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Poke, Poke, Prod
Welcome to Shanghai, now bend over. Yesterday we went to the doctor. But it was more like an assembly line of poking and prodding. A model of Chinese scale and efficiency. The goal: To be certified as healthy, happy, and sane before acquiring our China live/work visas. At the beginning things were pretty standard for…
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Call for Sponsors
My Shanghai-based game development studio and our sister game art-outsourcing company (Vykarian – www.vykarian.com) are running a video game art contest in China to spotlight the best and brightest game art talent in the country. We are working in partnership with a China’s most prominent gamer/IT magazine, “PopSoft” (www.popsoft.com.cn). In addition to their huge online…
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A New World
For all my worries about her safety, the cat made it to Shanghai before me. I guess it helped that she had her visa in order. Star (that’s her name) is a surprisingly well adapted travel-cat. If you’re ever shipping a pet to or from Hong Kong/China and looking for a good service, I highly…
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3ivx Crush
My long time buddy Alex just informed me of the updated release of his Mac-based video compression tool called “3ivxCrush“; as he describes it: it is a video compression tool for compressing MPEG 1/2 and DV to VBR MPEG 4… Whatever that means. He babbles on… …uses all the processors in multi processor macs. Converts…
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Note to Self
Having a valid China visa helps when trying to enter China. The cat is probably over the border by now. I’m sitting in a coffee shop in Hong Kong waiting for the Chinese consulate to grant me an instant visa. Doh!
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Shanghaied!
Once again I am compressing my life into a few boxes and making a major move. This time the destination is Shanghai in the People’s Republic of China. I’m leaving behind Hong Kong, which has been my home for the past 2 years. Looking back, I feel like I’ve only been here a few weeks.…
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How Nintendo Will Save the Videogame Industry
Man did I get a lot of flack when I openly suggested that the Wii was the only “true” next-gen console. Glad to see I’m not the only one who thinks so… How Nintendo Will Save the Videogame Industry Will Wii single-handedly save the industry? As difficult as it may be to swallow, it very…
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Should video games be more like TV shows?
Luke O’Brian over at Slate talks about episodic gaming: Should video games be more like TV shows? I’m old now, and I’ve got to work and pay bills. I’m not alone. According to the Entertainment Software Association, the average gamer is now 33 years old, an age at which marathon gaming sessions are (usually) impossible.…
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Back in the PRC
After a 10 day trip to the US I’m now back in Hong Kong. The primary focus of the trip was to meet with potential clients for Vykarian, the Chinese art outsourcing venture. Xin and I visited 5 cities in 10 days, taking an average of 6 meetings per day. I flew from Hong Kong,…
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Vins Gagliardi | Update
The Vins Gagliardi website has gone live! If you’re over 21 you can buy some Ken Wong and American McGee labeled wines here: Vins Gagliardi