Still diggin’ Dig Dug
Ancient Apple games now available on the Internet
Anthony Augustine
Virtual Apple— www.virtualapple.org
— Long before Apple ruled the digital-music-player and
online-download markets, it was a fledgling company that helped
define the first wave of personal computers. Although cheaper,
generic mass-market PCs took over as the company failed to
adapt, Apple computers were some of the first user-friendly
electronic devices to show up in many North American homes.
If you spent any time around computers in the ’80s you’ll
likely remember classic games such as Choplifter, Ghostbusters,
Spy Hunter and The Oregon Trail. Virtual Apple has uploaded
the compete collection of games developed for early Apple
computers. Play them in real time (or speed up the load time
if you don’t want the authentic old-school Apple experience)
without any pesky downloads after the initial setup. This
gold mine of nostalgic games is like Christmas in September
for 30-something gamers.
You’ll Run My Life— www.youllrunmylife.com
— The short window of opportunity to participate in
this interactive thesis project is over, but you can now view
the results of this unique web experiment that allowed web
users complete control over the mundane aspects of Philadelphia
grad student Derek Van Horne’s life for four days. Using
a pretty basic concept, Van Horne attempts to examine the
nature of how individuals will treat a stranger if they are
given total control over what someone else will eat, wear
and do. No longer can you vote for him to eat popcorn for
supper while wearing swimming trunks and cowboy boots, but
you can still see what happens when you put your trust in
strangers.
Muse = Gwen Stefani— tinyurl.com/p7452
— Rock critics have accused England’s Muse of
ripping off Radiohead, but I don’t think anyone has
ever accused Gwen Stefani of sounding like the moody rockers.
In this strange comparison, the former No Doubt frontwoman
is run through a pitch shifter — and she sounds eerily
like Muse’s Matthew Bellamy. Turn up your speakers and
hear for yourself.
Shopping-cart art—
tinyurl.com/jfxzn
— Using a reduce, reuse and recycle approach to
creating intricate metal art with shopping carts salvaged
from the river, Ptolemy Elrington crafts creations that are
intricate explorations of elements found in nature. His pieces
are also an example of his keen understanding of the delicate
balance that’s constantly upset by outside sources in
many of our ecosystems.
Anthony Augustine is a freelance music and pop culture writer
who spends way too much time in front of the computer. He also
hosts a weekly two-hour electronic music program on CKUW 95.9
FM Got a site you think he should see? E-mail him at anthony.alloneword@gmail.com. |
Uptown
Magazine - Winnipeg's Online Source for Arts, Entertainment & News
