So to do PAX 2008 I left the land of snow and went across the water to Seattle for the full three days. This was my first PAX, but not my first convention. I’ve been to quite a few conventions, mostly in my professional capacity, so I knew what to expect. Kind of. It turns out PAX is slightly different than other conventions.

So here’s the condensed version of PAX 2008 for those that have no desire for a long read:

FAILs: Number of people, Sony’s PSP, Line-ups, Food & Drink, Addressing the target audience, People pushing into lines

LOLCats: Nintendo DS, iPhones, Twitter, Demos (Spore), Panels (Wheaton), Enforcers

I had fun at PAX, it was saved for me by a couple of things, which I’ll get to later. First I’m going to run through a few things that IMO PAX is going to have to address. And by a few I mean three things, two of which I’ll kind of roll up together. Take a seat, I’m going to meander.

The biggie is volume; PAX has outgrown its ability to function well over a three day period. Either make PAX longer, which is impractical for so many reasons, or make fewer tickets available for sale. Cutting down the number of people would solve so many of the PAX issues that I encountered. With fewer people, attending the line-ups would be more manageable. Anything with G&T (Gabe and Tycho, as opposed to the nice drink*) featuring in it had big lines: the Q&As for example. The Make-a-Strip line was not even worth attempting, it stretched back to Canada. No really, the back of the line was filled with moose, doing moose stuff for money.

I know that Geeks love to line-up: give them a chance to form a line and BANG you have a room full of patient geeks playing card games or, more likely, using a DS to send crudely drawn genitalia to each other. That seemed to be the predominant image floating around the DS. Geeks seem pretty obsessed with male genitals. My wondrous GF decided to fight back by drawing female genitals and adding the text ‘Actual Size’ to any erect pictures going past on DS Pictochat.

The line-ups, queues to us English, were pretty intense. They existed for everything, aside from the guys washrooms that is**. ATMs, Burritos, Demos and the Panels all had lines that were oversized, like some of those huge drink containers that huge Americans were toting round. Seriously you could have swim in some of those drink containers, though I suspect you’d have had to watch out for sharks.

So a lot of events were impossible to attend if you didn’t want to line-up for two hours plus. It was a shame, I missed out on quite a bit as I just won’t line up that long. Frustratingly the line-up in the main hall was not fully covered by wi-fi, so while queuing my iPhone*** was just used for gaming and not twittering.

So should PAX be scaled down? Not necessarily, the venue and events could stay at the same level, what needs to change is the volume of tickets sold. PAX was way oversold this year leading to the long waits and an over-packed exhibition hall. Reduce the number of people and those problems lessen.

Another issue I had was the age and gender that the exhibitors were aiming at. Gaming is not predominantly 14 year old males anymore. Exhibitors, get with the times! The advertising and booth set-up was really aimed at the past, some even had booth babes present. It was like stepping into a 1996 game convention. I know that G&T do not approve of the booth babe mentality, but I also know they cannot police the booths themselves. The exhibitors need to get it together and realise times have changed.

The people playing games now are older, the most money spent on games is through the 20-35 range and 47% of those people buying games are female. Here are two ways to throw money away in today’s game industry, guaranteed:

1. Aim your product at the 14 year old male demographic. It used to work, now it doesn’t work so well anymore. It’s time to move on
2. Package your product in all pink, regardless of quality and appropriateness, and aim it at ‘girls’

Aside from giving stricter guidance to companies wanting space on the exhibition floor there is not much that G&T can do to address this. PAX did had a few great panels, G&T influenced I wonder, that were aimed at the rising importance and skill level in female gaming. This was great to see and the panels seemed to go down really well. Now if only those thoughts could go a little more mainstream.

The last of my PAX niggles is related to technology. How come PAX is stuck in the 1990’s, and yet it didn’t even exist in the 1990’s? OK, so that is not 100% true and a little unfair of me. PAX is run on a shoestring for charity, so I know why it’s not a technological marvel; cost. G&T need to get an official blogger/writer for PAX 2009. To experience the exhibitions, and the panels, and write them up for the masses online who cannot attend. That’s one free enhancement to PAX as it is now – someone would volunteer to do this, hell I’d do it – it’s a great method of bringing more people into the PAX experience without having to get more bodies through the door. You have volunteer enforcers, G&T, why not volunteer writers?

Oh well, and onto other quick observations. The media and all access passes seemed to be given out at random, you just needed a video camera and you were deemed ‘media’. The enforcers were bending rules for friends a lot and getting them into VIP events. An enforcer who knew me through someone else offered me VIP access, which I politely declined as I didn’t want to attend that particular event, but speaking to others that seemed to happen quite a bit.

Many other methods, such as faster PAX DVD releases and the possibility of webcasting the events live, should be looked at. The bugbear is cost again. You know, although I have these niggles I did enjoy PAX. I’m not sure I’d do the three days again, perhaps just the Saturday in future as that seemed the main day. The energy in the exhibition hall was fun, Starcraft 2 looked a blast. GoW2 didn’t grab me though, looked too similar to GoW1.

Twitter was handy, while it worked, and it made finding events and food much easier. Thanks goes to all those we met in Seattle, here’s to PAX 09.

PAX 2008 by Jackdaw.

Geek Cred: I’m a geek. I was playing games before you, online before you and probably blogging before you. I’m an older geek, OK, not quite as old as Will Wheaton though. Hey, he’s a year older than me, that year means a lot! Ahem.

* Do not drink Gabe or Tycho. You are not the Fruit Fkr and you are not married to them – in all likelihood.

** I was wearing a utilikilt for day two and three of PAX, my first kilt. It’s pretty weird going for a pee and realising you have to lift up your kilt to do it. What a strange feeling doing that at a urinal!

*** I was in iPhone ‘Airplane Mode’ with Wi-Fi turned on. I live in Canada and no way was I paying for 3G data roaming in the USA. I can’t sell another lung …

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The “My Documents” folder on your laptop’s file system is the location where most of your files live. The whole “folder” metaphor was first developed by Xerox Parc for its ground-breaking Star desktop system. Those folders were designed to mimic the real-life paper-and-manilla-folders offices use to file paperwork. Now, that metaphor is carried on by all graphical user-interfaces. No matter what operating-system you’ve got on your laptop, you’ve probably got something like a “My Documents” folder.

So, we figured, why not extend that already abused metaphor by storing the device that stores your “My Documents” folder in a “My Documents” folder of its own? Behold - this neoprene laptop sleeve is big enough to snugly house your laptop, up to 15.4 inches, inside. The inner fleece lining keeps everything shiny and scratch-free. Plus, we’ve included the pixilated cursor-pin to ram that concept home.

Link via Neatorama

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Link

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The art of the calling card is nicely explained here.

In the 1800s, there was a certain logic–and a cool distance–to the formal calling card. Those who were part of, or sought a place among, the social élite would deliver a card with their name engraved on it to someone’s home to request a visit. But now that you can IM, e-mail or text pretty much anyone immediately, the Victorian practice seems laughably outmoded, right? Not so, according to a growing number of enthusiasts reviving the old-fashioned social-networking tool. “Is it technology fatigue? A colorful way of branding yourself? We’re not sure,” says Peter Hopkins of Crane & Co., where sales of the cards have doubled in the past two years. “But the demand is clear. They are our fastest-growing item.”

Generally upon a gentleman’s initial visit to a home, he would simply leave a card and then depart. If the new acquaintance wished to formally visit with him, he or she would send a card in return. If no card was sent, or the return card was sent in an envelope, this signaled that the new acquaintance did not wish for a personal visit to occur. This signal (the card in an envelope) could indeed be sent after any visit in which the visited party no longer wished to be called upon by this particular person. It was basically the well-mannered brush off. A calling card was also used when a gentleman was desirous to see someone at a hotel or parlor. He would send up his card while he waited in the reception area or office for his acquaintance or business associate to come and greet him.

Link

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Microsoft’s browser share has declined, Internet Explorer’s 78.36% market share in October of 2007 fell to 72.15 % by August 2008. IE is dominant still, but not for too much longer it seems.

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Must stop twittering so much, it takes away from blog time.

Speaking of time, the focus of my time is shifting from tinking around to producing results. It’s a mind shift that hopefully will stick.

If you have not read about Google Chrome, Google’s web browser built off Apple’s WebKit, then pop over to here and read Scott McCloud’s comic about it.

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I’ll update the post as suggestions roll in.

Licensed:
amarsagoo.info/licensed/

Free, which is good, but don’t seem to be able to attach files into the program. Useless when your license requires a JPG for authentication. The GUI is the weakest of all those reviewed.

Appshelf:
www.kedisoft.com/appshelf/index.html

Fishy. Appshelf looks good, is priced right at a low cost of 7 bucks, and you can attach any sort of files into the program. Nice.

Licence Keeper:
outerlevel.com/licensekeeper/

Looks really nice, can attach files, but the cost is way too high for me: $19.99. GUI is the most polished of the apps reviewed, but only just, Appshelf is right up with it.

Lizenzen:
myownapp.com/site/free/free.html

Free, the GUI looks OK, but again you cannot attach files in the application.

Winner:
Appshelf wins hands down. Equals any other app in terms of functionality, it looks good and it is the right price. The best home software license manager on OS X, no arguments.

NB: Not affiliated in any way with Appshelf/Kedisoft or any of the vendors in this review. I have now purchased Appshelf though :)

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Looking for alternatives to Pingoat? Or just looking for a way to ping many blog services at the same time … well here you go.

Pingates: http://pingates.com/
BlogBlip: http://blip.lco.net/SubmitForm.aspx
KingPing: http://www.kping.com/
FeedShark: http://feedshark.brainbliss.com/
Ping.In: http://ping.in/
PingMyBlog: http://www.pingmyblog.com/

The venerable http://pingomatic.com is still going, but doesn’t ping as many services as the above and I believe it is no longer maintained. My personal recommendation right now is Pingates. Enjoy!

Missing presumed dead

If you know of any other good ping services, let me know and I’ll add them in, thanks!

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I got the full sticker pack, front and back. I wish I hadn’t, you only need to get the front sticker to protect the screen and it’s cheaper just to get that. I already have invisibleSHIELD on my MacBook’s wrist-rest area and mouse button, so I’ve used this stuff before and know the routine:

Wash your hands, dry, spray fingertips with the solution Zagg provide, peel off sticker, spray both sides of the sticker, apply to iPhone surface and position it carefully. Wait or blow-dry on cool setting.

The front sticker went on like a charm, it’s really clear, feels alright when using your iPhone and does not drop the sensitivity of the touch screen notably. Everything works great and I’m not so scared when my 3 year old pokes Bubbles or Coy Carp on my phones screen.

The back sticker wasn’t cut out correctly during the manufacturing process, I had to use scissors to cut along one side. Points off for that. It also tries to curve around the corners of your iPhone rather than just cover the back, and that doesn’t work. After I fitted the back sticker I disliked how I couldn’t get the corners smooth. Wrinkled corners made the phone look tacky and cheap. I pulled the sticker back off and threw it away.

Buy the front cover and don’t worry about your screen getting scratched, buy a case for overall protection as well. The Zagg stickers would be better if they covered less on your iPhone, it was a mistake to try and cover the corners, I’d have liked them just to cover the back. I was frustrated by the back sticker design and the fact that mine arrived without getting cut out correctly in manufacturing.

With minor reservations, I recommend getting the Zagg invisibleSHIELD front sticker to cover your screen.

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Assuming you have the Yellow Screen of Death and Home is installed on your computer:

Reset your TomTom. It’s a small indented button underneath your GO 720.

Start Home, connect the cables.

Turn your TomTom on. It should connect and appear in Home. If not reset again.

Select Delete from TomTom. Now on the right hand side is a list of items you can delete.

Select the TomTom Application (Red round icon) on the right. Then hit the Delete button in the bottom right. You’ll get a warning, ignore it and go ahead.

Disconnect using the software menu, it’s Device then Disconnect. Then unplug your TomTom from the cable/cradle. Now connect it again. It’ll check for an update and see that you need the TomTom application, download and install it. When it is done select Device/Disconnect and BING your TomTom works again.

What was the cause? Well it is not, as many websites are saying, the Home update that you apply. It just seems like it. The cause is not disconnecting the TomTom correctly. Once it’s connected to your computer you need to select Device from the top menu and then select Disconnect. Once your TomTom screen changes back to the normal boot menu then you can remove the cables.

Reading forums this happens a lot, and people return the units thinking they are broken. They aren’t, but it is not clear how to fix them and I’ve not seen any clearly documented method on a website. Well here it is, how to fix your TomTom.

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Anyone actually used these units?

Considering the price VS feature difference, the GO 720 is it. So I just bought that one. I’m going to be really interested in how this functions when compared to my old Garmin Nuvi 350. I’ll update you all later.

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Going to add things in and take some stuff out. Or move it to a ‘nice but not vital’ section. Also going to do a section that lists the software that I’ve purchased. Will be interesting to see the intersection between that list and the ‘best of list’.

Must have denotes that you should buy, beg or download this right now.

I own this denotes that I valued the software so much that I went out and bought it. (This will not be noted on free software). Can’t get more of a recommendation than that from me!

Without further explanation, here is the - 

Best OS X Applications 2008

Ejector - http://www.jeb.com.fr/en/ejector.shtml - Free

Ejects everything in or attached to your computer. Handy when you have a few devices attached to your Mac. Must have.

Adium X - http://www.adiumx.com/ - Free

The chat program for OS X. Handles pretty much everything, except good video chat.

Skype - http://www.skype.com - Free (if calling another skype user)

You want to chat from your computer to a landline or mobile? Or you want the best video chat going? Then get Skype.

Transmission - http://www.transmissionbt.com/ - Free

Light fast and just plain works, this is the bittorrent client for OS X.

Transmit - http://www.panic.com/transmit/index.html - $29

Best FTP going, but it costs. If you want free then use Cyberduck. Transmit also has one of the most copied icons going

Quinn - http://www.simonhaertel.de/quinn - Free

Tetris for OS X? Here you go.

Appzapper - http://appzapper.com/ - $12.95

The missing uninstaller for OS X. Just drag the app you want rid of onto Appzapper and it finds all the scattered files and removes them.

Delicious Monster - http://www.delicious-monster.com/ - $40

Catalogue pretty much anything. Most useful for books, CDs, DVDs and games, really useful if you have a barcode scanner or built in webcam. Excellent support from staff helps too.

 Burn - http://burn-osx.sourceforge.net/ - Free

Burn pretty much anything on your Mac without the need to buy Toast.

 Mac the Ripper - http://www.mactheripper.org/ - Free

DVD ripping software, very handy for backups.

 Handbrake - http://handbrake.fr/ - Free

Converts from DVD format to MPEG format.

 VLC (Miro) (WMV Plugin) - http://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-macosx.html - Free

Throw a video at this media player and it plays it. Some exceptions exist but not many.

Parallels - http://www.parallels.com/ - $49-99

For those times that you just must run a Windows application. Runs them slower than when you use boot camp. Not for gamers or heavy users.

QuickSilver - http://www.blacktree.com/ - Free

The best application launcher bar none. Complex at first but you can soon pick up how to use it.

 MS Office (Open Office) - http://www.microsoft.com/mac/products/Office2008/default.mspx - $119.98

The office suite that just works best on Mac. Until Open Office gets itself fully sorted out on Mac then it is this or Apple’s iWork suite.

Alternatives: Open Office, NeoOffice, iWork

 Scrivner - http://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.html - 39.95

Serious writers might use Word, but not if they can help it. Authors prefer something with more finesse. Scrivner fits the bill, it’s the perfect blend of tools mixed with getting out of your way, so you can just write. Must have. I own this.

Alternatives: TextWrangler, Abiword, WriteRoom 

Firefox - http://www.getfirefox.com - Free

Firefox rocks the browsers due to its ability to extend through plugins and addons.

Alternatives: Camino

XChat Aqua - http://sourceforge.net/projects/xchataqua/ - Free

IRC Client, paid alternatives exist but this does the job just great.

Uno - http://gui.interacto.net/ - Free

Skin OS X so that it is more consistent. Does not work on Leopard, yet.

iSale - http://www.equinux.com/us/products/isale/index.html - $39.95

Sale your stuff on eBay more easily.

Unison - http://www.panic.com/unison/ - $24.95

Newsgroup reader and downloader.

SuperDuper - http://www.shirt-pocket.com/SuperDuper/SuperDuperDescription.html - $27.95

Backup software that you control, unlike Time Machine. Increases peace of mind.

TrailRunner - http://www.trailrunnerx.com/ - Euro 25 donation

Route planning software for runners, swimmers, hikers.

ReFit - http://refit.sourceforge.net/ - Free

Boot menu so that you no longer have to hold option when restarting OS X. Makes using Boot Camp easier.

MORE TO COME

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I like the look of this thing, and the amazing colours, and would love to give one a test drive to see how the keys respond. Don’t buy until you try as the key response may not be your thing.

Glo!

Link

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wordpress.org/extend/plugins/mobileadmin/ — mobile admin makes admin on the go easy

iwphone.contentrobot.com/2007/07/04/iwphone-wordpress-plugin-and-theme/ — changes the theme just for the iPhone, makes it basic but slick

Both of these plugins are free, as usual, thanks goes to the authors.

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