Tuesday, October 29, 2013

SnoutCast #193: Capitol Gamemakers (Part 1 of 3)

Now hear this: the first part of our extended conversation with Gamemakers Todd Etter, Phil Dasler, Natalie Parisi, and Sam Freund from The Famine Game!


[ Download mp3 - 26 MB ]

What Else?

Tell us we're wrong on the Internet! E-mail podcast@snout.org or post a comment at www.snout.org/podcast.

Music: instrumentals from "Code Monkey" and "Chiron Beta Prime" by Jonathan Coulton

[ Subscribe to SnoutCast / iTunes link ]

Curtis DeeAnn Todd Phil Natalie Sam

Thursday, October 24, 2013

In Which I am a Professional Actor IN THE FUTURE


Shown above: the expurgated version of my paycheck from one day of background work on the upcoming Christmas episode of Grimm. Minimum wage, but not bad considering I sat around killing zombies for a few hours and then literally walked up and down a hallway half a dozen times.

After I received the check, I deposited it to my bank using their mobile app--snap two photos, confirm amount, and done. It kind of blows my mind that an advanced technology I imagined back in high school is actually commonplace now.

Curtis

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

My OryCon 35 Schedule

ETA(2013-11-04): better link destinations for co-panelists, sign-up info for ORCs, Twitter stuff.

If you're anywhere near Portland, Oregon (the science fiction capital of America!) during the second weekend of November, stop by OryCon 35 and have some fun--not necessarily involving steampunk cosplay, though I'm sure there will be plenty of that.


As seen on Portlandia. Sort of. Not really.

As usual, my major activity is running the Open Read and Critique (ORC) sessions: two on Friday, two on Saturday. The second Friday session is at 8PM, to better accommodate volunteers and panelists who are too busy earlier in the day. Sign up each morning (or the night before) to get some quick feedback on your writing!

Here's where you'll find me at the con:

Friday, November 8th


2:00pm-3:00pm
ORCs: Open Read and Critiques (Session A)
Madison
Friday afternoon Open Read and Critiques (ORCs) allow writers of all skill
levels to read the first 750 words of their work to a round table group of
the same. Sign-up sheets will be outside Madison no later than Friday morning!

8:00pm-9:00pm
ORCs: Open Read and Critiques (Session B)
Madison
Friday evening Open Read and Critiques (ORCs) allow writers of all skill
levels to read the first 750 words of their work to a round table group of
the same. Sign-up sheets will be outside Madison no later than Friday morning!

Saturday, November 9th


11:00am-12:00pm
Social media, time suck or revolution
Idaho
Social media played a major roll in the Arab Spring, oppressive
governments have turned off the internet. What is next?
(panel with Rob Wynne and Jason Andrew)

1:00pm-2:00pm
ORCs: Open Read and Critiques (Session C)
Madison
Saturday afternoon Open Read and Critiques (ORCs) allow writers of all
skill levels to read the first 750 words of their work to a round table
group of the same. Sign-up sheets will be outside Madison no later than Saturday morning!

2:00pm-3:00pm
ORCs: Open Read and Critiques (Session D)
Madison
Saturday afternoon Open Read and Critiques (ORCs) allow writers of all
skill levels to read the first 750 words of their work to a round table
group of the same. Sign-up sheets will be outside Madison no later than Saturday morning!

Complete convention schedule online at: orycon35.sched.org


I'll be tweeting from the con "officially" as @curtiscchen and just-for-fun as @sparCKL. Double your pleasure by following both accounts!

Curtis

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

SnoutCast #192: Puzzled Pint International

In which the Pacific Northwest phenomenon debuts in Stockton-on-Tees! Thanks to loyal listener Chris in England for his continued support and enthusiasm. :)


[ Download mp3 - 24 MB ]

00:59 - "trans-Atlantic"
02:00 - everyone should play Last Night on Earth (as seen on Tabletop)
03:47 - recasting Puzzled Pint: February 2011
05:55 - how does this spreadsheet work again?
09:10 - the origin of "Chris and Pat"
14:51 - backsolving is perfectly valid (albeit sometimes unsatisfying)
18:47 - DeeAnn on puzzle communities, especially Portland, Oregon
20:33 - upcoming online puzzle events: Ghost Patrol "Recon" (Oct.31st), Elevate Tutoring Puzzle Hunt "the 2nd" (Nov.2nd), The Octothorpean Order "for realz" (Nov.16th); more at PuzzleHuntCalendar.com!
25:58 - The End

Tell us we're wrong on the Internet! E-mail podcast@snout.org or post a comment at www.snout.org/podcast.

Music: instrumentals from "Code Monkey" and "Baby Got Back" by Jonathan Coulton

[ Subscribe to SnoutCast / iTunes link ]

Curtis DeeAnn

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

My 40th Birthday Survey Results

TL;DR: Despite an unfair advantage, my sister still wins. :)

Back in September, I asked people (by e-mail and social media) to fill out a quick survey describing how long we've known each other, where we met, and their first impressions of me in five words or fewer. It turned out to be the second best birthday present ever! (The best was, of course, The Double Secret Game.) Below are the results of this completely unscientific study.


I received 110 total responses, the first on September 4th (DeeAnn, testing the form) and the last on October 2nd, the day after my actual birthday. The majority of the responses--71 people, or just over 65%--came in during "opening weekend" (Thursday, September 5th, through Sunday, September 9th).


Mmm... pie chart...

Not surprisingly, the biggest segment of responders was in the 2-5 year range (2008-2010). We moved to our current home area--Portland, Oregon--in late 2008, and about a year later started making a real effort to get out of the house and meet people. There's another big cluster of responses in the 1-2 year range (2011-2012), which includes several Sea Monkeys and more awesome Portlanders.

The second biggest segment was the 10-20 year range (1992-2002), which includes some college friends, my wife, and other people we know from living in the San Francisco Bay Area for over a decade. Many of those are Gamers, and all of them are fantastically creative and generous, because that's how we met them: through doing cool stuff for fun!

My favorite part, though, is the five-word first impressions. Here's the word cloud (minus seven people who opted out of this public analysis):


"IN NO MORE THAN FIVE(5) WORDS: what was your FIRST IMPRESSION of me?"

Of course, some of those individual words don't make much sense out of context. In no particular order, here are a few of my favorite five-word first impressions:

  • "Tall guy likes Star Trek"
  • "quiet, tall, and hungry"
  • "Quiet, but lots in there."
  • "Kind of mopey, I think."
  • "inclusive trekkie asian ambitious nice"
  • "Guy interviewing me" (from a former co-worker)
  • "He looks like Mr. Spock."
  • "He likes everything I like!"
  • "Intriguing -not normal"
  • "still waters run deep"
  • "someone I'd like to meet"
  • "Clever non-aardvark Bastard"

But honestly, it's the entire collection of responses that is most striking. You can see some of that in the word cloud--I am clearly known far and wide for my love of Star Trek, and also for being tall and quiet. I guess I knew a lot of this already, but it's nice to have actual data. You know, science and all that.

I also provided a form field labeled "Anything else you'd like to tell me?" in case five words wasn't enough. Some of those responses were pretty great, too:

  • "Yes, but I had a stroke so I can't write it."
  • "Don't make a fucking W with your fingers.

    It's been great getting to know you over the years through games, social events, and those crimes we agreed never to discuss. Here's looking forward to another 9 years! Cheers!

    Corby"
  • "Dude, if I could remember things that happened years ago, I wouldn't have got into the habit of writing stuff down. So, uhm, don't trust that memory of your first impression too far. Oh, wait, I write stuff down, so I don't have to remember: Here's the earliest mention of you on my site: http://lahosken.san-francisco.ca.us/anecdotal/hunt/5/05.html#happybirthday"
  • "Funny, the 'how long have we known each other' question was surprisingly difficult to answer. I played in your Hogwarts Game in 2006, but don't really think that counts - I was looking for some kind of definitive 'social' connection. I decided to go with what I could mine from Gmail:

    Date: Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:23:59 -0700
    To: Jeff Phillips
    From: Facebook
    Reply-to: noreply
    Subject: Curtis C. Chen confirmed you as a friend on Facebook...

    ~Jeff"
  • "I like you. I don't want to punch you in the face."
  • "Your creativity inspires me!"
  • "I think it's a very good reflection on my taste in friends that many of them are able to reinvent themselves, take chances, create new amazing things, and involve others in their projects. You can do all that (and more), and it is for that reason you're my friend."
  • "Thanks for introducing me to Larry Niven!" (his books, not personally)
  • "The first time we met, I totally profiled you.

    Our section of the airport was nearly empty. We were both waiting for our connecting flight to Martha's Vineyard to attend Viable Paradise. I saw you working on a laptop that had a bunch of stickers on it. Laptop and stickers somehow screamed 'science fiction nerd' even though I couldn't see what the stickers were exactly. I consulted my own machine, saw that there were two distinctly Asian names on the VP student list. You looked more like a Chen than a Ha (though of course you could've easily been a Terhune, Johnson, or Kloos). I approached cautiously, half-expecting you to explode: 'What? So you see an Asian guy in an airport and just assume we all write science fiction??!' To my perhaps visible relief, you just smiled and shook my hand.

    Happy 40th, Curtis!" (from a VPXII classmate)
  • "You introduced me to the Hollywood Bowl. I've been following classical music ever since." (from a high school friend)
  • "It was my third date with Wei-Hwa and I remember him inviting us along to dinner with you guys. It was a great time."
  • "You know the line from the theme from the movie Shaft that goes 'who's the black private dick that's a sex machine to all the chicks? Shaft!'

    Well, if you were black, and a detective, and hugely promiscuous, and your name were Shaft instead of Curtis, I would think that song would apply perfectly to you.

    And even though you are none of those things, I think the song applies to you anyway.

    Happy birthday, Mr. Not an Aardvark!"
  • "I heard 'I'm an Aardvark' on my kid's Sesame Street playlist just last week!"
  • "Welcome to the old-timers club, sonny."
  • "You have only two years to plan your next birthday project. 42. It is the number after all."

But all that said, I think this is my single favorite overall response (from my younger sister):


Thank you to everyone who participated, and thanks for reading all of this rambling analysis! Those interested can view all the public raw data and do the math yourself. Feel free to share your own conclusions in a comment below. :)

Curtis

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

SnoutCast #191: "Double Secret" Contributors Corby and Josh

This week, we talk to Josh Ward and Corby Anderson, two of the puzzle creators for my "Double Secret" surprise birthday puzzle hunt!


[ Download mp3 - 23 MB ]

00:59 - "conspiratorial"
03:57 - Josh's puzzle creation story
08:09 - Corby's puzzle creation story
09:37 - everything you need to know about Q is in "Spock Impersonator"
12:22 - fun with Photoshop (or perhaps GIMP)
16:19 - "It's a fake!"
21:40 - yet another link to the slideshow
23:19 - The End

Tell us we're wrong on the Internet! E-mail podcast@snout.org or post a comment at www.snout.org/podcast.

Music: instrumentals from "Code Monkey" and "First of May" by Jonathan Coulton

[ Subscribe to SnoutCast / iTunes link ]

Curtis DeeAnn Josh Corby

Monday, October 14, 2013

I'm Sure You're Shocked...

...by the results of this online quiz I just took. Procrastination!

Your results:
You are Jean-Luc Picard
Jean-Luc Picard
65%
Worf
65%
Mr. Scott
60%
Geordi LaForge
60%
Leonard McCoy (Bones)
55%
Uhura
55%
An Expendable Character (Redshirt)
55%
Spock
52%
Beverly Crusher
50%
Mr. Sulu
45%
Will Riker
45%
James T. Kirk (Captain)
45%
Chekov
40%
Data
38%
Deanna Troi
35%
A lover of Shakespeare and other
fine literature. You have a decisive mind
and a firm hand in dealing with others.


Click here to take the "Which Star Trek character am I?" quiz...



Curtis

Tuesday, October 08, 2013

SnoutCast #190: This Was 40

Okay, it's forty-eight--minutes long, that is, if you want to be pedantic. But come on, my wife and some of my best friends made a birthday puzzle hunt just for me. I think I'm allowed to gush for a while.

THANK YOU again to everyone who helped with "The Double Secret Project!" I love you all forever. (Scroll down for the inevitable slideshow.)


[ Download mp3 - 45 MB ]

00:59 - "deceptive"
03:20 - the lying began way back in June
08:16 - a close call in July!
10:29 - The Game began at Genies
15:19 - the first Clue: at which point Curtis knows for sure Matt is involved
19:09 - the second Clue, more revelations, and solving alone is hard
20:59 - the third Clue: Brian, Jeff, and Donna's "chubby tricorder"
25:33 - changing cars, getting kidnapped, and learning about child safety locks
29:19 - the fourth Clue: Q presents some paper dolls
31:50 - the fifth Clue: music to transport by
33:38 - the final Clue: Starship Artemis on stage!
44:27 - (don't worry, we'll talk about The Famine Game soon)
45:10 - upcoming: Ghost Patrol Reconstructed (Halloween night)
48:15 - The End

And here's the slideshow (photos by Britta and Chris, certain terrible music choices by Richard):


http://youtu.be/m3Mv0riLu6o

Tell us we're wrong on the Internet! E-mail podcast@snout.org or post a comment at www.snout.org/podcast.

Music: instrumentals from "Code Monkey" and "I Feel Fantastic" by Jonathan Coulton; "The Nerdy Birthday Song" by The Doubleclicks

[ Subscribe to SnoutCast / iTunes link ]

Curtis DeeAnn

Thursday, October 03, 2013

Now Hear This

Eventually, somebody's going to figure out that these recorded messages are going to the wrong place.

Meanwhile, here's more (in Spanish) from the Los Angeles Unified School District!





Feel free to post your English translations in the comments. :)

Curtis

Tuesday, October 01, 2013

This is 40

The last ten days have been full of so much awesome, I can hardly believe it. I'm forty years old now, and I am incredibly happy and grateful to know such wonderful people in the world.

I'll write more later, but meanwhile, check out this slideshow from my surprise puzzle hunt and early birthday party (photos by Britta):


http://youtu.be/m3Mv0riLu6o

And a few of my random photos from The Famine Game:


https://picasaweb.google.com/116737692309729475506/TheFamineGameHighlights?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCIfA-_PJwdWUew&feat=directlink

Like the song says: life begins at forty. My adventures are just beginning.

Curtis

SnoutCast #189: Chasing the Raven (Part 2 of 2)

Here's the second half of our conversation with Rich Bragg, Dan Egnor, Wei-Hwa Huang, and Jonathan McCue about their experience playing in the Ravenchase 2013 Great America Race. (You can read their daily blog posts, including photos and puzzle details, at "Bloody, Smoking, and Burning.")

ALSO: Would you like to solve Curtis' 40th birthday puzzle? Or rate this podcast? C'mon, it'll be fun! Thanks in advance. :)


[ Download mp3 - 21 MB ]

04:18 - ...and now, the conclusion!
22:18 - The End

Tell us we're wrong on the Internet! E-mail podcast@snout.org or post a comment at www.snout.org/podcast.

Music: instrumentals from "Code Monkey" and "Tom Cruise Crazy" by Jonathan Coulton

[ Subscribe to SnoutCast / iTunes link ]

Curtis DeeAnn Rich Dan Wei-Hwa Jonathan