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- January 13, 2005
Reliving Adventure
January 13, 2005Read more
Bill sent me a link regarding this recreation of “Adventure”, the classic Atari 2600 console game. It’s been recreated in Flash, and runs in your browser. VERY COOL.
I never had a 2600 myself, unfortunately, so it didn’t have quite the nostalgic shock value that I should have enjoyed. I’m an Apple II guy, and got into consoles pretty late in life.
Anyway, having never played Adventure before, I got down to figuring out that the dot was you, and that there was a magnet and key somehow involved. I must admit I quickly grew bored, as kids are wont to be these days.
On a tangential note, I was reminded me of what programmers back then went through to draw a dot on the screen (hint: there was no bitmapped graphics support). And check out these sad, sad hardware specs:
CPU: 6507 RAM: 128 Bytes, in VLSI ROM: 6K max Cpu Clock: 1.19 MHz Graphics Clock: 3.58 MHz Slot Config: Rom access only CPU Avail: less than 50%The original programming guide is online. There are modern tools available, and a thriving community continues to push out titles. Awesome.
I’d kind of like to play Intellivision StarStrike again…will have to look into that.
- January 13, 2005
Cinnabon Therapy Session
January 13, 2005Read moreI recently finished the design and coding of a CES kiosk piece for one of ActiveEdge’s clients. The latest post-project ritual is to drive up to the nearest Cinnabon to indulge in one of their freshly baked sticky buns. It’s a treat because we have to drive up to Manchester to get one…there’s no local Cinnabon franchise (in Nashua).
During the last Cinnabon summit, I had the opportunity to talk with AE’s creative director Scott about his take on life, achievement, and getting closer to personal goals. His advice to me this year is to own it, and not be afraid of shining brightly.
- January 12, 2005
Methodologizing
January 12, 2005Read moreA few days ago, Sunil gave me some advice on starting up a business, based on his own experiences in Taiwan. The piece that stuck out was his emphasis on developing a methodology–how the business will get things done, if I understand correctly. This is different from the usual “make a business plan” advice you usually see, and it reflects Sunil’s emphasis on good execution. So I might as well start making stuff up:
- January 12, 2005
A Macintosh Moment
January 12, 2005Read more
Here’s a few Macintosh-related tidbits. First, the much-rumored $499 Headless iMac, now known as the Mac Mini, was introduced at MacWorld. It’s tiny! I want one! Aimed squarely at those PC users who love their iPods with an extra $500 burning a hole in their pocket. Tell your parents and tell your friends!
Cheryl passed along this cheerful video about the challenges of using a Macintosh. It seems “Mac OS 9-ian” in some of its complaints, but I do so enjoy a good rant. Windows Media Player required.
I’m actually thinking about making the switch myself. I figure I can get away with the Adobe Creative Suite and Macromedia Creative Suite…if I can get a good deal on then and have the extra cash, then I’ll jump. It’s a somewhat arbitrary decision, though…thousands and thousands of dollars that could go into, say, home improvement or a gym membership. Plus, there’s the allure of developing for the larger software market that is, sadly, Win32.
- January 11, 2005
Alias vs. MI-5
January 11, 2005Read more
I have a great fondness for shows featuring covert operations and cat burglers. Don’t know why…just like ’em! So it was with great anticipation that I watched this season’s premiere of Alias. I enjoyed the first season, when it was firmly in the “Felicity joins the CIA” vein. Plus, it was nice to see a healthy gal like Jennifer Garner kick butt on-screen. The first season was also notable in that she didn’t seem to actually kill anyone. Season 2 wasn’t bad, though it went a little NUTS on the Rimbaldi storyline. Season 3 started to lose its charm. Season 4, which just started last week, has so far revealed itself to be less of an ensemble show and more of a Jennifer Garner Dress Up Hour. Mind you, I enjoy this, but it’s starting to wear a bit thin. The interaction between the characters has also evaporated…I sat through endless sequences of watching Sydney run from place to place without much purpose. It was pure filler…bah. Losing…Interest…
MI-5, on the other hand, had a kick-ass premiere. For those of you unfamiliar with this show, it’s an import from our British friends. MI-5 is the equivalent, I suppose, to the NSA/CIA here in the U.S.A. It’s tautly written and unpredictable, drawing more from spy movies from the 60s and 70s. It’s been called “the thinking man’s Alias”, without all the tiring running around of 24. There have been moments when I’ve sat, stunned at what had happened…it’s great.
I particularly enjoy how the actions of MI-5 have to take place wedged between the stuffy confines of British power politics and international cooperation. As a result of this, the cast members are constantly irritated. The American CIA also makes an appearance…it’s fun to see how the Brits uniformly portray Americans as loud, pushy, nasal-sounding asshats.
I’ve also queued up 24 on the Tivo to watch…I lost interest in it last year for whatever reason, but should give it another chance.
