Learning Farmville, Learning Game Psychology

As all Farmville-Lovers in my neighbourhood already know (because Farmville makes sure you socialize) – I am evaluating the great game Farmville now.

farmvilleTo learn how to get rid of it, once I want to in the future, I googled for “Quit Farmville”. Amanda Farrell posted some 10 rules there about how to quit. Quite interestingly, I already found the game mechanics to be seducing, and I reacted by looking for stuff that grows for many days and has a good return-of-invest (like peach trees…).

Amanda has similar observations, but it seems I found the keys after 60 minutes of gametime. Well, of course some years of real-time strategy gaming may help to learn a game.

And most important: this whole experiment reminds me a lot of my Ultima Online addiction which I nourished sometimes around 1997-2000 while I studied Information Science. Quitting Ultima was an amazing experience. Amanda’s blog post contains the same strategies I found back then for myself: learn the effectiveness of the game and the motivation and use it in the real world.

going back to help Ingrid’s farm…for science and to spend quality time on the couch together.

Zemanek Zitate, zufällige Auswahl

Durch Zufall und Glück habe ich im März Heinz Zemanek als Redner gehört – erwiesenermassen zahlt sich das aus. Es war die Feier anlässlich seines 90ers. Hier ein paar Zitate, von mir (schlecht) mitgeschrieben:

Für den Ingenieur ist wahr, was funktioniert.
Ich muss primär dem lieben Gott danken, dass er mich und die Informationstechnik so gut synchronisiert hat. Wem Gott so eine lange Lebenszeit schenkt, der trifft in seinem Leben viele Fachleute von denen er was lernen kann.
Bei misserfolgen sieht man alles was man vermeiden muss, dass nichts schiefgeht.
PL1 wurde von drei IBM Technikern und drei Kundenvertretern an mehreren Wochenenden auf einer Insel definiert.
Den Zemanek besucht man nicht, man wartet bis er vorbeikommt. … Als IBM fellow kann man so viel reisen wie man will.
(Zemanek blättert durch seine Vortragsunterlagen) … Na sowas. Da fehlt a Seitn. Dann trage ich das aus dem kopf vor. …

ich gratuliere nochmal zum 90er.

Ars Electronica: Headbanghero.com, Nemo Observatory, and drawdio

On the weekend we have been on the Ars Electronica Festival – the 30th anniversary version of this art&technology festival in Linz. Awesome.

I will blog and put pictures online in the next weeks, here a few previews:

Leobard doing the headbanghero.com game – its guitar hero with headbanging. röckers, you häve to dö it.

Here is Ingrid in the Nica-Award winning Nemo Observatory, its a “private tornado”, you sit on a comfortable chair in the eye of the storm. Polystrene balls and ventilators build the storm:

And we visited the MIT exhibition, traditionally a place where the best interactive media art people in the world gather. Drawdio really cought us, a simple rep-rapped device using an electrical current going through your body and watercolor paint to create a musical painting experience, at (I would guess) a low cost of 10$ per device and electrical materials you have in your drawer at home. Googling for it, I instantly found that they published it on Instructables in a pencil-based version. Just enjoy the movies:

Our Great Escape from Kaiserslautern

Thats it! We escape from Kaiserslautern. On Saturday, 20th June 2009 we celebrated our last night-out in Kaiserslautern. We leave for good, we leave for Vienna.

pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/leobard/sets/72157620153553827/

Thanks to all the people who joined Ingrid and me at the party. Michael and Gunnar and Martin cooked an excellent mix of curries, pakoras, and other dishes. Henning and Maria brought icecream, Sebastian another dessert. Dominik and Nora brought salads, Jochen a nice tapas “rolled bacon with dates”. And more. Everyone enjoyed eating the resulting menu.

Hm, essen
Hm, Essen

I decorated and rearranged the flat a bit to accomodate more people and have a nice look.
Dominik und Nora
at the Balcony

As surprise cultural event, I decided to put up a street-bar. At 23:00 about half of the partygoers went down to the street and built a bar from 10 banana boxes (we have 70 of them around here for moving). On the bar we had chips, wine, and spirits.

Strassenbar aufbau

It attracted the right people
Strassenbar

That went really well, later on we put down the bar again and went to fruchthalle to watch some tango dancing and other things.
Fruchthalle
coming up: Tango

That got boring after a while and we got a tip from someone performing that the Urban Biwak should be nice, so we went on:
Urban Biwak vom Kulturkollektiv

At this time, things get a bit blurry and not all stories must be told…
Gruppe Kunst

It all ended classically in Gusto, with a hard group of Gunnar, Max, Rinne, and me.
Max and Gunnar

Thanks to everyone for making this the great escape, it couldn’t have been better. I will miss you guys! See you in Vienna.

Permanent Breakfast 1.5.2009 Startfrühstück

Wie jedes Jahr, werden wir auch dieses Jahr in Kaiserslautern am 1.Mai am Stiftsplatz frühstücken! Teil der globalen Permanent Breakfast Kunstaktion.

Freitag, 1.Mai 2009
10:00 Stiftsplatz
bis etwa 12:00

Die regeln:

  • es muss wie ein formales frühstück aussehen (keine picknicks)
  • es geht ums partizipieren – jeder hilft mit
  • ein klein wenig mehr mitnehmen als für dich selbst, dann ist auch genug da für passanten und freunde die was vergessen haben

was man mitnehmen kann:

  • Tische
  • Stühle
  • Frühstück
  • Hüte
  • Sonnenschirme
  • Lampen, kleine Radios, es soll Wohnzimmerstimmung aufkommen

Breakfast

vergangene freude:

es frühstücken: Björn, Florian und Elisabeth
Blick von oben

Merkt euch den Termin an, es zahlt sich aus! Haltet es nicht geheim, macht comments hier (unten) wenn ihr dabei seid.

Kinetic Sculpture Race has 41th Anniversary! how about one in Vienna/Klosterneuburg?

“Adults having fun so children will want to grow older”,
Hobart Brown, glorious founder of the race.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinetic_Sculpture_Race
A Kinetic sculpture race is an organized contest of human-powered amphibious all-terrain works of art. The original event, the Kinetic Grand Championship in Humboldt County, California, is also called the “Triathlon of the Art World” because art and engineering are combined with physical endurance during a three day cross country race that includes sand, mud, pavement, a bay crossing, a river crossing and major hills.

This year is 41th Anniversary! The first race started in 1969 in Hippie-California. How about making a race this year in Klosterneuburg, next to Vienna? We have wild cross-country, road, and water. I would like to find a few mates for a team to create “Free Ellie” and you should also make a team! its fun, it teaches you artwork and handicrafts.

and look at all the fun it can be after you do it for many years:

I search for alternative-minded people who would like to help out, co-organize, form teams, and carry on the spirit of this family-friendly event in Europe. Are you in? Write to me or comment below.

Our design is intentionally simple so that its possible to build it within a week – would you like to ride in this? then help building it!
Free Ellie

update: I made a facebook group to kickstart this: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=67272838900

5.10.08 Digitalcouch läd ein zum The Great Escape ins Cafe23

Unser persönlicher The Great Escape von hier liegt für uns noch in der Zukunft. Bis dahin sind wir WahlLauterer und verbringen unsere Zeit in dieser Metropole der Pfalz. Wir warten nicht ab, das jemand uns Zeitvertreib organisiert, sondern organisieren selber und schauen dabei gern mit Laptop und Beamer über den Tellerrand von Kaiserslauern hinaus.

Offenes Treffen / Eintritt frei.

15.10.08
19:00 – 22:00
The Great Escape ins
Cafe23
Pirmasenser Str. 5 / Eingang Glockenstrasse
http://www.cafe23.de/

Nehmt USB-sticks, videos und shit aus dem Netz mit!

vorige great escapes:

für die couch,
Jens Rinne und Leo Sauermann