EA mails journos $200 checks to promote game

What would you do if you found an unsolicited check for $200 in your mail?

That's a question that's been on the mind of a number of video games journalists this week. In the latest phase of what's rapidly becoming one of the most bizarre, imaginative, and downright troublesome marketing campaigns of recent years, publisher EA mailed out ornate -- but very real and negotiable -- checks for $200 to several notable game bloggers.

Ironically, EA may have secured a spot in the Eighth Circle themselves.

Intended to promote upcoming EA title Dante's Inferno, the checks arrived in presentation boxes accompanied by a note reading:

"In Dante's Inferno, Greed is a two-headed beast. Hoarding wealth feeds on beast and squandering it satiates the other. By cashing this check you succumb to avarice by hoarding filthy lucre, but by not cashing it, you waste it, and thereby surrender to prodigality. Make your choice and suffer the consequence for your sin. And scoff not, for consequences are imminent." - via yahoo

Short EA.

I have a gazillion things on my mind. Love, life, school, health, and entrepreneurship.

I have a tendency to simplify things to its essence; noise is well, simply noise. Simplicity is a neat trick to help us juggle our worries. Life is too short to be doing or caring about the things that don't matter.

Should Strangers Be Able To Profit From Your Death?

Widow's $56 million lawsuit imperils macabre, profitable insurance practice.
Ever been offered a STOLI? No, we're not talking vodka. We're talking about stranger-originated life insurance, which is basically a way for investors to bet on the death of a person they've never met.

Typically, the person on whom the policy is taken out receives a cash payment in exchange for promising to transfer to an investor he's never met full rights to the survivor's benefits. Then the investor pays the premiums and collects the death benefit when the original purchaser of the policy passes away. If that happens sooner than the life insurer's actuaries predicted it would, the investor stands to gain far more than he's paid out in premiums.


Because the subject of such a policy appears to be behind its creation, the investor can claim they aren't breaking decades-old laws against taking out a life policy on a perfect stranger. STOLI stands on shaky legal ground, and in the last two years 25 state legislatures have enacted anti-STOLI laws. Another 14 are considering following suit. "Life insurance is intended for protection," says Steven Brostoff, spokesman for the American Council of Life Insurers. "It's not intended to be a vehicle for speculators to wager on human life."

Brostoff says that when the time comes to pay out on policies that appear to be STOLIs, it's common for a deceased's family members to challenge in court an investor's right to claim the benefit.

That's what Alice Kramer of Stamford, Conn., the widow of a prominent New York City attorney, is doing. In play: $56 million in benefits that accrued upon the death of her husband. Last week a federal judge in Manhattan ruled Kramer's case could go forward, a decision that could become a precedent for similar cases around the country.

The reason plaintiffs like Kramer have legal grounds to challenge STOLI policies is that all U.S. states have "insurable interest" laws in effect for life insurance policies. These generally state that the only people who can take out or hold an insurance policy on the life of another person are blood or legal relatives or those with a financial interest in the survival of the policy's subject. That would appear to run counter to STOLI investors, who have a financial interest in the policyholder's passing on as quickly as possible.

via forbes

Fall 2009 Courses

So I've decided to take max out the credits (54) I'm allowed to take this semester. I hope I don't end up dropping any of them, but we'll see.

15.*** - Master thesis

15.062 - Data Mining: Finding the Data and Models that Create Value

15.399 - Entrepreneurship-lab

MAS.863 - How to make (almost) anything

MAS.761 - Common sense reasoning for interactive applications

CMS.864 - Game Design

I believe the last three classes are project classes where I'll need to turn in something for the final project... will be cool to work on some new ideas ^^


Went sailing on the Charles river yesterday. I want to try out wind surfing next time.

stuck in my head

CUT COPY - LIGHTS & MUSIC
by modularpeople

Irate Chinese gamers block re-launch of classic game by blockading the gates to its cities

Chinese gamers shut down the relaunch of "Hot Blooded Legend," a beloved, classic game, by massing their avatars at city gates and stopping others from entering. They were upset that the relaunch didn't do justice to the original.

via BoingBoing

Ebay Acqusition Map

Cut Copy - In Ghost Colors

MIT Media Lab

Yeah. I've been on about the lab non-stop lately. But I can't help it if they're conducting such awesome research. Here are a few:

Lifelong Kindergarten
How to engage people in creative learning experiences.

Affective Computing
How new technologies can help people better communicate, understand, and respond to emotion.

Tangible Media
How to design seamless interfaces between humans, digital information, and the physical environment.

Synthetic Neurobiology
How to engineer intelligent neurotechnologies to repair pathology, augment cognition, and reveal insights into the human condition.

Opera of the Future
How musical composition, performance, and instrumentation can lead to innovative forms of expression, learning, and health.

Smart Cities
How buildings and cities can become more intelligently responsive to the needs and desires of their inhabitants.

More Groups

Batman: Arkham Asylum

Best Batman game hands down. I was going to call Eidos stock until I found out that they're owned by Square Enix as of earlier this year. Shame

Cage the Elephant

Sounds like Artic Monkeys...

drool

MIT Bits and Atoms Media Lab

Kind of Bloop: An 8-Bit Tribute to Miles Davis

What would the pioneers of jazz sound like on a Nintendo Entertainment System? Coltrane on a C-64? Mingus on Amiga? For years, I've wondered what "chiptune jazz" would sound like, but there are only a tiny handful of jazz covers ever made.

To satisfy my curiosity — and commemorate the 50th anniversary of Miles Davis's "Kind of Blue" — I've asked five brilliant chiptune musicians to collaborate and reinvent the entire album in the 8-bit sound.

http://kindofbloop.com/
Now this is just awesome...

Random jam whilst in Vancouver

Long. C - Rhythm Guitar
Erik Chan - Lead Guitar

Download Summer09.mp3

Personas

From MIT media lab

Jenny Holzer: Truisms

a name means a lot just by itself
a positive attitude means all the difference in the world
a relaxed man is not necessarily a better man
a sense of timing is the mark of genius
a sincere effort is all you can ask
a single event can have infinitely many interpretations
a strong sense of duty imprisons you
absolute submission can be a form of freedom
abstraction is a type of decadence
action causes more trouble than thought
alienation produces eccentrics or revolutionaries
all things are delicately interconnected
ambition is just as dangerous as complacency
ambivalence can ruin your life
an elite is inevitable
anger or hate can be a useful motivating force
at times inactivity is preferable to mindless functioning
at times your unconsciousness is truer than your conscious mind
being alone with yourself is increasingly unpopular
being happy is more important than anything else
being judgmental is a sign of life
being sure of yourself means you're a fool
believing in rebirth is the same as admitting defeat
boredom makes you do crazy things
calm is more conductive to creativity than is anxiety
categorizing fear is calming
change is valuable when the oppressed become tyrants
chasing the new is dangerous to society
class action is a nice idea with no substance
class structure is as artificial as plastic
confusing yourself is a way to stay honest
decadence can be an end in itself
decency is a relative thing
dependence can be a meal ticket
description is more important than metaphor
deviants are sacrificed to increase group solidarity
disgust is the appropriate response to most situations
disorganization is a kind of anesthesia
don't place to much trust in experts
drama often obscures the real issues
eating too much is criminal
elaboration is a form of pollution
emotional responses ar as valuable as intellectual responses
enjoy yourself because you can't change anything anyway
ensure that your life stays in flux
even your family can betray you
every achievement requires a sacrifice
everyone's work is equally important
everything that's interesting is new
exceptional people deserve special concessions
expiring for love is beautiful but stupid
expressing anger is necessary
extreme behavior has its basis in pathological psychology
extreme self-consciousness leads to perversion
faithfulness is a social not a biological law
fear is the greatest incapacitator
freedom is a luxury not a necessity
giving free rein to your emotions is an honest way to live
going with the flow is soothing but risky
good deeds eventually are rewarded
government is a burden on the people
grass roots agitation is the only hope
guilt and self-laceration are indulgences
habitual contempt doesn't reflect a finer sensibility
ideals are replaced by conventional goals at a certain age
if you have many desires your life will be interesting
if you live simply there is nothing to worry about
ignoring enemies is the best way to fight
imposing order is man's vocation for chaos is hell
in some instances it's better to die than to continue
inheritance must be abolished
it can be helpful to keep going no matter what
it is man's fate to outsmart himself
it's better to be a good person than a famous person
it's better to be lonely than to be with inferior people
it's better to be naive than jaded
it's better to study the living fact than to analyze history
it's crucial to have an active fantasy life
it's important to stay clean on all levels
it's just an accident that your parents are your parents
it's not good to hold too many absolutes
it's not good to operate on credit
it's vital to live in harmony with nature
just believing something can make it happen
keep something in reserve for emergencies
killing is unavoidable but nothing to be proud of
knowing yourself lets you understand others
knowledge should be advanced at all costs
labor is a life-destroying activity
listen when your body talks
looking back is the first sign of aging and decay
loving animals is a substitute activity
low expectations are good protection
manual labor can be refreshing and wholesome
moderation kills the spirit
money creates taste
monomania is a prerequisite of success
morals are for little people
myth can make reality more intelligible
noise can be hostile
nothing upsets the balance of good and evil
occasionally principles are more valuable than people
opacity is an irresistible challenge
pain can be a very positive thing
people are boring unless they are extremists
people are nuts if they think they are important
people are responsible for what they do unless they are insane
people who don't work with their hands are parasites
people who go crazy are too sensitive
people won't behave if they have nothing to lose
physical culture is second best
planning for the future is escapism
playing it safe can cause a lot of damage in the long run
potential counts for nothing until it's realized
pursuing pleasure for the sake of pleasure will ruin you
push yourself to the limit as often as possible
raise boys and girls the same way
rechanneling destructive impulses is a sign of maturity
recluses always get weak
redistributing wealth is imperative
relativity is no boon to mankind
remember you always have freedom of choice
repetition is the best way to learn
resolutions serve to ease our conscience
revolution begins with changes in the individual
routine is a link with the past
routine small excesses are worse than then the occasional debauch
sacrificing yourself for a bad cause is not a moral act
salvation can't be bought and sold
self-awareness can be crippling
selfishness is the most basic motivation
selflessness is the highest achievement
slipping into madness is good for the sake of comparison
sloppy thinking gets worse over time
solitude is enriching
spending too much time on self-improvement is antisocial
symbols are more meaningful than things themselves
taking a strong stand publicizes the opposite position
talking is used to hide one's inability to act
technology will make or break us
the cruelest disappointment is when you let yourself down
the idea of revolution is an adolescent fantasy
the idea of transcendence is used to obscure oppression
the idiosyncratic has lost its authority
the most profound things are inexpressible
the mundane is to be cherished
the new is nothing but a restatement of the old
the only way to be pure is to stay by yourself
the sum of your actions determines what you are
the unattainable is invariable attractive
thinking too much can only cause problems
threatening someone sexually is a horrible act
timidity is laughable
trading a life for a life is fair enough
true freedom is frightful
unique things must be the most valuable
we must make sacrifices to maintain our quality of life
when something terrible happens people wake up
wishing things away is not effective
with perseverance you can discover any truth
words tend to be inadequate
worrying can help you prepare
you are a victim of the rules you live by
you are responsible for constituting the meaning of things
you can't expect people to be something they're not
you can't fool others if you're fooling yourself
you don't know what's what until you support yourself
you have to hurt others to be extraordinary
you must be intimate with a token few
you must disagree with authority figures
you must have one grand passion
you owe the world not the other way around
you should study as much as possible
your actions ae pointless if no one notices
your oldest fears are the worst ones

Netflix Culture

drool

The Facebook Death Star Moves Across The Universe -

Calvin Harris

Holy Invasion of Privacy, Badman! What Did I Do to Deserve This?

Recent console games have not caught any of my attention. It's the same few mechanics over and over again. They're all tired.

There is one PSP game, however, that I've found pretty interesting of late. Published by Sony Entertainment Japan (of Loco Roco and Patapon), its called 'Holy Invasion of Privacy, Badman! What Did I Do to Deserve This?'.

The premise is pretty simple. Players take up the disembodied pickaxe of the God of Destruction -summoned into the world by Overlord Badman. Your goal is to design and cultivate a dungeon of creeps and monsters to ward off incoming heroes.

The interesting part of the game is that there isn't anything to do but to dig. The entire dungeon ecology is AI driven; the monsters, heroes, plants, bugs, etc.. all roam around on their own. This allows the game to be incredibly simple to play, but still incorporating tonnes of depth. The story mode can be played over and over again, where each time I feel like I'm learning something new for the next time I play. It's very interesting.

I see that the sequel is already out in Japan, damn those Japanese...

Google Voice

didn't seem particularly important to me until it kept me from having to pay for SMS anymore. In the future, GV (or something similar) will dominate all our communication needs for a much lower price.


This ought to be a huge warning to telecom carrier companies. The internet is breaking down their business and I think they will be better off embracing it than not. Carrier companies will not win the war against boundless communication.

I think cable companies are just as dead.