in hungry palaces

This month's piece is a simple high score game. There are 10 targets; score points by stopping as close to their centre as possible.

I really just wanted to make something that would let you draw a mix of satisfying looping curves, and right-angle curves. There's not much to it beyond that to be honest.

Download in hungry palaces

Controls: escape: quit; space: start game/move/stop moving; a/d: smooth turns; cursor keys: right-angle turns; F2: take a screenshot

The Rules:

• The file at this link will be deleted 1 month from now (2/7/22).
• All downloads are zipfiles containing a Windows executable.
• All source code and assets are included, licensed under the GPL (code) and CC_BYSA (assets).
• As long as you abide by those licenses, you can do whatever you want with the download.

Further Reading

I know the internet in general has strong feelings about spoilers, but personally I think spoilers are often a good thing, and valuable. Particularly when the person 'spoiling' the film/book/tv show/etc. has interesting and insightful things to say about the thing they are spoiling. I often find I enjoy things more when I come to them having read an article or watched a video that makes interesting, unexpected connections with the piece.

I was thinking about this, because I read this piece on season 2 of Russian Doll by Isaac Fellman, after I'd watched the show. And I wished I'd done that in the opposite order. Watching the show I found it slippery; I had a hard time grasping what was happening, what Natasha Lyonne was trying to say. Fellman's piece though provides the context that I was missing. This is what I want from criticism and writing about media; I want writing that transforms its subject, that both places it in, and even creates, a context for it.

Also this is a neat line from the piece:

"Art doesn't bear loads; art dynamites walls and lets in air."

Mhairi Black stating the obvious yet somehow largely unspoken truth.

I watched Station Eleven this month, and I think I preferred it to the book. Maybe based on the strength of the performances? Mackenzie Davis is great in it. In general I'm a sucker for anything that is simultaneously hard and honest and somehow still hopeful.

Plus, I love that Lori Petty's presence in it makes it feel like an alternate universe sequel to Tank Girl.

The New York Times on Scotland's rewilding efforts and how they intersect with the horrifically unequal pattern of land ownership in this country.

A good manifesto by isyourguy.

Okay, I'm going to leave you there for this month. Hope you're doing okay; I'll be back cluttering up your inbox next month.