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A haze of inspiration

by Matt Sephton — Sat, 28 Sep 2024 17:46:00 +0000

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away I had to give an impromptu presentation about something I didn’t know much about. The goal of the task was to see how well we could ad-lib a presentation under pressure. Everybody in the room had to think of a topic whilst waiting for our turn. The person next to me couldn’t think of anything and asked me what I had thought of, I said “the off-side rule” (it’s a football/soccer thing, don’t worry about it). Then that person was called before me and proceeded to give a presentation about… the off-side rule. I was mortified, and when my turn came I was still so shell shocked that I can’t remember what other topic I picked was, or even how the rest of the day went. Afterwards I chatted with the person—at the time we were good friends and continue to be to this day—who told me when their name was called “a haze of inspiration” came over them and the only thing they could think about was the topic I’d just mentioned. And so it was.

From whence it came

Just as a haze obscures clear vision, the creative process can blur the lines between our own ideas and those we’ve encountered. We can be inspired by everything around us, in an unconscious way. I’d venture to say that this is the most common form of inspiration, you’re just existing and soaking up as much as you can. In some ways it is automatic and unavoidable. As a result, we share a lot of common experiences and so this sort of natural inspiration can lead to the Zeitgeist, with similar ideas emerging simultaneously in different places. A sort of opposite to this is the concept of incremental innovation, where small changes happen to existing ideas that are occasionally enough for it to feel new. And then there are the types of new ideas that can’t be easily found elsewhere, that are provably innovative and totally new. By definition the haze of inspiration is a very grey space, difficult to navigate, and open to interpretation. There’s no absolute right or wrong, unless you are in a position to flex legal muscles. Below is my own interpretation of how I see things, it’s expected that you won’t agree with all of it.

Navigating the haze

I often pause and examine my own creative process. This serves a number of purposes: it helps me notice opportunities for improvement that might otherwise be missed along the way. If my head is down, I might not notice that I can save time by refining my workflow, or gain new understanding by looking at a problem from a different angle or through a different lens.

Tracking or keeping a record of things you find inspiring is very useful. Some might use Pinterest, bookmark managers, scrap books, print outs, notebooks, folders of saved files. Whatever works for you, really.

At this point I feel it’s worth mentioning the challenge of distinguishing between inspiration and imitation. We can all be inspired by something, but how we choose to act on the inspiration can be a challenge. How much you take away from the inspiration might mean you cross the line into imitation. The difference between the two is open to interpretation, and legally it’s a very grey area, so it requires understanding of our own moral compass. More on that later. But for me the difference can be summarised by how comfortable I am in the knowledge that I put enough of myself into the idea, then I’m inspired. If I don’t put enough of myself into the idea, then I would call it imitation.

Original thinking

Thinking can be difficult, and coming up with original thoughts is even more difficult. One could ask if it’s even possible at all to have an original thought? I think it is, though it’s often said that “everything is a remix”. My personal feeling is that an original thoughts can only come when you take yourself out of the equation. Famous artists used drugs, alcohol, and more. Karl Wallinger of the band World Party (check out the album “Goodbye Jumbo”) famously “never worked straight” (~25:30), he would always smoke a joint with the idea being “to get yourself out the fucking way”. John Lennon, too, though perhaps with harder stuff.

On the other hand Quincy Jones used a technique where he would get himself into what he called “the alpha state”, a kind of liminal space between being asleep and awake, where he would routinely have all of his best ideas. Miles Davis used improvisation. Salvador Dalí used a technique he called “paranoiac-critical method” to access his subconscious through fear. David Lynch uses meditation. Brian Eno used a deck of cards called “Oblique Strategies” to add constraints to the creative process. David Bowie used a “cut-up technique” (also called découpé), adapted from one used by William S. Burroughs but with much older origins, where existing works were cut up and rearranged into new works. My current favourite pop star, Lo Lauren, creates songs in 10 minutes over a found beat using three suggested words to focus the topic of the lyrics. It’s encouraging to realise that there is more than one method and that you can most likely find one that works for you.

My own method is to recede into the haze itself, into darkness. The simple act of laying down in a quiet room, and closing my eyes for a few minutes is usually enough for me to navigate through the haze and come out with an original idea, solution to a problem, name of a new product, or whatever.

Research

For me, outside of the actual act of creation, this is most fun part of the creative endeavour. The world is literally your oyster. Given that 99% of stuff happened in the past, I prefer to consult historic sources. Old magazines, books, interviews, and of course the video games and music I grew up with are now old enough to qualify. Ha! The most important thing here is to look outside your field of view. It’s easy to be inspired by the things right in front of you, but more difficult—and more rewarding—to be inspired by things further afield. Reach deeper, go further, get outside your comfort zone, take the road less travelled.

Once inspired, or locked on to an idea, it’s important to do some due diligence to check that it’s unique, or not protected by any laws or copyright, or even just to check that a name is free enough to be used. Domain names can be taken, hashtags can be already used. My funniest example is when I was originally calling my hit game YOYOZO by another name: YOYOZORA, which is a combination of the words YOYO (the toy) and YOZORA (the Japanese word for night sky). I quickly changed plans when a hashtag search revealed somebody posting dick pics.

It’s worth noting that some creators intentionally avoid external influences during their creative process, believing this leads to more original work. Nick Cave, for instance, avoids listening to music while writing to prevent unconscious imitation. Filmmaker Jim Jarmusch tries not to watch other films, or even the scenes he has already shot, while working on a project to maintain his unique vision. Even in tech, Steve Jobs was known for his “not invented here” syndrome, often preferring to develop ideas from scratch. This approach isn’t about ignoring the world entirely, but about creating a space where your own ideas can flourish without immediate external influence. It’s a delicate balance – you want to be informed, but not overly swayed by what’s already out there.

Attribution

By now you’ll know in your heart if what you’re dealing with is imitation or inspiration. What next? Methods of attribution might include: direct credit, “inspired by”, footnotes, a mention, etc. Or if the inspiration is barely visible at all there might be no attribution needed. There’s that moral compass again.

Attribution can add value to your work, as it shows not only are you compassionate and considerate, but that you value the creativity of other people. In some fields, like music and visual arts it’s perhaps more difficult to do some forms of attribution. You can’t put a list of credits on a painting or in an audio recording, but you can put them in supporting material. There’s always a way.

I won’t spend much time on the topic of “AI”, or to be more precise “generative tools”, but it’s worth mentioning them briefly at this point as they lack any method of attribution which of course is a problem. How big a problem depends on how much originality is in the result and that is a very difficult thing to measure, though I would say not impossible at least regarding the series of prompts that led to the output. Anyway, the results from the use of such tools is also open to interpretation and perhaps this is even more of a grey area than the haze of inspiration itself.

Communication

So how do you figure out how best to attribute? By reaching out and having a conversation. But that’s easier said than done, I think.

I’ve never gone so far as to write a formal letter or anything like that, I’ve been more casual about it. I’ve written to game developers whose games I wanted to port. Having something for them to see is always good—a prototype—and explaining the expectations and reach of the agreement will make everybody feel comfortable. There will surely be some anxiety and reticence for an idea to be taken by somebody else. In my experience I try to frame it in as positive a way as possible. Answer the questions they might have before they even have a chance to think them.

Timing is always key. I always make such an approach as soon as possible. With my game Fore! Track, I contacted the developer whose game I was inspired by as soon as I had a prototype up and running. At that point, if they’d have objected to the idea I wouldn’t have lost much time. If I’d have contacted them with a finished game, it might not have made much difference to their decision making process, but I would have had more invested in it and more to lose. Contacting somebody with only an idea for me feels like the wrong way to go about it, as ideas are relatively easy and execution is everything.

With such discussions it’s important to have open conversations, which will can lead to mutual understanding and respect. Leave your ego at the door and bring truthfulness, compassion, open-mindedness and you will be rewarded. Misunderstandings will inevitably happen through the course of the conversation, but by being open both parties can rest assured that there will only be movement towards resolution rather than escalation.

By far the best outcome of such open discussions is the fact that two heads are better than one so the solution is almost always better than the original idea or approach. This means it’s in your own interests to have these sorts of conversations as often as possible. They might lead to better ideas, collaboration, partnerships, refinement, suggestions you would never have thought of, about turns, and of course rejection.

Rejections are always hard to take, but I’m a firm believer that with time, and enough water under the bridge, that newer and stronger ideas will emerge. For me that can take weeks, months, even years. But every time it happens I think “the Universe provides” and smile.

Ethical considerations

So, about that moral compass I keep mentioning. Ideas are more than a feeling, especially when executed and turned into something that can be seen, heard, played. They turn from intangible to tangible, and this process is guided by your moral compass.

When it comes to that “haze of inspiration”, intellectual integrity is the needle on your moral compass. It helps you navigate through the fog without stepping on anyone’s toes. It’s about asking yourself not whether you could use an idea, but whether you should. It’s about being upfront about what inspired you, maybe asking for a thumbs-up if you’re borrowing heavily from someone else’s work, and generally just being a decent human in the creative playground. By sticking to these principles, you’re not just keeping your own nose clean. You’re helping to create an environment where ideas can bounce around freely, where people aren’t afraid to share their cool thoughts, and where everyone gets their due credit. It’s like keeping the idea ecosystem healthy, you know?

Intellectual integrity is really just about not being a jerk with other people’s ideas. It’s about giving credit where it’s due, trying to get your facts straight, and not twisting things to fit your narrative. It’s also about owning your work, warts and all. If you messed up or your info isn’t 100% solid, just say so. Nobody’s perfect, right? And here’s an important addition: be open to other viewpoints. Just because someone disagrees with you doesn’t mean they’re wrong (even if you really, really think they are).

All ideas build on previous work. I subscribe to the idea that everything is a remix, and I also know that being cool, kind, and considerate costs nothing. Being uncool, unkind, or inconsiderate can cost you more energy in the long run. Time teaches that particular lesson, so consider it being mentioned here a free power-up. We are lucky enough to be able to stand on the shoulders of giants, so it’s important to not make a mess whilst we’re up there.

Personal growth

Growing is hard and with it come a lot of pains. Road blocks, wrong turns, bad luck, but hopefully it will trend towards progress.

One key aspect of growth is synthesis. Plants turn light energy into chemical energy through photosynthesis. The output is vastly different to the input. I think this is a useful lens through which to look at techniques for turning influences into something truly novel. You can look at the The Great Wave and print your own version of it if the goal is to imitate it as closely as possible (as David Bull has done), or you might choose to draw it instead and replace the crests of the wave with bunny rabbits (as kozyndan did), or you might sculpt it from digital clay and add some mahjong tiles to it (like vxcl did for my game Sparrow Solitaire).

I like to think of this synthesis as a road—you can turn off at any point but the further you go the more wonderful the sights will be. I’d like to make a short detour to mention constraints and how they can foster creativity. Whilst the road might be long, it’s not sprawling but a single direction. Navigating a complex road system would be much more difficult, so I encourage you to impose additional constraints if there don’t seem to be enough, or if the way forward isn’t clear.

Any period of not creating that you end up in is just as important as a period of intense creativity that you might rather be in. My favourite quote about this (by BT, the musician; I’m paraphrasing) is that creativity comes in waves, sometimes you’re in the doldrums and not much is happening but there is no doubt that the next wave will arrive at some point, so you just have to be ready to jump on and ride it when it does!

It’s a fine balance between being influenced and being derivative. Sadly your moral compass is not fitted with a warning alarm of any sort, so you’ll have to rely on your heart, head, and those of others to give you guidance here. Having respect for others’ ideas can be considered a constraint in and of itself and can actually push you to be more innovative. Being derivative is a trap to be avoided, not only would you not gain as much personally from the endeavour but you might also inadvertently dilute the idea, brand, vibe of the originator. You should instead consider the person who has inspired you as a mentor, supporter, team mate, power-up, voice of reason, or even shoulder to cry on. The important take-away is that they are there to help because, hey, they were there first.

Embracing the future

With enough searching, or metaphorical travelling, you’ll be able to find your own voice, style, brand, or “vibe” as I prefer to call it. I’m a bit of a hippie at heart. The ultimate goal is to find that rug that really ties the room together. Then cherish it, feed it, sculpt it, even defend it if the need arises. You’ll have the ideas, make a dent in the universe, and develop a vibe that other people will be influenced by, and hopefully they will take the right path and be inspired by it rather than choose to imitate it. Perhaps that’s the ultimate goal? It’s your turn to set a good example for those that come after you.

Excerpt from The Big Lebowski (Ethan & Joel Coen, 1998)

Pixel-Perfect retro gaming on LCD 480p EDTVs

by Matt Sephton — Thu, 06 May 2021 11:00:00 +0000

I recently saw a feature on Racketboy about “The Best 4:3 LCD Monitors for Retro Gaming” which is an interesting list that misses the mark for one reason: it ignores scaling.

LCDs are best at their native resolution and all the listed monitors in that article are odd PC resolutions so most images will be scaled by uneven, non-integer amounts. If we think about retro gaming display outputs then we’re squarely sub-480p. Anything higher will mean the image gets scaled and the results will be suboptimal.

What we need is a display with a native resolution of 480p. Do such things exist? Why, yes, they do!

LCD 480p EDTVs

For a handful of years I’ve been using a 20” LCD 480p EDTV which offers great support for 240p and 480p with zero scaling. These types of TVs mean you get pixel-perfect (1:1 PAR) results for PC, Dreamcast, Xbox, Xbox 360, and as near as dammit for Wii/GC, PS3/2/1 and other consoles without native PC output. PAL resolution 576p games are a fly in the ointment and won’t fit, so we won’t be playing those here. For resolutions lower than 640x480 you still get integer scaling with the output in the centre of the display, for example Mega Drive (Genesis) has a resolution of 320×224px that maps with scan lines to 640×448px with small black bars top and bottom. RetroArch users will be very familiar with this kind of pixel mapping technique. Seeing the 480p output of a Wii on this kind of display is a real shock and truly amazing.

I also use my modern emulation PC to output at 640×480p using a DisplayPort to VGA adapter. This gives me perfect video output from Windows, and from RetroArch for everything up to and including 480p, which covers what I consider the golden period of arcade and console gaming. On occasion I’ve run some PC software (Dolphin emulator, Richard Burns Rally) at much the higher UXGA resolution and used a scaler to supersample it back down to 640×480 which gives fantastic, smooth results for specific games where I feel that might be worth doing.

The pixel density of a 20” IPS panel like this is such that the sub-pixel gaps look a little like an aperture grille. Adding a 640×480px scan-line overlay image in RetroArch brings me very close to the look of my PVM but with a display that is much easier to manage. That said, CRT emulation isn’t really the goal here—we just want a display that is able to display these low resolutions without any scaling.

The 480p EDTV also proves unremarkable to my wife, I guess because unlike my PVM it doesn’t like a microwave, which means it can happily live in the lounge.

Which one to get?

Philips made the best 20” 480p EDTVs: they have an LG/Philips IPS panel (yes, in 2006!) and PC input connector. The trick is to find a set with DVI/VGA input so you can use the PC mode which does not have any image processing applied to it. I’m in Europe so I use the Philips 20PF4121, which is simply glorious. Response time is less than one frame, and there is little to no motion blur on my TV, as measured by the EIZO monitor test. It has a hardware scaler by Genesis Logic that can handle 240p and is pretty good at deinterlacing (though I use a GBS-Control for better deinterlacing on PS2).

Connections: you want to use DVI and whatever adaptors you need to get your signal there. Analogue signals over VGA and Component (YPbPr) can be used with a simple pin adaptor. Digital signals like HDMI and DisplayPort, or even those modern HDMI dongles for old consoles, can be used with a suitable signal converter (pick a good one to avoid lag) to get to VGA and then go from there. TVs with HDMI input are different in that it is not used for PC mode.

Notes: some other manufacturers used the same LG/Philips IPS panel. Be aware that Sharp used their own panel technology, and Samsung used a different panel again, neither of which are IPS and so not as good. Sharp also use their own scaler hardware which is not as good as the scaler in my Philips. Scalers by MStar are used in certain EDTVs - including some later Philips sets - and do not support 240p.

I’m yet to find a 16:9 aspect LCD 480p EDTV with PC input. Though I continue to look for one!

The Hit List

Here’s a Google Docs spreadsheet that should help you find a suitable LCD 480p EDTV. The top and most well-tested EDTVs from that list are displayed in the smaller table below.

BRAND	MODEL	REGION	CHASSIS	IPS	SCALER	240P	INPUT	YEAR
Philips	20PF4121	EU	LC4.1E	Y	Genesis	Y	DVI	2006
Philips	20PF5121	EU	LC4.1E	Y	Genesis	Y	DVI	2006
Philips	20HF5474	EU	LC4.1HE	Y	Genesis	Y	DVI	2006
Philips	20PF4110	EU	LC4.1E	Y	Genesis	Y	DVI	2005
Philips	20HF5473	EU	LC4.1E	Y	Genesis	Y	DVI	2005
Toshiba	20LS30	JP	—	Y	Genesis	Y	VGA, D2	2005
Toshiba	20DL75	US	—	Y	Genesis	Y	VGA	2005

Note: three Philips EDTV available in the USA have been removed from this list as they only offer processed YPbPr over the VGA connector via a cinch to VGA cable.

When looking for one of these you need to check the following:

DVI or VGA connector?
- quick check: specification brochure
- long check: take a look physically
IPS panel?
- quick check: spec brochure, viewing angle ~178 degrees
- long check: service manual parts list, check panel part number manually
Genesis Logic scaler?
- quick check: parts list or PCB photo
- long check: check PCB manually, feed it a 240p signal

Places to get this info are: photos of spare parts, specification brochure, service manual parts list. It’s useful to cross-reference LCD panel numbers on panelook.com and browse for 480p EDTVs using the icecat or productz websites.

Feel free to contact me @gingerbeardman on twitter with details of your buying choice and experiences and I’ll be sure to update the spreadsheet.

Photos

I also use the #20PF4121 tag on Instagram to share photos and video footage.

Connections

The goal is to get the video output from your gaming system into VGA or DVI, depending on the input your TV has.

Specifically when using the EDTV’s PC input we need DVI-A (Analogue), rather than DVD-D (Digital) even if the TV supports both via DVI-I (integrated analogue and digital).

Here’s how to connect the most common systems. Let me know if you connect one that’s not on the list!

Straight VGA cable (with VGA to DVI adapter if needed)

Dreamcast
Xbox 360
Xbox
Vintage Mac/PC

Component cable to VGA/DVI adapter (analogue pass-through)

Wii
GameCube
PS3/2 (and PS1 via backwards compatibility)

HDMI/DisplayPort/Thunderbolt to VGA/DVI (digital to analogue conversion)

Xbox One
Wii U
PS4/3
Mac
PC
Other systems using HDMI output

SCART/Composite to VGA/DVI adapter (analogue to analogue conversion)

Most other systems (those not mentioned above)

An example external scaler that can take SCART/Composite to VGA would be the GBS-Control.

Deinterlacing quality

To improve deinterlacing for 480i content (eg. PS2) you might consider using a scaler that has motion adaptive deinterlacing and good 480p output, such as GBS-Control.

Alignment of multiple sources

A scaler such as the Extron DVS 304 is useful when using a VGA KVM Switch as it will align the position of all different inputs, so you will not have to do Auto Adjust on the EDTV to centre the display when switching from system to system.

Video

April 2026: check out this great video by @f4mi for a quick recap!

My System 7 software choices

by Matt Sephton — Fri, 30 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000

System 7 is a great operating system. The experience using it today remains very close to modern macOS. It’s surprising how little has changed on our Desktop in the 30 years since. That said, the experience can be improved with the judicious use of additional software.

When adding things to the system my goal is always to increase quality of life and improve user experience. Functionality is key and nothing is added without careful consideration. If I can install one package to add several functions I’d rather do that than add several individual packages. If I can install software to match modern macOS features or muscle memory then I’ll do so.

Below are my personal choices that improve my time spent using System 7.

Control Panels

Better Edit Keys - adds modern text editing and selection keyboard controls, such as the ability to grow the selection by word
Capture - screen grabbing software
Capture AE - logger for Apple Events calls
Desktop Makeover - provides custom Finder features such as menu shortcuts, enhanced diskette icons, allows you to hide Balloon Help
DragAnyWindow - adds solid dragging of any window, apps can be excluded
Hidden Finder Features - enables hidden Finder keyboard shortcuts to create aliases by dragging, reveal alias original, and move file to Trash
KeyQuencer - macro and automation utility, the ultimate tool for power-users
PopupFolder - allows access to folder contents from hierarchical pop-up menu without having to drill down into folders
QuicKeys - macro and automation utility, I use it only for composing Apple Event calls
Smart Scroll - live scrolling and proportionally sized scrollbar thumb
SmartLaunch - application launcher, I launch this using Cmd+Return KeyQuencer macro
Snitch - Get Info extender, can do batch type/creator changes by summoning whilst holding Shift
Symbionts - occasionally used to troubleshoot Control Panels and Extensions
WindowShade - collapse a window into its title bar by double-clicking
YesNoCancel - adds modern keyboard control to dialog boxes

Extensions

2020Patch - fixes year 2020 date bug
About - replacement for About This Macintosh window, with task manager features
Apollo - pop-up menu at any location to select and launch apps
CopyPaste - multiple clipboard manager, works everywhere but ResEdit!
DirtyDesk - disables Clean Up Desktop menu item
Natural Order - improves sorting order in Finder

Text Editors

Alpha - programmer’s editor, includes TCL scripting
Anarcho - has a few unique features
BBEdit - packed with features
Eddan - has a way to summon THINK References

Word Processors

Take your pick of the best:

Other Utilities

CompactPro - file compressor/decompressor
GraphicConverter - image file converter
DiskTop - file manager desk accessory
Greg’s Browser - file manager with StuffIt integration
MasterFinder - multi-column file manager
MindExpander - file decompressor
(Super) ResEdit - resource editor with built-in code viewer
Resorcerer - resource editor with built-in code viewer
ShrinkWrap - disk and archiving helper
ShowSizes - disk usage analyser
Type Resolve - drag-and-drop type/creator changer

Operating System

System 7.5.3 plus updates - Apple released this version for free!
Japanese Language Kit - adds support for Japanese, I use this on a duplicate System folder
System Picker - choose which system folder to boot from
AppleScript 1.1 - to enable Finder Scripting on System 7.1