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Mark Jacobs' City State Entertainment releases some sort of teaser
What's Mark Jacobs been up to lately? Conspiring with fellow devs at City State Entertainment, that's what. The team is made up of ex-staffers from Mythic (which Jacobs co-founded) and Troika, and they've just released an extremely brief teaser clip to whet our appetites for... whatever it is they're making. About the only thing we can say regarding the teaser is that it features a trinity motif, which might follow along from the three-faction PvP from Jacobs' celebrated Dark Age of Camelot MMO. See for yourself after the cut. [Thanks to Heath and Matthew for the tips!]
Troika's mechanical LED sculpture lights up Art Basel (video)
Art Basel down in Miami has been the go-to place to see the best and brightest in design this past week, with Troika's 'Falling Light' installation falling squarely into the latter category. This mechanical LED sculpture needed a room to itself, as it hosts 50 ceiling-suspended devices with each incorporating a custom cut Swarovski crystal optical lens, a computer programmed motor and a white LED. As you can see in the video down below, the white metal armatures rise in syncopation by rotating cam before gravity releases them earthward, which then activates the LED to move closer to the crystal lens. Through the magic of diffraction, you end up with a rainbow effect being flung to the floor, creating a perfect environment for... let's say, a rave. Or, you know, your next bedroom.
The Mac virus that isn't
We at TUAW have a pretty healthy collective sense of humor. Bearing that in mind, we'd like to take a moment and address the recent attention to the "Newton Virus," a playful piece of software with an unfortunate moniker. The "virus" was created – and named – by Troika, a multi-disciplinary art and design practice in the UK. We have no bones to pick with Troika, we just take issue with calling the program by a name with malicious implications. It is, in fact, a piece of interactive artwork designed with a non-destructive disruption of reality in mind. The first definition of a virus is a program that can replicate and infect a computer without permission or knowledge. The second, more flexible definition is a program falling into the category of malware. The Newton Virus is a mild – albeit visually interesting – disruption, and given that it was designed for manual installation and incapable of replication, not really a virus at all. Ergo, the ensuing headlines seen around the 'net are based on a sensationalistic misnomer. That being said, the piece is a fascinating little experiment (leveraging the Sudden Motion Sensor in Mac portables) that fits nicely with Troikart's typical fare, and it's earned a spot in the Design and the Elastic Mind exhibition at the MoMA. So, next time someone tells you they heard about a virus for Macs, tell them not to sweat it: it's probably just modern art.
The Newton Virus spreads joy
Remember back in the old days, when men were men, dogs ran free, and computers were the size of small countries? It was a time when viruses weren't malicious, rather, they delivered cherry popsicles, unicorns, and nuclear joy-beams. Well, now you can return to a simple time of laughter and love thanks to the Newton Virus and related dongle, created by the design collective Troika. Instead of gnashing your files, spamming your address book, or giving you "The Finger" repeatedly, this virus engages just once, and creates a playful desktop mishap that will undoubtedly inspire the victim to hug the nearest person. Though the virus was coded way back in 2005, it's now being shown at the MoMA's Design and the Elastic Mind exhibition. Watch it all go down, literally, in the video after the break.[Thanks, H&M]
D&D fans fix Temple of Elemental Evil
A group of dedicated Dungeons & Dragons role-playing fans have managed to accomplish something Atari and Troika failed to do three years ago -- fix most of the bugs in The Temple of Elemental Evil. Circle of Eight's labor of love has resulted in a consolidated patch that greatly enhances what many consider to be the best electronic interpretation of true D&D turn-based gaming. The Co8 updates even provide some extra content, such as additional quests, and new character portraits and voices.Team Troika consisted of Interplay veterans who had worked on the Fallout series, and the company's other two releases, Arcanum and Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines, also had bug problems, despite garnering praise for their general gameplay. Even though Troika has disbanded, you should still be able to find ToEE for between $10-20, either online or at your local game store.[via PC Gamer #154]
