Personal blog.
This post is in response to Apple’s App Store Small Business Program announcement . For decades, developers were able to create and distribute their software, whether free or for a fee, to anyone with a PC or laptop. There was no gatekeeper deciding who was in or out, and there was no requirement that they hand over a significant percentage of their revenue to the device maker. Video game consoles…
The following is a transcript of a talk I gave on November 28, 2019 for PechaKucha Night Winnipeg Vol. 40 at Park Theatre. I've been writing code for over 20 years. I didn't set out to become a software developer, but it's been a huge source of opportunity in my life, to meet people, to travel. It's also been a huge source of creative output. I get to see my ideas in action. Most people don't…
I'm flying home from California and as a result I'm unable to attend the climate strike that's happening all across Canada today. I still wanted to contribute in some way, so here is my #nottherestillcare . It's a post I've been working on for a while, and it still feels somewhat unfinished, but I think it's good enough and important to speak up now so here it goes. First a brief aside. As I…
I saw this tweet today: Labor Day wish: Please, no more talk of companies “giving” people jobs. In reality, the gift relationship goes in the opposite direction. Workers give their blood, sweat and tears, sometimes their lives, and in return companies pay them the minimum they can get away with. — Barbara Ehrenreich (@B_Ehrenreich) September 2, 2018 As someone who's been both employee and…
Originally published on the Flipside XR blog . Developing in the open means taking the open-source concept of release early, release often and applying it to a commercial product. It means updating users frequently and transparently. It means showing your unfinished work, listening to and learning from your users, and adapting to their feedback. For us, it meant putting a Flipside Studio update…
Originally published on the Flipside XR blog . "The changes are dynamic and take place in real time. The show reconfigures itself dynamically depending upon what happens moment to moment… It’s a smart play." – Neal Stephenson, The Diamond Age We started Flipside out of a shared passion for using technology to empower people to be creative and to tell their stories. We love building creation tools,…
Originally published on the Flipside XR blog . Storytelling in virtual reality is about directing attention and engaging via interaction with the user. In film, there is the frame to direct attention, but in VR the user can look away when you didn't intend for them to and miss a key plot point or instruction. Here, I'd like to explore how Teller's secrets that magicians use to manipulate audiences…
Originally published on The Campfire Union blog . We started The Campfire Union with the idea that we wanted to find ways of using new technologies to create positive change in the world. We don't make first-person shooters, for example, and we try to have a positive focus in the work we do. Virtual reality is a chance to solve some problems that technology hasn't been good at in the past, solving…
Originally published on The Campfire Union blog . Rachael and I waaay back in the day. What were we thinking? I've always known what I wanted to be when I grew up. When I was 6 I wanted to be an artist, so my parents enrolled me in art classes and I spent every minute I could drawing and making art. When I was around 8 I decided I wanted to make video games, so I spent my days filling notebooks…