- Most Recent | Since 2004
- List View
- Archive
- July 7, 2005
A Visit to TechSpace
July 7, 2005Read moreToday we had a special meeting of our New Media Group at David Kelleher’s office. He has space at TechSpace Boston, a kind of high-tech office incubator oriented toward startups and small business:
Located in the South End, this handsome brick and beam facility consists of 20,000 square feet of office space, onsite parking, café, copy center, administrative support and concierge service available to all clients.
It’s pretty easy to get to from I-93…we got off at exit 20 onto Albany St, and drove along Harrison Ave through the SoWa district. The building itself is located at 580 Harrison Ave, though this is actually a vanity address (the real one is 715 Albany Street). As you’re driving along Harrison, look for the sign that says “580 Harrison Street Parking” if you have an access code, or park on one of the side streets / Washington St. The closest bus is the Silver Line on Washington St. The building has a big “580” on the roof so you can’t miss it. Just look up!
It’s a pretty nice space, funky in that Dot-Com way but somehow still humble. DaveK’s office was small but furnished with Internet and phone service. Apparently you can rent just a couple days a week to keep costs down (you basically timeshare an office) and visitors have access to free WiFi. There’s a pool table too. The only bad thing is that the whole facility (like Boston) seems to shut down at 5PM. What’s up with this town?
After our meeting, we ate at a place called Morse Fish Co. on Washington Street. I had some misgivings going in, but it was very good: fresh and crispy. I just had fried haddock and fries (fish and chips, basically), but you can choose from a wider variety of seafood. The fries were particularly notable: seasoned, crispy, and golden-brown. It may have been the best fish-and-chips experience I’ve had in this area, beating out a couple clam shacks and one fancy restaurant, but admittedly it’s not usually the sort of thing I eat. Definitely good, though. And CHEAP! They serve lunch all day (basically, a smaller portion than dinner) for about 6-7 bucks.
The New Media Group meeting was good too…did some debugging of one of David Cort’s projects, talked about a bunch of interesting data-vis applications using real-time capture, and touched on some 3D tools (gMax, Celestia). A couple new faces at the meeting. The non-networking network grows!
- July 7, 2005
Their Circular Life
July 7, 2005Read more
Stumbled upon Their Circular Life, which is a nice bit of experiential Flash media out of Italy. The creators captured photos and audio over a 24-hour period in such locations as the train station in Modena and stitched it together in a nice Flash-based GUI. I particularly like the circular slider and pleasant cross-fading effect.
My only complaint is that there aren’t a whole lot of images to fade through, but from an editorial perspective it makes sense: all the photos can’t have been interesting, and there is enough time passing between each frame so you get a sense that things are changing without getting hung up on small details. The idea is still very cool no matter how you look at it. The feel of it reminds me of QuickTimeVR, except the property you are controlling is time, not space. Worth checking out.
- July 6, 2005
Sleep
July 6, 2005Read moreI came across this article on a newsgroup about the mechanics and benefits of sleep…it’s really fascinating. Some highlights:
- Just about everyone does better with 8 hours of sleep. Statistically you live longer, make fewer mistakes, and have healthier immune systems.
Thinking about doing an all-nighter to cram for that exam? If it’s a simple “recall the facts” test, the all-nighter will help. If you have to do any kind of critical thinking, though, the sleep deprivation will do a number on you.
Sleep seems to improve motor skills. Learn something in the evening, sleep on it, and you’ll do better the next day.
<
p>There’s also an interesting description of the mechanisms of sleep, and how caffeine plays a role in disrupting that mechanism. I found the discussion on circadian rhythms particularly interesting. They’re periodic cycles in our body that, evolutionarily speaking, are possibly older than sleep. The idea that our body is running on a bunch of different periodic cycles is immensely cool and perhaps hackable :-)
- July 5, 2005
A Mantra for Productivity
July 5, 2005Read moreI’ve printed out the following and stuck it on my wall:
- Commit
Focus
Momentum
Small Steps
Start Anywhere
Just Ask
<
p>It seems to work for me, when I catch myself spinning my wheels.
- July 5, 2005
Street Fighter II Salsa
July 5, 2005Read more
Before there was Networked Quake, there was the Arcade. One of the finest examples of arcade gaming is Capcom’s Street Fighter II series; the depth of play, good balance, and great character animation made this game THE ARENA OF CHOICE in the early 1990s. Inhuman dexterity with the 6-button joystick controls and razor-sharp timing were the prequisites of the game, in addition to being able to memorize dozens of individual moves for any of 8 characters that you might play. To throw down, you would approach the machine, plunk your quarter down on the deck to signify you wanted to challenge, and then it was on! The Street Fighter machine was the social hub for my generation of gamers. I remember it fondly.
In recent years, I’ve been interested in dancing and rhythm, having worked my way virtually through games like Parappa the Rappa, Bust a Groove, and even a bit of Dance Dance Revolution. And in real life, any self-consciousness one might feel on the dance floor is trumped by the pleasure of being in the company of beautiful women. So it’s not a surprise that this video of a Korean Salsa competition has struck a chord. The participants are dressed up as two characters from Street Fighter II, Chun-Li and Ryu. And the crowd totally loves it. Everyone knows this game in Asia.
The routine itself is structured as two rounds, with Ryu winning the first and Chun-Li winning the second. You can hear the sound effects and see moves right from the game! Yeah, it’s kind of silly, but in execution and energy it’s just awesome. Makes me want twirl a few girls around the stage myself…a far more interesting game to be playing! :-)
