http://mutedvision.net/blog mottled, muted but never mild. Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:13:47 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en As a developer it would be wonderful if I could blame any failure to adhere to my interfaces on the user. That is what Jeff Atwood has done in his latest post. The unfortunate reality is that if the users are failing in a consistent way, the real ... http://mutedvision.net/blog/?p=47 I’ve encountered an interesting attitude towards work in my travels, I suspect that many people feel this way: you work hard, you get the job done, your employer is happy, the customer is happy, you get paid. Go home, relax, do it all again tomorrow. Why strive for ... http://mutedvision.net/blog/?p=46 Even if you’re doing well, mixing up your life a bit can add texture and slow the perceived march of time. I gave my notice at Squareflo nearly three months ago because I really want to be developing games. I took the job with all parties being aware ... http://mutedvision.net/blog/?p=45 “Duct tape programming” is not something I would ever want to be accused of, though recently Joel Spolsky wrote a feature suggesting it was a virtue. There are several implications made by the slapstick name. I hear the phrase and envision an individual frantically patching leaks in a ... http://mutedvision.net/blog/?p=44 I’m not really a fan of the phrase ASAP, you might even say I detest it. The ambiguity of the time frame combined with the urgency of the phrase is unsettling and tough to deal with. You might consider “as soon as possible” to be the rough equivalent ... http://mutedvision.net/blog/?p=43 Top down and bottom up are two different and complimentary design and implementation strategies I use when programming every day. Both have a place and both have strengths and weaknesses which complement the other. I typically design top down and implement bottom up. I find this helps ... http://mutedvision.net/blog/?p=42 Today as I was riding my bike without my glasses it struck me just how little I see when I do not wear my glasses. How much I miss when I cannot see the details at a distance. My eyesight is just bad enough that I am legally ... http://mutedvision.net/blog/?p=41 Ah, glad to have Pandora’s Jar working again. Some of you will probably be wondering what exactly I am talking about especially considering the Jar’s rather ominous history. A jar having released all of the evils of mankind except for hope is certainly not something that most people ... http://mutedvision.net/blog/?p=39 I write this in a sleep-deprived state and so you will put up with much rambling… Although everything I’ve written in the past two years (at least) has been written in a sleep deprived state of varying degrees. You see, I have severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea as a ... http://mutedvision.net/blog/?p=37 So I sold that laptop for $1000. Hooray, money! I then proceeded to wait in lines for a combined 8 hours to purchase a Wii. I’ve played it a bit so far and can honestly say it is a really cool system. Wii sports will really get you ... http://mutedvision.net/blog/?p=36 Well, I went to Baselan in Winnipeg this weekend. Had a great time, rode my pwnies into town, hit up the pubs, pugs, and scrims, rolled some noobs and had a big slice of nubcake for dessert. Good times. Unfortunately I can’t claim to have won any placings in ... http://mutedvision.net/blog/?p=35 So my new laptop arrived today. It rocks hard. It’s a tablet convertible pc (Toshiba R25-S3503) and while it may not be the absolute fastest machine on the block, it is amazing for it’s drawing capabilities… It only has 256 levels of pressure sensitivity and no tilt ... http://mutedvision.net/blog/?p=34 My father and I opened up my iPod today, banged it against things, disconnected everything and reconnected it. Then when it looked like it wasn’t going to work after we snapped it back together, it sat around for a minute and a half sulking (or whatever electronics do when ... http://mutedvision.net/blog/?p=33 Sometimes things happen in life that you just have to talk about, that’s part of the reason why I have this thoughtcast. When I have something I need to say, I can shout it out here and the world will know that I have said it. This is ... http://mutedvision.net/blog/?p=32 So I injured my knee(s) during the “Masochistic- possibly- death- inducing- trudge through Hell” as Drew so aptly named it. Masochistic is definitely a term that would describe the four day journey. We ended up hiking 25 kilometers for 12 hours through the hardest, roughest terrain of the ... http://mutedvision.net/blog/?p=31 I am writing to you (the world) again, rejoice! I have just completed what can only be described as a month and a half long “crunch time” working on the late and great “Dragon Canvas.” It is meant to be a networkable drawing/collaboration tool. So far it has drawing ... http://mutedvision.net/blog/?p=30 I was recently (as in just now) informed of a contest on live journal by Jamie (Jeff Cliff’s mate) which involves me posting anything I want about books. While I dislike live journal, there is a prize involved, and I am not one to turn down the opportunity at ... http://mutedvision.net/blog/?p=29 I totally forgot I had read two other books in Vancouver. One of them belonged to Key and the other I left behind so it could be read. 12. Dragon Champion - EE knight | 371 pages 13. The Fall of Reach(Halo) - Eric Nylund | 352 pages these books total pages: ... http://mutedvision.net/blog/?p=28 Many people who know me also know about my book collection. I like reading and collecting fantasy (any good books really, but primarily fantasy.) I generally read at least a few books a year. Some years I read a lot, other years maybe one or two books. Here ... http://mutedvision.net/blog/?p=27 “Happy birthday!” you say. Why, thank you. This year has been a big year for me. I’m turning 21 and That’s a change for me. I can’t say exactly what it is that separates 21 from 20, it just feels much older. I guess I have done a lot ... http://mutedvision.net/blog/?p=26 I decided that it would be best if I were to let you know (warn) you all that I will be back in Regina just in time for classes. I think it’s only polite to let you know that I’ll be invading your personal space again in the near ... http://mutedvision.net/blog/?p=25 Hey, there are two comments which I have just allowed that were written by friends a while ago. The reason it took so long to validate is that I had 44 other messages which were not from friends, but rather from spam companies. I got a surprising number ... http://mutedvision.net/blog/?p=24 Except that instead of back and forth bickering you get the opportunity to barf thoughts onto the front page of a website unfiltered and unquestioned. Now that is real ultimate power. For the record, the phrase “I’m blogging this” bothers me to no end. In fact, I think mention of the ... http://mutedvision.net/blog/?p=23 Sometimes I post on forums when I’ve got time. I usually restrict myself to simply reading them for amusement. Participating in online discussions is usually a fruitless (save the entertainment value) endeavor. I find that when you gather enough people in a chatroom, or an open forum ... http://mutedvision.net/blog/?p=22 Well, long time without any writing. I’ve had a good Christmas, I got a chance to see some of my friends, but not for as long as I would have liked. The time I was in Regina was good though. I’m back in Vancouver now though, so ... http://mutedvision.net/blog/?p=21 So, I (being a whore to all things of the fantasy genre I am) went to see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in the tiny town of Mission (which is about an hour away from Vancouver.) Me and the Ebi headed to a theatre in Vancouver, but ... http://mutedvision.net/blog/?p=20 So, Need for Speed Most Wanted is available now. I have my very own version of the Black Edition for PC which I got because I helped final the game. I worked on the track streamer which is the thing that loads the race as you drive. ... http://mutedvision.net/blog/?p=19 So, I was sitting in the bus on my way home from work today and I came to realize that it is entirely possible that I have a strange way of thinking. As my friends know, sometimes I have a tendency to say some stuff that might sound pretty ... http://mutedvision.net/blog/?p=18 This past weekend for all of Saturday (well, from 12:00 noon on) and most of Sunday Ebi (not Prawn, just a nickname) and myself headed down to “Conifur” (a furry convention) and conversed with some of the strangest and most interesting people you’re likely to find in or around Seattle. ... http://mutedvision.net/blog/?p=17 On my way home from work I ran into hobos. Not like a posse of hobos, just individual drifter types. This isn’t a rare occasion in Vancouver, there are always hobos around. I should take a moment to mention that in Regina the hobo population dies each ... http://mutedvision.net/blog/?p=16 Yes, folks, I’ve been at EA for one month as of yesterday. Some neat things I’ve done just in the last week include: A drop in life drawing class with a model, a Roughrider game with DJ Randal and company (the guy who I can thank for helping me ... http://mutedvision.net/blog/?p=15 It tasted ridiculously good. I put spices on it (not too much, just subtle) and I cooked it until it was medium-rare but closer to the medium side… I can’t believe it turned out so well when just the other day I was having problems microwaving a chicken-pot-pie (it turned ... http://mutedvision.net/blog/?p=14 Relaxed adventures and a long nap. Bought a plant, named him Spads, rolled around on someones floor growling. Generally had an awesome time. I’m going to work on having more good weekends. I really liked how laid back everything was. I’ll keep that up. http://mutedvision.net/blog/?p=13 Mike has fallen off the face of the earth (also known as Vancouver). I am endeavoring to not follow suit. -Aidan So, I bet a bunch of you are wondering if I died or not on the mountain drive here… A few of you may think I actually fell off the ... http://mutedvision.net/blog/?p=12 After reading my best friend’s latest post I realized I haven’t really said farewell to anyone. I’ve been kind of wrapped up in this whole moving business. I guess it’s partially because of the uncertainty of my future. I mean, I’m moving away but for how long? ... http://mutedvision.net/blog/?p=11 But I’m leaving mine. I’ve been gearing up to move out of town and I’m on box 6 of my worldy possessions (which are surprisingly few.) It turns out that most of the volume of what I own happens to be clothing. I’m getting rid of a ... http://mutedvision.net/blog/?p=10 That I’m actually on task… My aspirations would hopefully lead me to work in the games industry, a thankless profession of ruthless business, long hours, and relatively low pay for the work which is done. All joking cynacism aside, I’m super pumped. Apparantly I have like a 12 day turnaround time ... http://mutedvision.net/blog/?p=9 Hi Mike, The interviews went well yesterday as both NFS and NBA are interested. Can you give me a call when you get this to discuss? Thanks, ********* … … Yes! http://mutedvision.net/blog/?p=8 So, I totally forgot to mention that I went to R-Dot the other post. Yeah. I went to R-Dot. It was awesome. Won 3rd in Warcraft 3 TFT and 2nd with my clan in Counter-Strike: Source. All in all it was an excellent time, had ... http://mutedvision.net/blog/?p=7 Hi Mike, I work at Electronic Arts Canada along with **** **** and would like to schedule a phone interview for you regarding a coop position. I just wanted to find out your schedule this week so that I can schedule the itnerview as well as the number that you can ... http://mutedvision.net/blog/?p=6 “dear woman on tv, I do not need or wish to hear about your yeast infection. signed, graham” -Michael Hamilton ____ In other news, I’ve been living off M&M meats for the past few months while living at home alone. <plug>It’s a great place to buy individual quick-to-prepare meals. </plug> What happens every summer ... http://mutedvision.net/blog/?p=5 Apparantly EA is hiring coop students again. I don’t know if anything will come of this, but I got an e-mail from a manager friend (Dee Jay) I have working there and he introduced me (in an e-mail forwarded to both of us) to the coop coordinator at EA. ... http://mutedvision.net/blog/?p=4 Last night I didn’t sleep at all. I had a 6 hour nap mid-day and then stayed up all night and morning. I’m not really sure why, but I had a few adventures along the way as you may have derived from the clever title, my toenail fell ... http://mutedvision.net/blog/?p=3 Who would think that a blog might fall into my lap? I mean, sure, maybe down the road after I had established myself as a leader and pulled together my contacts, references, and influences and wrapped them all into a cohesive empire to view my domain from yon castle. ... http://mutedvision.net/blog/?p=2