Bring on the inspiration!

I've seen and heard quite a bit lately that has caused my imagination to soar!

First, there was a documentary we checked out from the local library (quick side note: the library is loaded with more documentaries than you can shake a stick at... for FREE!). The one I picked was a NOVA documentary about "The Mysterious Life of Caves." There were a couple things that really stuck out for me, and one was that acid drips from the walls and ceilings. Acid drips from the walls and ceilings. Just think about that.

These three scientists figured out that there is a bacteria growing in some caves that literally melt the rock wall away to create the cave itself. They don't use sunlight at all (it's totally black dark in the caves) - they only feed on gas in the cave and the rock itself, manganese in particular.

Another set of scientists in another cave had discovered bacteria growing in water and acid, without the use of sunlight at all, and that they were related to the bacteria growing near deep-sea vents in the ocean. They say these organisms are probably related to the original life on the planet, i.e. where not just us humans, but all life on Earth came from. Awesome.

Moving on, I read an article on Gamers with Jobs about directing and camera work in games. It reminded me of a great game I played years back called Anachronox, which I remember even back then thinking about how great the camera moves were. They had really put a lot of thought into it, and it made the game that much better. It was really one of the best games I've ever played (I'd put it in my top 5 of all time), and just thinking about it makes me want to play it again. I've posted on the Gamers with Jobs game trading thread, so hopefully someone has it and wants to trade... I've unfortunately lost the game due to throwing it away or placing it somewhere in my parent's basement.

Speaking about directing and camera work in games, it's something I've already thought quite a bit about for my own game. Here are some lines from my notes:

• Extreme slow motion, with a lot going on during it (stuff flying around... hey, maybe snow falling!).
  
• Alternate seamlessly between extreme slow motion and normal or fast.
• Long uncut shots - very cool and adds to tension and believability.
• Add to it by bringing the camera through tiny cracks in walls or door locks, etc.
• Many "impossible" shots - flying over and around stuff, through stuff, go from real high in the sky to real low.... maybe even underground or underwater.
  

I've learned much from the great directors of movies like Night Watch, Children of Men, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, Fight Club, and 300. Expect to see some of the direction you've seen in those movies in Omnivore.

On a somewhat unrelated note, I've been reading a book called "In Praise of Slowness" by Carl Honore. I saw it at the library and couldn't help but check it out. It turns out that there is a huge movement worldwide to practice the power of Slow. Those that know me well know that I'm not exactly the fastest person in the world, and it looks like I've been right all this time (haha)!

Check out this wikipedia entry about the Slow Movement. It's not just about moving slower, it's a philosophy on life, and I love it. Reading this book has really brought my attention to how fast the world, and especially our society, is trying to make everyone get things done. It's causing more stress, health problems, and costing more money than people realize. I'm only a few chapters into the book right now, but I'll post more as I read more.

This is a long post and I'm done!