Episode 343 – Walking to Mordor

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walking
Photo by Olia Gozha on Unsplash

Manual quantified self accounting of walking to Mordor, Raspberry Pi + LEGO, Doom port to checkboxes, beer management flight simulators, Ask Delphi and oh so much more! 

Andy and Michael M get start off this week’s episode with an important question: does one simply walk to Mordor?  They receive a resounding answer of ‘yes’ if you’re looking implement a quantified self practice for your exercise and are a huge Lord of the Rings fan.  Even Delphi gets in on the act – but more on that later.  In order to play the game, one also needs to time travel, because with all the attention on this app, it attracted the attention of the rights holder, and has been withdrawn.  Too bad really.

Raspberry Pi + LEGO?  Yes, yes, and oh yes!  With the newest crossover Build HAT, one can simply attach LEGO Technic motors and sensors to Raspberry Pis.  HAT stands for Hardware Attached on Top, and is a board that allows control of up to four Technic motors and sensors.  Naturally, Andy is very excited about this and cannot wait to get started.  

Another thing that long time listeners will know about Andy is that he loves Doom ports, and this week’s episode has a doozie.  You can play Doom using checkboxes in a browser.  Check out the link below to see the gameplay.

Michael M was excited about a new multiplayer supply chain game (simulation) called The Beergame.  This game has its origins in the 1960s MIT role playing game called The Beer Distribution Game, and allows the players to take on the role of the Retailer, Wholesaler, Distributor or Brewer and showcases the interrelationships between each of these parties.  Check out the paper (link in show notes below) by Professor John D Sterman of MIT about how this game played out in his classroom.  

An intriguing discussion then begins around the Ask Delphi computational model for descriptive ethics.  Give this a listen and try out Ask Delphi for yourself.  

Rounding out this week’s show are articles on ransomware hitting a candy company at Halloween, exclusive podcast content on Spotify, and Peppa Pig on Stadia.

Have another way to gameify walking or beer distribution?  Let us know over at @gamesatwork_biz ! 

Thanks for listening!

Selected Links

C|Net article: This Lord of the Rings app is the only thing getting me to exercise — https://www.cnet.com/news/this-lord-of-the-rings-app-is-the-only-thing-getting-me-to-exercise/ 

Walk to Mordor on Apple App store (not available) — https://apps.apple.com/ee/app/walk-to-mordor/id1228135325 

Walk to Mordor on Google Play (not available either) — https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.walktomordor.wtm&hl=en&gl=US 

Walk to Mordor — https://walktomordor.com 

Quantified Self — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantified_self 

Raspberry Pi article: Meet the Raspberry Pi Build HAT: create with Raspberry Pi and LEGO Education — https://www.raspberrypi.com/news/raspberry-pi-build-hat-lego-education/ 

The Verge article: This Raspberry Pi add-on lets you control LEGO Robots — https://www.theverge.com/2021/10/19/22729239/raspberry-pi-build-hat-lego-technic-spike-education-python 

Hackaday article: Play Doom Using Web Browser Checkboxes (finally) — https://hackaday.com/2021/10/18/play-doom-using-web-browser-checkboxes-finally/ 

NPR article: Online game lets you experience the supply-chain crunch through beer sales — https://www.npr.org/2021/10/22/1048289011/online-game-lets-you-experience-the-supply-chain-crunch-through-beer-sales 

Beergame App — https://beergameapp.com 

Teaching Takes Off Flight Simulators for Management Education — https://web.mit.edu/jsterman/www/SDG/beergame.html 

Ask Delphi — https://delphi.allenai.org 

Ask Delphi whether one should simply walk to Mordor — https://delphi.allenai.org/?a1=does+one+simply+walk+to+mordor%3F+%0A 

NBC News article: Sticky business: Ransomware hits U.S. candymaker ahead of Halloween — https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/ransomware-hits-us-candymaker-ahead-halloween-rcna3391 

Ferrara brands — https://www.ferrarausa.com/brands.html 

Wired article: Spotify is breaking podcasts — https://www.wired.co.uk/article/spotify-exclusive-podcasts

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Episode 342 — Oculus View Source

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Photo by Florian Olivo on Unsplash

HTML, VR, TOTP, AI, OS, EVE & TOSY.  Tons of acronyms, technologies, operating systems, security and one cool frisbee.  

Michael and Michael start things off with a article about how the Governor of Missouri reacted at a press conference when a journalist reported that personal information was contained in the HTML source of an official Department of Elementary and Secondary Education website.  Check out the link in the show notes for some of the interesting responses from developers, the press, security and privacy advocates to the Governor’s comments.  This spurred a conversation about the Internet being compared to a series of tubes.

In VR and training news, Accenture bets big with Oculus, reportedly acquiring 60,000 units of the Facebook-powered headsets.  As these headsets require a Facebook ID to function, the co-hosts ponder whether this means there will be a corporate or private Facebook cloud, or if this means that the users will sign in with their own Facebook IDs.  

In AI news, there are reports of people living on/near 15th Avenue in San Francisco, which has been inundated with self-driving cars recently.  Because of SFO’s “Slow Streets” structure, which discourage through traffic on certain designated streets, autonomous cars are diverted just like regular drivers are, and sometimes need to make a u-turn.  This reminds Michael M of the Mini Motorways game on Apple Arcade. 

Security features once more in this episode, this time with a story dealing with two factor authentication that does not rely on SMS texts.  TOTP (Time-based One-Time Passwords) are now supported by iOS 15, iPadOS 15 and Safari 15 in macOS.  Check out the referenced TidBits article below to learn all about how easy it is to enable such two factor authentication.  

Articles on the latest from Palm (earbuds), Windows 11 gaming optimization, EVE Online made available natively on macOS round out the news.  The episode closes with a remembrance of Ruthie Tompson who made her mark on animation in a big way, and a Kickstarter campaign for an AI & LED powered frisbee.

Playing EVE Online on Mac?  Let us know over at @gamesatwork_biz ! 

Thanks for listening!

Selected Links

Mashable article: Confused governor says looking at webpage’s HTML is criminal hacking — https://mashable.com/article/missouri-governor-mike-parson-reporter-html-hacking

Virtual Reality World Tech article: Accenture acquires 60,000 Oculus Quest 2 headsets for training — https://vrworldtech.com/2021/10/15/accenture-acquires-60000-oculus-quest-2-headsets-for-training/ 

The Times article: Streets of San Francisco stump Google self-driving cars — https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/streets-san-francisco-stump-google-self-driving-cars-z9t6x2k0f 

NPR article: Self-driving Waymo cars gather in a San Francisco neighborhood, confusing residents — https://www.npr.org/2021/10/16/1046752123/self-driving-cars-waymo-san-francisco 

Mini Motorways on Apple Arcade — https://apps.apple.com/us/app/mini-motorways/id1453901000 

TidBits article: Add Two-Factor Codes to Password Entries in iOS 15, iPadOS 15 and Safari 15 — https://tidbits.com/2021/10/07/add-two-factor-codes-to-password-entries-in-ios-15-ipados-15-and-safari-15/ 

Gizmodo article: Palm Is Trying to Make a Comeback, This Time With a Pair of Earbuds — https://gizmodo.com/palm-is-trying-to-make-a-comeback-this-time-with-a-pai-1847862679 

PC Gamer article: Optimize Windows 11 for gaming — https://www.pcgamer.com/windows-11-gaming-optimization/ 

iMore article: EVE Online is now fully native on Mac — https://www.imore.com/eve-online-now-fully-native-mac 

Slashfilm article: Ruthie Tompson, Disney Animation Pioneer, Dies at 111 — https://www.slashfilm.com/630089/ruthie-tompson-disney-animation-pioneer-dies-at-111/ 

Kickstarter: TOSY: Smart Golf Disc & 360 LED Flying Disc & Boomerang — https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tosyflyingduo/tosy-flying-duo-360-leds-flying-disc-and-patented-boomerang 

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Episode 341 – Speeding into Gaming

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crashed car
Photo by  Michael Rowe

Andy and Michael R. go deep talking about gaming. But before we delve into that, we recognize the 10 year anniversary of the passing of Steve Jobs, and another sad day as Germany looks to possibly put a national speed limit on the autobahn.

Looking at a lifehacker article on how to install the latest version of macOS on older (unsupported) Apple computers triggers a discussion on Hackintosh computers, and the problems of long distance tech support.

Going deep on a few games, Amazon’s – New World, Blizzard’s – World of Warcraft (Shadowlands), and Epic’s PC Building Simulator, drives an analysis of player behavior and the problems with bots. We discuss how the gaming mechanics and structure of the game can lead to bad behavior by design. Michael R. brings up his bias of PvE (Player verses Environment) versus PvP (Player versus Player), and how a PvP end game can cause for bad social behavior.

Show Links:
Business
https://www.theverge.com/2021/10/5/22710841/apple-steve-jobs-memorial-10-years

Technology
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/speed-limit-may-spell-the-end-of-fun-fun-fun-on-the-autobahn-898qqqr3v
https://lifehacker.com/how-to-install-the-latest-macos-on-an-unsupported-mac-1847802771
https://9to5mac.com/2021/10/07/linux-is-now-usable-as-a-basic-desktop-for-m1-macs/

Gaming
https://kotaku.com/new-world-patch-adds-important-message-dont-be-a-dick-1847809499
https://kotaku.com/new-world-still-bricking-expensive-graphics-cards-say-1847782307
https://techncruncher.blogspot.com/2021/10/is-wow-worth-playing-in-2021-screen-rant.html
https://techncruncher.blogspot.com/2021/10/tabletop-rpgs-that-are-easy-to-play.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Play-by-mail_game
https://www.theverge.com/2021/10/8/22715201/pc-building-simulator-free-epic-games-store
https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/desert-bus-the-very-worst-video-game-ever-created

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Episode 340 – Tiny Grand Ideas

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tiny airplane
Photo by Akshar Dave 🍉 on Unsplash

Tiny tech, form of Atari 2600, Game Boy, Amazon Astro robot & phones, responsible metaverse construction, so much good tv, and amazing LEGO sets

This week’s episode is all about tiny tech.  Starting things off on the right foot with Andy rejoining Michael and Michael, the co-hosts examine a range of products and Kickstarters that are small but mighty.  There are miniature gaming consoles like the Atari 2600, and Game Boy.  Some examples of the Game Boy platform are small enough to fit on a keychain, and still play games.  Andy points out that there’s even a Kickstarter for a Game Boy productivity suite.  Andy shares several of the projects he’s been working on – check out the show notes for the details!   Michael M just couldn’t resist including the Zoolander reference to movie’s miniature cell phone, and recent trends toward smaller tech devices in general.

Continuing the conversation that has played out in recent weeks, the co-hosts discuss Facebook’s plans for the responsible build out of the metaverse using the Fast Company and Verge articles as springboards.  

On the robotic front, Michael, Michael and Andy consider the recently announced Amazon Astro home droid.  Discussing the price point for being a beta tester for this new robot, Michael R makes the point that the expense of such latest greatest tech is right around USD 1500, and notes that is what he paid for his Google Glass hardware.  The Gitamini robot is also in that range.  

Rounding out the episode, the co-hosts marvel at the veritable plethora of television shows available on so many platforms (AppleTV, Hulu, Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime, etc) and the challenges of navigating through them.  When a person wants to find a show to watch, the recommendation engines from each of the platforms are sure to provide ideas that keep you on the platform – but that doesn’t solve the problem.  In the US, this challenge was solved with the TV Guide magazine years ago, but that was well before cable, and all of the streaming platforms existed.  With the pandemic, it is easy to understand that people are more interested in staying at home and binge watching through seasons of content.  Being able to do so together with friends and family – touched upon in last week’s episode with the upcoming SharePlay – will help make remote watching a more social event done together instead of asynchronously.  How are you choosing what to watch, and whom to watch it with?

Last, LEGO has dropped a couple of new builds that have to be seen to be believed.  The Nintendo 64 Question Mark Block is an engineering feat, and the miniaturized (there’s that theme again) LEGO Ideas Fender Stratocaster guitar is rockin’ awesome.  Check out the links in the show notes below.

What tiny tech are you working or playing with?  Let us know over at @gamesatwork_biz ! 

Thanks for listening!

Selected Links

Gizmodo article: You Won’t Need Your Parents’ Basement for These Tiny Atari 2600 and Dance Dance Revolution Setups — https://gizmodo.com/you-won-t-need-your-parents-basement-for-these-tiny-at-1847771832 

Retroachievements — https://retroachievements.org 

Kickstarter: Thumby – The Tiny Playable Keychain — https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kenburns/thumby-the-tiny-playable-keychain 

Kickstarter GB Productivity Suite — https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gbproductivity/gb-productivity-suite 

Create a pivot table in Numbers on iPad — https://support.apple.com/guide/numbers-ipad/create-a-pivot-table-tan7f62056cf/ipados 

Fast Company article: Why Facebook’s premature talk about a metaverse will likely backfire — https://www.fastcompany.com/90681568/facebook-metaverse-zuckerberg

The Verge article: Facebook is spending $50 million to ‘responsibly’ build the metaverse — https://www.theverge.com/2021/9/27/22696578/facebook-metaverse-ar-vr-fund-research-definition 

Wired article: Everything Amazon Announced — Including a Cute Security Robot — https://www.wired.com/story/everything-amazon-announced-september-2021/ 

Jetsons —  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jetsons

Astro (from the Jetsons) — https://hanna-barbera.fandom.com/wiki/Astro 

Google Glass — https://www.google.com/glass/start/ 

The Verge article: Gitamini is a cute, compact, cargo-carrying robot that will follow you around like a dog — https://www.theverge.com/2021/9/22/22685649/gita-gitamini-cargo-carrying-robot-piaggio 

9 to 5 Mac article: Apple TV+ Guide: Here are all the Apple TV shows and movies available now — https://9to5mac.com/2021/10/01/apple-tv-plus-tv-shows-movies-guide/ 

TV Guide magazine — https://www.tvguidemagazine.com 

Foundation — https://tv.apple.com/us/episode/the-emperors-peace/umc.cmc.74vnbednu4gmixy6d5imxxqs5?showId=umc.cmc.5983fipzqbicvrve6jdfep4x3 

The Verge article: The beloved Babylon 5 os getting rebooted, and series creator JMS is running the show — https://www.theverge.com/2021/9/27/22696836/babylon-5-reboot-j-michael-straczynski-warner-bros-the-cw

LEGO Super Mario 64 Question Mark Block — https://www.lego.com/en-gb/product/super-mario-64-question-mark-block-71395 

LEGO Ideas Fender Stratocaster — https://www.lego.com/en-gb/product/lego-ideas-fender-stratocaster-21329 

Extended tiny remix links for this week

Hot Hardware article: Zanco Tiny TI Is The World’s Smallest, Zoolander Approved Mobile Phone — https://hothardware.com/news/zanco-tiny-t1-worlds-smallest-zoolander-approved-mobile-phone 

Picosystem — https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/picosystem 

Kickstarter: A Modern Take on a Classic Game for the ColecoVision & Adam — https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/8bitmilli/a-modern-take-on-a-classic-game-for-the-colecovision-and-adam?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=colecovision

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