I Like Aron Flux Because It Predicted, Contrary To Other Cyberpunk-esque Genre Pieces, That The Future

I like Aron Flux because it predicted, contrary to other cyberpunk-esque genre pieces, that the future would be a world of smart-flesh, not crude metal grafts.

London designer creates 3D-printed, regenerative running shoes from protocells || The Verge

At the Wearable Futures conference, London designer and researcher Shamees Aden debuted a running shoe prototype that will put your worn out kicks to shame. The shoes, a conceptual product which he developed with University of Southern Denmark professor Martin Hanczyc, are 3D printed from a synthetic biological material that can repair itself overnight.

The running shoes are the product of Aden’s study of protocells. The basic protocell molecules are not themselves alive, but can be combined to create living organisms. Mixing different protocells creates different properties, and allows them to be programmed to behave differently depending on heat, light, and pressure. The shoes’ unique construction allows them to be 3D printed to the exact size of the user’s foot, so they would fit like a second skin. While running, the shoes would react to pressure and movement, providing extra cushioning when needed.

"The cells have the capability to inflate and deflate and to respond to pressure," Aden tells Dezeen. "As you’re running on different grounds and textures it’s able to inflate or deflate depending on the pressure you put onto it and could help support you as a runner."

(via London designer creates 3D-printed, regenerative running shoes from protocells | The Verge)

Fianlly.  An Ice Capped you can dance to.

Series: The Secret World Impressions

Firemuscles made some friends over the weekend, which is to say that I pretty much didn't go out.  Seemed sensible, going out at winter is tantamount to "spend money" and I just had to replace my car.

Moment of silence for the 05 sunfire.

Anyway, Delving deeper into the Secret World was a fun way to pass the frozen hell of a weekend, and Firemuscles made some buddies while investigating the depths of Kingsmouth.

Before I get into the group play discussion however, I want to touch on what I experienced in terms of puzzle solving.

So there were two puzzles that I had to suss out, and as I hate strategy guides as a solution to such games, I had to pound my head against it the hard way.  Ultimately, I did go to google, and the creators of the game intend for this.  I did not, however end up looking for a strat guide.

TSW plays like an interactive creepypasta.  You'll want to have a google on another tab so that you can look up the clues and hints the game throws, because there doesn't seem to be any internal resource.

That's right folks, Firemuscles had to try out his thinking muscles to get to the next stage.

You'll end out googling exactly the kind of stuff you'd expect: composers, bible verses and other things that secret societies would use for passcodes.  The game includes its very own google scavenger hunt, which is a bonus for me but I'll understand if you prefer to keep a strat guide tabbed on your computer.

On to playing with groups.

I play on an RP server so it's not hard to get involved with other people.  No one really minds if you drop out of nowhere to help them wipe out the seven or eight zombies they've attracted, and they're often more than willing to team up for as long as you're in the same area.

Because zombies.

While the game does have some progression to it, for the most part it's access to spells and powers that seem to govern how quickly you can take out a monster, and as such how dangerous the area is.  The more of you there are, the more areas you can navigate without being killed.  Especially if your friend is a blood mage, they have the healing spell.

Since Firemuscles uses elemental magic, he's popular for his ability to damage crowds, and between that and the blood mage I met we made a bloody mess of the coastal area.  Spoilers: I punched a lot of things and lit them on fire.

I usually hate the intersect between nerd and musician, the one always seems to be apologizing for or attempting to justify the other.  What this guy does however is an astonishing exception.  Watch for the cat ;)