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The life-expectancy of the bestseller is shrinking
Artists always paint the world around them. But since today’s generation of young artist have grown up living partly inside virtual, video-game worlds, I’ve long looked forward to owning some oil paintings done of scenes from games.
Looks like my chance is finally here! A young artist named Jeremiah Palecek in Prague has begun selling painting he’s done of in-game scenes, including ones from Super Mario Bros., Joust, Counterstrike, and the racing game Road Rash (pictured above). As he notes:
I believe it is important to create permanent replicas of digital media because it is something that so many of us experience.
Precisely my point: Games are places we live in as deeply, or in the case of some really hardcore online-world gamers, more deeply than the physical world. We need some art that wrestles with our psychic and visual relationship to these places!
Another artist working in this area is my friend El Rey, who has been painting a series of gorgeous, impressionistic scenes from Half Life 2. You can see a few of his works in progress here; this is a portrait of Alyx Vance, one of the game’s protagonists (Wikipedia entry on her here):
That’s just gorgeous.
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.
» see all of my photos on Flickr
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