My OnLive MicroConsole came in today. I was lucky enough to grab one of the free ones they gave away at GDC 2011, and I’ve been wanting to try the service since getting a beta account. The console, at first, is really small. Kinda like a pack of cards. Even the controller is bigger than the console. It does come with all the appropriate cables, including an HDMI cable, and updates everything once it is connected.

My biggest complaint is with the controller. It is a simple Windows XInput controller with a battery pack attached to it. The bulk of the weight comes from the battery pack. The USB cable does have the attachment, and that makes the controller lighter, but you are connected to the console instead of sitting back. When paired up against the Playstation 3 controller, the size is noticeable and the weight plays a big part. It may be a nice big controller for bigger hands, and it feels sturdier than the Playstation 3 controller. What also confuses me is the media buttons on the controller. It seems to only control the videos that you can capture with the software. I would love to see the addition of Pandora or some streaming music service as an app on the OnLive Console, but that is getting ahead of myself. These additional buttons make it confusing when playing a game, because an accidental hit of the button makes me cringe incase it interrupts my game time. Some more explanation as to what these buttons do and I would be happy.

The software is the star of this show. I’ve had an OnLive beta account, but never got to play with it because of the dependency of a wired internet connection. Now that the software can use WiFi and the MicroConsole is wired in, the software seems to be able to handle anything thrown at it. There are some slight hiccups when dealing with the WiFi, but that makes sense. I don’t think the crazy network specs are really worth it, but since it has to drive traffic from controller/keyboard & mouse to the server processing the traffic and then back with high-definition video and sound … it must be really fast to handle all of that.

The controller doesn’t work well with some of the games. The native version of the games working on actual consoles feel more intuitive. This is all because the controller is an XInput controller and not a native one. For example, playing Lego Batman, the analog sticks were too sticky and would cause a character to fall off ledges. When playing a similar Lego title on the PS3, the controls are able to handle whatever I want to do. This is a failing of the controller and the software. If the software were to accomodate finer controls with the analog sticks, then the games could benefit.

Secondly, since the controller is an XInput device, it has to have the same buttons as the Microsoft Windows Game Controller, which incidentally enough is an XBox 360 controller. The OnLive controller does have the same buttons (except for the media buttons), so, the control scheme is like the 360 or Games For Windows Live games that have XInput capabilities. The problem with that is the buttons are inconsistent between each game and their visual representation isn’t the same. This needs to be more tight with the integration, and only shows OnLive as a tech demo and not a real service.

OnLive’s strengths are in the blazing fast speed it takes to start a new game and play the game without install. In less than 5 mins, I’m in a new session of a game and it is running with out flaws. The High-Def streaming is pure High-Def, in 1080p goodness. Even the new Playstation 3, games need to install and run setup game saves,

which all take time. OnLive, it does it flawlessly. This is where I think OnLive’s strength could get it a deal with the major console manufacturers. Slip the software into a new update and have demos of games being streamed and save massive bandwidth by not having the complete game install being downloaded on to the console. This saves space and helps for quicker decisions on buying the new titles.

Final thoughts on the Software: Insist on no Ubi.com DRM. The Account Linking to link the Ubi.com account with your OnLive account to play Ubisoft titles is kinda broken, and confusing, but I was able to link my account, just not as easily as I would have hoped.

I’ve heard the pitch many times before: “Dude! I have this really cool idea for a website!” Usually, the idea is nothing more than a mash up of some other service that “doesn’t seem to get it right”. Nine times out of ten, I’m all about being on board with a cool idea. Though, the past few years have taught me to be wise. If I’m passionate about something, I need to be 100% on board, and have my friends convinced of that as well. Only then, can I think about getting other people involved. Most of the time, the pitch is just a simple idea, without really thinking out the logistics. To the detriment of others, having nothing planned out is where you end up failing. My favorite, to this day, is the one where someone wanted to create social networking site and have a launch by six months after initial coding began. Sad thing is that I’m still working on it.

There is one thing I noticed about the Game Design classes I have been taking, and my many years of getting with companies that fail. That is when you start a game project up, you are essentially going the same route as a businessperson would take to start up. The overall result is the same, just certain aspects are different. Since they are sort of similar, I wanted to clear the air about what I hate about the “business pitch” with explaining what I learned as a Game Designer.

Before you can pitch anything, you need to be 100% confident about the product you are wanting to create. Many of my pitches are things that aren’t really thought out. One thing I have told myself is, before you pitch the idea, research it before you go in and look like an idiot. Only once have I done my research for a project, and it was met with success.

(Game Designers/Developers: Research is key. Explain what you want to do and prove you can back it up. Once you’ve been in the industry a while, it does come easier and simpler when creating the initial game proposal.)

Look organized, seriously. Don’t give a blank stare when asked about a business plan. Don’t gawk at the expenses needed to setup for your endeavor. Expect it. One of the best life lessons that I have ever gotten was the idea that I needed to put my equal amount of time and money in to my project or idea. Whenever I quit, it was because I didn’t put money in to make it more worthwhile, or it was because I wasn’t behind the idea. If you have the idea, you have to be the one who puts all the work into it. Know the ins and outs of all the systems. How does one person design in photoshop a certain way? If you are going to employ those workers, then it helps to have this knowledge.

(Game Designers/Developers: You are the project’s number one advocate. If this is your idea, you have to be committed to it. While all you may need is money, you need to match that money with the level of enthusiasm for the project. Be committed and the rest will follow.)

Get organized. If you did look unorganized when meeting with a potential investor, you can still regain them. The next time you do the pitch, however, you need to be more than 100% on the project. If you aren’t, then you will lose that investor. Being a businessman doesn’t mean you are the boss until you start employing (and paying) someone.

(Game Designers/Developers: Whether you pitch to a studio, or your boss at the studio you work at, they are still investing in to your game. They are putting the funding up, and their ass is on the line if you fail. Keep that in mind when you pitch. If you flubbed the pitch, then make it up with the proposal. You usually only have two times to impress, and that’s it.)

Start small. Think about the small stuff before you dream the big stuff. Looking at the big stuff and what you can get when you accomplish your goal is nice, but it is also a massive determiner of failure. Get the simple things worked out and then add on as time moves forward. Be realistic. Another favorite from the pitch pile, is one where this random businessman (I met doing my many adventures) had an idea for a website and kept telling me all the things he wanted to see. Complete with no direction. He was talking about blogging and voting and different domains. The ideas were too many and too complicated. He never accounted for the simple things. The small stuff. The ability to show when you expect your ideas to be completed is key to a proper functioning business.

(Game Designers/Developers: Yes, it would be awesome to have a game that can mimic every known genre of video game and meld it in to one awesome, jaw-expanding game. But figuring out how you get there is half the battle. If you start small and iterate, in time, you will have the game you are looking for and a team that is happy. I know it sucks to try and view your game from that vantage point, but you will be glad to say “Remember when that zombie was just a simple, crude model?”. Plus, that would be just cool to say in general.)

Be prepared for failure. This is the way business goes. As a web developer, I’m always approached to do pro-bono work for a friend or former co-worker. My favorite was an old classmate who used to pick on me, came in to where I worked and tried to pitch me a job. I hate to say “No”, but I’ve gotten pretty good on saying no when someone comes up with “The Next Best Idea”. This is one thing that you have to be prepared for. If you are 100% behind the project, look at every “no” as another way to try and get the “yes”. This would be the best time to ask questions, like “What do I need to improve on?” or even a simple “What can I do to make you get on board?”. This is your chance to learn where you failed.

(Game Designers/Developers: Persistence matters. Instead of hearing “No”, try and listen to why they said “no”. It never hurts to ask questions about that. It only prepares you for other people who can give you the “yes”.)

Know when to quit. Don’t let it get to be bad. Most of the time that a startup fails around me is when they don’t have their stuff together. I usually inform them that code will not be written until I have a signed contract that contains all the pertinent data about the project. Usually, this is the one that trips up people and usually kills an idea. The thought that they actually needed to do work, scares most people, and usually the ones who pitch these ideas. There have been some that would go on to draw in another gullible fool and I would walk away hands clean. If you are unflinching in your desire to get your idea running makes you blind to the suggestions of other people, then you do not deserve to run a company.

(Game Designers/Developers: Ever hear about the weird creepy guy [there is always a weird creepy guy] who wanted to make his realistic World War II turn-based video game? Ever see him take advice and alter his idea? If you don’t take the advice from the people you are pitching to, and you don’t change your pitch, expect this to be your destiny. Repetition is only good to a degree, beyond that, it begins to look pathetic.)

There are many things that upset me about this, but the reason why I’m upset is more worse. While I like every idea that comes my way, it ends up being my fault because the business failed. From my prospective, I’m an investor who is providing a service to a company. Once my investment is paid in full by the contractually stated time, then you essentially got a programmer for free at the beginning. This works when both parties have their paperwork together and the mutual understanding that this was a business relationship. Sadly, the people I have met with in the past are pretty much the same. They are idealists who have an awesome idea (and usually, I can pick out those awesome ideas), and they have no sense of direction or understanding of the little picture. While looking at the bigger picture is nice, and very awesome once actually at that position, it is still nothing until you lived on the road there.

In the end, it is the actual work that makes you have the biggest payout. Either as a businessperson or a game designer, all that hard work being paid off is most satisfying. If you aren’t able to cut it, what makes you think you are going to make any money?

For those who don’t know, I got a MacBook Pro as part of my education with Full Sail University, and the computer is pretty sweet. I have little complaints about Mac OS X, and the fact that it can run Windows so I can play my PC games, makes it the ideal computer for me right now (and the most powerful computer I have ever owned). However, there is this small problem with my Windows install that made it unbearable to use in places that I wanted to keep quiet. When plugging my headphones into the headphone jack, sound would still come out of my speakers on the MacBook Pro. I couldn’t figure it out, until today, when I decided to get it to work. Thankfully, the fix doesn’t require any software downloads or crazy settings, and everything works after you unplug the headphones too. (Note: I did this in Windows Vista with Boot Camp 3.1. This should work in Windows 7, however, I can’t test that out because I don’t own a license)

What you need to do is open the Sound Settings in the Control Panel in Windows.

Vista Sound Settings

If you notice, my headphones aren’t plugged in, and because of that, I can’t do much of anything. So, once I plug in my headphones, then more options open up.

Vista Sound Settings with Headphones Plugged in

With these settings, my speakers are still the active sound output, and it doesn’t use my headphones. Next thing you need to do is to select the Headphones and hit the Set Default button. This will make the headphones your primary sound device. Once your headphones are disconnected, then your speakers become the default, kinda like a fallback device.

Issues with this:

Coming from the Mac OS X side of things, you can disconnect the headphones and the speakers become the default without having to change settings. This is a wonderful thing because it routes everything without having to deal with settings. The Windows side is a little different. It seems like the driver that is in use with the MacBook Pro doesn’t route properly, and because of that, sounds have a tendency to not work once you disconnect the headphones. For example, when I was watching a video in Windows Media Player, and I disconnected the headphones, the video would not respond and the audio wouldn’t route to the speakers. This shows that the driver still has major issues that Apple needs to rectify.

If you know of anything else that is a problem, let me know in the comments.

So, I have been coding like a mad person and I needed a simple JSON parser to get declared variables for PHP API Programming. So, This is what I came up with

To run it, you will have to have php-cli enabled. The base install should come with cURL, but if it doesn’t then make sure to recompile

$> php json.php http://api.twitter.com/1/statuses/user_timeline?screen_name=twitterapi

And the code is here:

<?php
	// Command Line JSON Parser.

	if(isset($argv[1])) {

		$ch = curl_init();
		curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_URL, $argv[1]);
		curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HEADER, false);
		curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);

		$ret = curl_exec($ch);

		if(curl_errno($ch)) {
			print "Error with CURL: ".curl_error($ch);
		}

		curl_close($ch);

		print_r(json_decode($ret, true));
	}

So, I am sitting down after a night out with my significant other and we both come across some posting about Hayley Williams (Lead Singer of Pop-Punk band Paramore) uploading a picture of her (semi-)naughty bits by accident through her Twitter account. After reading all of the comments about the incident, it suddenly dawned on me. The social collective on the Internet has no real privacy. This is coming after Facebook updates it’s own stance on privacy today and what it can do with the data you submit to it. While I don’t agree with Facebook and Mark Zuckerburg (I think the guy is a real tool), it does stand to reason that there is nothing that CAN’T be found on the Internet today. There are services that will repost your data and send it to where you want to send it, but when you deal with data that you want to keep as your own, making the decision to upload it to a service kills the idea that the data is actually yours. This all goes to a simple hacker philosophy, in that all data is free on the Internet.

What do you mean ‘free’?

Ok, ok, instead of starting an argument about semantics, I should explain what I mean by “free”. This isn’t the monetary ”free”, but more of the idea of liberty “free”. The same “free” that lets you protest on a street corner in complete opposition to the current government head. So, what do I mean?

All data is free on the Internet.

Scary? This is a hacker’s dream. Exploring and learning more about how an internal combustion system works on a ’75 Mustang while sitting naked on your couch is an ideal world for information seekers, hackers. This isn’t a bad thing. I don’t really have a desire to know more about you, per sé, but if you have something interesting for me to glean from you, then I will pay attention the data you submit freely. If you demand a payment, then I will pay if I am that interested, if not, I will go away and let you be. This is the ideal utopian Internet, where people live in a sort of data synergy.

But, there are people who are up in arms about this whole Facebook “privacy” thing. Why?

I don’t want my mom to see something I want to share with my friends…

The “why” is important to understand before attacking the “how”. Since Facebook only answers to itself, they can make the decisions on what they can do with the data on the servers they own. This is quite simple. They can literally hijack the data of people and those people can’t complain. If they do, then they look like entitled assholes. However, Facebook just changed their Privacy policy and what they do with the data they house, all because entitled assholes made them. If there ever is an example of how to get a company with an Alexa site rating of 2 (!!!) to change something, this is it. And this is because Person A didn’t want Person X to see what they posted. That begs the question, What is it that people don’t want to see?

Honestly, I have no idea what could make people want to have a “private” social experience. Usually it is an image of them partying with their friends where alcohol consumption and semi-naked girls are hanging on some random dude, or it is some REALLY offensive update that they don’t want their boss/parents/priest to see. However, I just don’t get it. I know that people want a private place to show their friends the pictures they have or share their ideals, but at the same time, they shouldn’t expect some place to give in to their demands. The fact is simple, while Facebook replaced Myspace, which replaced internet forums, which replaced dial-up bulletin board systems (there are more, but I am skipping over a lot of it), there will be something that replaces Facebook, and would LOVE to take your business away from them.

But looking away from the business aspect of this, a more simpler mantra is something you should do in your everyday life when dealing with the Internet.

Don’t EVER post ANYTHING on the Internet that you don’t want one person to see.

Chances are, they have already seen it.