First off it was really interesting to have a look at the total Scandinavian sales for the X360, PS3 and Wii from Video Game Chartz - very similar starting curves, up to around 10k, despite vastly different settings and price points. Then for the last few weeks it is easy to see the combined effects of pre-xmas sales push, new versions and increased availability. With 350k units the X360 has a good lead, but the Wii has passed 300k and the PS3 is actually up to 200k (due in large part to the new cheaper version sans PS2 compatibility - not that big an issue since a lot of homes have one already, estimated total sales of 3m units, compared to some 600k for the original XBox)
The site was part of an article on the Wii and StumbleUpon for viewing videos easily - which could be another roadblock for paid IP services, be it TV or VOD. Which might help explain part of the reasoning behind MS latest re-org on their assorted TV/media/video services, which has apparently been an unknown fact for close to two months. Almost an feat in and of itself in this digital age. Or perhaps mostly an indication of the role of Microsoft in the TV related world?
And then, speaking of knowledge of the World - and all the strange things in it, a Pew report on knowledge of current affairs got some coverage over at RI; " Building the News Habit in the Digital Age" - with Daily Show and Colbert Report out-pacing the national average by 20%-points in getting a "high" level (15 or more of 23 correct). So, either they are up to speed before they watch, or laughter helps with fixing facts. You figure it out!
On that note (most likely); here's to a bright new 2008 and another set of irregular posts!
...and the sun is nice today, time to get out and enjoy it right now...
Monday, December 31
Monday, December 10
measure or count? (Update)
FoE2 Podcast: Metrics and Measurement
"the metrics and measurement panel from FoE2 available for download in audio and video forms.
information here, can be accessed in audio, 320x240 video, and 640x480 video. "(more comments when I get around to watching the whole piece -note that the small video is a 600 mb download)
Top line: some interesting points and case discussion, a bit of numbers on dvr and online use - especially interesting putting it in context of total time spent and multiplying up the numbers. In short: Yes, there is a lot going on, but "most people" are still watching television - a lot.
Friday, December 7
What do YOU want?
Article over at Poynter - "Customized Print Papers: Possible Today" - on the advances in printing technology making the old dream of getting "your own" newspaper delivered, with relevant ads, without the sports and with an extra helping of reviews. Just like Google reader - only in print...
"SRDP presses are now economical to purchase and operate only for daily newspapers of less than about 10,000 circulation" - so in other words they would be perfect for small, nimble ultra local start-ups, serving a high-paying niche. Or perhaps for company news in large factories or cube-farms. And that makes the leap into resorts and leisure only a small step away. Consider having one in Jamaica, delivering up localized versions adjusted for each cruise line as the ships come in every day during the season.
on a sidenote, it looks like the xbox live is expanding in (parts of) Europe as well this coming week - as reported by Last 100 in a remark, whilst really covering the update allowing for divX playback
...and the sun will soon turn around, from our point of view - xmas is around the corner...
"SRDP presses are now economical to purchase and operate only for daily newspapers of less than about 10,000 circulation" - so in other words they would be perfect for small, nimble ultra local start-ups, serving a high-paying niche. Or perhaps for company news in large factories or cube-farms. And that makes the leap into resorts and leisure only a small step away. Consider having one in Jamaica, delivering up localized versions adjusted for each cruise line as the ships come in every day during the season.
on a sidenote, it looks like the xbox live is expanding in (parts of) Europe as well this coming week - as reported by Last 100 in a remark, whilst really covering the update allowing for divX playback
...and the sun will soon turn around, from our point of view - xmas is around the corner...
Adorable fwoosh
Looking For Group - Page 95
the Mini-Richard is just too much... "or Ye Be Adorable" as it is said - truly a great comic, mixing in adventure, comedy and some sombre themes. And sometime next year i'll be the joyful recipient of a figurine. (Listening to Live - Night of nights, of the Songs from Black Mountain album)
the Mini-Richard is just too much... "or Ye Be Adorable" as it is said - truly a great comic, mixing in adventure, comedy and some sombre themes. And sometime next year i'll be the joyful recipient of a figurine. (Listening to Live - Night of nights, of the Songs from Black Mountain album)
Tuesday, November 20
Look at the time
Another nice new discovery - the SIMILE Timeline - looks like a really good tool for making a timeline, be it for a real-life historical event, for a planned conference or for a more "virtual" use. It is licensed under BSD license, and the code is available - so read the tutorial and get playing!
...and the sun only shines for a few hours during the workday this time of year - no need to pull the drapes ...
...and the sun only shines for a few hours during the workday this time of year - no need to pull the drapes ...
Thursday, October 18
Lucas makes the future with the past
"Exclusivity is dead — viva ubiquity!
Then you could release as many shows at a time as you like — don’t be hamstrung by a weekly network schedule. Launch with one — or all of the episodes at once."
GigaOm reflects on the possibilities of the upcoming Star Wars shows in terms of changing content distribution as we know it - having the installed fanbase, the tech connections and the freedom to test out new waters might just make it ideal for truly turning around our perceptions on content and entertainment. From show to stories. From schedules to chances.
Need friends - ni hao
The future is in the middle - the Middle Kingdom more to the point. China is growing larger and larger in terms of online use and impact - "a total online population of 162 million" and "Tudou is serving much more video than YouTube: 15 billion minutes per month, compared to YouTube's 3.5 billion". They have more friends, or at least more unknown connections:
"on average 37 online friends whom they have never met in real life. In comparison, U.S. youths average 18 such friends"
So, now might be a good time to start learning some simple phrases like hello and pwnage
...and the sun makes for nice colors and light, but little warmth ...
"on average 37 online friends whom they have never met in real life. In comparison, U.S. youths average 18 such friends"
So, now might be a good time to start learning some simple phrases like hello and pwnage
...and the sun makes for nice colors and light, but little warmth ...
Friday, October 12
Jade Emipre 09 - even more punch?
As reported on Cnet and covered more indepth at Gamespot (among many others) - Electronic Arts is buying Bioware and Pandemic, including the IP for Mass Effect, Dragon Age and Jade Empire. Total price? $860 million. But, for that they are also getting, in the words of the Bioware princes;* "some super secret stuff we're really proud of"
(EDIT: not the only one having "mixed" feelings - UF Sunday comic)
Must admit to being a bit skeptical about the future of the Bioware games and IP - considering how EA is most know for it seasonal mass market sports game, with incremental improvements and changes being the core strategy. Hopefully the rush to market won't be any worse than it has been at times with Atari publishing - as Obsidian has also been feeling...
Best thing about it all? More marketing and great distribution from EA makes it more likely to see a large number of games and add-ons / episodes in the future. And with some luck and strong cultural drive, the quality will stick around as well. Fingers crossed.
...and the sun is heating up an otherwise chilled autumn day...
* aka co-CEOs of BioWare, Drs. Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeshcuk
Tuesday, October 9
Content wants to be?
Live reporting mashup - during the recent demonstrations in Denmark, a local company did a nice "live" coverage - mixing input from text messages (and some mobile images) with Google Maps [from Poynter]. A nice and new way to use the pop-ups, even if it probably had to be done manually based on user input. With more mobile phones getting gps - this might make for some really interesting coverage of both current events and travel advise down the road.
Pay to see it all - "If you pay for the highest quality of service, you will get unimpeded service for digital TV delivery" a CNet piece on the next-gen network from NTT in Japan, brings up some interesting possibilities - especially if it was able to offer instant changes, say $2 extra for high(est) quality during an important football match. Or differentiation for different channels - I'd pay for full quality for certain niches (disney and discovery... geeky? And proud of it!), but the rest are just time sinks and could just as well be low fi.
Or get paid - another good piece from the C3 blog, on future models for VOD (video on demand), with both ads and general subscriptions as possible viable business models. And it makes a lot of sense - VOD is changing from a small niche offering into a way of watching video content in general - so why shouldn't the two main models for television as we know it be applicable? Advertisers want attention, and targeted groups. And we as consumers want television at a reasonable cost - be it in terms of time (ads) or money.
Pass it around - the assorted "convergent" web offering such as Joost and the new Adobe player represent a new niche for content large and small, with very different approaches to the "guy with a camera" market. Azereus (10 mill d/l) is opening up - while Joost (50k/weekly unique) opens the API but not the content flow. (And here I'm talking about convergent in a tech sense, mixing streaming and p2p, downloads and subscriptions, into something new and different)
And share with a friend or 500 - the Facebook express (350k in Norway, of 4.6 million people) is still gaining speed and attention, with "over 350 million installations across 5,268 applications on the site" [SFN] for their application development program. Not to forget that online useage is often done with TV in the background anyway
Now combine the new options for video with the options for broad business models - and things might start to look a lot different. The main question is how many more years it will take. Probably more than we expect now, but less than it seemed when we look back...
...and the sun brings out the colors of fall on the trees...
Pay to see it all - "If you pay for the highest quality of service, you will get unimpeded service for digital TV delivery" a CNet piece on the next-gen network from NTT in Japan, brings up some interesting possibilities - especially if it was able to offer instant changes, say $2 extra for high(est) quality during an important football match. Or differentiation for different channels - I'd pay for full quality for certain niches (disney and discovery... geeky? And proud of it!), but the rest are just time sinks and could just as well be low fi.
Or get paid - another good piece from the C3 blog, on future models for VOD (video on demand), with both ads and general subscriptions as possible viable business models. And it makes a lot of sense - VOD is changing from a small niche offering into a way of watching video content in general - so why shouldn't the two main models for television as we know it be applicable? Advertisers want attention, and targeted groups. And we as consumers want television at a reasonable cost - be it in terms of time (ads) or money.
Pass it around - the assorted "convergent" web offering such as Joost and the new Adobe player represent a new niche for content large and small, with very different approaches to the "guy with a camera" market. Azereus (10 mill d/l) is opening up - while Joost (50k/weekly unique) opens the API but not the content flow. (And here I'm talking about convergent in a tech sense, mixing streaming and p2p, downloads and subscriptions, into something new and different)
And share with a friend or 500 - the Facebook express (350k in Norway, of 4.6 million people) is still gaining speed and attention, with "over 350 million installations across 5,268 applications on the site" [SFN] for their application development program. Not to forget that online useage is often done with TV in the background anyway
Now combine the new options for video with the options for broad business models - and things might start to look a lot different. The main question is how many more years it will take. Probably more than we expect now, but less than it seemed when we look back...
...and the sun brings out the colors of fall on the trees...
Friday, September 28
What's in a name - a number?
Once upon a time (in early June actually) I read a rather special piece written by "863", or Gudmund Hernes [Wp] a former minister currently working at FAFO ("critical and action-oriented research on working life and social policy") and at the time contributing to Morgenbladet (the piece is only available in Norwegian, and for subscribers to the paper)
Two trains of thought related to this - first off the power of the net for finding all kinds of information. The excellent site of SSB (Norwegian bureau of statistics) has the search form, and it tells me that I'm one of 4417 - and the chart indicates that something like 1/3 are younger (sorry, no direct link - staying in online nick mode - have a look at 863 instead) making me perhaps 2996.
Looking back through the ages - it is quite clear that tradition has ruled, with Arne from 1911 to 1935 and Jan from 1940 until 1973 - so even at 4417 I still feel almost unique. Which brings us around to the actual topic of the piece; "why am I on first name terms with you?"
863 lists several possible reasons, from the US ways, passing by teens, celebrities and Alzheimer then coming to the tail and intimacy. Have we lost the necessary authority and respect to actually think in terms of private and public, near and far?
Are we all so close and open with the net and 24 hour news, that erecting barriers and formalities is outmoded? Or is it a way to escape the burdens of moving forward, just tackling the close and imminent agenda - rather than having a vision and a grand goal?
Or is it 863 that is turning into an old man, unable to adapt and therefore setting my ideas off on a path not suitable for progress? Perhaps both - it is the rumblings of the times, but at the same time we all seem lost for traction - the faith of decades past of a golden future coming closer seems to be almost forgotten. As we bicker about who is to blame for raising interest rates and lack of interest in science in the next generation, the future is moving away, leaving us behind in a polluted, segregated and divided world. Democracy doesn't mean happiness, nor does capitalism mean riches for all.
...time to snap out of it? Or to do something about it?
...and the sun is heating up even more, making the cold morning and nights of fall seem far far away, almost surreal...
//listening to Live - The Distance to here
Two trains of thought related to this - first off the power of the net for finding all kinds of information. The excellent site of SSB (Norwegian bureau of statistics) has the search form, and it tells me that I'm one of 4417 - and the chart indicates that something like 1/3 are younger (sorry, no direct link - staying in online nick mode - have a look at 863 instead) making me perhaps 2996.
Looking back through the ages - it is quite clear that tradition has ruled, with Arne from 1911 to 1935 and Jan from 1940 until 1973 - so even at 4417 I still feel almost unique. Which brings us around to the actual topic of the piece; "why am I on first name terms with you?"
863 lists several possible reasons, from the US ways, passing by teens, celebrities and Alzheimer then coming to the tail and intimacy. Have we lost the necessary authority and respect to actually think in terms of private and public, near and far?
Are we all so close and open with the net and 24 hour news, that erecting barriers and formalities is outmoded? Or is it a way to escape the burdens of moving forward, just tackling the close and imminent agenda - rather than having a vision and a grand goal?
Or is it 863 that is turning into an old man, unable to adapt and therefore setting my ideas off on a path not suitable for progress? Perhaps both - it is the rumblings of the times, but at the same time we all seem lost for traction - the faith of decades past of a golden future coming closer seems to be almost forgotten. As we bicker about who is to blame for raising interest rates and lack of interest in science in the next generation, the future is moving away, leaving us behind in a polluted, segregated and divided world. Democracy doesn't mean happiness, nor does capitalism mean riches for all.
...time to snap out of it? Or to do something about it?
...and the sun is heating up even more, making the cold morning and nights of fall seem far far away, almost surreal...
//listening to Live - The Distance to here
Biggest game?
"Halo 3, the third and final episode in the hugely popular franchise, netted $170 million in sales in the U.S. in its first day" (CNet)
That is a pretty amazing number for a single day (at $60 each it's close to 3 million copies), considering that a large part of the "mass market" will probably begin picking it up from now and closer to the holidays passing 10 million copies in circulation seems likely, thereby outpacing Halo 2.
(Final Fantasy X hit around 5 million, while GTA III and both of the two first sequels topped 10 million each - also interesting to note that while the original Xbox only has seven million+ sellers, the 360 had already passed ten games before Halo 3)
Personally, I won't be getting a 360 for Halo 3, but if (when) I get around to getting one, I'll certainly pick it up as well. As a Bioware fanboy, it is no surprise that the big decider for my most likely near future purchase is Mass Effect. The latest hype-build up is an article on MTV about the use of Machinima, or more to the point people with a machinima background working on the team
"In their effort to create the most cinematic title gamers have ever seen, the "Mass Effect" development studio, BioWare, has hired people who make movies out of video games" (MTV !)
There is also another installment (in three parts) of the so-called podcast out - and for those wanting to get their toes wet the Dummies guide for machinima might be a nice starting point. It is written by some of the Bloodspell creators, and also gives you a dvd packed with tools and video to get you started playing. Or, to take this full circle; grab Halo 3 and try out the new tools included there for capturing gameplay as well as the editor
...and the sun is creating some screen glare here down south, and it is a wonderful feeling of warmth and relaxation...
Update (4.10): week-one sales have clocked in at a rather reasonable $300 million worldwide - Forty million hours of online games, which adds up to 4,500 years, have been played in the first week [Cnet]
That is a pretty amazing number for a single day (at $60 each it's close to 3 million copies), considering that a large part of the "mass market" will probably begin picking it up from now and closer to the holidays passing 10 million copies in circulation seems likely, thereby outpacing Halo 2.
(Final Fantasy X hit around 5 million, while GTA III and both of the two first sequels topped 10 million each - also interesting to note that while the original Xbox only has seven million+ sellers, the 360 had already passed ten games before Halo 3)
Personally, I won't be getting a 360 for Halo 3, but if (when) I get around to getting one, I'll certainly pick it up as well. As a Bioware fanboy, it is no surprise that the big decider for my most likely near future purchase is Mass Effect. The latest hype-build up is an article on MTV about the use of Machinima, or more to the point people with a machinima background working on the team
"In their effort to create the most cinematic title gamers have ever seen, the "Mass Effect" development studio, BioWare, has hired people who make movies out of video games" (MTV !)
There is also another installment (in three parts) of the so-called podcast out - and for those wanting to get their toes wet the Dummies guide for machinima might be a nice starting point. It is written by some of the Bloodspell creators, and also gives you a dvd packed with tools and video to get you started playing. Or, to take this full circle; grab Halo 3 and try out the new tools included there for capturing gameplay as well as the editor
...and the sun is creating some screen glare here down south, and it is a wonderful feeling of warmth and relaxation...
Update (4.10): week-one sales have clocked in at a rather reasonable $300 million worldwide - Forty million hours of online games, which adds up to 4,500 years, have been played in the first week [Cnet]
Tuesday, September 25
Escape Pod hits another high
With EP122 – narrated by Jack ”flat voice” Mangan – Transcendence Express, written by Jetse de Vries.
Fascinating story and wonderful concept, how one little steps leads to a great leap – and the effect of Moores Law condensed into a log scale, or perhaps more fitting; on a quantum scale. While it does seem a bit of a mouthful; I’d put this on par with Nightfall (the episode 100 Asimov great) in terms of lifting the veil a little bit. Guess it is time to get that donation sent off over the weekend. With the once mighty US dollar hitting new lows it makes all kinds of sense.
The reactions over at the comments for the show are rather mixed, with quite a few seeing it as a "good tech fix all, money bad" kind of blunt hammer story. Personally, I'd disagree - mostly based on the simple fact that the AI does not really "fix" the problems, it helps the children think about tomorrow and how they want that to be - by highlighting some possible outcomes rather than just saying; "great, let's license this or use it to rake it in on the NYSE"
Now I can hardly wait for the launch of Pod Caste dedicated to fantasy, rounding out the trio along with horror from Pseudopod even if we miss Mur – I promise you it is true) – and perhaps opening for even more frequent gems like this one.
...and the sun does not shine here during the night - it is busy playing with all the other children ...
Fascinating story and wonderful concept, how one little steps leads to a great leap – and the effect of Moores Law condensed into a log scale, or perhaps more fitting; on a quantum scale. While it does seem a bit of a mouthful; I’d put this on par with Nightfall (the episode 100 Asimov great) in terms of lifting the veil a little bit. Guess it is time to get that donation sent off over the weekend. With the once mighty US dollar hitting new lows it makes all kinds of sense.
The reactions over at the comments for the show are rather mixed, with quite a few seeing it as a "good tech fix all, money bad" kind of blunt hammer story. Personally, I'd disagree - mostly based on the simple fact that the AI does not really "fix" the problems, it helps the children think about tomorrow and how they want that to be - by highlighting some possible outcomes rather than just saying; "great, let's license this or use it to rake it in on the NYSE"
Now I can hardly wait for the launch of Pod Caste dedicated to fantasy, rounding out the trio along with horror from Pseudopod even if we miss Mur – I promise you it is true) – and perhaps opening for even more frequent gems like this one.
...and the sun does not shine here during the night - it is busy playing with all the other children ...
Monday, September 10
5 novels to a game
On writing for Bioware games, Drew K. put it in context; "Anyone who has played a BioWare game knows they're big. They're very big. 500,000 words, average" -so with your average fantasy novel coming in around 80 - 100 thousand words, that makes the game the size of five novels. Certainly looking forward to the game, will make for some wonderful escapism over xmas if past performance is any indication.
No wonder he could easily write the prequel Revelations at the same time (it is next in my reading queue, having just finished the paperback verison of his Star Wars almost-game tie-in Darth Bane - a different take on the SW universe, tackling motivation and the line between right and wrong in a different light than the movies. Working on KOTOR and possibly some of the more evil options in the other games gives him a broader perspective - and perhaps also a bit more "leash" in terms of the license owners and their view of what proper SW is all about.
...and the sun makes for an intense blue sky, offsetting the fall color on the leaves nicely...
No wonder he could easily write the prequel Revelations at the same time (it is next in my reading queue, having just finished the paperback verison of his Star Wars almost-game tie-in Darth Bane - a different take on the SW universe, tackling motivation and the line between right and wrong in a different light than the movies. Working on KOTOR and possibly some of the more evil options in the other games gives him a broader perspective - and perhaps also a bit more "leash" in terms of the license owners and their view of what proper SW is all about.
...and the sun makes for an intense blue sky, offsetting the fall color on the leaves nicely...
Thursday, August 30
Tinted new
And now this blog has also joined the "brave new world" of layouts, page elements and advanced design gui to support the template coding. For now it remains mostly based on the blogger offering, but I'll try to get a more suitable image in the header and do some minor tweaks.
On a side note the new archive function does a running tally - so last year really was a bit slow, about half the number of posts compare to the two years previous. With eight months all but gone, it looks like 07 will top in around 60 some posts, but the number might be enough to get stuff up one bit at a time and even on a more regular basis.
On a side note the new archive function does a running tally - so last year really was a bit slow, about half the number of posts compare to the two years previous. With eight months all but gone, it looks like 07 will top in around 60 some posts, but the number might be enough to get stuff up one bit at a time and even on a more regular basis.
See what I saw
I just got "robbed" out of a hour of free time, spent geocoding images for Google, for free. Or, more to the point I was as fascinated with the new(ish) feature for Picasaweb (Las Vegas demo sample)- adding maps and location to images and albums - as I was a while back with the rather similar Flickr feature.
The goggle interface is very nice and easy to use, and with albums already having a "place taken" tag it is easy to start in the right place, and then just drag'n'drop the separate images onto the map.
And since we are talking about 'web2' here, there is obviously an API to go along with it. For a simple sample have a look at "levsplaces" and the related article. The code is simple and builds easily into the established gmaps and other pieces. There is support for searching and using tags, so you could easily create a mash-up 'flying' over the map of London and showing off all 346 dog pictures...
With YouTube also getting the google API treatment, you could take it a step further and add in some top rated videos - since the "balloons" support embedding (used very well by BBC during the flooding in the UK)
Now if I could only find the login info for the gmap test site I set up...
The goggle interface is very nice and easy to use, and with albums already having a "place taken" tag it is easy to start in the right place, and then just drag'n'drop the separate images onto the map.
And since we are talking about 'web2' here, there is obviously an API to go along with it. For a simple sample have a look at "levsplaces" and the related article. The code is simple and builds easily into the established gmaps and other pieces. There is support for searching and using tags, so you could easily create a mash-up 'flying' over the map of London and showing off all 346 dog pictures...
With YouTube also getting the google API treatment, you could take it a step further and add in some top rated videos - since the "balloons" support embedding (used very well by BBC during the flooding in the UK)
Now if I could only find the login info for the gmap test site I set up...
Tuesday, August 21
Bacn - a step above spam
Trendy Terminology post from Cnet; Bacn:
"Despite the obligatory missing vowel, bacn (pronounced 'bacon') isn't a hot Web 2.0 start-up. It's 'the middle class of e-mail,' the stuff that isn't really spam because it's not totally unwanted, but isn't really wanted either."
Like all those newsletter and weekly offers you just might want to have a look at, but can't seem to really find the time. Fun take.
"Despite the obligatory missing vowel, bacn (pronounced 'bacon') isn't a hot Web 2.0 start-up. It's 'the middle class of e-mail,' the stuff that isn't really spam because it's not totally unwanted, but isn't really wanted either."
Like all those newsletter and weekly offers you just might want to have a look at, but can't seem to really find the time. Fun take.
Three blogs
A short summary of some post that caught my eye over the last week(end);
On Netflix and their improved community features and the Netflix prize; "The current leader in the contest has achieved an improvement of 7.80% over Netflix's engine".
Musings on Codeplex and open source both with in MS and for Windows in general; "Vista Battery Saver - A small program that can help you save up to 70% of your battery life"
NewTeeVee adds some thoughts on the Flash use of H.264 as a new codec; "an interest in better quality video on its AppleTV, Apple recently persuaded YouTube to reencode its Flash videos in H.264"
Still a lot going on in the digital world of moving images - be they distributed by the postal service or to assorted white devices. Still no one single solution to make everybody focus on content rather than tech - but are we getting close enough in terms of easy cross-distribution and encoding to satisfy the goal?
On Netflix and their improved community features and the Netflix prize; "The current leader in the contest has achieved an improvement of 7.80% over Netflix's engine".
Musings on Codeplex and open source both with in MS and for Windows in general; "Vista Battery Saver - A small program that can help you save up to 70% of your battery life"
NewTeeVee adds some thoughts on the Flash use of H.264 as a new codec; "an interest in better quality video on its AppleTV, Apple recently persuaded YouTube to reencode its Flash videos in H.264"
Still a lot going on in the digital world of moving images - be they distributed by the postal service or to assorted white devices. Still no one single solution to make everybody focus on content rather than tech - but are we getting close enough in terms of easy cross-distribution and encoding to satisfy the goal?
Tuesday, August 14
Changing media - new and old
"Three Cs": Catalyze and Curate Conversations.
Mr Long Tail, Chris Anderson, reflects on how Wired is meeting the development and growth of mass-niches by expanding the use of the web as a supplement to the magazine. There is also a good comment on the problems with "crowd-sourcing" news if the tech isn't up to speed.
Poynter has a piece on ownership and focus for some of the 'other' media companies; "radically different business models. They're thinking broadly: aggregator + search + content + mobile + gaming = sustainability." It is a good reminder to see just how broad the portfolios of Google and Yahoo have become.
...and the sun is taking a break right now...
Mr Long Tail, Chris Anderson, reflects on how Wired is meeting the development and growth of mass-niches by expanding the use of the web as a supplement to the magazine. There is also a good comment on the problems with "crowd-sourcing" news if the tech isn't up to speed.
Poynter has a piece on ownership and focus for some of the 'other' media companies; "radically different business models. They're thinking broadly: aggregator + search + content + mobile + gaming = sustainability." It is a good reminder to see just how broad the portfolios of Google and Yahoo have become.
...and the sun is taking a break right now...
Tuesday, August 7
Need distraction?
Well, then the list of "150+ online video tools and resources" over on Mashable might be able to cure the urge for a while. Listing what they refer to as "more than 150 of our favorite sites in this category" - including some 16 online video editors.
On a side note - of the five Google ads on the front page (left menu), two were actually in Norwegian and hence based on IP lookup. Just goes to show that the machine that is Googleplex has a solid inventory and then some in terms of assorted ads.
One story got picked up by MSM, getting broad coverage both directly as a wire story and via dedicated stories following up the theme and topic. While the other got linked directly from blogs - and became the most read story on the News21 Web site, newsinitiative.org
So - one became a mainstream story and was widely read for a short time, while the other garnerd niche readers over time. This could be a relevant insight for using internally in newspapers - to track the way their stories get picked up and linked, not to mention if certain topics or authors get a separate following.
...and the sun brings summertime today for real...
On a side note - of the five Google ads on the front page (left menu), two were actually in Norwegian and hence based on IP lookup. Just goes to show that the machine that is Googleplex has a solid inventory and then some in terms of assorted ads.
Looking at how the news spread
An insightful piece over at the Readership Institute on how new digital avenues are changing both reporting and the discovery of stories. It goes into depth on two similar stories in terms of source and topic (student produced at Medill, about privacy in the digital age and put online and out via AP) on how they had radically different "developments".One story got picked up by MSM, getting broad coverage both directly as a wire story and via dedicated stories following up the theme and topic. While the other got linked directly from blogs - and became the most read story on the News21 Web site, newsinitiative.org
So - one became a mainstream story and was widely read for a short time, while the other garnerd niche readers over time. This could be a relevant insight for using internally in newspapers - to track the way their stories get picked up and linked, not to mention if certain topics or authors get a separate following.
...and the sun brings summertime today for real...
Monday, August 6
Ads for fun and profit
One of the more interesting topics being debated currently (at least in terms of meta-discussions in the online space) is the future for web-tv and online video ads. So far "regular" online advertising is growing at record speeds both here in Norway (+31% y-o-y in May) and in other markets. But there are certain regional differences, with the prevalence of Adwords on global / US sites, and the local preference for unique visitors over page views among them. Still, both locally and globally there is an ongoing discussion and quest for the solution(s) for ads related to online video.
While it is quite easy to have some simple automation in terms of matching text and (text) ads, the technical and volume challenges related to video content are still quite a hurdle. For 'traditional' news clips with voice-over or accompanying text or tags it might work (or the ads could be just as random as the general banner ads on most news sites appear to be), and the same for clearly defined, ongoing shows like LG or Ask a Ninja. Using the fan base and their connection to target ads, the same way that niche topical sites (from CNet to Hardware.no) target specific topical advertisers.
For more random clips (ugc typically) perhaps the best route short term is sticking with the blog coverage or perhaps Gmail (and for that matter Yahoo or MSN) post talking about it. That way, existing patterns for matching and formating could be easily extended - and it would be easier to pick up on things like mood; is the video making fun of or lauding an actor, is it a sad story about loss or an upbeat tale of love - which could and should influence the ads used during and after the content.
As for pre-rolls, the time dimension seems to be shortening - with 7 seconds gaining traction as perceived threshold (at least outside the US, where the general clutter threshold is lower)
There seems to be two paths the assorted companies in the video ad space are taking; either becoming a "destination for ads" (building up volume and placing it themselves) or "tech for all" (making solutions that existing destination / media sites / portals can buy or use to expand their established ads sales portfolio).
Short term I think the second path, creating supplemental solutions for ongoing sales, will be the more rewarding to watch - mostly because the established brands and (text) destinations are in a better position to get the advertisers to learn as they go (just like in the early days of first banner and then text ads - not to mention the rise and demise of pop-ups along the way)
More input - both in terms of the actual articles, but also the quite interesting comments:
...and the sun should be coming out making for a nice, although belated summer day...
While it is quite easy to have some simple automation in terms of matching text and (text) ads, the technical and volume challenges related to video content are still quite a hurdle. For 'traditional' news clips with voice-over or accompanying text or tags it might work (or the ads could be just as random as the general banner ads on most news sites appear to be), and the same for clearly defined, ongoing shows like LG or Ask a Ninja. Using the fan base and their connection to target ads, the same way that niche topical sites (from CNet to Hardware.no) target specific topical advertisers.
For more random clips (ugc typically) perhaps the best route short term is sticking with the blog coverage or perhaps Gmail (and for that matter Yahoo or MSN) post talking about it. That way, existing patterns for matching and formating could be easily extended - and it would be easier to pick up on things like mood; is the video making fun of or lauding an actor, is it a sad story about loss or an upbeat tale of love - which could and should influence the ads used during and after the content.
As for pre-rolls, the time dimension seems to be shortening - with 7 seconds gaining traction as perceived threshold (at least outside the US, where the general clutter threshold is lower)
There seems to be two paths the assorted companies in the video ad space are taking; either becoming a "destination for ads" (building up volume and placing it themselves) or "tech for all" (making solutions that existing destination / media sites / portals can buy or use to expand their established ads sales portfolio).
Short term I think the second path, creating supplemental solutions for ongoing sales, will be the more rewarding to watch - mostly because the established brands and (text) destinations are in a better position to get the advertisers to learn as they go (just like in the early days of first banner and then text ads - not to mention the rise and demise of pop-ups along the way)
More input - both in terms of the actual articles, but also the quite interesting comments:
- An essay from NewTeeVee "Ad Startups Turn Away from User-Generated Video"
- Thoughts on the blinx press for the new AdHoc system
...and the sun should be coming out making for a nice, although belated summer day...
Thursday, August 2
Why the PS3 is 60gb only?
"the simplest guide on the net on how to upgrade your PS3 hard drive" from GamePro certainly begs the question of why the 20gb version is not available here in Norway. Excluding the time to back up, format and restore it does not look like it would take more than 15 minutes to swap the drive. But still, since the current USD rate puts the retail price at nearly $1000 for the 60gb version - it is little wonder it isn't "flying off the shelves" when you can pick up a PS2 for about $150 new (and it still has the most sold games over here, with SingStar and Buzz leading the mass market into the friendly world of hilarious digital experiences).
...and the sun is surely out there, somewhere behind the gray'ish clouds covering most of the sky...
...and the sun is surely out there, somewhere behind the gray'ish clouds covering most of the sky...
Wednesday, August 1
Spoilers or discussions?
Article from the MIT Convergence Culture Consortium blog,
Raises an interesting debate / question as to when and how long something can be considered a spoiler - Star Wars is 30 years old and a part of the culture, so most both fans and acquaintances will probably be well aware of the overall "summary" and most potential revelations.
But the last Harry Potter book has just been released, and not really translated into all the localized versions most suitable for kids or the "YA" market outside the US. So, does talking about what the title refer to make a spoiler - or do you have to go even further into the lives and deaths and other character development?
(As a sidenote the official site for JKR is available inEnglish, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Japanese - and has not been updated since the 18th, the diary at least)
So, when do we draw the line between pre-release (spoiler) and 30 years on (not spoiler)? A week after for a TV show episode or a major movie? A month for a book or a niche movie?
Or is the point about flagging and marking spoilers moot, since people might talk about it on the bus or in the supermarket anyway without your consent or control? And the only viable way to see and read as soon as possible?
Does Peeking Spoil the Fun?
"Does not contain Harry Potter spoilers, does contain a Star Wars spoiler" [pt 1 and 2]Raises an interesting debate / question as to when and how long something can be considered a spoiler - Star Wars is 30 years old and a part of the culture, so most both fans and acquaintances will probably be well aware of the overall "summary" and most potential revelations.
But the last Harry Potter book has just been released, and not really translated into all the localized versions most suitable for kids or the "YA" market outside the US. So, does talking about what the title refer to make a spoiler - or do you have to go even further into the lives and deaths and other character development?
(As a sidenote the official site for JKR is available inEnglish, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Japanese - and has not been updated since the 18th, the diary at least)
So, when do we draw the line between pre-release (spoiler) and 30 years on (not spoiler)? A week after for a TV show episode or a major movie? A month for a book or a niche movie?
Or is the point about flagging and marking spoilers moot, since people might talk about it on the bus or in the supermarket anyway without your consent or control? And the only viable way to see and read as soon as possible?
Monday, July 30
What you see...
Another wonderful strip in the UF universe ("Imparing productivity since 1997") - almost makes me nostalgic for "those days", when web development was about tweaking html code and tables to get the effect wanted. Almost, but not quite.
Online Filmmaking
Top Ten Online Filmmaking Techniques article on NewTeeWee worth reading, one of the points (improvisation) goes as follows:
"the cheapest part of film making, writing a script, is the one least employed by amateurs"
- which is probably the other way around for machinima as opposed to "vlog" or video journals, since the script (and the recorded lines) form the basis for shooting scenes and hence you get a better feel for the story up front
Which might be why "rule" number ten is simply Animation - online being a fertile ground for mixing and mashing technologies without having access to a major server park to do the cgi
"the cheapest part of film making, writing a script, is the one least employed by amateurs"
- which is probably the other way around for machinima as opposed to "vlog" or video journals, since the script (and the recorded lines) form the basis for shooting scenes and hence you get a better feel for the story up front
Which might be why "rule" number ten is simply Animation - online being a fertile ground for mixing and mashing technologies without having access to a major server park to do the cgi
Friday, July 6
Have a cuppa
The internet works best for the market of one - the niches that might not make sense in terms of retail and traditional distribution. Where descriptions and a few images can give a good enough idea in order to try out the foundation for a relationship.
One such example that had an ad on one of the podcast I listen to is the Adagio Tea company. A great and appealing site, gives information while enticing you to give it a shot, offering various sample sets (for new customers or the gift market). Wonderful and appealing. With shipping up to a kg of $15 there might just be some greens and assorted others flying over for the autumn. Especially if the dollar stays on the south side of 6 NOK. One benefit of the economy over here going on 115% at the moment - increasing interest rates and good exchange rates for shopping online.
One such example that had an ad on one of the podcast I listen to is the Adagio Tea company. A great and appealing site, gives information while enticing you to give it a shot, offering various sample sets (for new customers or the gift market). Wonderful and appealing. With shipping up to a kg of $15 there might just be some greens and assorted others flying over for the autumn. Especially if the dollar stays on the south side of 6 NOK. One benefit of the economy over here going on 115% at the moment - increasing interest rates and good exchange rates for shopping online.
Games and then some
It is generally agreed that cyberdrama must give human participants an experience of agency. Usually this has meant that the participant’s actions have an appropriate and understandable impact on the world the computer presents to them. Other goals defined by Murray include immersion and transformation.
- Janet Murray, Hamlet on the Holodeck (1997)
Being an avid gamer (and game reviewer as well) it is interesting to spend some time reading about the games and the industry from both an academic and a more “tutorial” or “insider” perspective. Especially now that my gaming has gone on an extended hiatus during the spring – just a few short sessions of Dragon Quest, and a quick play through of Another Code on the DS.
Time to get a proper gaming rig and really explore NWN2, and perhaps a 360 in time for Mass Effect as well) Update: picked up another PS2 instead, a small and quiet one - along with Final Fantasy XII to feed the addiction. Clocked some 80 hrs so far, loving almost every minute - the tweaks to the formula are right on for my play-style.
Recent fun finds include the webzine The Escapist – which first came to my attention because of an article by Mur (RIP GeekFu - my first fave podcast, now faded), on the “next pirates”. The content is game related, featuring interviews with people in the industry as well as covering themes such as piracy and next-gen development. They offer a newsletter highlighting the topics of the week, with both direct links to read online and a link to download the full issue as a pdf for later reading. Which is really nice for spending some hours on the train as I am right now.
The other is an extract from a book on First Person cyberdrama. And that is where I came across the three pegs for this post; agency, immersion and transformation.
Transformation - …? Who am I?
That was as far as I got on the train. So, playing games to play and explore your own boundaries, to test how you might react in certain situations, or to do things not normally possible / allowable / acceptable. There is some discussion in this paper, "Neo-Aristotelian Theory of Interactive Drama" [available as pdf, google html version linked]
Even to ask this question is to recognize the extent to which Janet Murray has engaged us in an exploration of the multivariant world of the networked computer and the holodeck -- or world beyond -- that we have glimpsed so far, just over the threshold in a new environment.
- review for HoH
And isn't that the "proof of the pudding" in terms of games being a viable outlet, source of insight and most of all entertainment? That we can have serious discussions about the hows and whys, while at the same time just enjoying the time spent playing? Like a Shakespeare scholar has a great time at the Globe. Games work on several levels, just like drama, literature and other creative arts can.
On a final note, a nice experience in terms of useability and flexibility is the latest iteration of the online support system for taxes here in Norway, this year they sent you (if oyu had opted in) an sms with a code for logging on and instantly seeing your "end result" rather than waiting for the letter to arrive in the mail. It has taken a few years, but every year it gets just a little bit better.
- Janet Murray, Hamlet on the Holodeck (1997)
Being an avid gamer (and game reviewer as well) it is interesting to spend some time reading about the games and the industry from both an academic and a more “tutorial” or “insider” perspective. Especially now that my gaming has gone on an extended hiatus during the spring – just a few short sessions of Dragon Quest, and a quick play through of Another Code on the DS.
Time to get a proper gaming rig and really explore NWN2, and perhaps a 360 in time for Mass Effect as well) Update: picked up another PS2 instead, a small and quiet one - along with Final Fantasy XII to feed the addiction. Clocked some 80 hrs so far, loving almost every minute - the tweaks to the formula are right on for my play-style.
Recent fun finds include the webzine The Escapist – which first came to my attention because of an article by Mur (RIP GeekFu - my first fave podcast, now faded), on the “next pirates”. The content is game related, featuring interviews with people in the industry as well as covering themes such as piracy and next-gen development. They offer a newsletter highlighting the topics of the week, with both direct links to read online and a link to download the full issue as a pdf for later reading. Which is really nice for spending some hours on the train as I am right now.
The other is an extract from a book on First Person cyberdrama. And that is where I came across the three pegs for this post; agency, immersion and transformation.
Agency – I have an impact therefore I am
In most games you are the “hero” in the sense that most events you see or take part of change because of you or happen to you. Like in Final Fantasy – the world will surely end unless you happen to make the right choices and connections along the path. It is about mastery, somehow managing to do more than we can in everyday life. Rather than just watching events on television or envisioning them when reading a book – we “make” them and perhaps “change” them. This ties in closely with replay value; are there major branches of the story – such as going jedi or sith in KOTOR – that makes it worth the time to explore familiar territory again?Immersion – I forget therefore I might be
The “best” games are the ones where the hours pass without a trace. Be it because you have to have just one more go at Bejeweled or Solitaire, or because you just want to have a look around the next area in an rpg like NWN. Just like a good book moves us into a separate realm, leaving all thoughts of the present (or the future for that matter) behind – so the game worlds draws us in. Escapism is mainly a good thing. But just like there is a difference between having a glass of wine and downing a bottle or three, so there is a difference between being immersed in a game – and being “lost” in the fake reality. People have died from exhaustion due to playing for too long. And have committed real-world crimes to avenge in-game transgressions.Transformation - …? Who am I?
That was as far as I got on the train. So, playing games to play and explore your own boundaries, to test how you might react in certain situations, or to do things not normally possible / allowable / acceptable. There is some discussion in this paper, "Neo-Aristotelian Theory of Interactive Drama" [available as pdf, google html version linked]Even to ask this question is to recognize the extent to which Janet Murray has engaged us in an exploration of the multivariant world of the networked computer and the holodeck -- or world beyond -- that we have glimpsed so far, just over the threshold in a new environment.
- review for HoH
And isn't that the "proof of the pudding" in terms of games being a viable outlet, source of insight and most of all entertainment? That we can have serious discussions about the hows and whys, while at the same time just enjoying the time spent playing? Like a Shakespeare scholar has a great time at the Globe. Games work on several levels, just like drama, literature and other creative arts can.
On a final note, a nice experience in terms of useability and flexibility is the latest iteration of the online support system for taxes here in Norway, this year they sent you (if oyu had opted in) an sms with a code for logging on and instantly seeing your "end result" rather than waiting for the letter to arrive in the mail. It has taken a few years, but every year it gets just a little bit better.
Counting down
The timer on the battery said 1:04 and should have been almost enough to carry me over, until 7-7-7, the mental anniversary for this little blog, four turns of the dates on from the gentle almost random beginning back in March of2003. But after I started typing (and hence using the wlan) it has jumped down to 46 and back up to 52 minutes, so maybe the proper reflection and re-cap post will still have to wait until tomorrow.
Regardless, as it has from the beginning the blog will continue to come in bursts and jerks, periods of silence followed by rapid posts over a few days, and then the cycle resumes. Life and work both have a tendency to conspire against long term steady commitments, unless I actually put it in Outlook as an appointment every few days. Perhaps over the summer, but for the next month life on the road means random schedules and
connectivity.
As an example, the next post is from a train trip at the end of May - wrote it in word, but had some loose ends to connect and some links to find. Put here it is, a short month later. And there will hopefully be a bit more up over the weekend. If not, the third and final part (or the first of the last actually) of 7th Son will be coming out. Check it out, it has been hyped enough to be worth a free listen...
...and the sun has been gone since Sunday - and today the "one day rain amount" record was broken...
Regardless, as it has from the beginning the blog will continue to come in bursts and jerks, periods of silence followed by rapid posts over a few days, and then the cycle resumes. Life and work both have a tendency to conspire against long term steady commitments, unless I actually put it in Outlook as an appointment every few days. Perhaps over the summer, but for the next month life on the road means random schedules and
connectivity.As an example, the next post is from a train trip at the end of May - wrote it in word, but had some loose ends to connect and some links to find. Put here it is, a short month later. And there will hopefully be a bit more up over the weekend. If not, the third and final part (or the first of the last actually) of 7th Son will be coming out. Check it out, it has been hyped enough to be worth a free listen...
...and the sun has been gone since Sunday - and today the "one day rain amount" record was broken...
Tuesday, July 3
Lively
A new way to do my post, lending some time and effort to a beta from Microsoft this time 'round. More prescicely the Live Writer (beta 2 from early june)
Improvements
Are clearly needed - first and foremost in terms of including a spell checker, either an online version like blogger has, or the one in firefox for forms and such. Or preferably a way to use the installed ones from Office for multi-lingual blogging
Better use of the tags from Blogger; rapid entry like in most MS programs as a supplement to the pop-up list - and/or the option for grouping or sorting the tags
Edit: Consistent formating of h3 :) colorized all wrong
Nice touch
Using the online design right in the Writer, so you get a better feel for how it will actually read out there on the web.
And using auto-format - so the next style after a heading and a line break is "paragraph" by default
Overall? First impression - Nice enough, but might as well stick with Word for offline rants, and do the formating online with Blogger.
Wednesday, June 6
Digital boards
Not all that long after launching Settlers, one of my clear boardgame faves hits the Xbox Arcade - Carcassonne; "the medieval countryside thrives as you and your opponents place tiles and complete towns, roads, and farms while competing to amass the most points"
More backgorund on the game itself or the actual place Carcassonne in the south of France - Wikipedia has it all and then some.
I think this game would be great for some multiplayer fun, so as soon as they get around to sharing the Elite version with us here in Europe - this is one game I'll give a shot (800 points works out to about $15 when bought here in retail- but $10 in the US...)
Always fun on a rainy day to see how the luck of the draw ends up shaping the size and number of cities actually built.
Yesterday was 5-6-7 in terms of Norwegian dating, so we are coming up on another 'special' date 7-7-7 for this blog - four steps on in all direction from the humble idea back in early 2003
More backgorund on the game itself or the actual place Carcassonne in the south of France - Wikipedia has it all and then some.
I think this game would be great for some multiplayer fun, so as soon as they get around to sharing the Elite version with us here in Europe - this is one game I'll give a shot (800 points works out to about $15 when bought here in retail- but $10 in the US...)
Always fun on a rainy day to see how the luck of the draw ends up shaping the size and number of cities actually built.
Yesterday was 5-6-7 in terms of Norwegian dating, so we are coming up on another 'special' date 7-7-7 for this blog - four steps on in all direction from the humble idea back in early 2003
Wednesday, May 30
Anderson Drones
Lego Autopilot first flight: "We tested stabilization, autonomous navigation (only using compass headings this time, although GPS is in the works), and the real-time video downlink"
Chris Anderson (Long Tail, Wired editor) has a new site up for his latest fun project -DIY Drones: - detailing the building and now flying of a Lego NXT based drone or self-controlled plane.
Too cool - goes to show how far you can get with the willingness to push the boundaries (and some spare cash, sub $1000 is still a bit for playing around)
Chris Anderson (Long Tail, Wired editor) has a new site up for his latest fun project -DIY Drones: - detailing the building and now flying of a Lego NXT based drone or self-controlled plane.
Too cool - goes to show how far you can get with the willingness to push the boundaries (and some spare cash, sub $1000 is still a bit for playing around)
Finally some more info on the Joost Widgets
Joost has launched a new sub-site for the soon (still...) release of the Widget framework, at dev.jooost. There is very limited information so far, but the one article there gives some insight in between the marketing buzzword:
Introducing Joost™ Widgets: "built the Joost Widget platform on top of the latest Web standards, powered by the Mozilla browser engine. Developers who are familiar with technologies such as HTML, XML, CSS, SVG, Ajax, Javascript and RDF will find an exciting new environment to develop their ideas"
Finally a step closer to realizing the promise of Joost - the best options from the internet, in the form of open-source based development acceptance (rather than leaving the users to hack for themselves with Greasmonkey or similar)
What do you want to do when watching video? How about keyword tags with linked Google search or News feeds? Geotagging for other watchers and in-show quiz? Multi-player Tetris?
Stay tuned? ;)
Introducing Joost™ Widgets: "built the Joost Widget platform on top of the latest Web standards, powered by the Mozilla browser engine. Developers who are familiar with technologies such as HTML, XML, CSS, SVG, Ajax, Javascript and RDF will find an exciting new environment to develop their ideas"
Finally a step closer to realizing the promise of Joost - the best options from the internet, in the form of open-source based development acceptance (rather than leaving the users to hack for themselves with Greasmonkey or similar)
What do you want to do when watching video? How about keyword tags with linked Google search or News feeds? Geotagging for other watchers and in-show quiz? Multi-player Tetris?
Stay tuned? ;)
Wednesday, May 23
Multi-tv
Just turned of the "regular" television, as the Champions League final match in Athens has ended, and turned a bit more attention over to the laptop which has been running the latest updated version of Joost for some hours. Incidentally the wikipedia page is already up to date with the result - Milan getting it with a 2 to 1 win over L'pool
Now the shows have their own direct links, such as this for an introduction to drawing - sending you to a (rather empty) information page, along with a dedicated link to start the program in Joost (joost: protocol)
Also the sorting in the channel guide seems to work now - and that is a good thing with the number of available channels growing, even a small subset runs into 40 channels so sorting by genre or personal preference is nice.
Still it needs a bit more intelligence to "combine the best of the web"; like folders - just like Google reader let's you group rss feeds, the channel guide should be in levels, giving the option for packages and collections of channels and searches. That way all the animation could have one folder, the music another and the assorted sci-fi'ish stuff a third - making it easier to browse and jump between channels.
If the information and grouping was sent to the central servers it might also make it easier to predict next shows for pre-caching in the background thereby increasing the speed of swapping channels
And still no widget toolkit to play around with - might have to have a look at some of the forum post about possible direct hacks to the existing client to get a better feel of the options.
...and the sun gets up much to early in the summer...
Now the shows have their own direct links, such as this for an introduction to drawing - sending you to a (rather empty) information page, along with a dedicated link to start the program in Joost (joost: protocol)
Also the sorting in the channel guide seems to work now - and that is a good thing with the number of available channels growing, even a small subset runs into 40 channels so sorting by genre or personal preference is nice.
Still it needs a bit more intelligence to "combine the best of the web"; like folders - just like Google reader let's you group rss feeds, the channel guide should be in levels, giving the option for packages and collections of channels and searches. That way all the animation could have one folder, the music another and the assorted sci-fi'ish stuff a third - making it easier to browse and jump between channels.
If the information and grouping was sent to the central servers it might also make it easier to predict next shows for pre-caching in the background thereby increasing the speed of swapping channels
And still no widget toolkit to play around with - might have to have a look at some of the forum post about possible direct hacks to the existing client to get a better feel of the options.
...and the sun gets up much to early in the summer...
Sunday, May 13
Real toys and virtual playhouses
With the internet it is so easy to find information - and so hard to find the time to use it.
How many sites can you spend time on? How many YouTube videos and Facebook friends can you fit into a reasonable time online? Currently Norway is swept into a social networking frenzy, first by "Nettby" - from the largest paper (and the largest online site) VG. In a short span it grew from nothing into 150 000 users and high profile coverage during the captial markets day for Schibsted. And now Facebook has apparently passed 170 000 Norwegian users, up from 3000 in January.
I'm reading "Linked" (or for the full explanatory tagline title; "How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means") It is a book from late 2002 and at one point Barabási talks about the "six degrees" phenomenon and how "we don't have a social search engine so we may never know the real number". And now just a few years down the line we are pretty close. At least if it was easy (or feasible) to map the online part of the world by mixing MySpace, WOW, LinkedIn, blogs and comments (Technorati) into one large cloud of interconnected "metaverses". Something for Yahoo Pipes to do as their next proof of concept?
Second Life has also been in the news quite a bit, but it seems to have more value as a marketing buzz word than as a destination (send out a release about doing something in SL and get coverage, rather than getting the attention in SL itself). Like this post from 3point on Bunnies in bits... more than a month before the (possible/plausible) event or entrance kicking off.
Also in the cute category is the story of robot chicklets from NXTbot - coming from Sega (who needs to make a game console when you can get this kind of attention?)
NXT is the new version of the Mindstorms "make your own robot" kit from Lego - which at $250 is best suited for the slightly older geek. With the more "regular" pieces there is no problem making fanciful mech style creations - like this APU from the Matrix movies, or the Lego IP mecha setting called Exo Force. And here the power of the net as both a source for off line activities and for stealing time is quite visible; building instructions or browsing 30,790 creations?
As for NXT- it would be fun to pick up a set and make a small robot, but I just don’t see the time for delving into it properly on the horizon - too many other options and ideas. Like building that Exo Force combination model ;D
-
...and the sun is a postcard from tomorrow...
How many sites can you spend time on? How many YouTube videos and Facebook friends can you fit into a reasonable time online? Currently Norway is swept into a social networking frenzy, first by "Nettby" - from the largest paper (and the largest online site) VG. In a short span it grew from nothing into 150 000 users and high profile coverage during the captial markets day for Schibsted. And now Facebook has apparently passed 170 000 Norwegian users, up from 3000 in January.
I'm reading "Linked" (or for the full explanatory tagline title; "How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means") It is a book from late 2002 and at one point Barabási talks about the "six degrees" phenomenon and how "we don't have a social search engine so we may never know the real number". And now just a few years down the line we are pretty close. At least if it was easy (or feasible) to map the online part of the world by mixing MySpace, WOW, LinkedIn, blogs and comments (Technorati) into one large cloud of interconnected "metaverses". Something for Yahoo Pipes to do as their next proof of concept?
Second Life has also been in the news quite a bit, but it seems to have more value as a marketing buzz word than as a destination (send out a release about doing something in SL and get coverage, rather than getting the attention in SL itself). Like this post from 3point on Bunnies in bits... more than a month before the (possible/plausible) event or entrance kicking off.
too cute
Moving over too pure toys - and buzz machines - the Pleo robot dino just looks way to nice! It was covered in Wired and PC Mag has a interesting hands-on. The choice of dino species was adapted based on the need for all his new high tech innards - so stubby legs and a thick neck is a perfect match. Not to mention that it makes for a cute little critter. (Image from Ugobe, creators of Pleo)Also in the cute category is the story of robot chicklets from NXTbot - coming from Sega (who needs to make a game console when you can get this kind of attention?)
NXT is the new version of the Mindstorms "make your own robot" kit from Lego - which at $250 is best suited for the slightly older geek. With the more "regular" pieces there is no problem making fanciful mech style creations - like this APU from the Matrix movies, or the Lego IP mecha setting called Exo Force. And here the power of the net as both a source for off line activities and for stealing time is quite visible; building instructions or browsing 30,790 creations?
As for NXT- it would be fun to pick up a set and make a small robot, but I just don’t see the time for delving into it properly on the horizon - too many other options and ideas. Like building that Exo Force combination model ;D
-
...and the sun is a postcard from tomorrow...
Thursday, May 10
Got time? Save the world
"People wonder how Wikipedia magically arose from nothing, and how 50 million bloggers suddenly appeared, almost all of them writing for free" [Longtail]
Just like the mobile providers are hoping for a (continued) windfall from our 'fear' of boring pauses and mindless waiting, so Chris draws the parallel between online and connected people using their time and brainpower to create "free" stuff (yours truly included right now - coffee break posting).
Just like the online newspapers have in large part opened whole new markets for advertising - catching people during their workday, so now the social sites are reaping the benefits, in terms of eyeballs, advertising and hype. So people spend time reading articles about people spending time writing messages. And then they spend some time commenting on it - online. And the cycle lives on. The watercooler is dead, long live the "digital black hole for attention"
...and the sun was warm this morning, summer is sneaking up at last...
Just like the mobile providers are hoping for a (continued) windfall from our 'fear' of boring pauses and mindless waiting, so Chris draws the parallel between online and connected people using their time and brainpower to create "free" stuff (yours truly included right now - coffee break posting).
Just like the online newspapers have in large part opened whole new markets for advertising - catching people during their workday, so now the social sites are reaping the benefits, in terms of eyeballs, advertising and hype. So people spend time reading articles about people spending time writing messages. And then they spend some time commenting on it - online. And the cycle lives on. The watercooler is dead, long live the "digital black hole for attention"
...and the sun was warm this morning, summer is sneaking up at last...
Joost gets a boost forward
NewTeeVee:
» Joost gets $45 million in funding: "Investors lucky enough to put their money in Joost: Sequoia Capital, Index Ventures, Viacom, CBS and Chinese tycoon, Li Ka-shing."
- so in addition to getting the cash for further technical development and infrastructure, they have also managed to get two "incumbent" players (Viacom and CBS) on board - probably only a minor share as a vote of confidence, but interesting for the next steps none the less.
No doubt that the video market is going online as, step by little step, convergence is finally just around the corner for the mass market - blurring the boundaries of PC and TV into a world of choice and convenience
» Joost gets $45 million in funding: "Investors lucky enough to put their money in Joost: Sequoia Capital, Index Ventures, Viacom, CBS and Chinese tycoon, Li Ka-shing."
- so in addition to getting the cash for further technical development and infrastructure, they have also managed to get two "incumbent" players (Viacom and CBS) on board - probably only a minor share as a vote of confidence, but interesting for the next steps none the less.
No doubt that the video market is going online as, step by little step, convergence is finally just around the corner for the mass market - blurring the boundaries of PC and TV into a world of choice and convenience
Sunday, May 6
Questions? That’s why we are alive
“The answer to the question ‘what comes after death’ is not suitable for bringing back to this life” – it is beyond our ability to grasp, to understand and to verbalize. Not sure that we would become any happier if we found out (Jan Schumacher, lecturer in Church History at the Norwegian School of Theology )
What I great way of saying we really do need a leap of faith – or as they put it in the Matrix; humans are unable of coping with total bliss, it overloads our base systems and impulses, misery and wonder, uncertainty and pain – all contribute to making us what we are, to making life and consciousness such a unique experience.
There are limits to what we can put into language, no matter how fluffed up we try to make it with abstract terms and phrases. Just as the Uncertainty Principle makes it hard to take down the full view of quantum particles (speed or position – as the observation influences the observed), so our mind is unable to clearly explore the depths of the Universe and what lies beyond while staying connected to our everyday frame of reference.
So, three high flying thought and beyond subjects almost straight on, just spaced up by some coffee. The post have been written up over the weekend, in Word and dumped in here for links and posting (on a sidenote I had to paste in the html mode rather than Compose to avoid overload of MS Xml markup getting in here as well) Now for some more hands on geek style subjects;
Wired has done a redesign of the magazine (just got the fourth issue with the new look, waited to have a better feel of the minors as well the more obvious adjustments) – and overall I think it has worked out pretty well. Some minor nuisances – but by popular demand the Colophon seems to have returned – however, the overall feel is good. One area that still needs some thought is the online – paper cross use. Wired.com/extras is a step in the right direction.(BUT... it seems you have to move fast as the link no redirects to the main page for the newest number and list the special features for those articles, with older items banished to some unknown state
One amusing thing in the new Wired; the letters pages (rants & raves) now only have an email chat@ as point of interaction - but the text printed in the magazine and online still has the basic legalese boilerplate:
"Submissions may be edited and may be published or used in any medium. They become the property of Wired and will not be returned."
What does that mean online? A no-bounce policy? How do you return an e-mail – sending it back will leave yet another copy on your outgoing server rather than removing it from your system. Good example of old tradition failing hopelessly in a digitized environment – where a product and a copy are identical, the cost of making another (or another million for that matter) zero once it exists in the first place.
What I great way of saying we really do need a leap of faith – or as they put it in the Matrix; humans are unable of coping with total bliss, it overloads our base systems and impulses, misery and wonder, uncertainty and pain – all contribute to making us what we are, to making life and consciousness such a unique experience.
There are limits to what we can put into language, no matter how fluffed up we try to make it with abstract terms and phrases. Just as the Uncertainty Principle makes it hard to take down the full view of quantum particles (speed or position – as the observation influences the observed), so our mind is unable to clearly explore the depths of the Universe and what lies beyond while staying connected to our everyday frame of reference.
So, three high flying thought and beyond subjects almost straight on, just spaced up by some coffee. The post have been written up over the weekend, in Word and dumped in here for links and posting (on a sidenote I had to paste in the html mode rather than Compose to avoid overload of MS Xml markup getting in here as well) Now for some more hands on geek style subjects;
Wired has done a redesign of the magazine (just got the fourth issue with the new look, waited to have a better feel of the minors as well the more obvious adjustments) – and overall I think it has worked out pretty well. Some minor nuisances – but by popular demand the Colophon seems to have returned – however, the overall feel is good. One area that still needs some thought is the online – paper cross use. Wired.com/extras is a step in the right direction.(BUT... it seems you have to move fast as the link no redirects to the main page for the newest number and list the special features for those articles, with older items banished to some unknown state
One amusing thing in the new Wired; the letters pages (rants & raves) now only have an email chat@ as point of interaction - but the text printed in the magazine and online still has the basic legalese boilerplate:
"Submissions may be edited and may be published or used in any medium. They become the property of Wired and will not be returned."
What does that mean online? A no-bounce policy? How do you return an e-mail – sending it back will leave yet another copy on your outgoing server rather than removing it from your system. Good example of old tradition failing hopelessly in a digitized environment – where a product and a copy are identical, the cost of making another (or another million for that matter) zero once it exists in the first place.
Coffee goodness
A bit earlier (yes, behind on the blogging as always it seems – should probably change the tagline to delayed thoughts and musings on topics gone past) this spring I picked up a quart of El Danubio – which got a solid 15th place in the 2006 Cup of Excellence in Columbia. It was available at the small chain “Kaffebrenneriert” (with 15 outlets in Oslo)
Quote from the pack-note;
“El Danuibo is a BIG coffee that deserves it place among the top Columbians. We especially like the intense yet soft feel, the clear tones of marmalade, raspberry, sweet tobacco and pine kernels. The aftertaste is long and succinct with wonderful contributions of tangerine and grapefruit”
And it truly was a different, exciting and fulfilling tasting experiences – both in the Gaggia as a soft Espresso, and in the Bodum press pot (a cherished piece of kitchenware, we have two – both bought by my late grandmother and her sister in Copenhagen, Denmark in the late 80-ies, in what I consider to be the original style with a custom fit cork holder to put it on rather than the built in plastic of later iterations – offering a clear view of the pressed coffee grinds, and all four pieces of the plunger easily screws apart for cleaning)
Wonderful how coffee is starting to step into the territory marked out by wine – as a culinary delight, with a span in tastes and experience rivaling most other brews. Just think of how a simple addition of sugar or a bit of milk changes it over while retaining the base tastes.
Really big picture
Jostein Gaarder – wrote previously regarding his essay and the wikipedia debate, had a great quote; “Perhaps humans are the only living beings in the entire Universe with a universal consciousness. Then it’s not just a global responsibility to preserve life-environments on this planet. It is a cosmic responsibility”
Wow. That hit me right in the mental stomach – knocked my thoughts all over the place. What a way to make everyday issues like spring cleaning and washing the windows seem miniscule and insignificant. Perhaps we are not just here to take care of our neighborhood and the globe… but to care for the Universe in all its expanding, mystical glory.
And a short nod to EscapePod – their issue number 100 with the almost always brilliant Isaac Asimov, and the story Nightfall seemed almost pre-cognitient when looking back –as I had just heard it before the news of the “other planet” (see previous post) arrived all over the web.
Just under 90 years ago – as my grandmother started school, women started getting the right to vote in our wonderful democracies. In the span of the last century we – the western world, Europe, the white man, has started off two major conflicts – so large they were labeled World Wars – killing millions, and maiming and scarring countless more.
Even today it is not a simple matter of one man one vote. Here inNorway a vote cast up north counts many times over more than a vote here in the capital Oslo USA
What would “we” say today ifChina Greece and Athens
How long does something have to last before it becomes the only option? How fast can we condemn our own past mistakes by calling on others to follow directly in our steps- no matter how many generations they might need to take the steps we have already forgotten in the mist of time?
...and the sun is clouded over...
Wow. That hit me right in the mental stomach – knocked my thoughts all over the place. What a way to make everyday issues like spring cleaning and washing the windows seem miniscule and insignificant. Perhaps we are not just here to take care of our neighborhood and the globe… but to care for the Universe in all its expanding, mystical glory.
And a short nod to EscapePod – their issue number 100 with the almost always brilliant Isaac Asimov, and the story Nightfall seemed almost pre-cognitient when looking back –as I had just heard it before the news of the “other planet” (see previous post) arrived all over the web.
Who are we to preach – about the sins of the fathers and grandfathers before them?
Just under 90 years ago – as my grandmother started school, women started getting the right to vote in our wonderful democracies. In the span of the last century we – the western world, Europe, the white man, has started off two major conflicts – so large they were labeled World Wars – killing millions, and maiming and scarring countless more.
Even today it is not a simple matter of one man one vote. Here in
What would “we” say today if
How long does something have to last before it becomes the only option? How fast can we condemn our own past mistakes by calling on others to follow directly in our steps- no matter how many generations they might need to take the steps we have already forgotten in the mist of time?
...and the sun is clouded over...
Thursday, April 26
A glimmer of hope
It has been all over the assorted news outlets today - from BoingBoing to Slashdot and most mainstream as well;
and the official release is interesting reading as well; "On the treasure map of the Universe, one would be tempted to mark this planet with an X." So dig out those space pirates, and let us start dreaming of life above and beyond again, taking our minds off the despair and torment we put our own planet and lifeforms through - and start dreaming of heading for the stars, to go to the next step before we are forced to
(image from the press materials from ESO)
...and the sun suddenly looks a bit different - maybe not one in a million, but at least possibly not SO unique...
Astronomers Find First Earth-like Planet in Habitable Zone
and the official release is interesting reading as well; "On the treasure map of the Universe, one would be tempted to mark this planet with an X." So dig out those space pirates, and let us start dreaming of life above and beyond again, taking our minds off the despair and torment we put our own planet and lifeforms through - and start dreaming of heading for the stars, to go to the next step before we are forced to
"The host star, Gliese 581, is among the 100 closest stars to us, located only 20.5 light-years away in the constellation Libra ("the Scales")." - somehow that is a bit ironic, that right where the ancients decided to call it balanced, the Universe might have seen fit to deposit a similar enough planet (in terms of temperature, gravitational pull and water) that life might just be feasible. Not to hot, not to big, just about right
(image from the press materials from ESO)
...and the sun suddenly looks a bit different - maybe not one in a million, but at least possibly not SO unique...
Wednesday, April 25
Cerebus - last thoughts
It is done
The last page of the last book, turned over
Just about 300 issues covering 6000 pages (not counting the notes and essays/ rants) - collected in 16 rather massive trades
Yes, I have finished reading The Last Day - volume 16 of the Cerebus books, issues 289-300
From a rather fun and care-free Conan style character - to an old shade wasting away inside a system that he himself started but never controlled. For along the way Cerebus has held many positions and wielded power - but more often than not the dog has wagged the tail, with C falling prey to the system and those that adapt within it.
And the books changed from pure comics to illustrated manuscripts with extensive essays in the back giving the reasoning and setting for the subjects (be they Big Papa or the Creation) - with Sim partially gushing forth his ideas and partially poking "fun" at himself .
Had I know when I started how the later part of the story arch and books turned out, I'm not so sure I would have given it a shot. For, just like Bone (in my opinion at least) turned a bit from the original path - and in part became better for it and in part became something else, so Cerebus is a journey, a path and a life. I'm just not sure if it is a trip worth taking.
Sim started in 1977 and finished just before xmas of 2003 - so 26 years in total. So perhaps it should have been read over that same period, rather than starting in 2002-3 and reading it in huge chunks until today - with the feelings and events of the age adding more sense and context than the view from Europe in post-Iraq times.
Religion and Sims conversion / awakening / revelation plays a big part in the later books - with the duality of male-female, God and Spirit casting a different light on the old stories and even cosmology. His mixture of the assorted prophets puts me in mind of the Bahai - making a step forward into a modern age but keeping the spirituality. Perhaps the story had turned out a bit more readable and less rambling if he had found a pre-packaged religion like that, rather than try to make all the pieces himself.
Was it worth it? A marginal yes - somewhere down the road the ideas might inspire additional insight, and the various author-profiles were interesting in their own strange way. For now it is back to Megatokyo in terms of comics
On a short side note - for the BSG fans and Lucas'es in spee - SciFi is holding a contest to make your own fan video and they are providing a good set of sounds and clips to play with. Get downloading and then head over to Strager Things to be inspired to even greater efforts!
...and on April 24th 2007 the sparrow finished his work of reading Cerebus ...
The last page of the last book, turned over
Just about 300 issues covering 6000 pages (not counting the notes and essays/ rants) - collected in 16 rather massive trades
Yes, I have finished reading The Last Day - volume 16 of the Cerebus books, issues 289-300
From a rather fun and care-free Conan style character - to an old shade wasting away inside a system that he himself started but never controlled. For along the way Cerebus has held many positions and wielded power - but more often than not the dog has wagged the tail, with C falling prey to the system and those that adapt within it.
And the books changed from pure comics to illustrated manuscripts with extensive essays in the back giving the reasoning and setting for the subjects (be they Big Papa or the Creation) - with Sim partially gushing forth his ideas and partially poking "fun" at himself .
Had I know when I started how the later part of the story arch and books turned out, I'm not so sure I would have given it a shot. For, just like Bone (in my opinion at least) turned a bit from the original path - and in part became better for it and in part became something else, so Cerebus is a journey, a path and a life. I'm just not sure if it is a trip worth taking.
Sim started in 1977 and finished just before xmas of 2003 - so 26 years in total. So perhaps it should have been read over that same period, rather than starting in 2002-3 and reading it in huge chunks until today - with the feelings and events of the age adding more sense and context than the view from Europe in post-Iraq times.
Religion and Sims conversion / awakening / revelation plays a big part in the later books - with the duality of male-female, God and Spirit casting a different light on the old stories and even cosmology. His mixture of the assorted prophets puts me in mind of the Bahai - making a step forward into a modern age but keeping the spirituality. Perhaps the story had turned out a bit more readable and less rambling if he had found a pre-packaged religion like that, rather than try to make all the pieces himself.
Was it worth it? A marginal yes - somewhere down the road the ideas might inspire additional insight, and the various author-profiles were interesting in their own strange way. For now it is back to Megatokyo in terms of comics
On a short side note - for the BSG fans and Lucas'es in spee - SciFi is holding a contest to make your own fan video and they are providing a good set of sounds and clips to play with. Get downloading and then head over to Strager Things to be inspired to even greater efforts!
...and on April 24th 2007 the sparrow finished his work of reading Cerebus ...
Tuesday, March 13
Art and games - what drives the use?
Two subjects - or general trains of thought to set us off;
When more and more of what fills our leisure time is digital and also increasingly online - how does that affect "art" in the traditional sense? Is there any point in printing out a photo, when you can put it on Flickr, Picasaweb or deviantART and get it in front of more people - get better feedback - and improve your skills along with their enjoyment?
Or take this great artwork by Heise - in 8 hours it got the attention of nearly 10 000 people - and in 14 of over 20 000- a lot more than most "regular" art shows get in a week or more (if at all). It is a stunning piece, so full of details and suggested meaning, truly on par with several traditional portraits I've seen in galleries and museum across Europe. And it is online, freely viewable to view and download.
devStats: submitted: 8h 20m ago - favourites: 1,299 - Views: 9,831
[update]: by 14h 15m favourites = 2,513 and views = 21,751 ...
How can you (aka the professional) compete with the skill and combined leisure time of millions - and more importantly - should you? Not only in terms of attention, but in terms of monetary gains. In an era of abundance, what place is there for those who still 'need' a living from their art?
"a player will base decisions upon what is perceivable, and a given scene may well present a variety of options to the player" - I felt that when testing GRAW2 before the weekend, as the map and the pan made me aware of what might be behind a given building and made me send the team around the left corner rather than the right...
From break-out cut scenes in Final Fantasy, to in-game events in Half Life 2 - games are changing how they tell or explore events, evolving and learning - just like cinema did over the decades, and television did when it expanded into cable and storyland (thank you HBO)
So will there be a new way of doing "cinema" for games? Or will it vary greatly across the genres, picking up the current trends in the relevant settings in other media outlets - like sportscasts, TV drama and perhaps sitcoms? One rule to guide them, or simply moving to the next level in terms of doing a solid job based on some accepted and tested principles (in just the same way as Sheldon and Campell have given a leg up for working with characters and story, respectively)? Hopefully for the viability of the "nextgen" consoles, which ever direction gains prominence - games as entertainment and valid choices (on par with tv and magazines) will continue to enter the 'mainstream mass market suburbia', one inquisitive teen at a time!
-listening to Joost - Music Nation, chillin' with Living Legends cool beats
...and the sun was actually still out when I got back from work - probably why there is energy left over for this post and possibly another later on...
- Art - what makes a impact in a digital, global world? (Inspired by deviantART)
- Games - how do they change the way we interact with computers, movies and games
When more and more of what fills our leisure time is digital and also increasingly online - how does that affect "art" in the traditional sense? Is there any point in printing out a photo, when you can put it on Flickr, Picasaweb or deviantART and get it in front of more people - get better feedback - and improve your skills along with their enjoyment?
Or take this great artwork by Heise - in 8 hours it got the attention of nearly 10 000 people - and in 14 of over 20 000- a lot more than most "regular" art shows get in a week or more (if at all). It is a stunning piece, so full of details and suggested meaning, truly on par with several traditional portraits I've seen in galleries and museum across Europe. And it is online, freely viewable to view and download.
devStats: submitted: 8h 20m ago - favourites: 1,299 - Views: 9,831
[update]: by 14h 15m favourites = 2,513 and views = 21,751 ...
How can you (aka the professional) compete with the skill and combined leisure time of millions - and more importantly - should you? Not only in terms of attention, but in terms of monetary gains. In an era of abundance, what place is there for those who still 'need' a living from their art?
Camera, action!
The GDC is underway/over, so there are a lot of games related articles with more than just reviews coming out from Gamasutra. One rather interesting is about "camera theory" in terms of how it affects gameplay and drives the player trough the story."a player will base decisions upon what is perceivable, and a given scene may well present a variety of options to the player" - I felt that when testing GRAW2 before the weekend, as the map and the pan made me aware of what might be behind a given building and made me send the team around the left corner rather than the right...
From break-out cut scenes in Final Fantasy, to in-game events in Half Life 2 - games are changing how they tell or explore events, evolving and learning - just like cinema did over the decades, and television did when it expanded into cable and storyland (thank you HBO)
So will there be a new way of doing "cinema" for games? Or will it vary greatly across the genres, picking up the current trends in the relevant settings in other media outlets - like sportscasts, TV drama and perhaps sitcoms? One rule to guide them, or simply moving to the next level in terms of doing a solid job based on some accepted and tested principles (in just the same way as Sheldon and Campell have given a leg up for working with characters and story, respectively)? Hopefully for the viability of the "nextgen" consoles, which ever direction gains prominence - games as entertainment and valid choices (on par with tv and magazines) will continue to enter the 'mainstream mass market suburbia', one inquisitive teen at a time!
-listening to Joost - Music Nation, chillin' with Living Legends cool beats
...and the sun was actually still out when I got back from work - probably why there is energy left over for this post and possibly another later on...
Monday, February 26
Got game
Short update and praise for Scott Siegler - the gore'master of podcasting and podiobooks.
Just started listening to The Rookie;
a story that combines the intense football action of “Any Given Sunday” with the space opera style of “Star Wars” and the criminal underworld of “The Godfather.”
Based on listening to his previous novels (Earthcore, Ancestor and Infection), I've waited for a while before starting to tune in - which is a good thing because I tore through five chapters and a bonus episode on the train today. And I know that I have many more episodes loaded up and ready to play, up to 19 actually so almost all up (he usually does 22). I can imagine the frustration for those who actually listen along and then have to wait for seven days... the story is a true page-turner, the mix of alien species interesting and vivid, and the football a nice frame for his usual "violence and lots of violence" disclaimer. Not for the faint of heart.
There is even an official site for the league - so check out how things are going over at the GFL
, or get your own customized jersey (g.drn customs rules make too much of a hassle right now. shame really, would have been fun to wear one come spring)
Now, if only there was a tie-in for the next Bioware game, Mass Effect... that would be truly a marriage made in a twisted mind of story and action. Mayhap as a Xbox Live download down the road? Even if it seems unlikely now that there is a book deal with Del Ray
...and the sun .is hidden by clouds bringing more snow to a late winter..
Wednesday, February 21
New gen - or just fun games?
The sales figures from the US (NPD via Gamespot) is starting to come in after the pre-holiday launch of Wii and PS3, perhaps giving an indication of how things will fare over here in Europe when the PS3 is set to arrive closer to Easter;
Seems like the Wii fun-factor is gaining ground, combined with a low price tag making it a nice January bargain for the much-needed post-holidays chill out. The "new gen" rather than "next gen" moniker is quite fitting, since the Wii is all about making it easy here and now, building on the connected base from the DS and the willingness to play for fun.
The fact that the PS2 actually out-sold both the 3 and 360 should speak volumes to that same effect. Here in Norway the top selling games are the Sing Star franchise (75 weeks and counting!) and the Buzz Quiz - "casual" games, suitable for everyone regardless of weekly hours spent mashing buttons, and most of all: a key part in having a good time with other people in the same room. Social interaction taken to a new level... we still have a lot of fun introducing new people to Donkey Conga on their first visit - more laughter than rhythm, but a great time for all.
...and the sun ...
- Wii top of the crop with some 435,503 units
- X360 gained another 294,000 conscripts
- with PS3 snaring in 243,554
- BUT - the old king is not all that dead; 299,352 Playstation2 units were sold
Seems like the Wii fun-factor is gaining ground, combined with a low price tag making it a nice January bargain for the much-needed post-holidays chill out. The "new gen" rather than "next gen" moniker is quite fitting, since the Wii is all about making it easy here and now, building on the connected base from the DS and the willingness to play for fun.
The fact that the PS2 actually out-sold both the 3 and 360 should speak volumes to that same effect. Here in Norway the top selling games are the Sing Star franchise (75 weeks and counting!) and the Buzz Quiz - "casual" games, suitable for everyone regardless of weekly hours spent mashing buttons, and most of all: a key part in having a good time with other people in the same room. Social interaction taken to a new level... we still have a lot of fun introducing new people to Donkey Conga on their first visit - more laughter than rhythm, but a great time for all.
...and the sun ...
Thursday, February 8
sunrise to sunset, add 2.5 hrs
EarthTools - sunrise/sunset (and a host of other utilities) is a great Google maps mashup, and a reminder that since work started up on January second, the "day" has gotten a hour longer in the morning - and an hour and a half in the afternoon! Or from 09:22 to 08:15 for sunrise and from 15:20 to 16:48 for sunset... and counting. So spring is one the way, even if winter has/had finally taken hold over the last two weeks - bringing a tranquil cover of white, broken up by rather cold winds whipping around corners and down empty streets
Joost another channel
As you might have noticed over on the right I've added up a small "ad" for Joost - seeing as the beta is by invitation only, but the number of invites trickling around for regular testers is close to -1 at the moment (ie. 0 by most accounts), it seems sort of strange to blog about it and link there. BUT - hopefully the next release is just around the corner and they will be ready for another batch of lucky hopefuls to join the fray by then.
"combines the best of full-screen television entertainment with online interactive and community benefits to bring an unprecedented selection of video content to viewers anytime, anywhere" [Official launch of Joost brand]
Big words. Huge actually. But in many ways justified so far.
The number of content channels in what is basically a technical and back-end focused beta, supersedes my local cable company's basic offering. The shows look good, they are interesting to watch and sound good. And most importantly; they are making leaps and bounds forward with every incremental release - in terms of resources used, usability and stability.
I'm really looking forward to the day when the plug-in or widget API is opened up - and all the tweakers and hackers out there (perhaps myself included) can start making mash-ups bringing in interactivity of a whole different level than what you see even on dtv today. With "content aware overlays" there is hardly any limit to the potential - just look at all the variations on Google Maps. Then substitute rather static maps with full blown moving images and both big and huge words seem to fit.
In other news two new mash'ing options I came across today;
Yahoo Pipes - with capacity not quite up to the task; "Our Pipes are Clogged!" Earlier you got the frontpage with basic info, but now that is down as well.
Cuts - "create and share your take of online video" - so say goodbye to your official directors cut, and hello to everybody and his dogs' versions. Launching soon, so perhaps a bit more down the road.
...and the sun visit just long enough to keep the tulips alive - yellows, reds, and mixed...
Tuesday, January 30
Reality of Star Wars Fandom
"There is a diabolical twist to Star Wars fandom, you see, that defies comprehension, and yet is the life-blood of all Star Wars fans. It is this:
Star Wars fans hate Star Wars. "
Read the rest of the truly "laugh out loud" article; The Complex and Terrifying Reality of Star Wars Fandom - from JIVEMagazine.com
Star Wars fans hate Star Wars. "
Read the rest of the truly "laugh out loud" article; The Complex and Terrifying Reality of Star Wars Fandom - from JIVEMagazine.com
Sunday, January 28
Usefull Lego
Early last summer I came across an weird and wonderful article online, written by Andrew Lipson, called "Mathematical LEGO Sculptures". Then some months later the same Lipson was covered in Wired in a short article . So now seems a good time to bring it to your attention - Lego can be used for highly technical illustration, not to mention as the foundation of some fascinating discussions."I'm not quite sure how it first occurred to me to build a Möbius band out of LEGO bricks, but the thought was irresistible"
(his personal site has moved since the first article was published, and can now be found at ASL - which also features a wide variety of other Lego works)
Temporary ownership
Intelligent Life, a more or less yearly special issue from The Economist, had a interesting article called Buy now, sell later (paid sub req.) "eBay, the worldwide auction website that moved over $44 billion in merchandise last year"
The topic is how the sheer scale of eBay in the US has enabled both professional handlers, such as iSoldIt ($30 m in 2005) and more importantly - the ability to buy something used, have it for a while and then resell it, thereby cutting down on the barrier of entry for ownership. Want to have a pasta maker or try your hand at the drums? Buy it used, give it a shot then sell it when you are ready to move on to the next fascination.
The topic is how the sheer scale of eBay in the US has enabled both professional handlers, such as iSoldIt ($30 m in 2005) and more importantly - the ability to buy something used, have it for a while and then resell it, thereby cutting down on the barrier of entry for ownership. Want to have a pasta maker or try your hand at the drums? Buy it used, give it a shot then sell it when you are ready to move on to the next fascination.
Saturday, January 27
Media in other realities
Shooting War is an online comic - stated off with a very well done animation, that feels just like a true news teaser. In it you get to follow the adventures of one Jimmy Burns, a video-logger who happens to be in the right/wrong place at the right/wrong time with his camera running and uploading footage.
So what happens when everyday people end up in events way beyond their control and comfort zone? What happens to media when the boundaries between participant, journalist and bystander evaporates? And what happens when everything is online, globally, instantaneously ? How do we cope, how do we filter out the noise - and can we still find some sense in the overflowing channels?
And on the Media 3.0 blog, Shelly Palmer has an interesting piece on Content vs TV - be sure to check back in a while as well, since they promise to be: "publishing a paper that deconstructs the Long Tail for the online video business in a few weeks"
Best part - a quote very similar to one of my pet peeves: "YouTube is not a place … it is an application." Basically, YouTube is not about the content or the discussion/flamewars/spamlinks, it is about enablement and letting go of control - because they did not have a stake to loose in terms of viewers, ads or pageviews.
Because it was as easy as copying a link into email or msn, as easy as inserting an achor or an img tag in a blog, YouTube became a basic building block of the net - enabling millions to see video, and also to post videos with ease. The new "direct capure" from webcam is just the latest step in that direction, just like this Blogger window enables me to blog effortlessly, remotely and for free.
So what happens when everyday people end up in events way beyond their control and comfort zone? What happens to media when the boundaries between participant, journalist and bystander evaporates? And what happens when everything is online, globally, instantaneously ? How do we cope, how do we filter out the noise - and can we still find some sense in the overflowing channels?
And on the Media 3.0 blog, Shelly Palmer has an interesting piece on Content vs TV - be sure to check back in a while as well, since they promise to be: "publishing a paper that deconstructs the Long Tail for the online video business in a few weeks"
Best part - a quote very similar to one of my pet peeves: "YouTube is not a place … it is an application." Basically, YouTube is not about the content or the discussion/flamewars/spamlinks, it is about enablement and letting go of control - because they did not have a stake to loose in terms of viewers, ads or pageviews.
Because it was as easy as copying a link into email or msn, as easy as inserting an achor or an img tag in a blog, YouTube became a basic building block of the net - enabling millions to see video, and also to post videos with ease. The new "direct capure" from webcam is just the latest step in that direction, just like this Blogger window enables me to blog effortlessly, remotely and for free.
Sunday, January 21
Random geek
King and Country is a Hong Kong based company, I saw an ad in the BBC History Mag - and their miniatures (1:30) look stunning, spanning the ages from Roman legionaries, past Saracen warriors of the Crusades, to WWII pieces like the bike in the image. Amazing detail level, but at just under £100 it is for the dedicated collectors out there.
Of course, there are many options so drool a little bit for more regular geeky stuff as well. Next time in London, I'll make sure to have some extra space in the suitcase on the way over - and taking the time to visit Forbidden Planet. Their insets in the SW magazine has convinced my of a burning need to Stormtroopers and bookends to decorate a little bit. A web store that not only has "Star Wars" as a menu choice - but then drills down and lets you browse by Episode? ...good thing there is a duty limit on ordering other items than books.
And Wired is once again in charge of the whole Wired.com business, so now you can get "enhanced" articles, like the one on LonelyGirl - with extra podcast and video from the photo shoot, or the Myspace murder article - with a full page of extra background information and links (including cached versions of now deleted profiles and blog posting)
"unscheduled disassembly" - RIP Columbia, technical terms convey so much more? (From the rather interesting article on infrasound - and how we can use digital listening to understand more of what's happening in our near space, both above and below - from volcanoes to ballistic missiles and meteorites)
And finally - putting things in perspective, based on the brilliant Bob Garfield article on YouTube. [Bob is also podcasted Onthemedia]: Google spent some 1.65 bn on Youtube. Sure, that's a lot of money.
But only about 18% of Googles revenues (back then, not adjusted for further growth since) - or less than 2,5% of the ANNUAL advertising spend on television in the US alone.
So, if you belive the 100 millions streams might grow into something bigger, and get a tiny slice of the ad budgets out there, then maybe, just maybe 1.65 isn't all that crazy.
Besides, it was a partially stock based deal - so they just "printed" the money... right?
300 and counting
Just a quick note - the last bunch of snippets on the mind actually tipped the number of posts past 300, sort of suitable right now that the Blogger interface is coming out of Beta and into the third version I've used
More random musings coming right up - it's officially a "post-athon" going on today, a snowed in Sunday makes for relaxation and perhaps even some insights
More random musings coming right up - it's officially a "post-athon" going on today, a snowed in Sunday makes for relaxation and perhaps even some insights
Snippets
Beware of short glasses
Apparently if you pour free hand into a short wide glass, rather than a tall slender one, you'll end up with 20-30% more. For more insight into the optical illusions and how we act - Cornell Professor Brian Wansink is a good place to start
BFFE
yes, it is true - at least according to a SciAm Mind article called "Good Friends"; "social interaction contributed greatly to the evolution of our brain" and "friendship increase life expectancy". Part of the reason seems to be the fact that friendships are "two-way streets" of mutual confirmation, both parties have to agree - it is not something "random" based on common lineage. According to Dunbar, we organize our friends into three general circles of 3-5 close friends, 12-20 friends and 30-50 looser acquaintances. And this is directly related to our brains, and their ability to handle complexity - he has developed a formula for estimating the "natural" size of groups for various animals, based on brain measurements.
Monkey see
Why do most people in the world go crazy over football, while most Americans think it involves holding and throwing a bloated banana? One interesting avenue is the influence of "mirror neurons" - which among other things enable empathy. They fire when we do certain actions, and help us remember how to do it. But they are also fired when we hear the actions described - or more importantly in this setting - when we see others performing the same action. So everyone who has felt the rush of shooting the ball in the net, will "relive" that when watching others play. (Yes, I'm simplifying by a factor of 1000....) And since a majority of youths in Europe, Africa, South America and soon (?) Asia, have played football on a dusty street, a vacant field or a parking lot after hours - the game will keep us enthralled for another generation and then some.
Mind and matter
Last summer I read an interesting article (and it's been gathering dust ever since - so finally digging down a bit and getting some thoughts out there again) about Matt Nagle and the Braingate system. [he was also featured in Wired back in issue 13.03] Really fascinating to see how we are, slowly albeit, moving towards taking control and interaction a step further. Not to mention the expression on his face in the image - the pure joy as he get the pointer moving with nothing but his mind.
Another take on interfacing our ideas, is the "brain map" being developed by Gratton and Fabiani [original noted in SciAm Mind, but their site seems to be down] - which uses fiber cables to detect which parts of the brain "lights up" during different kinds of thoughts, giving a huge increase in time-resolution compared to fMRI - enabling differentiation on the millisecond level rather than full seconds.
Sure, it might take away some of the "magic" over time, but so far all experience seems to indicate that insight usually gives a huge increase in the number of questions (like quantum mechanics, dna and genes, nano level, ...) - and even if we enable the mind to control outside forces directly, there is still a huge gap to the motivation... why do we select one link over the other, or spend time online rather than with a book or working out ... that will take another couple of huge steps forward
...and the sun is probably out - but well hidden by another minor blizzard, making everything into a true winter wonderland ...
Another take on interfacing our ideas, is the "brain map" being developed by Gratton and Fabiani [original noted in SciAm Mind, but their site seems to be down] - which uses fiber cables to detect which parts of the brain "lights up" during different kinds of thoughts, giving a huge increase in time-resolution compared to fMRI - enabling differentiation on the millisecond level rather than full seconds.Sure, it might take away some of the "magic" over time, but so far all experience seems to indicate that insight usually gives a huge increase in the number of questions (like quantum mechanics, dna and genes, nano level, ...) - and even if we enable the mind to control outside forces directly, there is still a huge gap to the motivation... why do we select one link over the other, or spend time online rather than with a book or working out ... that will take another couple of huge steps forward
...and the sun is probably out - but well hidden by another minor blizzard, making everything into a true winter wonderland ...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)