Internet Things Lately #2
Some things around the web I've enjoyed or found thought-provoking lately.
Solaria's CSS Tidbits - Useful bits of CSS for customizing your site! I used the Text on Background Lines bit for my Hotel Dusk shrine.
Books and screens by Carlo Iacono for Aeon - An interesting examination of the decline of literacy that suggests the problem isn't our screens themselves but the way corporations design our screen time to be used. Instead of providing another avenue of learning, screens have become distractions by design.
Skyboxes series by Eteo - Indie game studio Eteo has been putting out a series each month that explores a different aspect of video games. This month is skyboxes, and there's some wonderful writing about how the skyboxes of Half-Life 2, Bloodborne, and Final Fantasy VII connect to their narratives.
Society Needs A Doctor's Prescription for Nature by Oliver Milman for Noema - There's been some recent research that shows nature is physically good for us, even simply looking at a tree. This article details the research and puts forth some ideas for reconnecting with nature and providing easier access to it, particularly in cities. It made me think of Mexico City. I've never been there, but in all of the images and videos I've seen of it, there is so much greenery throughout the city. I'd love it if New York and other cities were more like that.
Suno, AI Music, and the Bad Future by Adam Neely on YouTube - An educational, if bleak, deep dive on how AI is being used in music, both by the industry and amateurs. It takes a look at what the future of music will be like with the prevalence of AI, and how live music will be more important than ever.
Some Personal Things
I've been slacking on my photologs, but I hope to get back to them next week.
The weather here has been weird, but that's pretty typical for this time of year in East Tennessee. It can't make up its mind between winter and spring, so it's been swinging wildly between the two. Winter is my favorite season, but at this point I think I'm ready for spring, although I'm not looking forward to the storms it will bring with it. I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with spring.
My birthday is the 4th, so exactly a week away. I'll be 38! I can't believe how close I'm getting to 40. I don't mind, though. I've actually really enjoyed getting older and the sense of calm that age has brought, as opposed to my chaotic 20s.
Resident Evil Requiem comes out on Friday, which I'm very much looking forward to. I want to try to finish my Koudelka shrine before then as well as the two books I'm reading. That way, I can fully focus on RE9. Yes, it's that important to me!
Steam Next Fest is happening now, so there are a lot of demos out for upcoming indie games. I installed the demos for Scriptorium: Master of Manuscripts, Butler Guillotine, and Fishbowl. I also watched a playthrough of the demo for The Occultist, which looks promising! I'm hoping to fit the demo playthroughs in over the next couple of days.