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The truth is out there
Here’s a fun little Flash game — Chaos Theory. A bunch of blue balls, 50 in total per round, are thrown up in the air horizontally, then fall slowly downwards. You’re allowed to click one ball per round, which blows it up into a small yellow/orange explosion; that explosion ignites any blue balls it comes into contact with, and so on, and so on, until the explosions die out for lack of fuel. The thing is, the explosions are only about an inch wide, so you have to pick where you launch your first explosion very carefully. It’s surprisingly hard to create a chain reaction that will explode all fifty balls each round! My record so far is getting 121 balls per game.
Like all excellent simple “action” games, it follows the Path of Enticement and Infuriation: i) At first, it seems to be a matter of pure luck. Then ii) you quickly spy patterns in the game that drastically improve your ability. But then, iii) luck seems to take over again, limiting your score as you fluctuate ever closer to playing a “perfect” game, yet somehow unable to attain it.
Weirdly mesmerizing.
(Thanks to Boing Boing 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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