artificial intelligence game

Well this is something. It's been a while since it's been on the net, but never had a chance to check it out myself. So lets present the first game with a real Artificial Intelligence: facade. This a simple game, but completely different from anything i come through. Actually, it is not a game, in the traditional way. I think that the term "a one-act interactive drama" is more accurate. It's not about graphics, not about shooting, not about platforms, not about leveling and experience, not about managing, or storytelling-puzzle-solving. It's a simple story.
You've visiting the house of a couple, Grace and Troy (if i remember the names) that are not going too well. So the goal, if there is any, is to kiss and make up. Soooo, you start a conversation with them, you talk about almost anything and the characters just come to life. You can even interact with the environment. It's amazing. The storyline evolves as you "play" (interact with the characters). Almost nothing is predetermined.
As I go through the game I could say that its more like a soap opera but the script is made by you. This video actually shows one way of storytelling. You can freely manipulate the characters to stretch them to their ends.
It's only 131mb so what are you whating for?

One shallow doesn't bring back spring

Or "ένα χελιδόνι δε φέρνει την άνοιξη".
The question is about which swallow am I talking about, cause theoretically speaking spring kicked in from March, actually, spring was the succession of autumn, no winter ever involved in the procedure. Since then every good or bad symptom of Spring and the forthcoming summer is here and inspire us or trouble us. So, allergies has taken the best out of me. My skin feels itchy, my eyes are swollen, and painful, lest not talk about the nose called waterfall. Pills do nothing anymore.
The other one is the Sun-that-burns-through-your-skin-and-boils-your-blood. The day-before (as in Greek προχθές, meaning a unspecified period in past-time) while working on the sewerage I got sunburned (sewage???). My grand-mother always told me that May's sun is the worst, but it was still April.
And the inspiring things, the drunken aroma from the lemon flowers, all kind of night flowers and jasmine (lemon flowers are long before gone). The promise of a great summer, with wine, in my yard, listening the silence of summer nights. A trip to Barcelona, and visiting our favorite Island, Syfnos. Summer love, summer wine, summer journey, summer beach...and of course HEAT.
But, where are the swallows??? Have you come across one? Do they still exist? I'm searching high and low for a sign, something, but nothing is there. I'm really disappointed. I only hear the morning chattering of sparrows, but no shallows. I'm missing them, building their nests at the corners of balconies, feeding their nestlings. Not good, not good at all.

P.S. Everything was different this year, birds where preparing for their migrating trips not in September but in January. Deciduous never lose their leaves. Draught is at the gates.
Recent news state that Italy entered in emergency state as Pados, Italy's largest river, started to shrink.

DEATH NOTE

I still cannot belive how good is the two soundtracks from the anime death note. Not as good as the Cowboy Bebop's soundtrack but it does has some excellent themes, more like post-rock, there is a theme that reminds of mogwai's auto rock. And the series, just when you say you have figured everything out...great story, great animation, great dialogs, great characters. Just superb.
For a few info also check those blogs.
NOVASTORM
Random Curiosity

FOOD

well as they say..

once hungry always hungry

so after alcohol, or even better, before, or in parallel with alcohol, food is what I believe to be my TOP priority. I;m not going to present as my first post about food a site of weird recipes, or exotic dishes, but a most scientific matter.
It is called,

molecular gastronomy

just Google it and you'll see what I'm talking about. But, you are lazy bastards, so I'm going to make a brief presentation of it.
It all started when chemistry has advanced so that it could determine what kind of chemical reactions could take place while a food is being prepared (yes it is called molecular gastronomy but actually not like molecular biology, chemistry and physics are the main aspects). So a good fellow, Hervé This, with another good fellow, Nicholas Kurti, started what at the begining was refered as Molecular and Physical Gastronomy.
The basics of it as described at This theses are:

(1) investigating the culinary and gastronomical proverbs, sayings, old wives tales…
(2) exploring the recipes;
(3) introducing in kitchens new tools, ingredients and methods
(4) inventing new dishes based on 2
(5) using Molecular Gastronomy to help the general public understand how science can contribute to the well being of the society.

the reason behind this idea and the “International Workshop on Molecular and Physical Gastronomy” were as it was described by This himself:

Each aspect of our environment is studied by a specific scientific discipline, using the experimental method, introduced Francis Bacon and later by Galileo Galilei. Why should gastronomy be an exception?

So to continue, his idea is to collect old fashion cooking recipes, and put their statement under the harsh experimental procedures, and also introduce new methods to ameliorate the cooking experience (I mean the aftertaste). Nicholas Kurti is no longer with us, but This is active and also recently had a publication on EMBO regarding molecular gastronomy.
To give you an example lets find out what happens when you do BBQ. Meat turns brownish. NO SHIT!!!. What happens inside meat to turn to brown? Well at about 65 Celsius degrees, aminoacids compine with reducing sugar by no enzymatic means, producing Schiff bases, as posted by Maillard in 1912, Maillard reaction, and that results in the changing of color. The point is that during this reaction meat gets its flavor.

Also, for the industry, the goal is to maximize food flavor through the heat-induced Maillard reaction without impairing nutritive value or creating carcinogenic heterocyclic amines, which are formed during high temperature cooking of foods like meat and chicken that contain high amounts of protein

. And again, the reaction will give different flavor according to the chemical substances of meat, not all meat are the same. So, chefs around the world try to find ways to increase the flavor of cooked meat, without being either raw or harmfull, overcooked (the Greek way).
So how good it is? Now that is the question. Well, first of all one of the achievements of molecular is to successfully combine ingredients, that according to tradition are incompatible, with amazing results. One of this is the combination of caviar and white chocolate. I do not know if it tastes as good as they say, but it should be good, as combining cheese feta with chocolate from papadopoulou biscuits γεμιστά (one of my achievements as a youngster). And if you think about anything else let me tell you that in Fat Duck restaurant at Bray-on-Thames, a meal costs about 120 euros per person (or that's what i've read from somewhere else)...and to eat there you should reserve a table ages ago.
JAW DROPPING

interview
molecular gastronomy news
a brief listing of links
blog dedicated to molecular gastronomy
molecular gastronomy is dead?
article on Heston Blumenthal, chef of Fat Duck
Fat Duck, images form dishes served

How to

You planed for a really nice excursion in the forest, in the wild, to get away from work, routine, wife, parents, anything you need to get away from. But as most of mountain roads danger lurks in every turn of the road. You never know when and how the bad turn will arise and you might then find yourself hanging in middle air. As you sitting in your car, balancing, half of it in the void and the other half on the road, a thought crossed your mind: Why haven't I read the "how to get out of a car that's hanging over a cliff"?
Good question, the other one is why someone ever wrote a guide like that one? there are many more, like how to get out from a sinking car, etc.

Famous Lines By Infamous People

Well this will be more for Greek People or those of you that know how to read this...
λοιπόν σκεφτόμουν να κάνω κάτι τέτοιο εδώ και καιρό. Δηλαδή, να μαζέψω εδώ ατάκες που έχουν ειπωθεί από φίλους ή και από εσάς τους ίδιους και αξίζουν να μείνουν γραμμένα. Τα γραπτά μένουν (scripta manent ή κάτι τέτοιο). Όποτε θυμάμαι κάτι θα συμπληρώνω. Για αυτήν την ώρα αυτά είναι αρκετά

οπότε αρχίζω

trotos: προεξέχουν υπέροχα (για δύο όντως υπέροχα)

trotos: η αντιμετώπιση του κόσμου ως τετελεσμένου γεγονότος (ποτέ δε μπόρεσα να θυμηθώ πως ακριβώς το είπα)

Κώστας Γ: το χειρότερο πράγμα είναι να έχεις πνευμονία (στα σκαλάκια Γεροκοστοπούλου στον μώλο)
koxakies.: Αυτά είναι τα άσχημα! (βλέποντας φίλο του να ξερναει, ενώ ο ίδιος τρώει σουβλάκι)
Ηλιας Π.: Μαλάκες, κρέατα! (προφέρεται με πάθος)
sfiltros: Εγώ θέλω την κατανόηση του κόσμου (ως απάντηση, για το τι πίτσα θέλει)
trotos: Η γη αντικατοπτρισμένη απο το Σίνο κατα τη θολωτή γέννεση (τα ρεστα μας)
Νικος Κ.: Δεν κοιμόμουν, έκλεισα λίγο τα ματια μου. (αλήθεια σας λέει...)
Βλαχάντερ: Τζερεμέ! Σουρουκλεμε! Κουνενε! (και συναφείς φιλοφρονήσεις)
Νίκος Κ. (του πέφτει το τετράδιο κάτω και αυτός το αγνοεί)
ερώτηση: σου έπεσε το τετράδιο κάτω... απάντηση από Ν.Κ.: ε, το να πέσει πάνω είναι λίγο δύσκολο...

Γράψτε στα comments κάτι που είπατε ή ακούσατε και έχει μείνει.
[EDIT] christobal έβαλε το χεράκι του
[EDIT] sfiltros, σύσωμη η εκδοτικη αρχή του ΝΙΟΥΣΛΕΤΕ έδωσε το παρόν