Jim Rossignol is an interesting fellow, particularly in the context that he writes in a unique way about gaming and its influence on culture. Not to mention, the trajectory and contrast of his own story against what he writes makes him an authentic source IMO. I am anticipating the arrival of his book, This Gaming…
Category: design
Sirikata : BSD-licensed platform for virtual worlds
Sirikata is an BSD licensed open source platform for virtual worlds. The aim is to provide a set of libraries and protocols which can be used to deploy a virtual world, as well as fully featured sample implementations of services for hosting and deploying these worlds. The team is aiming for an alpha release in…
Super Herd
Another gem from Pierre: = c
Do YOU Drink Wilkins?
If only commercials were still as cool as these for Wilkins Coffee – thanks to Pierre for the tip – made my day : )
Is that you, Joshua?
How good does it feel to know there are smart and, yes, successful people out there doing things for a greater good? Take Joshua Silver, for instance, who’s got all the credentials any mofo might need to be a big, selfish dick but instead has made it his goal to deliver affordable corrective lenses to…
the power of stats
perspective : technology integration and learning = c
Voice Rec is here [almost]
My tech-minded pals and I have used all the mediocre voice-recognition solutions out there for years and years, waiting patiently for some genuis to put it all together for the first time. Welp, no one I know has actually used Dictate for the Mac, but demos like these are pretty compelling: = c
2008 : A Viral Year
Cheers to the ones who threw some of these together. Things will get interesting this year, indeed, on many sides of the pictures. Here’s a glimpse into some of the *viral* culture that, for better or worse, shaped our world last year: “The take-home lesson here is…” = c
In the Beginning was the Command Line
My pal Steve turned me on to this essay, written in 1999 by Neil Stephenson. Highly recommended. Here’s an excerpt : If I can risk a broad generalization, most of the people who go to Disney World have zero interest in absorbing new ideas from books. Which sounds snide, but listen: they have no qualms…
Langer wins Millennium Award
MIT Institute Professor Robert Langer has won the Millennium Technology Prize, the world’s largest award for technology innovation. Langer was chosen “for his inventions and development of innovative biomaterials for controlled drug release and tissue regeneration that have saved and improved the lives of millions of people,” according to Technology Academy Finland, which gives the…
Packaging Nirvana
For those of you who have strong opinions about creationism and evolution, put them aside for just a moment and think about this clip in the context of how far we still have to go in the application, design and production of planet-friendly packaging : = c
robot rebellion is alive and well
Via Gizmodo : “The army’s machine-gun wielding, insurgent-slaying robot SWORDS is no longer spraying foes with hot doom in Iraq. Actually, it never got the chance to notch a single frag, and never will. Apparently, there was an incident where “the gun started moving when it was not intended to move,” meaning it totally pointed…
Machinima
Some of you may remember this rather unorthodox, though, significant event in online history : Machinima (pronounced /məˈʃiËÂÂnÉ™mÉ™/ or /məˈʃɪnÉ™mÉ™/), a portmanteau of machine cinema, is a collection of associated production techniques whereby computer-generated imagery (CGI) is rendered using real-time, interactive 3-D engines, such as those of games, instead of professional 3D animation software. Engines…
Another Eureka Moment!
If you had to wear a knee brace every day you’d definitely want to wear one of these. Funny how these simply wonderful ideas elude us for so long : By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Talk about a knee-jerk reaction. Scientists in the United States and Canada said on Thursday they have developed a…
A Flag for the Internet
Countries all have flags. What would a flag for the Web look like? You can share ideas here. = c
Legos turn 50
It’s the fiftieth anniversary of LEGO Group founder Ole Kirk Christiansen’s patenting of the now-iconic brick. This year is also the 30th anniversary of the minifig and 10th anniversary of LEGO MINDSTORMS. (The company has actually been putting out toys since the ’40s but only settled on the perfect brick architecture in 1958.) Who can…
little big planet
fresh in from ces, margarita from sparklebot raved about little big planet : = c
don’t forget : spore is coming soon
From the mind of Will Wright, the creator of The Sims, comes SPOREâ„¢, an epic journey that takes you from the origin and evolution of life through the development of civilization and technology and eventually all the way into the deepest reaches of outer space. Tide Pool Phase Fight with other creatures and consume them…
memes
thinking about my pal simon today and memes and how nutty it can all get if we let it: = c
Maddox : iPhones Suck
indeed, people LOVE to talk about their iPhones and i do think they’re nifty but Maddox makes some good points in his tirade about the new device that has people in a tizzy. = c