Rings of Power
When is history not history? Can you write a fictional history as objective truth? Amazon’s Rings of Power is a controversial adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s work. I say J.R.R. Tolkien’s work, but the Silmarillon was published posthumously by his son Christopher and...
Lamplight City
A Point-and-click Sherlock-like experience, Lamplight City is a Victorian mystery game with steampunk flair and supernatural elements. Lamplight City is a game told as a series of individual point-and-click mysteries whose interconnections reveal themselves as you get...
Bird Buddy
Do You Like Birds? I’ll Show You Birds!Or at least, this fun gadget will… Binoculars, field guide, hiking boots, there’s a standard, stereotypical kit associated with the hobby of bird watching. And like many time-honored pastimes, you’re still welcome to play along...
Year 12 of My 5-10 Year Overnight Success Plan
It’s that time of year again… time for me to send out a belated update on overtime Year 12 of my 5-10 Year Plan for Overnight Success. Let’s ignore the pedantry of nomenclature this time around and get right to business. 2024 was somewhat chaotic. Most of it was...
Twelve Heists of Christmas
Water-reduced vegetables
Researchers at TAU have developed a water-conserving technology for tomatoes using one of my favorite technology platforms: CRISPR. Specifically, they found a gene designated ROP9 that, when eliminated, caused the plants’ stomata to partially close during the hottest...
Logan’s Run
Despite the onesie vibe of silver age sci-fi and promotional artwork that looks like the box for an Atari video game, Logan’s Run is very much a philosophical expression of the hippie movement. Protagonist Logan 5 is a cop. A futuristic cop with a black...
Eily and Something Shiny
Eila and Something Shiny is a simply delightful board game to look at, as well as a joy to play. With artwork somewhere in the neighborhood of Saturday Morning Cartoon or Stuffed Toys Come to Life, the game itself can get a little dark and heartbreaking....
Disney Holodecks
In Star Trek (starting with The Next Generation) the Federation has the technology to produce realistic, immersive, fully interactive experiences that Disney theme parks could only dream about with envy. Until now. One aspect of the holodeck...
Stray
At its core, Stray is a platform puzzle game. You jump. You climb. You knock things over. But the twist with Stray is that you’re a cat. In the opening moments of Stray, you meet your nameless protagonist in the ruins of an abandoned city with a loose...