Happy Christmas! December 24, 2008
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Off to visit the folks for a couple of days. I hope Santa drops by while we’re over there!
Merry Christmas to everyone, and wishing you all a fantastic New Year!
Snoopy.
Making Star Wars Online ordinary December 23, 2008
Posted by PeterHP in Games, Technology.add a comment
LucasArts recently announced that they were about to set their size-12s into the Massively Multiplayer Online arena. In 2009 the world is going to have to choose; World of Warcraft, the stalwart love of millions of players worldwide who just can’t seem to get themselves unhooked from their goblin fetish, or Star Wars: The Old Republic, creation of an epic team of Star Wars beardies resolutely refusing to believe that the Star Wars franchise is of any less worth than the halcyonic days of R2-D2 and gold bikinis.
Leaving that particular can of worms aside, I have a concern. It’s not that LucasArts haven’t managed to create an outstanding Star Wars game since Tie FIghter. It’s not even that they’re trying to fight a monster on its own turf, by its own rules and shouting about it loudly and poking it with sticks before having presented any kind of proof in any form of pudding. No, my concern is thus. LucasArts have said that they want their game to be big; big characters, big plot-lines, everything will matter, everything will be life or death, affecting continents, planets, even whole galaxies. “No one will be asked to save a cat from the upper branches of a tree!”. Apparently.
But, well, this troubles me. Y’see I just don’t want all of my online time to be all about “saving planets and kissing Princesses”. What I really want for Christmas, is an online universe that I can believe in. Even better a Star Wars online universe that I can believe in, somewhere I can spend time, somewhere I can sit and fish. And in that instance of tranquility, find the time to connect with a world going on around me, something much bigger than me, not just a game but an experience of another universe.
Sure we can go on some epic quests for some epic lootz, but even in Warcraft, not everything is about killing, slaying, and chucking fireballs, they’re also about crafting, auctioning, exploring, watching the sunsets, talking, spending time with other people. And yes, that may be whilst killing, slaying or chucking fireballs, but may also be whilst fishing, or just sitting watching the world and its weather systems go by.
The point is you can go in and get an extremely rich experience in these places with nary a single planet being saved. I don’t want to be Darth Vader. Heck, I don’t even want to be Jeff Vader. Sometimes I actually quite like being a nobody, sitting with my fishing rod staring off into space.
So although I get the feeling I’m going to be sorely disappointed, I hope and pray that amongst all the abstract, force-enriched wonder, LucasArts dish out a huge great dollop of ordinary. Ordinary is the life blood of the human psyche. Ordinary gives us something to look forward to. If Star Wars: The Old Republic really wants to be something special next year, I can’t help but feel that it’s going to have to first excel at being ordinary.
The age of eDiscrimination? December 18, 2008
Posted by PeterHP in Current-affairs, Games, Observation, Technology.add a comment
Discrimination, as far as the dictionary is concerned, is the “unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people”. So, discrimination by age, fair enough, we know about age. Sex and race, yup, all need a firm hand. But online games? Well, now, there’s a tricky one…
Because if say, at an interview, I have someone in that I don’t think fits the role, or don’t think is right for the position for whatever reason, then I may feel comfortable having grounds for saying thank you, but no. On the other hand, if someone is competent, I like them, think they fit the role and would be fine for the job, but then I find out they play World of Warcraft, what then? Should that change my thinking? Should it even be allowed to change my thinking? If I say no to them, where otherwise I’d have said yes, have I really just been a party to that objectionable ‘D’ word?
The tech press is all over an instance of this happening here in the UK recently, and may set some people’s alarm bells ringing. But are there really any grounds for such thinking?
After all, Warcraft players enjoy their pastime much like people enjoy their football or golf. It may appear to be slightly less socially acceptable, for the moment at least, but they don’t do anything different to their sporting brethren; they talk about it amongst peers, research it online, post on forums, spend hours immersed in it during evenings and weekends, all what I would consider healthy activities, assuming appropriate times and places. And if any of these pastimes get to the point that they affect performance, then I can fully understand the need to “have a little chat”, but this is certainly not Warcraft-specific, nor is it something that I would suggest can be judged at interview time.
Despite the fervor of some of the forum postings going on though, I will be, for the time being at least, assuming a firm storm+teacup stance. Good managers around the world have always had the sense to look beyond superficial prejudices and towards concrete examples of future personnel value for any new hirees, so I would not expect things to get out of hand just yet.
But let us not forget, Warcraft is just the start. It is by no means perfect, but is most certainly setting the trend for decades to come. If we start down the road of eDiscrimination, it can only end in more laws, and really, do we need laws to enforce good sense?
Values, Shoes, and working on the production line December 16, 2008
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I have a lot of sympathy for people caught at the sharp end of this car manufacturing mess; the front-line workers, mortgages to pay, mouths to feed, clothes to buy. They don’t have a whole lot of control over things that go on above them at work, little input on strategy or direction if any, but they’re honest, hard working, and know what a paycheck is worth.
Actually, that’s quite a big statement. Knowing what a paycheck is worth. How many people really know that?
It’s oft debated in the Snoopy household, this ephemeral gauge on “value”. For you see a lady simply must have shoes, and one naturally starts off buying those on the high street, your Next’s, Faiths et al. When one starts to do a little better for oneself, one starts to look further afield, designers come into play, maybe starting with a hint of Tom Baker, a jejune of Hugo Boss and Karen Millen, and things move on. Then you start hitting the big time, your company elevates you to the top, you sell your millionth Christmas album, and you embark on a lifelong love of Louboutins and the Pradas, all of which is of course very nice for the man in your life.
BUT.
When you go back to the high street, all of a sudden everything has had the edge taken off it. The words “cheap” and “throwaway” start to creep into your vocabulary, and you feel a little bit grimy even thinking about heading into River Island for a root around. Before long you’re buying shoes and boots at £500, justifying it to yourself that they’ll last longer and be worn far more than the cheaper alternatives. Which of course could even be true…
What’s really happened is that personal values have changed. With neither deliberation nor forethought, expensive has become the new cheap, and money has a whole bunch less worth than it had before. I’m not knocking it, Louboutins are fab, but what an interesting turn…
So what does this have to do with the Car companies? Or maybe phone manufacturers, chipmakers, or the Royal Mail? Well, it would appear that during the last ten years of growth and expansion, they have all had similar issues judging what real value is all about.
Car makers have been churning out crap for decades now, giving us no choice but to put up with it. The same is true with the phone makers, though fortunately for us the system wasn’t so entangled as the car industry that the iPhone couldn’t start to make amends. Chipmakers are now asking for bailouts, having over-invested and over-produced in their undending efforts to get even more for even less. And the less said about Royal Mail the better.
I say “companies” but of course it isn’t the companies as a whole, more a sum of their parts; it would appear to be an inevitability that as a worker in any organisation, the higher you rise, the more you get paid, the more expensive shoes you buy, and the less value you put on money. Perhaps after many years of striving for higher and more, at the time you finally reach the top, you are so far removed from monetary reality that you lose all sense of real-world value and sing yourself to sleep every night with the words “Money money money, always funny, in a rich man’s world”.
And it probably is funny to some people, just some big amusing game of comedy Chess, with people, parts, cars and plants, all pieces to move around at a whim, no-one has lost any limbs, everything will be okay again tomorrow. It’s bad enough that people at the top think like this, but having lost sight of what it’s like to be a worker, to question the price of bread or the cost of the school fees, what will happen to their kids? And what about their kids? Generation upon generation of people that have grown up in Louboutins and Sweeneys never knowing what graft really means.
But then again perhaps it has always been so? Perhaps there has and will continue to be the haves and the have nots? I just wish that the “haves” and “have-nots” didn’t always translate directly to “winners” and “losers” when the chips are down.
Film Friday II: The Sea of Trailers December 12, 2008
Posted by PeterHP in Entertainment, Film, Humor, Technology.add a comment
It’s been a funny old week, which is why I haven’t written for a while; just too much laughter going on. Seeing through the tears requires wipers my eyes simply aren’t equipped with.
Hmm.
Actually, I do enjoy writing, generating that “creative spark”, throwing it at a blog page, hoping it makes some kind of rambling sense, praying that readers have the patience to stick around for longer than it takes to read the title. Ya know, that sort of thing. But when your brain gets stressed or busy, it’s tough to find the kind of “space” that makes anything interesting to write about. Or maybe it just takes the creativity and squishes in an old shoe box under the stairs. I ought to write about the whole creativity thing sometime. It’s a heady brew… But anyway, that’s why this week has been a bit of a tumbleweed-strewn desert of nothing. Except tumbleweed.
Whilst I try to relocate my bottle of creative juice from the dark room, another Film Friday is upon us, and as is customary, since last week, I’ve managed to fall upon stuff ‘n’ things with which to educate, ameliorate and resuscitate, ready for the lovely, wet, cold, miserable weekend. Blimey I really am cold today…
Terminators 1 and 2 were super. 3… Was there even a 3? Was there an X-Men 3? A Batman 3? What is the trouble with 3’s? Anyway, Terminator 4 is looking like a doozy and there’s really not that long to wait now…
I’ve always been a fan of Star Trek, Next Gen is of course the fave, but I have a certain fondness for the old-school day-glow days of Scottie n Kirk (thanks Dad), and some fun has been had with Deep Space Nine. There may well have been others, but, well, this selective memory has kept me alive this long… Now the fillums… well… I’m not sure I’ve watched a bad Star Trek fillum, and thank the lord it’s not long before I get to watch another. Long overdue, but at least my suit will be finished in time (for the ladies of course).
And although not a trailer for a new film, it’s worth showing here anyway. We (the royal version) managed to catch Eddie Izzard in London a couple of weeks ago. They were “restricted viewing” seats, they really shouldn’t let 8ft tall blokes into that place, but the show was marvellous despite the achey neck. In case you either missed him (shame) or don’t know who he is (bigger shame), a little snifter of the guy in action. Oh, and modestly film related too. Ooh! “Two for one Friday”!!! Nah that sucks…
It’s Film Friday! December 5, 2008
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It’s Friday, and that can only mean one thing: the weekend starts now! Tell your bosses I said it was okay.
With it being the start of the weekend, I think it’s only fair that we have a bit of fun. Hell, it’s exactly what we put up with the rest of the week for, right?
To kick us off, massages are okay, I guess, if they’re done on me, but this is definitely a new take that could generate a bit more interest. I will expect statements on potential viability in the comments. Thanks.
When it comes to batting things down that pop up through holes, this kitty has us all beat. Oh, unless ya need to use a mallet of course. Opposable thumbs ftw!
Hey, this guy, he’s One String Willy. Other people like to play six string, or five, he likes to play one. I wish I could play one string like Willy.
And on a final note, just to encourage a mote of reflection to see you through to the new week, an updated revision of Shift Happens. Sit back and watch in wonderment. Have a great weekend people.
A missive to the BBC – more tech please!!! December 4, 2008
Posted by PeterHP in Current-affairs, Entertainment, Futurism, Observation, Science, Technology.add a comment
It looks like IBM are taking up the oft used-nay-abused mantel of future divination again. Actually they used to be rather good at that. And then, well, not so good. Now? Well, the video errs on the hammy side, and the ideas tend towards whateverism, but you know what? I don’t think the content really matters that much. The merits can be picked over, top 5s tossed around til fingers turn blue, the important thing is always going to be the debate; Jo and Jane’s views fed back in the inevitable tirade of comments, are often every bit as fascinating as those from the self-appointed seers themselves. So, if nothing else, I applaud IBM’s function, even if their form is a bit wonky.
For you see, ever since BBC’s Tomorrow’s World shut up shop, there’s been a bit of a visual void concerning future-gazing.
Channel 5’s Gadget Show is nice enough, with its quirky presenters and affectations for hi-jinx and silliness, but their over-reliance on “stuff out now”, or for those of a less technical bent, “cameras, TVs and DVD players”, just doesn’t tickle my futurist bits. In fact at around half way through I tend to get just a little bit bored and reach for the controller.
BBC’s Click is okay, and does at least make some effort to get its teeth into “the world of tomorrow”, but the future has the potential to dazzle, to delight, and neither the presenters nor the content ever seem particularly dazzling or for that matter, delightful. Or perhaps I’m just picking nits…
On the other hand, perhaps not; looking on the BBC iPlayer site gives absolutely no sign that science or technology even exist. If I was being kind, I’d call that somewhat disappointing. But seeing as I’m on a rant, scrub that, it’s just plain bonkers. For such a bastion of knowledge broadcasting, and a corporation seemingly so at ease with future potentials, to not be pumping out all manner of tech-focused programming completely boggles the mind.
Just look at the potential material available to them; energy, recycling, entertainment, space, the X Prize, games, computing, cloning, organ creation, genetic engineering, dark matter, warfare, transportation, the list goes on and on, and there really is never a dull moment. Every new piece of news has the capability of producing an “omgwtf!” moment, and I can’t believe they’re not using every channel available to them to make that happen.
“So shuffle through your RSS feeds!” you might be yelling across the breakfast table. Unfortunately this assumes that firstly I have access to the internet, where many many people do not, and secondly, that I even know what RSS feeds actually are. Setting those aside though, sometimes I really do just want to walk away from the never-ending seas of text and links, and just, well, sit and watch. Sometimes I want to be spoon-fed content while I lean back, drink tea and eat biscuits. I want to see things in motion, to hear enthusiasm and love for the topic at hand, and if you’re into BBC’s Top Gear you’ll know exactly what I mean. As a fellow petrol-head you’ll almost certainly read about cars, may even have a PC busting at the seams with bookmarks for your fave petrol-head sites, but you’ll also want to share your passion with real people on-screen, who really, visibly feel it too. You want that connection. That meeting of minds. Jezza and the boys adore the four-wheeled world they inhabit, you can’t help but get that in every utterance, and, just for that single, solitary hour every Sunday night, you can share it with them, and be a part of that world too.
So, I would urge the Beeb: do the same with science and technology, get a programme, or maybe even two, fill them with people that just love science and technology balls to bones, just like the Top Gear team with their petrol and caravans, and see what gives. You may end up disappointed, but I’d reckon not. With everything going on in the world, it is clear people are starting to lap up the future in earnest, and with exciting new stuff coming thicker and faster than ever, who knows, maybe you could be lucky enough to create something to rival even the much vaunted TW…
Wireless networking for the masses? Not quite yet… December 3, 2008
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I’ve been meaning to set up a wireless network at my parents for a while now. I bob over there enough to warrant something a bit more practical than a single monolith tethered to the wall that we all seem to have to queue at to check our email.
However, this weekend’s experiences have reminded me why I’ve been holding off all this time.
Now I’m no stranger to the land of bits and bytes, eating acronyms daily with my mid-morning cup of stimulants as I do, but home wireless networking has me stumped. Don’t get me wrong, it’s easy when it works, it’s just that, when it doesn’t, well, it seems you’re kinda stuffed. With normal household appliances you generally get some kind of error message, a warning beep, a blue screen, a small puff of smoke, something bidding you goodnight and thanks for all the fish.
But with wireless networking? Well, it would appear you get nothing. A whole damn bunch of it.
Signal strength? Fine. Green light? Fine. Settings, er, set? Yup. Great. Go Internet!
…
Activate Information Superhighway!!!
…
So that’ll teach me to reshuffle the plugs on my days off.
As it would also turn out, even my legendary internet research skills were no match for the wit and guile of the wifi gremlins. The few bits of google that I managed to coax onto my laptop contained some suggestions for changing router settings, but to be honest I wasn’t convinced, and the worrying this is, neither were they, and you can be sure that a fair few of them were sporting far bushier technical beards than I. Based on my research it would appear that Wifi is really is the great leveller; in its mighty inactive presence we are all of us reduced to mere random pokes and prods. No rigorous prognostication, just pure experimentation at its scientific and technical worst.
The good news? At some point between afternoon tea and posting I somehow managed to please the internet gods enough to grant me something approaching dial-up speed. The bad news? It would appear to be down to my avoidance of a second chocolate digestive. I had no idea the internet gods were so concerned about my waistline. Very touching. But seriously though, I did absolutely nothing of technical note to affect the breakthrough. It just, well, started working again.
Bah, I hate that kind of solution.
So you can see why I’m avoid spreading the wireless word. With so many biscuits at stake it just isn’t worth the hassle. This Christmas I shall just have to content myself with taking my place in the queue alongside the rest of the family, and keep my eyes peeled for a more effective dose of divine intervention in the new year.
10,000 hours = 1 expert December 1, 2008
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I’ve regularly bemoaned my lack of expertise in any one specific area. Not that I mind, at least not quite as much as it would sometimes seem. Variety has a lot to be said for it, and I’ve had perhaps more opportunities than many, having sold paintings, designed and written computer games, played all manner of instruments in bands, league badminton and squash, the list is long and moderately distinguished.
But hey, this is neither the time nor the place for CV writing. I actually mention this because of a fascinating article published this week in The Week magazine entitled “What makes a genius?”, which actually goes some way to explaining why many of us do not reach such heady heights as people like Mozart and Bill Gates. Set aside from the rest of us “mere mortals”, one would think that these two in particular had some kind of “prodigy gene” handed to them that made them particularly unique, precluding the rest of us from getting anywhere close.
However such assertions would be wrong.
Far from his reputation of being a miracle at the age of 6, Mozart is in fact purported to have had distinctly average music writing skills at that age, and was almost certainly helped by his father (a musician of note in his own right) to write his pieces, many of which, at the time, were derivations of other artists’ work. In fact, what is considered to be his first masterwork was not actually complete until he was 21 years of age. In addition he spent much of his early life touring as a violinist with the rest of his family, topping off quite a remarkable start in life.
Bill Gates, the prodigal son of the digital world, had similar helping hands molding him into today’s billionaire; the child of a lawyer and a wealthy banker’s daughter, he grew up in a private school for children of the elite, and was lucky enough to have their computer club started and funded by his mother. During college the computer boom started to take off, and he and his colleague Steve Allen were well placed both mentally and chronologically to take advantage.
What both of these masters of their art had in common were simple, effective, and to a greater or lesser extent available to everyone.
Firstly, time; research showed that the key factor behind excellence was nothing more complicated than practice time. Anything less than 10,000 hours just doesn’t make the grade. A mere 4000 hours for example puts individuals at the level of teachers, no less worthy of respect, but clearly lacking in comparable fame and fortune.
Secondly, encouragement and support; growing up in a family and school environment focusing on making you the best you can be, and having the tutelage and parenting of some of the brightest minds available, would all appear to do a tremendous amount of good for any budding genius.
The final two essentials on the “must-have” list are money and timing. Being poor apparently just doesn’t cut the mustard, and having to hold down any kind of job simply doesn’t leave enough hours in the day left over to excel. As for timing, clearly if you’re caught growing up in a war, the opportunities to concentrate on anything other than survival diminish considerably. On the other hand hitting 21 at the start of the global computing boom would appear to put Mr Gates at a distinct advantage to the rest of us considering his accompanying background.
Does any of this change the way we should look at ourselves and our lot? Maybe, but to my mind only if you thought that these people were in some way special and therefore worthy of either our reverence or derision. It’s much healthier, and arguably far more accurate to accept that they’re just like you and me, born to their lot in life, a product of determinism, and did the only things they could really have done given their circumstances. As, I would suggest, have we all, for better or worse.
Perhaps all of the above simply means that we can all go to bed at night happy in the knowledge that we all really do have the potential to do anything we want to do, and that really, all it takes is just a little time.
Generalism 