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UrbanDictionary.com: Define Your World
Tuesday, January 27, 2004
Always wanted to know what 'w00t' actually means? Do you know a better explanation/ description? You can look it up or add a word in the Urban Dictionary, a dictionary for slang
1337
woo this sounds like an ad hehe, but anyway the UD is a great slang- and- other -words- look- up :)
Want to see the debut of the computer mouse, a device most of us are all accustomed to and never think about twice? Then you have to watch Doug Engelbart 1968 Demo, a public demonstration of the online system NLS, by Douglas Engelbart or 'the father of the mouse'. The 90-minute video has been cut into pieces and put online into 35 segments of realvideo streaming clips. The video has a lot to offer especially when you're interested in a bit of history of human computer interaction, the computer as 'a responsive workstation' and want to see it 'live' on your screen. Or when you want a 'first hand' demonstration of hypermedia, multiple windows, networked computer systems etc by the 'Master' himself.
They used onscreen video teleconferencing to show the whole thing and I have to say.. it went better than it does nowadays most of the time
Screenplay is an annual event for game makers, thinkers and players to explore the impact of computergames on culture and will take place February 28th and 29th in Nottingham, UK.
They have lots of cool and fun stuff to see and do/play. They have presentations; performances, even one of Stelarc!!; retro games (on the original consoles!!); a fair; a tournament; 8 BIT disco mixing etc. For more info go to the Broadway website
I sure would love to go there, too bad it's all the way in the UK :-(
Sunday, January 25, 2004
Oh I just love the work of eboy!! Their pixel art is just amazing! I would love to make an avatar of me in pixel art style. Maybe I'll try it one day :D. You can take a look at Eboy's work by clicking this link
Another site with pixelart I came across is Pixelation, a forum community where everybody can share his or her work and thoughts on (each)other('s) work.
ow and I tried to make sort of an avatar for/with a banner for Haloscan, it's kinda crappy (it's nothing like pixel art btw) but hey it was a first try :D, not to mention the fact that it was made on a laptop with the touchpad [mouse] (oeee how I want a Wacom tablet!!), have a look at my fantastic banner by clicking one of the comments link beneath every post and uhm you can comment on it too, if you like, but ehm, please be nice ^_^
Thursday, January 22, 2004
So there it is... breaking news from Nintendo. It has announced a new product called Nintendo DS (temporary name?). It is another portable, but not the successor or replacement of the gameboy advance and SP. It's another product, the third one and will be sold alongside the Cube and GBA. It should be on the shelves at the end of this year (2004). DS stands for DoubleScreen, and that's what makes this portable different. It has two mini TFT-lcd screens (this time with backlight!!) and two separate processors. It has a semiconductor (what the hell is that?) memory of up to 1Gb. That would mean that it is probably not compatible with gba cartridges/software :(
They think having two screens will give the player a whole new and different game experience (a bit as what they did with the gba- Gamecube connectivity). When I think back to the old multiscreen Game &Watches, those were double-screened too, but there you got to go from one screen to the other (and back -- the action is transported to the other screen) so the concept of two screens is not mind-blowingly new. But with this console it's more about simultaneity (if you ask me). For using both screens, they give examples like:
'For example in a soccer game, users can view the whole game on one screen while simultaneously focusing on an individual soccer player's tackle or goal on the other screen' - Nintendo
but to be honest I don't get the whole idea. I mean sure we are used to multi-tasking, but playing a soccer game and at the same time when you are trying to take a shot on goal, focus on a different screen? I already have troubles with seeing what's on that one screen alone! hmm so I cannot really see what the use of it is or imagine the possibilities but I am curious about this new gamegadget. It's from Nintendo so it has to be good! I hope I have any money left (if ever) at the end of this year, I sure would like to have this little toy! See how this will match against the Sony PSP.
They will show their stuff at the E3, I can't wait!
You can find more about the DS on Cubed3
deviantART: where ART meets application!
Wednesday, January 21, 2004
While surfing the web I accidently stumbled across this site and suddenly realised that I used to visit this site a lot, a couple of years ago. I had totally forgotten about this place!! I'm glad I've found it again. There are some beautiful works on there! I wish I could draw, or photoshop that well!
Wow I've got to get myself one of these! Famicom Mini Nintendo will release 10 classic Famicom games for the Gameboy Advance. And check out that flashy retro looking gba sp! Man, they are so lucky in Japan!!
Update:
Over here you can have a better look at this weeee limited edition of the gba sp :) Someone has actually been able to get his hands on this edition. And those famicom controllers!!
Tuesday, January 20, 2004
Well, I don't wanna talk about online games as the title might suggest, I do want to speak my mind a little 'bout the amazing amount of blogs, articles, conferences, magazines etc that are to be found online and are dealing with computer games in some sort of way (every sort of way actually). It really is amazing. A few years ago you could only find a couple of game review sites and few academic sites on games. But nowadays...you're overloaded with those things! Now, I don't know if that is a good thing.... as you can read in this posting of mine I am quite lazy, and these days, when I have to find material for papers and such, I have so many things to read!! And I wanted to be special of course (less mainstream mwuhaha), but it seems (duh) I am not the only one interested in games from both a ludic and academic perspective.
But on the other hand, it is probably a good thing...There is a lot to choose from (lot of perspectives) and it keeps me up to date. I only wish that there was only one conference about games so I could attend that one! But these days, there are so many, I haven't even heard of them all, and I certainly don't have the money or time to go to all of them...So the many sites etc about games do give me joy but they also sadden me a bit...
And then, after all this ranting I still have a link for you... one of the many interesting sites/blogs about games is the following one grandtextauto.org. It has interesting content and very interesting writers. I even have a hardcover book of one of them :)
I luuvv blogging!
Now I finally have some use for browsing the web endlessly...put it all on this blog! Yeah I know maybe not that interesting to you...but hey I surf the web all the time and see all those amazing sites and stupid stuff, I just have to share it with someone...even if it's only with this blog and myself ;-)
Today I found a couple of nice applications of some sort which have something to do with blogs...
Ha! Nice... find out if you are part of the blog-linking universe. Has anyone linked to your site? How popular is your blog? Okay sometimes it is not that great for your self-esteem (as you can see :'( Ouch!) but just the fact that they thought of something like that! I like it... Technorati: Link Cosmos
Another one:
add to your blog's template some coordinates and have your blog added to the 'World as a blog' - map. On this page you can see a world map with markings/dots and every marking is a blog that has just been updated :D Ain't that cool or what?!
Well, that's all for now... If I find more stuff like this I will put it up here :)
While searching for material and literature for one of my papers I'm trying to write, I stumbled upon an interesting site of a conference in Melbourne, held last year. It's of the 5th International Digital Arts and Culture Conference. The site is actually a blog (movable type) where good use was made of all of its functions (for as far as I can see). It is really a great idea, to use a blog as conference site. Having been involved in organising a conference myself, it is fun to see how others organise such a thing. The blog was used for giving information, letting people comment, letting future participants & visitors register, showing the process of organising a conference, creating some sort of community sense beforehand etc. I think it is great! It's much less static than having a 'normal' website (even if there would be a forum). Afterwards everone can look back and see the process and progress of the conference and the views and reflections of participants and organising team. Yes I admire the format. Oh and why I actually wanted to put this on this blog was for the great submitted papers they put online for everyone to read... so here is the specific link Abstracts ||Digital Arts and Culture::2003
Monday, January 19, 2004
Yaaay my one month anniversary of having this blog!! Don't worry I won't do this every month ;) I think that maybe this blog will last...for a while anyway *big smile*
unproductive? a reflection of self
Friday, January 16, 2004
I think I have figured it out....figured out why I am so mind-boggling unproductive... it's a combination of laziness and perfectionism or so I think (and I am probably not the only one ;)). I want to reach the highest heights without doing anything (grin). And then again, that's not totally true either. When I am in a working environment (or when I am volunteering) I do the best I can and am even willing to give up lunch or something, to get it done. I don't even mind not getting paid for it (good for you! well, not so good for my wallet :( ). But when there is almost no pressure or when I have to decide for myself when to work, do something, write something, or in other words, when there is no specific deadline (other then paying another year of college)for something important to finish, I am lazy as hell.
Lazy? Yep I think it is definitely laziness.... and a total lack of self-discipline. And that is a problem. A problem when there is sort of a deadline, but the deadline is so many months away.... except when you look at how much I have to do in those months, every normal person would be getting up his feet and start doing something..but not me, oh no, not me. I'm just sitting in my room, doing nothing! That is... watching tv; playing games; surfing the web. So no self-discipline and a lot of distractions...
Yes, the web... I thought my addiction was in the area of playing games, and yes that's right. But lately I have found the delights of the web... again... I am totally addicted to reading blogs *blush*. I don't know why. I just find it fascinating. It's really interesting, there are so many blogs out there and all of them are telling a different story (or no story at all ;)). But I should stop reading blogs, stop visiting fora and concentrate on stuff I need to do. But no, I have to have my daily portion of blogs, fora, news sites, game sites and so forth. I really have to do something about that. The attractions of the web...they are killing me! it's so sneaky, you think 'okay, I will only take a look at one site', and there it is.... an interesting link begging for you to click on it, and then there is another and another and another and.... see what I am getting at?
and when there is no web, it is tv, sneaky little bastard, I wake up, go to my living room and there it is, a big black box, and it is saying (in a high- pitched voice) 'turn me on! turn me on', so I turn the damn thing on, no escape possible. zapping my way through the most unnecessary bull ever, ending up watching one stupid series after another, it is really frustrating at the end of a day. Looking back at it and knowing that I didn't do a thing again, this deadline coming nearer and nearer, slowly but fast enough
But I started this post with saying my problem was laziness together with perfectionism, and here I am going on and on about all the lovely (;-)) distractions in my fascinating life. So distractions are a problem too. But I justify these distractions by saying those are my object of study so I am studying. and in a way...but no, I know that has to stop. Most of the time I manage to survive when doing everything at the latest moment possible. In my heart I know I have to start things now if I want to survive this time (well survive is a big word)
Darn, what about the laziness-perfectionism problem? Yes, again, that is what I started this with. So I will try to explain: I have to write several papers, but somehow I have troubles starting with those. I just can't seem to get up in the morning (or afternoon as you will) and start working on my own on those paper thingies. Then the distractions come in and I think ' oh I have enough time, I can finish the thing in no time, tomorrow I will start, really I will...' and the next morning (yes, yes afternoon, I know!) it's the same thing all over again. So no self-discipline and lazy too I think, because of the not-be-able-to-get-myself -to-work -on-something-that-matters problem (would that actually mean that no self-discipline equals laziness? hmmm... take a look at this:
self-discipline: correction or regulation of oneself for the sake of improvement
lazy: disinclined to activity or exertion : not energetic or vigorous; synonyms LAZY, INDOLENT, SLOTHFUL mean not easily aroused to activity. LAZY suggests a disinclination to work or to take trouble
Merriam-Webster online
So in a way the answer is probably 'yes' I am not aroused to activity so there is no regulation of myself (to improve) but that is not equality of course, that is more a matter of causality but hey I am getting a little off my own point here.)
I am lazy because I don't do anything and I am a perfectionist because if I do something, I want it to be perfect so if I have time enough I will (in case of a paper) read a sentence, a paragraph, an essay, over and over again until I find it satisfactory. Even with these postings I will read them over and over again to see if I can write something a tiny bit better, even weeks later! So maybe that is why I don't start anything in time, because it would never be in time, I just would keep adjusting the thing. So maybe that is why I have to have a real deadline or actually, several deadlines (one for every paper)to keep me busy and to protect me from having to rely on my self-discipline -ableness. Yes I would start at the latest moment possible, but I would start and finish it, because I had to. (and that's why some of my papers are finished :D)
Oh it is so complicated! Because this is not all, I think, but i am getting really tired and tomorrow, no make that today, in a couple of hours (five!) i have an appointment in the library to study! (yes, my one step towards getting closer to my goal of finishing my study) but maybe I will ramble some more about this topic (you know, the laziness, no self-discipline, not finishing a thing - problem) in a later posting...
So If you read through this whole post... , wow you're still with me?? I congratulate you. Did you get anything I said? Because I know I didn't ^_^
Sunday, January 11, 2004
Okay so a couple of posts back I promised to look in to getting pics on this site, turns out to be quite easy, so here are some of my fireworks pics, shot with a Nikon CP 4300 in scene mode 'Fireworks show' (very handy!) still figuring this cam out so the scene modes are very handy indeed :):
OMG, okay so I finally got Amplitude for the PS2, I was totally addicted to Frequency and I had to have the sequel to it, so Amplitude has taken its rightful place in my gamecollection. When playing Frequency I amazed myself often by getting some complicated patterns right. My fingers where doing sometimes stuff on their own without my mind interfering, talk about reflexes...so I thought I did all right in scoring. And now I have Amplitude, I really can't say if it's easier or not than its predecessor. I do think Frequency is slightly more fun because of its hexagonal view.
Amplitude has 4 different difficulties: mellow (easy), normal, brutal and insane. I started with Normal and not Mellow because I played Frequency so many times before, so I thought I would do all right. Normal wasn't that difficult so I went to Brutal, but Brutal is quite difficult, I still manage to amaze myself sometimes looking at my fingers and the patterns but I do have difficulties finishing a song in this mode (not all of them, some are real fun doing) anyways I was thinking how other people would do with this game, I don't have network play for the PS2 yet so I looked for Amplitude scores on the internet.. and I found them.... and I am ashamed... pretty high my scores huh? well I have a long way to go if I would ever like to compete with those guys... I can't see how you can possibly score 5,021 points in Brutal mode with the song of David Bowie, I didn't think you could even finish songs in Insane mode (although I did think that with Frequency too and I succeeded in finishing the expert mode (=like Insane) or well almost finishing it, I managed to complete all the songs but one, after hours and hours of playing). But there they are, all the scores of people all over the world and they completed songs in Insane mode and look at the scores!! You do have to proof it so people take pictures of their scores as you can see for example over here but it is freak'n unbelievable! How do they DO that??!!
I think you have to play under perfect circumstances, in perfect condition and state of mind when you want to play the game in insane mode, even in Brutal mode...nice warm (but not too warm!) surroundings, flexible fingers, fully awake, no alcohol, enough breaks (for your fingers, your eyes and your frustration) and then maybe then you will reach a perfect yin and yang sort of state for body and mind in where you can try to complete songs in insane mode..oh what the hell, I just get too nervous when knowing I have to get a pattern right because if I don't I won't get that high score or won't be able to complete the song. It's weird but I do get nervous and then it all goes wrong ... :( Maybe I have to try harder? So if you don't see me posting for a while...I'll be trying to get those scores right and trying to do some insane stuff with fingers, controllers and that one game...
weee this is sooo cool! brings back memories of old :) see how creative you can be with only one line to draw with --): oh, and do take a look in the gallery (especially the competition one) Etch-a-Sketch
Friday, January 09, 2004
Yaaahoooo Apple has introduced a new product, or actually a semi-new product. An iPod mini!! They are soooo cute! and very nice colors! too bad I already have one, oh well a 4 GB harddisk wouldn't have been enough for me anyway. But still, they are cute, ingenious to make it even smaller just by placing buttons somewhere else :) take a look at it yourself :D:
iPod mini
Thursday, January 01, 2004
Well um see above! ^_^ Oh my....; new year's resolutions, hmpf, we're all supposed to have them. I will write them down here so I can look them up occasionally... just in case... I might forget (some of them at least hehe). Okay here it goes (no particular order): play more games (even more??); more games, dvd's and books to add to my collection (yeah!); write those damn papers and finish the uni (finally...), find a job (ughh finding one, and then getting it... which one would be trickier?); kick some butt (I know I want to.. some people...) picking up sports again (right), loose some weight (mwuhahaha), visit some gameconferences (time & money?), do some fun stuff (which would be...?) do something more with games besides playing them (maybe write 'bout them? who knows...); pretending to be an intellectual (hmm that will be difficult); play more board games; finish the Jordan series (well up to where he is now) keep in touch with friends some more; learning japanese. hmm anything else? Some of them are more like wishes than resolutions.. oh well... I think this is all of what I can come up with at the moment. We'll see what the future will bring :)
any wishes? yep of course!!: going to Japan is one of them; going to the E3 another and going to the Tokyo game show yet another :D
Went to my parents and brother's hometown Tuesday so we could spend new year's eve with my brother, his wife and friends. I took some beautiful pictures of fireworks (I think I did...), people spend a lot of money just for fireworks, unbelievable, just as well, so we can enjoy it hehe. Maybe I'll put some pics up here if I can figure out how that works within blogspot.
Tuesday morning a package arrived addressed to me... wow what could that be? It was the collector's edition of Zelda woohooo! The thing you at first could only get your hands on if you'd buy a Mario Kart DD cube pack, Nintendo fans didn't like that at all (most of them having a cube already) so Nintendo was nice enough to come up with other options, so I exchanged points at the nintendo site and got it for free! Yeah!! now I can also play majora's mask, legend of zelda I, adventures of link on the cube woooot!! Happy New Year!
