Merlin's Reports

Merlin's Reports Now Closed

2010-04-20T00:13:00.001+08:00

Hey guys, as the new school term has started, I won't have time to blog as much as I like anymore. So now I will only use my Tumblr blog to post interesting things I find on the web.

Here is the link: http://merlincheng.tumblr.com

Semester 2 Open Studio Day

2010-03-08T22:48:00.001+08:00

The semester 2 Open Studio Day marks the end of year one for me. A mixture of emotions are flowing through me as there are too many things happening to me right now, so I will just share two sets of photos with you guys. I will write out the full report when I am feeling better.

What is Media Fiesta 2010?

2010-02-25T03:12:00.004+08:00

The annual Media Fiesta is back! Launched in 2009 by the Media Development Authority, "MDA hopes to promote public appreciation of local media content, services and technologies and encourage its adoption and consumption."

Technology has advanced so much and thus "the fiesta cuts across traditional, new and future media, and reflects the rapid changes in the media world." Unlike last year's, this year Media Fiesta will take place in 4 different locations along with numerous fringe events from March 5 to 27.

One of the fringe event will be Nanyang Polytechnic's School of Interactive & Digital Media graduation show - Fusion 2010, taking place from 18 to 20 March. It will showcase students work in animation, game design, interaction design, game programming and motion graphics.

For those who went for last year's Media Fiesta, you would know that the main event have game demos, talks by lecturers about media (such as career as a game developer) and even appearance of radio and television personalities!

I highly suggest checking out the Media Fiesta 2010 website to find out more on events that interest you. As for me, I am hired by Pico Arts as the Media Fiesta ambassadors (basically part-time worker) through connection with my school (I am from the School of Interactive & Digital Media after all). So I hope to see you guys there!

Further reading:
ChannelNewsAsia - Local products, interactive activities, games at Media Fiesta
Media Fiesta Facebook Group

Merlin's Studio Project 2 Logbook

2010-02-22T22:28:00.013+08:00

This is the logbook of my studio project 2, which is about creating a media campaign to promoting saving the Earth through one simple interaction. This logbook will be updated until the very end of studio project 2. So do check by often.

4 Feb (Thu)
Briefing for studio project 2 took place today. Many people could not make it because most were rushing to print their typography name card assignment at Bugis. Li Jia and Shah wanted me to join their group, I agreed.

8 Feb (Mon)
Li Jia and Shah decided to stick to their UCD group with Nazira. Since I am one of the few left without group, Shermaine ask me to join her group with Jovelle. I agreed. Re-briefing of studio project 2 at 2pm. Even though we were re-briefed again, there were still some points I don't understand.

9, 10 & 11 Feb (Tue, Wed & Thu)
Thought of our initial idea for our Saving the Earth project. Did our initial research on media campaign and so on.

12 Feb (Fri)
Went for our first consultation for our studio project. We settled on the topic of air pollution and using public transport (bus and train).

13 – 16 Feb
Chinese New Year period. Seriously very tired from it. Did no work relating to studio project at all.

17 & 18 Feb (Mon & Tue)
Continue thinking of what to do for our topic. We also did the PowerPoint slides for tomorrow’s presentation. Seems like a lot of people will be doing on air pollution as well. I went to "help out" Apple's group on their studio project by offering some of my opinion. Hope that helps.

19 Feb (Fri)
As I have predicted, the timing that Mr Andrew gave for the presentation is not enough as most, if all all, the groups went overtime and thus we ended later than expected. Our group didn’t seems to have done well for our presentation though.

22 Feb (Mon)
Studio project will end next Friday. So close yet so far. Did yet another consultation with Mr Andrew to point us in the right direction. We decided to work on the survey and interview this week.

23 Feb (Tue)
The survey is now live. We also filmed for the video interview. Added a few posts in the Facebook group. Membership also grew to 200.

25 Feb (Thu)
Getting ready for presentation, sort of. We prepared the slides and also finish editing the first video interview. We learned that our deputy director will also be present tomorrow. Yikes!

26 Feb (Fri)
Presentation day! Had to dress formal, which I hate as it looks like a clown suit. Presentation didn't go according to schedule and not all groups get to present. Presentation day felt like a long long lecture but at least we learned quite a few things.

1 Mar (Mon)
Our group had our presentation today instead. Didn't have to wear formal this time. There were still several things still required to complete.

Links:
Facebook Group - Savéarth: One Interaction at a Time

New Family Member: PlayStaion Portable 3000

2010-02-22T04:21:00.000+08:00

Saturday marks the day where I bought yet another game console. The other game consoles I currently have includes my very old PlayStation 2 (which I bought in November/December 2006 and still working!), Nintendo DS (March 2009), iPod Touch (December 2009), and now PlayStation Portable (PSP). The model that I bought is PSP-3000.

I bought my newest gaming gadget at Qishan at Far East Shopping center. The person at the store was friendly and quick to handle my request in buying a PSP. He went through the procedure of checking the PSP, which includes checking for scratches, dead pixels and going through the warranty.

The set that I bought is the Ratchet & Clank Bundle Pack, which include the Ratchet & Clank game and National Treasure II movie UMDs. It does not come with the 1GB memory card though. So I bought the all-in-one bundle pack and upgrade the memory card to 8GB instead of the default 4GB. I also bought Monster Hunter Freedom Unite game.

As you can see I have other PSP games as well. That is because this is actually my second PSP, my first one was bought in March 2008 but was stolen by an unknown person some six months later. Good thing I didn't insert any UMD games on the day the PSP was stolen. But I am curious why would anyone steal a PSP without charger or cable.

I have to make a note that since the set I bought is an export set, the plug of the charger is NOT compatible to Singapore's power point. Good thing I still have my old PSP charger that is compatible.

3D Modeling & Animation Assignment 1

2010-02-10T00:09:00.001+08:00

Our class gotten back our results for our 3D Modeling & Animation (3DMA) Assignment 1 result. I received 84 out of 100, which is equivalent to an A grade. It is something worth celebrating, as I didn't know my work can get me such high marks. The sad thing is, I am just 1 mark away from an A+! I guess my work is not that perfect yet, eh?

Like most of our semester 2 modules, 3DMA compose of 2 main assignments that make up for the bulk of the module's grade. Assignment 1 started in around week 5 when we have to decide what to model. Actual modeling started at week 6.

I guess 3D modeling is actually rather fun once you get used to it. The problem now though is the animation because I am still struggling on how to animate things I created!

I'm Back!

2010-02-06T01:52:00.002+08:00

I always love this Limit from Kingdom Hearts II as I find it rather cheeky when Aladdin says "I'm back!" even though he didn't go anywhere out of Agrabah during the one year Sora was in a deep sleep. Anyway, I thought this was a great video to show everyone that I am back.

The last few weeks were the deadline of all my modules assignments (except 3D Modeling and Animation). And because of this, coupled with lots of pain and drama along the way, makes me having less than 5 hours of sleep everyday. I don't even have time to eat and drink, much less blog.

But sadly all good things have to wait as next week is the start of my Studio Project 2. The good news is I am going to set-up a "lite" version of Merlin's Reports on a new Tumblr blog. This was done as writing for this current blog requires a lot of time commitment which I am lack of. The "lite" version will features less writing, photo upload, quotes and short but interesting things to quickly blog about.

Writing for this blog will still continue but at a much slower pace (perhaps once every 1 to 2 weeks).

NAFA Open House 2010

2010-01-17T16:12:00.000+08:00

My friends and I went to Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) Open House yesterday. It was quite a grand open house, we first registered and received our goodie bag before we visited one of their gallery. We then encountered one of my friend's (Hosshima) friend who is a student here at NAFA. She then toured us around the campus.

We first went to look at where the design and media students studies... Which is rather boring as it is nothing but computer labs and more computer labs. We then head down to different fine art studios, which include Western and Chinese painting, printmaking, and even the skylight studios. We also saw many exhibitions on display around the campus.

We then went to the Department of 3D Design. We saw works by the different diplomas which include Environmental, Exhibition, and Jewellery design. We then went to the sculpture and ceramics workshops before leaving.

All in all, it was a big eye-opener yesterday as I learned a lot from the various disciplines of arts and design. I will make NAFA one of my options when I graduate from Nanyang Polytechnic.

I Will, We Will, Who Will?

2010-01-13T01:26:00.000+08:00

I am not sure if this counts as viral marketing... But I spotted this unusual "thing" on Ang Mo Kio Hub yesterday. At first I thought it would only move and talk if I were to approach it, but it seems it is just a pre-programmed video being screened on a white board. Many people actually stop to take a glance on what actually this thing is.

I managed to catch a bit of what was said from this "thing". Apparently it is setup to promote the website www.iwill.sg. It turns out to be a totally harmless government propaganda to foster our society closer. Not that it is a bad thing mind you.

And how does Singapore government make us feel more connected? By the annual Total Defence of course. And so this year's theme is fittingly "I Will", which focuses on personal self reflection on how we as individual can make Singapore a better place to live in.

And you know what is more scary than to find out the intention of this propaganda in AMK Hub? The I Will website shows that Nanyang Polytechnic is the only polytechnic involve in this project! Oh the horror! I hope none of my assignments will suddenly be connected to Total Defence!

Anyway, as you can see, Singapore government is actively embracing social media to reach out to her people. Within the website, users can sign up and upload their own "pledge" and let other people join the pledge. The webmaster, which in this case the government, is using "people power" to reach their objective to engaging Singaporeans to be part of Total Defence.

My Poly, My Choice Day 2

2010-01-08T20:07:00.002+08:00

Today is the second day of Nanyang Polytechnic Open House 2010. I decide to bring my younger cousin to the Open House so he knows more about what he would like to study in the future.

We took the tour around School of Design (SDN). SDN got to be NYP smallest school, with only around 450 students and 3 diploma programmes. The tour guide was very knowledgeable on all the three diplomas and I actually did learned a lot. The exhibition rooms look a lot like those in the museum.

I then took my cousin to tour around my own school - Interactive and Digital Media (SIDM). After that, we went to collect my cousin's sure-win dip prize. All in all, he gotten a free limited edition goodie bag, an airplane model from the School of Engineering booth, fridge magnet from SIDM booth and tooth pastes from the sure-win dip.

My Poly, My Choice Day 1

2010-01-07T23:17:00.003+08:00

I never really liked the cheesy tag line that polytechnics come up with and this includes my own polytechnic. Still, I guess this is the only way to communicate to secondary school students nowadays? Good thing cheesiness doesn't stopped me from helping out in Nanyang Polytechnic Open House 2010.

Went to school at 10.30 am but I wasn't given any duty until 12.30 pm so my course-mates and I slacked in the Tour Guide Command Centre. When we did get something to do, we have to wait until 2 pm where I guided Compassvale Secondary students to the Theatre For The Arts (TFA).

My 3 group mates (all of which are my course-mates) and I toured the class 5A students from School of Interactive and Digital Media (SIDM) to School of Business Management (SBM) before letting them free roam.

I am rather proud of myself today when I toured the students in my own school (SIDM). I was able to explain to them the 6 different diploma programmes and interact with them. I think the students had a lot of fun when they are at SIDM level 6 games design studio where they tried out racing game, Wii game and PS3 games created by our very own SIDM students.

After we sent the students back to their form teacher, the 4 of us went to the Auditorium and have a little fun in the SIDM booth. We went back to our classroom after we sign out our duty time. Not surprisingly, many of my course-mates are there rushing their assignments. In fact, I still had my 3D Modelling & Animation lesson at 6 pm, but because too little students turn up today, the lesson ended very early.

SIDM in NYP Open House 2010

2010-01-06T22:49:00.005+08:00

Nanyang Polytechnic Open House is TOMORROW! I am sure many of you can't wait to get a day off from school to visit any of the 5 polytechnic Open House. Since I am from NYP School of Interactive and Digital Media (SIDM), I guess it is only right that I show you what will be happening in my school during the Open House.

From the Open House website:
Blk M, Levels 3, 4 & 6

Gaming Gallery
Pump up your adrenaline in our very own SIDM's Racing Game! Use music to play games. PS3 games, iPhone games and many more await you!

Underground Experiment
Check out the motion graphics works by our Motion Graphics & Broadcast Design students.

Real-time Chromakey Display
See yourself super-imposed onto various backgrounds on the TV screen in real time.

The course I am in, Digital Media Design (Interaction Design), also known as 'IxD' will be having an 'IxD Jam Session' workshop on Friday. Session 1 will be 9.30 am to 11.30 am and session 2 will be 2 pm to 4 pm.

In case you didn't know, SIDM has 6 diplomas and 1 specialist diploma programme. They are:
C57 Diploma in Digital Visual Effects
C59 Diploma in Digital Media Design (Interaction Design)
C60 Diploma in Digital Media Design (Games)
C61 Diploma in Digital Media Design (Animation)
C66 Diploma in Motion Graphics and Broadcast Design
C70 Diploma in Digital Entertainment Technology (Games )

I guess I will keep short today as I will be needing all the energy to help out as tour guide tomorrow, and I think it will be great if you could come to the Open House too!

Oh, I also heard the news from my secondary school teacher that the 2009 'O' level result will be release on Monday at 2 pm. All the best to all my juniors who took their examination last year! If you haven't think about your study path, it would be good to do some thinking now.

NYP Open House T-Shirt

2010-01-05T01:08:00.008+08:00

Today is the first day semester 2. Many things has changed and the difficulty level has now increased. There is now nothing but stress, stress and more stress. I have been working on all my assignments from morning until now...

Still, I am glad that the Open House is drawing near. We as student tour guides get to receive an exclusive 2010 NYP Open House t-shirt and 1 CCA point. Being someone without CCA, having this CCA point can be quite valuable to me.

We were having Digital Media Studies 2 lesson when we receive 3 identical SMS on where to collect our Open House t-shirt. We then proceed to S215 to collect our t-shirt. The queue was long and I even met some of my old friends while waiting.

This year's Open House t-shirt for tour guides is blood red in color and it comes in 6 different sizes - XXS to XXL, this is no M size. It also comes in 2 variation - the V-shape for most of us, and a collar shirt for tour guide leaders. I also saw that there is a black variation of the Open House t-shirt, most probably for the other Open House helpers.

In case you guys forgets the Open House time and date for Nanyang Polytechnic:
7 - 9 January 2010 - 11am to 6pm
Night Open House 8 January 2010 Friday - 6pm to 9pm
NYP Open House website

Apple Nation Dominating The World (1)

2010-01-03T14:35:00.002+08:00

Apple has done it again. Its latest wave of iPhone army now have visible effects on our life ever since StarHub and M1 pierce through SingTel exclusive deal with Apple iPhone. Everywhere you go - bus stops; MRT station; shopping mall - you will bump into someone who owns an iPhone.

My classmate have one, my lecturer have one, my cousin have one, even my aunt's maid have one! This is the result of an excessive amount of brainwashing advertisement from printed and online media. I don't see why everyone got to have one of these. Whatever happens to diversity?

It is not difficult to find someone who owns an iPhone on the train. Within 1 cabinet, you can already spot 2 or 3 person using an iPhone and you can find even more when you exit the train in stations where a lot of people alight.

Perhaps that is the power of branding, but I still can't stand it when people buy random Apple product(s) just for the sake of having the product and not actually needing it. The only Apple products I have is my MacBook Pro and iPod Touch 8GB. The MacBook is obviously for me to do my schoolwork, while I bought the cheapest iPod Touch because I am aware I do not need so much space for music storage plus I need it to study about interactivity with the iPod Touch so I can design iPod/iPhone Application in the future.

My aunt's maid was surprised when she found out after buying the phone that her current phone plan does not allow her to use the internet (she merely bought the phone and not the plan) and she did not realize she needs a credit card in order to download from Apple iTune store without using special method.

2010 Arcade Craze

2010-01-01T16:03:00.001+08:00

Happy new year everyone! It has been a really tough week for me as our group was rushing to get our Audio Video Production (AVP) assignment done on time.

Anyway, recently I developed an interest in collecting arcade coins and when my friend, Hosshima, wants to go there after we finish our AVP assignment, I joined her along with 2 my other friends. I thought of this as a good opportunity to learn more about video games as well. After all, some of the first few commercial video games in the 1970s were from the arcade.

We played many different games which includes 'Silent Hill: The Arcade', 'Guitar Heroes Arcade', and 'Mario Kart Arcade GP 2'. While I was playing Silent Hill, I come to understand more about horror shooter games. It simulate your will to survive because your life (and money) are stake. It is also more fun to play with someone else too.

I also played a shoot 'em up game from one of those 1990's tiny white arcade machine. It cost only 1 token to play and replay (which is considered little when compared to the more recent game) but being a terrible gamer that I am, I ended up using 4 - 5 tokens on it. It looks super retro as it is one of the few pixel-base video game titles there. The looks and feel of it reminded me of my childhood.

I had a blast yesterday and when we left the arcade at around 12.08 am, we even joked "I went to arcade last year!" I hope to go there more often with my friends next time.

All Things Video Games:

1. Retro Video Games are Cool

2. Know Your Video Game History (Part 1)

3. Know Your Video Game History (Part 2)

4. From Isolation to Social Interaction

5. Budget Retro Games for iPhone/iPod Touch

6. 2010 Arcade Craze

Budget Retro Games for iPhone/iPod Touch

2009-12-31T03:45:00.007+08:00

For today's All Things Video Games special report, knowing very well that most Singaporeans likes to try out things before they buy and their attitude towards freebies, here are a couple of FREE retro video games that I recommend you to try out for your iPhone or iPod Touch!

Pac-Man Lite
Publisher: Namco Network Amercia Inc.
Genre: Action / Maze
Able to listen to music? Yes
Upgrade version available? Yes
High score publishable? No

Rating: Average
This is based heavily on the original arcade Pac-Man game. While it is good in its own retro way, the game is simply too short (you can only play 1 level). The paid version is also too expensive (US$4.99) without any any extra content. Great if you just want to try out how Pac-Man looks like when it first came out.

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Pong - iPhone Lite Edition
Publisher: Jonah Grant
Genre: Sports
Able to listen to music? Yes
Upgrade version available? Yes
High score publishable? No

Rating: Average
While this is not really the actual original Pong, it does look like it, if you can ignore the fact that it is in portrait view and the speed is faster. Also, the Lite version does not support multiplayer, so you will be playing with an AI character.

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Galaga Remix Lite
Publisher: Namco Network Amercia Inc.

Genre: Action / Shooter / Shoot 'em up

Able to listen to music? Yes

Upgrade version available? Yes

High score publishable? No

Rating: Good
This one comes with both the original and an enhance version. If you are bored with boring ol' Space Invaders, this does provide a good enough alternative. Both Remix and Original comes with 2 levels each, which is not to bad when compared to Pac-Man.

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Lemonade Tycoon Free
Publisher: Electronics Arts
Genre: Business simulation / Tycoon
Able to listen to music? Yes
Upgrade version available? Yes
High score publishable? No

Rating: Awesome! (Editor's Choice)
According to the description, this is the exact same game as its $1.99 counterpart. The only differences is that this version contains advertisements that pops out every few levels. Still, this minor distraction is worth it because of its simple and awesome gameplay that is sure to make you reminisce the time many years ago in the school computer lab playing the online version of it.

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Chalk Fighter
Publisher: Boild Goose
Genre: Action / Shooter / Shoot 'em up
Able to listen to music? Yes
Upgrade version available? No (Currently free for a limited time)
High score publishable? AGON, Facebook, Twitter

Rating: Great!
Okay, so this isn't Space Invaders, or even something related to any games created in the 80s and 90s era, but it is currently free for a limited time (at the time of writing). So if you are itching for an alternate shoot 'em up, be sure to try out Chalk Fighter!

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Snake
Publisher: Templier Jeremy
Genre: Action / Maze
Able to listen to music? Yes
Upgrade version available? No
High score publishable? Facebook

Rating: Great!
First of all, this game is not in English. I have no idea what language this is in, but this game is created so simply that it only have 3 options (Play, Themes, Facebook connect) so it isn't difficult to get lost. Snake was my favorite mobile game as it was one of my first mobile games that I have on my first mobile phone (which, by extension is a Nokia phone) and this game managed to capture most of what I enjoyed in the original. You can also post your high score on Facebook, but it won't be in English.

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Do watch out for more All Things Video Games report as we usher into the new year! Happy new year everyone!

All Things Video Games:

1. Retro Video Games are Cool

2. Know Your Video Game History (Part 1)

3. Know Your Video Game History (Part 2)

4. From Isolation to Social Interaction

5. Budget Retro Games for iPhone/iPod Touch

6. 2010 Arcade Craze

Video Games: From Isolation to Social Interaction

2009-12-28T09:59:00.006+08:00

For today's All Things Video Games special report, we look at the how interaction of gamers changed due to technological advancement.

Video games have come a long way since its debut as 'Tennis for Two' and 'Spacewar!'. Most people, especially adults that doesn't embrace video game, find it tough to understand why their children are so hooked on video games. They claim that video games are making people less and less sociable.

Video games were not originally meant for one player, games such as 'Computer Space' and 'Pong' are two-players games. But I guess that is when video game took a different path to making single player games with the advert of personal computers and the 'Magnavox Odyssey'. Still, going to arcade to play alone seems a bit odd, doesn't it?

Since then, video games revolve pretty much around arcade, home console, TV game, handheld game devices, personal computer and mobile phone. Interaction was mainly between you and the game (although some games such as Game Boy allows up to 2 players using Game Link Cable). But it wasn't until the increase usage of the internet that changes the way video games are played. Here is a video about the history of the internet:

The internet changed everything, communication, file sharing, shopping, and nearly everything that we used to do away from our computer. Interaction with digital media content and other people was brought to a new level.

The idea of Massive Multi-player Online games (MMO) was born as a text-based game that people can interact with each other. The first MMO that displayed graphic was 'Neverwinter Nights'. Some of the earlier MMO were heavily inspired by medieval and fantasy setting, such examples include 'EverQuest' and 'Ulitma Online'. I still remembered playing 'Runescape' when I was in primary school and that too was an example of a medieval-inspired online game.

During this time, casual online games were also born. While some were originally HTML-based, most of the latter were Flash-based and many others such as Shockwave and Java were later developed. One of Flash games I can remember was those stick man games that my primary school classmates played whenever our class were brought to the computer lab. I never played or liked them because I find the blood and mindless violence rather disgusting and stupid.

Anyway, casual online game were also something you will see often in website that features online interaction. Some examples include forums (i.e. SGClub), virtual pets websites (Neopets), instant messenger (Windows Live Messenger) and social networking website (Facebook). The type, variety, business model of games vary depending on the nature of the websites. Facebook has many third-party developed games where you can interact indirectly with your friends (i.e. MouseHunt, Pet Society, Waka-Waka).

Other ways of online interaction besides client-based MMO (such as most MMORPG) and web-base games are the seventh generation video game consoles and handheld game devices. With internet or Wi-Fi access, these game console were no longer bound to just single player or players next to you anymore. For video game console (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii), you can now play with nearly anyone in the world at home. And for handheld game device (Nintendo DS, Playstation Portable, iPod Touch / iPhone), you can play with your friends over the internet and even post your high score online for all to see!

Even as early as the first generation video game console, it was marketed for people to play together at home. And as with watching movies or television, you can choose to do it alone or with others. I don't see how video games should be blamed for this. But I will leave this for you to decide.

Film Review: Alvin and the Chipmunks the Squeakquel

2009-12-25T16:50:00.004+08:00

Genre: Family / Comedy / Musical
Director: Betty Thomas
Duration: 93 minutes

Rating...
Originality & Concept: 1.5 / 4
Plot & Storytelling: 2.0 / 4
Visual Appeal: 5.0 / 6
Sound & Music: 4.5 / 6

Overall Rating: 6.5 / 10

Known as the world first "squeakquel", the next installment in the Alvin and the Chipmunks film offers a new setting with new characters. However, this new installment failed to offer an interesting story to hook anyone beside children.

Long story short, Alvin and his gang was sent to school after landing their dad, David, in hospital. They are now being taken care by David's cousin, Toby, who doubles as a video game fanatic and hopeless romantic. While in school, the Chipmunks found themselves having to face off Chipettes, who were led by Ian, in a singing competition while facing peer pressure and other personal problems.

While the point of putting the Chipmunks into high school seems logical and fresh from the Alvin and the Chipmunks movie point-of-view, it does seems like the movie is just using tried-and-true formulas from various movies and stitching them together and call it their own. The movie felt too similar to other musical films, such as High School Musical series and Bandslam.

Character-wise, this movie is too cramp. Not only does this movie features new characters such as the 3 Chipettes fighting for the spotlight, but also Toby, school principal Dr. Rubin but also the football gang. While most of the screen time is still devoted to the Chipmunks, the backstory and character development of the other supporting characters suffered. Toby's side story is shallow and boring and the movie is better off sticking to Dave instead.

I feel that since the Chipettes could have been given better treatment and more involvement in the story rather than just the love interest and rivals of the Chipmunks. Scenes of both groups interacting together felt too short seeing that this is the main attraction of the movie.

Perhaps the saving grace of the film is the mastery of the animators. The animation of the Chipmunks are much more refined than the original 2007 movie. Alvin, especially, were given more detailed facial expressions and the gang themselves are more easily distinguishable this time round. I also give my praise for the animation of the Chipettes as they feature more detailed clothing.

The dance sequence of the two groups were also nicely done and really make you wish that there were more. It is easy to see that the production crew has done a great job to bring out the best in the Chipmunks and Chipettes.

While the movie spot a great number of songs, their use in the film is so limited that you are better off listening to the soundtrack itself instead. I get the feeling that perhaps the animations of the dance sequence are too time consuming and that is why none of the songs are not fully featured. At the very least, the songs aren't abuse to make it look like a long music video.

Overall, for a soon-to-be 19 year old young adult, this movie does contain certain charm that allowed me to stay awake for 1 and a half hour in the cinema. It is funny and it looks great and I recommend parents to bring their kids to watch this fun-filled movie this holiday. But for everyone else, it is best to wait for the DVD or Blu-ray Disc to come out.

Links:
1. Review: Alvin And The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel Soundtrack
2. Official website: MunkYourself.com
3. Photos from The Internet Movie Database (IMDb)
4. Trailer from YouTube OfficialSqueakquel's Channel

Review: Alvin And The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel Soundtrack

2009-12-24T13:48:00.010+08:00

Genre: Pop, Rock, Hip-Hop, Dance
Label: Rhino Records
Rating: 3.0 / 5

Track Listing (from Wikipedia):
1. "You Really Got Me" feat. Honor Society - The Chipmunks
2. "Hot N Cold" - The Chipettes
3. "So What" - The Chipettes
4. "You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)" - The Chipmunks
5. "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" - The Chipettes
6. "Bring It On" - The Chipmunks
7. "Stayin' Alive" - The Chipmunks
8. "The Song" feat. Queensberry - The Chipettes
9. "It's Okay" - The Chipmunks
10. "Shake Your Groove Thing" - The Chipmunks and The Chipettes
11. "Put Your Records On" - The Chipettes
12. "I Want to Know What Love Is" - The Chipmunks
13. "We Are Family" - The Chipmunks and The Chipettes
14. "No One" feat. Charice - The Chipettes
15. "I Gotta Feeling" - The Chipmunks and The Chipettes

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The television commercial called it the "cheekiest soundtrack" this season. I agree, seeing that this time, compared to the 2007 movie soundtrack, it has double the number of chipmunks and thus double the "cheekiness".

However, this album is also double the disappointment.

Compared to the 2007 soundtrack, this soundtrack have its share of improvement and getting worst. It contains a healthy mix of nostalgic and recent songs, equally divided for both male and female singers. The 2007 soundtrack features only The Chipmunks, while this one features both The Chipmunks and The Chipettes and three that feature both groups ("Shake Your Groove Thing", "We Are Family", "I Gotta Feeling").

This album also covered several songs that are surprisingly well done, such as Katy Perry's "Hot N Cold". Apparently, some of the more subjective lyrics were altered to fit it more as a kid's album. Other notable well-done songs include "So What", "You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)" and "I Gotta Feeling".

This album have its share of big apples when it comes to bad music. One example is "You Really Got Me" that features one of my favorite bands, Honor Society. If I don't know any better, this is just a cheap marketing tactics to expand Honor Society fan-base to include little kids. That would have work, if I could consider song as an actual song, because it sounded absolutely terrible. I can't believe the producers actually placed this song inside the album.

While majority of the tracks were specially picked for used in the film counterpart, there were a few oddballs in the album and I feel that it is a pity, as the song slots could have be used to include more interesting choices. And while most of the songs are comfortable enough for the ear, some of them are too high pitched and it really hurts when you try to listen to certain songs (e.g. "We Are Family") using a earplug.

To be fair, I was never an Alvin and the Chipmunks fan. I never watched the animated series. The 2007 and the current album are the only Chipmunk albums that I have. I am a big fan of Alvin and the Chipmunks movie though.

Overall, if you are buying this as a physical disc, it is worth your money if you are a Chipmunk fan or you are giving this as a Christmas present for a Chipmunk fan. However, for everything else, I highly suggest you to listen to the demo at Amazon first before buying each track individually, because more likely-than-not, there will be certain tracks that you will not enjoy.

Link:
1. Film Review: Alvin and the Chipmunks the Squeakquel

Know Your Video Game History (Part 2)

2009-12-24T10:32:00.007+08:00

Many things happened from the 1980s to 1990s and major changes that defines the video game industry happened during this time. Because of this, I will only list down dates that I consider significant. The release date of games are based on their first release, such as 'Dragon Quest' originally released in 1986 will be listed as 1986 even thought the North America release is in 1989.

- In 1980, Nintendo released their successful 'Game & Watch' (G&W) series of portable game console. It is known to be smaller than other portable game consoles currently out in the market. It also spot a LCD screen instead of the then-common LED screen that drains the battery easily. The pocket-size and economical appeal allows the G&W to spawn over 60 games in the 11 of its release.

- 1980 also saw the release of 'Space Panic', a forerunner to the Platform genre. Its lack of jumping ability for the main character "disqualifying it as a platformer in some eyes".

- Atari's 'Battlezone' was release in 1980 and it was innovative in the way that it uses wireframe view and is considered the first virtual reality arcade game.

- Nintendo's 'Donkey Kong' emerged in 1981, making it "the first true platformer", it is also in this game that Mario (then known as Jumpman) is introduced.

- 1983 saw the introduction of Luigi in the game 'Mario Bros.' It also one of the first few two-player cooperative platformer.

- The video game crash of 1983 nearly completely destroyed the video game industry. One of the causes were because of poorly designed video games such as Atari 2600 "Pac-Man" port and "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" due to tight deadline. Many of the game cartridges would later be buried.

- The popular video puzzle game, 'Tetris' was created on 1984 in USSR and later brought to North America in 1986. This is one of the more important video games in video game history as this video game was not created in either Japan or North America.

- The video game industry was revived with the 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1985. Nintendo soon gained a near monopoly status after this because of its firm control over the industry.

- Notable games produced after this includes anime-style 'Dragon Quest' originally known as 'Dragon Warrior' in US (1986), 'The Legend of Zelda' (1986), 'Final Fantasy' (1987), and 'Street Fighter' (1987).

... Quick Summary ...
The 1980s gaming period was one that set the stage for many of what video game would be in the present. It is also in this period that the video game crash happened and in the aftermath it is what allows Nintendo, and on a larger scale other Japanese video game company, to dominate the global video game industry. And because of Nintendo near-monopoly status during that time, they were able to set the many standard to the video game industry, such as third-party deal and game controller standard.

All Things Video Games:

1. Retro Video Games are Cool

2. Know Your Video Game History (Part 1)

3. Know Your Video Game History (Part 2)

4. From Isolation to Social Interaction

5. Budget Retro Games for iPhone/iPod Touch

6. 2010 Arcade Craze

Know Your Video Game History (Part 1)

2009-12-22T22:22:00.015+08:00

In celebration of everything that is video games, this two weeks will be devoted to video games! First of all, I would like to share what I learned from the history of video games after reading and watching endless hours of Wikipedia articles, books and documentary. This report will cover until the 1980.

- After WWII and during much of the Cold War, governments was pushing their education towards technology and video game was born from army training simulation.

- Prior to the 1971, there were many technological advancements that paved the way to what we called video games. Some of the more prominent ones include 'Tennis for Two' (1958) and 'Spacewar!' (1961).

- In 1971 two coin-operated arcade games were created ('Galaxy Game' and 'Computer Space'). Both of these are based off 'Spacewar!'. 'Computer Space' was also the "first coin-operated video game to be commercially sold".

- 1972 saw the commercial success of Atari's arcade video game, 'Pong'. 1972 also saw the release of the first video game console, 'Magnavox Odyssey'.

- 1975 saw the first computer adventure game, 'Colossal Cave Adventure'. The 1970s saw the use of mainframe computer as an alternate way of playing video games other than arcade machine or home console.

- 1978, 1979, 1980 saw the coming of new arcade video games Taito's 'Space Invaders', Atari's 'Asteroids', and Namco 'Pac-Man'. It is also worth noting that this is also the first time a company beside USA to release a video game (although it is through the help of US company). This is important as the fact that Japanese company are able to penetrate global market will influence the video game industry in the future.

- The first video game crash happened in 1977, when "manufacturers of older, obsolete consoles and Pong clones sold their systems at a loss to clear stock".

- In 1979, Activision was founded by Jim Levy and former Atari employees. They was the first third-party video games developer. 1979 was also the year the 'Microvision', the world first "first handheld game console and the first to use interchangeable game cartridges", was released.

... Quick summary so far ...
It should be noted that since video games have its origin from the military, most of the easier games (such as Space Invaders and Asteroids) are pretty much mostly about shooting. Even though there are some games that move away from this (such as Pac-Man), it wasn't until the 1980s that innovative games will be release.

I find that learning about video game history adds a new dimension and appreciation to playing games. I think this is even more important for video game developers to know at least the roots of what they are developing. In part 2 of this report, I will cover the history from 1980s to 1990s.

All Things Video Games:

1. Retro Video Games are Cool

2. Know Your Video Game History (Part 1)

3. Know Your Video Game History (Part 2)

4. From Isolation to Social Interaction

5. Budget Retro Games for iPhone/iPod Touch

6. 2010 Arcade Craze

Noise Isolation Earplugs Rules

2009-12-19T21:21:00.002+08:00

Yesterday I went to Plaza Singapura to purchase a new pair of earplugs after having my original iPod Touch earplug stolen by someone. The new earplug that I bought that cost me $25.90 is an orange/gold plated Sonic Gear EarPump earplugs. I wanted to buy earplugs next year during an IT fair because it would cost cheaper and there will be more variety to choose from but I guess I have no choice right now.

I do have another earplugs though, a black Panasonic earplug that I bought in the school bookshop, but it does not have a feature that this earplug have. The EarPump earplug would be my first earplug that utilize noise isolation and probably the reason why I bought this earplug. Another reason why I bought this is because of the clear and deep bass audio that gives music a crisp and rich sound.

I actually tested the two earplugs out by having my iPod and my MacBook playing the same song ("Where Are You Now" by Honor Society) as the same time while I plug one of the two earplugs in each of my ears. I also tested it out by plugging the two earplugs individually. The result is that while the black Panasonic earplug sound is acceptable, it felt a bit flat compared to EarPump. In EarPump, the song out of the guitar and drums felt like it is an individual piece by itself and you can hear all the instruments used very clearly.

While the noise isolation feature is cool for long rides in the bus or train to block all those noisy chatters of gossiping office ladies, I did encountered a problem - the earplug is unable to completely block the sound system on the MRT train. I can still hear the woman's voice saying which station it is going next. I guess MRT choose to use a woman's voice because it is high pitch and suitable for a train full of people so that everyone can hear.

One reason that I chose to buy this earplug (beside the fact that the Carrefour in Plaza Singapura only sells earplugs from Sonic Gear) is because it is a product of Singapore. Most people would say that local-made goods are terrible and while it is true to a large extend, I believe there are hidden gems among them.

And the reason why I posted this here is because this is something related to product design and engineering. All those Singapore product design and engineering geeks out there will be trilled that there are people who support local goods. I wonder if any of them are also trilled by Singapore forth public university?

Retro Video Games are Cool

2009-12-12T23:41:00.098+08:00

Video games was originally made up of only simple graphics and is only available to university students and staffs as a research tool. But now, video game is a very broad academic subject, covering from game design, game engineering to even video game psychology and video game business.

Even though the video game industry can't be considered as very old, it does have an interesting history. If you are interested in reading about the history of portable game device in particular, I recommend you reading up on "Character Design for Mobile Devices" by NFGMan. It is a little out of context as it was published in 2006 but it is still worth reading, especially if you want to know more about portable game devices before the gameboy era.

Some game concepts are better than others and as with other media, when a concept is good, people will "copy" (the degree of copying is different for every game) that idea and make it into their own. Neopets earlier games are good example of this. But that is not to say copying is totally bad, especially you are just a game development student.

One must have a limit on copying though, as some game company loves throwing lawsuit as if those were paper airplanes. I suspect the popular Facebook Pac-man clone, Waka Waka, was redesigned because of copyright issues.

Perhaps one of the most important aspect of why people like video games created in the past is because of their attachment to it. I still remembers playing Lufia when I was a kid. I simply loved it, and this love for adventure and awesome (not to today's standard anyway) graphics is why I enjoy role-playing games the most. Looking at Lufia II upcoming remake, Estpolis: The Lands Cursed by the Gods, I don't think I will enjoy the remake as much as the original.

Another game I played when I was in primary school was Runescape. I loved it as you don't have to install anything and all you need was an internet connect to play. This was also one of my first Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG), the other being Neopets. Seeing the game now, it is totally different from what I played before. The graphics and sound have improved, but thankfully the gameplay remained the same, as I believe the gameplay is what make Runescape so special.

Because video game is such as broad topic, I will continue with this in another report.

All Things Video Games:

1. Retro Video Games are Cool

2. Know Your Video Game History (Part 1)

3. Know Your Video Game History (Part 2)

4. From Isolation to Social Interaction
5. Budget Retro Games for iPhone/iPod Touch
6. 2010 Arcade Craze

All games screen shot are used for case study purposes only and are copyrighted to their respective copyright holder.

Success Through Masses!

2009-12-11T02:09:00.006+08:00

If you guys remember several weeks ago in Orchard, there were four groups of "IxD" students doing wacky stuff. I am in one of the group, group 4. The wacky stuff is our an assignment for the Digital Media Studies 2 (DMS2) module.

I like to say that our group is honored to have scored the highest among the four groups! But that is not to say we are the best at everything though, as we are only overall the best. Our lecturer, Mr Andrew, told us that the best concept was awarded to group 3 for their box idea. I personally think group 1 have the best video editing though. But whatever the case, I think the whole of IxD did a great job for our first DMS2 assignment! Good job!

Since I am in group 4, I would like to share with you guys all the videos our group has submitted for this assignment.

This is the first video which features our first 3 days of planning, rehearsal and preparation. This and the next video are called "IxD 04 The Making".

The second video features behind-the-scene footage of what happen during the actual filming.

This is the first draft of the actual day video.

This is the final version of the actual day video. Personally I think each of the two actual day videos have its good and bad points so it is a matter of which one you like better.

Time for some "director's comment"! In the two "IxD 04 The Making" video, there are a few running gag that act as my "designer's mark". First is actually me as a comical character saying "You are watching IxD 04 The Making" in the first video. Next is the words "apple pie" that recurred once in the first video, and twice in the second video. What is with "apple pie" you ask? Well, that is for me (and many people in our class) to know, and you to figure it out.

I've gotten some very funny responds from my classmates, so I can conclude this was a success! There are also a few other running gags that isn't deliberately added by me, so let's see if you can spot them! Also, as group 3 is our "partner" group (most of our lessons are done together with them), the second video contains a section ("Part Two: Group 3 Encounter") dedicated to our friends at group 3.

I encountered a lot (and I mean A LOT!) of problems when editing the video in iMovie, and because of that, the final videos for submission wasn't done in 1080iHD format that is required by the brief. Either way, I would like to thank all my videographer partners in helping to capture all the great scenes! Thanks!

As required by our brief, we also did a short report on what we did for this assignment. Here are some parts of the report. You can read the full write-up on my school assignment blog.

"There were many funky ideas being raised. Everybody was really exciting to do whatever he or she want to do... The 3 ideas highlighted are ‘Lines’, ‘Pointing’, and ‘Umbrella’... It was a warm day and everyone was dying to get home. The plans were rolling downhill..."

"We did 2 things... Passersby taking photos of us, asking people near them who we are, taking a second look, asking us who we are, etc... It was fun when we get reaction from people... People react only when you go interact with them. It’s harder for them to come to you instead..."

NYP Open House 2010 Briefing 2

2009-12-08T23:41:00.006+08:00

I met many familiar faces today. haunting memories...

I was notified via SMS that I have been selected as a tour guide for the Nanyang Polytechnic Open House (OH) 2010, along with the majority of our course mates. This mass briefing happened on 8 December 2009 2.30 PM at LTS1 and it lasted for half around an hour.

Seeing the flooded LT, I can tell that many many people are involved in it and apparently, tour guide duty is given to both Year 1s and 2s. I have no idea what the Year 3s will be doing (probably their attachment?), but the lecturer hosting this briefing told us that some graduates will be helping out in the Open House but not as tour guides.

Because many students are appointed as tour guides (we weren't given a choice what to help out in), each person only needs to take up one shift out of the three days. Mine is on the first day from 10.30am till 4pm.