Checkerboard Anatomy

Checkerboard Anatomy: A Diagonal Duality

dshvld

Cold

Poll: How Are You Feeling Today?

The world is one in transition, and it never stays the same. We can see this in the expanding universe; we can see it in decaying particles. It’s especially true for our emotions. So, how are you feeling today? Choose up to 3 choices in the poll below, or enter your own description of how you feel right now. We’re curious about the mental state of all Interopians out there. We certainly hope you are doing well. Leave a comment and let us know why you feel that way.

Credit: design-emotion.com

List of Dualities

Both science and religion seem to share the common idea that “all is one”. Many religious or spiritual people believe that “God” is everything: the rocks, the plants, the birds, and even you. Similarly, most scientists believe that everything came from a common source, exploding from a singularity 13.75 billion years ago. This idea of unity is also a central tenet of Interopia.

But, if all is one, then why do we see so many instances of two in the world? Somehow the one became two, and how this happened is one of the greatest mysteries of all. It’s no secret to visitors of Interopia that we like to meditate on particular dualities. Of course, what makes a duality is up for debate. But let’s try to focus on basic universal concepts, or ones that relate to the basic human condition. Therefore, something like “Mac/PC” doesn’t count. Let’s try to make a list of the fundamental ingredients of reality. Here’s our list:

Cool/Warm

All – Nothing
Mind – Body
Black – White
Hot – Cold
Inside – Outside
Me – You
Me – Not Me
Male – Female
War – Peace
Good – Evil
Up – Down
Left – Right
Past – Future
Matter – Energy
Electricity – Magnetism
Visible – Invisible
Pain – Pleasure
Truth – Lie
Right – Wrong
Begin – End
Human – Animal
Alive – Inanimate
Existence – Non-Existence
Asleep – Awake
Dream – Reality

When Nothing is Right, Everything is Left

Positive – Negative
Movement – Stillness
Matter – Emptiness
Sound – Silence
Knowledge – Ignorance
Life – Death
Happy – Sad
Form – Formlessness
Permanent – Temporary
Creation – Destruction
Day – Night
Chaos – Order
Beautiful – Ugly
Attraction – Repulsion
Observer – Observed

Project Plan and Communication

Welcome to part 3 of the PM/ISD series. First we talked about the definition of a project and the importance of identifying stakeholders. Then we discussed project charters, design documents, and task analysis. Today the topics are the planning stage (including budgeting and a work-breakdown structure) and communication among stakeholders.

Harlequin

Buckets

A rock song about buckets.

List of Types of Characters

One of our most popular posts ever is the Timeline of Fictional Characters, which named specific characters from throughout the history of legend, literature, and popular culture. The following is a companion list. This time we name all of the species of characters, rather than specific characters. These are only recurring character types that have occurred in many different sources, not a product of a single franchise. Therefore, there are no Smurfs, Ewoks, or Klingons.

One advantage of seeing all the types of characters laid out like this is that it makes creating a new character very easy. All you have to do it pick two of the following character types and mix them together to create a character never thought of before.

The character types are presented in alphabetical order. Let us know in the comments if any important ones were forgotten.

Poll: Ghosts and Aliens

Do you believe in ghosts…or aliens? I have met people from both camps. A belief in ghosts seems to indicate a more spiritual view of the world, whereas a belief in aliens seems to point at a more scientific perspective. After all, if evolution can create life here on Earth, perhaps the same scientific processes are at work in other far off corners of Interopia.

Where do you stand? Please take the ghost/alien poll. There is no “not sure” option, so just pick the choice closest to your gut feeling.

credit: 3ir.net

A Song I Wrote

The Rose

 

Descriptors

Click for animation.

Hominid

The rise of man and the question “Where does he come from?”

Project Charter and Design Document

You may remember that two weeks ago this site introduced the 4-part series “Project Management for Instructional Designers. We defined the term “project” and talked about the importance of identifying stakeholders early on in the process. In today’s second installment, we continue with the additional related topics of project charter, design document and task analysis.

Imperial

A green song with a purple name.

10 Suggested Features/Products For Apple

Dear Apple,

You’ve had an amazing decade and I don’t need to list the accomplishments, but let’s look towards the future. Everyone has already noticed that the iPhone, iPad, and iPad Mini are all just the same thing in different sizes. It’s time to really branch out and do something new. As a stockholder myself, I feel compelled to give you a few ideas about what consumers want.

Symbiote

A song about two separate entities growing intertwined until finally their hearts beat as one.

Pomegranate

Encyclopedia of Fruits of Vietnam

One of the best things about living in Vietnam is the wide variety of fresh fruits available wherever you go. Don’t you agree? Cheap, delicious, and healthy, it seems fruit is one of the keys to happiness in life. When I first came to Vietnam, I was amazed by all the new fruits I had never seen before. Fruits of all shapes, sizes, colors, and flavors. I didn’t know many of their names and the locals didn’t know the English terms either. However, over time I become familiar with these exotic tropical fruits, and I have catalogued them for you here.

Click here to enter the fully-editable document

But I still need your help. I need to know about each fruit’s availability, average price, and ripening/storage info. If you can, please edit the document and share what you know. For availability we need to know both when and where they are sold. Price will be quite variable of course, but it’s always nice to have a rough guide for reference when going to the local market. My hope is that the knowledge of the masses will provide each of us with what we need to know to become a true pomologist. That means fruit expert.

 

Emeralds Meshed

The way it should have been.

Candyland

 

Introducing the Interopia Store

Click here to get $5 off each item until Nov. 11!

Interopia is thankful for the interest fans have shown in the site and the constant requests for prints of artwork. So far we have tried to keep up with the production and shipping on our own, but today we bring a new partner into the fold. As you can see in the menu above, you can now find the official Interopia Store, hosted by Society6, where you can purchase prints of many classic art pieces from throughout the site’s history. There are also a few copies remaining of our book “Interopia, Vol. 1” available here. Remember, your purchases support the site, allowing it to carry on forever and always be there in your time of need.

Grey

Are you ever grey? It’s the color of a world in transition.