Category: Very cool sites
meebo.com
I've been looking for a way to sign on to IM when I'm not at my own machine for the last couple of months, and the different IM providers seem to be hell-bent on making that as hard as possible. They want you to install their client on every machine in the world... (don't believe me? try searching for a web-enabled IM login from the site of one of the services.)
Meebo is the web equivalent of Trillain (but much lighter, of course)and allows you to sign on to multiple services at once.
Finally!
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Friday, August 11, 2006
Very cogent analysis of a messy subject. It's unfortunate that our own government seems incapable of "getting the joke."
gamesindustry.biz
Daily Update
10/08/2006
If you walk into a store in the United Kingdom to pick up a copy of Capcom's eagerly awaited Xbox 360 title Dead Rising, you'll find that the methods of dispatching zombies available to you in the game are somewhat, well, unadulterated. Smashing undead skulls into the floor and lopping heads off with well placed scythe slashes are only two of the many, many carnage related options which will be open to players of the game, which borrows many of its cues from classic zombie movies such as Dawn of the Dead.
The interesting thing about this level of violence and gore isn't that it's present in the first place - after all, zombie films and other horror and action movies have been blowing apart the undead in showers of claret for decades, and "decency" campaigners seem to have given up on moaning about escapist fantasy movies quite some time ago. No, what's interesting is that despite the game having a rocky time with censorship and ratings boards elsewhere in the world, in Britain it will be released entirely uncensored, with not a single change to the content.
That's a situation which movie aficionados have gradually become used to in this country; the British Board of Film Classification, empowered by the excellent if sometimes weakly enforced age rating system which is applied to media in the UK, has been passing more and more films without cuts. Instead, films are rated 18, and the board takes the view that if content is not clearly going to be harmful to adults, then adults should be permitted to view or experience it.
Now the BBFC is applying the same logic to videogames - and the straightforward, reasonable point of view expressed by the board brings a breath of fresh air to the debate over videogame violence and censorship, which has become increasingly bogged down in rhetoric and embarrassing public spats between key proponents on both sides in the last year or so.
You can read the board's full comments on why they're passing Dead Rising as an 18-rated game, uncut, in this news story - but suffice it to say that the guardians at the gates of Britain's sensitive minds not only regard claims that videogames turn people into killers with a sceptical eye, but they also, crucially, get the joke. Their statement to us not only acknowledges that the game is aimed at an adult audience (a fact commonly missed in discussions about violent videogames), but also that the violence has a fantasy element and crucially, that the game has "a sense of humour, albeit a macabre one."
Herein, perhaps, lies the clearest sign we've seen in quite some time that the tide is turning in favour of interactive media. The key problem faced by games for years has been that they are widely seen as being a form of entertainment which was aimed at children and which was both straightforward and unsubtle. When a newspaper talks about a film featuring a violent or sexual scene, readers automatically assume that this falls into the context of the film; when we talk about games featuring similar scenes, many people automatically assume that this game is an outright "violence simulator" or "sex simulator", because they cannot conceive of a game having complex narrative, satire, humour or subtlety.
In acknowledging the humour which drives Dead Rising, the BBFC acknowledges the maturity of the videogaming medium. In granting it an 18 rating - described by a spokesperson as "a fairly straightforward 18" - it acknowledges it as entertainment for adults. In making these viewpoints public, as much as in granting the rating in the first place, it shows us how far the perception of videogames in the British political establishment has come.
We welcome, of course, the opportunity to enjoy Dead Rising as its creators intended - an experience no more harmful, and possibly even more fun, than spending an evening with friends watching cult classic George A Romero films. More than that, however, we welcome the implicit confirmation of the BBFC's view that games deserve equal treatment to their counterparts in film. The censorship debate will roll on regardless, of course - especially in the USA where much of it focuses on the ability to ban the sale of violent games to minors, something which the UK has already done for years - but the end of this long dark tunnel is more clearly in sight than ever before.
gamesindustry.biz
Daily Update
10/08/2006
If you walk into a store in the United Kingdom to pick up a copy of Capcom's eagerly awaited Xbox 360 title Dead Rising, you'll find that the methods of dispatching zombies available to you in the game are somewhat, well, unadulterated. Smashing undead skulls into the floor and lopping heads off with well placed scythe slashes are only two of the many, many carnage related options which will be open to players of the game, which borrows many of its cues from classic zombie movies such as Dawn of the Dead.
The interesting thing about this level of violence and gore isn't that it's present in the first place - after all, zombie films and other horror and action movies have been blowing apart the undead in showers of claret for decades, and "decency" campaigners seem to have given up on moaning about escapist fantasy movies quite some time ago. No, what's interesting is that despite the game having a rocky time with censorship and ratings boards elsewhere in the world, in Britain it will be released entirely uncensored, with not a single change to the content.
That's a situation which movie aficionados have gradually become used to in this country; the British Board of Film Classification, empowered by the excellent if sometimes weakly enforced age rating system which is applied to media in the UK, has been passing more and more films without cuts. Instead, films are rated 18, and the board takes the view that if content is not clearly going to be harmful to adults, then adults should be permitted to view or experience it.
Now the BBFC is applying the same logic to videogames - and the straightforward, reasonable point of view expressed by the board brings a breath of fresh air to the debate over videogame violence and censorship, which has become increasingly bogged down in rhetoric and embarrassing public spats between key proponents on both sides in the last year or so.
You can read the board's full comments on why they're passing Dead Rising as an 18-rated game, uncut, in this news story - but suffice it to say that the guardians at the gates of Britain's sensitive minds not only regard claims that videogames turn people into killers with a sceptical eye, but they also, crucially, get the joke. Their statement to us not only acknowledges that the game is aimed at an adult audience (a fact commonly missed in discussions about violent videogames), but also that the violence has a fantasy element and crucially, that the game has "a sense of humour, albeit a macabre one."
Herein, perhaps, lies the clearest sign we've seen in quite some time that the tide is turning in favour of interactive media. The key problem faced by games for years has been that they are widely seen as being a form of entertainment which was aimed at children and which was both straightforward and unsubtle. When a newspaper talks about a film featuring a violent or sexual scene, readers automatically assume that this falls into the context of the film; when we talk about games featuring similar scenes, many people automatically assume that this game is an outright "violence simulator" or "sex simulator", because they cannot conceive of a game having complex narrative, satire, humour or subtlety.
In acknowledging the humour which drives Dead Rising, the BBFC acknowledges the maturity of the videogaming medium. In granting it an 18 rating - described by a spokesperson as "a fairly straightforward 18" - it acknowledges it as entertainment for adults. In making these viewpoints public, as much as in granting the rating in the first place, it shows us how far the perception of videogames in the British political establishment has come.
We welcome, of course, the opportunity to enjoy Dead Rising as its creators intended - an experience no more harmful, and possibly even more fun, than spending an evening with friends watching cult classic George A Romero films. More than that, however, we welcome the implicit confirmation of the BBFC's view that games deserve equal treatment to their counterparts in film. The censorship debate will roll on regardless, of course - especially in the USA where much of it focuses on the ability to ban the sale of violent games to minors, something which the UK has already done for years - but the end of this long dark tunnel is more clearly in sight than ever before.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
IRAQ INDEX
Tracking Reconstruction and Security
in Post-Saddam Iraq
The Iraq Index is a statistical compilation of economic, public opinion, and security data. This resource will provide updated information on various criteria, including crime, telephone and water service, troop fatalities, unemployment, Iraqi security forces, oil production, and coalition troop strength.
Iraq Index
Tracking Reconstruction and Security
in Post-Saddam Iraq
The Iraq Index is a statistical compilation of economic, public opinion, and security data. This resource will provide updated information on various criteria, including crime, telephone and water service, troop fatalities, unemployment, Iraqi security forces, oil production, and coalition troop strength.
Iraq Index
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Thursday, February 09, 2006
Thursday, January 26, 2006
bit-tech.net | MPAA illegally copies movies:
MPAA illegally copies movies
Posted 10:41 - 25 January 2006 - by Wil Harris
Oh the irony. The MPAA is being forced to justify its actions today, after reports emerged that it has been engaging in unauthorised copying of movies.
The movie in question is called This movie has not yet been rated, and is a documentary featuring examining the actions and the structure of the MPAA. The MPAA itself is a collection of anonymous individuals who are solely responsible for the ratings of films in the USA, yet have little-to-no accountability. The documentary attempts to find out who these people are, and then examines the attitudes of the association to things such as sex v violence, heterosexual v homosexual content, the treatment of indie films v the preference allegedly given to big studios.
By way of justification, the MPAA said that the spying and intrusion on its employees warranted it distributing copies of the movie to its employees.
Here's a quote from the Ars story:
'Director Kirby Dick submitted the film for rating in November. After receiving the movie, the MPAA subsequently made copies without Dick's permission. Dick had specifically requested in an e-mail that the MPAA not make copies of the movie. The MPAA responded by saying that 'the confidentiality of your film is our first priority.'
Dick later learned that the MPAA made copies of the film to distribute them to its employees, despite the MPAA's stance on unauthorized copying.'
Hands up if you hate American monopolists? Yeah, us too. Over in the UK, we have the British Board of Film Classification, an open and identifiable body that has a reputation for being progressive and friendly with its ratings. Then again, it doesn't have to deal with the American schizophrenic attitude to sex, which must help.
What do you make of the MPAA's actions? Are they acting responsibily for the good of their members, or are they swiftly making themselves into a laughing stock? Answers on a postcard please, or alternatively, in our forum. "
MPAA illegally copies movies
Posted 10:41 - 25 January 2006 - by Wil Harris
Oh the irony. The MPAA is being forced to justify its actions today, after reports emerged that it has been engaging in unauthorised copying of movies.
The movie in question is called This movie has not yet been rated, and is a documentary featuring examining the actions and the structure of the MPAA. The MPAA itself is a collection of anonymous individuals who are solely responsible for the ratings of films in the USA, yet have little-to-no accountability. The documentary attempts to find out who these people are, and then examines the attitudes of the association to things such as sex v violence, heterosexual v homosexual content, the treatment of indie films v the preference allegedly given to big studios.
By way of justification, the MPAA said that the spying and intrusion on its employees warranted it distributing copies of the movie to its employees.
Here's a quote from the Ars story:
'Director Kirby Dick submitted the film for rating in November. After receiving the movie, the MPAA subsequently made copies without Dick's permission. Dick had specifically requested in an e-mail that the MPAA not make copies of the movie. The MPAA responded by saying that 'the confidentiality of your film is our first priority.'
Dick later learned that the MPAA made copies of the film to distribute them to its employees, despite the MPAA's stance on unauthorized copying.'
Hands up if you hate American monopolists? Yeah, us too. Over in the UK, we have the British Board of Film Classification, an open and identifiable body that has a reputation for being progressive and friendly with its ratings. Then again, it doesn't have to deal with the American schizophrenic attitude to sex, which must help.
What do you make of the MPAA's actions? Are they acting responsibily for the good of their members, or are they swiftly making themselves into a laughing stock? Answers on a postcard please, or alternatively, in our forum. "
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
I've had a problem ever since I started using my work computer with some of my programs trying to load two copies at startup. It became obvious because I use Trillian and it will actually load twice, unlike most others that just ignored the second attempt to load. I found the solution in the Trillian Forums:
Trillian Discussion Forums - Trillian starts twice. Two icons in tray.:
timstyles
Junior Member
"I've found out why Windows runs everything in my startup menu twice. I had previously deleted the Startup folder in my user directory (C:\Documents and Settings\\Start Menu\Programs\Startup) and put program shortcuts in the common directory (C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup).
There are two pairs of keys in the registry which point to these two folders. When one folder is deleted, the keys which pointed to it are modified to point to the remaining folder. The result is that both pairs of keys point to the same folder and things in it get started twice.
[...]
Note - you have to recreate the folder C:\Documents and Settings\\Start Menu\Programs\Startup if you deleted it, or the key will just change back.
hammo1j
Junior Member
[...]
People should go to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders
And change the %ALLUSERSPROFILE% to
%USERPROFILE% on the entries which will obviously have been modified from this setting.
If you reboot the machine the changes will be automatically propagated to the other directory.
ME:
Thanks to both for the instructions!
Trillian Discussion Forums - Trillian starts twice. Two icons in tray.:
timstyles
Junior Member
"I've found out why Windows runs everything in my startup menu twice. I had previously deleted the Startup folder in my user directory (C:\Documents and Settings\
There are two pairs of keys in the registry which point to these two folders. When one folder is deleted, the keys which pointed to it are modified to point to the remaining folder. The result is that both pairs of keys point to the same folder and things in it get started twice.
[...]
Note - you have to recreate the folder C:\Documents and Settings\
Junior Member
People should go to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders
And change the %ALLUSERSPROFILE% to
%USERPROFILE% on the entries which will obviously have been modified from this setting.
If you reboot the machine the changes will be automatically propagated to the other directory.
ME:
Thanks to both for the instructions!
Friday, December 16, 2005
In the interest of promoting fair use, I'm copying these instructions for converting a .aa file to mp3.
Why I Won't Be Adding Audible.com to My Xmas Card List:
HOW TO FIX THE PROBLEM 2004-04-27 16:28:58 ZenKai [Reply | View]
Okay, first things first. He's right. Dead right. And this is almost what made me quit when it came to Audible. Fortunately there is a solution:
Steps:
1. Uninstall Audible manager (no, I'm not kidding).
1.1 NOTE: Disconnect any devices prior to uninstalling.
1.2 NOTE: SAVE YOUR BOOKS or it will kill them too.
2. Download Goldwave 5.06 (this is shareware, though I strongly recommend registering; it's a L337 piece). Link at end of message.
3. Download and install LAME MP3. Goldwave keys off this open-source MP3 software to save mp3's. Link at end of message.
4. Install Goldwave.
5. Download and install Audible Manager 3.5. IT MUST BE v3.5! Link at end of message.
6. Open Goldwave, then open your *.aa file.
7. It will ask for your audible UID & PWD.
8. Allow the file to open.
9. If you are going to split the file, I recommend doing it now by openning the cue dialogue, choosing autocue, then using the Split File option to save to the proper format - no need to save to MP3 first, but you do need to set the default save options correctly)
Otherwise, Save as MP3. Figure on about a half hour per 8 hours of audio.
10. Burn, split, play to your hearts content.
Necessary search terms:
GoldWave v.5.06
LAME MP3
Audible Manager 3.5
Why I Won't Be Adding Audible.com to My Xmas Card List:
HOW TO FIX THE PROBLEM 2004-04-27 16:28:58 ZenKai [Reply | View]
Okay, first things first. He's right. Dead right. And this is almost what made me quit when it came to Audible. Fortunately there is a solution:
Steps:
1. Uninstall Audible manager (no, I'm not kidding).
1.1 NOTE: Disconnect any devices prior to uninstalling.
1.2 NOTE: SAVE YOUR BOOKS or it will kill them too.
2. Download Goldwave 5.06 (this is shareware, though I strongly recommend registering; it's a L337 piece). Link at end of message.
3. Download and install LAME MP3. Goldwave keys off this open-source MP3 software to save mp3's. Link at end of message.
4. Install Goldwave.
5. Download and install Audible Manager 3.5. IT MUST BE v3.5! Link at end of message.
6. Open Goldwave, then open your *.aa file.
7. It will ask for your audible UID & PWD.
8. Allow the file to open.
9. If you are going to split the file, I recommend doing it now by openning the cue dialogue, choosing autocue, then using the Split File option to save to the proper format - no need to save to MP3 first, but you do need to set the default save options correctly)
Otherwise, Save as MP3. Figure on about a half hour per 8 hours of audio.
10. Burn, split, play to your hearts content.
Necessary search terms:
GoldWave v.5.06
LAME MP3
Audible Manager 3.5
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
New Video Game Designed To Have No Influence On Kids' Behavior
December 14, 2005 | Issue 41•50
NEW YORK— Electronic-entertainment giant Take-Two Interactive, parent company of Grand Theft Auto series creator Rockstar Games, released Stacker Tuesday, a first-person vertical-crate-arranger guaranteed not to influence young people's behavior in any way.
New Video Game Designed To Have No Influence On Kids' Behavior
"With Stacker, the player interacts with an environment full of boxes—lightweight, uniformly brown boxes with rounded corners—and uses diligence and repetitive hard work to complete his mission," said Doug Benzies, Stacker's chief developer. "We're confident that the new 'reluctantly interactive' content engine we designed will prevent any excitement or emotional involvement, inappropriate or otherwise, on the part of the player."
To avoid any appearance of suggestive or adult situations, the graphics consist entirely of rectangular polygons rendered in shades of brown against a simulated gray cinderblock wall. The game is free-roaming inside the warehouse environment, meaning that no goals are set for stacking a certain number of boxes, nor is there a time limit for the stacking. The health-level bar remains at a constant peak, and the first-person perspective avoids the problem of players identifying too closely with the main character, whose name is never specified and to whom nothing actually happens.
While the game, like most other newer entries, has a three-dimensional platform, it features little else that could make an impression on the player.
"We tried to narrow in on anything that could imply suggestive content, and eliminate it," Benzies said. "Sound effects are limited to the barely audible sounds of scraping cardboard, the dull thuds of boxes against cement, and the white noise of a cavernous workplace setting."
A demo version of Stacker was unveiled at the Tokyo Game Show in September and garnered praise from parents' groups who lauded its unstimulating visuals, utter lack of storyline, and non-immersive game play.
Enlarge ImageNew Video Game Designed To Have No Influence On Kids' Behavior
Stacker, the first-person cardboard-box-sorter game that parents' groups are applauding.
"After playing Stacker, there is absolutely no reason for anyone to want to take boxes, crates, or any other polygonal object, and place them atop one another, as seen in this gem of a game," said Laura Keitel of the D.C.-based Center For Entertainment And The Family. "No kid in the world could possibly get anything out of it. There's no reason why the video-game industry shouldn't be making a lot more games like this."
Take-Two executives said they were inspired by "real critics."
"We're just giving kids what their parents say they need," said Take-Two vice president of marketing Allyson Spicer. "In today's economic environment, it's foolish not to listen to the people who dislike everything about our products."
Though some have compared Stacker to Tetris, those within the industry have been quick to draw distinctions between the two games.
"Tetris' suggestively twisting and turning blocks, violent falling motions, and increasingly frenzied suspense are a potential influence on children," said video-game ethicist Steve Contreras. "By contrast, after playing Stacker, with its eternally unchanging shapes and gentle lowering actions, I doubt a child would ever want to arrange any sort of virtual block again. This is exactly what this controversial industry needed to rescue its reputation."
Added Contreras: "We could really use a good first-person stander game."
Yet several parents of teenagers who work in warehouses and box factories are already threatening Take-Two with civil lawsuits, claiming that Stacker may adversely affect children of low-income workers.
"My kid certainly doesn't want to stack cases of instant coffee in a hot warehouse all day, like his old man did," said Loretto, PA father Reginald Hauser. "Now they're saying there's a video game that might glamorize the activity. Those video-game honchos are up to the same old tricks."
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/43441
December 14, 2005 | Issue 41•50
NEW YORK— Electronic-entertainment giant Take-Two Interactive, parent company of Grand Theft Auto series creator Rockstar Games, released Stacker Tuesday, a first-person vertical-crate-arranger guaranteed not to influence young people's behavior in any way.
New Video Game Designed To Have No Influence On Kids' Behavior
"With Stacker, the player interacts with an environment full of boxes—lightweight, uniformly brown boxes with rounded corners—and uses diligence and repetitive hard work to complete his mission," said Doug Benzies, Stacker's chief developer. "We're confident that the new 'reluctantly interactive' content engine we designed will prevent any excitement or emotional involvement, inappropriate or otherwise, on the part of the player."
To avoid any appearance of suggestive or adult situations, the graphics consist entirely of rectangular polygons rendered in shades of brown against a simulated gray cinderblock wall. The game is free-roaming inside the warehouse environment, meaning that no goals are set for stacking a certain number of boxes, nor is there a time limit for the stacking. The health-level bar remains at a constant peak, and the first-person perspective avoids the problem of players identifying too closely with the main character, whose name is never specified and to whom nothing actually happens.
While the game, like most other newer entries, has a three-dimensional platform, it features little else that could make an impression on the player.
"We tried to narrow in on anything that could imply suggestive content, and eliminate it," Benzies said. "Sound effects are limited to the barely audible sounds of scraping cardboard, the dull thuds of boxes against cement, and the white noise of a cavernous workplace setting."
A demo version of Stacker was unveiled at the Tokyo Game Show in September and garnered praise from parents' groups who lauded its unstimulating visuals, utter lack of storyline, and non-immersive game play.
Enlarge ImageNew Video Game Designed To Have No Influence On Kids' Behavior
Stacker, the first-person cardboard-box-sorter game that parents' groups are applauding.
"After playing Stacker, there is absolutely no reason for anyone to want to take boxes, crates, or any other polygonal object, and place them atop one another, as seen in this gem of a game," said Laura Keitel of the D.C.-based Center For Entertainment And The Family. "No kid in the world could possibly get anything out of it. There's no reason why the video-game industry shouldn't be making a lot more games like this."
Take-Two executives said they were inspired by "real critics."
"We're just giving kids what their parents say they need," said Take-Two vice president of marketing Allyson Spicer. "In today's economic environment, it's foolish not to listen to the people who dislike everything about our products."
Though some have compared Stacker to Tetris, those within the industry have been quick to draw distinctions between the two games.
"Tetris' suggestively twisting and turning blocks, violent falling motions, and increasingly frenzied suspense are a potential influence on children," said video-game ethicist Steve Contreras. "By contrast, after playing Stacker, with its eternally unchanging shapes and gentle lowering actions, I doubt a child would ever want to arrange any sort of virtual block again. This is exactly what this controversial industry needed to rescue its reputation."
Added Contreras: "We could really use a good first-person stander game."
Yet several parents of teenagers who work in warehouses and box factories are already threatening Take-Two with civil lawsuits, claiming that Stacker may adversely affect children of low-income workers.
"My kid certainly doesn't want to stack cases of instant coffee in a hot warehouse all day, like his old man did," said Loretto, PA father Reginald Hauser. "Now they're saying there's a video game that might glamorize the activity. Those video-game honchos are up to the same old tricks."
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/43441
Monday, December 12, 2005
Monday, November 28, 2005
Thursday, November 10, 2005
1/5 of Science Projects impacted by patent problems
Right to Create: Patents Chilling Science?: "Of the 40% of respondents who reported their work had been affected [by patents], 58% said their work was delayed, 50% reported they had to change the research, and 28% reported abandoning their research project. The most common reason respondents reported having to change or abandon their research project was that the acquisition of the necessary technologies involved overly complex licensing negotiations."
Right to Create: Patents Chilling Science?: "Of the 40% of respondents who reported their work had been affected [by patents], 58% said their work was delayed, 50% reported they had to change the research, and 28% reported abandoning their research project. The most common reason respondents reported having to change or abandon their research project was that the acquisition of the necessary technologies involved overly complex licensing negotiations."
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
How to Prototype a Game in Under 7 Days
Brilliant in it's way - choice pieces include:
"If You Can Get Away With it, Fake it
This is arguably one of the most important lessons of the project. Often the “correct” solution is not the best solution. Strategically faking it will save you time and money; it will make your game faster, and your teeth whiter. Fake it liberally and often! ... This rule is also a fantastic general lesson for life, we have found. Slackers, take note."
"Heavy Theming Will Not Salvage Bad Design (or "You Can't Polish a Turd")"
self-explanitory, I think.
"Build Toward a Well Defined Goal
A well defined goal was embarrassingly easy to forget about. Without a gameplay goal, a prototype is just a toy – not a game. For some reason, people seem to enjoy having the opportunity to fail. A goal can be anything..."
and
"Our objective advisor kindly pointed out, “Rapid prototyping can be a lot like conceiving a child. No one expects a winner every time, but you always walk away having learned something new, and it's usually a lot of fun!”"
Check it out:
http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20051026/gabler_01.shtml
Brilliant in it's way - choice pieces include:
"If You Can Get Away With it, Fake it
This is arguably one of the most important lessons of the project. Often the “correct” solution is not the best solution. Strategically faking it will save you time and money; it will make your game faster, and your teeth whiter. Fake it liberally and often! ... This rule is also a fantastic general lesson for life, we have found. Slackers, take note."
"Heavy Theming Will Not Salvage Bad Design (or "You Can't Polish a Turd")"
self-explanitory, I think.
"Build Toward a Well Defined Goal
A well defined goal was embarrassingly easy to forget about. Without a gameplay goal, a prototype is just a toy – not a game. For some reason, people seem to enjoy having the opportunity to fail. A goal can be anything..."
and
"Our objective advisor kindly pointed out, “Rapid prototyping can be a lot like conceiving a child. No one expects a winner every time, but you always walk away having learned something new, and it's usually a lot of fun!”"
Check it out:
http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20051026/gabler_01.shtml
Thursday, October 13, 2005
http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/shopping/chi-0510080015oct08,1,6435167.story?coll=chi-ent_shopping-hed&ctrack=1&cset=true
MEDICAL TRAINING
Video game update for playing doctor
The health-care profession increasingly is turning to video games for training.
One, called "Code Orange," helps doctors learn to manage mass casualty incidents by playing a variety of roles, said Lucien Parsons, producer of the game for BreakAway Ltd.
Video games have been found to improve marksmanship among military personnel, said Claudia Johnston, a Texas A&M-Corpus Christi researcher who is heading a Navy-funded project to develop a game to train doctors.
"If you can do that, why can't you learn to start an IV online?" Johnston said.
--Associated Press
MEDICAL TRAINING
Video game update for playing doctor
The health-care profession increasingly is turning to video games for training.
One, called "Code Orange," helps doctors learn to manage mass casualty incidents by playing a variety of roles, said Lucien Parsons, producer of the game for BreakAway Ltd.
Video games have been found to improve marksmanship among military personnel, said Claudia Johnston, a Texas A&M-Corpus Christi researcher who is heading a Navy-funded project to develop a game to train doctors.
"If you can do that, why can't you learn to start an IV online?" Johnston said.
--Associated Press
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
Bach: MS Ceasing Xbox Development; Halo 3 Will Ship 'When Ready': "In 2005, the video game industry very suddenly underwent a drastic change from its current homogenized state. Nintendo has more acutely differentiated itself from MS and Sony than ever before, but in the coming generation, the two market leaders have created very broad differentiation of their own. Despite Microsoft's continual refusals, it appears as though the PS3 will outclass the 360 in raw graphical/processing horsepower. It is also probably safe to believe at this point that MS's online/community infrastructure will be superior to its competitor's online plans.
It's very possible to imagine a situation where PS3 games would be too powerful to be ported, Revolution games too interface-dependent, and 360 games too Xbox Live Community-centric—three consoles, potentially with three very different advantages. In such a situation, it's easy to understand why Bach has set his sights incredibly high for next-gen's Live penetration."
It's very possible to imagine a situation where PS3 games would be too powerful to be ported, Revolution games too interface-dependent, and 360 games too Xbox Live Community-centric—three consoles, potentially with three very different advantages. In such a situation, it's easy to understand why Bach has set his sights incredibly high for next-gen's Live penetration."
Interesting stuff today!
NY Times on in-game advertising
http://www.nytimes.com/cnet/CNET_2100-1043_3-5887880.html
Apple: It's the Stores, the Stores, the Stores! :: AO: "Apple: It's the Stores, the Stores, the Stores!
For Apple, it's not about 'location, location, location' or even the hottest products. It's The Experience that counts."
NY Times on in-game advertising
http://www.nytimes.com/cnet/CNET_2100-1043_3-5887880.html
Apple: It's the Stores, the Stores, the Stores! :: AO: "Apple: It's the Stores, the Stores, the Stores!
For Apple, it's not about 'location, location, location' or even the hottest products. It's The Experience that counts."
Friday, September 30, 2005
Following on the heels of last week's Games for Health, I thought I'd look at other ideas out there.
Houston Radiation Oncologist Uses Video Game Technology To Zap Cancer
By: The Methodist Hospital on Jul 18 2005 09:28:47
Cancer Treatment
For years, Dr. Brian Butler, radiation oncologist at The Methodist Hospital in Houston, would be the first to tell you that video games are a waste of time.
Shouldn't kids be reading, keeping their grades up and taking part in activities that keep them fit?
Butler now argues we have a lot to learn from those who immerse themselves in a world of video game technology. It is this technology that is revolutionizing radiation therapy for cancer. When an Ivy League college was unable to do it, he turned to a group of Dallas-based video game programmers in their 20s to create a system for him that takes targeted cancer therapy to another level.
Cancer therapy is now a video game, and the make believe shoot 'em up is not make believe at all. The enemy is cancer. The growth patterns of cancer are the "supply lines." And, because the program enables doctors to pinpoint the location of the cancer with the precision of a sniper rifle, it spares surrounding healthy tissue and cells from damage.
"The diagnostic radiologist, radiation oncologist and the computer gamers all came together to make this happen," Butler said. "Each piece of the puzzle was essential. This would have never happened if these three disciplines hadn't communicated. Methodist now has the first system in the world to target radiation in this manner."
Marrying more than 20 years of anatomical data from Houston radiologist Dr. L. Anne Hayman and three-dimensional computer gaming software, the program helps Butler and his team precisely analyze a tumor's location in the body and where they can and cannot deposit radiation.
The computer program is a refinement of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). IMRT, used for the first time anywhere at The Methodist Hospital in March of 1994, forever changed how cancer patients around the world receive radiation. Instead of a single radiation beam that treats the entire area around the tumor, IMRT uses a more precise multi-beam method that better pinpoints cancer cells in the body.
"At first, everyone thought it was absurd, and now everyone is doing it," Butler said. "It really took off."
The evolution of radiation technology has primarily involved the refinement of the weapon used against cancer, from the "shotgun" to the "sniper rifle."
"The other aspect is knowing where the lymphatic systems are, and understanding where nerves run in the body," Butler said. "Also, as a field, radiation oncology has no specific training in CT anatomy. This helps us overcome that problem by having all the information about the human body already in the system."
The computer gamers created an "outside the box" way of not only mapping the entire human body using Hayman's anatomical data, but also a way to bring in an actual CT scan of a sick patient. Once that data merges, a precise radiation treatment that considers the tumor size, location, growth pattern and stage of the disease can be administered.
"Not to minimize a very serious sickness we are fighting, but cancer treatment is now a game," he said. "I have a sniper rifle with a site, target areas, and the gamers created maps because we know the behavior of the enemy; we know how cancer spreads in the body," he said.
The sophisticated computer program works in tandem with Tomotherapy, a machine that conducts a CT scan of the patient and delivers the radiation. Methodist became the second site in the state (and the first in the Texas Medical Center) to obtain the technology. The machine delivers the radiation using as many as 50 small beams, which intermittently shut on and off as they revolve around the patient, like a second hand on a clock. This results in the most effective, precise delivery of radiation presently available.
Don Marrs, a patient who visited Butler for prostate cancer treatment, is happy with his results. "It's no problem. You don't feel anything. The machine does all of the work, and all I do is lay there," he said. He reported no negative side effects following his treatment.
Butler's excitement stems not only from being on the leading edge of this innovative technology, but also from the new perspective he gained on video game players and programmers. "Gaming is helpful because it teaches strategy," he said "This is an evolution of thought... a different way to look at the world. Successful people in the future, in all arenas of life, will be those who know how to strategize... not necessarily only those with the 'book smarts."
"I seriously doubt this will be the last piece of technology that people who have trained themselves to think like this will develop in the field of medicine," he said. "We are at the beginning of a new revolution in the treatment of cancer, and most likely many other diseases as well."
HOUSTON - July. 11, 2005 - http://www.methodisthealth.com
Houston Radiation Oncologist Uses Video Game Technology To Zap Cancer
By: The Methodist Hospital on Jul 18 2005 09:28:47
Cancer Treatment
For years, Dr. Brian Butler, radiation oncologist at The Methodist Hospital in Houston, would be the first to tell you that video games are a waste of time.
Shouldn't kids be reading, keeping their grades up and taking part in activities that keep them fit?
Butler now argues we have a lot to learn from those who immerse themselves in a world of video game technology. It is this technology that is revolutionizing radiation therapy for cancer. When an Ivy League college was unable to do it, he turned to a group of Dallas-based video game programmers in their 20s to create a system for him that takes targeted cancer therapy to another level.
Cancer therapy is now a video game, and the make believe shoot 'em up is not make believe at all. The enemy is cancer. The growth patterns of cancer are the "supply lines." And, because the program enables doctors to pinpoint the location of the cancer with the precision of a sniper rifle, it spares surrounding healthy tissue and cells from damage.
"The diagnostic radiologist, radiation oncologist and the computer gamers all came together to make this happen," Butler said. "Each piece of the puzzle was essential. This would have never happened if these three disciplines hadn't communicated. Methodist now has the first system in the world to target radiation in this manner."
Marrying more than 20 years of anatomical data from Houston radiologist Dr. L. Anne Hayman and three-dimensional computer gaming software, the program helps Butler and his team precisely analyze a tumor's location in the body and where they can and cannot deposit radiation.
The computer program is a refinement of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). IMRT, used for the first time anywhere at The Methodist Hospital in March of 1994, forever changed how cancer patients around the world receive radiation. Instead of a single radiation beam that treats the entire area around the tumor, IMRT uses a more precise multi-beam method that better pinpoints cancer cells in the body.
"At first, everyone thought it was absurd, and now everyone is doing it," Butler said. "It really took off."
The evolution of radiation technology has primarily involved the refinement of the weapon used against cancer, from the "shotgun" to the "sniper rifle."
"The other aspect is knowing where the lymphatic systems are, and understanding where nerves run in the body," Butler said. "Also, as a field, radiation oncology has no specific training in CT anatomy. This helps us overcome that problem by having all the information about the human body already in the system."
The computer gamers created an "outside the box" way of not only mapping the entire human body using Hayman's anatomical data, but also a way to bring in an actual CT scan of a sick patient. Once that data merges, a precise radiation treatment that considers the tumor size, location, growth pattern and stage of the disease can be administered.
"Not to minimize a very serious sickness we are fighting, but cancer treatment is now a game," he said. "I have a sniper rifle with a site, target areas, and the gamers created maps because we know the behavior of the enemy; we know how cancer spreads in the body," he said.
The sophisticated computer program works in tandem with Tomotherapy, a machine that conducts a CT scan of the patient and delivers the radiation. Methodist became the second site in the state (and the first in the Texas Medical Center) to obtain the technology. The machine delivers the radiation using as many as 50 small beams, which intermittently shut on and off as they revolve around the patient, like a second hand on a clock. This results in the most effective, precise delivery of radiation presently available.
Don Marrs, a patient who visited Butler for prostate cancer treatment, is happy with his results. "It's no problem. You don't feel anything. The machine does all of the work, and all I do is lay there," he said. He reported no negative side effects following his treatment.
Butler's excitement stems not only from being on the leading edge of this innovative technology, but also from the new perspective he gained on video game players and programmers. "Gaming is helpful because it teaches strategy," he said "This is an evolution of thought... a different way to look at the world. Successful people in the future, in all arenas of life, will be those who know how to strategize... not necessarily only those with the 'book smarts."
"I seriously doubt this will be the last piece of technology that people who have trained themselves to think like this will develop in the field of medicine," he said. "We are at the beginning of a new revolution in the treatment of cancer, and most likely many other diseases as well."
HOUSTON - July. 11, 2005 - http://www.methodisthealth.com
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