Chris DeLuca

🕹️🎨 What Are Paper Computer Games?

A drawing of a retro sci-fi computer screen with a cheery clown on a stick displayed. The clown's spikey hair is green, and is a robot.

When I was a kid I came up with something called Paper Computer Games, which are role-playing, puzzle solving games drawn on paper that emulated point-and-click adventure games. They are meant to be …

Stumbled upon a heartening/concerning story of a man who compulsively digs a tunnel. I wasn’t planning on spending a half hour digging into this but I found the whole thing oddly compelling.

Don’t Get Pantsed!, my comedic, yet surprisingly human, interactive fiction is back online. It’s short, you can play it in the browser, and I’m still proud of it. 🕹️

Tested positive for COVID this morning 😞

My symptoms are mild (so far). Isolating and resting. Stay safe everyone.

Started reading: The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi 📚

Bought some year end reading material with some of Lullabot’s generous education budget.

5 book apart books stacked on each other. Sustainable web design by Tom greenwood. The new css layout by Rachel Andrew. You deserve a tech union by Ethan marcotte. Responsive design patterns and principles by Ethan marcotte. Flexible typesetting by Tim brown.

Had a lovely Christmas and Christmas Eve with friends. So much good homemade food, so much laughter. I’m very grateful.

Finished reading: Old Man’s War by John Scalzi 📚

Toms of main is over their skis.

Big chores day. Thought you should know.

Folks wanted to create an AI generated book cover for a Harry Potter fan-fiction. ChatGPT doesn’t allow copyrighted prompts, so I had to get “creative”.

Generate an image for a fake novel cover called Larry Porter and the Unexpected Pregnancy by Syrum Hawke, in which Larry Porter, a wizard boy wearing glasses, becomes pregnant and falls in love with Dracon Malfiz, a handsome pop star.

There’s too much to unpack here, but at least in this version the pregnaany was exxepdected.

Three hunky white young men grace the cover, two of which are harry potter. The first one stares bug eyed, the second one smolders. The third man, clearly Draco, has another smoldering look, and wears a floppy hat. Everyone wears a combination of boarding school suits and wizard robes. There are stars and birds and fantasy-looking glas bottles in the background, with two open books at each lower corner. The title reads 'Lary Porter and the Exxepdected Pregnaany, a Novline P NP E Stol Skyruim Hawke'

Another AI generated novel cover. The prompt:

Generate a fake image of a young adult fantasy novel from 2002 by Veronica Hammerschmidt called A Crow Wand in a Caldron

The cover shows a smiling crown standing on a wand, which comes straight out of a cauldron. Everything is mystical and sparkly, but dark. It's in a forest at night. There are stars and white flowers. The title reads 'A Crow Wandd in a Calron by Veronica Hammerschmidt'

It looks like Bed Bath & Beyond went Wicca.

I just figured something out at work, and exclaimed, out loud, “Zonkers!” I continue to be an unforced verbal slide Shaggy.

What series of AI generated novel covers would be complete without a 70s pulp fantasy?

Generate a fake image of a fantasy novel from the 1970s called A Curse of Moonlight and Mayhem by E.E.E. Clarke

An AI generated novel cover. The cover depicts a mystical, moonlit landscape with an eeri cloaked figure, a ball of magical energy in their hand. The title reads, "A curse of Moonllight Mayhem, by E.E.E. Clarke

Pretty cool! Those distressed edges—very nice. The AI always gets the spelling just wrong.

Another in the AI generated novel cover series, this time, a romance. The prompt was:

Generate an image of a fake romance novel cover from the 1990s by Rose Croissant called A Duchess One Day

The cover features an opulent palace garden in the background, with lush flowers and vibrant bushes. Two white people, a man on the left and a woman on the right, embrance, their noses touching. They are dressed in luxurious victorian clothes. The man stares down, and the woman stares bug eyed at the man's cheek. At the top, in fancy lettering, is the author name, 'Rose Croassorit'. Below, the title is 'A Duchhess One Day'

It captures the spirit of the assignment, but wow their eye lines are weird.

I started generating novel covers for imagined books through ChatGPT4 with my friend Ania. I think the results have been hilarious.

Here’s the prompt for the first one.

Generate an image for a fake mystery novel by Rake McMaster called The Pine Tree Assault

AI generated book cover. The title reads "The Pine Trre Assalt: A Mystery" by Rake McMaster. There is a quote at the top that looks real, but when looking closer is unintelligible in any language, and might not even be real letters. The image is tall, bare pine trees in shadow with a path running down the middle, and forboding shadowy figures standing in the background. The palette is black and a light green.

This is the start of a series.

I forgot to post this earlier, but I bought the John Scalizi Humble Bundle. I’ve been tearing through Old Man’s War, so I’m thinking I can make a serious dent in his Biography in the new year.

Look at this fucking shit.

A tiny room with a urinal at the end. A large photo of a women with a beehive hairdo drinking a beer and staring directly at you hangs above at eye level

A friend unearthed an old computer with an even older photo of me on it. I must have been 16 or 17. I’ve got horror movie eyes and shampoo commercial hair.

A old company tower computer with a Sony crt monitor showing an ancient version of windows. A photo of yours truly, a white man, is on display. I’m about 17 years old, clean shaven, with long flowing brown hair. I’m spreading my arms with wide eyes staring into camera.

Started reading: Old Man’s War by John Scalzi 📚

I’ve been enjoying reading Apple Rankings by The Appleist Brian Frange - Comedian Brian Frange. The best is the lowest ranked apples. Check out Apple Hell.

Some friends told me about the book Natural Harvest (subtitle omitted), which was a cook book given as a joke at a years-prior white elephant gift exchange. It seems like it is a serious recipe book. I’ll let you click through for details, but, like, wow.

I was made aware of the Clearly Impossible Puzzle today. Every piece is clear, they’re all reversible, and there’s false edge pieces. This is maybe the most hardcore thing.

A photo of a completed 200 piece puzzle, about 8 inches by 10 inches. All pieces are transparent. There is masking tape on the back to hold everything together. It lies on a patterned table cloth.

Just had Zyara for lunch and as always it is too good.

Finished reading: Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut 📚