Eve Online

So I put windows on my mac mini along side the mac os x install. I had planned to use it to play WoW as I'd heard it works much better, but with the patch tomorrow mac gets a cool new feature not on windows (built in game video capturing).

Anyway, well I was setting up windows I thought I'd download and try Eve Online. Works pretty well on my mac mini, which is funny as I just saw news about a mac port that would only work on macs with dedicated video cards.

The opening cinematic was something else. All about the end of the world (at the hands of humans battling, polluting, and other such things we do) and the emergence of space travel for the survival of the species. Fast forward, the Eve worm hole is found and a great beyond is discovered. But wait, the worm hole collapses and civilization is cut off. Now there is a regression and each settled planet has to rediscover space travel.

Current Eve time, or I guess I should say years ago eve time when the game was released you enter as a pilot of a ship of one of the particular race. What really grabbed was the change from 'the future resting on your wings' to now you can go mine or catch pirates. Not that it isn't fun, but it got me thinking about the change from entry cinematic to game starting play (WoW does so to a lesser extent also).

well, maybe not

So I was going to try twitter out, but I'm not sure how to post it here (share it), but I can point you in the right direction.

Two to go

So lucky 13 was my aim for today. I've typed quickly, in short burst, and in longer thoughts. I may have even ranted a bit. Maybe a blog might work for me in some way. A friend suggested Twitter, so maybe I'll give that a try. Or maybe, I'll get caught up in whatever that's going on around me again for some unscripted amount of time.

Trust and Performance

Trust

So trust T. L. Taylor address a bit in "Play Between Worlds: Exploring Online Game Culture". In a brief and messy way, I'd refer to the concept as building a connection of consistency among other players in a game space. It's much like we might imagine trust at large - I go through a green light trusting the other drivers will stop at the red light.

In gaming this trust comes into action with things from trade, engaging the shared space, to play.

In academia we could think of trust in broad terms such as ethics for research, teaching, or mentoring. Often the way I have experienced it has been in the mess between all those grand concepts. I trust that an assigned reading has some connection to the articulated course goals, program aims, and feild(s) in question.

In both areas I have learned how progressive this element is formed - or maybe I mean progressively, as in over time it is built. You can't go into a massive game and do whatever you want within the system of rules. Similarly, there are guidelines that might be broken, changed, or questioned in academia in order to build trust. I might ask what a concept, reading, or discussion has to do with a course, program, or field in order to express/clarify interest. I'm not distrusting the choice made, but rather wanting to understand how. This lesson came in time as both a WoW player and a PhD student.

Performance

The idea of Performance is interesting in game play as it is an extention of consistency for trust. Not only does a player need to act in a patterned way, but do so in ways that are successful. Success in a game and in academia change from setting to setting. Where this is especially intriguing to me is in relation to bodies. Both during game and academic actions certain bodies are expected to behave in certain ways. However, successful performance is still possible when bodies misbehave.

I am not the stoic, logical, male comentator (though I play one on TV).
I am a dwarf rogue.

Depending on your level of familiarity with each of these areas - academia/WoW - these last two declarations might not make sense. They articulate experience, which in time words might point toward - but I doubt they could reach. Might try over time anyway for fun.

PhD wha?

So because this is "C PhD," i.e. stories of a PhD student in Communication, Rhetoric, and Digital Media at North Carolina State University I'm thinking these PhD wha? moments might be important. So should the rest connect? At the least I think I'd be granted an enjoyment of football. It's a short college season and games are once a week no big deal right.

But then theres the "What Massively Multiplayer Online Games taught me about Academia" book of imaginary choice. I, by choice and commitment, spend close to as much time in online play as I do with graduate school work. So yeah, sleep can be a close third at times. But what's the connection, that's the key to go back to.

Community - I'm sure this doesn't surprise some.
In the midst of this is where I think things get interesting. I'll pick two aspects, one that T.L. Taylor picks up on, trust and one that she connects to that, but that is also seen more easilty in academia performance.

So what is it I talk about?

In no particular order (I would hope, but you know that's never the way it works):

Football
What's a PhD student anyway
WoW

---

Football: So yeah, my guys in blue haven't been all that I'd have hoped, but I still love football. Even if it involves hearing from all the other fans (you know who you are).

PhD wha? With the influx of new students I am again fielding questions the remind me that my wha? moments haven't really ended. What am I/should I be doing anyway?

WoW: Short for World of Warcraft - it's a game I play and talk about with other players (that I spend time with online). Here I'm thinking James Gee's "Why Video Games are Good for Your Soul," and the forthcoming imaginary book I would like to see: "What Massively Multiplayer Online Games taught me about Academia."

I like to talk...

and I find myself at a loss typing at a blog with no idea of what 'whoever' is reading is into. So what interests you, what are you doing?

That old post...

Friday, September 01, 2006
Professional Voice?
So I get an email about student information on the program's web page and it occurs to me people other than friends might actually begin reading this page. Other than Alex's blog ------>>>>>

Most of what I read of blogs is more or less like what you're reading here. Pretty conversation with a small group of peope in mind. So do I need a professional voice? Could look at one of the several blogs I know of from others in my program. It's odd how such a voice was pretty easy for me to develop in my short run podcast, but here not so much. More later...

Posted by chado at 12:10 PM

Way to serious for a Friday...
I'd rather just talk, but what's with that?

Maybe...

quick fire posts would work well for me? I'd actually post? Though, I do really think blogs like Alex's are cool. But then that reminds me of an old post about accademic/professional voice.

Pretty

So the current page layout for my blog was from a template to show something for a presentation I did, but I don't remember exactly what. Now I don't want to change it because it's so pretty.

So what's new?

I'm the TA for a new undergraduate course Games and Culture. Working with the instructor who is starting the new course this semester and I'll get to teach it next semester.

Mac mini - who would have thought that an intel processor would make me happy - yeah duo core.

Hmmm

13 posts in 2006, 13 posts TODAY

Because I can...

Something I think looks cool

Someone posted this on Terra Nova and I just thought it sounded cool.

Really, I am alive...

So anyone who reads this knows how bad I'm at posting. This is a still kicking post. Though I guess with course work coming to an end I should have more time. It's all the cool new students - really. People make me smile; hi happy people.

Happy new semester

So I'm back and getting ready for my next shot at teaching. This time it's an afternoon section of the writing course I taught last semester. Other than waiting for the web space (electronic course locker oO) to go through I'm pretty set. Have some thinking to do about the last project, but I feel ready to start on Thursday. Mean while I'll have to figure out a way to pay for my books. I think I'll need to buy some of those things.

Thank you writing center...

So I'm at the tail end of the required student conferences for the sememster.  These conferences are the first time some of these students have been to my office hours - let alone my office.  I guess I didn't go to office hours when I was in my first year writing class so maybe this is justice.  

All I do know is that if it weren't for those years of writing center confrence afternoons where several appointments were lined up back to back I'm not sure I would be able to do this.  The good thing though, is that it seems to be going well.  Now if only I could say the same of forming a committee.

Good news...

Feeling much better and I'm all done with grading.  Now if only Monday would last long enough for me to catch up on reading.

Did you hear that?

As long as I don't run out of tissues I may just finish a good chunk of papers today.  Looks to be nice outside to, so maybe the sunshine will clear this cold out.

Again with the grading?

It's true - more grading. The first two projects were set pretty close to one another. Thankfully the pace for the third project is a little slower. Other than delaying the reading of papers I'm trying to get iTunes to download some new (free) music. Silly thing has been acting strange for the last couple days. Might just end up listening to more from Regina Spektor.

Grading...

So I'm done with my first batch of papers and I'm pretty happy with the way things have gone. May have a few students speaking with me in the next few days, but overall seems to be a solid group. There's always room for improving writing though (no surprise there from my posts :-).