Ideas

Ideas are concepts of reality that haven't been realized yet. There are two different ways of categorizing ideas. Either (a) the idea is worthy of being attempted in real life, or (b) the idea is stupid. Now, this is probably an over-simplification, but I'm not trying to define things using formal mathematics or anything, so I reserve the right to take that liberty. If you disagree with my idea about ideas, feel encouraged to file it under the "(b) stupid idea" category which I just propsed. I won't be offended.

There are subsections of (a) and (b) that are worth mentioning.

With (a) there is the possibility that, upon attempting to bring an idea to fruition you can fail or succeed. Also, there is the possibility of not attempting to realize a particular idea inspite of its merits. For example, two competing ideas are to vacation in the Caribbean or in Italy. Both of these places are likely to be considered good ideas for most people but oftentimes you need to pick one or the other.

Take note that there is a fine line between ideas which aren't winners and ideas that are stupid. Debating Italy vs Caribbean is actually more annoying than debating Italy vs Iowa (sorry if this offends anybody from Iowa). There are many reasons (aside from business trips or visiting family) to visit Iowa. At least, I don't know anybody who wouldn't think planning a vacation to Iowa is a dumb idea. In any case, given those two alternatives, it's easier to choose Italy when comparing it to Iowa than when comparing it to the Caribbean. What's my point? I'm not really sure at this stage.

Ahhh... yes. I remember now. The point was that endlessly debating two "good" ideas is worse than having lots of bad ideas. I believe it's called paralysis by analysis. Try to avoid it if you know what's good for you. Also, learn how to identify that visiting Italy in December might be stupid while going to the Caribbean in August is just as dumb. So, there are ways of rationally binning ideas in one of the two categorizes (in this case, based of the time of year).

And the point that I was really driving at... call my ideas stupid when you think they are. I won't be offended because the majority of the things that come from my brain are NOT worthy of bringing to fruition. I won't be offended when you say my ideas are dumb. I know you aren't making any sort of personal attack. You are judging my ideas negatively, not me. I am an adult - I can take it.

And I ask the courtesy of saying your ideas are dumb from time to time. I hope you understand that it isn't a personal attack. Just because I think one or two of your ideas are stupid doesn't mean that i think you are stupid.

So that's the point. Ideas not worthy of realizing are like the part of a brainstorming session that gets dismissed and thrown-away halfway through. No harm, no foul.

Sorry for rambling. I hope some of this made sense and was worthwhile.

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Escape

Jerry/Tycho likes to say that PAX is something that "just happens" though for tens of thousands of people it's an opportunity to take a break from our run-of-the-mill lives and concentrate on games for an entire weekend. I think sometimes I forget just how valuable gaming and "playing pretend" in general can be.

The keynote this year talked about how gamers, people who immerse themselves in imaginative, virtual worlds, are happier and live longer than non-gamers. Also, games "spread" happiness simply by existing and interacting with the world. People who tune into passive forms of entertainment such as television or reading can't claim that. The speaker talked about games as being the anti-thesis of depression because they are positive and drive us to take an optimistic view of our abilities. All good things.

But back to the "just happens" statement, I disagree. People want PAX Europe and PAX Denver but they aren't "just happening". The mighty efforts of the folks behind Penny Arcade, the exhibitors, the media, the presenters/speakers/panelists, and even the enforcers are a force that are ochestrated only in Seattle and Boston. As pointed out during this years Q&A#1, a PAX costs 8-figures to make it "just happen". I can't imagine that sort of investment being made by too many sources. It's truly a wonderful thing that Penny Arcade can pull it together in the first place.

I could see something working, though. It would not surprise me if Tycho, Gabe, and company could open and operate a business called PA Zone based around nothing more than the Console Freeplay and/or Tabletop Freeplay mode of usage. They could charge fees for daily access ($8), monthly access ($28), and annual access ($98) and schedule regular tournaments for people who go to play. With those fees I bet they could easily pay their bills. I know from organizing a regular poker game that having a place to play stuff is often the greatest challenge. The way PA gives people a place to play is uniquely remarkable. It could work.

Anyway, I wanted to just put this out there that all the aforementioned people who help put on PAX are awesome and extremely appreciated.

That's all for now.

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Keynote

At Penny Arcade Expo 2011. See illustrated.

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Looking Down

I caught the secretary from the Venture Capitalist firm near my office staring out the floor-to-ceiling windows at the world 7 stories below her feet earlier today. It made me realize that I also enjoy looking out and enjoying the view. From the ivory tower the world can't help but have a peaceful, tranquil feeling to it. From afar the details blend into a lush imagine and the scars our too zoomed out to notice.

I wonder if this sort of viewpoint encapsulates an aspect of the human condition or if it's a trait shared only by a percentage of the population. Could "somebody who enjoys the view" be an evolutionary behavior that has been selected by the process of evolution?

In any case, for a handful of people who have visited me in Boston, I do enjoy the restaurant at the penthouse floor of the Prudential building called Top of the Hub. Good eats and great views.

Having said all that, even though Jen is probably going to take this the wrong way, the conclusion of this post is that things are better when you're looking down upon them.

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Running Month Two

The latest running data is now available. I'm winning at this game. It feels good.

I can't think of anything more to say. I think the attached graph speaks for itself. I'm kicking butt. I like that's it's easy to publish this data to keep me honest. Eighteen runs in twenty-eight days. That's 64% which is somewhat disappointing, so hopefully I can improve that in March.

Four months until the big day!!!