im not going to use this as a kind of repository for all of my other social media stuff anymore. facebook is ok for that i guess. from now on this is going to be a sketchbook of sorts. thanks for basically just reading my delicious account for like half a year.
Also in Pocatello, “It is prohibited for pedestrians and motorists to display frowns, grimaces, scowls, threatening and glowering looks, gloomy and depressed facial appearances, generally all of which reflect unfavorably upon the city’s reputation.”
Boxes of candy given as romantic gifts must weigh more than 50 pounds.
In New York City, “It is disorderly conduct for one man to greet another on the street by placing the end of his thumb against the tip of his nose, at the same time extending and wiggling the fingers of his hand.”
“Any motorist who sights a team of horses coming toward him must pull well off the road, cover his car with a blanket or canvas that blends with the countryside, and let the horses pass. If the horses appear skittish, the motorist must take his car apart, piece by piece, and hide it under the nearest bushes.”
In Morrisville, women need a permit to wear cosmetics.
In Dyersburg, it is illegal for a woman to call a man for a date.
In Memphis restaurants, it is illegal to give any pie to fellow diners. It is also illegal to take unfinished pie home. All pie must be eaten on the premises.
Also in Memphis, it is illegal for a woman to drive by herself; “a man must walk or run in front of the vehicle, waving a red flag in order to warn approaching pedestrians and motorists.”
The entire Encyclopedia Britannica is banned in Texas because it contains a formula for making beer at home.
A recently passed anticrime law requires criminals to give their victims 24 hours notice, either orally or in writing, and to explain the nature of the crime to be committed.
It is illegal to milk another person’s cow.
In Houston, it is illegal to sell Limburger cheese on Sunday.
In LeFors, it is illegal to take more than three swallows of beer while standing.
In Mesquite, it is illegal for children to have unusual haircuts.
“We think it’s wonderful,” said Colleen Jones, the sister of Bristol’s grandmother Sally Heath, who confirmed the news. “The baby is fine and Bristol is doing well. Everyone is excited.”
Palin is currently residing in Wasilla and completing her high-school diploma through correspondence courses. The baby’s father [18-year-old Levi Johnston] is an apprentice electrician and has been dating Bristol for three years.
Ensure the Full and Free Exchange of Ideas through an Open Internet and Diverse Media Outlets
Protect the Openness of the Internet: Support the principle of network neutrality to preserve the benefits of open competition on the Internet.
Encourage Diversity in Media Ownership: Encourage diversity in the ownership of broadcast media, promote the development of new media outlets for expression of diverse viewpoints, and clarify the public interest obligations of broadcasters who occupy the nation’s spectrum.
Protect Our Children While Preserving the First Amendment: Give parents the tools and information they need to control what their children see on television and the Internet in ways fully consistent with the First Amendment. Support tough penalties, increase enforcement resources and forensic tools for law enforcement, and encourage collaboration between law enforcement and the private sector to identify and prosecute people who try to exploit children online.
Safeguard our Right to Privacy: Strengthen privacy protections for the digital age and harness the power of technology to hold government and business accountable for violations of personal privacy.
For my project, I’d like to explore the role that architecture and design plays in modern video game environments. Over the last decade, academics have begun to realize the magnitude of the role of video games in popular culture. While once thought to be a mundane medium of insignificance, video games have come to be seen and accepted as the popular art of the 21st century.
While the role of the user is one of obvious importance in the video game, the design of the environment that one interacts with is an essential element of the game. The architecture within the game is also one of incredible importance– the buildings, castles, automobiles, and spaceships that are being interacted with set the tone and role of the game itself. This imagery has become iconic to the collective unconscious of my generation. A simple green pipe from Super Mario Brothers is as recognizable as the Empire State Building, if not more so.
There are, of course, intrinsic differences between architecture in reality and architecture in video games. In the physical world, we use architecture for a variety of practical reasons that allow us to survive. Architecture provides us with shelter, a place to sleep (a home), a place to shelter our goods (food, warehouses), and a place to create products (factories). Architecture, in virtual reality, plays a very different role. The architecture in video games provide the user with an obstacle that (s)he must interact with to perpetuate a dialogue between user and game. With only a few exceptions, the avatars of users do not need architecture to sleep in or shelter them from the elements. Goods are stored on the avatar’s body and products are not produced by any government source. So rather than provide a source of safety and convenience, the virtual architecture of video games can become an obstacle that the user must navigate properly to solve a problem, or to defeat a boss. This interactivity between user and architecture is unprecedented. Only in video games must the user, interact with a building or a functional object (the pipe from Super Mario Brothers once again) for it to achieve its purpose.
An incredibly important use of architecture in video games is one of constraint, and I foresee this being the lion’s share of my paper. In the physical world, space seems to be endless. We live in three dimensions where size is dictated by atoms, not pixels. The virtual world is much different, ruled by the pixel. Even in a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) like Second Life or World of Warcraft, size and space are dictated by the pixel. Virtual reality has constraints that the physical world will never have. This is where the role of architecture in video games becomes one of utmost importance. The primary role of architecture in video games is one of constraint. The user’s trajectory through space is dictated by the architecture of the virtual world. Where in reality, any building can be destroyed or penetrated; virtual architecture can play a very different role. In video games there are such things as impenetrable fortresses and buildings, which will never be entered and were never meant to. The lack of interactive architecture in video games is just as intriguing as the overwhelming instances of interactivity.
