Caught wind of a little news via Joystiq via GameDaily that we will soon have another video game developer joining the ranks in the Raleigh area. Insomniac Games is planning to open a new 30 person studio in the area for development of new PS3 titles. Insomiac are well known for their fun and graphically impressive PS3 titles of Resistance as well as Rachet and Clank. Other developers in the area include the well known Epic Games who bring us the Unreal Engine and games like Gears of War. Also Red Storm Entertainment who focus on military based first-person shooters under the Tom Clancy name.
I wouldn’t say that I am a dedicated video gamer anymore, but I still fire up the 360 from time to time to play a little GTA4 or Forza2. I once was addicted to World of Warcraft, Counter-Strike before that. Also being a software developer I can’t say I haven’t thought about making the jump from enterprise software development at my current position over to game development. I’m not sure that I have the chops for the development side of things when it comes to gaming. My native development skills are not the sharpest these days and my math could use a serious sharpening I would guess. Maybe project management? Did I just say that? Yikes.
Hopefully most of us are mature and responsible enough to know that any more than a couple of drinks and it is time to call a cab to get a ride home from the bars. One of the complications of this is the retrieval of your vehicle the morning after. Not the end of the world, but it is definitely a pain to deal with on a hangover. Just no fun for anyone.
A friend of mine in the Charlotte area had turned me on to a business that has really taken off in the area. It’s a service called Two Guys and a Ride that will send a car with two drivers to wherever you, and your car, are at. Then one of their drivers will drive you and your car wherever you want while the other driver follows in the “chase car”. The cost varies a bit, and the memories are fuzzy, but I think the cost is about what a cab alone would cost plus around 15 dollars depending on distance traveled. It’s a brilliant service that is convenient and safe for everyone involved. Bravo!
I am currently challenged with how to get to the Jimmy Buffett concert at Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek and get everyone home safely. Two Guys and a Ride sadly does not exist in Raleigh. However, through the magic of the internet, and a suggestion from Cecil over at the Urban Planet forums, I found Safe Ride Home. My prayers are answered! I plan to call later today and set up an appointment to get all of my friends, myself, our car, and all our tailgating goodness safely home after teh concert.
I really cannot emphasize enough how important it is to be responsible when out partying and galavantic around. Please designate a driver, take a cab, walk, bike, crawl, cab-it, or find a Safe Ride Home.
Update: I just spoke with Safe Ride Home and we are all set for a ride home after the concert back to downtown for some after party! The cost is 10 dollar vehicle delivery fee and 3 dollar per mile up to 10 miles. What a great deal for safe delivery of people and vehicle!
I don’t know how many times I heard this on TV or from my Mom or some teacher in grade school. I really wish that I had listened to these people. My posture is atrocious. I feel like I am slumped over all the damn time. I don’t know if I look like a fool or not, I don’t care, I feel miserable about it. Apparently I am not alone. There are a vast number of resources on the internet about posture.
I found some nice short posts from DumbLittleMan, WikiHow, and AskMen. These, along with others, center around a few key points. The three key areas of posture are sitting, standing, and sleeping. When standing up you should be able to draw a straight line through your ears, shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles when viewed from the side. When sitting you should keep your hips moved as far back in the chair as posible, feet flat on ground, shoulders back and down, head back and chin in. Most seem to believe the sleeping on ones side is the ideal position. Using a pillow between the knees to help keep back aligned. I’d definitely recommend reading some of the above resources for more details.
There is also some mentions of stretches and exercises as well. @jessmartin suggests squats and deadlifts to strengthen the back.
All of this is great advice and good knowledge to have. I can only hope that I can get some of this jammed into my brain enough to actually get it to stick.
Diagram courtesy of bluelephant
