User Input

User Input: Failure of Automation

Damned penguins.

I don’t have to work until late today, so this is my cherished and loved morning off. I woke up this morning, and my coffee was made, my morning’s television was downloaded and ready for me, and my breakfast was defrosted from the night before. Unfortunately I had forgotten to plug in my phone last night, which is also my alarm clock, so it was dead as a doornail. So when I woke up, the coffee was several hours old, and the breakfast was actually a little soggy now.

That’s okay, it’s all fixable. Nonetheless it demonstrated to me that I have become the failing piece in my daily routine. Everything else tends to work just fine, but the moment I have to interact with the routine, it all falls apart. Clearly, if I were a Borg, I’d bring down the whole collective. Continue reading User Input: Failure of Automation

Startup

Startup: Like Pottery, Only Entertaining

Clay animation — more commonly known by the portmanteau “Claymation” — has enjoyed something of a resurgence lately, due largely to the efforts of Ardman Studios out of the UK. While the quality has improved significantly in the last few years (due largely to the fact that the figurines used in the making of the films are no longer constructed of clay, but a variety of rubbers and resins), the technique dates back to the earliest days of cinematography.

Continue reading Startup: Like Pottery, Only Entertaining