Mightier

Mightier from Ratloop on Vimeo.

I'm always interested in new and different ways of doing things if they work. I enjoy the idea of a level editor for a game, and I have to admit that the concept of drawing on a piece of paper certainly brings a new flavor to the world of gaming, even if it is a bit limited in capacity.

Mightier is a game I would very much love to try. I'm not sure if I will ever try it, because the idea of actually printing something out and then trying to 'scan' it with a webcam seems pretty, well, time consuming, but I'd definitely love to give it a try.

Being an experiment, I'm really curious as to whether or not they'll ever do something with this technology, if it might be refined and go somewhere with it. I imagine that it could be adapted for use with consoles like the PS3 and Xbox 360, which both have webcam accessories. Maybe. The game does make concessions to those without a printer and webcam, but I imagine that the fun of the game has to come from solving the pencil and paper puzzles, even if they appear to be a little simplistic.

The other piece to this is the fact that you can draw your character, and give him some detail, although it looks like the system decides things like depth on it's own, it would be great if artists with a little more skill with a pencil could make some truly intricate character art for use with their game. Much like Spore and Little Big Planet, the ability to share these with others would also be a great feature.

I can also imagine future games using this concept could be fun. There have been other games where you can design basic enemies and characters, but this certainly presents a whole new dimension to user interaction. I have to give credit to Lucas Pope and Keiko Ishizaka for their creation.

From what I've seen, it looks like a good proof of concept, and if I ever get around to playing it, I'll tell you how well it actually works. In the mean time, I enjoyed the video, and find the idea compelling, so, that's something, yes?

Majel Barrett- Roddenberry

It's a sad day for nerds... Majel Barrett-Roddenberry has died of leukemia at 76. Normally when a celebrity of any sort dies, I don't feel terribly sad, except at the loss of a human being. In this case, I'm actually saddened because she's been part of the Star Trek series for 4 decades, more than my entire life, which, incidentally, has been spent enjoying Star Trek.

Rest is peace Majel, Nurse Chapel, Luwaxana, Computer. Rest in peace.

(Please note, I had to fight hard not to make a transporter "beam up" joke, as well as 'Boldly Go', and several others. My apologies for not trying to be funny about this one...)

Lenovo Presents: The Most Ridiculous Laptop Ever

I was blown away when Lenovo started putting Wacom Tablets on the palm rests of their laptops. It seems like a great idea and wonderful answer to those wanting a pressure sensitive tablet that's bigger than 12 inches, and offers more levels of pressure than Wacom enabled tablet screens, which don't have near the density and capability of a Cintiq.

Apparently someone at Lenovo has started looking at all the things that graphic professionals want in a computer. They looked at the tablet, and then noticed the dual monitor set-ups and thought, hey, why don't we take everything and cram it into a laptop.

Welcome to the new W700 series.

Overkill? Oh yes. By a long shot.

Quad core processors, nVidia Quattro video cards with a gigabyte of memory, 4GB of system RAM, a 17" screen at 1920 x 1200 resolution, and a second 10.6" at 768 x 1280 resolution.... and...

Alright, here's the thing. It's got all the cutting edge capabilities you could ever want in a laptop, and then it goes and adds more!

The thing is, I'm not sure what is worse, the fact that this thing is so completely overpowered and impractical for almost every setting, or the fact that I get it, and want one desperately.

I don't even want to guess at how much the top of the line configuration of this thing will run... well, actually I do want to guess, and I'm guessing at least $6500 for all the bells and whistles.

All so you can have a watered down version of a more powerful, bigger, and better desktop that you can carry with you.

Walmart + iPhone = ???

So, there's been a rumor running around for a while that Walmart will be selling iPhones, possibly on the cheap. There have been plenty of suggestions about pricing and capacity. The going rumor was that they'd be offering a 4GB model for $99.

Apparently Engadget now has what they feel is an authentic scan of an internal memo outlining what's really going down.

They'll be offering the 8GB and 16GB models at a mere $2 discount ($197 and $297 respectively) and AT&T will still require the same 2 year contract to get things done.

There are a lot of things that still seem suspect about this, as it is apparently written by an employee at one location. It would seem a little more legitimate if written as a corporate memo, something with a more global tone.

If true, I feel this is mostly good news for the elitist Apple enthusiasts. I imagine that the average iPhone owner feels a certain sense of elitism from owning such a product. The fact that Walmart is going to be selling them alone is probably enough to make their skin crawl, but, I would guess that Walmart selling a $99 model would be enough to shatter the fragile psyche of all the Apple-tards that get that sense of superiority and satisfaction for paying their precious Apple-tax.

So, it's good, I suppose, that Walmart won't have a lock on the Jesusphone's counterpart, the MereMortalphone.

Post 350 - Customers are stupid

Everyone else writes about their crappy jobs... why shouldn't I?

During the day, I'm in retail management. I don't do it because I really love it, I do it because I'm paid pretty well to do something I'm pretty good at. However, working retail would be much better if it weren't for all the pesky customers. I do mean pesky, because most customers aren't a problem, it's the handful of idiots and self centered fools that sometimes makes it intolerable.

For some reason I don't often write about this stuff, but I figure now is as good a time as any...

Here's a couple from today.

Customer A -

Covering my cashier's break is usually not a big deal. I get parked at the front for a while and spend most of the time directing traffic, and rigning through customers. It's fun to be an extremely overpaid cashier from time to time.

But today a customer walks in and sets a book down on the counter in front me. She doesn't say anything.

Time out, I should really inform you that I've taken a hard stance on basic communication. I no longer respond to people waving things in my face, or saying single words as though they are a question (Customer, "Ink?" Me, "Are we playing some sort of word association game?")

So, here I am, a customer and a book in front of me. I've said hello. A few moments pass by and it's obvious the customer has no plans on making her intentions known verbally. So, I decide I should probably verify the situation and say, "Were you looking to return this?"

She replies with an obvious tone of annoyance, "Yes!"

Great. So, I pick up the book, from which a receipt is sticking out. A quick glance at the receipt shows that it is dated for the first part of March, 2008. Yes, 9 months ago. The most forgiving retailers offer 90 days, or 3 months for return on most items. We offer 30 days, and technically, we would classify this as media / software, and therefore it falls under a 14 day return policy.

I say, "I'm sorry, but I can't return this item, it's well past our return policy."

She grunts and says, "I called the store and they said it would be fine." You see, the receipt was for another location, which she says that she'd called.

I reply with, "Well, I'm not sure who you spoke with, but unfortunately I won't be able to return this item, you've had it for over 9 months."

She rolls her eyes, "This is ridiculous. I don't do this job anymore, I found it in my cabinet and I don't need it!"

Finally, frustrated, I reply, still calm as I always am, "Well, if you'd found it 8 months ago and brought it back to us, we'd have been glad to return it, but we won't be able to return it now."

She said something about my being an awful human being (I honestly don't remember what she said, and really don't care at all). I thanked her as she left.

I don't understand people. I really don't. I mean, I get that the economy sucks and that people are looking to do what they can, but still, this is beyond silly. It's a book. It's a book that she's had laying around for months, and now she doesn't want it and thinks that I we should just take it back for her.


Customer B -

The second customer after Customer A was a man who, after our transaction and general chit chat, said, "Thanks. It's not often you get great customer service from someone who is polite and efficient (yes he used the word efficient). Keep up the good work."

Now, this man was not around at the same time as Customer A. Amazing that I can get such a wide array of comments about my service.

Customer C -

It's later in the day, and one of my cashiers pages me to the front for assistance with a return. She says, "Customer will be waiting at Register 11". This tells me that I'm not coming up to turn a key, or provide a quick solution. No, this is foreboding. I'm coming up to 'deal' with a customer.

Here's the situation. The customer has a receipt from another location, which is dated in the last 3 weeks. On the receipt is two items, once is $24.99, and the other is $3.49. She used a special promotional coupon that is '$25 off a $25 purchase'. Her total came to $3.48 plus tax after said coupon.

She says, "I need you to do an adjustment because that item is $10 cheaper this week."

Immediately I see a fatal flaw, and I explain, "I can do that, but you'll end up owing us money, you got a much better deal with the coupon."

She stares at me for a moment, and then says, "No, you'd be giving me $10 back!"

Deep breath. "No, ma'am, you used a coupon that took $25 off a $25 purchase, if I take this item down by ten dollars, you're total purchase falls below $25, and your coupon no longer applies. You'd then owe me $15."

"No," she says, with a sharp tone, "I talked to such and such (at the location she bought the items from in the first place) and she told me it would be fine!"

Finally I says, "Alright, then you'll need to go to that location and speak with that person, I won't be able to do the adjustment without charging you another $15 since you won't qualify for the coupon anymore."

She snatches her receipt and takes a pen, turning over the receipt and very obviously scrutinizing my name badge. I shift it so it's easier for her to read, and she writes my name down after a moment of obvious surprise. She asks If I'm working tomorrow, and I reply, certainly, but I won't be able to do that adjustment tomorrow either, and I thank her as she leaves.

What I love about this is that she, much like Customer A, claims to have called the store before hand to verify the legitimacy of her transaction, and claims that she was told that everything would be alright. The problem is that there's a huge difference between, "I recently purchased an item and now it's $10 cheaper, can I come in and get a refund for the difference?" and "I purchased an item 3 weeks ago and now it's $10 dollars cheaper, however, I used a $25 off $25 purchase coupon, so I basically didn't pay for anything, and you'd actually just be paying me $10 for the privileged of having me as a customer." Similarly, I'm sure the average person can spot the difference between, "I have a book, and the receipt, am I able to return it?" and "I bought a book over 9 months ago and I just stumbled across it and now I want to return it, is that ok?"

Now, this is only a small sampling of what I deal with every day. In addition to these today, I had multiple geriatrics that apparently can't find anything on their own, even when right in front of them, or have enormous signs emblazoned specifically with what they want clearly visible from everywhere in the store. I had a customer ask me to help them find an accessory for a product, however they weren't able to tell me what it was, or the model of the product they needed it for, or even what type it was. And many more. Just today.

I don't understand how most of these people find their way out of their homes in the morning.

Asteroids Watch

Gaze upon another piece of nerd fashion hardware I want:



Apparently it works from a small accelerometer built into the watch. You twist your wrist, and move your ship, but it will also just play by itself the rest of the time.

Read about it at Boing Boing Gadgets.

Oh, it's the same guy that made the Pong Watch.

Update on the Disc Scritching...

er... Scratching.

So, Kotaku today link a story from Edge regarding the great Microsoft disc scratching epidemic of the 21st century.

Says a representative for Microsoft, "While we have had some users contact us with concerns about scratched discs, it is much less than 1 percent of the total Xbox 360 user base."

That's right, less than 1% according to Microsoft. Of course, 1% of millions is still tens of thousands, however, I have to side with Microsoft on this one (as I'm sure you guessed from the tone of my last post).

The representative goes on to say, "Xbox 360 is designed so that it will not damage a game disc as long as the console is not moved while the disc is spinning. Too much movement of any game console, not just Xbox 360, can cause scratches on a disc."

Now, I have say, as Kotaku pointed out at the end of their post, if a disc is scratched because you moved the console while the disc was spinning after being told not to, is it really Microsoft's fault?

Of course, this age we live in means that even explicit instructions can be ignored and still result in recompense, so I won't claim that there's no case against Microsoft, being stupid is, unfortunately, a reason for people to get paid (bearing in mind that Microsoft's policy is to replace the damaged discs).

Hooray for litigation.

Not only is MC Hammer doing something...

but people seem to care. Joystiq is running a story about MC Hammer because he's apparently involved in a project with Activision.

They cite his Twitter page:

First: "I got one day to recover, then it's LA to Activision to get a glance of a top secrete[sic] project."

A day later: "Activision was fantastic ... action!"

So, from this, they've deduced the following: MC Hammer is still working professionally, and second, that he's involved in some sort of secret project (hopefully not a secreted project) with Activision.


I have to zero in on a completely different angle to this: MC Hammer is still somehow relevant. I'm not entirely sure how, being that I assumed he'd completely faded into obscurity over a decade ago. However, his 12,000+ followers seem interested in his activities. Moreover, Joystiq, a reputable news source to be sure, seems to be interested in reporting this gem.

Perhaps they, like me, have succumbed to morbid curiosity. What could Activision possibly want from the mostly defunct rap artist? Is this a glimpse at a new Guitar Hero? Guitar Hero: 80's Rap Edition?

Who knows. I suppose it's possible we'll find out eventually. When we do, you can be sure I more than likely spout off some opinion about it.

Panasonic Remote is Physical Entandre Embodied

First of all, I know that title doesn't really make sense.

I'm all about interesting and unique design. This item certainly qualifies, although in a really unusual manner.

Next Nature shows us a remote concept that is, well, creepy. Next Nature talks about things like 'human-product relationships' and 'A remote is the ideal meaphor for the disturbance electronic distration poses to life.'[sic].

Personally, I don't know about metaphors and relationships as they relate to rubber remote controls that become excited by your imminent touch. Still, I suppose it would be interesting to have.

The Xbox Disc Scandal!

First - Apparently there's some ways you can cause damage to Xbox 360 game discs while it's in your console. Back in 2005, Joystiq was annoyed about some problems with the Xbox 360 console. So annoyed they felt they should make a list, and the damage to the discs made that list in the number 8 spot.

Second - here's a report about a class action lawsuit due to damage to Xbox 360 game discs. Back in 2007, people were up in arms about the occasional damage to their video games.

Finally - Microsoft apparently knew about the the problem early on, and that means they are bad. Apparently they knew, and rather than spend millions to fix the problem, they chose to spend less on just adding information to the user manual that told customers not to do anything to move their console while in use, and then replace discs that were damaged in this manner.

Here's the problem, I've used electronics for many years. I've used optical disc drives in some capacity or another for most of those years. Without ever having read anything to lead me in this direction, I've always assumed that portable devices are meant to move around to some degree, while non-portable devices are not.

I understand that a majority of the problems seems to come from people shifting the orientation of their Xbox's while in use. To me, this seems like simple physics. Two thin layers of plastic sandwiching a thinner layer of pitted aluminum spinning at unnatural speeds should be left to its own.

I remember the sound it would make when I would jostle my old portable CD player, and the scratches that my discs would sustain during the process. I know the scratches that my CDs would sustain in the my car deck when I'd hit a particularly bad pothole or go over a speedbump a bit to quickly.

Why then, does this seem so unbelievable to people?

I understand being frustrated if the problem stems from someone running around too near to the console, but still, I can't say I'm remotely surprised. It seems like most of the people writing and talking about this are acting as though this is completely unacceptable, and you should be able to play hackey sack with the console while in operation and suffer no ill effects.

Statements like this are baffling:

"I regularly move my laptop while its hard disk and DVD drives are spinning, and no damage has occurred yet."

You can't compare the two, they're completely different animals. Besides the obvious differences in the design of the drive, I can't remember of time that I carried my laptop around while the drive was in motion that I wasn't careful throughout the process. Perhaps I'm alone in this, and most people burn DVD Movies while defragmenting their hard drives and using their laptops for a rousing game of four sqaure...

I've completely lost my train of thought.

Anyway, I've probably made my point. I don't really remember. I'm going to back to recovering from surgery.

Bush vs. Shoe - The Flash Game...

Alright, either the folks over at Enterprise are either very efficient in the ways of Flash-fu, or they are truly seers and prophets.

Less than 24 hours after the now infamous Iraq Press Conference Shoe Dodging Incident, they have created a Flash game about it. Bush's Boot Camp is a terrible game, but it gets points for speed.

I will say, I'm amazed that the guy was able to get not one, but two shoes off before anyone (but the president) reacted. I'm guessing the secret service's interest in the president's safety is directly tied to his approval rating. I will also say that I am also amazed by the President's reaction time.

Cantor Exchange

Alright, I believe in a free market, and I believe in stock and trading, but I have to say that this seems a little far fetched to me.

Cantor Exchange -
(A warning, the site is poorly designed. It looks like they didn't publish their flash movie correctly, and they have it embedded in a fixed width table at 1280 pixels wide that will really wreak havoc in many people's browsers.)

"For the first time ever, entertainment professionals, traders and movie lovers alike can hedge and speculate on the ticket sales of Hollywood blockbusters. With real-time quotes and 24-hour trading, Movie Box Office Contracts on the Cantor Exchange will give traders a chance to experience a stake in movies based on a film’s box office performance."

They are proposing that we trade movies like the futures market. I understand it, but at the same time, I really don't. Sure, we all knew The Day the Earth Stood Still was going to do pretty well in the the box office, just like we know that Doubt would not. Even though, without having seen either of them, I know that Doubt is likely a superior movie to The Day the Earth Stood Still on almost every levels (except as having a terrible lead actor in a remake of an already terrible movie).

Anyway, I'll keep an eye on this. I'm curious to see if they get approved, and if they do, how it works out. I'd like to think that I could do fairly well on the movie market, but I feel like even a chimp could predict box office draws these days.

Pangolin = Cute

	Alright, what you need to know is this: these things are cute. I want one. Read about 'em. Read more.

Grippity

Alright, I meant to post about Grippity when I first read about the device's prototype back in November.

When I saw the picture, I was initially intrigued. Then I read the article:

"We don't have a ton of detail about the apparently patented design, other than the fact that it's not yet in production, but the makers expect it to cost about $1,000 once available."

I was immediately repulsed, scared, and a little hurt. The concept is interesting, but $1000 for a keyboard, no matter what it does, is just silly.

So, I was going to post about it, but time got away from me, and I didn't get to rant about it. Earlier this month, however, I got some good news:

"The final unit is expected in about six months, and should retail for $100."

Somewhere between the first report and this one they found a way to shave $900 off the price tag. That, or perhaps they really just didn't know how much things cost and decided to throw a number out there.

Now, this negates my initial impressions a bit... I have mixed feelings about this thing. It's a keyboard, but, it really doesn't look like it's laid out intuitively... you use it with only 4 fingers, and while I know sheer math doesn't pan out this way, it seems like losing the use of 2 digits in the typing process would make it less efficient, even if you add the mouse to the unit. Finally, wouldn't holding the keyboard all day make cause you to exert a lot more effort than just laying your hand on your desk?

If the price tag pans out, and it becomes available to me, I might have to give it a try. Perhaps.

A little more holiday cheer.

So, what we've got here is pretty self explanatory. It's a table full of images. Enjoy.

Of Macy's and Santa

Well, as is the annual way of doing things, I've had my kids play hooky from school to take them to see the Macy's Christmas display at their 8th Floor Auditorium in Downtown Minneapolis. This year's theme is A Day in the Life of an Elf.

After, we went to Ridgedale Mall in Minnetonka to see Santa.

I have to admit that this year's display was better than I expected. I didn't have high hopes for this one for some reason I can't quite put my finger on. It was, however, cute, if not a little shorter than usual.

It's amazing, every year, because it seems I'm not the only parent making this decision. There are always a lot of children. I think it has a lot to do with being a single parent, I don't have my children on the weekends, just during the week, and when they have school, it limits the things that that I can do with them.

Anyway, here's some pictures.

Where's the snow?

So, I had heard today that we're supposed to see some snow today. It's not snowing here yet, so I thought I'd look at the map to see where it is...



I live in that middle void.

32 Below Freezing

First point: It's 0 degrees. That's 32 degrees below the freezing mark, depending on how you keep score.

Second point: That means it's really cold.

Third point: I would really have preferred to have not been outside in the cold.

Fourth point (Having nothing to do with the first three): While normally finding the stuff from collegehumor.com pretty hit or miss, the Google Reader Blog listed jakeandamir.com as a 'pick', and having chortled at Hardly Working in the past, I though I'd give it a spin.

Fifth point (relating entirely to the previous point): Over the last few days I've watched every single one... while sad, I'm ok with it. Funny is funny, and clocking in under 2 minutes each (with only a handful of exceptions), they're good for a quick laugh too.

Sixth point: I'm tired. Later.

It should be dark....

Seriously, it should be, being after 10 o'clock at night...




Maybe I'm just crazy.

Apple recommending Anti-virus software?

Oh how the mighty have fallen.

For many years, Apple and their lackeys have been spouting off about Mac OS X's security and stability, which is, of course, complete fallacy, but it makes them feel good. On average, Mac OS X actually crashes with almost identical frequency, and on release, Vista was shown to have fewer security vulnerabilities than any Mac OS X release to date (worse, Apple is slow to patch those threats, and often just won't because they don't think they need to).

Another commonly spouted pile of rubbish regarding Mac OS X is that they don't need anti-virus software, because they're more secure.

No. Sorry. And even Apple is quietly recommending anti-virus software.

The difference between Mac OS X and Windows, really, is that Windows use is substantially more prevalent. They run on the same hardware, and use many of the same conventions. Virii for the Mac is rare not because Mac OS X is a better operating system, but because there's been basically no point in writing them. If you're trying to hurt people, or make money, why target a vast minority?

If a terrorist wanted to hurt the U.S., they're probably not going to do much damage by setting off a cherry bomb in Puerto Rico, are they?

Here's the deal. I use Windows, and I really don't have much against Mac OS X except I'm more comfortable in Windows, and prefer an environment that I have more control over.

I think it important to note, as I've done before. I don't hate Apple, or Macs. I hate the people that put Apple and Macs on ridiculous pedestals. Mac OS X is not perfect, nor is it superior to Windows. They both have their pros and cons.