June 3, 2026: Gaming Decor For Your IRL Space

My house is definitely decorated in Early Dungeon, at least to the extent that dungeons also feature stacks of books, boxes of games, and random tech stuff. I'm always looking for ways to make it dungeon-ier. Based on what I see on Kickstarter and at conventions, I suspect a lot of us do the same. I came across the following 3D print project on Kickstarter today:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fantasyportals/tavern-glow-lantern-set/description

The basic lanterns are nice, but the plethora of accessories, like different types of mounting, is what got me to click "BACK THIS PROJECT." There are chains to hang them from, hooks to hang the chains from the wall, and so on.

I have a small candle lantern that I got from an antique store (though I strongly doubt its actual antiquity) because it has sides held on by magnets, so you can switch designs by season. There's a . . .

[more]

June 2, 2026: Don't Fall For The Fake Steve

A (properly) suspicious fan forwarded us this mail. Is it bogus? Absolutely.

It pretended to be from me, and said, in part . . .

"Over time, I've successfully worked on 46 Kickstarter campaigns, with many of them reaching their funding goals within the first 72 hours. Because of these consistent results and the strategies I've used to generate early traction, I've been invited to take part in a new mentorship initiative focused on helping creators improve their campaign performance. This mentorship program is completely free . . ."

Nope. Totally fake. I suspect that if you answer mail like this, you wind up corresponding with an AI that agrees with everything you say, swears that your design work is brilliant and you just need help with crowdsourcing techniques, and so on. And eventually you're invited into an advanced program that isn't free, but cross its mechanical heart, . . . [more]

June 1, 2026: Keep Your Third Eye Closed. No Really.

A recent paper published on Cell Press proposes that our pineal organ is a modified primitive eye. This eye was once used to detect light and dark by some of our most ancient monocular ancestors. Eventually two additional eyes formed from this one and, as our reliance on binocular vision increased, this third eye became used less and less. While still visible in many reptiles, in mammals it has migrated deep into our brains. So yeah, don't even try to open that sucker up. No way that would turn out well.

For easier reading, you can check out this article on The Conversation. Or if you'd rather watch a presentation about it, I learned about this discovery on the youtube channel of Anton Petrov, who covers many other topics like this that you might enjoy, including the meteor craters I wrote about the other day.

-- Ben Williams

May 31, 2026: Doodling As A Hobby

I just backed Howard Tayler's "Doodling as a Hobby: The Retrospective Sketchbook of an Accidental Career." As you know (or really ought to), Howard is the self-taught artist who created the science fiction webcomic Schlock Mercenary and kept it running without a single break – with both daily and Sunday strips – getting better and better every year – for TWENTY YEARS before bringing it to a tightly-scripted close. If he has something to say about "doodling as a hobby," we should listen! So if you've ever set pencil to paper to try to draw something, and if like me you were just awful at it, this might change your life.

It probably will NOT really change your life – few things do, and many of them hurt – but I think I can guarantee that it will be a fun read.

With pictures.

-- Steve Jackson

May 30, 2026: How Do You Watch How-To-Plays?

As nearly every gamer knows, watching how-to-play videos online is a great way to learn new games. The videos can help explain not just the gameplay, but also the game's intricacies and strategies for winning.

We'd like to know: Which how-to-play channel is your favorite? Tell us which one and why here on the forums, on social media, or by email!

-- Michelle Richardson

PS - Please comment, really. We MIGHT have a REASON for asking . . . -SJ

Previous Illuminators • Steve's Appearance Schedule

Isaac Asimov resurrects Michael Jordan and his hammer. June 3, 2026: Gaming Decor For Your IRL Space My house is definitely decorated in Early Dungeon, at least to the extent that dungeons also feature stacks of books, boxes of games, and random tech stuff. I'm always looking for ways to make it dungeon-ier. Based on what I see on Kickstarter and at conventions, I suspect a lot of us do the same. I came across the following 3D print project on Kickstarter today: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fantasyportals/tavern-glow-lantern-set/description The basic lanterns are nice, but the plethora of accessories, like different types of mounting, is what got me to click "BACK THIS PROJECT." There are chains to hang them from, hooks to hang the chains from the wall, and so on. I have a small candle lantern that I got from an antique store (though I strongly doubt its actual antiquity) because it has sides held on by magnets, so you can switch designs by season. There's a . . . [more] June 2, 2026: Don't Fall For The Fake Steve A (properly) suspicious fan forwarded us this mail. Is it bogus? Absolutely. It pretended to be from me, and said, in part . . . "Over time, I've successfully worked on 46 Kickstarter campaigns, with many of them reaching their funding goals within the first 72 hours. Because of these consistent results and the strategies I've used to generate early traction, I've been invited to take part in a new mentorship initiative focused on helping creators improve their campaign performance. This mentorship program is completely free . . ." Nope. Totally fake. I suspect that if you answer mail like this, you wind up corresponding with an AI that agrees with everything you say, swears that your design work is brilliant and you just need help with crowdsourcing techniques, and so on. And eventually you're invited into an advanced program that isn't free, but cross its mechanical heart, . . . [more] June 1, 2026: Keep Your Third Eye Closed. No Really. A recent paper published on Cell Press proposes that our pineal organ is a modified primitive eye. This eye was once used to detect light and dark by some of our most ancient monocular ancestors. Eventually two additional eyes formed from this one and, as our reliance on binocular vision increased, this third eye became used less and less. While still visible in many reptiles, in mammals it has migrated deep into our brains. So yeah, don't even try to open that sucker up. No way that would turn out well. For easier reading, you can check out this article on The Conversation. Or if you'd rather watch a presentation about it, I learned about this discovery on the youtube channel of Anton Petrov, who covers many other topics like this that you might enjoy, including the meteor craters I wrote about the other day. -- Ben Williams May 31, 2026: Doodling As A Hobby I just backed Howard Tayler's "Doodling as a Hobby: The Retrospective Sketchbook of an Accidental Career." As you know (or really ought to), Howard is the self-taught artist who created the science fiction webcomic Schlock Mercenary and kept it running without a single break – with both daily and Sunday strips – getting better and better every year – for TWENTY YEARS before bringing it to a tightly-scripted close. If he has something to say about "doodling as a hobby," we should listen! So if you've ever set pencil to paper to try to draw something, and if like me you were just awful at it, this might change your life. It probably will NOT really change your life – few things do, and many of them hurt – but I think I can guarantee that it will be a fun read. With pictures. -- Steve Jackson May 30, 2026: How Do You Watch How-To-Plays? As nearly every gamer knows, watching how-to-play videos online is a great way to learn new games. The videos can help explain not just the gameplay, but also the game's intricacies and strategies for winning. We'd like to know: Which how-to-play channel is your favorite? Tell us which one and why here on the forums, on social media, or by email! -- Michelle Richardson PS - Please comment, really. We MIGHT have a REASON for asking . . . -SJ Previous Illuminators • Steve's Appearance Schedule		Latest Videos You are the 1366th frothing gamer here today. (32969954 since August 1, 1995)