When you finally make a decision to do something you don't want to wait, you want to do it now. That's how I've felt over the last 3 weeks. Once I made the decision to accept a new job I didn't want to work a month's notice before starting anew. When you start counting the days left you know the time is ripe.
I now have only 15 hrs left here (this afternoon, tomorrow and Friday morning) then Monday sees me somewhere else. A change is as good as a break they say.
27 February 2008
15 February 2008
Just read Steve Jackson's Report to the Stakeholders
I've added the link to the report to my shared RSS list, so check it out (or check it out here). You are probably now asking "What are you talking about?" Let me go back a few steps.
I'm a gamer, have been since my early teens. Back then it was Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D). Over the years I have played a number of role playing games (RPGs); Traveller, Thieve's Guild, Morrow Project, James Bond & GURPS. Sadly most of these are long out of print, but GURPS lives on (and on and on). GURPS stands for Generic Universal Role Playing System and the name originally started as kind of a joke.
Steve Jackson Games (SJG) is a publisher of games since 1980. At that time there were a vast number of RPG's covering fantasy, SciFi, gunslingers, post apocalypse just to name a few, each with their own set of rules. Steve often joked that he wished someone would come up with a generic system that a player could use for any setting. On newsgroups he started referring to it as GURPS. In the end, SJG released it (if he wanted it done, he'd have to do it himself). Since then they have release hundreds of GURPS books.
If you want to know more about SJG and some of the other games they publish (GURPS is not currently there biggest selling product, Munchkin accounts for 70% of 2007's sales) here are some links to check out:
Since 2004, Steve Jackson has published what he calls his Report to the Stakeholders. SJG is solely owned by Steve, but he sees that there are a number of people who have a stake in the success of SJG.
I'm a gamer, have been since my early teens. Back then it was Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D). Over the years I have played a number of role playing games (RPGs); Traveller, Thieve's Guild, Morrow Project, James Bond & GURPS. Sadly most of these are long out of print, but GURPS lives on (and on and on). GURPS stands for Generic Universal Role Playing System and the name originally started as kind of a joke.
Steve Jackson Games (SJG) is a publisher of games since 1980. At that time there were a vast number of RPG's covering fantasy, SciFi, gunslingers, post apocalypse just to name a few, each with their own set of rules. Steve often joked that he wished someone would come up with a generic system that a player could use for any setting. On newsgroups he started referring to it as GURPS. In the end, SJG released it (if he wanted it done, he'd have to do it himself). Since then they have release hundreds of GURPS books.
If you want to know more about SJG and some of the other games they publish (GURPS is not currently there biggest selling product, Munchkin accounts for 70% of 2007's sales) here are some links to check out:
Since 2004, Steve Jackson has published what he calls his Report to the Stakeholders. SJG is solely owned by Steve, but he sees that there are a number of people who have a stake in the success of SJG.
If you're into gaming it's always a must read.
"Steve Jackson Games Incorporated has a single stockholder . . . me. But we have a great many STAKEholders – that is, people who have a stake in the success of the business. These include our employees, our distributors, the retailers who carry our line, and, of course, the people who PLAY our games! Less obvious stakeholders, but very real, are the freelance artists and designers we work with, the printers who create the finished product, the volunteers who demonstrate our games at conventions and retail stores, and the convention organizers who depend on us for game programming, prizes, and so on."
From the opening of the 2007 Report
12 February 2008
Advice from a master speaker
I just stumbled across an article based on a yearly talk by MIT computer science professor Patrick Henry Winston; How To Speak (the article is here - Addition: You can download the actual lecture in section here). If you ever have to do a talk to colleagues (or strangers) the information is invaluable. A number of his points relate to the dos & don'ts of slides. I've never been of the school that say 'PowerPoint presentations are bad'. However, there are bad PowerPoint presentations. PowerPoint is one of those applications that is so easy to use, especially if you don't know how to use it, and easy to use incorrectly. Just because you have pretty slides, doesn't mean you have a good presentation.
Some of my rules (and the professor agrees, so I must not be far off) is:
A few years back my manager needed to do a presentation of our departments plans for the coming year to the managers of the other departments. He felt that since he was the 'technology guy' (he was the operations manager which included the IT section - 2 of us) he would do his presentation using technology.
He had me put his presentation into PowerPoint then we spent 3 hours in his office while he used it's recording feature to record his talk to each slide. He did his presentation clicking each slide and letting the laptop do the rest.
I'm glad I didn't have to do the clicking (he suggested it, but decided it was his presentation). The talk wasn't well received by the audience.
Some of my rules (and the professor agrees, so I must not be far off) is:
- Don't just read the slides. If that's all you are going to do, just give it to them and go home. There is noting more boring than just reading. Slides are suppose to support your talk.
- If the slide can't be read from the back, the font is too small. Professor Winston suggests that you should never use less than 24 point. If the info won't fit, there's too much info for one slide (or too much detail).
- Animation. Use it sparingly, not on all slides, and only when it can add impact to the slides message.
- Use graphics. Professor Winston says that use meaningful graphics. "If it’s found in Microsoft’s clip art gallery, it’s not meaningful." I'll point out that Microsoft common clip art can be edited to make it more meaningful.
A few years back my manager needed to do a presentation of our departments plans for the coming year to the managers of the other departments. He felt that since he was the 'technology guy' (he was the operations manager which included the IT section - 2 of us) he would do his presentation using technology.
He had me put his presentation into PowerPoint then we spent 3 hours in his office while he used it's recording feature to record his talk to each slide. He did his presentation clicking each slide and letting the laptop do the rest.
I'm glad I didn't have to do the clicking (he suggested it, but decided it was his presentation). The talk wasn't well received by the audience.
4 February 2008
Keep watching the RSS posts
Although I've neglected new blog entries there is still new things to see (ok, new to me). I've been continually sharing anything I read in Google Reader. It may be funny, profound, interesting or just plain weird. Whatever it is, I think it's worth checking out.
I've just got to tell you...
Ok, I'll admit it. I'm already failing on one of my goals for 2008, blog regularly. I need to start putting together a half hour a night to jot down my thoughts. Well, it's a plan.
So now it's time for the news.
I've got a new job. I decided to look around and see what opportunities were around and decided to change employers. Start at the beginning of March. A change is as good as a break they say (I still want the break though). I realised later that it was the first time I've actually looked for a new job while I was still working. It was a new experience if nothing else.
So now it's time for the news.
I've got a new job. I decided to look around and see what opportunities were around and decided to change employers. Start at the beginning of March. A change is as good as a break they say (I still want the break though). I realised later that it was the first time I've actually looked for a new job while I was still working. It was a new experience if nothing else.
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