That Culture

Some places in Atlanta have culture in a way that others don't, but whether it's the lightbulbs or the graffiti or the neon signs that do the trick is hard to discern. It could be argued that a place is 'cultural' in this way if it draws people in for no practical purpose.

There are, then, small things that attract people and contribute to 'culture'-- streetlights and wooden roofs and hearty food. The whole, though, is more than the sum of its parts in that a neighborhood is made up not just of objects and people, but of emotion, life, and, as the case may be, 'culture'.

A Little About Herb

Herbs are plants that are used for medicine, food, and other such purposes, and about a quarter of all flowering plants are herbs. The name "Herb" is a shortening of Herbert, of German origin. The name Herb does not refer to plant herbs-- this should be made clear.

Enrollment Poem

A minute to seven;

The air is tense

As registration doth commence

Clicking swiftly o'er and o'er

The courses wished to enroll for

The hour strikes

The button's pressed

Loud ring the cries of those whose timing

Messed up all their schedule from the top

At least there still is add/drop/swap

Fall Fashion

There is much ado about fall fashion in many magazines, but this year, there's only one style I care about: the look and feel of holding a glove in a gloved hand while the other hand remains ungloved. I first noticed this when taking off a glove to use my keys, and since then, I can't get enough of walking around holding a glove while wearing a glove. There's a sense of purpose that comes from it; beyond that, the feeling is hard to describe.

Screenshot of the Day: Deadlight

Good thing these people had their seatbelts buckled

Deadlight is a 2.5D platformer set in a zombie apocalypse. It's a great game to look at whether the player is being led through a series of narrow rooms and hallways or across an abandoned overpass. Both the player and the zombies are dark silhouettes against the bleakly colorful world. In more practical visual design, it's usually clear what can be jumped on and what can't, an important distinction to make in a a platformer.

Zombies are frightening in Deadlight because, while the player carries a large axe, a clever stamina system makes it difficult to fend off more than one or two zombies at once. It's thrilling to escape a room full of undead, leaping out a window to freedom at the last second.

Holiday Decorations

Halloween was, of course, on October 31st, and I was travelling through Decatur on Saturday, November 1st, and saw that every streetlight in downtown Decatur had a Christmas wreath around it. This kind of stuff just can't wait until Monday, much less after Thanksgiving.

The wreaths looked very nice, of course, but it makes one wonder: now that Halloween and Christmas are bumping elbows, which set of decorations wins out? I personally think its very difficult to make Halloween decorations look nice, but there certainly are infinite ways to make Christmas setups tacky as well.

In any case, if Christmas absorbs Halloween, there won't be any major holiday to combat it here earlier than the fourth of July.

Cold Weather Poem

Alas for the days of the sunlight
The warm air and zephyrous breeze
Now enter the winter in cold night
The weather is thirty degrees

As truly as leaves fall from trees
It's likely that we will all freeze

But I'm sure it'll be all right