Cold Case -- Paranormal SCVNGR Game

Introducing COLD CASE, the interactive fiction, augmented reality, cellphone-based text game built for the SCVNGR platform.

...hello? ...can you help me? You're receiving messages from the Otherside. Help the soul of a deceased young woman remember clues about her murder so that she might finally rest in peace.

COLD CASE is a free, location-based scavenger hunt that takes you through parts of Boston's back bay area. The game can be played with any cell phone that has text messaging or through SCVNGR's official iphone application (recommended).

Just text the word PARANORMAL to SCVNGR (728647) to get started!

COLD CASE was designed by Depth Deception and deployed December 2009.

Not in Boston? No worries! You can can still make it through the game fairly easily (but with point penalties) by using the HINT system. How's it work? Just text HINT once you've started the game! You have 3 guesses before you are skipped ahead to the next clue.

You can also text SKIP, but in practice, this sometimes skips two clues so use it sparingly. Happy hunting!

Women Composers

Where are all the women composers? As I scroll through my ipod, the apparent lack of a female presence seems glaring and disappointing. Why haven't more ladies taken up the big orchestra sound?

Well, that's not exactly the case. Don't forget the venerable Shirley Walker. Haven't heard of her? Well, if your childhood was anything like mine, then you've most certainly heard her music. Ms. Walker was responsible for the amazing soundtrack blasting behind Batman: the Animated Series, the animated movie spinoffs, and the Superman cartoon, among other things.

Let's listen to some samples, shall we?



She's also responsible for my favorite Joker theme, the carnival-like music that is woven into the following rhythmic piece:



More Joker theme:



Her Superman Theme is so good it demands a place next to John William's famous theme.



Listen to Shirley herself as she deconstructs the Batman theme:



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Oh, and I almost forgot! Yoko Kanno deserves a shout out. How about her stirring choral piece Escaflowne: Dance of Curse:



Her work on Cowboy Bebop is as varied as it is genius:



Green Bird (Spoiler alert)

Gimme Dat Christian Side Hug

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.....

ZOMG!

Variety is the Spice of Life

Now that I'm jobless and subsisting on a diet almost entirely of PB&J, I'm constantly reminded of a story from childhood. Back when I was a young boy in Rhode Island, I lived across from what I considered to be my second family, the Lowmans. It seemed like I split my time evenly between the two homes. Some of my favorite things about lunch with the Lowmans were the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Forget the bitter wheat bread that my mother used, the Lowmans had white bread, sweet and fluffy. And forget the boring grape jelly of my household; the Lowmans wouldn't settle for anything less than strawberry jam. A revelation. Back at home, my mother's sandwiches were fine, but they seemed plain and usual. Sure, they were lovingly cut into four squares, but they lacked the exotic, sweet tongue smack that the PB&J from across street always elicited.

Fast forward some years later. I've long since moved away and I'm visiting my old friend, The Lowman's son, my blood brother. As we reminisced about our good ol' days of summer fun and PB&J's, I discovered he had a very similar impression of the sandwiches, only in reverse. As it turns out, he was a great fan of my mother's sandwiches. He relished the savory taste of grape jelly and wheat, the caring way they were cut, and the double layer of peanut butter. To his mind, his family's PB&J's were bland and boring, but my family's sandwiches were exciting and new!

It just goes to show you, there is truth in the old adage, "variety is the spice of life." Sometimes, trying something new opens up exciting new perspectives. As for me, I still prefer strawberry peanut butter sandwiches on white bread, but I've borrowed my mother's technique of spreading peanut butter on both sides to add another layer and to stop the jelly from seeping into the bread.

The best of both worlds. Bon Appetit.

Black Bear

Written by Jay Fuller


Johnny pulled up his trousers and waded into Stuckey pond. He shouldered his handmade fishing pole like a rifle. The line and hook trailed behind him, cutting the surface of the water like a nail across glass.

Birch and sumac trees had begun to show signs of the coming autumn. Here and there, deep reds and amber yellows dotted the surrounding forest. The stagnant, hot air of the summer season had started to give way to cooler breezes. Johnny relished the occasional chill. His feet plopped into the muck beneath the water’s surface, which oozed between his toes.

He stopped once he was partway submerged and reached into his shirt pocket. He pulled out a writhing earthworm and pierced its midsection with his fishing hook. He cast his line toward the center of the pond, where the water was dark. The bait plunged in with a tiny splash. Johnny counted the ripples as they made their way back to him.

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