Remember the post from last May where I speculated that the hit television show Lost might be a videogame? No? Let me quote myself from that post then (Link):
But then, after watching the season finale last night it hit me: maybe “Lost” is actually an ARG of some sort, or an MMORPG. It could really be nothing more than a documentary of a group of players engaged in a game not unlike Majestic.
Well, I guess that possibility has finally dawned on a few people. Check out this post on Wonderland (Link) and some of the links in it.
Heck, I don’t know if I’m the first person to come up with that explanation or even if that is the explanation, but for now all I can think to say is: PWN’d!
As follow-up to my earlier post from last October (Link), Infoworld is carrying news that Adobe has released something… wonderful? From the article (Link):
Adobe Systems Monday is releasing software that will allow designers and engineers to save 3-D images as PDF (portal document format) files and share those files with anyone who has the free Adobe Acrobat reader, the company said.
{Quick note: the writer is incorrectly calling these “3-D images”; they’re actually saving 3D file data… not 2D images.}
A new product in the Acrobat family, Adobe Acrobat 3D, allows users to convert 3-D designs from major CAD (computer-aided design) applications into PDF files…
There’s plenty more in that article to read – from intellectual property to design communication – so it’s worth going to the source. And if you’re a product designer, make sure you also stop by the Adobe Acrobat 3D page (Link) and get some details since this concerns many of us. I’m interested, but the addition of another 3D format (.u3d) doesn’t thrill me.
{Update: From someone else’s blogsearch tracks, I found this interesting blog entry – Link – by someone apparently involved in the development of this upgrade. Right Hemisphere? That came outta left field.}
Now here’s a surfing collision for you: AdAge is hosting America Online’s curious new commercial, “Why The Internet Is Bad”. For those of you willing to register on their site (it’s free), you can see AOL’s Orwellian pitch(?) for yourself (Link – to video page) and try to figure out exactly how it fits in with their recent announcement to create “AIMspace” (see my earlier entry – Link). Personally, I’m getting the feeling they’re going after the older, forgotten demographic; people like … *ahem* … little old ladies who are intrigued by this stuff but scared off by what they read and hear on the tele.
Right after seeing that, I happened to surf through YouTube only to notice that Aphex Twin‘s “Come To Daddy” music video is there for everyone’s viewing pleasure (I’m not sure if this video is violating any copyrights, but given what I’ve read previously about the people behind this effort, I wouldn’t be surprised if its uploading is officially endorsed; consequently, I’ll give credit and watch to see if it gets yanked).
For the unfamiliar, this video is a brilliantly-made cult flick and one of my favorites. Directed and masterfully edited by Chris Cunningham, this bit of filmmaking, in addition to being visually stunning, has a storyline/message that’s particularly relevant now. And the really scary part is that the “monster” in it might turn out to be AOL!
I want your soul.
I will eat your soul.
Sing along everybody.
By the way, I’ve just noticed that Cunningham is no longer slated to direct the film adaptation of William Gibson‘s Neuromancer. Bummer.
Given my previous post regarding AOL’s announcement of their forthcoming “AIMspace” service (Link) and my comments over on Mashable saying that I believed AOL would still purchase or partner up with someone, I thought this bit of news over on Next Generation provided a good example of what I had in mind. From their short article (Link):
Xfire, a free online PC gaming application that facilitates in-game messaging, stat-tracking, voice chat and other community-based features, has exceeded 3 million users.
The service is supported by big-name advertisers such as Pepsi, Dodge, Fox Studios and Electronic Arts. Xfire claims its platform is the fastest-growing in the world.
When I made that comment about AOL, this is exactly the kind of company I had in mind. If you have the patience to dig through my post from yesterday (Link) you’ll notice how I use MS’s XBox Live service as part of a potentially much larger “profiling” system. I mean, just look at this part taken from the Xfire website:
Xfire automatically keeps track of your gaming stats, such as the games you play and how many hours you’ve played them, and displays them on your profile page.
Following BusinessWeek’s story (Link) on AOL’s intention to create a platform to “better enable its users to share and create content” off of it’s instant messenger service, Mashable’s entry on this development has spurred the beginnings of a discussion. Go see what a few people are saying – Link.
Imagine that. Discussion about whether or not there’s discussion space in a limitless space.
