Thursday 31 January 2008

Umbrellas

Today it rained. Not that heavily, just a small shower. Nothing special.

But there is one thing I hate about the rain; it makes people put up their umbrellas, and they are prone to being inconsiderate with them. I am quite tall. Many umbrella-wielders are short. Their umbrellas hit me in the head. This hurts.

So please people. Take care with unbrellas.

Sunday 27 January 2008

New Poll

On the first of April I will post a blog entry that has been voted for by you...
So what do you want to hear?

Technology

We, as a species, have made some great inventions and discoveries over our brief time on this planet. The written word, antibiotics and standing on our hind legs all come to mind. But we have also made some real big mistakes. One of the biggest comes from our arrogance and self-importance. It is the invention that I hate. It actually makes me physically sick. It is the Automatic Door.

Automatic doors seemed like such a good idea, as anyone who has ever watched Star Trek will testify. They open - for you! They sense your presence, and they should be just so cool!

But this is wrong. This is wrong because the automatic door never works properly. They are always broken, opening when they shouldn't because of a strong breeze, or remaining closed while you stand infront of them. They just dont work.

This is even more annoying to me, because the door is the perfect invention. I dont want to simplify this; doors have evolved over time, with the intoduction of hinges, pivots and door-frames. During the renaissance, doors began to be used for effect, creating ambience in a room. Doors have, over the centuries, evolved. But the electronic door is a monstrosity.

Opening a door requiers minimal effort. Attempting to force my way through a broken automatic door requiers more effort. They dont work. They are allways broken.

Inventions do need to evolve. Take, for example, the simlest invention: The Wheel. The wheel has grown up. One wheel can give you a wheelbarrow, or a unicycle. Combining a wheel with another gives you stability, combining it with a combustion engine allows you to travel faster, combining it with brakes allows you to stop, combining it with suspension gives you a better ride. The wheel has evolved, so far as to to the point of introducing tyres and tyre pressure, one of the most complicated sciences imaginable. It led the way to a whole new batch of inventors and inventions.

The door didn't. It could be adapted, used in new ways and perfected. But it didn't need this radical overhall, it didn't need to become something new. It is what it is, and I prefer what it is.

Inventions change. Things evolve over time. But sometimes this is not a good thing. Sometimes it is. The automatic door is not yet perfect, and until it is, I will hate it. Does this make me a bad person?

Sunday 20 January 2008

The PCGamer podcast and me

I am a fan of podcasts. They make public transport bearable, and they are the reason why I have sunk so much time into Football Manager.

I have listened to the PCGamer podcast for a long time indeed. The British one is my favorite, but since they are not so involved in this story I will leave them out here..

PCG USA have been going for nearly 120 podcasts, and every week they have listener questions. These listeners all send in mp3s of their voices, and then the PCGers reply, on air, to them. About a week ago, I decided to send in a question of my own...

A thought had struck me concerning levels in videogames. Building on from Portal, I figured that the coolest setting for a shootout in an FPS would be a mirror-maze.

A great idea? I thought so, so asked those PCGers if it was possable, and they answered my question. They discussed it. That is why I love this story, because it is a great example of how people connect. I was able to share an idea with people on the other side of the Atlantic, who then shared, and built on my idea to the rest of the world of podcasts.

Use this inspiration. Do great deeds, share great thoughts. This is what we made all this technology and civilisation for. This is my epiphany.

This can be heard in PCG USA podcast #115, 40min aprox.

The Second Comment

And as quick as that it may be over...

I have been spotted by a smart talent scout. The best stuff from here will also be available over with Java and Hidden.

I will still update here mainly, so this is not the end. Merely, another beggining.

I like begginings..

visit - http://jhbloghammer.blogspot.com/

The First Comment

This is the start of something great...