Week round-up: April 20
Extremely Specific
Dave has a new blog for extremely specific solutions to extremely specific problems. I particularly liked this post about how Japanese home electric systems can make your audio equipment hum.
Regrets: Actors who sold AI avatars stuck in Black Mirror-esque dystopia - Ashley Belanger
This post is hardly surprising to anyone who has been following the way AI startups are selling and building their technology, but it's worth reminding yourself, and others in your life, about the personal reputational risk you could invite through careless interaction with these companies. It's also worth reminding yourself and others why we need very, very strict regulation of this technology. Why should it even be legal for anyone to make someone's face say something without showing them the script ahead of time? Even if they have the rights to use that face? We could regulate the shit out of this if we really wanted to. Anyway, enjoy this article, which is simple and direct and obvious enough that it could provide a good conversation-starter for all sorts of people in your life.
Monopoly now has expansions - V Buckenham
Monopoly! It has expansions now! I liked this post about Hasbro's attempt to monetize certain "house rules" in Monopoly with expansions which accomplish the same effects that players are looking for - but with hopefully fewer drawbacks? It's a fascinating idea.
The Interface Drama Master List - CJ
I found this attempt to catalogue an entire narrative game subgenre fascinating. I like this kind of stuff because when I get asked to recommend games from a particular subgenre, I'm almost always just listing stuff I consider to be good or highly representative. This list includes the whole range of possible works, everything from "da classics" to hidden gems to stuff that's so insubstantial, it's barely there to enjoy. It's interesting and genuinely useful to see the stuff that worked listed alongside stuff that maybe... doesn't work as well.