Infocult: Uncanny Informatics

Zeitgeist 2004

Google has released the 2004 edition of its Zeitgeist, an ever-impressive summary sketch of what people of have searching for this past year.

Google and Microsoft: a consideration

This article on Google and Microsoft does a good job of exploring the territory for the likely struggle between these two for world dominance.  Er, control of the search market, and related fields.

Putting bones to cartoon flesh

What would the skeletons of cartoon characters look like?  Consider Michael Paulus' project:

Narrative by stickers

As part of Infocult's continued examination into new narrative materials and forms, consider Implementation, a novel described by stickers.  Placed largely in urban areas, as far as I can tell.

More information maps for the election

After seeing the now-canonical red vs blue maps (not that Red vs Blue), this shaded map of American election results looks very useful:

(via BoingBoing)

And for satire, this:

Hitchhiker's Guide game is back

The BBC has rereleased the breathtakingly historical Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy game (1984), and added graphic functions:

Today's puzzle-space game

Treasure Box is a pleasant, strange game that mixes puzzles with inventive, whimsical design.  It feels a bit like Terry Gilliam's animations.  Rules are usually implicit, and, like many games now, are learned by exploring the image- and sound-scape.  Despite the opening text, there isn't really any unfolding narrative, and the ending disappoints, but the entire play is well worth the game.

(via Heresiarch's feed at del.icio.us)

Another Web puzzle game: Viridian Room

For those who suffered through Crimson Room, there's a sequel from Takagism, even more frustrating, with a richer object environment: The Viridian Room.

Perspective tunnel: zoom Flash

Zoom is a fascinating use of Flash, knitting together a series of images into a smooth perspectival arc.

The Zoomquilt site offers multiple formats, along with links to the individual artists and their disaggregatedimages.

Narrative by found floppy

"Floppy" is a new story from Digital Fiction.  It's cast as found digital documents, related to "I found a digital camera..., and contains lexia outlining the story of a man living next door to an abusive couple.  Materials are mostly text, along with several images and a low-key semi-industrial soundtrack. 

Perhaps I should create a category of new media experimental storytelling forms.