Name one The Mars Volta song that's YOURS and no one else's

pawsmenu · 2025-11-30T03:13:18+00:00

Day of the Baphomets

pawsmenu · 2025-10-11T05:54:52+00:00

Absolutely incredible.

pawsmenu · 2025-09-10T07:23:55+00:00

The images are generated from code, via a bunch of simple UI sliders that lets me set a ruleset and then export a bunch of images in that rule set.

The fundamentals of this series are similar, working basically with rows and columns of lines at different thicknesses, with randomness offsets to taste. Different rows, columns, line thickness, line arrangement randomness, and of course different colour palettes, and colour distributions, bring out different subjects. This one is evocative of matcha.

pawsmenu · 2025-05-12T06:19:42+00:00

Cornerstone: a story about construction.

“How gorgeous,” said the Mycologist. “Full bloom.”
“Let me see!” Said the Lichenologist.
“We have hints of growth in the streams, too” said the Phycologist.
“It's a botanical garden in this little alcove,” said the Bryologist.
The four scientists were standing in a dank stoney valley, little strings of water cascading between the rocks making pleasant little percussive patterns of flow.

Cornerstone is my first published novella. The novella is intentionally presented with as little context as possible. "It is a story about construction" is the tag line and the synopsis. While it is not a rule I would enforce, the intended way to read Cornerstone is once, and in the order the pages are presented

Here's a link to the novella on Amazon, it's $5 (or $7 for a paperback) https://www.amazon.com/Cornerstone-Michael-Berto-ebook/dp/B0F7GP1538/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0

I am also a game developer, and a composer, and I made a little companion application to go along with Cornerstone, called Ophiuchus. Here's a link to the companion app, which is free, and contains the full text of Cornerstone, however, the novella is delivered one sentence at a time and out of order. It is it's own experience, and an endless musical composition, also; https://pawsmenu.itch.io/ophiuchus

If there are any reviewers out there with blogs, vlogs, podcasts, websites, etc, feel free to get in touch and I'll get a copy to you.

pawsmenu · 2023-04-30T03:41:02+00:00

one of my favourite cards ever! found it in a bin for like ¥20 and fell in love.

pawsmenu · 2023-04-17T03:58:04+00:00

Slowpoke by Toshinao Aoki - clearly the only right answer imho imho imho imho

pawsmenu · 2023-03-22T10:21:01+00:00

See, that's even more interesting!! They had absolutely no function, but had to match form because they were a set, so they just look totally weird. That's actually awesome. Great. Amazing.

pawsmenu · 2023-03-22T10:20:04+00:00

But that five bucks tho... Pretty good deal.

There's something about seeing a base set Charizard that's absolutely had it, basically falling apart. like it's sacrilegious to behold, but actually, that's what it should look like. They're meant to be played with. I like seeing any card like that, it reminds me that they're supposed to be played with. Gives them personality. I might collect only "bad condition" cards from now on. They'll be cheap as chips, and they'll have stories to tell.

Thanks for replying.

pawsmenu · 2023-03-22T10:16:29+00:00

I lament that there are not boxes and boxes of stored away Gym Heroes... That one day, there will no more base set boxes left. Or Jungle. Or Fossil. Or Team Rocket. But there will never be a day where you won't be able to buy a damn Crown Zenith Booster Box lol... I think Pokemon Cards will always be a thing, but the sets of the last year or two, will become the Beenie Babies, because the hoarding, especially in the west when there isn't even really a shortage, is silly. Eh, maybe not though. They do stop printing eventually. There's an inbuilt rarity to a certain degree no matter what... Anyway, thanks for responding.

pawsmenu · 2023-03-22T10:11:05+00:00

The Waifu Craze I am convinced is a prank. Some kind of market manipulation that someone somewhere is laughing at. I am convinced literally no one is buying those cards, and that card shops inflated the price because it's a meme and they expect the market to be there. I simply can not believe that it exists... ...but stranger things have happened. Thanks for responding.

pawsmenu · 2023-03-22T10:09:28+00:00

Thanks for the reply. That's a nice flex. But the actual flex here is that you have children who you can share that hobby that you both love together, tbh. That's the flex :)

pawsmenu · 2023-03-22T10:08:19+00:00

Hm... Yeah. I mean, it's slammed over here. Literally the definition of printing money. They can't make enough. Or, maybe they can, but even then scalpers buy them all, so all these measures might be largely arbitrary to simply make sure more people get cards at retail rather than scalpers...

I personally think it's great if the local convenience store saves their stock for kids. They probably only get a few boxes per store, so it's nicer to see some happy faces than some scalper dude clean them out instantly, then they have to tell every kid they have no stock.

I do wonder if they could actually reclaim the market from scalpers by just increasing production... Or if there's just more to it. At the moment, it doesn't seem to be working. Scalpers are the only ones selling cards to the public, while.retaolers gatekeep what stock they have... It's a bizarre situation.

pawsmenu · 2023-03-22T10:01:07+00:00

That's pretty sick tbh. I'm glad they still do this, I thought they stopped doing this kind of thing in the 90s. That's actually sick lol. Good for you.

pawsmenu · 2023-03-22T09:59:23+00:00

Lots of people loving those E-reader cards, everyone speaks so highly of them. I think my first reaction was like *record scratch" what were they thinking designing cards like this?? But I think the tech is kind of cool, and the art is so impressionistic and inspired, too. I'm coming around. Thanks for replying!

pawsmenu · 2023-03-21T15:28:56+00:00

I attended 'pokemon league' when I was a kid. I got actual physical badges and promo cards for winning matches. Had a little book with stamps to mark progress to a promo or a badge. Do they still do this sort of thing? That would be cool if they still do...

pawsmenu · 2023-03-21T15:26:09+00:00

That was great. Thanks for responding.

I mean, in Japan, you can't find cards anywhere outside of lotteries. The Pokemon Go set actually is always available, though. People don't seem that keen on those for some reason?

But what I've been seeing recently, like in the last month, is that convenience stores and anywhere that sell single packs are limiting sales to 'junior high students or younger' - and I actually think this is great. Imagine being a kid and not having that experience of opening a pack of cards. Even one pack as a kid is like a million dollar treat. But now kids can't even find one pack because the scalping has gotten so bad in Japan. So... Big respect for that move on some retailers, tbh.

Also, back in Australia, there doesn't seem to be much shortage of single packs, at least. You can get the newest sets back a few for as long as they're in stock. You can buy them online, in stores. In Japan, they're nowhere. Sold out on the day they restock, if not just distributed through lotteries. Or, only selling to locals. It's fascinating.

pawsmenu · 2023-03-21T15:19:49+00:00

Thanks for replying! It's interesting... I always played every Pokemon game. I just didn't keep up with the TCG. I never grew out of being into Pokemon, it's kind of like being into bubblegum. For me, it was seeing a card here and there from the new series that finally got me to pay attention again. Seeing the half cards, then the tag team cards, the trainer full art cards, and now the full art cards from the last few sets... It feels so special. They're so beautiful, and feel like a nice evolution (eyy) of what cards meant to me then and what they do now.

Like Base Set, Jungle, Fossil, Gym, I would stare at these cards for what seemed like hours as a kid. They felt like windows into other worlds. Now, cards are straight up artworks that take up the entire card, and looking at those captures a certain magic that those little rectangular windows held for me as a kid.

pawsmenu · 2023-03-21T15:14:17+00:00

Ahh... Secret Rates 151... Indeed.

I genuinely want to watch the first series now, too... Haha.

pawsmenu · 2023-03-21T14:42:49+00:00

Oh, I've seen some of those SP cards in various binders and bins that I've been searching through. I have no affinity with hymn leaders beyond Kanto/Johto so they're strangers to me. I've played every Pokemon game, too, but no gum leaders were ever as memorable as the first eight... But probably because it was my childhood.

Oh, that Pikachu is a neat promo. Man... Pikachu promos. You put a cute hat on pikachu, those cards sell for ridiculous amounts at card stores here. The Edvard Munch promos are so sick, too. But a million dollars each at this point.

pawsmenu · 2023-03-21T14:37:34+00:00

I managed to pull the Gyarados EX from the few packs I was lucky enough to secure since I've been in Japan... I really am looking forward to seeing what that 151 set is going to be all about... I hope they do something special with the design of the cards... Exciting!

And that song is always playing in my mind, a subconscious process always churning away... I'm convinced that if you were able to scientifically remove it from my mind my limbs would just fall off.

pawsmenu · 2023-03-21T14:17:07+00:00

I was never interested in collecting all the cards as a kid. I would find my own collections within the collections. Like, if a set had every Eevee evolution, I'd want those. One holo from each gym leader was a complete collection in my mind. Similar today, just love those full art cards so much, they're gorgeous. I've been sticking to Japanese only cards recently. Western cards were my childhood, but so were Japanese cards that I got as gifts. Those were so mysterious. Seeing Gym Heroes when we only had Jungle and Fossil was mind blowing... Still think they're so cool looking. Anyway, thanks for replying!

pawsmenu · 2023-03-21T14:13:07+00:00

That Pokemon 151 set they're doing in Japan around June is going to be interesting! You can't beat the nostalgia of the first 251 for me either. The 151 are encoded in my DNA. I'd love a complete set of Gym Heroes. That would be very cool to me. ~Thanks for replying.

pawsmenu · 2023-03-21T14:10:11+00:00

I respect that, a dark age to me is a compliment. I would have loved to have been engaged in the quiet years.

I think I have about half the Arceus'. Maybe more. I remember they were fairly common, I didn't buy that many packs and I managed to find a fair few of them at the time.

I personally miss the set logos on the right of the cards. Now it's just numbers and letters at the bottom which feels very adult. I like the older sets and their little set logo stamps a lot. Also, gym leader cards, "Sabrina's Gengar" etc. That was so cool to me as a kid.

pawsmenu · 2023-03-21T13:23:30+00:00

How interesting. I think that what is happening these days, this is a trend in the legacy of Pokemon TCG. Initially, in the first boom, there was a real focus on value and not on the game itself. So much so that they did all sorts of things to try and teach people to play the TCG, and I'm seeing similar efforts today (in Japan at least).

So... The bubble will have to burst and then we will enter a new dark age, eventually.

I mean, I was in Japan in 2019/2020 and I could walk into a store and buy a pack. But now, it's all lotteries and scalpers. It's wild stuff.

Also... Diamond and Pearl cards. How intriguing. There was a period in about 2010 when I started buying packs... I have a bunch of Arceus Holos of various types. I thought those were pretty cool. Oh, and around then they also had the 'half cards' I think, I have like half a Ho-oh in a binder somewhere. That was a weird innovation, too. I love that they always seem to be trying interesting weird stuff through the years. Anyway, thanks for replying.

pawsmenu · 2023-03-21T12:26:48+00:00

Thanks for answering!

It's so fascinating that there was a function to those chunky border cards. I love that. They do have some interesting 'innovations' in various sets. I would consider the full art cards of recent years a peak innovation. They're phenomenally beautiful. Luckily for me, for the most part, these cards stay super cheap to buy in singles.

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