Fantasist’s Scroll

Well, at least free PDFs for graph paper.
This really interesting company has released FREE PDFs of assorted, blank graph paper that you can use to print out your own in whatever quantity you desire. The company is Incompetech and you can find the PDFs at their Free Online Graph Paper / Grid Paper PDFs page. Not only do they have standard graph paper, but they also have hex-grid, assorted geometric shapes, musical notation paper, caligraphy practice paper, and assorted “dot” matrix paper in various geometric shapes.
Great if you’re a gamer, and cool even if you’re not.
And, all just in time for the weekend!

Yeah, okay, so I’m a little late this week.
Still, I managed to find a fairly decent Friday Fun Link for you all. This comes from Boing Boing and is actually a list of links with a fun, but odd, theme: Animal Games. Basically, just a collection of games that you can play on the web which have animal themes to them. My favorite is worm battleship. Too funny.

Anyway, it’s Friday and you’ve got your link now, so go have fun.

I do not know what this is.
No, really, I’m not quite sure what this is supposed to be. A game? The start of a site? Do they expect us to submit books and reviews to it? If so, they don’t seem to provide an interface to submit “found” books. Perhaps it’s just a thought experiment?
Tell you what, it’s Friday, and if you’re wasting time reading this blog instead of working, you might as well go check out the Interstitial Library yourself. If you figure it out, come back and leave a comment to help the rest of us!

It’s almost New Year’s Eve, so I thought a link to a New Year’s Resolution Generator would be appropriate.
Yes, I coded it and popped it onto my other site. Originally, I did it to try and cheer up two special ladies who were having a rough holiday season. Honestly, I don’t know that it helped, but at least it kept my PERL CGI skills sharp and, I think, it’s a little bit of fun. And, yeah, the probabilities are weighted toward tequila drinking and kissing strangers. Hey, I’m single, it’s almost New Year’s Eve and if I can’t slant things in my favor, what’s the point of knowing a programming language at all?
Anyway, don’t take it too seriously and have a happy and safe New Year’s celebration!

Hey, are you going into the office today?
Well, you can’t possibly plan to do anything that even comes close to looking like work, so why not check out Christmas Combat and the Christmas Elf Game. And, another game from the Elf Movie last year. Does it matter if they’re any good? NO! It’s just a way to waste time before you cut out early for Christmas.
Oh, and while you’re at it, check out the Hacked Animatronic Santa. It’s a riot!
Have fun and be safe!
Merry Christmas everyone!

(And, yes, this was also posted at my other blog.)

I know I’ve talked about this before, but not recently.
I love maps. I love looking at them. I love drawing them. Maps can make an otherwise confusing travel story clear or just spark my imagination to new ideas about how geography effects the world. As a result, I’m always looking for more ideas about making my own maps. I use a lot of different tools to make maps, but mainly I use Campaign Cartographer. Though, the tools don’t really matter as much as good technique. And, I know that my technique is pretty weak these days. So, when I saw Maldin’s Greyhawk – A Guide to Mapmaking, by Denis Tetreault, one of the main cartographers for Wizards of the Coast, publishers of Dungeons and Dragons, I got really excited.
Sure, much of the information is a rehash of things I’ve read elsewhere, but plenty of it is new stuff. And, what’s more, it gives a nice look into the mind of a professional fantasy cartographer. How often do you find that kind of information? Right, not very often. That’s why I linked to it and suggest that, if you have any interest in fantasy map making, you check it out.

I can’t believe I’ve never written about this before!
At least, I couldn’t find anything about it when I searched for “font”. Anyway, this is a super cool little toy, even though it’s Java based, that lets you create your very own random and unique TrueType font. It’s some kind of art experiement or something, but, as far as I’m concerned, the Alphabet Synthesis Machine is just plain cool and fun. Of course, you can loose hours without realizing it playing with this sucker.
So, it’s a perfect way to waste time on a Friday afternoon!

How to Be a Villain: Evil Laughs, Secret Lairs, Master Plans, and More!!!
Yes, this is a real book. No, it is not serious. However, if you’re designing a villain, it’s not a bad place to start. No, seriously! Here in one book are the collected cliches of bad guys. Everything from talking when you should be shooting to the “Rube Goldberg” killing machine. You name the tragic mistake that any and all James Bond villains have made and it’s in this book somewhere. So, in a humorous way, it’s a guidebook for what NOT to do when creating your literary villain. In fact, part of the book is a warning to up-and-coming super villains on what to watch out for in heroes and the big mistakes that the “average” villain makes that costs them their victory.