June 6, 2024: Announcing Freebie Fridays!

-- Michelle Richardson

June 5, 2024: What Happened To Laser Pointers?

I recently talked about gaming advancements that didn't exist when I started but now seem to be everywhere. This one is kind of the opposite: Whatever happened to laser pointers?

Sure, they're still around, but for a few minutes in the late 1990s, they seemed to be omnipresent. Admittedly, that might be because I worked retail that had them on display, but I recall them being kind of everywhere among certain folks. Nowadays, they require more hunting to find.

Which is too bad. They're really handy at the game table, especially on games with intricate or fiddly board states. With a laser pointer, I can highlight one feature amid lots of other chits or pieces I'd prefer not to disturb ("Let me confirm: You want to open this door, which definitely doesn't have a pit in front of it?"). Even teaching rules is easier when I can draw attention to specific elements on a card or board . . . [more]

June 4, 2024: Forging A Weird Future

I recently became aware of an aesthetic style that's become known as Frutiger Aero, roughly popular from 2004 to 2013. Its name comes from the combination of Windows Aero and the Frutiger font (which was ubiquitous in the corporate world during that era). Basically, it's that shiny-super-computer-generated-but-organic look that things had for a while; if you're imagining a smooth CGI dolphin splashing out of a perfectly rendered water-surface pool with chrome rounded corners against a blue-and-green saturated landscape, you're in the right mental space. Scroll through a few pages of the Frutiger Aero Reddit, if you dare.

For those who move linearly through time like I do, it seems difficult in the moment to know what's a "trend" and what's . . . just the way things are. Like, 20 years ago I probably would've said that stainless-steel-chrome everything was a kitchen . . . [more]

June 3, 2024: SFWA Honors Jennell Jaquays

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June 2, 2024: Questions Three: Steve Jackson

You know who Steve Jackson is; if you don't, the fact that the very web page you're reading this from has some variation of "Steve Jackson Games" plastered prominently in at least one place should provide a vital clue.

Hey, Steve! Do you mind if I borrow the "Questions Three" format from Hexagram for Daily Illuminator posts? It's a cool feature, and I think it'd be fun to interview folks who are part of the SJ Games team as a way to provide insight into what's going on behind the scenes.

I think they should be short, but it's a good idea . . .

Great! Would you mind being the subject of the first entry?

Not at all. Go right ahead.

Wait; these aren't counting as my three questions, are they?!

Devil's in the details, isn't it?

* * *

Interviewer's note: Not my finest hour, but hopefully you get the idea. Stay tuned for future installments while I try to get the hang of this.

-- Steve . . . [more]