Interactive map of Middle-Earth »

So detailed. So impressive.

Hello »

A tiny lego Mac. Adorable.

The Shining board game »

“The Shining” is a game based on the Stephen King novel of the same name. One player controls the evil and sentient Overlook hotel, the other the Torrence family, winter caretakers of the haunted estate. Using ambiant hedge animals, terrifying phantoms and possibly human possession, the hotel tried to claim young, psychically gifted Danny as it’s own - by killing him!

This sounds amazing.

Herp Derp YouTube Comments »

Speaking of stupid comments, I recently installed the Herp Derp extension for Chrome. It turns every YouTube comment into “herp derp derp”, and it has dramatically improved my experience with that site.

CONGRATULATIONS, YOU ARE NOW A KOTAKU COMMENTER »

Emily Gera’s great interactive fiction/hypertext critique of the level of discourse found in the comments section at Kotaku.

Glee rips off Jonathan Coulton »

They even left in the “Johnny C’s in trouble” line. If this is real, then it’s really shameless.

We should retire Aaron's number »

This is something I’ve thought about a lot. What will happen to all my accounts after I die? Will my digital legacy just lie dormant while slowly being eroded by entropy? It’s a sobering thought. All the gold I’ve been dispensing on this blog and on my twitter account – gone. That would be sad. But for this to happen to Aaron Schwarz? That would be absolutely tragic. Dave Winer proposes a solution: that the internet at large takes a role in curating Aaron’s content as important historical artefacts. A lovely idea.

Crossword master Araucaria reveals in puzzle that he is dying of cancer »

Quietly, ingeniously and, of course, cryptically, the beloved – and sometimes feared – crossword setter Araucaria has used one of his own puzzles to announce that he is dying of cancer.

Above cryptic crossword No 25,842 sat a set of special instructions: “Araucaria,” it said, “has 18 down of the 19, which is being treated with 13 15”.

Those who solved the puzzle found the answer to 18 was cancer, to 19 oesophagus, and to 13 15 palliative care. The solutions to some of the other clues were: Macmillan, nurse, stent, endoscopy, and sunset.

This is very sad, but also strangely uplifting. I hope when my time comes, I can face death with the same playful, pleasant attitude.

Good Night Lamp »

Good Night Lamp from Good Night Lamp on Vimeo.

I spent six months living away from my wife while she finished up her work in Rome. It was the worst six months of my life. Like losing a limb. Having something as simple as this – a light that tells you when someone is there – would have made the whole thing just a tiny bit better. I think it’s nice because it imitates the presence of the other person, but also because it’s a small way of saying “I’m thinking of you”.

Home-made board games »

Every Christmas, Stone Librande makes a board game for his family to play. This is a perfect demonstration of why I’m so enamoured with board games - it takes a broad spectrum of extremely specialized skills to make a video game, but with enough imagination, you can easily make a board game with nothing more than bits and pieces you have lying around the house. I especially love the evolution of Librande’s “Maze Game” from a basic cardboard prototype to a gorgeous, intricate wood-and-tile version.