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	<title>Antimodal Polymath Monotreme &#187; MLP</title>
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	<link>http://www.antimodal.com</link>
	<description>Art, technology, and hype from the desk of Brandon Rickman</description>
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		<title>Submachines</title>
		<link>http://www.antimodal.com/archives/176</link>
		<comments>http://www.antimodal.com/archives/176#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 05 Aug 2006 18:10:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>dr.k</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[MLP]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.antimodal.com/archives/176</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I have just discovered two new games in Mateusz Skutnik&#8217;s Submachine series, Submachine 2: The Lighthouse and Submachine 3: The Loop.
(Here&#8217;s a link to the original Submachine)
While the atmosphere of a Skutnik&#8217;s &#8220;escape&#8221; game is often gloomy, the gameplay itself is friendly &#8212; there are no dead ends which require you to restart. They do [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I have just discovered two new games in Mateusz Skutnik&#8217;s Submachine series, <a href="http://www.arcadetown.com/submachine2/game.asp">Submachine 2: The Lighthouse</a> and <a href="http://www.arcadetown.com/submachine3/game.asp">Submachine 3: The Loop</a>.<br />
(Here&#8217;s a link to the original <a href="http://freegameplayer.com/games/submachine/">Submachine</a>)<br />
While the atmosphere of a Skutnik&#8217;s &#8220;escape&#8221; game is often gloomy, the gameplay itself is friendly &#8212; there are no dead ends which require you to restart. They do require some cultural knowledge, however, such as English color names.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<item>
		<title>Choose Your Own Adventure &#8212; Now on DVD</title>
		<link>http://www.antimodal.com/archives/175</link>
		<comments>http://www.antimodal.com/archives/175#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 01 Aug 2006 15:28:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>dr.k</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[MLP]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.antimodal.com/archives/175</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[View the trailer for The Abominable Snowman here. It claims there are 11 storylines, which maybe means there are 11 decision points, I don&#8217;t know.
Did I mention it features the vocal talents of William H. Macy?
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>View the trailer for <cite>The Abominable Snowman</cite> <a href="http://www.goldhilentertainment.com/index.php?action=cyoatrailer">here</a>. It claims there are 11 storylines, which maybe means there are 11 decision points, I don&#8217;t know.<br />
Did I mention it features the vocal talents of William H. Macy?</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>I escaped from the room!</title>
		<link>http://www.antimodal.com/archives/157</link>
		<comments>http://www.antimodal.com/archives/157#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 14 Feb 2006 01:38:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>dr.k</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[MLP]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.antimodal.com/archives/157</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A locked room puzzle for the film <cite>Firewall</cite>.
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A high-production, interface heavy, and ultimately uninspired &#8220;locked room&#8221; puzzle can be found on the <a href="http://www.insidethefirewall.com/game.htm"><cite>Firewall</cite> promotional site</a>.<br />
Spoiler:</p>
<p><span id="more-157"></span><br />
Objects by location:<br />
desk &#8211; scraps in trashcan (drag to solve puzzle); radio, magnet, and RC car in desk (use desk key); examine radio for battery; access code on computer (use power cord, play game)<br />
video setup &#8211; power cord in low drawer; phone may be in cabinet or on shelf; remote on shelf (must have access code and build RC car first)<br />
vase and plant &#8211; key in vase; click on camera (use magnet)<br />
wall with painting &#8211; keypad in chest (open with old key)<br />
corner of couch &#8211; wallet (click on table corner, then drag magazines); phone may under pillow<br />
couch and side table &#8211; book &#8220;Magnets Confuse Cameras&#8221; under pillow<br />
Get old key by: combining magnet, RC car, and battery; use RC car at corner of couch; use remote.<br />
Note: the remote control is not accessible until after you have both the access code and have built the RC car.<br />
I said this is was interface heavy puzzle, as well as glitchy. Some of the puzzles require sliding things around the screen, but the drag motion doesn&#8217;t always register. The use of three different actions &mdash; &#8220;use / move&#8221;, &#8220;examine&#8221;, and &#8220;combine&#8221; &mdash; is gratuitous.<br />
I&#8217;m not sure if the magically appearing remote control is a bug or a triggered event. Using the remote eventually leads to the keypad, which can&#8217;t be used without the access code, so there is no reason to prevent the player from finding it.</p>
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		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
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		<title>Hotel Oscar Tango Echo Lima</title>
		<link>http://www.antimodal.com/archives/154</link>
		<comments>http://www.antimodal.com/archives/154#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 06 Feb 2006 16:08:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>dr.k</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[MLP]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.antimodal.com/archives/154</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I just came across HOTEL &#8211; an interactive tale by Han Hoogerbrugge. Mad doctors, naked clowns, freak accidents, everything you could want in an interactive tale. Nine out of ten episodes are currently available, the series started some time in 2004.
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I just came across <a href="http://www.hoteloscartangoecholima.com/splash.html">HOTEL &#8211; an interactive tale by Han Hoogerbrugge</a>. Mad doctors, naked clowns, freak accidents, everything you could want in an interactive tale. Nine out of ten episodes are currently available, the series started some time in 2004.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Bronze Monkey Floor Lamp</title>
		<link>http://www.antimodal.com/archives/151</link>
		<comments>http://www.antimodal.com/archives/151#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 26 Jan 2006 20:07:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>dr.k</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[MLP]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.antimodal.com/archives/151</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This phrase appears on a number of junk pages I didn&#8217;t want when doing a search at Yahoo. So I&#8217;m blogging it.
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This phrase appears on a number of junk pages I didn&#8217;t want when doing a search at Yahoo. So I&#8217;m blogging it.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>White Chamber</title>
		<link>http://www.antimodal.com/archives/144</link>
		<comments>http://www.antimodal.com/archives/144#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 28 Dec 2005 23:41:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>dr.k</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[MLP]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.antimodal.com/archives/144</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Escape from the White Chamber, another locked room puzzle from Takagism and FASCO-CS.
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Another puzzle from Takagism and FASCO-CS: <a href="http://www.fasco-csc.com/">The White Chamber</a>. [Link is to the FASCO-CS front page.] Click (and sometimes drag) to escape from the White Chamber.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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		<title>Eyezmaze Grow RPG</title>
		<link>http://www.antimodal.com/archives/114</link>
		<comments>http://www.antimodal.com/archives/114#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 09 Aug 2005 20:32:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>dr.k</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[MLP]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.antimodal.com/archives/114</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[MLP: Grow RPG
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>For those who were intrigued by a little game called <cite>Grow</cite>, there is now <a href="http://www.eyezmaze.com/grow/RPG/">Grow RPG</a>. The mechanics are still the same, despite the &#8220;RPG&#8221; in the name, and the game overall is much easier (only 8 items instead of 12), but there is a stronger relationship between the elements than in the original.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<item>
		<title>Handicapping the Lit Blogs</title>
		<link>http://www.antimodal.com/archives/106</link>
		<comments>http://www.antimodal.com/archives/106#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 14 Jul 2005 05:29:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>dr.k</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[MLP]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.antimodal.com/archives/106</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A shout out to my literary peeps.
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Something happened a week or two ago&#8230; I think I posted a comment over at <a href="http://www.realisticrecords.net/themillions/">C. Max Magee&#8217;s <i>The Millions</i></a>, and then he posted a link to my <a href="/handicap">20th Century Novel Handicapper</a>, and that got picked up by <a href="http://www.bookslut.com/blog">Bookslut</a>. Anyway, tens and hundreds of people have since visited my site. Hello!<br />
It is only fair that I link back to the folks who have enjoyed my handicapping tool:<br />
- <a href="http://backwardscity.blogspot.com/">Backwards City</a>: The semi-official blog of Backwards City Review. Avoid this site if you dislike headlines in smallcaps.<br />
- <a href="http://bloodyyank.blogspot.com/">Confessions of a Bibliovore</a> by Maureen. Maureen doesn&#8217;t seem too keen on the great works of the 20th century. Maureen also seems surprised that some movies were actually books before they were movies. But then, Maureen also appears to be into fanfiction. How cute!<br />
- <a href="http://members.aol.com/heytrey/">Hey Trey</a>: Another Writer&#8217;s Journal. Trey had trouble with <cite>Gravity&#8217;s Rainbow</cite>.<br />
- <a href="http://horizon.bloghouse.net/">Horizon</a>: A collaborative general-interest blog of history, literature, culture, and stuff. They were also interested in my choice to include <cite>Gravity&#8217;s Rainbow</cite> in the dataset. FYI, I&#8217;ve read it twice.<br />
- <a href="http://www.spritewrites.net/">sprite writes</a>: broodings from the burrow. Not sure what is going on there.<br />
- <a href="http://wankerswansong.blogspot.com/">the wanker&#8217;s swansong</a>: THE DAILY (HEH) RAMBLINGS OF A DIGITAL MISANTHROPE. A self-proclaimed misanthrope? Sounds fishy.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Darwinia Yay!</title>
		<link>http://www.antimodal.com/archives/101</link>
		<comments>http://www.antimodal.com/archives/101#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 30 Jun 2005 21:32:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>dr.k</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[MLP]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.antimodal.com/archives/101</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[What are you doing, playing that mindlessly violent FPS? Go buy Darwinia!
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>What with all the noise about a new Wright game that plays itself, some stupid photorealistic racing game, and the totally bland PC game selection on the shelves, I almost missed <a title="Darwinia" href="http://www.darwinia.co.uk/">Darwinia</a> by Introversion Software.<br />
I like these guys, their previous game was <a href="http://www.uplink.co.uk/">Uplink</a>, an interesting and original game about computer hacking. Darwinia has the same kind of geeky sensibility, set in a simulated work where viruses have enslaved the AI creatures who live there.<br />
In the UK you can find Darwinia in stores, but in the US you can as yet only get it through mail order. I&#8217;ve just placed my order. You should go buy it, too &#8212; these guys are only going to survive with grassroots support. If you&#8217;re not sure, there&#8217;s a nice demo to whet your appetite.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Vectorpark / levers</title>
		<link>http://www.antimodal.com/archives/96</link>
		<comments>http://www.antimodal.com/archives/96#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 29 May 2005 23:19:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>dr.k</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[MLP]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.antimodal.com/archives/96</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[An examination of how I solved the vectorpark levers game.
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I came across the <a href="http://www.vectorpark.com/levers.html">levers game at vectorpark</a> this afternoon. There are no credits on the page, but the internet suggests that it was created by Patrick Smith, and it has been around since at least May of 2001.<br />
Spoilers below, so go play with it for a bit before you continue reading.</p>
<p><span id="more-96"></span><br />
At first glance, it is not clear that this is a puzzle at all. Strange objects splash into the water at the bottom of the screen, and if you move the mouse over the tiny hooks you can retrieve the objects and attach them to the &#8220;lever&#8221; at the top. As soon as you attach an object, another will fall into the pool.<br />
One soon determines that objects in the water will never sink beyond reach. In fact, whole structures of levers/hangers and objects can be dropped in the water without adverse effect. There are some strange physics here, as everything floats in the same way, just enough to be concealed from view. There&#8217;s no real purpose to this mechanism aside from inducing visual frustration.<br />
The next thing to notice is that the objects can be rearranged, and only by rearranging the hangers and objects can you fit everything in. When everything is in place, the meter at the top of the screen turns into a timer. When the timer runs through a full cycle, a new object will drop. But sometimes, something will interrupt the timer. If the structure is lopsided, this seems to cause the problem. We&#8217;ll call this theory a.<br />
Theory a: Keep the structure balanced.<br />
After a little more experimentation it becomes clear that objects touching the water will interrupt the timer. This should be avoided.<br />
Theory b: Keep hanging objects out of the water.<br />
By about this time one has five hangers and five objects: a bowling ball, a submarine, a bucket with a faucet, a birdhouse, and a snowman. One can compare the relative weights of objects, and the bucket would be useful for this, but the faucet mechanism is awkward and the measurements very rough. One knows, though, that the submarine is heavier than the bowling ball, and the snowman is heavier than the submarine, and so on. Two or three birds are flapping around, perturbing the balance of things.<br />
Theory c: A balanced structure must tolerate the effect of moving birds.<br />
The next object is a squid. The squid weighs the same as the bowling ball, and as the empty birdhouse. The submarine equals the weight of two of those objects. The squid will propel itself upwards when it is too close to the water.<br />
Theory c, revised: A balanced structure must tolerate the effects of moving birds and the squid.<br />
Next comes a giant rock. The rock is very heavy, weighing more than a full bucket of water. It also changes color and makes a hissing sound when it touches the water &#8212; is this some kind of radioactive rock that heats up in the air? Oh, and the snowman appears to be melting &#8212; is that new, or has it been happening for a while? Well, holding the rock next to the snowman will melt everything but the hat.<br />
Question d: I can melt the snowman. Should I?<br />
The next object is the head of Zeus. (Well, it could be some other god, but Zeus seems the most likely choice.) The head is much heavier than everything else. To balance the head, one has to put Zeus on one side of the central hanger, and most everything else on the other side. But the depth of hangers on that other side is such that something is always dragging in the water. If we don&#8217;t balance the head this way, then the head will drag in the water. And there is still the snowman/empty hat to be positioned. There are too many objects.<br />
Question d, revised: I need to get rid of an object. Where can I put the snowman&#8217;s hat?<br />
The game offers a hint for what to do with the hat, as the snowman&#8217;s face will occasionally appear in the meter. And yes, the hat actually fits on that circle. Problem solved.<br />
Theory d: Melt the snowman. Put the hat on the meter.<br />
Okay, so now back to eight objects. Either Zeus is in the water, or something else is. But what about these hangers, do they weigh anything?<br />
Theory e: The hangers have no weight.<br />
This leads to a question:<br />
Question f: Why are the hangers different widths?<br />
The width of the hanger determines where the objects are positionally vertically as an effect of any tilt. A narrower hanger provides less vertical shift. What if one puts the Zeus head on a narrow hanger, as close the to top as possible?<br />
While this satisfies Theory b, it weakens Theory a. Structural balance is not as important as keeping objects out of the water.<br />
Theory f: Put the head on a the shortest hanger, just off the center hanger.<br />
With so many hanging objects, the perturbations caused by the birds has little effect. The squid still seems to cause problems, though.<br />
Theory c, re-revised: Ignore the birds. Don&#8217;t put the squid too close to the water.<br />
To recap, the important theories are:<br />
Theory b: Keep hanging objects out of the water.<br />
Theory c, re-revised: Ignore the birds. Don&#8217;t put the squid too close to the water.<br />
Theory d: Melt the snowman. Put the hat on the meter.<br />
Theory f: Put the head on a the shortest hanger, just off the center hanger.<br />
There are multiple arrangements which will complete the puzzle. The meter will turn into a sun, applause will sound, and Zeus&#8217;s eyes will light up.<br />
Other things to try:<br />
After the birds appear, drop everything in the water. There are only two spots on any hanger for birds to perch. If there is one hanger and three birds, one must stay in the air. Also, birds don&#8217;t like to perch in the same place twice.<br />
The snowman&#8217;s hat appears to have negative weight.<br />
Meta-puzzle: Why is this called &#8220;levers&#8221;? &#8220;Balance&#8221;, or &#8220;mobile&#8221; would make more sense.</p>
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		<slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
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