Friday, 29 July 2011
Jonah Weiner writes a superb article about the developers of Dwarf Fortress.
At bottom, Dwarf Fortress mounts an argument about play. Many video games mimic the look and structure of films: there’s a story line, more or less fixed, that progresses only when you complete required tasks. This can make for gripping fun, but also the constrictive sense that you are a mouse in a tricked-out maze, chasing chunks of cheese. Tarn envisions Dwarf Fortress, by contrast, as an open-ended “story generator.” He and Zach grew up playing computer games with notebooks in hand, drawing their own renditions of the randomly generated creatures they encountered and logging their journeys in detail. Dwarf Fortress, which never unfolds the same way twice, takes that spirit of supple, fully engaged play to the extreme.
Tarn sees his work in stridently ethical terms. He calls games like Angry Birds or Bejeweled, which ensnare players in addictive loops of frustration and gratification under the pretense that skill is required to win, “abusive” — a common diagnosis among those who get hooked on the games, but a surprising one from a game designer, ostensibly charged with doing the hooking. “Many popular games tap into something in a person that is compulsive, like hoarding,” he said, “the need to make progress with points or collect things. You sit there saying yeah-yeah-yeah and then you wake up and say, What the hell was I doing? You can call that kind of game fun, but only if you call compulsive gambling fun.” He added: “I used to value the ability to turn the user into your slave. I don’t anymore.”
Thursday, 28 July 2011
BBC News posts 50 examples of “Americanisms” that were submitted by readers.
My favorite?
“I could care less” instead of “I couldn’t care less” has to be the worst. Opposite meaning of what they’re trying to say. Jonathan, Birmingham
Leo Babauta on advertising and consumerism:
I could go on all day, and in fact, we all go on all day with this game.
Or instead, we could simply say, “I’m not playing that game.” Because honestly, there’s no way we can win.
Spot on, as always.
Monday, 6 June 2011
A very good question posed by Philip Greenspun.
One of the observations from the studies conducted so far is that the effect of light on the prevention of the development of myopia may have a threshold effect, that is both the level of light required and the duration of light exposure may need to reach critical amounts before light has its preventive effect.
In the latter case, the epidemiological studies that have examined children’s exposure to outdoors have consistently found a preventative effect for between 10–14 hours outside per week in addition to any hours spent outside during school time, while 3–6 hours per week has not been associated with any effect.
While I did not log my hours at the time, I do know that I was playing outside for well over the 14 hours per week needed for the theoretical preventative effect, and my eyes still became increasingly near-sighted as I grew. Obviously the study could not account for all factors affecting eyesight, but at least there’s hope for some children to prevent or slow the development of myopia.
Marco Arment wrote an excellent review of the new Nook Simple Touch and while he loves the Nook and its new touch screen, he still came to the following conclusion.
The Nook Simple Touch isn’t going to convert a lot of Kindle fans. Amazon’s ecosystem is going to keep a lot of people in.
My ideal e-reader would be the Nook hardware and interface, but backed by the Kindle’s ecosystem and services. It’s easier for Amazon to achieve Nook-like hardware design than for B&N to achieve a Kindle-like ecosystem, so it’s much more likely that the next Kindle will be a better fit than the current (or next) Nook.
Therein lies the major problem for competitors — Amazon’s store. Amazon.com has more selection and better prices than the competitors. Yes, there’s the DRM, but Amazon practically wrote the book on e-commerce. I don’t know the statistics for the e-book sales market share, but it seems like Amazon.com is the iTunes of e-books.
Kyle Baxter compares Windows 8 to Mac OS X Lion, but here’s the salient point:
Lion borrows heavily from iOS both in concept (App Store, Launchpad, gestures, full-screen applications) and in appearance (user interface elements that resemble popovers introduced on the iPad). Apple could merely be adopting good ideas that iOS introduced to improve Mac OS, but I think there’s something more going on. I think Apple’s attempting to converge Mac OS and iOS.
I think that’s exactly what Apple is moving toward, and as a hardware company, it makes the most sense for them to keep the user experience similar, if not identical, across all of the devices they sell. I jokingly told my friend that the “One More Thing” at the WWDC 2011 Keynote would be that iOS 5 and OS X Lion are now one unified operating system. While he agrees that that is the end goal, it is a bit soon for Apple to push that change onto their customers, but wait for two or three years.
Apple is seeking to make the technology irrelevant, so we can use these devices to do—to make, to create, to be inspired from. Don’t worry about what processor or display it has. Just read. Just write. Just draw. Just do. (Kyle Baxter, Apple’s Mobile Strategy is to Make the Technology Irrelevant)
Friday, 27 May 2011
I do.
Back in August of 2009, I wrote about my Zumba experiment in which I decided to try my hand (and feet) at Zumba. My wife began teaching Zumba in September of 2009. I decided to attend all of her classes and have since grown quite fond of Zumba for a variety of reasons.
First of all, the experiment was a success. I am now licensed to teach Zumba, AquaZumba, and ZumbAtomic. My wife and I teach a few classes per week together. On the odd occasion, I take the lead myself, but it’s more fun when we’re both dancing.
Last night during a few songs, I made some mistakes and missteps in the choreography. As I was laughing at myself — and in one instance along with a lady who dances near me — I thought of how my reaction to those mistakes has changed over time. A year ago, I would experience a moment of frustration and throw my head back in irritation. Now, a mistake on my part brings a grin to my face and often laughter.
Why the difference? I have grown more comfortable with myself and have learned to relax when teaching Zumba. I’m no stranger to public speaking or being on stage, but when you are not a dancer (excepting the odd musical here and there throughout the years), leading others in a dance-based exercise program can be nerve-wracking until you let loose and enjoy the music and movement.
I believe that ZumbAtomic had a large role to play in my comfort-level while teaching Zumba, because kids are different from adults. Children have not experienced years of ingrained societal conformity, so they tend to express themselves more freely. They also interact more readily by asking questions about the dance steps or providing instant feedback to me about whether or not they enjoyed a song. This difference in behavior led me to understand that while we may feel like we are performing when others are around us, Zumba is not a performance. It is a conversation.
Many conversations: between you and your body, your body and the music, between me and you. Even so, I treat instructing Zumba as I would any other presentation. I project my voice and my demeanor, I keep a pace and control the tempo throughout, and I try to start and end strong and leave my audience wanting more. When I make a mistake in choreography, it’s now an opportunity to have a laugh, or to demonstrate my own unique style as well as learn and grow.
In the end, I suppose the experiment goes on, but no longer as an experiment — rather, as an experience. I’m in better shape than I’ve been since high school, but I can always improve. I am grateful that my wife decided to teach Zumba, and I love dancing with her and inspiring others to relax, dance, enjoy music, and improve their health.
Be well.
