Sometimes as a kid, on the family PC, I would play ‘real’ video games like pitfall. and other times I would play around with the various tools and brushes in Paint or Kidpix. I spent countless hours building a house of horrors in Microsoft Bob, and toyed with other applications that weren’t really games.
Nowadays, I’m a software engineer by trade. Sometimes in my off time, I try to get a good side project going. Sure, I’ve tooled around with video game frameworks or website generators. But I’m not really that interested in game design and it feels like all the good website ideas are taken. Lately, I’ve become interested in the idea of software toys. A program that is fun to use, not productive, yet not really a game. NineSlice is what I ended up with. I’ve had fun making it and using it. I think it’s nearly time to share it. It’s not art in a traditional sense, but has been a creative endeavor on my part.

A new video player

NineSlice is a new concept in video playback. When I started writing it, I wasn’t really sure what I’d end up with. It can be used to view video files in new ways. It can be used to see a ‘top down’ view of a movies visual style, or as an alternative to searching through a longer video. I’m continuing to tool around with these building blocks and am having a great time doing it. I find myself alternating between focusing on Nineslice as a flexible tool, and focusing on the resulting video output it displays as its own ephemeral art.

Pricing

If I did my job right, I’m sure a hacked copy of NineSlice will be available somewhere. The cost of the time spent to build and maintain this project is not free. I plan to sell it for an annual low cost subscription. If you’d like me to continue working on it, consider subscribing. I’ll budget my time spent maintaining it accordingly.

Anyway, enjoy!