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From: dave@beholder.co.uk (dave whiteland)
Date: 12 Jul 1995 15:44:26 GMT
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"The Concuspidor & The Grand Wizard of Many Things"

A modern fairytale in weekly, interactive instalments can be found at

<URL:http://www.beholder.co.uk>

Each instalment comprises one or more scenes, which you investigate yourself
by clicking on characters (and some objects) within the images.

* Why is this cartoon any different?

Because we looked at cartoons on the net and noticed this: you wait 60
seconds to download a cartoon which demands maybe only 15 seconds of your time.
There's nothing wrong with the cartoons, but they belong in a fast-access
medium. Cartoons, for example, have lived in text-rich newspapers because
they are quick and easy to read amongst all those grey, printed words...
in the WWW context, the text isn't grey, it's interactive and yet the
cartoons on offer are no easier to read and less interactive.

We wanted to produce a cartoon that you don't just glance at, but that
actually draws you in. The reader is encouraged to investigate the cartoon,
to interact with it. We can't overcome the download-time problem, but we
can change the "disposable" nature of the image you get. So, instead of
reading and discarding, you get an image that you actually want to nose
around in.

The pictures are also rather lovely.

* What's it about?

Well, it's a fairytale, and maybe a parody on the modern world. But as for
what's actually going on, well, that's for you to decide. The more you poke
around in the pictures, the more complete your own view of The Concuspidor,
the world he lives in and the events that are happening in it will be.
Perhaps there are some details which you miss, or some things you don't think
are important.

So, really, it's best to see for yourself. Once a week, drop in and catch
up on the unfolding story. New instalments are released each Thursday
morning (GMT). The first one went out on Thursday 29th June 1995, and the
story will run until December. Naturally, there's more detail and
explanation there and all previous instalments are archived there too.

* Who's behind it?

Beholder Graphics - for more information, you can find us on the Beholder pages.
The Dept. of Computer Science at Royal Holloway University of London has
supported the project too.

e-mail to cartoons@beholder.co.uk

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Beholder Graphics: home of "The Concuspidor" - http://www.beholder.co.uk

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