Lucasarts & Quantum Link

Lucasarts (then called Lucasfilm Games) was founded by Peter Langston, a musician/game designer who hand-picked a group of young and eager game designers to create original game properties.

In 1985 Lucasarts was working on a Commodore 64 virtual community game (coupled with a 300-baud modem attachment) called Habitat.

In the game you were to create an “avatar” (yes, they coined the term in this context), picking from a selection of colors and clothes using the “GET” and “PUT” commands and then chat and interact with other people within a somewhat graphical UI.

They partnered with a company called Quantum Link to provide the on-line service component and distributed a beta test. However, the game itself proved to be too popular and their servers couldn’t handle the load, so it was canceled never making it to retail.

Meanwhile the technology was sold to Fijitsu in 1989 and was later renamed Club Caribe.

Postmortem

Lucasarts went on to create many original gaming properties (successful adventure games like Maniac Mansion, Grim Fandango and Day of the Tentacle) and Quantum Link eventually changed their name to America Online.

The rest is history.

Additional reading:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habitat_(video_game)
http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Quantum-Link
http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Habitat-(video-game)

It would seem that many of us are losing the ability to actually perform DIY skills such as changing a tire, fixing the bathtub or installing a ceiling fan and yes, sometimes, changing a light bulb.

The article quotes sci-fi author Robert A. Heinlein as saying:

A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.

I’m not sure about you, but I can on a good day maybe task myself with one or two of the above (planning an invasion and cooking a tasty meal if you’re curious). Ask me to build a wall? I’d just point you in the direction of a great masonry. Balance accounts? Talk to my wife, the accountant. Butcher a hog? Well, you get the picture.

Granted, Heinlein’s task list is ambitious. It’s like asking a kindergartner to walk on stilts in the middle of a sandbox. It probably won’t happen. The kid might be smart enough to call his friend, the circus performer, who will not only gladly put on the stilts but he’ll hold a fishbowl as well. In this day and age, we’ve got contacts, professionals, who will do these things for a whole lot or a whole little greenback.

That said, it would seem impractical or more technical DIY is on the rise. Just to name a few DIY resources: Make Magazine, Readymade, Lifehacker, DIY Life, DIY Network and one of my favorites, Instructables, just about anyone can learn how to build a solar-powered kite or superpower an appliance.

The question is then, has the DIY skill set atrophied or has it evolved into something else entirely?

Which is why when the media recently reported of a man revealing the actual Zodiac killer to be his stepfather, let’s just say my interest finally peaked. To the point where I blew the dust off my mind’s shelving of this obsession and now with this re-examining of the case I hope to file it away for good. Of course I said that the last time and if this trails off to nowhere I’ll be doing this again.

For those without any knowledge of the Zodiac case, the oracle of digital insight and magic Wikipedia says this:

The Zodiac Killer is a serial killer who operated in Northern California in the late 1960s. His identity remains unknown. The Zodiac coined his name in a series of taunting letters he sent to the press. His letters included four cryptograms (or ciphers), three of which have yet to be solved.

Creepy? Check. Despite the fact it’s unsolved it still remains an open case, unlike the stockpile of cold cases that may never see the light of day. As Hank Hill would say, “That ain’t right.”

I’ve even rented the movie, Zodiac, with Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey, Jr. just to reacquaint myself with a fascinating (and yes, morbid) crime with a deranged man responsible for several deaths sending letters and greeting cards to authorities. It was all very Jack the Ripper but in modern times.

There’s also another thread to this that hits close to home. Her name was Cheri Jo Bates, a student at Riverside Community College and a purported victim of the Zodiac killer. Even though he claimed to be responsible for the murder, Riverside police were convinced his confession to be false.

I believe my obsession with this case has more to do with the air of mystery surrounding it rather than the gritty details, I’ll leave that to Hollywood and the media. Yet I do want to see it solved once and for all, if anything to provide some resolve for the victims and their families.

For the sake of actually writing something and to experiment a bit with Flickr Video here’s a short clip of my daughter, Zoe, practicing sign language with her Aunt Erin (Nina). Bonus: My son shows up in the last few seconds.

What have I been up to since I last mashed my fingers across the keyboard and published something of worth? Well, I was offered and accepted a position with AOL/Weblogs, Inc. as a designer for their network of sites. My first thought was; they pay people to design blogs? It’s become more than a dream job for me and I couldn’t be more thankful for the friendships I’ve formed and lessons learned.

There’s that, on the job end of things, and as a far as my personal life is concerned we’re plugging along quite nicely. My daughter Zoe just turned 4. For those of you who’ve followed this site for the 4+ years I’ve been maintaining it this is a huge milestone. My son, Quinn, is now 2 and between the two they manage to keep us busy, thanks in part to how often they annoy each other. We are expecting another child as well so there are more adventures to look forward to.

Speaking of which, this site, my favorite pet project has become more stagnant than ever. You could search the archives… oh wait, no you can’t because that’s yet to be fixed, but hey, if you could you’d find plenty of posts describing some sort of post-mortem. Moving on from here I’ve finally decided to use Expression Engine to use as the engine of this site. One reason for settling on EE is because I’ve used it sparingly in the past for projects and the road map of feature additions & interface enhancements (as showcased at SXSW ‘08) looks pretty fantastic.

The other reason is I had dinner with Michael Boyink, recent hire of Ellis Labs (the team behind EE), and through his own articulation and excitement I myself became utterly convinced this was for me. He’s also the man behind Train-EE which is both an incredible and informative resource on all that is Expression Engine, oh, and he offers training course ware on it. How cool is that?

It’s been awhile and I realize that and it bothers me, but, it’s clear to me that the progression of this site is to become something more than a blog, but also it needs to be fun again for me.

I distinctly remember the front cover illustration, how colorful it looked from afar and thinking how geeky the boy on the cover looked with his round glasses and oddly-shaped scar. Yet, because it was a children’s book I figured it wasn’t worth my time.

The Chosen One

I would’ve never guessed that not only would I read (and digest) every book in the series and watch every movie to date I would finally say goodbye to such a rich and imaginative world and a character that, next to Mickey Mouse, is so well known around the world.

The road to understanding Harry Potter wasn’t so smooth for me. It took some convincing on the part of my best friend’s father, who in his late 40s figured out something that I could not; that children’s books are written for children but also meant to be enjoyed by adults.

Adult fiction can be stressful and complicated, taking itself too seriously at times which is not to say children’s literature doesn’t stray from complicated plots, it’s just written in a manner that even at its most basic level a child could understand.

If you think for a moment of the best children’s stories turned to movie adaptations, sprinkled in there will be films that probably rate high on your all-time favorite list.

A few that come to my mind are:

• The Wizard of Oz by Frank L. Baum
• Bambi by Felix Salten
• Jumaji by Chris Van Allsburg

There are several others that have had such a profound impact on all of our lives and to think they all began as stories intended for children.

Moral Alignment

As for Harry Potter, after having read the first book, I had a cultivated initiative to finish the series to the end. It was my goal and since I’ve reached it there are thoughts that have stayed with me throughout the course of the story.

Many of which deal with the fact that Harry doesn’t fit the mold for a hero. He isn’t bulky, doesn’t have strength beyond his wand and depends on the aide of others.

However, he is the epitome of hope and strength to the wizarding world, which shares parallels with groups that in a historical context have been suppressed in every culture under the sun. While Harry never truly recognizes his importance, he remains humble and loving and these are traits that ultimately keep him on the straight and narrow, resilient to the evil that is always at bay.

This struggle between good and evil, right and wrong, decisions based on the protagonist’s moral standing are common threads shared by good literature. Literature that pulls you in, makes you feel sorrow and empathy and lays the groundwork for the ultimate showdown.

A World That Seems Real

While I consider myself a healthy reader there’s never been a series that has captivated me as much as the Harry Potter story has. I’m a lover of fantasy and while the Lord of the Rings books are grandiose, they can be difficult to read because the language itself (explored in depth by Tolkien) is a character unto itself.

The enjoyment of reading Harry Potter stems from the fact that Rowling doesn’t take herself too seriously and instead has fun with her material. I believe that beyond her shy persona is a woman who is witty and constantly imagining things as evidenced in the books. She managed to make reading interesting again for children and that alone deserves attention.

There’s a lot to like about Harry Potter and for that he’ll remain as real as other characters in fiction have become.

Instead of just taking in the sights around me I’m also beginning to listen more, paying close attention to the sounds of nature and the partial conversations I pick up on while on my walk.

Since we live in a village (with a population of less than 5,000), small talk carries itself through the walls of homes, in meeting hot spots like the park or the local supermarket and you’re always bound to run into someone you know.

It’s a lot like Cheers, where everyone knows your name or at least your family name.

On my most recent stroll through the village I noticed a fellow standing on the street corner in front of a Mom & Pop diner. He looked about in his 50s, but with all of his hair still intact and I kid you not, his attire consisted of a tank top, shorts and dress shoes. He was yelling to a friend across the street, who nonchalantly continued on his way until he noticed his loud companion.

They both laughed, one teasing the other and I moved on. You might see this kind of thing in everyday life, to you it might even be mundane or commonplace.

For someone like me who has tendency to extrapolate the small stuff, which works to my benefit and sometimes just the opposite, these kinds of occurrences are important for a few reasons.

One, that life really is like a play and there are patterns that we all recognize and become used to. There’s no special formula to observation, you either pay attention to details or you don’t. I’ve been informed by people that small occurrences in life like two guys meeting on the street aren’t worth remembering or mentally archiving.

Yet, life is an experience. It’s more than just a few months strung into years, it’s moments and memories and everything else.

When someone lets you know that their child stood up for the very first time, you might be interested for a moment and then together your reactions don’t align. For the parent of the child, this is monumental, a milestone in the growth and development of their child.

To you, even if you might be related, that same feeling the parent had isn’t what you are feeling because it may not be as important. We’ve got to keep track of a lot of information, this may not deserve a folder in the storage of our minds.

I might be a special case because I can selectively recall things/thoughts/occurrences that happened years ago. Most of these moments in time would’ve been long forgotten by most, but I hang onto things that might have made a difference to me.

Even if that means not having the same emotional attachment as the person who delivered the message or the guy yelling at his friend across the street, it’s something I cherish.

The only downside is my short-term memory leaves something to be desired. Recalling memories from years ago is no problem (in some cases), but there are times when I remind myself of something and moments later the memory or reminder only partially remains.

What followed was a conversation between a three-year-old pirate, her parrot Steve and me, her “Pirate Daddy”.

Zoe: Arggh! I’m a pirate. You are a pirate too.

Me: Avast, ye scurvy sea dog! Y’best walk the plank.

Zoe: Okay. Daddy, this plank is heavy. I can’t carry it.

Me: (laughing) I said walk the plank, not carry it.

Zoe: I put it down here. That was so heavy, Pirate Daddy.

Me: Shiver me timbers! Where be your parrot, Steve?

Zoe: He flewed away! In the sky. Argggh!

Me: Yar! Next time keep an eye on Steve. A pirate isn’t a pirate without his parrot.

Zoe: Hand me a map. We need to go there. (points) And where we’re there, we then go here.

It’s not matter of when but how and using what for most, but for the sake of posterity and for fun here they are:

Jamaican Bobsledding

I’m not sure who to thank, Cool Runnings or John Candy, but I’d love to represent and make Jamaica proud by sliding down an icy slope with other strangers as crazy as me.

Be a Reality Talent Show Judge

Just sit, nitpick, joke, blink. Rinse & repeat.

Finish Super Mario Bros.

Sometimes I lay in bed at night, totally forget about life’s other worries (bills, squirrels in attic, etc.) and dwell on the fact that I’ve never completely finished SMB.

Run for Office, Win and Quit

At least I’d have a bunch of lawn flags for souvenirs.

Trade a paperclip for a stapler

It’s never happened before. Never.

Learn “Rocket Science”

Next time someone says, “This isn’t rocket science…”, I can reply; “Well, duh.” and then flash my street cred.

Swim alongside Whales

I have a real fear of deep ocean water. Pulling this off would be nothing short of a miracle, plus whales, how cool would that be?

Trade a stapler for gold popcorn

Solid. Gold. Popcorn.

Climb Mt. Fiji

Why? To bottle the best-tasting water myself.

Paint a Masterpiece

Sell said masterpiece for $23 million, invest $13 million and use the rest to buy Blue Flavor.

Leap off a high ledge into a river filled with Jello

My limited knowledge of basic physics tells me this might be a bad idea. (Note to self: Write the Mythbuster guys about this one.)

Color “outside” the lines

I’ve never once in 20+ years been able to break this rule. It doesn’t seem right.

Sail on a Pirate Ship

Parrot on shoulder (must take AA batteries), fake peg leg and a chest full of gold foil wrapped chocolate.

Build a Robot

Program it to say “Dis-assemble”, “Innn-put” and “Stephanie”. The last one he’d have to shout endlessly.

Learn Sign Language

For all the good reasons and so I won’t miss out on things, plus silent conversation is nice.

Take the family to Europe

Experience culture shock at its finest and for the souvenirs of course.

After much deliberation and temporary insanity I’ve moved this site to its new home at MediaTemple.

The neighbors here are pretty great. No cookies yet, but lawns are mowed, my mailbox is still standing and I’ve since removed the RamboLux security system. I kept the guard dog however so intruders beware!

My mail carrier is some friendly chap named Google. He’s helpful but the guard dog keeps a watchful eye in his direction.

For the time being the grid is stable and all my stuff is in order, save for a broken Mint. That’s okay though, I’ll just fix that later because I’ve got other fish to fry.

With that, I’m all out of clichés and my back is a bit sore.

If you have any comments, just slide them under the door.

P.S. – Remodeling is long overdue so please excuse any future mess.