Random Thoughts of a Nerd

Indie stuff

noreply@blogger.com (pcnerdy) — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 02:33:00 +0000

It's hard to breach the impenetrable wall of AAA studios to get at the real people behind the games; to find out what makes each game live and breath. I think people want to feel the context as much as the experience. This is why the indie scene is so appealing. I can send an e-mail to most any indie game maker, and know that I'll get a response from someone who is very much like myself. Now granted there are the same kinds of people at AAA studios, but it feels like each indie game has more of a personality and more of a story to tell, because the less people there are working on something, the less noise there is in it. Everyone has a tremendous impact on the game, and everyone leaves their own mark. I just don't think you can feel that as much from the big studios.

Android closed?

noreply@blogger.com (pcnerdy) — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 03:10:00 +0000

I just want to point out the "d###ed if you do, d###ed if you don't"-ness of the latest Android hubbub.

People want a platform that isn't fractured and broken, but they don't want Google to close it off at all. So which is it? Can't really have both. They have to do something if you want it to be more of a safe and structured environment.

Not trying to take sides, just objectively point out a flaw in the sensationalist Google-bashing tone I'm seeing so much of.

A good use for 3D?

noreply@blogger.com (pcnerdy) — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 21:19:00 +0000

I must admit to being inspired by this article on Popsci.

I freely admit that I'm a 3D skeptic. It seems like a superficial gimmick. But, if you have polarized viewing, you could make two sets of glasses that each only see half the screen. Then you can play split-screen games without actually splitting the screen. Think about that as your killer app. It would work with nearly all current 3D technologies.

I'd buy it.

You could even do something similar on the Nintendo 3DS. If you hold it sideways you should be able to adjust it to the point where you each see one screen (Not that you couldn't cheat the system rather easily, but it'd still be a fun gimmick).

To be fair, though. Games that support split screen are getting fairly scarce. This is counter-intuitive to the fact that screens are getting bigger and better, and computers better at handling multiple controllers. Maybe it's the game companies that are dropping the ball?

All I know is, this is one I idea that I really hope gets implemented, because it would be awesome.

Are texting laws helpful?

noreply@blogger.com (pcnerdy) — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 14:42:00 +0000

This study supposedly claims that anti-texting laws are ineffective. Let's take a look at this claim.

They studied periods immediately before and immediately after the laws were in place. People do not change habits over night. That is exactly the reason Ray LaHood is harping on enforcement. People will not change until you give them a good reason to. They need to look at long-term patterns within and across individual states. They act like just using nearby states as a control is sufficient, but I don't buy that.
They did look at possible causes in the increase. I would assume that if there are more crashes, it's because people are trying to hide what they are doing. This can only exacerbate the original problem.
The big claim they are making is not that texting while driving is bad. They are attacking stupid legislation. I have to agree with them on this. If distracted driving is the problem, banning texting is only attacking one symptom. It does nothing to attack the root of the problem, people just aren't paying enough attention to the road.

So in conclusion, I think this study is probably fairly valid. The numbers need to be watched and evaluated in the long term, and the news media needs to stop acting like studies like this establish causation. There are lives to be saved, however, so thinking about this is probably overall a good thing.

Inspiration

Radioshack lied

noreply@blogger.com (pcnerdy) — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 15:21:00 +0000

That guy at Radioshack was really nice. He felt bad about not having that thing that you wanted from their Internet store. He felt so bad and is so nice that he's have a ten dollar coupon e-mailed to you. Sounds great right? Yeah, he's enrolling you in some spammy coupon e-mail list. Isn't that great? That ten dollar coupon that he was so nice to give you comes with some strings attached. But he didn't mention that, did he? He also failed to mention that everyone gets that same coupon.

Thanks for ruining my last shred of confidence in you. You should have just asked me if I wanted to be on your spammy e-mail list. Since you misled me and basically lied to me I will never trust your words again.

This rant based on a true story.

Technical Support

noreply@blogger.com (pcnerdy) — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 19:41:00 +0000

I had a fun experience with our sewing machine this weekend. The threads were catching down in the bobbin area. It was wreaking havoc on my otherwise sunny disposition. So what did I do? Well, like any other reasonable and intelligent man, I got extremely angry and wanted to break it. Instead I put it away to be revisited later. I was sure I was going to have to pay a fortune in shipping costs to have our industrial-strength, unbreakable Janome repaired. Then I decided to read the manual. Several problems similar to mine were listed with the usual conventional wisdom to fix it. Clean it? Well I'd taken it apart like six times but never thought to clean it. Ah, what blind rage does to a man, eh? The culprit seems to have been a bit of quilt batting stuck behind the hook race from an earlier project. Now it is functioning as new again.

Good thing I read the manual instead of chucking the thing out the window. :)

Now, here's a funny comic.

Fear and Procrastination

noreply@blogger.com (pcnerdy) — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 21:16:00 +0000

My biggest fear is failure. When I'm scared of messing up, procrastination provides an out. You can't fail what you never begin. Of course, you'll never succeed either. So which is the bigger failure?
I'm also scared of the unknown. I feel daunted by how much I don't know. So things like homework and personal projects heavily remind me of how small and pathetic I am.

I'm also scared of starting and not finishing. I hate not finishing things. That small perfectionist part of me dies a little every time I do.

What am I going to do about this? Procrastination is absolutely killing my ambition. Somehow I need to be more scared of procrastination than anything else. If left unchecked I think it will devour all my hopes and dreams; for me and my family. Hey, I think I just found my motivation.

Project Gutenburg

noreply@blogger.com (pcnerdy) — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 16:07:00 +0000

I like free stuff. Let's just throw that out there. Free is a good price, but it's also something more. Freedom to change something, reuse it, or give it away is a fundamental privilege of goods like bananas, but it's a rare privilege for intellectual property. I think that's why I like Project Gutenberg a lot. A library of works from which I can read, borrow, give away, and do anything else I want. It's a thought that makes me happy, even if I don't have any idea when I'll have the time or means to do anything truly meaningful with it.

Here's one such idea. Who would want to play a game set in an ascii world that is the actual text of a book? Play an Alice game in a wonderland of words! I'll have to add that to my list of interesting game ideas to play with.

I must admit my favorite part of Project Gutenberg is not having to pay to download the classics. I'm currently reading Symbolic Logic, and that Carroll was a funny man.

LEGO Castle Kingdoms

noreply@blogger.com (pcnerdy) — Mon, 24 May 2010 22:54:00 +0000

The new LEGO Castle theme consists of two opposing kingdoms, hence the name. Right now details are sparse, since the line isn't officially released yet, but it is assumed that the dark green kingdom is antagonistic, especially as they have two sets as the captors and are the attackers in nearly every set, and the red kingdom will be the defenders. The red side also seems heroic because it contains the King's castle. But hey, some kings are maniacal dictators, so who's laying down absolutes?

Kingdoms marks a return to the historical roots of the castle theme. This is contrasted with Dragon fantasy or Robin Hood themes. The aforementioned King's castle even seems to mirror the King's Castle from the classic series of the 80's.

Kingdoms still presents very colorful castles, but they seem to follow the blocky styling of our younger imaginations. The smaller sets all feature human conflict, whether it be a rescue, an attack, or a duel. The impulse sets [1][2] feature a jester and a wizard, adding a nice bit of character, but ultimately this theme seems to be about big castles hosting epic battles between bitter enemies.

So who's ready for catapults, kidnappings, and classic castles? :D

Inspiration:
Brickset
ftbt's Flickr Gallery
PLEASE let them sell this in the US

Violence in Video Games

noreply@blogger.com (pcnerdy) — Wed, 12 May 2010 22:18:00 +0000

How often are the symptoms treated instead of the disease? Many talk about video games causing violence. While there are obviously some desensitizing effects, what makes anyone think that video games are degrading the whole of society? Society does great at that on it's own. Why isn't anyone asking whether video games are getting more violent because we are already more desensitized thanks to movies, TV, and music?

A fun hypocrisy is the stereotype of the sedentary gamer. How can video games simultaneously turn people into couch potatoes and murderers? Couch murderers? Zombies maybe. Perhaps the sedentary lifestyle is not due to video games, just their abuse. In their absence, television, movies, or the Internet would fill the role of time sink. So instead of lobbing ridiculous claims and threats at gaming, spend time educating our children how to cope with copious amounts of information and entertainment.

Teaching people is the answer to the problems of our day, not legislation, rules, and lies.

Doh!

noreply@blogger.com (pcnerdy) — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 22:45:00 +0000

Wow. Three weeks since I posted last. I am lame. What follows is my plan to become awesome.

My summer plan is to become familiar with some game creation tools and libraries so that I can create a mess of games this summer and nurture my game design/implementation chops, similar to this guy.

Here is my current list:

With maybe a dabbling in Flixel and Popcap Games Framework.

Now to figure out what games to make.

Smile, BYU, smile!

noreply@blogger.com (pcnerdy) — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 20:06:00 +0000

A smile is a beautiful, infectious thing. It is filled with power to cheer hearts and lift burdens from the weary. Few things in daily life are so enervating that they can completely resist the power of a smile. So smile! It's cheap, easy, and has the power to brighten the whole world. There aren't nearly enough people on campus who are smiling for no apparent reason. Maybe you need a reason. How about the Lord's words? "Lift up your hearts and be glad, for I am in your midst" - Doctrine and Covenants 29:5. Just think about the difference between a cold, shambling horde of students and a warm, smiling collection of friends.

Internet safety 2

noreply@blogger.com (pcnerdy) — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 07:09:00 +0000

I installed an Internet filter on my computer at work. I want to raise my productivity by staying focused on my projects. It works great. I like self-improvement. I'm just sad it took me so long to do it. I am also able to connect to the filter from home. I set up dansguardian so I'd have exposure to something scalable up to a production environment. What I like most about this whole thing is how much more in control I feel. I don't feel like I need to worry about stumbling into a rat's nest as much with a filter watching my back. It's also pretty funny when I click on a bookmark to goof off and hit my own brick wall. In closing I highly recommend everyone do something similar. You don't need to block things like Facebook, but it's nice to know you've got options.

Health Care Reform

noreply@blogger.com (pcnerdy) — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 07:36:00 +0000

I thought I was going to hate the whole mess, but it seems to be fairly reasonable. I will hope and pray that it really helps Americans and saves taxpayer money.

I really really need someone to explain the "insurance mandate," though. Can someone please tell me how it's constitutional to criminalize not having insurance? That is evil no matter how you spin it.

Ew

noreply@blogger.com (pcnerdy) — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:44:00 +0000

Does anyone else get some serious uncanny valley heeblies when they see those Old Navy "Super Modelquin" things?

I am not going to lie. I cannot stand them. Old Navy seems to be forgetting the simple fact that all mannequins are creepy. Don't believe me? Google it. Actually don't, because it's disgusting. Just take my word for it.

Here's a hint, Old Navy, find a new marketing team. Actually, fire your marketing team and just focus on making your comfortable, rugged, affordable clothes more rugged and more affordable. Then you'll never have to worry about your numbers.

Where is wisdom?

noreply@blogger.com (pcnerdy) — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 17:49:00 +0000

Advanced technology brings greater knowledge, but does it bring greater wisdom? Knowledge and wisdom are not mutually exclusive, but one does not imply the other. Upon reading through Internet forums and comments you will soon discover that knowledge isn't in short supply, but where has the wisdom gone? We are becoming a society of parrots and fools repeating trite rhetoric without thought. Maybe the answer is experience. Wisdom can only be gained firsthand. We must use our own hands to build up this world and make it better. If the computer becomes the center of society, then we have gained knowledge and power at the cost of wisdom, and the whole Earth.

Mini Game

noreply@blogger.com (pcnerdy) — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 20:34:00 +0000

The Pokéwalker is a really interesting thing. Isn't it just like a Tamagotchi or VMU? It does look an awful lot like a mix of the two. The difference is that it doesn't require incessant attention to keep your Pokémon alive, and the battery life is actually decent enough to be usable. It is very much a modern Pokémon Pikachu, but the added functionality of finding items and catching new Pokémon make it a bazillion times cooler.

Why is it so exciting? Try putting one on and not feeling motivated to walk more. The extra watts make any ancillary steps worth it. It's a physical manifestation of the game in your life. It keeps you constantly drawn in. It's a fairly unique feeling.

How could that possibly be a good thing? One reason is that time spent not in the game still feels like a fun part of the game, but the real reason is that it's taking an onerous task and making it into a game. Lee Sheldon of the Indiana University is doing something similar with grades. His students start out at level one with 0 XP. They are able to "level up" by gaining XP through homework, quizzes and exams. He says he's never had a more enthusiastic class.

Now obviously this principle doesn't apply to everything, but if studies can show that it works in a non-detrimental way, this could be the key in unlocking the potential of the next generation, instead of letting their futures by dimmed by lackluster education.

Open source is awesome

noreply@blogger.com (pcnerdy) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 18:28:00 +0000

Open source is amazing because it provides competition and promotes innovation. Competition is provided by quality software that gives away the most important piece, the source code. Open code allows massive community reviews that give most open source software its famous robustness. It also means that the wheel doesn't need to be reinvented any more. You find a project that is close to what you want, and borrow what you need. Innovations and changes can roll forward rapidly. And the best part is that most open source code is also free, which means anyone can afford it.

Can you hear me now?

noreply@blogger.com (pcnerdy) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 07:11:00 +0000

Some people say that because the world is "flat" a company can be spread around the entire world. While this is unarguably true, a better strategy is to keep the bulk of your team together. Granted this is only important when you have hard deadlines to meet, but no work flow system is infallible. Internet and phone service go out. People get sick and don't check in. Weird stuff always happens. If you have any semblance of proximity you can cover for each other, but what do you do when your partner on another continent drops off the grid for several days? Distance will always add complications. Is it worth it? Only you can decide.

Copyleft?

noreply@blogger.com (pcnerdy) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 06:01:00 +0000

Is there too much talk surrounding copyright? Shouldn't more people be putting their rhetoric into practice? Copyright as it stands really needs reform, but it won't happen until more people raise a new banner. Canonical has shown this to be possible. They are giving away copyrighted material and selling support instead, and they aren't even the first. Why aren't more people doing that? Why aren't more musicians taking a similar plunge with their music? Why aren't photographers giving their photos away and charging more for the real services they provide? It's easy to talk, because it accomplishes very little. Until more people make a move against copyright, it will continue to obstruct the free exchange of ideas.

World Wide Web Takeover

noreply@blogger.com (pcnerdy) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 05:49:00 +0000

Google is at it again. They just acquired a photo editing website named Picnick. Why did they do it? Sure it ties in well with Picasa Web Albums, but that doesn't justify putting down big money for something they don't need. Perhaps they are just thickening their portfolio of Internet smack-down aimed at Microsoft. Google seems to believe that the "cloud" is the future, but that is completely unknowable at this point. No, the real reason Google bought Picnick is for Google Chrome OS. To succeed in any measure they will need a way to replace all the desktop applications a standard user would need. They are now one big step closer to that benchmark.

Toyota whaaa?

noreply@blogger.com (pcnerdy) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 18:36:00 +0000

I just want to say something in light of what appears to me to be a lot of hateful scaremongering on TV. It appears that Toyota, the company, has made a few mistakes, but there's no confirmation of wrong-doing yet. So why are people chiding them in the news? We have no idea what's going on. Surveys have supposedly revealed a substantial number of mysteriously accelerating cars, but no real information about these surveys has been given. We know that there have been a number of deaths in Toyotas, but how many cars have they sold since 2000, when this began. How can anyone blame Toyota for any wrongdoing with so little evidence? It seems to me that Toyota is getting picked on, and I for one am standing up to say, I ♥ Toyota.

Update: Vindication tastes so good. :)

Sources/Inspiration (labelled with my own impressions of course):
Thank you
Toyota's supposed bragging
Sticks it to that Reporter who leaked the bragging
A little over the top, but makes some good points

Freedom of choice

noreply@blogger.com (pcnerdy) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:53:00 +0000

iPhone developers whose applications were pulled recently are upset. Guess what. Apple has a history of mixed results in their application screening. These things should be expected. You choose to send your applications into that totalitarian world, and you willingly submit yourself to whatever arbitrary judgements they throw down. Please stop whining about it. If you don't like it, take your business to another platform. There are plenty others out there.

Internet safety

noreply@blogger.com (pcnerdy) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 06:19:00 +0000

It's a sad thing to me that the Internet can be such a scary place. It may be the single most useful tool on the planet, but its tainted by greed, corruption, and danger at every turn. I am not suggesting that we should try to change it. The Internet is great because it is free. I just wish less spammers, hackers, and phishers existed on our precious networks. It doesn't have to be this way.

The biggest problem I have with the Internet is ignorance. It's an everyday part of life for millions, but not many people truly understand it. Most people don't seem to realize how the Internet is a back door to their computer, and with everyone's life stored in bits on computers, an unlocked back door is a pretty big deal. You will be taken advantage of; it's just a matter of time. That's why we all need to be on guard. There will never be a perfect solution, and we will be vulnerable until we unplug our computers from the network. And really, when is that ever going to happen?

The Human Enigma

noreply@blogger.com (pcnerdy) — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 07:57:00 +0000

I've heard a lot of people talk about the human condition, but I still haven't heard anyone give a good definition of it. Wikipedia helps there, but even that definition is so ambiguous as to provide more questions than answers. I believe the human condition encompasses all human experience. I also believe that it's a term meant to distill all meaningful elements of life into one concept that is common to all people. So I would like to submit one small piece of the pie. All people are born of the same elements and will meet the same end. No one in this world will escape death. So can we please all get over our differences and treat each other like the singular human family we are? We are all equal, even if we aren't the same.