William Shakespeare
Latest
Wolfram Alpha now does literary analysis, breaks down the Bard's work
Literary geeks rejoice! Wolfram Alpha has given you the tools to examine the works of William Shakespeare in ways you've never cared to imagined. Ever wondered how many words are in the second act of Othello? Or what the longest word is in A Midsummer Night's Dream? The answers to such (largely unasked) queries are now mere keystrokes away, and not just for the Bard's writings, either. That's right, folks, computational analysis of the works from such luminaries as Melville, Dickens, and Twain are on tap, too. The folks at Wolfram Alpha are also looking to increase the number of supported titles, so head on down to the source link and let them know which ones you want to see.
Arden released to the public
Arden, the MMO supposedly based around "the world of William Shakespeare," has been released... kind of. I've been waiting for this one for a while-- who wouldn't want to walk the halls of Kronborg Castle with Hamlet, or visit Banquo's banquet with MacBeth? But unfortunately, "released" is a little strong a word here-- the "game" consists of a Neverwinter Nights module, so you've got to have the NWN toolset up and running to even check it out, and even then, I'm not sure it quite makes the definition of an MMO.I'm hesitant to actually call Arden vaporware, but I don't see how a Neverwinter Nights module can help "test political and social theories." Over on Terra Nova, Edward Castronova (who's running the project), admits that they didn't make it fun, and laments that testers wanted "monsters" to turn the thing into a game. So he's planning Arden II: Electric Boogaloo London Burning, a game that is designed to be fun from the beginning.I take a little issue with the fact that he thinks only "monsters" can make a "gripping game experience," but seeing as I don't have NWN installed at the moment, I'll have to leave my analysis at that. If you get a chance to check out Arden, let us know what it's like. I'm sure there is a lot of interest in a "gripping" virtual world full of references to Shakespeare, but by the creator's own admission, it seems that Arden probably isn't it.
Cinemassively: SL Shakespeare Company
Since the beginning of August, Ina Centaur and crew, in collaboration with SLiterary, have been plotting a reproduction of Hamlet in the virtual world of Second Life. According to their production blog, they researched everything about the characters to recreate them, down to the skin and clothing. In addition to explanations of wardrobe, animation, and tech, they also feature ways you can sponsor their shows, which take place at the SLiterary Globe Theater.Ina prepared a storyboard Machinima of Act 1, Scene 1 as an example of how the show will be. The SL Shakespeare Company will be hosting a screening, followed by a question and answer session with the Hamlet directors and cast, on Sunday, November 25th, at 4pm PST. There will be an encore presentation on Saturday, December 1st, at 11am PST.
