Siteseeing

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Chris Martin of Coldplay. (CP)

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Cool mom. (CNS RYAN JACKSON / EDMONTON JOUR)

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Indie Game: The Movie directors Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky. (CP)

Q&A: Indie Game Directors James Swirsky and Lisanne Pajot

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WHILE their success with HBO at Sundance and all the critical accolades that have followed may have come to a surprise to some, Indie Game: The Movie's James Swirsky and Lisanne Pajot have been building momentum from their first Kickstarter project.

The Winnipeg filmmakers quietly built a following and fanbase for their film using two successful crowdsourced projects, interaction through Twitter and documenting all aspects of their project along the way on the web.

Their exploration into the indie game world follows a number of designers at different levels of their career. Games like Jonathan Blow's Braid, Phil Fish's Fez, and Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenes' Super Meat Boy may not get the type of attention high-budget blockbusters like Grand Theft Auto, Halo or other titles backed by major cash may get, but they are a growing part of the video game industry and represent a way of doing things that wasn't really possible a few years ago.

Grantland's Davy Rothbar sits down with the local duo -- who handled all the camerawork, directing, writing, editing, promoting and anything else the film needed to be successful -- to talk about their love of indie games, the obstacles game designers face in this highly competitive yet artistically driven industry, and some of the challenges indie filmmakers like themselves face in getting this type of movie made.

20 Sites Every Cool Mom Should Know

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EVERY mom is hip in her own way, but if you're a mother and feel you need to broaden the type of websites you're checking out regularly, Mashable has collected 20 Sites Every Cool Mom Should Know. From sites that will turn your kid's drawings into stuffed animals to Mint.com, which will help you create budgets and stick to them, to current buzz site of the moment, Pinterest, moms of all ages should find something new and interesting on this list.

One drawback is that some of the websites only do business in the United States, which is a bit of a disappointment, but comes with the territory when you live north of the border.

Coldplay -- (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)

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THERE has been a lot written about the passing of one of the founding member of the Beastie Boys, Adam Yauch, better known as MCA. Tributes to the genre- and generation-defining band -- who merged the immediacy of their hardcore punk background with the block-party vibe of emerging Brooklyn hip-hop culture and pretty much anything else that was cool over the past 20-plus years -- have come from a diverse range of artists, demonstrating just what a monumental impact they've had on modern music. MCA, Mike D and Ad-Rock have a legacy that will only continue to grow as new generations get turned onto their music.

One of the first tributes to hit cyberspace was from Coldplay's Chris Martin -- his stripped-down piano version of the group's 1986's anthem, (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!), was recorded the day that Yauch passed away at Coldplay's concert at the Holiday Bowl.

Anthony Augustine is a freelance music, technology and pop culture writer who spends way too much time in front of a computer. Got a site you think he should see? Email him at anthony.siteunseen@gmail.com or follow him at twitter.com/anthonya.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition May 17, 2012 E3