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VI: What is needed…

Just an aide mémoire on what is needed: 2000 square feet minimum (around 200 square metres) Light and heat Internet Access (with wireless and wired points) Desks and seats Catering faciities Several square kilometres of whiteboard space A way of paying for itself (which includes it being my office) Links to Youth Organisations Private companies. … Continue reading “VI: What is needed…”

Just an aide mémoire on what is needed:

2000 square feet minimum (around 200 square metres)
Light and heat
Internet Access (with wireless and wired points)
Desks and seats
Catering faciities
Several square kilometres of whiteboard space
A way of paying for itself (which includes it being my office)
Links to Youth Organisations
Private companies.

The space will then be open to any digital company that doesn’t focus on services – but on products aimed at a global marketplace.

The space will be open to a digital business which commits to always collaborating at lunchtimes if they’re in the office. Core hours of work may be sacrosanct to their own business but at lunchtimes or if you take a coffee or comfort break, expect to be asked questions.

The space will be open to companies who will take on at least one apprentice. That means they’ll have to have a spare computer, they’ll have to dedicate a day to training and they’ll have to pay proper attention.

The space will be open to anyone who want to come in and learn a new digital trade. It’s not limited to being socially deprived or being part of some programme. If you want to learn, come in, take a desk and learn. You might not get the same attention as if you were on a formalised course but you’ll be immersed in it.

The space will be open to companies who will always take on school placements and that means we’d want them to get a member of staff registered with Access NI.

So, what am I missing?

History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid.

I went for an interview with the Eisenhower Fellowship today. The Fellowship is an international group of people who have experienced a visit to the United States to perform research and make contacts. I was nominated to the process and there was a statement of purpose and an interview that needed to be completed. Eisenhower … Continue reading “History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid.”

Eisenhower Fellowships is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization created in 1953 by a group of prominent American citizens to honor President Dwight D. Eisenhower for his contribution to humanity as a soldier, statesman, and world leader. The organization engages mid-career (age 32-45) professionals from around the world to enhance their leadership skills, broaden their network of contacts, deepen their global perspectives, and unite them in a diverse, global community where dialogue, understanding, and collaboration lead to a more prosperous, just, and peaceful world.

My pitch wasn’t the best; I’m not 100% sure what I would do if I was accepted onto the programme and I’m not sure who I’d meet. I gave a heartfelt presentation (notably without the use of visual aids) on my latest Social Capital project (dubbed Capitalising on Social Capital).

This directly has influence on my Revisiting VI work as the social clauses I plan go both ways. If we are to expect social responsibility from small businesses then we have to respect the value of their social capital. With big businesses it’s different. They get wads of cash from government and then they get wrapped up in whataboutery regarding the numbers and quality of graduates supplied by the education system.

My point is; this project doesn’t depend on my acceptance into the Fellowship programme. It will go ahead whether or not I get accepted. Before last month, I’d never heard of the Fellowship and therefore my plans are not contingent upon it. I do wonder why I had not heard if it? Similarly I had not heard of the Apeldoorn Fellowship before my participation in it last year. there are obviously many such networks around the globe – it behooves us to find them and to exploit them for the betterment of all.

While I spend time trying to encourage others to greatness, it is not because I do not believe I am capable of great things but rather there’s a role for everyone and I want to see aspirations realised. As I said in my interview today, my delight is in seeing others excel.

“Create all the happiness you are able to create; remove all the misery you are able to remove.” — Jeremy Bentham

My passion is unbridled optimism. We have been dealt some bad hands but there is opportunity everywhere. As I said during my closing statements today, “One Flappy Bird and the Northern Ireland media industry would be transformed”.

VI revisited. I’m looking for a few good humans.

A couple of years ago, a group of fools created STARTVI – a Virtual Incubator for digital startups. We gathered a gaggle of followers, had a paint party After 6 months the building was condemned which kinda put paid to a lot of our ambitions. I want to do it again. With some of the … Continue reading “VI revisited. I’m looking for a few good humans.”

A couple of years ago, a group of fools created STARTVI – a Virtual Incubator for digital startups. We gathered a gaggle of followers, had a paint party

After 6 months the building was condemned which kinda put paid to a lot of our ambitions.

I want to do it again. With some of the same things but also different. Yes, we’ll focus on startups in digital with a global vision but there are some serious social clauses that I want to build into it.

So, I’m looking for helpers. I don’t usually ask for much, so sign up below.

Children are out of control….

As if this was something new…as if the concept of kids being rebellious or misbehaving was something that kids had just come up with… We live in a decaying age. Young people no longer respect their parents. They are rude and impatient. They frequently inhabit taverns and have no self control.” — attributed to … Continue reading “Children are out of control….”

As if this was something new…as if the concept of kids being rebellious or misbehaving was something that kids had just come up with…

We live in a decaying age. Young people no longer respect their parents. They are rude and impatient. They frequently inhabit taverns and have no self control.”
— attributed to an inscription in an Ancient Egyptian tomb

The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.
— a paraphrase of a quote from Aristophanes’ Clouds, a comedic play known for its caricature of Socrates.

We spend the first two years of their lives telling children to stand up and talk, and the rest of their lives hoping they sit down and listen…

The Economy of Northern Ireland

Wee snippet from Wikipedia Border Midland & Western Ireland Southern & Eastern Ireland Northern Ireland – United Kingdom (1.1 million) (3 million) (1.75 million) €25.5 bn GVA €497,374 bn GVA £29.1 (€37.3) bn) €23,637 GVA per person €35,725 GVA per person £15,249 (€19,603) per person) Depressing. We’re worse off than the Western and Border regions … Continue reading “The Economy of Northern Ireland”

Wee snippet from Wikipedia

Border Midland & Western Ireland	Southern & Eastern Ireland	Northern Ireland – United Kingdom
(1.1 million)	(3 million)	(1.75 million)
€25.5 bn GVA	€497,374 bn GVA	£29.1 (€37.3) bn)
€23,637 GVA per person	€35,725 GVA per person	£15,249 (€19,603) per person)

Depressing. We’re worse off than the Western and Border regions of Ireland.

Minimum wage in Northern Ireland £12,304.50
Minimum wage in Ireland is €16,867.50 (£14,012.90)

Love and Duty are one and the same. Old, bitter men should remember that.

From The Book of the Iron Fist: But to Wu Ao-Shi, love and duty were one and the same. Old, bitter men with old, bitter bones have trouble remembering that sometimes. Related posts: Devotion to Duty The Mirage of Economic Prosperity and the Bitter Generation Who Watches The Apple Watch Men? Two Men Talking

From The Book of the Iron Fist:

But to Wu Ao-Shi, love and duty were one and the same.
Old, bitter men with old, bitter bones have trouble remembering that sometimes.

3D Dojo this week….

From William: This coming Saturday we’re going to be starting a wee project for regular attendees who are feeling confident with Maya. We’re going to build a simple character (not unalike the gentleman pictured below) and set up a rig to allow us to animate him/ her/ it. In a few weeks we’ll have your … Continue reading “3D Dojo this week….”

From William:

This coming Saturday we’re going to be starting a wee project for regular attendees who are feeling confident with Maya. We’re going to build a simple character (not unalike the gentleman pictured below) and set up a rig to allow us to animate him/ her/ it. In a few weeks we’ll have your characters literally (I’m not even joking) singing and dancing.

For now, here is a video of the rig that we’re going to make in action: http://youtu.be/2JexquMZfF4

And if you’re really keen, here is the Maya file for this chap so you can see what we’re going to get you to make (note that you can choose to model different head attire, you don’t even have to make your character green, why he could be another colour, orange for example, we’re not the sort of folks that mind).

https://www.dropbox.com/s/jqreh50lzrj7lxs/blob.ma

See you all on Saturday!

3 types of “game”

I see three types of “game” out there. Toys – these are games where there is seemingly no point. The complexity can vary but ultimately these tend to be open-ended and entertaining. I would classify The Sims and other simulations in here. Puzzles – these are games where the outcome is usually the defeat of … Continue reading “3 types of “game””

I see three types of “game” out there.

Toys – these are games where there is seemingly no point. The complexity can vary but ultimately these tend to be open-ended and entertaining. I would classify The Sims and other simulations in here.
Puzzles – these are games where the outcome is usually the defeat of a mental challenge. I would classify Angry Birds, Candy Crush and Myst in here.
Games – these are games where there is often challenge from another player, human or otherwise. Strategy games, first person shooters, racing games.

IAP

Found these via DaringFireball Drew Crawford: See, in the in-app purchase model actually predates phones. It predates video game consoles. It goes all the way back to the arcade, where millions of consumers were happy to pay a whole quarter ($0.89 in 2013 dollars) to pay for just a few minutes. The entire video games … Continue reading “IAP”

Found these via DaringFireball

Drew Crawford:

See, in the in-app purchase model actually predates phones. It predates video game consoles. It goes all the way back to the arcade, where millions of consumers were happy to pay a whole quarter ($0.89 in 2013 dollars) to pay for just a few minutes. The entire video games industry comes from this model. Kids these days.

The problem with this contention is that in the 1908s there was no choice. So the “quarter for 3 lives” model would not translate well. Imagine if you launched a game on IOS and it was an IAP every three lives. There’d be an uproar.

Thomas Baekdal:

We have reached a point in which mobile games couldn’t even be said to be a game anymore. Playing a game means that you have fun. It doesn’t mean that you sit around and wait for the game to annoy you for so long that you decide to pay credits to speed it up.

I spent a little time with a Dublin-based company a couple of years ago and the CEO exhorted me with tales about how their game was completely data-driven. I played it and I found it trite at best and just simply tedious at worst. They had developed a heap of content and then wrapped a statistics engine around it. If you think about it they had spent a fortune erecting barriers and walls around the content they had created. And it was awful.

In the end, it’s all about the game.

Fees and VCs

RT @SiobhanKHughes: #svgf Sean O'Sullivan @sosventures speaks strongly AGAINST VCs who take consultancy fees in addition to equity @itlgorg — Paul Steinberg (@psteinberg) February 1, 2014 Of course, they’re really speaking about private VCs. It’s a little bit more complex with some of the weird public-private VC structures that are designed to seed things but … Continue reading “Fees and VCs”

RT @SiobhanKHughes: #svgf Sean O'Sullivan @sosventures speaks strongly AGAINST VCs who take consultancy fees in addition to equity @itlgorg

— Paul Steinberg (@psteinberg) February 1, 2014

Of course, they’re really speaking about private VCs. It’s a little bit more complex with some of the weird public-private VC structures that are designed to seed things but not actually deliver anything on the equity.