Improbable Island Message of the Day (MoTD)

Monthly Memento, pixel art in Beta skin, OpenDyslexic font support, COVID-19 Delta variant
Admin CavemanJoe – 2021-08-07 17:22:02 [Permalink]
Hey folks! The Monthly Memento for August is the Multi-Shot Teleporter! It works like a One-Shot Teleporter, but you get to use it repeatedly after a four-game-day cooldown.

I've made a few new pixelly versions of the Beta skin variants, using different artwork that stands up better to pixelization. I've also added a River variant, which was pixelly from the getgo. These new versions are much more environmentally-friendly than their high-def counterparts, and still give a pretty good sense of space. On average, the new versions have a file size of around one tenth the non-pixelly versions, which means huge savings in energy and greenhouse gas emissions at every step between the Island's data centre and your computer. When multiplied by 40 to 60 million page views per month, little differences can add up really quick. It's hot as hell here in Pennsylvania so expect me to go down the energy-savings rabbithole a bit more before we're done.

I've also added OpenDyslexic to the list of font choices in the Beta skin. Check the Fonts menu (under the Display menu) to try it. Some folks might have an easier time with this font than others, although you might want to also bump the line density under the Layout menu.

A rare serious update here, especially for those of us in the USA: the Delta variant of Covid-19 is here, and it's not fucking around. If you live in a country where vaccines are available, and you've been putting off getting one, I implore you to ask your doctor about it. Plenty of folks figured they had a low risk of getting or spreading the disease and were putting off getting the vaccine so as to let the elderly and immunocompromised get first dibs - if this describes you, I applaud your patience, but those of us at most risk have all had the jab now and Delta is killing and hospitalizing people who previously didn't have as much to worry about. Again, ask your doctor, they (usually) know what they're talking about - don't trust me, I'm just a stranger on the internet, and the internet is full of bullshit.

Have fun and stay safe,

~CMJ

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