The Lovely Robots of Machinarium

I'm not much of a gamer, though I'll admit I've been sucked in more than once by an addictive puzzle game (ahem, Dr. Mario). But sometimes, a rare game comes along that's so lovely to look at, I just want to lose myself in the world of it. Machinarium is such a game.

The blogosphere has been gushing over this one since its mid-October release, so I'm not the first one to fall for it - you can read about it on my beloved Coilhouse, on Boing Boing, and countless game review sites. But the attention is well-deserved ~ it's a worthy play, my friends.

Within the first few moments of the game, I was smitten with my earnest little robot character. The quirky sound design and luminous, eerie soundtrack are enchanting. The point-and-click simplicity belies the game's depth, delightful intrigue, and humor.

But the the real magic of Machinarium is in the way it pulls you in to its entirely hand-drawn, gorgeously detailed, arcane world of decaying metal. You must slow to a snail's pace to enjoy the beauty of your surrounds, pull each lever and touch every gear to solve the sometimes maddening logic puzzles of all varieties...

An interview with Jakub Dvorsky, founder of Amanita, the Czechoslovakian company that makes the game, reveals that the company's fanciful first release, Samarost, was created as his thesis project in 2003. Like Machinarium, Samarost is a whimsical puzzle game, with every small action compelling a chain of Rube Goldberg-esque events.

I haven't even fully explored the rich post-apocalyptic environs of Machinarium, and already I'm feeling sad to finish it, reluctant to go back to the break-neck pace of my own world. For a chronically busy multi-tasker like myself, Machinarium is more than a diversion ~ it's a lovely respite. I highly recommend it.

Textured Bliss from Ramona Falls

I have actual hard evidence of the power of social media marketing, and it is this: I just purchased an album from a band I'd never heard of, simply because of their incredible video that was released a mere month ago and has been going around on Facebook. And I am well pleased.

I was completely captivated when I saw the video for the Ramona Falls song I Say Fever. Unlike anything I've ever seen, it's some sort of magic combination of Victorian paper animals and stop-motion animation, and yet feels totally edgy and now. See for yourself ~ and do go full screen.

A side project from Brent Knopf of Menomena, whom I haven't yet heard but will surely pursue, this album, Intuit, is absolutely brilliant. The songs are like complicated blossoms unfolding, opening to expose new treasures with each listen. The epic opening song, Melectric, sends me off to into visceral, textured bliss.

Unexpected percussive elements, shimmering vocals, orchestral arrangements, and sweeping variations in mood (due, in part, to the many guest artists who contributed) ~ the layers keep peeling away to reveal more loveliness. You can watch Brent get wicked with the looping here, as he records the luscious song Going Once, Going Twice.

Just doing my part to virally spread lovely music ~ so go listen.

Splendid Accomplishments!

As I swoon in the wake of this most fabulous outpouring of creativity, passion, and dedication from my friends and family that culminated in the Great Handcar Regatta yesterday (and while I wait for more pictures to come in so I can post them!), I have an exciting announcement. My love Stache, truly a giant among men, somehow managed to publish a brand new Web site for Adornments for Tarts last week... Take a gander at his amazing work!

The new site has a beautiful gallery of all my designs, easy links to my shop and this very blog, a captivating biography, a list of my favorite resources of all kinds for inspiration and edification, and more decaying yet elegant curly-cue embellishments than you can shake a stick at.

And Stache did all this while building a new racing contraption and re-furbishing the Hennepin Crawler with Krank Boom Clank, and being on the organizing team for the Regatta... he has been working tirelessly. He also fabricated the splendid Mini-Penny, a hi-wheel bicycle inspired by the penny farthings of the late 1800's.

(Picture by Swaziloo)
There will be so much more on the glory of the Regatta soon, but in the meantime, a moment of deep appreciation for this brilliant, talented, ever-so-dashing man I am lucky enough to have for my husband. See more of his work at his company site, Sassy Monkey Media.

Literate Smut

In my various travels on the Interwebs the past few months, a few enticing morsels of the saucy variety have caught my wandering eye... shall we say, a more discerning brand of erotica.... pretty enough to make me want to feature it here. And this post is oh-so-not-safe-for-work, lovelies ~ especially the links.


The ever-flowing fount of alternative cultural goodness that is Coilhouse first lured me to the sumptuous Web site of Coco De Mer. Founded in London by Sam Roddick, daughter of Body Shop proprietress Anita Roddick, Coco De Mer started as an ethically-sourced high-end erotic toy shop. I found an interview with Sam about how this came to be.


While many well-intentioned feminist-owned sex toy shops tend towards the well-lit and clinical in an effort to make their clientele feel safe, Coco De Mer is dolled up like a Victorian boudoir. There's nothing unsavory about the shop - it appears an oasis of luxurious unabashed sensuality and revels in the range of pleasures of the mind and flesh. The shop has since blossomed into a virtual community, complete with startlingly gorgeous photographs...


...arty explicit short films, user-generated dressing-room images, and an online storefront filled with delightful, if expensive, treats. Longing for a $170 sustainable silk organza blindfold? Or handmade Paul Seville custom leather restraint gauntlets? Coco De Mer provides.


After having my senses thoroughly tickled by my visit to Coco De Mer, I wandered over to Filament, the site of a brand new ladies' magazine out of the UK, on the recommendation of Seattle artist Libby Bulloff. I was intrigued by a line from the editor's note... "We stand at the back of the male strip revue on a hen night, looking past the oiled, muscle-bound hunks, checking out the narrow-hipped lads behind the bar." I ordered the magazine straight away.


I found the publication to have a refreshingly candid air, with blush-inducing stories and alluring photo spreads alongside articles about atheist parenting and alternative history. Creatrix Suraya Sidhu Singh used a Livejournal community to research the female gaze ~ and so the mantra of "what women think is hot" guided her image choices, and common sense guided her content choices. Her promise: no fashion, no diets, no celebrity gossip. What a relief ~ I'll definitely be looking forward to Filament #2.

A little cheeky diversion is always a good thing, in my humble opinion.

Goggles of Eternal Revealing

I has them! And not a moment too soon... it's nearly the New Year, a perfect time for divining intervention.

Made, of course, by the enchanting crypto-historian Fyriel of OrpheusAlchemy ~ these are spectactularly amazing. Who else but Fyriel wouldn't even blink when I requested "Gypsy Art Nouveau Industrial Victorian" goggles?

Details that make me warm inside: Arcane symbols and silver curlicues all over!

A nameplate special for me on the leather strap... and a special antique key to some unknown door to the soul...

I had the joy of meeting Fyriel while she was sporting her full warlock costume at the Steampunk Convention, in which she found interwebs fame.

Visit her shop on Etsy for more breathtaking treasures to delight and mystify you!

Drunk History

In the hallowed halls of viral web video, every once in a while there's a shining star. One that stands out from the crowd - one that makes your eyes tear up, or is milk-out-the-nose funny.

I was having a rough day at work last week when a gem from that latter category arrived in my in-box from my dear Lord Hopton (who has undeniably impeccable taste in humor, as well as everything else in life).

It's Episode Three of a series aptly titled "Drunk History," and, well, just watch it.

Drunk History vol. 3 - Featuring Danny McBride by Danny McBride

The brilliance originates from FunnyorDie.com, and there are four or five episodes in circulation, but this one is my favorite.

Praise you, Derek Waters. Thanks for the laugh, I needed that.

Vintage Story Postcards!

I haven't breathed a peep yet, but my love Stache has been helping me put together a Web site for Adornments for Tarts. We've got much too much work to do to post a link yet, but today he helped me make some vintage story postcards for each of my designs, and I love them too much not to share...

These will end up in the gallery of the site. See more of them on Flickr.

In my un-biased opinion, Stache is an amazing designer, as you can see at his site, Sassy Monkey Media.

His recent specialty has been creating old-timey and vintage-feel Web sites - or as he puts it, "devising captivating aether-web destinations." So if anyone is in need of such a thing, you know where to go.