Games At Work dot Biz

e491 — Geospatial Bricks

By Michael Martine | November 25, 2024 - 06:24 |November 24, 2024 Podcast

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miniature model map of Tokyo with points of interest — Photo by Thor Alvis on Unsplash

Published 25 November 2024

e491 with Michael, Andy & Michael — #AI training data from authors & #Foursquare #OpenSourcePlaces, #SamStones, #VR experiences from #Lapz, #MSFlightSimulator, #GOG like #Elite & #StarWarsTheOldRepublic and a whole lot more!

Michael, Andy and Michael start off the show with a discussion on Google Lens’ new image recognition and search functionality to comparison shop on price and availability at nearby stores. Next up is a brief article on an opportunity for HarperCollins authors to opt into an agreement to license their books for training an AI language learning model.

Then, staying on the AI training theme, Andy shares his thoughts about the Foursquare Open Source Places data set, replete with the point of interest data from years of Foursquare and Swarm users. This data set according to a Foursquare blog post contains 100mm+ global places of interest and is available for commercial use under the Apache 2.0 license framework. Interestingly enough, the very first episode of Games At Work from January 2012 features Foursquare as an example of the intersection of business and social technologies. Rounding out the geospatial conversation, Michael R shares the example of SamStones, a way to remember Sam Cohn’s love of travel.

Switching gears to VR, the cohosts discuss the beta version of Second Life’s mobile application. In the show notes below, you’ll find an example from Michael R where he ran a mobile Active Worlds experience from his Treo 750 back in May 2008! The team then shares a story about Lapz, a Formula 1 racing experience for the Apple Vision Pro. Then, they take to the skies with the recent launch of the Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024.

Wrapping up this episode are stories about GOG (Good Old Games) work to preserve games, Star Wars the Old Republic celebrating 12 years and Mark Moxon’s work to document the Elite source code for Commodore 64. It seems like only yesterday when Mark was on the podcast, even though it was four years ago on e292: Elite British Gaming!

How might you use the Foursquare Open Sources Places dataset? Have your bots 🤖 drop our bots 🤖 a line at @gamesatwork_biz@botsin.space (our home for now) and let us know!

Selected Links

AI

The Verge article: Google Lens will now help you decide what to buy in-store

Kayak

The Verge article: HarperCollins is asking authors to license their books for AI training

Foursquare are releasing Foursquare Open Source Places as an open data set, to be updated monthly under the Apache 2.0 license. Pretty big news for the geospatial and location data folks. https://location.foursquare.com/resources/blog/products/foursquare-open-source-places-a-new-foundational-dataset-for-the-geospatial-community/

— Andy Piper (@andypiper) 2024-11-19T17:40:23.494Z

https://location.foursquare.com/resources/blog/products/foursquare-open-source-places-a-new-foundational-dataset-for-the-geospatial-community/

— Jay Holler 🌧️ (@jay) 2024-11-20T04:50:54.132Z

Foursquare blog post: Foursquare Open Source Places: A new foundational dataset for the geospatial community

Games at Work e1: Wouldn’t You Like to be a Mayor Too?

SamStones.org

Virtual Reality

Second Life blog post: Second Life Mobile is here!

The Verge article: Vision Pro’s viral Lapz app put on hold after F1 complaint

lapz.io

The Verge article: Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 wasn’t prepared for takeoff

Games & Gaming

My project to document the source code for Commodore 64 Elite just reached 50,000 lines of heavily commented 6502 assembler. It's getting there!
I’m *really* enjoying learning about how the Commodore 64 works. I can’t believe you can expose a whole 64K of RAM in one go! What a beast…
Here’s the source so far: https://github.com/markmoxon/elite-source-code-commodore-64/blob/main/1-source-files/main-sources/elite-source.asm
I hope you like it.
#retrocomputing #retrogaming #commodore #8bit #6502 #c64

— Mark Moxon (@markmoxon) 2024-11-21T18:42:19.103Z

GameRant article: GOG’s Game Preservation Program is a Huge Win for Classic Games

Good Old Games About GOG page

PC Gamer article: 12 years on, Star Wars: The Old Republic is still kicking, with revamped graphics and new story content coming soon

Games at Work e52: Swapping your Battery in 90 Seconds

Good Old Games: Knights of the Old Republic search results

Bonus Articles & Stories

@gamesatwork_biz have you seen this ? https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/brickmyworld/brick-my-world-transform-your-world-into-lego-bricks

— Epredator (@epredator) 2024-11-21T10:23:05.190Z

Kickstarter: Brick My World | Convert real-world objects into LEGO® model

The Verge article: This digital D&D watch lets you roll a fireball from your wrist

Dice by pCalc

Web 11.0 mashup junkie, and co-founder / co-host of the GamesAtWork.biz podcast. My views are my own.

Michael Martine

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 32:07 — 44.7MB) | Embed

e490 — Codename – “Amelia”

By Michael Martine | November 18, 2024 - 06:06 |November 17, 2024 Podcast

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black framed eyeglasses on a white surface — Photo by Gerald Hartl on Unsplash

Published 18 November 2024

e490 with Michael & Michael — #AI, #AR, #VR, #RR (that’s #RealReality) and a whole lot more!

Michael and Michael start off the show with a discussion on how O2 is employing AI to waste phone scammers time. Check out the video in the show notes below for how dAIsy, the AI grandma works. After a quick discussion on Oasis, an AI generated game, the co-hosts then turn to an interview with professor Greg Benson on the future of coding now that natural language processing (NLP) and large language models can interpret user prompts and generate the code required to fulfill the stated need. Both Michael and Michael agree that there is high value in understanding the underpinnings of coding even where NLP can be a tremendous accelerator, much in the same way that writing algebraic proofs deepen the understanding of algorithms.

Switching to mixed reality, Michael and Michael touch on the subject of watching movies and TV shows together, prompted by the YouTube feature on Quest. Michael R expands with another article about the Vision Pro music experience from The Weekend, and shares how intimate the experiences can be when the singer is performing directly for you, up close and personal. Next up, is a story about “Metaversities” in EU and UK schools that remind the cohosts of the Second Life experiences of a video screen in SL. This spurs Michael M to share what he learned at a recent UNCSA.edu School of Design and Production lunch. The ;TLDR is that Gen Z (among others) are craving authentic and real experiences not through a lens or a screen. Following the trend of *R, Michael calls this Real Reality, and in the context of the global entertainment market, this means live performances, such as the crane dance show in Sentosa, Singapore (see video below). This reminds Michael R of an interview he saw with Robert D Putnam, focused on the importance of building community and engagement as explained in his book Bowling Alone.

The pair then turns to the Verge and Engadget stories discussing Amazon’s codename “Amelia” plans to build upon the Echo Frames platform to create augmented reality experiences that can shave seconds off of Amazon delivery drivers’ work. Wrapping up the episode, Michael R gives a quick overview of Tetris Forever and movie professor and adventurer Indiana Jones’ latest gameplay.

Would you want to ask dAIsy, the AI grandmother call your telemarketers? What Real Reality (RR) experiences are you craving? Have your bots 🤖 drop our bots 🤖 a line at @gamesatwork_biz@botsin.space (our home for now) and let us know!

Selected Links

AI

TechRadar article: Daisy the AI grandma is here to answer calls from scammers and waste their time

Wired article: The First Entirely AI-Generated Video Game Is Insanely Weird and Fun

Oasis Github

Stack Overflow blog post: No code, only natural language: Q&A on prompt engineering with Professor Greg Benson

Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality and Real Reality

The Verge article: The YouTube app on Quest will let you co-watch videos with friends in VR

Apple’s SharePlay

9 to 5 Mac article: Apple releasing Vision Pro immersive music experience from The Weeknd this Thursday

Euronews article: Classes in the metaverse? Meta creates digital ‘metaversities’ in EU and UK schools

Victory XR post: What is Digital Twin Metaversity Construction?

UNCSA School of Design and Production

Daily Show podcast episode with Robert D Putnam

Bowling Alone by Robert D Putnam

Games at Work e192: PVP-Y with “I Game Alone” parody of George Thorogood’s song “I Drink Alone”

The Verge article: Amazon reportedly working on Echo Frames for delivery drivers

Engadget article: Amazon reportedly wants drivers to wear AR glasses for improved efficiency until robots can take over

Amazon Echo Frames

Games

The Guardian article: Tetris Forever is the real story of Tetris – and it’s fascinating

The Verge article: Here’s 15 minutes of archaeological action in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

Web 11.0 mashup junkie, and co-founder / co-host of the GamesAtWork.biz podcast. My views are my own.

Michael Martine

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 35:28 — 49.3MB) | Embed

e489 — Networking Rocks!

By Michael Martine | November 11, 2024 - 06:22 |November 10, 2024 Podcast

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mic’d up drum kit and sound board — Photo by Brad on Unsplash

Published 11 November 2024

e489 with Andy, Michael & Michael — creative music, Star Wars inspired album art, stop motion LEGO video, augmented reality “tracing” and a whole lot more! Rock on!

Andy, Michael and Michael start off the show with a CURL Jam YouTube video. The creators used Suno to put the command line tool to music, with metaltastic results.

Then, the team switches to DOS games, courtesy of DOS.Zone. Here, you can launch Oregon Trail Deluxe, Sim City and dozens of other games. Games of chance have been around even longer than DOS (shocker, we know!) and Andy shares a Mastodon post about ancient polyhedral dice.

While it is easy to engage the Games at Work cohosts on LEGO, it was the stop motion animation in the LEGO Instagram post on the new Endurance set that got everyone really excited. Check out the embedded post in the show notes below to check out the creativity of this video.

Next up, architecture, avatars and album art. After reviewing some remarkable home designs, the team takes a look at Universal Relightable morphing avatars. Then the team checks out several Star Wars inspired remakes of classic album art. So creative!

The creativity continues with the Da Vinci Eye application providing an AR version of tracing. Michael R wraps up the show with an expansive addition to the Vision Pro 2.2 beta, providing new wide and ultra wide visualizations.

What theme would you want to use to reimagine album art? Should the team use GenAI to make a country & western (both kinds of music) version of the CURL instructions? Have your bots 🤖 drop our bots 🤖 a line at @gamesatwork_biz@botsin.space (our home for now) and let us know!

Selected Links

Networking Rocks

Suno

Hackaday article: Floss Weekly Episode 808: CURL – Gotta Download ‘Em All

Github curl

Games at Work e460: AskEmilyPost: AI etiquette

Games

Playing some cozy original Sim City for DOS tonight. It's free here:
https://dos.zone/sim-city-1989/

— Jesse Skinner (@JesseSkinner) 2024-11-08T03:33:07.972Z

DOS Zone

Lynx Browser

Oregon Trail Deluxe on DOS Zone

Sim City on DOS Zone

The Verge article: Civilization 7 launches in February

Video Games on SI.com article: Civilization 7 is the gaming poster child for Apple’s new iMac

Gizmodo article: Trump’s Proposed Tariffs Will Hit Gamers Hard

Dice go way back. Some of these appear to meet today’s standards for precision and fairness (all dice should have opposite sides add up to 1+sides. The d6’s sides add to 7). The Greek stone d20 may be 2200 years old.
Learn more #DnD

— Adam Katz (@adamhotep) 2024-11-05T20:53:48.937Z

Libris Arcana article: A Brief History of Polyhedral Dice

LEGO

Officially revealed #Lego Icons 10335 The Endurance (269.99€)
29 november

— BiSSi (@simonebissi) 2024-11-07T16:14:41.763Z

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by LEGO (@lego)

LEGO The Endurance

Design

The Times article: The real grand designs: the 13 best modern homes in the world

Wikipedia article: Home (2020 TV Series)

URAvatar: Universal Relightable Gaussian Codec Avatars

Pleated Jeans article: Artist Reimagines Iconic Album Covers With Star Wars Characters (45 Pics)

Apple

Six Colors article: M4 Mac mini Review: Phenomenal cosmic power, itty-bitty form factor

Da Vinci Eye apps for artists

Boy Genius Report article: One new Apple Vision Pro feature can finally unlock its true potential

Web 11.0 mashup junkie, and co-founder / co-host of the GamesAtWork.biz podcast. My views are my own.

Michael Martine

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:55 — 41.7MB) | Embed

e488 — Fight. For Your Right. To Pla-aaay!

By Michael Martine | November 4, 2024 - 06:32 |November 3, 2024 Podcast

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Neon Pac-Man with neon ghosts Pinky and Inky mounted on a brick wall. — Photo by Sven Mieke on Unsplash

Published 4 November 2024

e488 with Andy & Michael M — video game emulation, AI chat with gardens & articles, watch-based translation, an Oregon Trail movie and a whole lot more!

Michael M and Andy start off the show with a couple of stories dealing with the recent ruling by the US Copyright Office to deny an exemption to the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) to allow video game archivists to share scholarly access to games over the internet. See the show notes for links to the arguments and make your decision.

One of the reasons why such access to games is that some of these games are no longer commercially available, and the impact games have on society is enormous. An article in The Guardian picks up on the importance of playing games and justifies them simply because games “are an invitation to break free from the tyranny of efficiency.” Andy and Michael were hard pressed to attempt to disagree. Spoiler alert – they did not disagree. The co-hosts also note the reference in the article to Jane McGonigal’s book Reality is Broken. Check out a short video of her explanation for why games matter in the show notes below.

Moving right along to AI and spatial collaboration, the co-hosts pick up an article discussing the recently wrapped WebexOne conference from Cisco, taking a closer look at the AI and spatial computing enhancements included in Cisco’s web conferencing software.

Turning from conversing with people, next up is a conversation with a garden. Andy and Michael consider a Small Garden Model (vs a Large Language Model), which will be included in the Chelsea Flower Show in 2025. This AI enhanced garden will allow the visitor to interact with the plants and a myriad of sensors in the garden in an entirely new way. Coming back to interacting with people, Andy shares a bit about his upcoming trip to Japan, and how he might use the translation app on his Apple Watch. One of the features of this application is the ability to download languages to the watch in case he does not have an internet connection when he needs the real-time translation functionality.

Switching to another app, Andy shares his experience in beta testing Particle.news, an AI powered news aggregator that writes an overview of multiple articles on a topic. Particle also allows you to “chat” with the articles and even have it create an “opposite side” summary. As an example for the episode, one of the stories surfaced via Particle deals with an upcoming comedy movie based on the 1970s computer game, the Oregon Trail. Another historic game surfaces in the conversation – Speedball.

The team wraps up the episode with the planned spin down of botsin-space, which has been the home of the Games at Work fediverse bot. Michael M shares that he will be on an AI panel for the Business of Healthcare conference next Friday at the University of North Carolina.

Should the US Copyright Office allow internet accessible video game software emulation? How would you hold your wrist to have a translation conversation with your watch and another person? Have your bots 🤖 drop our bots 🤖 a line at @gamesatwork_biz@botsin.space (our home for now) and let us know!