Thursday, March 30, 2006
Airports are like banner ads... web "gurus" are funny.
So, I subscribe to this newsletter and was reading this article and it struck me, all of a sudden, how stupid the article really was.
In the article, in case you're too lazy to read it, the author takes a well-designed airport in Canada and launches into a litany of how web marketers could learn from the airport when designing banner ads. Seriously...
Anyway, just thought it was funny. The other day I bought a swim suit and it was so nice it made me think of several things that architects should keep in mind when designing buildings... :)
So, I subscribe to this newsletter and was reading this article and it struck me, all of a sudden, how stupid the article really was.
In the article, in case you're too lazy to read it, the author takes a well-designed airport in Canada and launches into a litany of how web marketers could learn from the airport when designing banner ads. Seriously...
Anyway, just thought it was funny. The other day I bought a swim suit and it was so nice it made me think of several things that architects should keep in mind when designing buildings... :)
Indie games are cool. This guy has made some amazing stuff, my favorite 3 being:
http://www.eyezmaze.com/grow/v3/
http://www.eyezmaze.com/grow/RPG/index.html
http://www.eyezmaze.com/grow/cube/index.html
What's fun about them? They're just purely addictive. Think back to your first puzzle... your first rubick's cube... There are almost no instructions, there are no amazing sound effects, there are no rendered 3-D graphics. But everyone who tries these games works on them for HOURS. A friend of mine actually went through and built a spreadsheet of all the sequences of moves she made to try and win the original one (she was quite upset when it turned out there seems to be more than just one viable sequences).
What makes a game addictive? Good question... what makes a book a page turner? What makes a movie that won't let you out of your seat? Not sure atm, guess I'll have to think about that one. Anyway, enjoy the games.
http://www.eyezmaze.com/grow/v3/
http://www.eyezmaze.com/grow/RPG/index.html
http://www.eyezmaze.com/grow/cube/index.html
What's fun about them? They're just purely addictive. Think back to your first puzzle... your first rubick's cube... There are almost no instructions, there are no amazing sound effects, there are no rendered 3-D graphics. But everyone who tries these games works on them for HOURS. A friend of mine actually went through and built a spreadsheet of all the sequences of moves she made to try and win the original one (she was quite upset when it turned out there seems to be more than just one viable sequences).
What makes a game addictive? Good question... what makes a book a page turner? What makes a movie that won't let you out of your seat? Not sure atm, guess I'll have to think about that one. Anyway, enjoy the games.
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Not much to report today... other than the fact that it seriously sucks when the World of Warcraft servers are down. All of them. For several hours now. It's hard to get too worked up about it. The logical part of the brain reminds me it's just a game, it's just a few hours, and it's like 46 cents worth of my monthly bill. The immature part of the brain basically swears a lot about how lame it is that I pay to have the service available to me when I have a few free hours to play and, during those few free hours, I can't.
Brains are strange like that, aren't they? Stupid brains...
Brains are strange like that, aren't they? Stupid brains...
Saturday, March 25, 2006
Do you think entertainment is fundamentally changing? I do. When I was a kid, I watched cartoons religiously on Saturday morning, and after school for 2 hours each day. That was the only time they were on. Now? I barely watch TV. I play PS2 and WoW far more than I watch TV. All I watch regularly are South Park and 24. Speaking of which... do you think Isaac was angry at the way they brought back his character? HAHAHAHA...
Back on topic, I am far more likely to watch a movie on On Demand than I am to watch some crappy "reality" show. Then you get to the web, sites like youtube.com, angryalien.com, and jibjab.com... these are infinitely more entertaining than TV. Indie games, either playable on the web or on your computer, may not have the cinematic effects of a PS2 game, but some of them are just as fun. Entertainment is breaking out of traditional channels... that's pretty awesome.
Not sure what this all means. My guess? If you own stock in a movie theatre chain or a broadcast TV station, you might think about selling now and investing in a cable company, phone company (movies brought to you by AT&T, coming soon!), or one of these user-content driven web sites. Just a thought, I might be wrong...
Back on topic, I am far more likely to watch a movie on On Demand than I am to watch some crappy "reality" show. Then you get to the web, sites like youtube.com, angryalien.com, and jibjab.com... these are infinitely more entertaining than TV. Indie games, either playable on the web or on your computer, may not have the cinematic effects of a PS2 game, but some of them are just as fun. Entertainment is breaking out of traditional channels... that's pretty awesome.
Not sure what this all means. My guess? If you own stock in a movie theatre chain or a broadcast TV station, you might think about selling now and investing in a cable company, phone company (movies brought to you by AT&T, coming soon!), or one of these user-content driven web sites. Just a thought, I might be wrong...
Sunday, March 19, 2006
Movie: A History of Violence
This just came out last week on DVD. The story is kind of cool - small town cafe owner kills two would-be robbers, and brings the attention of the mob (which thinks he's a former hit man). While there was nothing... amazing... about the movie in any particular way, it was pretty compelling. The way the characters change towards each other as Viggo starts killing folks was interesting, and the action sequences (though brief) were pretty good. Thumbs up for some good gore shots, too (Viggo smashes a guy's nose up into his brain, and the make up effects are awesome). The ending was unfulfilling, but felt true enough.
http://www.historyofviolence.com/
Definitely worth a rent.
This just came out last week on DVD. The story is kind of cool - small town cafe owner kills two would-be robbers, and brings the attention of the mob (which thinks he's a former hit man). While there was nothing... amazing... about the movie in any particular way, it was pretty compelling. The way the characters change towards each other as Viggo starts killing folks was interesting, and the action sequences (though brief) were pretty good. Thumbs up for some good gore shots, too (Viggo smashes a guy's nose up into his brain, and the make up effects are awesome). The ending was unfulfilling, but felt true enough.
http://www.historyofviolence.com/
Definitely worth a rent.
Friday, March 17, 2006
I work in web development and spend at least 60% of my waking hours connected to the web, and yet I've never blogged. Thought I'd give it a try.
Coming soon:
Random thoughts about the web, video games, movies, Flash, animation, indie (and I mean REALLY indie) video game development, and the oddness of life in general.
Coming soon:
Random thoughts about the web, video games, movies, Flash, animation, indie (and I mean REALLY indie) video game development, and the oddness of life in general.
