Artist Don Kenn opens a window to a different world when he draws monsters on post-it notes.

These are simply terrifying. Related posts: Business happens outside of Silicon Valley Stop critiquing the darkness. Light a candle Have you ever had a dream, Neo, that you were so sure was real? What if you were unable to wake from that dream? How would you know the difference between the dream world and the … Continue reading “Artist Don Kenn opens a window to a different world when he draws monsters on post-it notes.”

These are simply terrifying.

Whither Minecraft NI?

From the British Geological Survey: Inspired by the Ordnance Survey (OS), BGS has reproduced the 2D geology of mainland Great Britain and surrounding islands within the world of Minecraft. This map shows the OS map data on the surface and the rough position of real geology beneath, repeated down to the bedrock. In reality the … Continue reading “Whither Minecraft NI?”

From the British Geological Survey:

Inspired by the Ordnance Survey (OS), BGS has reproduced the 2D geology of mainland Great Britain and surrounding islands within the world of Minecraft. This map shows the OS map data on the surface and the rough position of real geology beneath, repeated down to the bedrock.

In reality the geology varies with depth, like cake layers, and BGS is working on representing the arrangement of the rocks and sediments in the form of a 3D geological model. Watch this space!

Which just highlights how Northern Ireland is “a place apart” within the UK.

The original, made by an Ordnance Survey intern, Joseph Braybrook, was a 4.3 GB representation of the island.

New Project: Zephyroth

Just back from UNITE’14, I wanted to do a project that would resonate with me as well as link into the experiences of my past. I wasn’t always a techno-geek; I used to be a biologist, I used to be a writer and I also used to design roleplaying games. I also built a substantial … Continue reading “New Project: Zephyroth”

Just back from UNITE’14, I wanted to do a project that would resonate with me as well as link into the experiences of my past. I wasn’t always a techno-geek; I used to be a biologist, I used to be a writer and I also used to design roleplaying games. I also built a substantial amount of knowledge of the Kabbala (from a lay, heathen point of view).

So, I’m working on this:

Take one part Super Mario Galaxy and one part Monument Valley. Sprinkle with a little Tron and a little Journey and wrap it up in a Kabbalistic journey from the Physical Realm to Godhood.

And yes, I know this explains nothing but I’ll update as I make stuff.

What does BUP STOP tell us?

From the Guardian: Workmen painted ‘BUP STOP’ on road surface in large yellow lettering in city centre last week A lot of folk seems to blame falling levels of literacy but I reckon it’s more like: limited time to re-do the painting due to work pressure a lack of care and attention to detail no … Continue reading “What does BUP STOP tell us?”

From the Guardian:

Workmen painted ‘BUP STOP’ on road surface in large yellow lettering in city centre last week

A lot of folk seems to blame falling levels of literacy but I reckon it’s more like:

  • limited time to re-do the painting due to work pressure
  • a lack of care and attention to detail
  • no tipp-ex

Give it a year and it’ll be in the Oxford English dictionary.

You can’t see it …

…but this is the Aurora Borealis. The exposure on a smartphone camera pointed out of an airplane window couldn’t capture it. But it’s in my minds eye. First time I’ve ever seen it. Related posts: Focus Great design creates new data. People Pay More For Design Mobile/Portable Computing Caveats

…but this is the Aurora Borealis. The exposure on a smartphone camera pointed out of an airplane window couldn’t capture it. But it’s in my minds eye. First time I’ve ever seen it.

’71

After watching this trailer, I want to play the game. There should be a game. Related posts: All I needed to know about games… Show me the MMOney Contemporal, Cospatial and Connected Immersive, Connected, Asynchronous

After watching this trailer, I want to play the game.

There should be a game.

The Science of Depression

Thought-provoking stuff and applies to more than just depression but anything that could be considered a mental illness. We can never know when people near to us in our work or personal lives are battling with depression, anxiety or a host of other challenges. We would never express frustration at a diabetic for needing insulin … Continue reading “The Science of Depression”

Thought-provoking stuff and applies to more than just depression but anything that could be considered a mental illness.

We can never know when people near to us in our work or personal lives are battling with depression, anxiety or a host of other challenges. We would never express frustration at a diabetic for needing insulin or for feeling the effects of their condition and how it restricts their lives, the same should be said for mental illness.

When stuck between a rock and hard place, the only way to go is sideways.

It’s hard to know what to believe when dealing with the Stormont Executive. It is a barely functional disaster of an animal, coughing and wheezing from pretended crisis to staged mockery. We could have said, before 2014, that at least the process was working but the last few months and a stupid decision by Sinn … Continue reading “When stuck between a rock and hard place, the only way to go is sideways.”

It’s hard to know what to believe when dealing with the Stormont Executive.

It is a barely functional disaster of an animal, coughing and wheezing from pretended crisis to staged mockery. We could have said, before 2014, that at least the process was working but the last few months and a stupid decision by Sinn Fein have left the government in an untenable place with neither SF nor the DUP willing to change their minds and Westminster getting the flak for being what they are (a wealthy uncle who’s cutting the allowance). There are no solutions any more, just the dragging effects of political friction.

The problem is that the Welfare Reform cuts are what Sinn Fein wants. Speaking to some of their more ardent supporters it is clear they consider Northern Ireland to be a “failed state” and the evidence of this is that we can’t pay for ourselves. The cuts are designed to further foment dissatisfaction in the region and swell their supporters. We are enduring more cuts, families are facing more poverty and people are losing their jobs because of political machinations.

My own political experimentation and the solid refusal of the Northern Ireland voting public to change their ways has now left me convinced that to a degree Sinn Fein is right. Northern Ireland is a failed state – but only in its political leadership. We hear more about heretical plays and George Galloway than we do about any progress. We have a programme for government that thinks investing heavily in companies that pay minimum wage is a viable way out of recession.

Meanwhile three of the coalition parties in the Executive might as well not be there. Flailing around like a crash dummy in a car accident, they can neither forward the agenda one iota nor force any sort of resolution. They’re just ballast. We’re paying the same amount of taxes and rates and yet our services are being cut further and further.

My desire for an opposition does not come from a belief that it will miraculously destroy any stalemate. My desire for it comes because I know we need some sort of change and an Opposition Bill would, like other post-1998 agreements, subtly change the function of the government.

Imagine if an Opposition was required. It is possible to have a government that doesn’t have 90% of the politicians all within the same coalition.

Imagine if that Opposition was mandated to have representatives from the nationalist and unionist communities. It doesn’t matter how many and there can only be one opposition grouping but it would give the SDLP and the UUP something to hang their hats onto.

Going into opposition is not about sacrificing yourself, it’s about forcing change. An opposition could have SF, SDLP and an independent Unionist (presumably one who was in favour of a referendum) and fulfil my imagined criteria. And that could be a strategy that grows the power base of all three. I’m an economic unionist, I don’t fear a referendum at all (though cynically I believe that Sinn Fein actually does)

Now it might not work, that’s a given. But the current stalemate is also not working. Things haven’t moved forward since 1998. The feelings of hope from the Good Friday Agreement are long gone and replaced with a cynical acceptance of the stalemate by the old and by a rejection of all it stands for by the young (which is why the brain drain doesn’t get talked about in Northern Ireland any more).

My desire for an opposition is a rejection of the current farce. The fines from welfare Reform are mostly not hurting government agencies, but rather their external spend. This means the private sector, which took hits of 25% during austerity cuts due to reductions in government contract spending, will receive further cuts. We heard doom and gloom from the Environment Minister about gully cleaning and street light replacements but what was missing from the journalistic commentary was these contracts were all operated by private sector companies. These companies, unlike government departments, cannot run at a deficit; they just go out of business. We’re now seeing the reportage of cuts to the Arts and while everyone is impotently outraged, they will do nothing. It will only be a matter of time before every private sector organisation that relies on government for procurement contracts will feel the same sort of pinch. It is a relief that we still have an NHS (though a private medical supplier is cutting their headcount which indicates that lucrative external spend has just been cut). These cuts will hit us, the public, in the cuts in services but also in the decimation of our private sector which will make us even more dependent on the block grant. We are playing further in to the failed state rhetoric and no-one has the power to stop it. Or do they?

Maybe a party could impose a temporary direct rule and restore public funding? How? By forcing the collapse of the current executive. It’s been said time and time again that the Alliance could do this by embracing their own principles for once (the non-acceptance of sectarian politics, the rejection of a coalition based on sectarian politics) but really this is something that could in theory be forced by any party. None of them will be brave enough to do it but it is the only way to halt the excruciating decline of our civic infrastructure.


When stuck between a rock and hard place, the only way to go is sideways. I see collapse as the only way out of the stalemate because Sinn Fein are never, ever going to back down. They’ve invested too much into this gamble to change their minds and the disintegration of our public services fits their failed state rhetoric.

#unite14 – Paddyinvasion revisited

Next week is Unite’14,  the latest tech/skills conference from Unity Technologies and their partners. We have 8 people going out from the island (that we know of) with fabulous assistance from Honeycomb Creative Works and select assistance from InvestNI. These are: Troll Inc Bitsmith Games Lionrai Games South West College Zenify Newzmonkeys South Eastern Regional … Continue reading “#unite14 – Paddyinvasion revisited”

Next week is Unite’14,  the latest tech/skills conference from Unity Technologies and their partners. We have 8 people going out from the island (that we know of) with fabulous assistance from Honeycomb Creative Works and select assistance from InvestNI.

These are:

Troll Inc
Bitsmith Games
Lionrai Games
South West College
Zenify
Newzmonkeys
South Eastern Regional College

And I’m attending as both Digital Circle and Conquest Dynamics.

Most of us are flying out Sunday morning from Dublin and landing in Charlotte for a 5 hour layover before continuing to Seattle and arriving just before 9 pm local time.

Monday we plan to visit Microsoft and we hope to make a flying visit to both Amazon and Valve Corporation.

Tuesday is the Unity Training Day which we didn’t manage to score tickets for but we’re going to attend the Microsoft sponsored Windows Porting Lab for the day and finish up with the Unity Pre – Conference Mixer. Then there’s three days of sessions and talks before catching the plane again on Saturday.

It’s going to be an intense week and we won’t have time for jet lag.

Down Coastal Rowing Club

I took a trip to Donaghadee to visit the Coastal Rowing Club. They’re mid-build at the moment on a skiff. I’m working with some other folk to investigate how Bangor might get a boat build started. The Donaghadee build was one of nine sites sponsored by the PSNI and the Strangford and Lecale Partnership. You … Continue reading “Down Coastal Rowing Club”

I took a trip to Donaghadee to visit the Coastal Rowing Club. They’re mid-build at the moment on a skiff. I’m working with some other folk to investigate how Bangor might get a boat build started. The Donaghadee build was one of nine sites sponsored by the PSNI and the Strangford and Lecale Partnership. You can find out more information here.

My interest isn’t specifically in the skiffs. Unless they can take a mast-step. Then it becomes a lot more interesting.