Testing out T-Mobile's "hotspot" connection in my local Starbucks today, since RIT is closed for the break and I can't use the free wifi on campus. I've got a free "daypass" to test this network (they gave out coupons months ago, and I saved mine), and another free daypass from my husband to escape the squabbling siblings in my living room. That, a non-fat vanilla latte, and I'm one happy camper.
Except...my connection keeps dropping, intermittently. Every 3-20 minutes (length varies), the IP hiccups, and the provider logs me out. I log backin, and everything's fine. But it's playing havoc with my attempts to IM from my comfy chair, so I've given up on iChat and have turned my attention back to my poor, neglected blog.
My mind really has been a blank regarding blogging lately. Everything I have to say has seemed so confined in interest, or a violation of someone's privacy, or just plain dumb. So I've been surfing other people's blogs, becoming increasingly convinced that the rest of the blogging world is infinitely more articulate than I am. (No, this is not an attempt to elicit encouraging messages. Really. It's a phase. It will pass. But if you were thinking of sending one, thanks. :-)
I brought my stack of XSLT books to Starbucks with me, and have yet to crack one. Guess I'm still not ready to stop being on vacation. But once I am, the two priorities are (a) XSLT in preparation for class, and (b) figuring out if it's realistic to try to go for a blog-related grant, given that most of the people who expressed interest are already overcommitted.
But for today, I'm going to grab another cup o' java from the baristas, curl up in this chair (I do miss the maroon wingbacks they used to have, but this brown velvet will have to do), and surf blogs to my hearts' content. Maybe something will move to me to respond. Maybe not. Either way, it's an excellent way to spend a cold, gray, rainy afternoon as the year comes to an end.
Hi, my name is Liz, and I'm a game-aholic.
It's true. I am incredibly susceptible to the siren song of RPGs, especially those that emphasize exploration and communication rather than battles and agility. Among my various passions have been Zork (the real Zork, the early Zork, the "it is dark, there are grues" Zork) and the rest of the InfoCom games, DragonBane for the Palm, and all of the Pokémon gameboy games. In fact, when we bought my son a GBC for Christmas three years ago (when he was in kindergarten, and caught the Pokémon bug), my husband had to go out two days later and buy me my own, because Lane wasn't getting to play.
It's a classic addict's pattern...once I start a game, I can't stop playing. To "just say no" seems an impossibility. I become immersed in the game. I want to master every task, learn every inch of the terrain, solve every puzzle, learn every cheat code. I can spend hours playing, to the detriment of other things going on around me.
This time around, it's Animal Crossing that's captured me, and dragged me into the abyss. What is it about games like this that I find so seductive? Clearly, this one has some holding power, despite its lousy graphics and clunky interface. Not only are the kids and I fighting over the controller, but a bit of reading online made it clear that plenty of folks have been sucked into this silly virtual world.
When my husband ridiculed the less-than-realistic graphics, it got me to thinking about something Alvy Ray Smith said at Pop!Tech this year. "At Pixar, we have a word for things that are almost human, but not quite: monster." Perhaps that's when games like Pokémon and Animal Crossing work for me...they don't make any pretense at being lifelike. The cartoonish world they offer is unpretentious, uncomplicated, easy to navigate. The rules are clear. The FAQs are online. Unlike my real life, for which I've yet to find a comprehensive FAQ.
Zeldman pointed me towards an entertaining site that shows examples of "design piracy."
Made me realize that I've actually got mixed feelings about the whole idea of "design piracy"...when is it inspiration, and when is it piracy? How much is enough when you're changing /modifying/drawing upon an existing design?
And on the legal side, it's not clear to me the extent to which "site design" can be copyrighted. The guidelines on what constitutes "design" don't provide clear guidance. It's easier for me to understand how copyright governs the text of a site, and the individual images in it. But what about the kinds of font/graphic combinations that the site linked above displays? Are they over the line legally? Ethically? And where is that line?
In my web design classes, we have to talk regularly about the difference between copyright protection (what the law allows--which, in the context of school-related assignments, is pretty broad) and academic honesty (which I tend to be a stickler about). I tell them that I'm all in favor of them "standing on the shoulders of giants" by using code--and designs--created by others. But I want them to explicitly give credit for what they use. If it's visual, the credit needs to be on a sources page, or on the page displaying the item. If it's code, it needs to be in the comments, as well as listed on a sources page. I tell them that using someone else's work without crediting it results in an F for academic dishonesty...but that using the same work and crediting it can end up an A for ingenuity. And despite that warning, many of them fail to provide credit. They don't seem to "get" that I can (a) identify a shift in coding or design style by looking at it, and (b) find the source in a heartbeat. Disheartening.
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