LiveJournal – with the addition of the “schools” thing it's turning into a bit of friendsreunited.com. I've added two friends: and based on the fact that we all went to the same secondary school. I wonder who they are? Odds are I knew once upon a time, since he was actually in my year.
Go Totakeke!
‘“Those industry fat cats try to put a price on my music, but it wants to be free,” the canine bard says in a dialogue bubble at the bottom of the screen, after performing and giving away “copies” of a tune.’ Just another reason we love the Animal Crossing series… teaching kids that sharing is… Continue reading Go Totakeke!
Katamari shirts
Namco have some new Katamari shirts. I don’t think much of them, actually, except the balloon one. But I am tempted by the “Panic Designs” further down the page.
Working Designs R.I.P.
They brought us the best of Japanese RPGs, and they did it with a passion for quality that is rare. Alundra, Lunar, Growlanser Generations, Arc the Lad, even the brutally tough Thunder Force V: Perfect System: all great titles we wouldn’t have seen otherwise. And they were one of the few software houses that cared… Continue reading Working Designs R.I.P.
The Spike Video Game Awards
What a pile of tripe. Thank goodness I had it taped and the remote control handy – I managed to watch the two hour show in under an hour. It was even worse this year than last year. At least David Jaffe managed to inject a note of normality: God of War was probably the… Continue reading The Spike Video Game Awards
UK vs USA
Who Love Freedom More? writes Michael Kinsley in the Washington Post. The US has a constitution to limit the power of government and protect the individual. The UK has no written constitution and a system of government where on the face of it, the individual is at the mercy of the sovereign state. Despite (or… Continue reading UK vs USA
Google spin
Newsweek reports Google's Ten Golden Rules. A marvellous advert for Google? But I am not swayed by the advertising. Let's pretend for a second that Google is not a public company and therefore not suffering a potential financial conflict of interest in following these rules. 1) Hire by committee. Well, most tech companies do this… Continue reading Google spin
that 12 days of Xmas meme
I don't have 12 LJ friends. So you only get to see 4 days' worth. But it's strangely apt even so. My True Love gave to me… 11 s a-waddling. 8 s a-glaring. 6 s a-laughing. 2 hamster s.
Microwaves
There is a (semi-)famous interview question of the Microsoft type that states “Design controls for a microwave oven.” Well, lately it crossed my mind and I came to a realisation. And therefore I have worked out my answer to this question (not that I will ever interview at MS) and my answer is as follows:… Continue reading Microwaves
cutting edge gaming
The latest gaming craze that seems to be sweeping (my corner of) the world is Geometry Wars Evolved. It’s an XBox 360 game you can download through XBox live. Everyone in our office is playing it since we discovered it last week… it’s a Robotron-alike with particle effects all over the place. Great fun! My… Continue reading cutting edge gaming