Kieran Nolan » Books

Atari 2600 Study

Kieran — Wed, 20 May 2009 09:50:16 +0000

At the moment I’m reading ‘Racing The Beam‘, an in-depth study of Atari’s VCS console from 1977 (renamed the 2600 in 1982). The book traces the systems history and talks about how it’s game designers creatively worked around the machines limitations. One major constraint been how it was designed to show just 2 sprites (objects, aliens or whatever) onscreen at once.

In the name of research I’ve scored a cheap woodgrain 2600 from ebay and will conduct some serious playtesting of the games mentioned in Racing The Beam, starting off with Combat, Pac-Man and Space Invaders. Then it’s onto Empire Strikes Back. Even E.T. will be tested. It’s gonna be a tough job :)

Anyhows, there are still applications been made for the 2600, albeit in a homebrew capacity. For instance, Atari 2600 OS, a point and click GUI with Pong embedded is a marvel of minimalism. While the 2600 Full Midi interface allows direct control of the VCS audio for making music, if you’re into the gritty low-bit sound!

Visual Refuel

Kieran — Tue, 25 Jul 2006 21:28:53 +0000

I was over in London a couple of weeks ago and splurged out on some quality graphics readables, visual refuel:

Character Design For Mobile Devices
Everything you need to know about sprite graphics, a history of 8/16 bit video game systems, production techniques and tips, a Super Mario evolution and lots of and interesting insights… packed with clear screenshots… indespensible. link

Refill – Issue 4
A bit like a designer's 'Lucky Bag' containing the magazine, a mousepad, stickers and some fliers and stuff… But it's really all about the 'mook' (magazine/book hybrid) and the interviews and artwork showcased in it. link

Business Cards – The Art Of Saying Hello
Just about every concievable twist on the 80x55mm biz card format, from sticky-note pads to 5mm thick perspex blocks and everything inbetween… I particularly liked the idea of just putting your own sticker on someone elses card to make it your own. link

A Dictionary of Video Game Theory

Kieran — Sun, 11 Dec 2005 18:06:25 +0000

Does exactly what it says on the tin: link

It contains a reference to triangularity as featured in the game of Rock, Paper, Scissors… that would have been handy for the Bionic Roshambo project…

33 1/3 ENTRODUCING… by Eliot WIlder

Kieran — Thu, 01 Dec 2005 20:39:05 +0000

There's just something about a well researched music interview/documentary that makes it compulsive for me, even its a band who's work I don't have a huge knowledge off (like the VH1 documentary on Megadeth with its brilliant voice overs at moments describing the bands drug binges). Anyhows this book by Eliot Wilder is a series of conversations with Josh Davis aka DJ Shadow, starting from his formative musical experience and onwards to the completion of the album Entroducing and where he has gone from there. It's cool to see someone who is a child of the sixties enthuse over Shadow's ninties sample driven opus, placing it on the same level as the Beatles' White Album. Wilder decribes sample culture as an integral part of 20th century music through the “cannibalism” and reinterpretation of riffs and melodies. He points out how most music reviews compare a song to other songs, identifying the various componants making up this new body of work. Anyhows it's a very enjoyable read indeed…

Ghost In The Shell

Kieran — Sat, 29 Oct 2005 18:43:28 +0000

This week Masamune Shirow's Ghost In The Shell has been on my mind a lot, I've been rewatching a subtitled dvd of GITS 2 Innocence that I picked up in Sydney's Chinatown last January… I still can't help but be blown away by the it, the story / visuals every time, breathtaking. Then on Friday The Irish Times reviewed Innocence to coincide with the screening of an English dubbed version on limited cinema release locally. Also today while browsing the 3 for 30 euro section at Xtravision I spotted Vol's 1 and 2 of Stand Alone Complex, the GITS animated tv series, and a copy of the first movie (to replace the Divx copy I have) so I snatched them up… The movie dvd features a nice music video by Sly and Robbie, a Japanese ambient music meets dub type ting… Then there's the sequel of sorts to Innocence in novel form where Batou looks for his dog and in the process questions if he has a soul… and the Stand Alone Complex 'Gig 1' (first series) box set out mid Nov… and the Subtitled Gig 2 boxset out now… plenty of brain-hacking, net-jacking, cybercrime fighting, cyborg soul searching for the winter and beyond :D

Current reading / viewing

Kieran — Sun, 25 Sep 2005 17:07:21 +0000

Picked up some good reading & viewing material over the last week:

How to draw Manga, Macromedia Flash Techniques
Exactly what it says on the tin, really needed this because my colouring in technique could be a lot better… this book shows how to get beyond flat fills in flash (thats a lot of FL's) and make real professionally coloured, fleshed out flash based illustrations. link

Specialten DVD – Issue 11
A bunch of music videos and some documentaries, packaged in a nicely designed folder/magazine package. A load of different stuff in there. link

Everything Bad Is Good For You
Have just started reading this, basically it's about how instead of dumbing us down, consumer/media culture is making us smarter… link

Uzi Magazine (DVD) – Issue 1 'Tokyo Brainstorm'
Really good, a documentary where some Swedish design heads went to Tokyo and connected with innovators in Japan's graphic / fashion / product / game / film / everything design. Made through still photographs against a great soundtrack and interspersed with lo-rez still cam/mobile phone mpegs, no voiceover is used… the images speak for themselves. link