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Computer graphics term for "non-photorealistic".

Many 3D renderers render photorealistic images, that is, pictures look "real". It's "easy" to do.

However, there are techniques in 3D rendering that allow rendition of non-photorealistic pictures - in other words, pictures that look as if those had been drawn or painted by humans.

These rendering techniques are fast enough for real-time rendering now, and have been somewhat used in computer games. Some new "cartoon"-style games (Jet Set Radio, for example) use cel shading NPR renderers that turn 3D models into 2D characters in real time. There's even a version of Quake out there (NPRQuake) that shows sketch-like or blueprint-like pictures.

See also: cel shading

The public radio network in the United States, NPR makes an excellent traveling companion. Even in the middle of nowhere, with nothing else on the radio except country music and preachers, there's likely to be an NPR station with a receivable signal, broadcasting listenable music and news that often (well, sometimes...) reaches a good approximation of unbiased objectivity.

While driving along highways in strange places, a good strategy is to keep your radio tuned in the lower reaches of the FM band. When one NPR station begins to break up, you will probably find another within a megahertz or so.

One of the most amazing, surreal experiences of my entire life occurred while "NPR chasing" during a blizzard at night along a highway in rural Georgia. I know I was somewhere near Vidalia - where they grow the sweet onions - and had just stopped at a gas station to fill my tank with petrol and my mug with coffee, receiving a free box of stale Krispy Kremes in the bargain. The cashier had warned me of the impending storm, but I paid no mind, driving through the black night and flying white snow, infusing my tired blood with copious amounts of sugar and caffeine, and focusing my concentration (and sanity) on the notably grandiose sounds of Anton Bruckner's music, courtesy of some forgotten European orchestra and the local NPR broadcasters.

I didn't sleep that night. Public radio may very well have saved my life.
