Category: Essays

My essays on the interwebs

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Essays Writing

Getting back into the ring: Sony bets big on the Vita

(originally published @ tekhne.com)

Taking a $2.9 billion loss is like taking a punch from Mike Tyson. Ask Michael Spinks if he felt $2.9 billion lighter after his introduction to Tyson’s left hook.

Only Michael Spinks wasn’t expected to get back in the ring. Sony not only has to get back in the ring, they’re expected to return with all their faculties in check and retake the Heavyweight crown after four consecutive years of brutal industry pummeling rather than just 88 seconds.

Incoming CEO Kazuo Hirai isn’t pulling any punches, however. “I have a very strong sense of crisis about the environment surrounding us,” Hirai said at a news conference. “We cannot be afraid to make painful choices for the future of Sony. Our rivals and the operating environment won’t wait for us.”

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Essays Writing

The effect of the creative technologist

(originally posted @ Tekhne.com)

In his essay on the effects of the “creative technologist” in the work force, Igor Clark makes a strong case against the proliferation of creative types in fields such as programming and coding. At face value he proffers a valid point, at the very least a talking point. Creatively “trained” individuals often lack the technical expertise to contribute purposefully. And he says the onus is on the employers not to hire undertrained coders, no matter their title, creative or otherwise.

True. True. All true. But the question remains – and this is the hazy, murky, inoperable shade of gray that all companies, not just technological, must face – where does a creatively-oriented employee fit in a palpable-outcome-oriented workplace?

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Categories
Essays Writing

The long, slow slog of socially-responsible games

(originally published @ Tekhne.com)

Can mustachioed plumbers, pissed off fowl and anthropomorphic pandas make the world a better place?

The omnipresence of games would seem to point to a market niche for cyber dramas with a purpose.

In addition to the standard venues, people have begun to play video games on their iPhone and Android devices; the iPad and tablet PCs spawned their own genres. Suddenly the gaming possibilities seemed endless. The only question seemed to be how many boundaries could be broken with this new freedom?

Well …

… uh …

… we can play Angry Birds anywhere we go.

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