October 2011
1 post
TIGJam 4
This past weekend I was at TIGJam 4, an indie game jam at Hacker Dojo, and I loved every minute of it. Basically it’s an annual gathering of indie game makers, both hobbyists and professionals, who get together in the same space to work on their games and to otherwise party. This was not only my first TIGJam, but my first hackathon / jam as well, and while I’m not an expert on these I...
July 2011
2 posts
Since this blog has lain dormant for months now (blame 500 Startups and the encroaching threat of demo day) I should probably mention that I’ve been writing alongside my co-workers at the VidCaster blog. My latest, “Great Moments in Online Video History,” was a joy to write. If we post anything at all, it’s because we’ve set ourselves a weekly deadline. Peer pressure...
“I’d rather use a service that has a strong, single-minded vision, even if...”
– Andy Baio
May 2011
1 post
“Also: remember, author intent isn’t worth shit. All that matters is how you...”
– Christine Love
April 2011
3 posts
The Mystery of the Missing Wiimote JavaScript API
In the early stages of development, it was possible to play VIDEOGAME in the Wii’s Internet Channel with Wiimote controls, but it’s not anymore. Here’s the story.
After seeing that the Akihabara framework has Wiimote support I searched to see how they did it, and saw mentions of an article on Opera’s site called The Wii Remote API. The URL still resolves, but if you try to...
“Somewhere in recent history the quote from the 1600s about a “jack of all...”
– Jonathan Moore
VIDEOGAME
At last, here is my first videogame, made with HTML5 and Javascript. It’s called VIDEOGAME.
It’s no secret that I love videogames. They’ve been a passion of mine for nearly as long as I’ve been alive. I’ve always wanted to make one, but it seemed like I would have to learn C, Java, Flash, or any of a number of complex tools that just aren’t for me.
So I got...
November 2010
1 post
“The hope of good design lies in those designers who believe in what they do and...”
– Alexander Girard
June 2010
1 post
May 2010
2 posts
The moment I saw this trash can at Target, three years ago, I knew that this was the trash can for me. It was my destiny.
Not until today did I realize why I felt such a mysterious and immediate connection.
Apple would never do this, because they’re much too classy, but perhaps there’s a market for an Official Mac OS X Trash Can™.
I’ve finally redesigned my portfolio.
For the best experience, view it on a Mac with a WebKit browser (Safari or Chrome). For a terrible experience, view it with Windows XP. It turns out cutting-edge web font technology doesn’t look great in a nine-year-old operating system, and hopefully I can still find a way to fix that.
The list of recent web standards developments that made this...
April 2010
2 posts
Introductions Are in Order
RSS feeds are one of the web’s greatest advancements, ever, and it’s continually shocking to me that hardly anyone uses them.
Seriously, you guys. Feeds are great. They completely changed how I experience the web, how I live. In the time before feeds, I would individually visit all of my favorite sites in hopes that something new would be up, and the most frequent outcome was...
“You need to go be around artists. And you need to do art every day.”
– Kiko Villaseñor
February 2010
1 post
The Ritual
It’s vital to establish some rituals—automatic but decisive patterns of behavior—at the beginning of the creative process, when you are most at peril of turning back, chickening out, giving up, or going the wrong way.
— Twyla Tharp, “The Creative Habit”
When it’s time to work, I grab my coffee cup, venture out of my apartment, and walk across the street to Peet’s for a small...
January 2010
3 posts
From WordPress to Tumblr
I’ve moved my blog from a hosted WordPress installation to Tumblr. For my modest needs, Tumblr is better in every way.
I’ve already moved in and started off with a piece on my recent move to freelance and a couple quotes. My RSS feed, if you’re subscribed to it, conveniently remains at the same address. You should start getting the new Tumblr posts with no action required. (I...
Freelancer
Last month I left behind a well-paying job with some great people to potentially fritter away my life savings and move back in with my parents. I became a full-time freelancer.
I’d considered it for a long time, and it took me a while to get past the fear, uncertainty, and doubt. I didn’t know any freelancers, so I didn’t have anyone to talk to about it. I didn’t know if...
“The problem is, no one owes me anything. No one owes me a microphone or a...”
– Joshua Blankenship
December 2009
1 post
“Like everything you think you want in life, it’s a double-edged sword. I can...”
– Scott Hansen (via Daring Fireball)