I’m not quite sure what to expect. I’m sure there will be tons of geeks with drinks, and plenty of people showing off their latest idea or company. Hopefully some of the sessions will be good. I’m especially looking to get to all of the game design ones that are on the fringes of the social media and advertising nonsense.

If you’re going, definitely ping me, and we’ll chat. :)

top 10 awesome new things i did in 2009 (that i never did before):

1. i got married
2. i visited barcelona, the south of france, and jamaica
3. i found these awesome restaurants: bohemian, ippudo, boqueria, mayahuel, matsugen
4. i got a waldorf blofeld and an apc40
5. i really dug into using ableton live
6. i moved the poke office to a new space in tribeca
7. i obtained my first serious piece of art for my home
8. i rode my bike on govenors island
9. i got a big writeup in creativity magazine
10. i went trout fishing in the mountains

all in one year! holy crap!
life is truly amazing.

One thing that keeps coming up is the wedding registry. Marci & I have a nice home already packed to the brim with gadgets, housewares, and other nonsense, so we’ve opted to do a honeymoon registry. This way people can give us a nice dinner in Barceloa, or a night at a B&B in Avignon, etc. The link is a bit buried on marciandaaron.com but here’s a direct link to the site we’re using.

I’ll probably not be posting much here until November (well, maybe a few links from RSS or something), but until then.. thanks for all the support!

A Winner is You! I’ve finally gotten around to setting up my game review site that I’ve dreamed of for years. BonusAttack will feature a new review almsot every week (I hope) as that’s about how frequently I play games. Maybe one day I’ll add some other features or something, but for now it’s just reviews. Head on over, hit up the RSS, and get ur game on.

Welcome to how music should be done.

The 40th anniversary of the moon landing AND the original recording of Space Oddity. That is a celestial event. EMI has some awesome variations available, including the original multitracks (that mellotron all isolated.. mmmm).. so aspiring producers can attempt a remix (I will be trying one tonight).

Additionally, there is a simple $2 iPhone app, that lets you play around with the mix live on your phone. Awesome!

This is a clear nod towards how digital music can be a sustainable business. Many people are crying “the music industry is dead” and it’s just not true. Only the old way that music made money has died.. and innovations like this will set the stage for the next 30 years of the music industry.

The “digi ep” on iTunes.
The iPhone App.
More info over at the Bowie site.

I’ve been thinking about ideas, idea generation, and what makes those special things happen that everyone loves and says “that was my idea! dammit!”.

Turns out, that there’s plenty of people thinking about it as well. Malcolm Gladwell has a nice New Yorker article on the very subject:

“Good ideas are out there for anyone with the wit and the will to find them, which is how a group of people can sit down to dinner, put their minds to it, and end up with eight single-spaced pages of ideas.”

So, I’m going to make a concerted effort to not just have a lot of ideas. The real secret to is make them real faster. The faster an idea is birthed into existence, the sooner is takes flight, and has it’s mettle tested.

Update: with another great link, thanks @asjonish

There is some basic game elements around creating an avatar, and collecting clothing & aesthetic items.. all of which is won via the rhythm games. These games are simple Guitar Hero or DDR-esque music games, but always refer (at least gesturally) to the music playing on the site at that exact moment. This creates a very real sense that you are playing games “along-side” of other people. Let alone the ability to chat, message, and “dance for” other guests of the site.

The final takeaway that Loudcrowd leaves in your memory, is that there’s a party going on at the site, wether you are there or not, and if you want a little.. take a visit. That’s a powerful feeling to have after just using a site once.

There are a few elements of the system design here that are very interesting:

1. The social network feels like an appropriate vehicle for what is going on in the game. Unlike a vast many other sites, that feel like the social network is unneeded and unnecessary.
2. The games are short, simple to pickup and play, and you are rewarded very quickly. Clearly these aren’t web developers tinkering with games. These are real game designers, and that’s a big deal. Web developers of all sorts need to realize that getting a game right is not just a matter of making it work well & look good in flash. The feeling someone has as they are playing it, is the real thing being designed here.
3. The site gets right down to it. You never get a loading bar (besides the music queuing up), and you never are told what’s going on. You are just plopped right in, and that in itself is refreshing. The language of games in today’s culture is strong enough that people learn by watching what is going on. You don’t need much in the way of tutorials anymore. Especially if you know your audience is this young & savvy.

Also, the music selection is fantastic. :)