I’m not usually one who slavishly follows the presentations at E3 and general pre-release coverage of games – I’m usually happy with a summary, a few screenshots and a release date. But this Fallout sequel has had me worked up a bit, half with anticipation and half with skepticism to what Bethesda would do with the rights to the concept. But after watching the new official trailer and the gameplay demo from Microsoft’s press conference below I must say anticipation is winning over doubt.

Bethesda have obviously reworked the gameplay from its original isometric, turnbased form – and I can already smell the shitstorm the usual bunch of change-fearing gamers are starting to stir up about that – but judging by the videos and images I’ve seen my opinion is that it’s all in the right directions while keeping the spirit of the series in all other areas. What a Fallout game should look like in 2008, in short. But I guess I’ll have to see about that in October.

Unless the Swedish potato chip commercial above was shot back in the day, on the actual Western frontier, which I doubt, there must be some stock of Longhorse left in the world. Maybe there is an obscure fellowship of breeders that have kept these noble beasts alive, awaiting a time when they can serve us again – and now, at the eve of the petroleum age, have decided that their long, powerful are needed to carry us away from our dependence on SUVs and other gas guzzlers.

(Don’t ask me about the short horse, though. Maybe something for urban traffic.)

Found this couple of days ago. Eerie but nice short, directed by Christian Simmons for a project of the Savanna College of Art and Design. It has a feel that I can only describe as, well, very slipstream.

Check their SCADshorts site for more info, high quality version and links to their earlier monthly releases of short films.

Now for that request: I’m looking for the title of an animated short, and I haven’t been able to feed Google with the right combination of words. It’s probably best described as a cut-out/stop-motion hybrid centered on a train, made by folding and cutting printouts from classic live action films (which then play on the created objects). It was made by a German group.

I got to see it during the two week introduction course to traditional animation which was one of many things I got to do at art school this last year, and it would be fun to see it again.

I thought I had outgrown such things (not that I ever really was that much into it), I must say there’s something about Nightwish’s ye olde end of the world ballad. At least in combination with that quaility video. It could have been cheezy, but it does some steampunk/fantasy/post-apocalypse thing in a sort of pretty way.

Blue For Two – Eye of a Storm. A mood appropriate for when night is turning into morning.*

(A wonderful track from the long running  co-operation of prominent swedish vocalist Freddie Wadling (probably most known for his work with Fläskkvartetten/The Flesh Quartet) and musician Henryk Lipp.)

(*I thought I had set up the software to show local time for posts… have to fix that)

I really needed that one. (Nothing seriously wrong – just sitting here with the clock going towards 2am, with a bit of the weird kind of backlash blues you sometimes get hit by as you realize that things aren’t too bad)

(Link via Boing Boing, via other places)

Well, I’m thinking sinister thoughts about assault weapons, and maybe this one (as demonstrated by the Mythbusters) would be something that could bring the problem down:

At least it would bring some satisfaction. And maybe missing the bird would mean the removal of the tree from where it delivers its performance.

(I’m actually not a weapons nut, I happily continue zapping if there’s “Top Ten Super Mega Giant Assault Weapons” on Discovery, and I think world conflicts would better be solved with tea parties (or at least decent political mediation), but there’s something about the cold, meticulously timed perfection with which a modern gatling gun is able to wreak more or less unstoppable mayhem – call it some bizarre awe at the aesthetical clash of mechanical perfection and total destruction, maybe)

*I believe the main purpose if the barrage of tweeting has to do with mating, but who am I to say it’s not a part of the conspiracy to finally push me over the brink of insanity?

I can’t wait the hear the album.

Thanks to William Gibson I saw this video of Annie Clark performing St. Vincent’s “Paris is Burning”. Beautiful.

I just had to… procure… the promo for Marry Me. More beautifulness.

Update Found out that those videos are bloggable, so here’s an update.

Occasionally, there’s a commercial spot so good that you don’t mind having your show interrupted even if you don’t need to go to the bathroom or refill your coffee.  I think Saab’s latest is one of those. Great “spot the Scandinavian design icons” concept, and wonderful music in the form of Nina Kinert’s  “Through Your Eyes”.

Though I have to say the Swedish captions were a bit better, along the lines of “Form is nothing without function” (a bit simpler than the international version)  and “Introducing a new design movement”.