How I Roll

I'm in the process of doing a lot of work for the various jobs that I have as well as my own projects and scattered Westside Players duties. But I've been enjoying what I have been doing for the most part, but it has been getting more and more stressful as we push forward with all of the responsibilities and time commitments.

Amazon Web Services, PHP, and automated Flash builds

One of the side projects that I have been working on is an automated build system for Flash applications integrated into a web interface. I have a number of ideas on where I want to take this system, but right now I'm still working on refining the backend. Currently I have a simple form built to select from three basic Flash project templates and a build button. From there, it does the work of passing the project data through the Flex compiler and returns a downloadable SWF as well as an embedded one to test. The use cases are somewhat limited for this, though it could be an easy way to create ad banners, etc that have standard projects. It also wouldn't be a bad packaging process for a site like Kongregate or NewGrounds if they had a "game editor" as part of their development system. The next step will be to package up a basic PushButton Engine template for the system.

Union Work

The work I have been doing for Union has calmed down significantly now that the conference circuit is gearing up or riding constant and the rest of the team is working with developers and manufacturers on the catalogs we have been putting together. We have announced that we will be working with Sony Erickson on their PSP Phone platform. We will also be releasing a build option for the platform down the line, but Union will vet and help port to the device for launch if any Unity developers are interested.

GarageGames is Back!

That's right! If you haven't seen the announcement, GarageGames has returned to its roots with the support of the Graham Investment Group. We are currently up-and-running and offering iTorque 2D, Torque 2D, and Torque 3D at $99! Get 'em while they're hot!

As many people in the indie game development community know by now (an hour after it was announced), InstantAction is closing its doors. This means that at some point in the future, I'll be looking for another job (hopefully in the industry and working with game developers, education, and simulation contractors). Right now, in the immediate future, we are all trying to figure out what everything means and how this will impact us. Tonight, I will be looking at our budget and figuring out things while Marni teaches Excel via an online webinar. Maybe I will have a beer and up my carb intake while I think about it. Soon I'll be cutting back on niceties like beer. But for tonight, I might just drink to the good times and amazing people that I have met and worked with at IA. To the great friends that I have made.

Thank you all for a wonderful ride.

Jeff got it up on YouTube. Whoo-hoo! Now everyone can witness my dedication to the Art. I actually had my hair cut with, yes...steps. Parts 1-6 (because of YouTube's 10-minute limit). See my steps, see me drool!

This is the hell that I woke up to this morning when I went to Mocha Madness to meet Chris to catch up and talk a bit about Manifest Destiny.

Every time I hear the phrase "it's plain to see who wears the pants in your house" or variants of it, I think...what do pants have to do with anything now. I can understand that when pants were relatively unheard of in terms of women's dress and considered a stamp of masculinity, the phrase had some semblance of meaning. Pants, however, are such a commonplace item in women's closets that the phrase should have been retired decades ago. Yet I still hear it.

So I decided to make an image dedicated to shedding the phrase like an old pair of pants.

Pants. With pants comes great responsibility. Shirk it.

Todays blast of music is Quiet Riot's "Cum on Feel the Noise," Mother Love Bone's "Chloe Dancer," The Foo Fighters' "The Pretender," Avril Lavigne's "Complicated," The Deftones "Change (In the House of Flies)," Joydrop's "Beautiful", Artifical Joy Club's "Sick and Beautiful," Lords of Acid's "I Sit on Acid", and Genitorturers "I Touch Myself."

(more...)

Well, I accepted the new position of "Computer Analyst" which is now a non-classified position here at ISU. It is a raise in pay and a lot more programming, which I am quite excited about. I'm still unhappy about the situation that led to the opening of the position. Unhappy is an understatement, but the lab team has had to figure out how to pick up and move on. In fact, I'm starting something that I had planned out years ago that I'd never gotten around to. A way to help document some of the cool stuff that the lab team (past, present, and future) have been able to solve and bring to higher education at Idaho State University.

I haven't gotten very far on it since I have next to no spare time lately (or most of that has been spent sleeping after my appendectomy). I'll be posting more soon as well as contacting members of the lab team past and present to help out if they want.

Anyone who knows me knows that I like 'em my RockBand. And the just announced the lineup for this coming Tuesday.

Devo - The Girl You Want

Devo - Through Being Cool

Duran Duran - Rio

Duran Duran - Girls on Film

The Janitors - Get Your Rock On