Yesterday we visited a nest of shikoku puppies. If you ever get the chance to do the same (and aren’t allergic to dogs), I’d highly recommend it. Perfect remedy for the day-to-day stresses.

The retro stuff is back in full force this month as I’m doing my part for the environment by upcycling Gameboys & playing old games. Not only did I build someone a new Gameboy Color, I also worked on a new game (see below), bought a second-hand ‘New 3DS XL’ and a portable retro console.

The New Nintendo 3DS is a somewhat confusingly named updated version of the 10-year old handheld with the (sometimes) 3D effect. The console flopped immensely but has an amazing library of games (even has Minecraft) ànd it can be hacked to install all manner things. The screen resolution is a bit small, at 400×240 pixels, but it’s still an amazing device. Paired with a 128Gb sd-card, I think I can install and play just about the whole catalogue if I wanted to.

For pure emulation, I got this beast on which I replaced the software with something more robust and performant. I’ve also been loading it up with my entire retro games catalog, from MS-DOS to Playstation 1. For those interested: yes, it runs Doom and anything else built on that engine (any Hexen or Heretic fans out there?).

I built a Gameboy game, though not the one I was working on last time. That one was taking a while to come together in my head so I switched to something more straightforward. ‘Transmissions’ is not really a game but more a conversion of my serial story from last year, from words on a page into a single application.
Imagine you are walking one day, and find a boxy handheld computer in the bushes. It looks like something out of a Bladerunner movie. You turn it on and it’s the lost device of a space traveller, complete with all their log stransmissions (a diary of sorts) and what they had on them. There is no real gameplay, just you reading what they were up to before the device was lost.

You can find ‘Transmissions’ here on itch.io (where I also put my train game).

Testing out some shimmering inks in the shiny fountain pens I showed up last time. You don’t get the full effect like you see on that page when you’re only writing a couple of lines but it’s still sparkly and very serviceable for my day-to-day. ‘Balestidae’ (named after the fish family that includes triggerfish) is my current favorite.

Went to see Dune in cinemas but don’t let this poster fool you, it was a very grey affair. I haven’t read the books so I don’t have much invested in the ‘filmification’ of it but I am a movie and sci-fi fan, and this movie was hella grey looking. The actors are great, the story is interesting and some of the tech feels very cool but by Jove, do they need to lay off the color adjustment sliders.

Not much more interesting to report really. With the holiday season approaching – or in full swing, depending on where you are –  I hope you have some time off. For my part, I’ve finally lost all sense of time this year, I’m tired all the time and I don’t ever want to go into an office again because I can just do the same (but better) with a lot less stress. And I didn’t even have a proper mid-life crisis even though I turned 40 this year. You better believe I’m taking 2 weeks off.

I fully intend to play video games, maybe work on my own game some more and maybe finally finish clearing up the porch & garage. Maybe think about what I’ll do with this newsletter in the new year. I feel it’s time to reshape it somewhat.
I was also hoping to get away for a few days but the national health situation makes that difficult. Boo and I are going to see the new Magritte exhibition soon, so maybe we can work around that.

How’s your month looking? Got some time blocked off for yourself? Any cool games you’re playing or exhibits you’re visiting?

Take care out there, see you in the new year!