Sunday, October 31, 2010
Postcard #51
Another electronic greeting--this one from my Uncle Tau, who lives near Boston, Massachusetts. There was a reason I wanted actual, physical postcards--because I liked the idea of having real objects I could touch, and I wanted to see what kinds of postcards people would find locally--but it's nice to hear from people regardless. And personal photographs are always fun!
Postcard #50
Not surprisingly, Larry and Chris seem to shop at the same postcard store. But Larry also felt the need to
Postcards #48 and 49
Two wonderful homemade postcards from our good friend Loren. We do miss the Mountain View Farmer's Market. And In-N-Out. And randomly running into people we know while we're out and about. Little things mean a lot.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Friday Flash Fiction: "Friday the Thirtieth"
Yes, I know today is not the 30th. The title is my attempt to mash up two familiar tropes: Friday-the-13th horror and dreading-your-30th-birthday horror. I think the concept has merit, but I'm not sure I executed it very well.
And no, despite coincidental similarities to my 37 postcards project, this piece is not autobiographical. Informed by personal experience, perhaps, but I am neither a 30-year-old woman or haunted by mailmen from hell. Just to be clear.
Read "Friday the Thirtieth" at 512 Words or Fewer
And no, despite coincidental similarities to my 37 postcards project, this piece is not autobiographical. Informed by personal experience, perhaps, but I am neither a 30-year-old woman or haunted by mailmen from hell. Just to be clear.
Read "Friday the Thirtieth" at 512 Words or Fewer
I Have a Secret Admirer, Too!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Postcard #47
Riel and his wife Tiffany just moved to Portland recently. Mutual friend Shenly introduced us by e-mail, and we first met in person at Lucky Lab's weekly game night. I'm looking forward to spending more time with them. He's right about the bridges, by the way--they're awesome.
Postcard #46
Adam is my editor at ProgrammableWeb and the author of Map Scripting 101. He's also very tall.
Speaking of PW, I'm taking a break from my API news blogging right now to devote time to NaNoWriMo and some other projects. I expect to be back on the blog-horse before the end of the year.
Also, "Back on the Blog-Horse" is the name of my bitpop OK Go cover band.
Postcard #44
After my sister and I both graduated college and moved away for good, my parents sold the house we'd grown up in and bought a smaller house on a hill in RPV. Then they moved into an apartment, temporarily, while my father "remodeled"* the modest home into a huge mansion. (As my sister says, you could hide immigrant families under the giant island counter in the kitchen. And as DeeAnn says, you could hide bodies inside that Sub-Zero refrigerator.) They have a koi pond and a beautiful view out their back window, and we always enjoy visiting when we get the chance.
* Apparently, if you leave just one wall standing of the original structure, you don't need the more expensive type of building permit.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Comic Book Report: Wednesday Comics
Another reason I love my local library: because I can check out oversized hardcovers like this for free, instead of spending $50 and not having bookshelf space for them.
This was DC's tribute to the full-page Sunday newspaper comics of yore. The results are a mixed bag, but definitely worth a look. There's a wide range of storytelling talent and art styles on display here. Neil Gaiman's Metamorpho tale gets a lot of mileage out of tweaking genre tropes and panel layout conventions. The Wonder Woman pages were too busy for me, visually, but I was pleasantly surprised by the stories featuring lesser-known characters like Kamandi and Deadman. And I think someone may finally have found the right tone for a Supergirl story.
Buy the book: Powell's, Amazon
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
SnoutCast #39: "Playtesting"
In which we address playtesting-related questions raised by Larry, creator of 2 Tone Game, and refer to playtesting-related insights from Matt, co-creator of Ghost Patrol.
[ Download mp3 - 36 MB ]
00:58 - "exciting"
01:29 - our inspirations: Puzzled Pint preparations, Larry's "Question for GCs: Observing Playtesters," and Matt's "Puzzle Authoring and Editing In A Game Control Setting"
03:32 - "We probably shouldn't do podcasts in bed anymore"
04:18 - pondering the properties of pontification
05:20 - how Team Snout approaches playtesting
11:19 - playtesting parties and other good things about the San Francisco bay area
14:32 - the hindsight effect: un-hating puzzles in retrospect
20:32 - prototype revision anxiety
25:15 - The Game is bigger than any one person on GC
27:49 - "The needs of the many..." (Q.E.D.)
28:27 - remote playtesting in Hogwarts Game and DASH 1 & 2
36:18 - the playtesting hierarchy (worst to best): e-mail, phone, in-person
36:53 - Pope hat! Pope hat! (7:42)
37:37 - upcoming events: Ghost Patrol BANG/SNAP 7 (10/31, Bay Area/Seattle)
39:10 - The End
Music: instrumentals from "Code Monkey" and "I Crush Everything" by Jonathan Coulton
[ Subscribe to SnoutCast / iTunes link ]
P.S. A hearty shout out to Dann Webster and Jonathan McCue, with whom we spent a lovely evening in Los Angeles earlier this month! DeeAnn and I had a great time chatting with them about puzzle hunts and related topics, while enjoying California ribs and frozen yogurt (not at the same time).
[ Download mp3 - 36 MB ]
00:58 - "exciting"
01:29 - our inspirations: Puzzled Pint preparations, Larry's "Question for GCs: Observing Playtesters," and Matt's "Puzzle Authoring and Editing In A Game Control Setting"
03:32 - "We probably shouldn't do podcasts in bed anymore"
04:18 - pondering the properties of pontification
05:20 - how Team Snout approaches playtesting
11:19 - playtesting parties and other good things about the San Francisco bay area
14:32 - the hindsight effect: un-hating puzzles in retrospect
20:32 - prototype revision anxiety
25:15 - The Game is bigger than any one person on GC
27:49 - "The needs of the many..." (Q.E.D.)
28:27 - remote playtesting in Hogwarts Game and DASH 1 & 2
36:18 - the playtesting hierarchy (worst to best): e-mail, phone, in-person
36:53 - Pope hat! Pope hat! (7:42)
37:37 - upcoming events: Ghost Patrol BANG/SNAP 7 (10/31, Bay Area/Seattle)
39:10 - The End
Music: instrumentals from "Code Monkey" and "I Crush Everything" by Jonathan Coulton
[ Subscribe to SnoutCast / iTunes link ]
P.S. A hearty shout out to Dann Webster and Jonathan McCue, with whom we spent a lovely evening in Los Angeles earlier this month! DeeAnn and I had a great time chatting with them about puzzle hunts and related topics, while enjoying California ribs and frozen yogurt (not at the same time).
Monday, October 25, 2010
Postcard #43
At first glance, I thought the photograph on this vintage postcard was from Disney World, but it's actually Toronto, where my VPXII classmate Claire lives with a curious assortment of wildlife.
Towelbeast!
An amusing photo from a trip we took back in July:
That's what we found in the bathroom when we checked into our room at the Holiday Inn Express. Incidentally, HIE has become one of our favorite hotel chains; they always have good kitchenettes (mini-fridge, microwave oven, and counter space), hot breakfast in the morning and snacks at cocktail hour, and usually decent wi-fi. Road trippers take note.
That's what we found in the bathroom when we checked into our room at the Holiday Inn Express. Incidentally, HIE has become one of our favorite hotel chains; they always have good kitchenettes (mini-fridge, microwave oven, and counter space), hot breakfast in the morning and snacks at cocktail hour, and usually decent wi-fi. Road trippers take note.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Postcard #42
A very pleasant surprise from my lovely wife DeeAnn, who was pretty sneaky during our visit to the Maryhill Museum of Art a few weeks ago. I love her more today than yesterday, but not as much as tomorrow.
Postcard #40
I'm sure it's just a coincidence that the text on this card, from my erstwhile co-worker and Longshots co-captain Chris, forms the acrostic "I bat bofh." I'm sure it doesn't mean anything. Yeah.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Postcard #39
The VPXII roll call continues! This time it's Jeannie, who was an accomplished poet before the workshop and continues to proliferate verse from her home base in the Midwest.
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