Well, this release party was scheduled a long while back, but then I decided to make a video for it. Ladies, Gentlemen, Mark, I present: https://www.soulstarer.com

I've never really had reason to mention it to my subscribers, but I'm a web programmer (that's my job!) In my spare time, I took on a home project to refine my experience with HTML5, and over the past year that involved putting together this website. It's a personal project with no monetary goals but I'd like to see what people make of it.

Soul-Starer is a basic "create things under constraints" website. You upload any image, and any audio file, and then pick a point on that image to ever-so-slowly (or ever so quickly!) zoom in on as that audio plays. Other options include music looping, and showing a small piece of text after a certain period of time. Then, send a link to your "Soul-Starer" (or, "SSr") to a friend to bewilder them.

No registration is needed; but anything you create is associated with the computer and browser you used to make it. This is a system I picked as a way to make the site easy to try without the cautious need to register.

The site is 99% mobile-friendly, as well! (not as heavily teste) SSrs can be created from your phone, using images stored locally.

CONTEST!
On Halloween, I will be taking a look at any "Soul-Starers" submitted to the website, and try to find objective "best entries". These may be based on creativity, humour, popularity, etc. Taking note of the upcoming holiday may give you an edge. The 3 top winners will receive one of the following games on Steam.

1st: Ori and the Blind Forest
2nd: Vessel (an indie puzzle game)
3rd: Pick from Bioshock, or The Ship (in other words, you're only helping clean out my Steam inventory)

In order to enter, you must include your E-mail address when creating an SSr (I gotta send the gift somewhere!). Including your E-mail may also be a useful measure if you really want to retain access to your creation beyond a computer reformat or browser cleanout; there are no reset mechanisms in place yet, but without an E-mail address stored, there would be no way to determine an SSr's owner.

caveat: I will *ONLY* be giving out rewards if more than 20 Soul Starers are created; this is just to avoid a boring situation where a half-hearted entry wins by default.

In case of low attendance or any other unforseen issues, the contest may be postponed, with all entries up through the new cutoff date being accepted.

VIDEO CREDITS

Music
Self Esteem Fund - Portal
Up The Spirit Cavern Walls - Ori, music by Gareth Coker

Models
Laptop and phone by Contron
Enhanced Soldier by Maxxy
Render-Target TV by 6000 ANGRY BEES

Voice of Ron's boss by Throgan
Voice of Ron by Gabe Newell