The protection business said that even though this clinic isn't odd, it's evident that the programs have been installed just before that the drapes were received by the end users.   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section could be compared by him.  This does not signify that the g 6 is not advanced - there energy, by the digicam into the battery into this handset's snappiness, rippling by means of this telephone and that the monitor appears amazing.  Even though nothing has been supported  by Motorola the moment it regards the Android Oreo upgrade, count on the present generation mobiles such as Moto Z-2 Perform to receive exactly the Android Oreo of Motorola.   The Pixel two works over the Android 8 Oreo OS, also may almost certainly be the most straightforward mobile todo this since the components was made by Google to get the job done well with this computer software.  Competing from among this most useful and becoming one among the earn India phones left in India mobiles within this budget.  Adding a 5.5 in. exhibit and also a quadcore chip having a rather reasonable pricetag, the Infinix very hot 4 is currently 1 apparatus to be on the lookout for.  However, they will have functioned that this screen in to a edge, which provides a various appearance compared to the Pixel to the mobile.   It may appear questionable to truly have the Pixel two XL drifting this down particular list, however also for a cellphone that is all on the screen, but it will not always have a exact wonderful exhibit.  If you're searching for somewhat bigger mobile and also with still fairly great technical specifications, then you may possibly desire to try out the miniature variant of both aforementioned mobiles, i.e. samsung-galaxy S 5 Mini.  The most important benefit of smart phones will be that they conserve plenty of time since they supply multi-functionality including edit and check glow or powerpoint records, just click videos and photos and also edit them with photoshop, assess mails, online browsing, scanning, gps device etc..   PriceOye makes it possible to locate the best on the web deals of most  cell phones offered in Pakistan.  There is absolutely no absence of effectiveness, although the design will not make as mobiles.  Huawei Mate 8 really is really a shuddering smart-phone (cum phablet) with regard to requirements and selling price too.  We analyzed the smartphones searching for facets such as VPN accessibility, biometrics, protection durability, along with security limitation period frames, to locate the apparatus.  Even the samsung-galaxy Ace model isn't accessible from Tracfone however we count on it to be more arriving so on, and also are excited.   Should you discount the purchase price, the Honor 9 can be still a fantastic smartphone, also it's a good design and style, good digicam, and luxury specs.  The Nexian Trip (abandoned) along with also the Mito Affect (directly) Android Only mobiles.  Even the samsung-galaxy S-8 is therefore snug (specially in the event that you would like Android), whereas Apple's personal i-phone 8 furthermore provides you with so a lot of this i-phone X technological innovation without even the additional price.  It has really a significant size for use that is functional and it is difficult to not enjoy the Honor 9, even though there are superior displays previously.  Although we adore the plan, it is slightly bit more common compared to the kind of Google and Samsung.   It is the first time region to get the mobiles, also Google maintains longer are along the manner.  Finest Hack For Android Phones Listing Exactly what will be the mobile games ?  Even the Hisense a-2 Guru is really a dual-display smart-phone which has that a 5.5-inch FHD AMOLED about the leading and also a 5.2-inch 960x540 e-ink display in the rear.  The united states will see expansion in utilization that is smart-phone.  Modest massive, inventory, or even skinned, if you should be on the market place to get a smartphone, then odds are there is a Android option.   In addition to that, the Blackphone two has got still another wonderful feature identified as CIDS (Mobile Intrusion Detection System), that informs you whether the system joins to an questionable cell tower, even within a try to shield your requirements along with texting contrary to sting-ray surveillance apparatus utilized by govt bureaus.  In terms of specs, this specific particular Android smart-phone provides a more 5.5-inch full hd LCD exhibit.  The 4 and can give outcomes plus 5 in. Android mobiles give significance of money.  With a style and design, specs, an installation, and applications functions, the Galaxy notice 8 would be the Android mobile it's possible to buy.  

[ygyclub]

Adding QR codes to your Snap2Finish projects

We take and save LOTS of videos on our smart phones!  Bring your Snap2Finish projects TO LIFE by adding QR codes to your digital projects.  Imagine looking through your family album and enjoying the pictures of your new baby...then quickly scanning the QR code right on your album page to watch the video you took of the baby’s first coo’s and smile or watch your daughter’s first dance at her wedding, your son’s home run or your new puppy! It’s EXCITING, right!

How do we get our own QR Codes into our Snap2Finish account?  

QR Codes can be uploaded into your account just like a photo. Once in your Photo Album, a QR code can be used in a project just as a photo would. Just drag and drop into the photo space in a project.

With QR codes, you can make any printed project more interactive. Put one on party invitations with directions or a gift registry. Have you thought about personalizing your holiday cards with your family newsletter or videos of the kids playing their favorite sport or a photographic slideshow set to music? QR codes simply bring a 2-dimensional product to life. What fun!

You may be asking some of the following questions:

What is a QR Code?  QR code simply stands for “quick response” code. It’s like a traditional barcode but so much more. QR codes actually have information embedded into their pixels and can store amazing amounts of flexible data. QR codes have been around for a while and are usually used to market products. Have you noticed them on magazines, billboards, business cards, shop windows, t-shirts and more? When scanned, QR codes direct people to personal and business websites and blogs. They can contain text messages, music or your favorite YouTube videos.

Sound too difficult to figure out? Scared about the latest technology? Don’t know how or why to use them? Don’t be afraid! We are going to show you how easy they can be to use.

Who can scan a QR Code? Anyone who has a smart phone or tablet with a camera can download a QR Code Reader App and then scan a QR code. Once you have the App, you simply take out your mobile phone, point your camera at a QR code and you will instantly get more information—maybe it will take you to a website, a video or a text message.

Where do I get a QR Code Reader? If you have an iPhone or iPad, simply go to the App Store and search for QR Readers. Most of them should be free. For our Android users, we recommend going to the Google Play App Store and getting the QR Droid Reader. Once you have a QR reader app loaded, give it a try! It’s amazing how many QR codes you’ll find around you to read.

How does the QR Code App Work? Once you’ve installed the App, simply point your camera at the QR code; the App will then lock on and scan it. The QR code will load the data instantly and you will be brought to the web page, video or text message directly.

How do I create my own QR codes? You’ll need to jump on your computer and search for free QR Code Generators. You’ll find many options. I recommend www.qurify.com  Once you have a generator page pulled up, give it a try. Type in a message or copy and paste the URL from your favorite YouTube video and see what happens. You’ll be amazed!

Tips & Tricks for Successfully Using a QR Code on a Snap2Finish Project:

#1 — Never print a QR code which is smaller than ¾-inch square on a card and always print larger if used on a poster or canvas. The more data you put into the code, the smaller the dots become, so size adjustments may need to be made. For most smart phones, the relationship between scan distance and minimum QR code size is approx. 10:1. That means a 1-inch code will be most effectively scanned at 10-inches or less.

#2 — Always test your QR Code before publishing your project. Always, always! After you have created your own QR code and dropped it into your Studio project, give it a test to make sure that it is readable at 100% of the project size. Simply hold your smart phone up to your computer screen and scan. Did it take you to where you wanted to go? If not, try re-generating the code or making the QR Code larger in your project.

#3 — Until people become aware of QR Codes and how to use them, we suggest placing some simple instructions on your holiday cards this year. For instance: “To see what’s new in our lives, simply open up a QR Code reader app on your smart phone, point your phone’s camera at the code on the card and scan.”

#4 — We suggest that you always use the QR Code in its original black and white form, If you choose to add color, always remember that the code color should be dark and placed against a light-colored background. Make sure the contrast is sufficient or the code will be difficult to scan. A reversed-out code, where the background is dark and the pixels are light, is never recommended. And always, always test before publishing!

QR Code FAQ’s

Is there any way to access QR codes without a smart phone? Although not easy, if you use your computer’s search engine, you can find a few sites that offer a service of translating the QR code for you. But it requires taking a picture of the printed code, downloading the picture to your computer and then uploading the QR code to the translation site.

Will QR Codes be good for years to come? Or are they a passing fad?  QR codes have been around for a while and are being used in magazines, on marketing campaigns, in museums and art galleries. As long as the URL or website address exists, QR codes will always work.

[symbianosgames]

The following blog post, unless otherwise noted, was written by a member of Gamasutra’s community. The thoughts and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not Gamasutra or its parent company.

 [Video Game Deep Cuts is a weekly newsletter from curator/video game industry veteran Simon Carless, rounding up the best longread & standout articles & videos about games, every weekend. This week's highlights include CIA board games, the art of escape rooms and The Oregon Trail's genesis.

Huzzah - have managed to get the newsletter out extra early this weekend - wonder if it helps with open rate? There's over 400 of you on this list currently, by the way, plus I tend to get 700-1,000 page views on the Gamasutra crossposted version. I'd call that a good result in today's micro-attention intellectual economy. (But I want more, of course.)

Anyhow, quite a bit happening this week - and in addition to the YouTube GDC talks I posted below, the GDC Vault is up, with 170+ free videos from the 2017 show, hundred of free slide decks - and 500+ videos in total if you were a select GDC passholder. Not linking individual lectures from there because I'll be adding the YouTube versions as they gradually get xposted over the next few months, but there's some amazing talks out there - thanks again to all our speakers.

- Simon, curator.]

-------------------

Escape to another world (Ryan Avent / The Economist 1843 Magazine) "Like millions of people of a certain age, the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) had occupied a crucial place in Mullings’s childhood. It introduced him to video gaming, gave him a taste for it, made him aware of the fact that he was good at it: a “born gamer”, in his words. Yet the pixelated worlds of the Mario brothers, for all their delights, were nothing like the experiences available to gamers today."

'Witcher' Studio Boss Marcin Iwinski: 'We Had No Clue How To Make Games' (Chris Suellentrop / Glixel) ""We were small, unknown guys from Poland," Marcin Iwiński, the co-founder of CD Projekt Red, said last year when The Witcher 3 beat out games like Fallout 4, Metal Gear Solid V, and Bloodborne for the Game of the Year award at the Game Developers Choice Awards in San Francisco."

The Shrouded Isle and embracing darkness in games (Katherine Cross / Gamasutra) "PAX East’s indie offerings sometimes have unexpected themes emerge from the potpourri; a couple of years ago it was young women as detectives. This year, a subtle current among the games on offer was exploring life in cults from the inside."

Why math is strangling videogame morality (Jody Macgregor / PC Gamer) "What's disappointing is that in the 22 years since Ultima IV, the math governing most morality systems in games has gotten more complicated, but it's still math. And it's still there. When our behavior is tied to an equation we've been trained to understand over the past two decades of gaming, the exciting nuance that should lie at the heart of moral decisions tends to disappear."

The CIA uses board games to train officers—and I got to play them (Sam Machkovech / Ars Technica) "The two groups of South By Southwest attendees split up in this conference room hesitate to get up. They were testing out the weirdest training exercise the CIA has ever publicly revealed: board games. These aren't off-the-shelf games; instead, CIA officers designed and assembled these elaborate tabletop games to reflect the realities of the CIA's day-to-day operations."

Balancing survival gameplay and RPG progression in Conan Exiles (Alan Bradley / Gamasutra) "Funcom's Conan Exiles, one of the latest challengers to the throne that Minecraft built, pushes this kind of progression to the logical extreme, not only tying player’s stats -- things like strength and stamina -- to its leveling, but also locking the majority of its buildings and tools behind it."

What it’s like making games in Pakistan (Basim Usmani / Polygon) "Chappal Strike, a play on shooter Counter-Strike, is a student-made game in which the player launches chappals — Pakistani sandals — to take down army helicopters. The game is rooted in one of Pakistan's darkest moments of 2016."

Are Teenagers Replacing Drugs With Smartphones? (Matt Richtel / New York Times) "With experts in the field exploring reasons for what they describe as a clear trend, the novel notion that ever-growing phone use may be more than coincidental is gaining some traction. Dr. Volkow described interactive media as “an alternative reinforcer” to drugs, adding that “teens can get literally high when playing these games.” [SIMON'S NOTE: not really sure where this theory fits into app refreshing, games and endorphins, but flagging it as intriguing.]"

Arcade Photographs, Arcade Comics, Arcade Tales – A Social History of the British Amusement Arcade (Alan Meades / mediaXstanford / YouTube) "Alan Meades, Senior Lecturer in New Media Theory in Canterbury Christ Church University’s Department of Media, Art and Design presents his arcade culture research project, Arcade Tales, which uses comic books as a way of communicating and capturing oral histories from British arcades, and also a selection of rare and previously unseen arcade photographs from Canterbury Christ Church University’s George Wilson Archive."

The story of Crash magazine (Graeme Mason / Eurogamer) "If, like me, you were a ZX Spectrum fan growing up in the 80s, one of its trio of passionately assembled and dedicated magazines was an indispensable read... Sinclair User was the longest serving, and had a drier tone; Your Sinclair (formerly Your Spectrum) gleefully brandished its off-the-wall humour in each issue, and is especially revered today. But for me, and many others, our magazine of choice was the appropriately-titled Crash, published by Ludlow-based Newsfield."

Choices, Episode (Emily Short / Emily Short's Interactive Storytelling) "There are several thriving brands of interactive fiction on mobile that tend not to get a huge amount of coverage in the traditional IF community, despite their large player base. They’re placing well on the app store, though, and GDC talks increasingly cover them — so I went and had a look at a couple of the main contenders. [SIMON'S NOTE: Also see How Episode became the world's biggest interactive fiction platform.]"

Board Game Design Day: The Making Of 'Pandemic Legacy' (Matt Leacock & Rob Daviau / GDC / YouTube) "In this GDC 2017 talk, 'Pandemic Legacy' creators Matt Leacock and Rob Daviau walk through the thought process of creating the popular board game, looking at the design challenges (and solutions), where the team behind Pandemic went right, and where they went wrong."

How to Make an Escape Room (Laura Hudson / Feminist Frequency) "Laura E. Hall wants you to get out; she really does. As an escape room designer, she’s created numerous live-action mysteries where teams of intrepid players sealed in a real-life room must rifle through clues and solve puzzles in hopes of getting out before time runs out."

Meet the Swedish Politician Who Streams 'Hearthstone' (Luke Winkie / Glixel) "There is a unique tranquility in watching a man calmly break down Scandinavian political policy while piloting a Beast Druid deck. So if you're like me and you're in need of a reminder that government isn't always stupid and evil, I highly recommend the Hearthstone Twitch stream of Rickard Nordin."

LawBreakers isn't trying to be an Overwatch killer (Tom Marks, Mark Paget / PC Gamer) "First-person shooters had a big year in 2016, something that wasn't necessarily expected when Gears of War creator Cliff Bleszinski and Boss Key Productions revealed LawBreakers in 2014. Since then, Overwatch has sort of become the de facto leader of the character-based shooter movement, but when we met up with Bleszinski at PAX East 2017, he told us that he isn't trying to make an Overwatch killer."

Prompto's Facebook: How a Buddy-AI Auto-Snapshots Your Adventure in FFXV (Prasert Prasertvithyakarn / GDC / YouTube) "In this 2017 GDC session, Square Enix designer Prasert Prasertvithyakarn describes the creation of Final Fantasy XV's photo system that allows Prompto to document your epic road trip on a quest to save the world."

Classic Game Postmortem: Oregon Trail (Don Rawitsch / GDC / YouTube) "In this GDC 2017 postmortem, Oregon Trail creator Don Rawitsch sets off on a journey to explore the development of this classic educational game that took the world by storm."

How Osiris: New Dawn calculates monster crab scuttling (Philippa Warr / RockPaperShotgun) "So I’ve played enough of Osiris to know that you’ll be minding your own business, looking at a tree, and then a crab will come and try to cave your skull in. It’s not a proper crab in the sense of earth taxonomy because it has four legs, but it has a carapace and a set of angular legs that have a very crab-ish/lobster-y aesthetic."

Dwarf Fortress creator Tarn Adams talks about simulating the most complex magic system ever (Wes Fenlon / PC Gamer) "Forget what you thought you knew about the infamous complexity of Dwarf Fortress. We haven't seen anything yet. Dwarf Fortress hasn't been updated for a year, because developers Tarn and Zach Adams have been preparing it for the most ambitious magic system ever implemented in a videogame."

'Nier: Automata' Director Taro Yoko Doesn't Envision a Happy Ending for Humanity (Matthew Walden / Glixel) "Nier: Automata has finally thrust the reclusive Yoko into the spotlight, with its impeccably polished action offering a more accessible entry point to his fascinating universe filled with heartbreak and introspection. Recently, Yoko has become equally recognized for the grinning, skeletal mask he dons in public, as well as his cryptic and playful answers to interview questions. So it's a particular treat to have a candid conversation with him about his career and legacy so far."

-------------------

[REMINDER: you can sign up to receive this newsletter every weekend at http://ift.tt/2dUXrva we crosspost to Gamasutra later on Sunday, but get it first via newsletter! Story tips and comments can be emailed to vgdeepcuts@simoncarless.com. MINI-DISCLOSURE: Simon is one of the organizers of GDC and Gamasutra, so you may sometimes see links from those entities in his picks. Or not!]