hexagon
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Decades of spy satellite images help track melting Himalayan glaciers
You don't need cutting-edge satellite data to make sense of Earth's changing climate. Researchers have published a study of melting Himalayan glaciers that takes advantage of 40 years' worth of satellite imagery posted by the US Geological Survey, including declassified KH-9 Hexagon spy satellite photos from the 1970s and 1980s. The info not only let researchers cover a vast territory (about 650 glaciers over 1,240 miles), but made it possible to automatically create 3D models that reflected declining glacier elevations.
Visualized: Saturn's relentless 'hexagon' storm
This isn't the first we've seen of Saturn's six-sided jet stream, but NASA's calling the GIF after the break "the first hexagon movie of its kind." The "movie" is made from a compilation of images taken by the Cassini spacecraft, and depicts a hurricane-like storm at the center of the "hexagon" that has populated the planet's north pole for decades, if not centuries. For more check out the press release at the source link below.
Portabliss: Super Hexagon (iOS)
Did you know that you can download handheld games now? That's amazingly convenient! The only inconvenient part of it is finding the right games to buy -- and that's where we come in, with our Portabliss column. In each installment, we'll tell you about a downloadable game on the iPhone, iPad, Android device, DSi, 3DS, PSP, etc. Today: Super Hexagon. I feel weird about rendering a verdict about a game I've played for, at most, 48 seconds in a single session, but that's just how Super Hexagon works. Besides, that 48 seconds was hard-won after dozens of less successful, even briefer attempts. I'm reasonably sure I get the idea.Super Hexagon takes place in a semi-random, spinning spiral of increasingly complex shapes. All you have to do is turn left and right, by holding either side of the device screen, to guide a little triangular pointer between the walls that are continually closing in.That's how it works mechanically, but to reduce the game to "spinning around for a few seconds" fails to tell the whole story. It's essential to experience Super Hexagon as a whole: as a pulsing, infinite maze of shifting colors, aggressive chip music (by the excellent Chipzel) and the disembodied voice of writer Jenn Frank, flatly informing you when you've made it to the next level, or when you're starting "again." It's an overwhelming experience – for a few seconds at a time. The short span of a game means designer Terry Cavanagh can challenge you as much as he wants. Starting over means the end of 20 seconds of progress, not an hour, so failure isn't as jarring as it is in most games. Which is good, because failure is more common here.Super Hexagon is beyond ideal for the mobile format. Mobile games work best when they can be enjoyed in short, impromptu sessions. A complete game of Super Hexagon can be played, and enjoyed, in half a minute. And then whatever spare time you have will likely be filled with consecutive half-minute sessions.Super Hexagon is available, temporarily on sale for $0.99 on iTunes . We're always looking for new distractions. Want to submit your game for Portabliss consideration? You can reach us at portabliss aat joystiq dawt com.
PSA: Terry Cavanagh's Super Hexagon out on App Store
Super Hexagon, the updated iOS version of Terry Cavanagh's psychedelic, pixelated musical-maze masterpiece of a flash game, Hexagon, is now available on the App Store. As in the original, players must navigate a series of concentric shapes by pivoting a cursor around a central point as said shapes grow and evolve toward the center.Additionally, chiptune artist Chipzel returns to lend new jams to the iOS version, which also happens to be an iPhone/iPad compatible Universal app. It should be noted that the game's $0.99 price tag is a special 66-percent off introductory price, so if impossibly difficult musical frustration is your bag, baby, strike while the iron is hot.%Gallery-164642%
Tokyoflash Kisai Zone watch tells time in hexagons
Tokyoflash omits function-based bells and whistles on its timepieces in favor of style, and if none of its previous designs have left you smitten, maybe the Kisai Zone will. The hook on this particular model is its hexagonal number display, which is surprisingly easy to read, given some of the company's other offerings. The stainless steel strap and body comes in silver and black, with blue, green, purple or black options for the always-on LCD face completing the custom look. The watch is available now for a two-day introductory price of $99, which then jumps to $139. If your bare wrist is in need of further persuasion, then check out the video walkthrough below.%Gallery-164179%
VVVVVV creator's 'Super Hexagon' spins off on iOS next week
Hexagon, Terry Cavanagh's game of navigating infinitely spinning maze tunnels for as many seconds as you can handle, is, uh, something you should really play instead of trying to understand our description.And you'll be able to play the updated iPhone version, Super Hexagon, as soon as next week. "I'm hoping to release it in a week, on Thursday the 6th of September, as a universal app for iPhone and iPad," Cavanagh announced. The iOS release will be on sale for a buck for the first week "or so," and will settle at $2.99 afterward. "Although I'm focusing on the iPhone version for the moment," Cavanagh notes, "I'm definitely going to put it out on other platforms later. PC/MAC at the very least, and Android is a possibility too!"
'Hexagon' is Terry Cavanagh's latest jam
We hope you weren't planning on getting anything done for the rest of your entire life, because every waking moment of productivity you had in your future will be consumed by Hexagon, a browser-based twitch game by Terry Cavanagh of VVVVVV fame.You control a small triangle that orbits the hexagon in the middle of the screen. Various shapes and line segments fall toward the hexagon, and it's your job to avoid them in a frantic-yet-calculated, reverse Tempest-style gauntlet of adrenaline and frustration. You must last predetermined amounts of time in order to advance to the next level, at which point the game speeds up and the incoming shapes increase in complexity. The whole experience is set to a phenomenal chiptune track courtesy of Chipzel; it feels like we should be playing it in that rollerblade techno club from Hackers.The game was created yesterday morning for Pirate Kart V, a two-day event in which hundreds of programmers around the world attempt and create as many games as humanly possible in the short span of 48 hours. It's a wonderful example of game design in its purest form, and we challenge all of you to beat our best time of 35:23 at Level 4.
First Puzzle Quest: Galactrix trailer is rather hexy
We understand that trailers for puzzle games, even ones with strong RPG elements, aren't exactly titillating. With very few explosions, no dialogue, and the repetitive swapping of multi-hued bricks, the odds are somewhat against them. If you never played the first Puzzle Quest, the above trailer will probably look as bland as eating toast at a Kenny G concert -- however, those who have gemswapped their way through the Challenge of the Warlords understand the fancy-tickling capacity of this debut Puzzle Quest: Galactrix trailer. With looks at the new hex-based gameplay, the massive galaxy the game takes place in, and the new visual aesthetic, this one video should be enough to cause visions of hexagons to dance in your head until the game's Q1 '09 release.
Hexagon 2.5 sculpts your prims
You may already be aware of DAZ 3D, in fact few people who work with 3D modeling and texturing haven't heard of or tried their lines of tools, models and resources. Today, DAZ 3D have released a new update to their Hexagon 2 3D modeling and texturing package (which is, quite possibly, our second-favorite subdivision modeler). Hexagon 2.5 now supports sculpted prims for Second Life, among its already impressive array of features, and without much of the fiddling about and constraints that you might have to contend with some of the other software for which plugins are available. Additionally, Hexagon 2.5 supports far more model export options, and a bridge that allows DAZ Studio models to be pulled into Hexagon, tinkered with and then sent back to DAZ Studio. Yummy!
