A new look, a runaway train, and Pong with a twist.

8th July 2024

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Hello!

I actually published a new thing to the internet this week! Granted a single post to my Instagram account isn't much (along with new profile pictures), but it marks the first time I've been officially "on camera" in six months.

But related to that: This week's Lateral is the first of the new recording block! It's also the first properly-new video I've recorded since going on sabbatical. New player Robert Llewellyn, along with returning team Bill Sunderland and Dani Siller from Escape this Podcast, face questions about mud mounds, circling canines and priceless printers. If you're listening to the full audio episode, the only change will be a slightly different microphone sound for me: but if you're watching the highlights on YouTube, or on TikTok, or anywhere else, you might notice that I'm no longer wearing a red shirt...

What have I found on YouTube this week?

Taitset breaks down a runaway train incident in Australia with the help of great narration, their own historical photos, the actual incident report, and careful recreations in a rail simulator. So many video essays use other people's photos well outside the boundaries of fair use/fair dealing: it's a delight to see someone who's telling the story using original footage. (Thanks to Emma for sending this over!)
The music video for Coldplay's new single, Feels Like I'm Falling In Love, is a beautiful example of how sign language (ASL and LSV, in this case) can be "sung": some words are translated literally, and other times entire scenes are created with the hands. It feels wrong that the signers-singers are relegated out of the in-vision credits: but hidden in the description, there's a statement by the translator and artistic director (PDF) that talks a little about the process. If you want to know more about how music and show translations work, here's a great 15-minute RNZ interview with sign language translator Kelly Hodgins.
Gabi Belle finds that TikTok Shop is a nightmare, and I can't disagree.

What about away from video? Well:

pn0gstr0m is Pong with a twist that seems obvious in hindsight: the balls multiply every time they're hit. Combined with Breakout-style powerups, the result is a fast-moving, occasionally-baffling, and fun game.
Minute Cryptic is one cryptic crossword clue, every day, with a hint system. British-style cryptic crosswords can be impenetrable until you learn the shorthand that they're written in, and this is a really good way to start that learning. (Thanks Josh!)
Finally: Microsoft Word will no longer "paste with formatting" by default. Even better: it'll treat pastes from the web differently to pastes from within other documents! Astonishing that it took so long to solve such an enormous pain point, but at least it's here.

And finally: Michael Jackson's Thriller, performed on electric toothbrushes, credit card readers and typewriters. (Thanks Manuel!)

All the best,

— Tom

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