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I’m finishing up one of my first weeks at work and thought I’d watch a video a few people have been passing around the office on “Why It’s All a Game.”
\x0aIt’s a fantastic and lively presentation by Jesse Schell, a game designer and professor at the Entertainment Technology Center at Carnegie Mellon University. He discusses economic incentives and small psychological tricks that are currently utilized in fantasy games and how we can harness them to similar effect in reality (for example, “Tattoogle AdSense!”).
\x0aEarlier this week, CNN posted an article called “The Facebook games that millions love (and hate)” which highlights some of the current crop of games that latch onto somebody’s reality-based social network within the fantasy realm.
\x0aA lot of these games seem exceptionally silly, but Schell’s presentation details how we can replicate these meaningless fantasy realms to solve a lot of real world problems. And, in doing so, it makes me feel confident that reviewing policy compliance for fake mafia games is a worthy contribution to society at large.
\x0aWhen I wrote my law school application essays several years ago, I talked about my interest in technology policy and where I wanted to be when I graduated. I just took a another quick look at my application again and it surprised me.
\x0aFirst, I’m lucky the admissions committee let me into school with the cheesy, sophomoric, idealistic essay I sent them.
\x0a\x0a\x0a“… I once read an article in Wired magazine about telecommunications firms that were buying railroad routes and installing fiber optic cable, and how they were using archaic laws from the Wild West to solve new legal issues. This was probably the tipping point, the moment I realized I want a legal background. The parallels in American history became apparent: the San Francisco gold rushes, the dot-com bubble bursts, the Pacific railroads, and the Silicon Valleys. There’s a new high-tech frontier, and I want to be a part of it.”
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It’s funny how things work out.
\x0aTomorrow morning I start a new job at Facebook in Palo Alto, CA.
\x0aI’ll be joining the staff on the Platform Operations team where I’ll participate in policy discussions and help identify ways developers can make applications that will give users the best possible experience.
\x0aI’m really excited about this new opportunity and I look forward to working with so many talented people. The ‘app economy’ is just getting started and it’ll be an amazing learning experience to be in the middle of things.
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\x0a \x0a \x0a Oh, just checking out the Traffic Cams, and stumbled across an accident happening on I-64. I guess that answers my question about whether the roads are clear.
\x0a“Never Built Virginia offers examples of structures that never were and poses the question, “What if?” In the age of recycling, redevelopment, and reuse, it is appropriate to revisit these frustrated ventures, lost competitions, and unrealized commissions.”\x0a
I really enjoyed reading about all the cool buildings in Virginia that never existed, which lead me down the rabbit hole to architect Haigh Jamgochian’s papers.
\x0aHoward Hughes, also known as “Dapper Dan The Used Car Man,” reportedly contacted Jamgochian telling him he would like a residence designed for his property along the James River that was “out of this world.” Jamgochian’s response, “How about the moon?” Thus began the germination of the “Moon House” concept.\x0a
Here’s a rendering of ‘Tree House’, which would’ve been on Franklin Street in Richmond, Virginia if Jamgochian had his way in 1962.
\x0a\x0aMy friend invited me to guest host his inaugural radio show back at WCWM, where I was a DJ in law school. It was a blast to be in the studio and listen to some new tunes with my buddy. If you’re in Williamsburg, be sure to check out DJ Milk’s new show “Kids with Dynamite” on Fridays on 90.9FM, or just tune in via the Internet at http://wcwm.org.
\x0aAs a graduate guest host (DJ, J.D.!), my friend let me do a small set with a couple of songs. I took the the opportunity to play Discovery’s “Orange Shirt”, a mash-up of Grizzly Bear and Dead Prez from The Hood Internet, and Sleigh Bells’ “Crown on the Ground.”
\x0aOn the eve of Apple’s big announcement, I emailed a local antique radio collector.
\x0aI explained to him that a few years ago I bought a very large Farnsworth radio at a garage sale. It was a beautiful vintage machine, harkening back to the era of wooden analog machines that matched the living room furniture.
\x0a\x0aThe inside of the machine was a mess, but I was inspired by a blog post that detailed how to gut the machine and transform it into a modern iPod jukebox. I never got around to such an elaborate project, and all I did was put old computer speakers inside of the chassis with an auxiliary cable sticking out the top.
\x0aBut I’ll be moving soon and there’s simply no space for the old Farnsworth. I wanted to make sure the antique radio found a good home if it was actually something in-demand. So that’s why I wrote the antique radio collector.
\x0aHe wrote back:
\x0aConsoles can be difficult to find homes for in the best of conditions: Zenith, Scott, and a couple others are exceptions.\x0a
Your Farnsworth is a middle grade console which looks like an AC series which was released Oct. 1939 for the 1940 model year or possibly a BC series which is 1941.\x0a
If you get me the exact model number (look for numbers in the format like I have suggested), I can tell you more and maybe find you an ad from a trade journal. I can send you a high res scan if it would be of interest.\x0a
The cabinet itself does not look too bad from what I can see. The two killers are the broken dial glass which has the dial scales on it, making replacement a real problem. There are people who silkscreen dials on glass but generally only for popular models or at great expense for a one-off product. The second is typical of many radios from 1940 to 41 and 1946 thru 49. The marbled looking dial bezel was made from a material called “tenite”. Like its big brother catalin, it did not age well.\x0a
The aging process, accelerated by exposure to UV, causes it to shrink, typical of the dial bezel, and crystalize, typical for the pushbuttons.\x0a
You combine these problems for which there is no solution, with a soft market for consoles, and it is currently an undesirable radio for collectors.\x0a
The decorator market, however, goes through cycles, occasionally seeking “vintage” objects for rec rooms, but I am not knowledgeable about which way that breeze is blowing.\x0a
With Apple’s Press Conference about to kick-off to announce the iPad, or Tablet, or whatever it will be called, I thought this brief email exchange with an antique electronics collector gives some excellent perspective on why we get excited about these events.
\x0aOf course I looked up Philo Farnsworth on Wikipedia in order to learn more about my radio’s namesake. The man invented electronic television, and yet he lived much of his life wondering if it actually contributed to the advancement of society. I was struck by this exchange he had with his wife upon seeing men land on the moon on television.
\x0a\x0aElma Farnsworth: We were watching it, and, when Neil Armstrong landed on the moon, Phil turned to me and said, “Pem, this has made it all worthwhile.” Before then, he wasn’t too sure.\x0a
We put a man on the moon back then. Nowadays, NASA is getting outsourced and consumer electronics get thrown out every 18 months.
\x0aI’m not sure if these new devices will be worthwhile, or whether they’ll contribute to the advancement of society, or whether they’ll even be collectable—but I’ll be watching.
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\x0a \x0a \x0a Smells Like Pre-Teen Spirit?
\x0aWhile cleaning out my suburban closet back home in Virginia, I stumbled across some old cassettes that I had dubbed in the early 1990s. I think the artwork on this particular bootleg of Nirvana’s “Nevermind” is probably the least punk thing ever to have been influenced by Cobain.
\x0a“What happened here?”
\x0aThe question lingered in the air as our rental car sped along Route 54 in Kansas, somewhere between Wichita and Dodge City. We had no idea exactly where we were, or what had happened until we saw a sign.
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\x0aGREENSBURG, KS\x0a
Rebuilding…
STRONGER, BETTER, GREENER
Home of the “BIG WELL”\x0a
That’s when I remembered the Tornado—and everything that came after it.
(Thanks to Chris Cheatham’s consistent coverage of Greensburg on Green Building Law Update)
\x0aOn May 4, 2007, Greensburg was hit by an EF5 tornado, which destroyed 95% of the city and left the other 5% severely damaged (see e.g., Mike Theiss’ photos, and Jon Person’s photos). Only one building was left standing on Main Street (it’s now an antique store).
\x0aBut the city decided to rebuild; and, it decided to rebuild “green.” In the words of then-Governor Kathleen Sebelius, “We have an opportunity of having the greenest town in rural America.”
\x0aGreensburg had to decide what policies to enact in order to achieve such a green goal. Just 12 weeks after the tornado flattened the town, the City Council presented a thorough long-term plan (.pdf, amazing that they made this so quickly and so well). The Public Square Steering Committee stated it’s vision statement therein:
\x0a“Blessed with a unique opportunity to create a strong community devoted to family, fostering businesses, working together for future growth.”\x0a
On December 17, 2007, Greensburg made history (.pdf) by being the first place in the country to require all city-owned buildings larger than 4,000 square feet to become certified LEED® Platinum by the U.S. Green Building Council and requiring all city-owned buildings to reduce energy use by 42% over current building requirements.
\x0aAs a passerby on a road trip, it was inspiring to look out the car windows and see such an incredible story of rebirth in America’s Heartland.
\x0a\x0a\x0aCheck out the full photo set from our drive.
\x0aStories about typewriters seem to be popping up all over the place this December. I thought I’d collect them here.
\x0aAfter reading all these articles, I ran across this great typewriter illustration by Robert Samuel Hanson, whose work in Monocle is fantastic.
\x0a\x0aReminds me of a picture I took with my lovely Olivetti Valentine.
\x0aIn conclusion, I need to type more.
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\x0a \x0a \x0a Georgia Aquarium. You seen Nemo?
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