2005 June

It ocurred to me, as I ordered the 27 billionth grande iced six-pump vanilla
latte with whipped cream for Ponzi, that Starbucks is wasting everybody's
time. They've got these gift cards that hold money on 'em, but why not also
include the person's favorite drink(s), too? I mean, wouldn't it be much
easier to walk up to the counter, swipe the card, and not have to worry
about the cashier screwing up the drink order? We order the same thing every
single day – why not swipe a card and let its holder verify the order instead of
having to take thirteen breaths before finishing the ingredient list for
their liquid concoction(s)?

Read more on Smarter Cards…

Gnomedex 5.0 changed my life – deeply. It was finally the conference I had always envisioned it to be, thanks to the help of all of my closest friends who made everything possible (I'll start the official list once I fully recover). Ponzi, you are a wonderful business partner, and I'm very lucky to have you in my life. After dinner last night, discussion with a couple of very close friends brought me to reflect upon where I actually fit into this universe of ideas. This morning, I initated sweeping changes to the way my personal blog looks and works. First, 95% of the ads have been eliminated. Second, anonymous comments have been turned off completely. Third, I've swapped my handwriting font for a cleaner one. Fourth, I hope that's just the beginning.

Read more on Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes…

Tonight's fire alarm was, indeed, genuine – not at all staged. Someone on the third floor was demonstrating a cooking technique, and apparently the smoke detector didn't like it. At first, I was a little concerned about the incident, as everybody had to shuffle outside the building and onto the sidewalk. But after walking through the doors and into a sea of geeks, I noticed that nobody's expression had changed. Here was something new to talk about, here was a new friend to make. Amazing. Simply amazing. I'm so proud of this year's Gnomedexers (utterly); you're redefining what a conference could and should be.

Read more on Fire, Fire, Fire!…

“Match.com” is the one-word answer. Instead of stopping there, however, we decided to tell you about how and where love happened. Yes, it was pretty much love at first sight with Chris and Ponzi. Has the love lasted? You judge for yourself. Consider this a precursor to the forthcoming “Chris & Ponzi Time” podcast. To celebrate this lovely occasion, we’ll accompany the links for the conversation with these love quotes:

Read more on How Chris and Ponzi Fell in Love…

In this second hour with Danny Ngan, he talks to other game enthusiasts about gaming and joins in the conversation with callers. Danny is an animator and 3D artist who has been working in the game industry for 7 years. He specializes in character rigging and animation and developing MEL and MaxScripts. This week on the show, Chris talks with Danny about game animation and what it’s like to create the movements of characters recognized by millions of people all over the world. He currently resides in Renton, Washington, and is working as an animator for Amaze Entertainment (makers of LEGO Star Wars, The Urbz, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and more). Danny has had a diverse career in game development. He has worked with large studios such as Dynamix, Inc., Sierra Online, and Microsoft Game Studios as well as smaller indepedent studios such as Buzz Monkey Software, BraveTree Productions, and 21-6 Productions. He has also contributed a great deal of time and energy to the GarageGames independent game development community. He is a GarageGames Associate and a regular member of the #garagegames IRC channel. Find out more about one of the talents behind the games you play in this second hour with Danny Ngan.

Read more on Interview with Danny Ngan – Hour 2…

This Week In Games – TWIG – is a weekly podcast. In every episode I’ll give you the lowdown on what’s going on in the industry, and tack along my personal opinions.

Read more on This Week In Games – June 23, 2005…