For those interested in what I’ve been working on at work lately, I introduce our Star Trek Online Community Site. I was responsible for designing and setting up the site. I was quite glad to find out my coworkers were all geeks– they all understood when I told them I based the design off of the LCARS interface.
I normally don’t dream about work, but since the site’s launch I’ve had two dreams of being on the U.S.S. Enterprise. It was quite fun to mentally be on board of a spaceship for a night.
Also on the site, you’ll notice I’ve implemented new share links on each article. These allow you to share content on Facebook, Digg, Twitter, and Buzz. It was a small project, but one I’m proud of since I worked up the solution myself when other premade options didn’t fit my needs.
Join the conversation! What have you been working on lately? Do you dream about work? Have you ever wanted to join Starfleet? Post a comment!
After I graduated from college, I missed the closeness and access to friends from when I was living in the dorm. Then I realized that didn’t have to go away, which is why I’m enjoying this holiday season so much. Plus being a newlywed adds a little extra cheer–let’s call it romanticism–to the festivities. Simply put, it gives things a new perspective.
Sky and I enjoyed a Thanksgiving lunch with her family and a Thanksgiving dinner with mine. Christmas Eve brought us to my parent’s house and Christmas Day will bring Sky’s family to ours. December has brought evenings of feasting, singing, and general fun. I’m looking forward to a couples evening we’ll be having next week. All in all, I think the last few months of twenty-aught-nine can be summarized by the dance scene of Charlie Brown’s Christmas:
It’s been wonderful spending time with my new wife, my new and old friends, and our families. And with quite a few weddings on the horizon, the next decade is looking exciting. Happy Christmas to all!
Often, when I enter an MMOG or virtual world, one of the first comments I will hear from people is “It’s laggy tonight.” In my neighborhood in Second Life, my landlady recently “winterized” the sim to give it a Christmasy feel. [...] One of the most notable qualities I’ve noticed about emergent behavior is that people generally start with shared cultural reference points that index “real world” practices.
I think this also speaks towards our desire for a dynamic world and the ability to express ourselves creatively. One of my favorite moments beta testing Uru Live was when Cyan released a screenshot of Zandi sitting outside his trailer, decorated for Halloween, with a bowl of candy. It sort of nailed home the idea that this world was going to change. It would be new and exciting and “real.” I wanted to witness and instigate change. I think we all want to be gods sometimes and want to make things and make things happen. Decorating for Christmas and seeing snow in a world are part towards that goal.
What virtual ways do you mimic your real world habits? Do you change your desktop wallpaper to a winterscape right after you hang your real world Christmas lights?
When I started this blog in 2003, I had just graduated high school and was preparing for college. I’d be living away from home and among a bunch of freshmen. It was a bit overwhelming, but I was excited for the change. College was a surprising amount of work and a good deal of fun with the friends I made.
In 2007, I graduated college and was preparing for life “in the real world.” It was difficult not living next door to all my friends, where we could shout down the hall for impromptu movies, video game challenges, or other running amuck. Now most of them have also graduated and are headed off to start new jobs and families.
Now in 2009, I’m entering the next big chapter of my life: marriage! Sky’s always been great at helping and encouraging me, so I’m quite excited to have her an official part of my life. I’m sure she’s quite excited to have to write out her new–and quite long– last name. I think one of the best parts of the marriage for both of us is not having to drive home at the end of the night which we did so many times while dating.
It’s Finals Week this week for most of my college buddies. And there aren’t that many still in college, especially after graduation this month. It’s got me a little sentimental and I’ve been thinking of my past college days.
It took me a while to be excited to be out of college. I was ready to be done with school, but I missed having everyone to hang out with just a few steps away. A few weeks ago I had a nightmare that it was the end of Spring Break and I had forgotten to do all of my homework. My relief was great when I woke up to realize I had graduated two years ago.
And the best part is–and this took me a while to realize–the best parts of college are still around. I get to invite people over to my apartment and we can hang out and have fun. I’m getting very excited about this life after college. I just need to focus on the awesomeness and not get bogged down in the daily struggles.
What do you think? Are you ready to graduate? Do you miss being in college? What fun things do you do with your friends?
But for all this, Portal’s story is fantastically involving. The reason is this: stories feel several orders of magnitude more intense when you’re participating in them. Computer games are like dreams. Because they feel like they’re really happening, they don’t need to be complex to be involving. I’ve frequently woken up from a dream thinking “wow, that was the best story, I have to write it down!” only to discover that the story was “someone was trying to kidnap me, so I climbed a wall, found a gun and shot them”; it wouldn’t even make a 5-second action sequence segment in a movie. But because I felt that I was actually there, it was far more powerful than simply watching James Bond shoot some villains.
Very well described. For a while I pondered if time playing video games was time wasted. But I didn’t consider watching movies to be wasted time. Then I saw a fight scene in 3:10 to Yuma that reminded me of a fight scene I enjoyed playing in Half-Life 2. Now I’m perfectly justified with playing video games as a use of my time (as long as it’s in moderation).
Another reason why games are great: They can be played together with friends. Not only are you not “simply watching James Bond,” you and your friend are fighting together, providing cover, flanking enemies, and working as a team. Which can be much more fun than sitting siltently next to someone in the theater.
[Update] On further introspection, I wonder if this can be applied to other things? I normally enjoy watching an Erie Otters hockey game more than playing NHL ’09 with Matt. But both give me a rush when we score.
What do you think? Are video games like dreams? What video game events do you remember and enjoy? Comment on this post!
2 – Go to “Random quotations” or click http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
The last four or five words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album.
4 – Use Photoshop (or similar) to put it all together.
5 – Post it to Facebook as a note and tag the friends you want to join in
So after a short amount of tinkering, here’s what I’ve come up with. I’m not entirely satisfied with it, but for the small amount of time I put into it, I’m pleased:
Mixing strawberry and lime provides great taste with a little zip!
I’m not a big fan of New Year’s Resolutions, but I do think it’s good to look back and forward occassionally. I think it’s important because we can get bogged down with lack of progress and forget how much we’ve changed if we increase the scope. For example, it’s reassuring to consider the past six months instead of the past six days. We’re way too impatient creatures.
With a new year comes new year’s resolutions. Many of which include blogging more. Here are some of my thoughts to kick start your blog in 2009:
After setting up blogs for a handful of developers and other companies, here are my Four Tips for a Successful Blog*:
Post on a consistent schedule. In high school, my week would revolve around the facts that simcity.com was updated Tuesday and drcsite.org updated Thursday. Keeping a consistent schedule of posts will bring a consistent stream of people coming back. I know it’s tough, but it’s worth it.
Be human and humorous. My favorite blogs show that their authors are real people I can relate to. The best blogs make me laugh or learn. Also, ending the post with a question is a great way to draw in user feedback and grow the discussion.
Descriptive titles are awesome. My first blog only used one word from each post as the title. Although it was poetical, it wasn’t helpful for users–or search engines–to tell what the post is about.
Each post should have at least one image. We’re visual creatures and a great image will draw people in and also instantly provide an idea of what the post is about.
*Successful can be defined in numerous ways. For many, it’s an increasing number of readers. For some, it’s a small but dedicated community of readers. For others, it’s something else entirely.
What do you think? Do you like blogging? Do you read a lot of blogs? Do you prefer to write in a paper journal? What are the reasons you blog? Share your comments!
When you ask a child what Christmas is all about, many times you’ll get an answer of “Presents!“ I think presents play an important role, but I’ll be more specific and say gifts. To me, a present is store bought, but a gift is something that can be bought or made using your talents (or “gifts”). To be even more specific, it’s not necessarily the gifts, but the act of giving. Of being unselfish. Of focusing on someone else.
But looking back on a day earlier this week, I don’t think the act of giving is what made that day so joyous. It was the surprises created by those gifts. There’s something very powerful about this season that lends itself to surprise:
Finding out my parents, who normally aren’t big on inviting people over, inviting my friends for a party at their house.
Getting a present that’s just right for you even though the giver had no idea it’s what you needed.
Opening the door to see my girlfriend cut her hair just the way I like it.
Being able to run all your errands and still make it to the party on time.
Borrowing something to make your week run a little smoother.
Having someone make you smile when you’re thinking about how stressful the day was earlier.
If you let it, the holiday season can be filled with stress and chaos. I think that makes it easier to see these occurrences of surprise, esepcially the “what a coincidence that all worked out so smoothly” ones. It’s the surprise of things being better than you thought. Of things working out. Of things going better than the way they should. Of things being better than what we deserve. So perhaps it’s not the surprises that made this day so joyful, but the grace that was in them. Grace. That’s what’s Christmas is all about.
What do you think Christmas is all about? What sort of gifts do you like to recieve? To give?
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