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Technology

Windows Phone 7 too good?

I found this tweet come across my stream yesterday:


This happened because, presented with a market dominated by the open, if scattered approach Android and the tightly integrated way of Apple, Microsoft did what seems logical: they created a compromise between the two. Put the OS on a lot of phones, but make the thing consistently good. Makes sense, right?

Sadly, that kind of reasoning does make a lot of sense, but it is ultimately one thing: uninteresting. It is a compromise dressed and talked about as thought it is uncompromising. The idea that you can have everything without compromising is the driving force behind Windows Phone 7 and Windows 8 right now (or at least, that is what it seems). In doing so, Microsoft has painted itself as alienating all sides of the equation.

The little I’ve used Windows Phone 7 I’ve liked. I hope that they can get a strong foothold in the mobile space because I like the idea of having three strong options instead of two (I’m not counting RIM anymore). However, Microsoft needs to decide what it wants to do and then stick with it. Trying to be all things to all people is impossible and pointless.

Skyward Sword Day 7: Purifying Fire

Alright, so I played last night, I’ll admit it. I worked myself into a corner and wanted to clear the mind a little bit … so … yeah.

SPOILER WARNING: DO NOT READ ON IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO KNOW

It was time to conquer the Ancient Cistern and purify my blade … or at least purify it a little bit. The level design this time was pretty amazing and I was impressed with how varied the different sections of the temple were.

Ancient Cistern

You can see that it includes water and a huge statue in the center with some wheels. That’s actually just the surface of this entire thing, and below you will find …

… THE UNDEAD!

Well, they’re cursed, and they take quite a beating, but it is an entirely different area with its own art direction and puzzles and … undead enemies! I liked it. It’s all purple-y and stuff.

It’s a great design and varied as well. The whip that you receive opens up a lot of new possibilities (including grabbing the tails of some birds, bringing them close enough so that you can slash at them), and I’m excited to keep going ahead.

I died again during the boss battle, mostly because I made some mistakes at the very beginning. Playing through it a second time was much simpler, and wielding its own weapons against it was satisfying.

I now have an updated sword, a new shield, learned a new song, and am heading back to the desert to take on the next trial and get this show on the road!

Onward!

Skyward Sword Day 6: Dragons!?

Whew, it is starting to really get good. After today’s post I’m going to be taking a break from the game for a day or two to take care of some work before getting myself back into it. I’m not at an ideal place, but it is good enough.

Let’s get started.

SPOILER WARNING: DO NOT READ ON IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO KNOW

There is a lot left to do, but I won’t get into too much. Needless to say, you are going to find out what is underneath that center area in the forest, talk to the old lady again, get a robot (who loves Fi), find a windmill-thingy, find out what is in the massive cloud thing in the sky, go down, play a song, and then …

… one of the trials.

I failed once, and I’m probably going to fail again later on. You get no sword, and one hit is all that is needed for you to fail. Good luck. My advice: stay away from the light and just be careful. The second time was much easier. It is an interesting addition, a sort of mini-temple added to a mini-temple with its own puzzles and the like.

You then get to climb the Great Deku Tree, talk to a hermit, dive off of a cliff, follow some water-creature-thing, beat up a fish, learn how to fly out of the water, and then talk to a dragon. A small dragon, but a dragon nonetheless.

That’s a lot of stuff, and we are not even to the temple yet!

Whew.

You then track back to the temple in the north, fetch some water, bring it back, heal the said dragon and then …

Farore

Poof. Big dragon gest to talk to you. Finally, you are allowed to enter the next temple to search out the first of the fires to cleanse your blade.

It took a while, but it was fun. Once again, the motion controls make everything just a little bit more challenging, but more fun at the same time. There are new enemies to attempt to defeat and new areas to explore. The Great Deku Tree was kind of cool because you were able to climb up, and up, and up, and finally see the whole of the forest. Nice touch.

Like I said above, I will see what the next temple brings in a couple of days, but I’m still amazed by what I have seen so far and the game just keeps getting better and better. Very impressed.

Hypercritical #48: Blue Ocean

If you want to have a great listen about Nintendo and their history, listen to the last half-hour or so of the most recent Hypercritical. John Siracusa pretty much says what I’ve been thinking for a long time.

Brilliant.

Categories
Business Life Technology

Onward 2012

2011 was a crazy year.

  • Lived with grandparents for one-and-a-half months
  • Bought our first house (and moved into it)
  • Ran three 5Ks (one with Laura, which was amazing)
  • Painted most of the rooms in the house
  • Mowed a lot of lawn (then watched it all die)
  • Birth of our second son, Levi John
  • Jamis’s second birthday
  • Celebrated 5 years of marriage
  • Set up my first real, permanent home office
  • Started up my personal business again
  • Helped with harvest on the farm
  • Pushed out the first major website revision for MLC since 2005
  • A lot of traveling to and from Wisconsin to visit the best in-laws ever
  • Lots of other stuff

That’s just the stuff I can remember.

Laura and I have both said we are looking forward to a 2012 that is a little bit less crazy, and a little more settled than we have ever had. We’ve only lived in one other place for more than 9 months (I think that is the correct amount of time), and we will be celebrating one year in our house on Valentine’s Day. That’s an accomplishment for us. It is also comforting to know that this house is the only one Levi has known, and the one that Jamis has stayed in the longest as well.

Even Molly likes it (I think).

So onward to 2012! Here are some things I’m hoping to accomplish this coming year (the first batch comes from Resolutions over at We Are Martens):

  • Drink less pop (this is a recurring one for me … )
  • Replace all of the water piping in the house
  • Grow my personal business 50%
  • Get better at doing work outside
  • Walk more (and to more places)
  • Replace bulbs in the house when the burn out (right away)
  • Do more little things for my wife
  • Finally incorporate Deck78 (after killing Replosion when we moved to WI)
  • Learn how to program (that’s kind of vague)
  • Speak at two conferences or meetings (did one in 2011)
  • Get a better backup system in place at home
  • Build Laura the photography website she has been asking about
  • Start and finish the website for the MVL Lightning Dance Team
  • Pitch new websites to four new clients
  • Continue helping people learn how to incorporate technology into their lives
  • Lots of other stuff

I’m excited for what 2012 is going to bring. For the first time in a long while I feel like I have a better handle on my state of mind and am more settled and ready/able to take on new things.

Onward 2012!