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Check out this gorgeous Flash game: “A Murder of Scarecrows”. It’s very simple game: Crows land on your scarecrows and pick stuffing off them, and you retaliate by knocking seeds off nearby trees that hit the crows. In essence, it’s just a modern reworking of the classic “cannon game”, which has been around forever. (Indeed, it neatly references one of the reasons the military was originally interested in computers, which is missile-trajectory calculation.)
What’s particularly cool here, though, are the spooky graphics and moody sounds: It’s like a Flash game designed by Edward Gorey. (Actually, it reminds me of how sad it is that Gorey died before Flash became widely available … just imagine his creepy genius set loose in that medium!) Equally as nifty is the elegant use of the imagery organic to the environment: The tree roots beneath the scarecrows function as their “life” bars, shrinking every time the crows attack. And though it borrows directly from the gameplay of the old cannon games, it neatly updates it by giving you several scarecrows — and thus multiple targets. The fun really begins when crows are diving from all directions, you’re running out of seeds, and you have to carefully ration your attacks.
It’s a nice proof that an old game concept can always be updated, if someone’s got a fresh vision for it.
(Thanks to Jonathan for this one!)
I'm Clive Thompson, a writer on science, technology, and culture. This blog collects bits of offbeat research I'm running into, and musings thereon.
Currently, I'm a contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine and a columnist for Wired magazine. I also write for Fast Company and Wired magazine's web site, among other places. Email or AOL IM me (pomeranian99) to say hi or send in something strange!
The “Milky Way Transit Authority” map
Should automobile software be open-sourced?
My Bookforum review of Jaron Lanier’s “You Are Not A Gadget”
Molecular secrets of the “iron-plated snail”
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January 31, 2010 » 07:29 PM
V. A. To me death seems to be an evil.
M. What, to those who are already dead? or to those who must die?
A. To both.
M. It is a misery, then, because an evil?
A. Certainly.
M. Then those who have already died, and those who have still got to die, are both miserable?
A. So it appears to me.
M. Then all are miserable?
A. Every one.
January 24, 2010 » 03:22 PM
One of the more interesting trends is family, which came in at number five. Specifically, discussion about family, moms, dads, daughters, etc. jumped during 2009. With Facebook users getting older, this isn’t a big surprise. However, the fact that the mention of “kids” jumped by a factor of five this year is rather dramatic. It’s tough to know what this means, though. (via Facebook Unveils Most-Mentioned Topics of 2009
)
January 15, 2010 » 01:36 PM
BEYOND AWESOME. They are announcing a recall of the Plush Uterus “due to a potential choking hazard for children”. To apply for it, “Please send an email to the address below with the subject line, ‘UTERUS OPT OUT’”.
January 14, 2010 » 10:04 PM
“To order, please TYPE “YES” IN CHECKBOX BELOW TO AGREE YOU UNDERSTAND THIS PLUSH MUST BE KEPT AWAY FROM KIDS (it is a sex organ, after all). If it is not checked, WE WILL NOT SEND THE UTERUS.” (via @ibogost)
January 11, 2010 » 01:45 PM
I watched Space: 1999 back in the day, but I swear to god I do not remember this scene.
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