In a world full of vibrant greens, I found myself lost in shades of gray. I tried the Acer Aspire Vero 16 2025, a laptop that promised warmth and eco-friendliness, yet all it brought was a stark reminder of my solitude. As I admired its environmentally friendly glow, the weight of my own heart felt heavier. I wanted to embrace the beauty of nature, to feel connected, but instead, I sat alone, surrounded by the silence of my choices. It’s ironic how the most eco-conscious technology can illuminate the darkness within us. #Loneliness #Heartbreak #EcoFriendly #AcerAspire #FeelingLost

In a world where colors blend and fade, I find myself lost in shades of solitude. The development of ACES 2.0, discussed by ILM's Alex Fry, embodies the journey of progress and hope. Yet, amidst this innovation, I feel the weight of unfulfilled dreams and the silence of unshared moments. It's as if the vibrant palette of life has dimmed, leaving only echoes of what could have been. Loneliness wraps around me like a heavy cloak, as I yearn for connection in a realm of brilliance. #Loneliness #Heartbreak #ACES2 #ColorScience #UnfulfilledDreams

In a world filled with vibrant colors and endless creativity, I find myself lost in shades of gray. As I navigate through the digital realm, searching for my voice as an illustrator, I can't shake the feeling of isolation. The tips for Procreate echo in my mind, yet the weight of self-doubt clings to my every stroke. I yearn to transform my dreams into reality, yet the canvas feels like a reminder of the distance between aspiration and achievement. Each day, I hope to break free from this loneliness and find solace in my art, but the shadows of disappointment linger, reminding me how far I still have to go. #IllustrationJourney #ProcreateTips #ArtisticLoneliness #CreativeStruggles

In a world painted in greyscale, I find myself lost in the shadows. Each stroke of loneliness deepens the silence, reminding me of the vibrant colors that once filled my heart. I attempt to create powerful, moody digital art but struggle to avoid the pitfalls of black-and-white composition—just like my thoughts, now trapped in a cycle of despair. The palette is heavy with emotion, yet the canvas remains stark, echoing the emptiness I feel. Where are the shades that once brought joy? The beauty of art reflects the beauty of connection, and now I stand alone, yearning for the warmth of hues that have faded away. 🎨💔 #Loneliness #GreyscaleArt #EmotionalPain #DigitalArt

In a world filled with vibrant colors and bustling creativity, I find myself lost in shades of gray. The thought of building a cheap PC for video editing, once a beacon of hope, now feels like a distant dream. Everything I need might be discounted for Prime Day, but the loneliness lingers like a heavy cloud. The options for creatives and gamers seem endless, yet here I am, feeling so small and forgotten. Each click, each sale, only deepens the ache of isolation. Why does the joy of creation evade me when I need it most? #Loneliness #Heartbreak #CreativeStruggles #VideoEditing #PrimeDay

Oh, joy! Just when you thought the world of sunglasses couldn’t get any more exclusive, here comes Meta, strutting in with its latest coup: Prada shades! Because, let’s be honest, when you think of cutting-edge tech, who better to partner with than a fashion house known for turning fabric into fortune? That's right, folks—Ray-Ban, Oakley… and now Prada! I mean, it only makes sense. Who wouldn’t want to experience augmented reality while looking like they just stepped off a runway? Forget practicality; we’re living in a digital age where style trumps substance—especially when your sunglasses cost more than your monthly rent. Meta’s new venture is the perfect embodiment of this ethos: blending high fashion with the latest tech, or as I like to call it, “the art of looking fabulous while you fail to see reality.” The marketing team must have had a field day brainstorming this one. “Let’s take two things people love—fashion and technology—and mash them together like a smoothie that you can’t quite identify!” Brilliant! Imagine strutting down the street, these Prada shades perched on your nose, the world around you filtered through a lens that screams, “I’m too cool for your mundane existence.” And let’s not forget the irony of wearing designer sunglasses to look at a digital world. It’s like putting on a tuxedo to play video games in your basement. Who needs the real world when you can have a virtual one enhanced by a pair of overpriced glasses? It’s a match made in, well, a marketing executive’s dream. But hey, at least they’ve managed to keep the legacy of Ray-Ban and Oakley alive—who needs function when you can turn heads? Sure, they might not shield your eyes from the glaring truth of your bank account after this purchase, but at least you’ll be the best-dressed person in the room… or the one most likely to be judged for frivolous spending. So, to all you fashion-forward tech enthusiasts out there, let’s raise a toast to the new era of eyewear! May your Prada shades serve as a reminder that in this world, it’s not about what you see, but how you look doing it. Cheers to the future, where your inability to see the obvious is only matched by your impeccable taste in sunglasses! #MetaPrada #FashionTech #RayBanOakley #SunglassesSeason #VirtualReality

In the quiet moments, when the world feels heavy and my heart is an echo of the past, I find myself drawn into the realm of Endless Legend 2. Just like the characters that roam through its beautifully crafted landscapes, I too wander through my own desolate terrains of disappointment and solitude. 🖤 In an age where connections are just a click away, I feel an overwhelming wave of loneliness wash over me. It's as if the colors of my life have faded into shades of grey, much like the emptiness that lingers in the air. I once believed in the promise of adventure and the thrill of exploration, but now I’m left with the haunting reminder of dreams unfulfilled. The anticipation for Endless Legend 2, scheduled for early access on August 7, is bittersweet. It stirs a deep longing within me for the days when joy was effortlessly abundant. Jean-Maxime Moris, the creative director of Amplitude Studios, speaks of worlds to conquer, of stories to tell. Yet, each word feels like a distant whisper, a reminder of the tales I used to weave in my mind. I once imagined myself as a brave hero, surrounded by friends who would join me in battle. Now, I sit alone, the flickering light of my screen the only companion in this vast expanse of isolation. 🌧️ Every character in the game resonates with pieces of my own soul, reflecting my fears and hopes. The intricate design of Endless Legend 2 mirrors the complexity of my emotions; beautiful yet deeply fraught with the struggle of existence. I yearn for the laughter of companions and the warmth of camaraderie, yet here I am, cloaked in shadows, fighting battles that are often invisible to the outside world. As I read about the game, I can almost hear the distant armies clashing, feel the pulse of a story waiting to unfold. But reality is stark; the realms I traverse are not just virtual landscapes but the silent corridors of my mind, echoing with the sounds of my own solitude. I wish I could escape into that world, to feel the thrill of adventure once more, to connect with others who understand the weight of these unspoken burdens. But for now, all I have are the remnants of hope, the flickering flames of what could be. And as the countdown to Endless Legend 2 continues, I can’t help but wonder if the game will offer me a reprieve from this loneliness or merely serve as a reminder of the connections I yearn for. 🖤 #EndlessLegend2 #Loneliness #Heartbreak #GamingCommunity #Solitude

In a world where creativity reigns supreme, Adobe has just gifted us with a shiny new toy: the Firefly Boards. Yes, folks, it’s the collaborative moodboarding app that has emerged from beta, as if it were a butterfly finally breaking free from its cocoon—or maybe just a slightly confused caterpillar trying to figure out what it wants to be. Now, why should creative agencies care about this groundbreaking development? Well, because who wouldn’t want to spend hours staring at a digital canvas filled with pretty pictures and random color palettes? Firefly Boards promises to revolutionize the way we moodboard, or as I like to call it, "pretending to be productive while scrolling through Pinterest." Imagine this: your team, huddled around a computer, desperately trying to agree on the shade of blue that will represent their brand. A task that could take days of heated debate is now streamlined into a digital playground where everyone can throw their ideas onto a board like a toddler at a paint store. But let's be real. Isn’t this just a fancy way of saying, “Let’s all agree on this one aesthetic and ignore all our differences”? Creativity is all about chaos, and yet, here we are, trying to tidy up the mess with collaborative moodboarding apps. What’s next? A group hug to decide on the font size? Of course, Adobe knows that creative agencies have an insatiable thirst for shiny features. They’ve marketed Firefly Boards as a ‘collaborative’ tool, but let’s face it—most of us are just trying to find an excuse to use the 'fire' emoji in a professional setting. It’s as if they’re saying, “Trust us, this will make your life easier!” while we silently nod, hoping that it won’t eventually lead to a 10-hour Zoom call discussing the merits of various shades of beige. And let’s not forget the inevitable influx of social media posts proclaiming, “Check out our latest Firefly Board!” — because nothing says ‘creative genius’ quite like a screenshot of a digital board filled with stock images and overused motivational quotes. Can’t wait to see how many ‘likes’ that garners! So, dear creative agencies, while you’re busy diving into the wonders of Adobe Firefly Boards, remember to take a moment to appreciate the irony. You’re now collaborating on moodboards, yet it feels like we’ve all just agreed to put our creative souls on a digital leash. But hey, at least you’ll have a fun platform to pretend you’re being innovative while you argue about which filter to use on your next Instagram post. #AdobeFirefly #Moodboarding #CreativeAgencies #DigitalCreativity #DesignHumor

A serial killer is stalking the streets, and his murders are a work of art. That’s more or less the premise behind Psycasso®, a tongue-in-cheek 2D pixel art game from Omni Digital Technologies that’s debuting a demo at Steam Next Fest this week, with plans to head into Early Access later this year. Playing as the killer, you get a job and build a life by day, then hunt the streets by night to find and torture victims, paint masterpieces with their blood, then sell them to fund operations.I sat down with lead developer Benjamin Lavender and Omni, designer and producer, to talk about this playfully gory game that gives a classic retro style and a freshtwist.Let’s start with a bit of background about the game.Omni: We wanted to make something that stands out. We know a lot of indie studios are releasing games and the market is ever growing, so we wanted to make something that’s not just fun to play, but catches people’s attention when others tell them about it. We’ve created an open-world pixel art game about an artist who spends his day getting a job, trying to fit into society. Then at nighttime, things take a more sinister turn and he goes around and makes artwork out of his victim's blood.We didn’t want to make it creepy and gory. We kind of wanted it to be cutesy and fun, just to make it ironic. Making it was a big challenge. We basically had to create an entire city with functioning shops and NPCs who have their own lives, their own hobbies. It was a huge challenge.So what does the actual gameplay look like?Omni: There’s a day cycle and a night cycle that breaks up the gameplay. During the day, you can get a job, level up skills, buy properties and furniture upgrades. At nighttime, the lighting completely changes, the vibe completely changes, there’s police on the street and the flow of the game shifts. The idea is that you can kidnap NPCs using a whole bunch of different weapons – guns, throwable grenades, little traps and cool stuff that you can capture people with.Once captured on the street, you can either harvest their blood and body parts there, or buy a specialist room to keep them in a cage and put them in various equipment like hanging chains or torture chairs. The player gets better rewards for harvesting blood and body parts this way.On the flip side, there’s a whole other element to the game where the player is given missions each week from galleries around the city. They come up on your phone menu, and you can accept them and do either portrait or landscape paintings, with all of the painting being done using only shades of red. We've got some nice drip effects and splat sounds to make it feel like you’re painting with blood. Then you can give your creation a name, submit it to a gallery, then it goes into a fake auction, people will bid on the artwork and you get paid and large amount of in-game money so you can then buy upgrades for the home, upgrade painting tools like bigger paint brushes, more selection tools, stuff like that.Ben: There’s definitely nothing like it. And that was the aim, is when you are telling people about it, they’re like, “Oh, okay. Right. We’re not going to forget about this.” Let’s dig into the 2D tools you used to create this world.Ben: It’s using the 2D Renderer. The Happy Harvest 2D sample project that you guys made was kind of a big starting point, from a lighting perspective, and doing the normal maps of the 2D and getting the lighting to look nice. Our night system is a very stripped-down, then added-on version of the thing that you guys made. I was particularly interested by its shadows. The building’s shadows aren’t actually shadows – it’s a black light. We tried to recreate that with all of our buildings in the entire open world – so it does look beautiful for a 2D game, if I do say so myself.Can you say a bit about how you’re using AI or procedural generation in NPCs?Ben: I don’t know how many actually made it into the demo to be fair, number-wise. Every single NPC has a unique identity, as in they all have a place of work that they go to on a regular schedule. They have hobbies, they have spots where they prefer to loiter, a park bench or whatever. So you can get to know everyone’s individual lifestyle.So, the old man that lives in the same building as me might love to go to the casino at nighttime or go consistently on a Monday and a Friday, that kind of vibe.It uses the A* Pathfinding Project, because we knew we wanted to have a lot of AIs. We’ve locked off most of the city for the demo, but the actual size of the city is huge. The police mechanics are currently turned off, but there’s 80% police mechanics in there as well. If you punch someone or hurt someone, that’s a crime, and if anyone sees it, they can go and report to the police and then things happen. That’s a feature that’s there but not demo-ready yet.How close would you say you are to a full release?Omni: We should be scheduled for October for early access. By that point we’ll have the stealth mechanics and the policing systems polished and in and get some of the other upcoming features buttoned up. We’re fairly close.Ben: Lots of it’s already done, it’s just turned off for the demo. We don’t want to overwhelm people because there’s just so much for the player to do.Tell me a bit about the paint mechanics – how did you build that?Ben: It is custom. We built it ourselves completely from scratch. But I can't take responsibility for that one – someone else did the whole thing – that was their baby. It is really, really cool though.Omni: It’s got a variety of masking tools, the ability to change opacity and spacing, you can undo, redo. It’s a really fantastic feature that gives people the opportunity to express themselves and make some great art.Ben: And it's gamified, so it doesn’t feel like you’ve just opened up Paint in Windows.Omni: Best of all is when you make a painting, it gets turned into an inventory item so you physically carry it around with you and can sell it or treasure it.What’s the most exciting part of Psycasso for you?Omni: Stunning graphics. I think graphically, it looks really pretty.Ben: Visually, you could look at it and go, “Oh, that’s Psycasso.”Omni: What we’ve done is taken a cozy retro-style game, and we’ve brought modern design, logic, and technology into it. So you're playing what feels like a nostalgic game, but you're getting the experience of a much newer project.Check out the Psycasso demo on Steam, and stay tuned for more NextFest coverage. #making #killing #playful #terror #psycasso

The study has an oak floor and a view of the garden. The highlight of this space, however, is the red Granby Rock terrazzo strip in the wall. Designed to be the perfect backdrop for the art, the accent ends at the fireplace and is made from 70 percent recycled aggregates. Delicate shades of pink and yellow from Little Greene on the walls nearby enhance its warming effect, as do the furniture’s olive and rust brown tones.By staggering the windows, O’Sullivan Skoufoglou have provided the interior of the home with considerably more natural light. The architects also did a masterful job at creating hidden storage space. Built-in cupboards in pastel shades and a low bench in the dining area double as storage, offering plenty of space for the many items that a family with children accumulates. “We design and create storage space so that it naturally corresponds to the room’s function,” the architects say.Living room and gallery in one: This is one space where Grigoroglou and Worrall exhibit works by artists they represent, along with other pieces. The lamp is by Established and Sons, the oak floor was laid by Chaunceys. Sliding doors allow the creation of separate private spaces at times but also an open circulation at other moments. A palette of pastels: The soft shades of yellow, pink, green, and blue on the walls create a warm atmosphere. A harmonious and colorful mix of materialsThe terrazzo is not the only visually strong material in the row house. A wide variety of surfaces and textures come together to create an exciting mix—one that may not come to mind immediately, but definitely works in practice. “We were interested in robust but also playful materials that could be combined with a reduced, restrained aesthetic designed for the display of art works,” says Skoufoglou. “We experimented a lot with materials to find the ideal combinations with the brick façade.” #tour #renovated #london #row #house