Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Monday, December 22, 2008
Xmas w/ family and friends
Back in Hong Kong for Xmas. Going to be short on time for the next few weeks.
NBA fans out there, check out The Macrophenomenal Pro Basketball Almanac: Styles, Stats, and Stars in Today's Game.
NBA fans out there, check out The Macrophenomenal Pro Basketball Almanac: Styles, Stats, and Stars in Today's Game.
Friday, December 19, 2008
No more invites SNS
What if...I created a social networking site with no such invite mechanism...
Okay, I know it's the semantic web. But let's think through why it would be cool.
The reason why Facebook is such a hit is because it helps people connect with one another. The problem I see, however, is that the barriers to connecting with your friends is primarily the invitation mechanism. Either you or your friend must invite the other, and the otherside needs to accept the invitation. That's quite a barrier...let me explain why.
Except for the few who enjoy going around searching for all their friends (a small population), I think most people don't bother inviting their friends. I think this is especially true after they have accumulated a proportion of their friends on the network. The problem is that when we have reached that stage, nobody bothers to invite each other anymore. For example, I know many of my friends are on facebook, but I don't bother to invite them (and neither do they).
This barrier is huge. If I were automatically friend-ed with all my friends (via photos, wall posts, etc...) and my friends are ranked based on my network and the amount of interaction between each of them and me, I would have more reasons to be on facebook. I would be truly connected with my network and there would also be more entry points for interactions between my friends and I.
Okay, I know it's the semantic web. But let's think through why it would be cool.
The reason why Facebook is such a hit is because it helps people connect with one another. The problem I see, however, is that the barriers to connecting with your friends is primarily the invitation mechanism. Either you or your friend must invite the other, and the otherside needs to accept the invitation. That's quite a barrier...let me explain why.
Except for the few who enjoy going around searching for all their friends (a small population), I think most people don't bother inviting their friends. I think this is especially true after they have accumulated a proportion of their friends on the network. The problem is that when we have reached that stage, nobody bothers to invite each other anymore. For example, I know many of my friends are on facebook, but I don't bother to invite them (and neither do they).
This barrier is huge. If I were automatically friend-ed with all my friends (via photos, wall posts, etc...) and my friends are ranked based on my network and the amount of interaction between each of them and me, I would have more reasons to be on facebook. I would be truly connected with my network and there would also be more entry points for interactions between my friends and I.
Competition
I dislike competitive people who feel they have a need to outdo their social network.
Granted I think I was like that once upon a time (in middle school or something), those who feel like they need to 1up everybody around them just turns me off. Beating out your social network really doesn't do anything but make you feel better about yourself, there are simply too many people in this world to be wasting your time comparing. You will always be a loser.
I'm not saying I'm not a competitive person, but I'm only interested in competing against myself. I think the difference is that when you grasp such concept, you will learn that out-doing your social network is actually anti-constructive.
Life is like a game. I swear by it.
Granted I think I was like that once upon a time (in middle school or something), those who feel like they need to 1up everybody around them just turns me off. Beating out your social network really doesn't do anything but make you feel better about yourself, there are simply too many people in this world to be wasting your time comparing. You will always be a loser.
I'm not saying I'm not a competitive person, but I'm only interested in competing against myself. I think the difference is that when you grasp such concept, you will learn that out-doing your social network is actually anti-constructive.
Life is like a game. I swear by it.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Over the past 2 years, I suspect of having probably read/listened/watched every useful idea/concept/suggestion/advice about entrepreneurship out there. It sounds silly, but if you think about it, there are only a handful of useful/great ideas in circulation. Most of the rest is just noise or the same idea put in a different way.
When my next venture begins, I will want to run as fast as I possibly can. Unfortunately, according to the mistakes I made on my last venture, I'm not supposed to do that.
This reminds me my program is approximately 20% over. So get with the delivering.
Erik's Bookmarks
Finally converted to delicious. I probably ought to have earlier but finally I took the time to understand such a simple concept until after hearing my brother evangelize it for so long.
Please add 'echan00' if you are a delicious user. I believe the future of IT is being able to find what you want through all this bullshit.
Top 5 Gameplay Mechanics of 2008
From Gamasutra...
Braid (Jonathan Blow/Number None; Xbox 360)
Mechanic: time manipulation
Braid is not the first game to incorporate a time manipulation mechanic, but it is surely the first game to integrate one so crucially, permeating every moment and puzzle to a degree usually reserved for basic actions like running and jumping. And each world was treated as a gameplay variation on the theme of time, taking that central mechanic and expanding it in elegant ways.
The pervasiveness of that mechanical theme even extended to the game's narrative and protagonist, putting a gameplay property front and center in the kind of thorough way that remains surprisingly infrequent in game design, which makes it all the more impressive on the part of designer Jon Blow that the mechanic itself is so unusual.
Left 4 Dead (Valve/Valve South; PC, Xbox 360)
Mechanic: cooperative player assistance, AI director
Cooperative play has been undergoing a welcome renaissance lately, and Valve's recent zombie-themed shooter has reached a new high in the balance between genuinely necessary cooperation and individual agency.
Some games simply drop multiple players into an otherwise single-player campaign, and some become cumbersome in their devotion to constant cooperative acts, but Left 4 Dead's simple player-to-player assistance interactions -- not to mention the inherent benefit of cooperation engendered by the setting -- make group coherence eminently rewarding and manageable, even with random online players.
To cheat another mechanic into this entry, the game's AI director -- which oversees item and enemy spawning based in part on player behavior -- is a brilliantly seamless method by which to not only promote replayability, but to feed into the intrinsically frantic nature of a four-player close-quarters FPS.
And after all, if you start to suspect the game is out to get you, the urge and ability to fight back is all the more intensified by having three comrades-in-arms on the other end of a headset.
LittleBigPlanet (Media Molecule; PS3)
Mechanic: real-time level editing
LittleBigPlanet is as much about enabling gamers to participate in level design as anything else, which means its user design experience needed to at least approach the level of accessibility seen in more traditional gameplay.
Certainly, creating a LittleBigPlanet level requires more investment of time and creativity than playing a LittleBigPlanet level, but it is telling that the lines between the two can be somewhat blurred.
It is perhaps even more telling that, thanks to the game's intuitive, real-time nature of level editing, Media Molecule has shipped a creation mechanic that has proved enormously usable for end users while remaining standard issue for the studio's professional designers.
Mirror's Edge (Digital Illusions CE; Xbox 360, PS3)
Mechanic: first-person parkour
The demo for Mirror's Edge generated considerable gamer hype based on the surprising fluidity and elegance of its central hook, first-person freerunning amidst a cleanly-defined urban setting.
Despite taking criticism upon full release for inconsistency and certain presentational elements, developer DICE nonetheless achieved an impressive feat with the implementation of the game's character control.
Combining a simple control setup with the immediacy of the first-person perspective, DICE translated a gameplay idea that had previously been well-explored in other formats into something extremely fresh.
Spore (Maxis; PC)
Mechanic: procedural character creation
Arguably the most significant gameplay feature of Will Wright's latest offering isn't even a direct part of what gamers would traditionally call its core gameplay, but Spore's procedural character creation mechanic can become an entire game unto itself.
Incorporating dynamic skeletal systems, animation, texturing, and more, Maxis achieved astonishingly robust results in an area of game design that in practice often ends up stilted and too-obviously artificial.
The tens of millions of diverse creatures and structures that have been generated demonstrate the diversity of Spore in particular, but the successful implementation of the technology should be encouraging to the development community at large.
Braid (Jonathan Blow/Number None; Xbox 360)
Mechanic: time manipulation
Braid is not the first game to incorporate a time manipulation mechanic, but it is surely the first game to integrate one so crucially, permeating every moment and puzzle to a degree usually reserved for basic actions like running and jumping. And each world was treated as a gameplay variation on the theme of time, taking that central mechanic and expanding it in elegant ways.
The pervasiveness of that mechanical theme even extended to the game's narrative and protagonist, putting a gameplay property front and center in the kind of thorough way that remains surprisingly infrequent in game design, which makes it all the more impressive on the part of designer Jon Blow that the mechanic itself is so unusual.
Left 4 Dead (Valve/Valve South; PC, Xbox 360)
Mechanic: cooperative player assistance, AI director
Cooperative play has been undergoing a welcome renaissance lately, and Valve's recent zombie-themed shooter has reached a new high in the balance between genuinely necessary cooperation and individual agency.
Some games simply drop multiple players into an otherwise single-player campaign, and some become cumbersome in their devotion to constant cooperative acts, but Left 4 Dead's simple player-to-player assistance interactions -- not to mention the inherent benefit of cooperation engendered by the setting -- make group coherence eminently rewarding and manageable, even with random online players.
To cheat another mechanic into this entry, the game's AI director -- which oversees item and enemy spawning based in part on player behavior -- is a brilliantly seamless method by which to not only promote replayability, but to feed into the intrinsically frantic nature of a four-player close-quarters FPS.
And after all, if you start to suspect the game is out to get you, the urge and ability to fight back is all the more intensified by having three comrades-in-arms on the other end of a headset.
LittleBigPlanet (Media Molecule; PS3)
Mechanic: real-time level editing
LittleBigPlanet is as much about enabling gamers to participate in level design as anything else, which means its user design experience needed to at least approach the level of accessibility seen in more traditional gameplay.
Certainly, creating a LittleBigPlanet level requires more investment of time and creativity than playing a LittleBigPlanet level, but it is telling that the lines between the two can be somewhat blurred.
It is perhaps even more telling that, thanks to the game's intuitive, real-time nature of level editing, Media Molecule has shipped a creation mechanic that has proved enormously usable for end users while remaining standard issue for the studio's professional designers.
Mirror's Edge (Digital Illusions CE; Xbox 360, PS3)
Mechanic: first-person parkour
The demo for Mirror's Edge generated considerable gamer hype based on the surprising fluidity and elegance of its central hook, first-person freerunning amidst a cleanly-defined urban setting.
Despite taking criticism upon full release for inconsistency and certain presentational elements, developer DICE nonetheless achieved an impressive feat with the implementation of the game's character control.
Combining a simple control setup with the immediacy of the first-person perspective, DICE translated a gameplay idea that had previously been well-explored in other formats into something extremely fresh.
Spore (Maxis; PC)
Mechanic: procedural character creation
Arguably the most significant gameplay feature of Will Wright's latest offering isn't even a direct part of what gamers would traditionally call its core gameplay, but Spore's procedural character creation mechanic can become an entire game unto itself.
Incorporating dynamic skeletal systems, animation, texturing, and more, Maxis achieved astonishingly robust results in an area of game design that in practice often ends up stilted and too-obviously artificial.
The tens of millions of diverse creatures and structures that have been generated demonstrate the diversity of Spore in particular, but the successful implementation of the technology should be encouraging to the development community at large.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
So much to do in so little time
It's really not helping that it snowed today. I think I'm going to blame it on the weather -the drop in temperature has decreased my productivity lately.
hi⋅ber⋅nate
–verb (used without object), -nat⋅ed, -nat⋅ing.
1. to spend the winter in close quarters in a dormant condition, as bears and certain other animals.
I have a lot to talk about, but I guess I'll have to cut it here today.
hi⋅ber⋅nate
–verb (used without object), -nat⋅ed, -nat⋅ing.
1. to spend the winter in close quarters in a dormant condition, as bears and certain other animals.
I have a lot to talk about, but I guess I'll have to cut it here today.
Monday, December 08, 2008
Great graphics and gameplay. This new iteration of PoP is probably one of my favorites this holiday season. I dig the overall package and game design tweaks.
Still my favorite Death Cab for Cutie album.
I haven't seen the DVD yet, but the trailer looks crazy. Justice live is another experience compared to the album.
Great book. Highly recommended along with the Jim Collins series. I put it off from my "read list" until recently because I thought it was one of those "lets talk about one idea for 300 pages" type of books. Quite glad to have been wrong about that. Now I want to add a book recommendation widget on this blog...
Friday, December 05, 2008
Like it or not you probably are...
a Kanye fan (in some way or another). I'll respect talent and good music.
Thursday, December 04, 2008
ITS COLDDDDD
All my motivations for making the trip to the icehotel (http://www.icehotel.com/Winter/Icehotel/) in Sweden got killed today.
It's -8 Celsius in Beijing right now, which according to my body, is the time to keep any and all skin from being directly exposed to the air when outdoors. Mentally, that would mean to stay home, stay home, and stay some more at home.
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
hkbomber: Why so Serious?
Exams are coming up and professors do revision sessions to help students get through the exams. I am not being cocky here but while everyone is worried about their grades, I am overconfident to a point where I dont see the need of over studying.- hkbomber
Most of the people I talked to in this MBA thought our class and works are intense, but this is nothing new to me. This MBA is busy, yes, but it has also been a relatively easy ride for me, at least compare to the 4 years of hell I went through as a Biomed undergrad in JHU.
I have always told my parents this... "unless there is some other planet with living people, I graduated from the best biotech university from the universe and everything else in life will not be as challenging as that" Seriously, how do you top from being the best in the universe? This doesnt mean I dont treat my MBA course with the attention it needs... I just dont see the need of stressing over it, especially when its just an exam of your analytical skills (somethings you can train in 10 days).
Why so serious?
Friday, November 28, 2008
Facebook Comeback
Now that developers are sick of Facebook and are buzzing about iPhone apps, I've been looking into developing on the former platform.
The platform for Facebook apps has matured over the past half year or so and I've noticed a few changes during this time. Firstly, the overall profile page impression (or design) has been cleaned up due to better app restrictions and UI changes. But more importantly, psychologically, users have begun to weigh their time as more important compared to the apps (as if they are spam).
I think the need for quality apps on Facebook has arrived. Apps that can provide value to their users (and preferably not easily replicated) should charge for their service/product. I think users will pay for them if the above is true. A few paying customers is better than many users using your product for free.
One great example I've noticed is why the Texas Holde'em Poker app on Facebook is free to play while the iPhone version costs $10. It doesn't make sense to me.
The platform for Facebook apps has matured over the past half year or so and I've noticed a few changes during this time. Firstly, the overall profile page impression (or design) has been cleaned up due to better app restrictions and UI changes. But more importantly, psychologically, users have begun to weigh their time as more important compared to the apps (as if they are spam).
I think the need for quality apps on Facebook has arrived. Apps that can provide value to their users (and preferably not easily replicated) should charge for their service/product. I think users will pay for them if the above is true. A few paying customers is better than many users using your product for free.
One great example I've noticed is why the Texas Holde'em Poker app on Facebook is free to play while the iPhone version costs $10. It doesn't make sense to me.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Friday, November 21, 2008
Speculating NYSE:ATVI
Analysts expect the game industry to do well during a recession. The underlying opinion is that consumers will gravitate towards cheaper forms of entertainment (such as video games) during a downturn. They expect the current crisis to give this industry a good boost coming this Xmas.
I can't agree more with those analysts. And I've had an eye on my previous employer, Activision Blizzard, as of late. Their titles Guitar Hero: World Tour, WoW: Wrath of the Lich King, and Call of Duty: World at War are going to dominate the game top-seller charts this season.
ATVI is at $9.34 right now. Just watch their next earnings report.
Or you could bet on Gamestop (NYSE: GME). But I like ATVI more.
I can't agree more with those analysts. And I've had an eye on my previous employer, Activision Blizzard, as of late. Their titles Guitar Hero: World Tour, WoW: Wrath of the Lich King, and Call of Duty: World at War are going to dominate the game top-seller charts this season.
ATVI is at $9.34 right now. Just watch their next earnings report.
Or you could bet on Gamestop (NYSE: GME). But I like ATVI more.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Recession Business
Now that we're in a recession, are entrepreneurs supposed to alter their business model towards those that drive solid revenue streams?
I think most MBAs would tend to think so, but I'm reluctant to agree just yet. I mean what are the differences between a company which doesn't consider change regardless of a recession or not? Chances are that the company will be poor and bootstrapping anyways, so no difference there.
Secondly, granted investors are more enthusiastic about self-sustainable startups in general, I would also argue that the time it takes a startup to develop and fully go to market is about a third of a crisis cycle. This then means that starting a company with a longer-term model may position it for the upcoming bull run as well.
Furthermore, I'm under the presumption that businesses with longer-term models are more difficult to clone.
The difference between a product focusing on eyeballs and IP is also an interesting one. It's like the difference between games and web people or building a Tetris clone and Harmotion (or Okami, Mirrors Edge, etc...). On one hand, developing Tetris provides a defined product and install base (instant eyeballs): on the other hand, a new IP allows for creating a new market (more upside at the cost of accumulating users one at a time.)
But what about Puzzle Quest (the bejewel x RPG)? Can that be the best of both worlds?
I think most MBAs would tend to think so, but I'm reluctant to agree just yet. I mean what are the differences between a company which doesn't consider change regardless of a recession or not? Chances are that the company will be poor and bootstrapping anyways, so no difference there.
Secondly, granted investors are more enthusiastic about self-sustainable startups in general, I would also argue that the time it takes a startup to develop and fully go to market is about a third of a crisis cycle. This then means that starting a company with a longer-term model may position it for the upcoming bull run as well.
Furthermore, I'm under the presumption that businesses with longer-term models are more difficult to clone.
The difference between a product focusing on eyeballs and IP is also an interesting one. It's like the difference between games and web people or building a Tetris clone and Harmotion (or Okami, Mirrors Edge, etc...). On one hand, developing Tetris provides a defined product and install base (instant eyeballs): on the other hand, a new IP allows for creating a new market (more upside at the cost of accumulating users one at a time.)But what about Puzzle Quest (the bejewel x RPG)? Can that be the best of both worlds?
Sunday, November 16, 2008
the new IN and Out
I hear that McDonalds opened two exclusive Quarter Pounder Shops in Shibuya and Omotesando that are devoid of any of their branding.
With all black interiors the shops are minimalist to say the least. The menu is just as simple: Regular or Double Quarter Pounder sets in red and black packaging that has McDonalds shaping without the graphics
This is a pretty interesting campaign. I dig it.
With all black interiors the shops are minimalist to say the least. The menu is just as simple: Regular or Double Quarter Pounder sets in red and black packaging that has McDonalds shaping without the graphics
This is a pretty interesting campaign. I dig it.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Unexpected Surprise
Back in Hong Kong til Wednesday to check on my tail bone injury. I'm wasn't very impressed to find that the two doctors whom examined me (and my X-ray) in Beijing didn't find that my bone was out of whack.
Originally the plan was to attend Bloggercon in Guangzhou this weekend. I suppose I will have to wait until next year.
+++ Oasis - Dig Out Your Soul +++
Originally the plan was to attend Bloggercon in Guangzhou this weekend. I suppose I will have to wait until next year.
+++ Oasis - Dig Out Your Soul +++
Friday, November 14, 2008
Depression?
I hate to sound so gloomy (injured my tailbone) but we just got news jobless claims in the US reached 516,000 -a seven year high.
According to about.com, a depression is a severe economic downturn that lasts several years. And during the Great Depression of 1929, unemployment was 25% and wages fell 42%. Total U.S. economic output fell from $103 to $55 billion and world trade plummeted 65% as measured in dollars.
Okay so maybe we won't go into a depression because governments are "supposedly" smarter than they once were, but the world economy sure looks grim right now. Sometimes you think you only read about all these crazy events in history books, but look at where are right now; a big financial blowup, the making of capitalism and a few dirty hands. Perfect material along with the other shit conjured up by mankind.
Nevertheless, what still really beats the hell out of me is why I still know of so many people out there who are interested in looking at a job in finance. Aside from the fact that some of them don't even understand the nature of the field (only the $$$), they don't seem to be able to relate the current economy with their job prospects.
According to about.com, a depression is a severe economic downturn that lasts several years. And during the Great Depression of 1929, unemployment was 25% and wages fell 42%. Total U.S. economic output fell from $103 to $55 billion and world trade plummeted 65% as measured in dollars. Okay so maybe we won't go into a depression because governments are "supposedly" smarter than they once were, but the world economy sure looks grim right now. Sometimes you think you only read about all these crazy events in history books, but look at where are right now; a big financial blowup, the making of capitalism and a few dirty hands. Perfect material along with the other shit conjured up by mankind.
Nevertheless, what still really beats the hell out of me is why I still know of so many people out there who are interested in looking at a job in finance. Aside from the fact that some of them don't even understand the nature of the field (only the $$$), they don't seem to be able to relate the current economy with their job prospects.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Blogspot Personalization
As you can see, I decided to do a little bit of custom work on my blog today. It originated from trying to get the 'followers' plugin to install (on the sidebar to the right), but it spider-ed into all sorts of other ideas and motivations...
I'm not sure I'll keep the 'followers' plugin around. I guess I will leave it up my readers to decide for me. I just like the idea of putting stuff out there and see what type of user engagement you will get.
I also added a 'rate my entry' plugin which will be interesting to have at the end of each entry. It's definitely less time consuming or complicated to use than leaving a comment. Hopefully, my readers will dig that.
I feel the template can use a bit more work. I'll settle with version 1 for the time being. I definitely welcome suggestions and advice.
I'm not sure I'll keep the 'followers' plugin around. I guess I will leave it up my readers to decide for me. I just like the idea of putting stuff out there and see what type of user engagement you will get.
I also added a 'rate my entry' plugin which will be interesting to have at the end of each entry. It's definitely less time consuming or complicated to use than leaving a comment. Hopefully, my readers will dig that.
I feel the template can use a bit more work. I'll settle with version 1 for the time being. I definitely welcome suggestions and advice.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Sunday, November 09, 2008
On my ipod
+++ Albert Hammond Jr. - ¿Cómo Te Llama? +++The title ¿Cómo Te Llama? is Spanish for 'How does he/she/it call you?' And unexpected record from the Strokes guitarist.
Saturday, November 08, 2008
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