Using a rather clever browser hack, someone's programmed a playable Defender clone into a favicon. If you don't know what a favicon is, it's that little 16 by 16 pixel graphic that appears in address bars and browser tabs. See that pink and chartreuse "K" up there? That's what I'm talkin' 'bout.

And if you don't know what Defender is, it's a classic sidescrolling arcade shooter released in 1980. Head on over to the Defender of the Favicon site to check it out. Won't take but a minute and fellow web developer types might just get a kick out of it.

Defender of the Favicon

For this weeks flyer I chose a classic game with one of my all time favorite posters, Defender. I don't think I need to explain the gameplay of Defender to anyone and if I do, then you should just sell all your consoles now and turn in your gamer card. So instead we'll concentrate on the flyer art itself. Like many of the classic games of the time, Defender had multiple flyers created for it and the ones done for other countries varied in style. In this case, the American versions mainly focused on images of the arcade machine while the Japanese one has an elaborate and brightly colored space scene and features a vastly different arcade cabinet. The German one also attempts to throw in some color by adding some nice chunky color frames. The best of all though is the one pictured above with the sultry space babe. You can tell she is a space babe because of her white wrap-around dress, accompanying silver quilted collar and belt. Also note the absence of foot wear. Because in space, no one wears shoes.