Zeitgeist Appendix: Serial Experiments Lain
Jul 30th
Society today: a modern world that more and more gets sucked into the fold of the internet, or to be more precise, social networking. The distance barrier between people is long gone, we can communicate at the speed of light with any place in the world that has an internet connection. In a way, this connects us into a somewhat larger collective – a collective in which we retain our identities, are seperate – and yet part of something bigger, together, as one. You can call that anything you want, this is merely my observation.
And this is kind of where Serial Experiments Lain takes off. It seems that we are at a time like this, where computers can handle a lot of stuff. Lain Iwakura is the primary protagonist of the show. She is a young schoolgirl, innocent, appears to have a normal life. Her dad is somewhat obsessed with computers, seems to have many machines connected in a local network in his room. However things do change significantly when her dad tries to share the passion by giving Lain a top-of-the-line “NAVI” – which is basically a computer. Lain develops a strong affection for everything involving computers, and it isn’t so long before she writes programs, modifies her machines… that kind of stuff.
We come to learn that the internet, or some more technologically advanced version of it, is called “The Wired”. It appears to be possible for people to enter it entirely including their soul, and being transferred back again into the original body, using the NAVI as a medium for these kind of connections. The Wired is one of the center stages of this story, and has quite a significant meaning. It should also be noted that more advanced versions of the NAVI are capable of voice recognition, much similar in the fashion Macs can today.
Lain and her friends sometimes hang in a nightclub named “Cyberia”, which is… somewhat unique. Can’t tell you more without spoiling the show, I hope you understand.
As the show is only 13 episodes, I can’t write too much without giving it all away. Let’s just say that this is most definitely one of the top-ten Animes ever made for sure, and that it could be a predecessor to the Zeitgeist documentaries. It shakes hand with Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex, and The Matrix. It also touches on certain subjects such as the collective unconsciousness of mankind, or in other words, how we are indeed all connected. And not seperated from time and space, as it is currently assumed.
What’s left to say, is, that although a bit older, this is most definitely one of the shows you should get your hands on, preferably now. It might change some of your perceptions of the reality you live in – even.
Serial Experiments Lain
Director: Ryutaro Nakamura
Genre: Cyberpunk, Psychological thriller
Studio: Triangle Staff
Original run: July 6, 1998 – September 28, 1998
Episodes: 13
YouTube user has a mad
Jul 25th
cyberCriminal10001 has made a comment on laststep Demo: Grids:
you never change marcus
every time someone comments something you dont like you delete it
thats so childish
understand this: you have NO IDEA of computing
and apart from that you’re an asshole, but thats my personal opinion
Citizens of the state, rejoice!
Jul 23rd
For I found THE best Pizza… in the world!
4.59 in Tesco. Comes with its own pan, even. Tastier then Dominos, has tomato sauce in the ring.
The sky’s the limit: Last Exile
Jul 21st
We’re on a world named Prester. There, the inhabitants primarily use something called a Vanship as the primary means of transportation from A to B. Prester is, as the name says, not a representation of Earth, but seems fairly similar in composition. Prester is torn in two parts, by an endless war that is going on. There only seem to be two large landmasses, and each is a country that wage the war – Anatoray and Disith.
It all begins when Claus, a fairly skilled Vanship pilot, and Lavie, a mechanic and navigator, our two main heroes, are asked to deliver a girl that, apparently, holds the key to unite the two factions and to end the endless war that is going on. You see Vanships always require two people to fly and operate the machinery. The mission to deliver the girl is rated 7 out of 10 stars. Little did they know on what ride they just embarked upon.
Their mission to deliver Alvis leads them to land on the Vanship Silvana – a ship somewhat reminiscent of the largest warships ever build here by the air force – almost the size of an aircraft carrier. And airborne. Since the Silvana is equipped with all kinds of weapons, it is widely known as the Kill-Em-All-Silvana and has been deemed “unsinkable”.
Things get more interesting when Claus and Lavie get to know the captain of the Silvana, a man named Alex Row. He appears to be a fairly quiet man and keeps to himself, however for some reason he believes Claus, Lavie, and Alvis will eventually lead him to complete some personal task he set out for. His first officer, Sophia Forrester, seems to be a more friendly personality and quickly makes friends with Claus.
The two war-waging countries are divided by a fairly big atmospheric phenomenon, named the Grand Stream. It appears to be a blizzard of sorts… No Vanship was ever able to cross it to get to the other side – and thus to the opposite country… or so the legend says. Claus learns from Alex that his father attempted to do so, which also explains why Claus’ father never returned home after taking on one mission. One of the utmost importance to everyone, so it is said.
What starts as just another delivery mission for Claus and Lavie, turns out to be a journey that will change their lives forever. Not only theirs, also the ones they come accross aboard the Silvana. The mission becomes THE ultimate mission for the both of them, and they must complete it – at any cost. It is a journey that will take you to the skies at high-speed, fast-paced maneuvers, EPIC air battles, and once you land it will leave you nothing less than inspired, in awe about the way the show was performed. It is a story you will remember for sure. Get this one right now.
Last Exile
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Steampunk
Directed by: Koichi Chigira
Studio: Gonzo
Original Run: April 7, 2003 – September 29, 2003
Episodes: 26
Like Google Maps, only for EVE
Jul 19th
So after I got a dynamic database running that allows you to browse through all available items in EVE, I sat down for another project. This time I wanted it to be something more epic and something that has not been done before, at least not that I know of.
Pretty recently I learned about the pretty amazing capabilities of the in-game browser of EVE Online. It has certain Javascript-calls built-in that allow to directly access in-game windows, information, or even directly manipulate your gameplay. For example it is possible to alter your course from the built-in browser. I thought this could be pretty cool when combined with something fancy.
Of course there is an in-game map in 3D and so on, but it is very limited as to what information it can provide. So I decided to bring that map to the browser. In 2D at least. The result is Cerberus Maps, a web-based map of the EVE-Universe. Why Cerberus? Because the corp I have founded and that I am in is called Cerberus Network.
First of all you need to sit down and get the basics straight, like zooming and moving – that was easy. The real problem is to accurately calculate the position of each system, on the map. This was quite an interesting challenge, seeing that CCP stores spatial coordinates in exponential values. The engine I for that is something I’m so proud of, I gave it a name… in fact, so proud, that I just had to give it some metal.
But just talking about it is boring. I’d love to show the stuff to you! Some screenies.
Maps in the in-game browser. Since the browser has a modified Chrome under the hood, this is no problem. The map is completely movable, the “+” and “-” buttons zoom in and out. The dots represent a solar system, each with its own stations, planets, asteroid belts, and moons. They are also colored by their security level. The more red they are, the less secure they are. When the mouse hovers over one, the name and security level is shown (very true to actual in-game mechanic). Hovering also automatically fills the search field.
Clicking the “Search” button displays the Detailed Information pane. Useful data is displayed such as Stargate connections, their securities, and in which region and constellation they are located. Stations and planets are linked. In this example I clicked a link for a station, which opened the in-game info for that location.
When you click on the link of the system you are viewing, the autopilot of your ship will set a course to that system. If however you are unsure what the route looks like, you can click the Map icon beside the name, which will open the in-game map without setting a course – but it will tell you how far it is on your current autopilot setting.
And that’s all I wanted to show you right now. Over time I’ll improve it, but I guess for now it’s a pretty good start.
Have fun!
Cerberus Maps
IGB will request trust. You have to accept this as otherwise the navigation functions will not work.
CAPTAIN’S BLOG, SUPPLEMENTAL
Those that came before us:
Landmark Support has now been added for in-game browser. The top-right now has a checkbox which will enable landmark beacons. Clicking on one will open more information about the landmark.
