Games At Work dot Biz

Episode 305 — Sidescrollin’

By Michael Martine | January 25, 2021 - 06:36 |January 24, 2021 Podcast

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2020game.io with Bernie in TikTok — 2020game.io screenshot + Bernie

2020 is still very close in our rear view mirror, and Michael & Michael start off this episode with a fun 8bit sidescrolling game. 2020game.io lets you play through the major events of the year, from wildfires in Australia through the elections in the US. This reminded Michael M of Ian Bogost’s work on persuasive and serious games.

Addressing the concerns for the near term future, the co-hosts discuss the ramifications of what Michael R coins “never off” mode for the Xbox, and the impact of the power consumption, as well as the potential for lab-grown plants from MIT. Continuing on this theme, the pair discuss Amazon’s offer to help with the vaccination challenge in the United States.

Moving to the world of the new Apple silicon M1 Macs, Michael and Michael explore a couple of articles on an Ubuntu Linux port, and the blocking of sideloading iPhone apps before going much more retro with the Commodore 64 reboot.

Visual art features as this episode winds up, with an amazing high-res detailed scan of Vermeer’s Girl with Pearl Earring, the Vatican Museum virtual tours, new Pixar shorts on Disney+ and the Bernie mittens meme showing up practically everywhere this week. Where would you least expect to see Bernie?

Selected Links

2020game.io — https://2020game.io

Ian Bogost — http://bogost.com

Games At Work episode 17, Things are Weirder Than Expected — https://gamesatwork.biz/2012/08/26/episode-17-things-are-weirder-than-expected

Ars Technica article: Report: Xbox’s “instant on” feature could consume 4 billion kWh by 2025 — https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2021/01/how-the-xboxs-default-instant-on-feature-could-harm-the-environment/

TechCrunch article: MIT develops method for lab-grown plants that eventually lead to alternatives to forestry and farming — https://techcrunch.com/2021/01/20/mit-develops-method-for-lab-grown-plants-that-eventually-lead-to-alternatives-to-forestry-and-farming/

The Verge article: Amazon offers to help Biden administration with vaccinations — https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/20/22241031/amazon-vaccination-biden-administration

The Verge article: Linux has been ported to run on Apple’s M1 Macs — https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/21/22242107/linux-apple-m1-mac-port-corellium-ubuntu-details

The Verge article: Apple is blocking Apple Silicon Mac users from sideloading iPhone apps — https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/15/22233754/apple-blocking-m1-iphone-app-sideloading

Amazing. Every word of what I just tweeted is wrong…

I can’t get enough of these. pic.twitter.com/MCvLqxZ4Zq
— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) January 24, 2021

This Week in Tech Hands-On Tech: Episode 125 The C64 ‘Maxi’ Review — https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-tech/episodes/125

The Verge article: Gaze in wonder at this astonishing high-res scan of an iconic painting — https://www.theverge.com/tldr/22242585/girl-with-a-pearl-earring-johannes-vermeer-mauritshuis-hirox-scan

HiRox scan of Girl with Pearl Earring — http://hirox-europe.com/PEARL/

Vatican Museum virtual tour — http://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en/collezioni/musei/tour-virtuali-elenco.html

pic.twitter.com/0GwTbEBGa5
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) January 24, 2021

Slashfilm article: ‘Pixar Popcorn’ Trailer: Pixar Characters Return For New Short Films on Disney+ — https://www.slashfilm.com/pixar-popcorn-trailer/

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Episode 304 — Duly meh-ed

By Michael Martine | January 18, 2021 - 06:37 |January 17, 2021 Podcast

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Welcome to Las Vegas sign — Photo by Alex Haney on Unsplash

Andy, Michael and Michael take a good look at the CES innovations, putting an unsurprising focus on the VR and AR capabilities. Staring off the conversation with the newest Oculus Quest 2, spurs the discussion of how Andy cancelled his preorder upon his successful acquisition of an elusive Xbox Series X (congrats Andy!). Michael R is grateful that he escaped the infamous “CES crud” this year by attending the famous conference remotely.

Continuing the smart glasses conversation, the trio examine the Lenovo ThinkReality and Vuzix examples before moving on to robotic swarming fish. The concept Razer N95 mask attracts the team’s attention, what with the audio amplification of the mask, so as to avoid the “Mr. Mumbles” effect (see link to episode 192 below), and of course, the LEDs that shine on the wearer’s mouth to assist with lip reading. The namesake Motorola Razr cropped up as well.

Home office setups have gotten better and better during the pandemic, and having a great monitor is an important part of an amazing workspace. The newest Dell curved monitor measures in at a whopping 40 inches, and curves right around the user for a great field of vision. Check it out from the show notes below.

Winding things up, as the co-hosts frequently do with some video/movie/series, Andy, Michael and Michael are excited to experience the sequel to Buckaroo Banzai — at least in written form. And the new WandaVision series is launching on Disney+ also captures the excitement of the co-hosts.

There were many more stories and articles this week, however the team ran out of time to get to all of them. Check out the show notes for the fun stories the co-hosts did not get a chance to discuss on air.

Selected Links

The Verge article: How to use your Oculus Quest 2 to play any PC VR game wirelessly — https://www.theverge.com/22218827/oculus-quest-2-wireless-pc-vr-games-how-to

Microsoft Xbox Series X — https://www.xbox.com/en-US/consoles/xbox-series-x

Digital Trends article: Lenovo ThinkReality A3 Smart Glasses Project Virtual Screens — https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/lenovo-thinkreality-a3-smart-glasses-ar-ces-2021/

The Verge article: Vuzix’s new microLED smart glasses look like tech you’d actually want to wear on your face — https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/11/22225605/vuzix-microled-smart-glasses-next-gen-ar-heads-up-display-ces-2021

TechCrunch article: These robot-fish autonomously form schools and work as search parties — https://techcrunch.com/2021/01/13/these-robo-fish-autonomously-form-schools-and-work-as-search-parties

The Verge article: Razer has created a concept N95 mask with RGB and voice projection — https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/12/22221344/razer-project-hazel-n95-respirator-mask-coronavirus-chroma-rgb-concept

Games At Work episode 192 — PVP-Y with Mr. Mumbles — https://gamesatwork.biz/2018/01/29/episode-192-pvp-y/

Motorola new razr — https://www.motorola.com/us/smartphones-razr/p

Motorola old Razr — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorola_Razr

TechCrunch article: Dell’s 40-inch curved monitor is perfect for a home office command center — https://techcrunch.com/2021/01/13/dells-40-inch-curved-monitor-is-perfect-for-a-home-office-command-center

Slashfilm article: ‘Buckaroo Banzai’ is Finally Getting That Long-Promised Sequel (But as a Novel, Not a Movie) — https://www.slashfilm.com/buckaroo-banzai-sequel/

Slashfilm article: ‘WandaVision Featurette Digs into Marvel’s Mysterious New Series, Sneakily Includes Wonder Man Artwork — https://www.slashfilm.com/wandavision-featurette/

Extended remix links for this week

iMore article: You’ll be amazed by how many different discs an iPhone can read — https://www.imore.com/youll-be-amazed-how-many-different-spinning-pieces-plastic-iphone-can-read

The Verge article: Hack together you own e-paper smartwatch with this $50 open-source kit — https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/13/22229985/customizable-epaper-smartwatch-kit-arduino

The Verge article: LG’s Rollable phone is real and launching in 2021 — https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/12/22226532/lgs-rollable-phone-launch-release-date-ces-2021

Cult of Mac article: You can see evidence of AirTags on your own iPhone — https://www.cultofmac.com/732481/you-can-see-evidence-of-airtags-on-your-own-iphone/

Ubisoft is making an open-world Star Wars game — https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/13/22227235/ubisoft-star-wars-game-massive-entertainment-lucasfilm

We are excited to announce we are working with @LucasfilmGames to develop a brand-new, story-driven, open world Star Wars adventure! pic.twitter.com/IcwIfVs6gy
— Ubisoft (@Ubisoft) January 13, 2021

ScreenRant article: How to Gain & Lose Weight in Red Dead Redemption 2 — https://screenrant.com/gain-lose-weight-red-dead-redemption-rdr2/

Comicbook article: You Can Play Pokemon Red Using Someone’s Twitter Profile Picture — https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/pokemon-twitter-profile-picture-comments-playthrough/

Slashfilm article: Amazon’s ‘The Lord of the Rings’ Series Has an Official Synopsis and You Can Read It Here — https://www.slashfilm.com/amazon-the-lord-of-the-rings-series-synopsis/

Kotaku article: Defunctland VR Lets You Experience A Classic Disney Ride 25 Years After It Was Closed — https://kotaku.com/defunctland-vr-lets-you-experience-a-classic-disney-rid-1846013568

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Episode 303 — ARt imitates life

By Michael Martine | January 11, 2021 - 06:08 |January 10, 2021 Podcast

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5pointz art in NYC — Photo by Julie Ricard on Unsplash

For the first episode of 2021, Michael and Michael start off with a couple of technology and gaming focused articles related to the attack on the US Congress on the 6th. The Washington Post article focuses on what is being done to preserve the live streams, both for posterity and as evidence, and a Mashable post draws similarities to alternate reality games (ARGs). The cybersecurity breach via SolarWinds appears to be even worse than originally thought. For more details, check out Steve Gibson’s Security Now podcast link in the show notes below.

There is a bevy of AR topics, starting with Looking Glass, which takes advantage of your phone to capture holographic imagery. The DC Metro includes a full map of the metro in augmented reality on every Metro card. And, there is a concept of macOS in AR that looks just fantastic. Between these examples and the new art installation at LaGuardia’s airport, we can truly say that AR imitates life. Don’t miss the combination of Mario Kart Live with LEGO Super Mario – what a great concept.

Speaking of concepts, an intriguing idea for wireless recharging is expressed in an Apple patent “Inductive charging between electronic devices” whereby a MacBook or iPad could provide power to other devices like phones or watches.

Screens get some air time during this podcast as well – the OLEDs from LG as well as the new Mercedes Hyperscreen.

Before closing out this week’s episode with a new video of Boston Dynamics dancing robots, Michael and Michael muse on the idea of immortality that could be afforded by machine learning engines ingesting text, audio and video of a loved one in such a way that would allow post mortem interaction with the trained AI model. Much to think about – and a cool flashback to Games At Work episode 26 from 2012 on this subject.

Selected Links

Washington Post article: The Capitol mob recorded its own history. Now, volunteers are trying to preserve the record. — https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/01/07/capitol-mob-recorded-its-own-history-now-volunteers-are-trying-preserve-record/

Curiouser Institute post: A Game Designer’s Analysis of QAnon — https://medium.com/curiouserinstitute/a-game-designers-analysis-of-qanon-580972548be5

The Verge article: SolarWinds hack may be much worse than originally feared — https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/2/22210667/solarwinds-hack-worse-government-microsoft-cybersecurity

Security Now episode 800 Solarblizzard — https://twit.tv/shows/security-now/episodes/800?autostart=false

TechCrunch article: Looking Glass is launching 3D photo software for its holographic tech — https://techcrunch.com/2021/01/06/looking-glass-is-launching-3d-photo-software-for-its-holographic-tech/

Looking Glass Factory — https://lookingglassfactory.com

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Washington Metro • WMATA 🚇🚌 (@metroforward)

Cult of Mac article: Awesome macOS concept imagines the AR iMac of the future — https://www.cultofmac.com/731723/awesome-macos-concept-imagines-the-ar-imac-of-the-future/

Cult of Mac article: Making MacBooks and iPads into wireless chargers is a brilliantly dumb idea — https://www.cultofmac.com/731761/apple-patent-mac-ipad-wireless-chargers-charging/

WUNC article: Epic Games To Move HQ To Cary Towne Center — https://www.wunc.org/post/epic-games-move-hq-cary-towne-center

Gizmodo article: Combining Mario Kart Live With Lego Super Mario Creates the Ultimate IRL Video Game Experience — https://gizmodo.com/combining-mario-kart-live-with-lego-super-mario-creates-1845983472

Travel + Leisure article: LaGuardia Airport’s New Art Installation Will Turn You Into NYC Graffiti — https://www.travelandleisure.com/airlines-airports/laguardia-airport/5pointz-graffiti-interactive-installation-laguardia-airport

Mashable article: LG wants to put transparent OLEDs in restaurants and subways — https://mashable.com/article/lg-transparent-oled/

TechCrunch article: Mercedes unveils Hyperscreen, a cured 56-inch screen for its flagship EQS electric vehicle — https://techcrunch.com/2021/01/07/mercedes-unveils-hyperscreen-a-curved-56-inch-screen-for-its-flagship-eqs-electric-vehicle/

The Times article: Chatbot could let you speak to relatives beyond the grave — https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/chatbot-could-let-you-speak-to-relatives-beyond-the-grave-2929fp3xk

Games At Work episode 26 — Business Process Management and Immortality — https://gamesatwork.biz/2012/11/04/episode26/

The Verge article: Amazon marked free podcasts as costing $8.95 with a discount for Audible subscribers — https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/6/22216803/amazon-audible-subscription-podcast-advertisement

Boston Dynamics has released yet another video of its robots dancing that is equal parts impressive, creepy, and cringe https://t.co/RF5mQQhC0m pic.twitter.com/h9hDiEJK8X
— Mikael Thalen (@MikaelThalen) December 29, 2020

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Episode 302 — Good Riddance

By Michael Martine | December 31, 2020 - 14:18 |December 31, 2020 Podcast

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goodbye 2020 bus on a beach — Photo by **Nubia Navarro** from **Pexels**

Andy, Michael and Michael start off with another unobtanium console. This time, it’s the KFConsole, which keeps your fried chicken toasty while you play games. Michael and Michael bring in KFC stories from Japan and Hungary to compliment the gaming platform.

Funny to note that in this week’s selection, we have several newspaper articles from the Times — from New York, LA and the UK. A slightly new twist on augmented reality clothing comes from a NYT article that focuses on footwear, and the ability to see what the shoes might look like on your own feet. The LA times article showcases the VR possibilities of visiting the Disney Star Wars Galaxies Edge theme park. It also expands on the point of a metaverse experience where you have physical architecture, props & people to interact with, alongside a digital experience that enhances those IRL elements. One would say that it augments them.

For your blockchain entertainment, check out Conga Comics, and as an added entertainment bonus, read them out of order. In automotive entertainment, you can change the sound of your Tesla horn with this week’s update to anything you wish to record provided you have the optional pedestrian speaker feature. A favorite is the sound of European swallow delivered coconuts clapping.

A discussion on strategies raising awareness of email phishing attacks outlines an opportunity to show how sophisticated the trickery is these days. The hosts also provide a possibility to reward people who don’t fall for the attack.

As the global COVID-19 vaccinations begin to be administered, the idea of how to recognize who has had which shot is being addressed in multiple ways. Both the Apple and Google wallets provide a digital representation (perhaps supported by blockchain) of the vaccination record.

Winding up the show, Michael, Andy and Michael reflect on how actor James Doohan, Scotty of Star Trek, has managed to get into space aboard the ISS through a clever act and extend his 5 year mission.

There you have it – almost all of the favorite topics wrapped up in one episode to close out the year. To work in one more, the title of the episode surfaces close to the end of Tolkien’s Return of the King, where Sam comments on the events that lead to the naming of what became known as Sharkey’s End.

The Games At Work team is looking forward to starting our season X and wishing you a very healthy and happy New Year!