Michael Arrington just posted about a slew of startups that, in a Web 2.0 twist on the Monty Python Argument Clinic, are trying to monetize the apparently boundless appetite for online bickering. The latest is convinceme.net—a place that reminds me of the hallway of my freshman dorm.
Fight Sites
February 1, 2007Frito-Lay Gets It
February 1, 2007
I heard this morning on NPR that this Sunday’s Superbowl might be the first to air an advertisement that was made on a budget of $12.79.
Demonstrating perfect pitch for what kids are up to these days, Frito-Lay decided to forego spending $1 million on a professionally-produced Doritos Superbowl commercial. Instead, in mid-September they launched “Crash the Superbowl,” a web-based contest for home-made Doritos ads. Frito-Lay picked 5 finalists out of the 1060 submissions. The winner, chosen by consumer web voting, will be aired Sunday in front of 90 million viewers. It is kind of YouTube meets American Idol.
My only question: who will get the Clio—the kid with the camera and $12.79, or the genius who thought up this plan?
Burns Supper
January 28, 2007
Every nation has its traditional holidays. Scotland is the only country I know of with a ritual celebration of its national poet (Robert Burns). How great is that! The celebration is called a Burns Supper. It always includes drinking scotch whiskey, reciting poetry, and eating a dreadfully unappetizing traditional sausage called “haggis.”
I went to my first ever Burns Supper last night. I was nervous enough about eating haggis to consider bringing a granola bar as a backup meal. However, surprise #1: the haggis was quite edible—even good, served with mashed potatoes and rutabaga.
Surprise #2: I loved the poetry. I am not usually a big fan of poetry readings. Maybe it had something to do with the 3 different single malt scotches I tried. Anyway, my favorite poem was “To A Mouse, On Turning Her Up In Her Nest With The Plough.” This stanza stayed with me all day today (and not just because it is the only one in English):
I’m truly sorry man’s dominion,
Has broken nature’s social union,
An’ justifies that ill opinion,
Which makes thee startle
At me, thy poor, earth-born companion,
An’ fellow-mortal!
Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
January 25, 2007
Many people (including this group of passionate Dragon’s Lair fans) have asked how The Act compares to the fabulous Dragon’s Lair, Space Ace, and the other animated laser disc games of the 80′s. I love being mentioned in the same breath with these legends of video game design. I like to think the artwork of The Act is similar to the artistry of Don Bluth, Gary Goldman, John Pomeroy and other ex-Disney greats who created the beautiful artwork of the Dragon’s Lair series.
However, Dragon’s Lair‘s interactivity was limited by its optical disc technology (and the high cost of RAM at the time). The Act, by contrast, allows direct control over a character—more like Donkey Kong than Dragon’s Lair.
The Act‘s biggest innovation is that the player’s direct control is not over physical actions like running, climbing and jumping. Instead, you control emotional attitude like coaxing, flirting, and bullying. The gameplay of The Act revolves around the same thing that makes the story interesting: the relationships and emotions of its characters.
In developing The Act, we experimented with many different graphical styles including CGI and machinima. We even tried video taping live actors. However, it wasn’t until we met Anthony Michaels, Broose Johnson, Barry Temple, Sasha Dorogov, and all the other awesome veterans of Walt Disney Feature Animation’s Orlando studio that we began to achieve the level of acting required to make the “emotional gameplay” work.
Boys’ Night Out
January 23, 2007I spent Saturday night camping out with my son (and 200 other dads & lads) on the U.S.S. Massachusetts.
What’s not to like about running free through an enourmous indoor-outdoor playground/maze, bristling with guns of all sizes? We took a knot-tying class, did Q & A with WWII vets, listened to a storyteller, and watched the classic 1964 Warner Brothers film, The Incredible Mr. Limpet.
Yes, the 16-inch guns were memorable. But what stuck with me was the movie. The Incredible Mr. Limpet stars Don Knotts as the sad loser whose dreams come true when he magically turns into a fish and helps the US Navy win World War II. I loved this movie as a child. Seeing it again, I was surprised by a certain plot element that must have been lost on my pre-adolescent mind. Limpet’s wife Bessie is clearly attracted to another man—Limpet’s best friend George. Bessie and George would much rather be out dancing together than dealing with the boring Limpet. Then, when Limpet turns into a fish, he meets the beautiful Ladyfish, who wants to go with him to the spawning grounds. Limpet resists until he has a chance to talk it over with his wife and to get her blessing. Limpet and Bessie agree that a union between a woman and a fish is not practical, and they run off happily with their more compatible mates.
Is it a child’s primer on divorce? Or is it a metaphor for another kind of identity crisis? In any case, it is beautifully nuanced—not at all the heavy-handed style you might see in a modern movie.
Play by David Schrag
January 16, 2007David Schrag, friend and IT professional extraordinaire, has written a short play, “Life Savings,” that will be performed as part of a theater festival in Middleboro, Massachusetts, February 9. See this post on David’s blog.
Web 2.0 Enterprise Forum
January 11, 2007
Techcrunch, the Web 2.0 news blog (and number 3 highest ranked blog on Technorati), just announced a new forum on their site called “Company Reviews.” It is a simple concept: entrepreneurs post descriptions of their Web 2.0 startups, and everybody else rips them to shreds. Speaking as an ex-angel investor, this is high entertainment.
It reminds me a lot of the M.I.T. Enterprise Forum, only webified.
Boston Herald Article
January 11, 2007There is a nice article about The Act by Lauren Beckham Falcone in today’s Boston Herald. Thanks, Lauren! 
Terrible picture of me, though. Do I really look that old? 
Connecticut Gets into The Act!
January 10, 2007
The Act is now on location at the Se Condi truck stop in Milford, Connecticut (exit 40 off I95—halfway between New Haven and Bridgeport). We had such success at a truck stop in New Hampshire, we thought we’d try another one.
For up-to-date location listings, check the web site.
Faded Fairy Tale
January 9, 2007
Continuing in the vein of old guy romanticizing the past, I rented the 1965 TV movie Rogers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella so that my kids could have it forever glowing in their childhood memories as I do. However, from the moment the show started, I was astounded at how inferior the production values of 1965 television appeared. The music and Leslie Ann Warren’s incredible performance as the abused child shone through for me. But the kids couldn’t get past the Carol Burnett Show sets and the horses hooves clacking improbably on the linoleum sound stage floor. I feebly suggested, “Isn’t this great?”
My daughter’s response: “It’s cheesy!”
I was forced to admit, it was shockingly so…but still great.
