This article over on Newsarama announcing the 2008 Machinima Film Festival in Manhattan on Novermber 1 provided the inspiration for choosing this second installment of Animated Diversions. For those of you new to machinima, it is an up-and-coming animation technique that uses real-time virtual environments—often found in video games—as the source of animation.

Although the Academy of Machinima Arts and Sciences defines such environments as 3D, there are a number of good shorts out there that kick it old school using 2D video games. Bowser’s Minions from the funny folks at CollegeHumor.com is one such video.

Comics are great, and I love to read. But let’s face it: there’s something particularly magical about pictures that move, and Yellow Sticky Notes, by Jeff Chiba Stearns, is partcularly “moving.” Check it out and let me know what you think. And if you feel moved to do so, please visit his blog at meditatingbunny, and throw him some love.