Random randomnessnessness

This is my fave image of Silent Hill - Robbie the Rabbit (currently my PC wallpaper) who makes appearances in Silent Hill 3 and 4. Download some of the fabulously haunting Silent Hill themes here, composed by Akira Yamaoke. And don't forget to check out the Silent Hill Movie Trailer.

Check out the picture (not me and Pauline below) where some friends of mine like to go for a ... erm ... holiday










Thought I'd add some other stupid stuff as well. My PhD supervisor Mark Coulson sent me this which made me laugh - Gay Bar. I'm just hoping I don't accidentally visit that particular inn in World of Warcraft . Mark is a really big fan of WoW. He's probably near or at Level 60 by now......


Anyway, Happy Saint Patrick's Day! Time to get yer Guinesses out!

BOO!

I thought I should include a photo of yours truly. It was taken just after having a sedative :)

International Game Developers Association (my rise to geekdom)

In November 2004, when I started thinking about designing my virtual reality environments for my PhD, I figured that I'd probably need the help and expertise of a/some game designers. I remember that the IGDA was one of the first Google results so I had a quick look on the site, noticed it was free to join, joined, and then completely forgot about it until January 2005. I had a look at the London site and noticed that they were holding a social event in the next couple of weeks so left a post on their forums to ask if anyone could go. I got a lovely reply from Dean Butcher (Mathematix) welcoming me along, plus a nice email from Phil who was and still is a member (and now head honcho of) the IGDA Guildford Chapter.

The social was held in The Golden Lion on Dean Street in Soho and I was so nervous meeting lots of people I didn't know. The one thing that Steev just reminded me of is when he gave everyone a very simple way of finding porn on the internet - Google 01.jpg. Try it! On the night I met Dean, Phil, Mickey, and Steev. I remember me and Mickey chatting about how much we loved our pets, and making arrangements with Dean to attend Phil and Steev's next Guildford social the following week. The social was great and, my memory fails me, I think it was the night that we got to play with PSPs, months before they were on the market. I also remember almost not being allowed booze from the bar that night. IGDA socials are normally sponsored (i.e. free beer). I was the only girly at the event. I went to get myself and Dean a drink and the barman said, "Are you supposed to be up here"? I had no idea what he was talking about until it occurred to me. I said, "Are you saying that because I'm a girl"? He looked very embarrassed. Retardo.

And so it went on. IGDA socials with my new friends. I noticed on the London Forum that they had a lot of organising to do for the next event but were very busy. I stuck another post on the Forum offering to help. Next thing I know, two nights later I've been voted on to the committee. Hurray! I was really chuffed. One of the co-ordinators had left at that point so we had Dan Marchant (Obscure Game Consultancy) as our "who's your daddy?" Dan had a break from the IGDA as he was really busy at work so Jim Verhaeghe (Cyclops Games) took over for a while, until he was busy(er) at work, so I was voted in as Joint Chapter Co-ordinator with Dean Butcher earlier on this year. Hurray! As a team, we've organised loads of socials and we've managed to get sponsorship (i.e. free beer) for the last few events. We also ran a very successful IGDA Xmas Quiz night, and in February we had a successful evening with George Bain from SCEE (Sony Computer Entertainment Europe) giving us a presentation on the hardware architecture of the PS3. There's lots of others on our committee as well. There's Ceri Lllewelyn, Mike Lloyd Lee (self-confessed web monkey), Kenric, and James Botterill (game design undergraduate).

We're currently organising our event for the end of April so keep your eyes peeled on the site and here for the exact date. I'll also be including photos of the IGDA events but I'm too damn cold to do it atm. We had our committee meeting last night, now held at O'Neill's in Kings Cross. Dan Marchant informed us he was going to the Game Developers Conference on Sunday in the US. I insisted that he'd need a manicurist, personal assistant, anything I could think of, but he wasn't having any of it :(

I'm doing some game testing for Jim Verhaeghe at Ideaworks3D on Monday. Which game I hear you ask? I'm not telling. It's a secret :) However, you can download the game I helped test for Ideaworks3D last year - it's brilliant! Get it here Sims 2 Mobile

Blog Aims and Objectives

This is what I'll be adding to my blog over time
Aims
1) A 'How to do a PhD' section (about supervisors, writing tips, research tips)
2) A 'How not to do a PhD' section (from the viewpoint of a proscrastination extraordinaire, i.e. start a blog!, playing World of Warcraft)
3) How I prepared for my eventually successful PhD funding application (tips on preparation)
4) A 'I Hate Statistics' post - that will be full of rantings and screwed up SPSS files (and maybe a few tips, i.e. Monte-Carlo's Parallel Analysis - it's so simple yet so clever!). Jeez what a stats geek :D
5) How I got to be a game-tester (see Ideaworks3D link)
6) In Loving Memory 1 - a section for my lovely dad who went off on his big adventure last year
7) In Loving Memory 2 - a section for my lovely best friend Jane who went off on her big adventure last year
8) Games - my opinions of games I've played/am playing
9) And of course, how could we forget, pictures of my Henry and stories of his antics

Objectives
1) Not to fiddle with things I know nothing about. I am however, open to new experiences ;)
2) Have friends on online to help with your scripting cock-ups (thank you Mickey)
3) Have other friends online as back-up (thank you Steev)
4) Have friends that will show you how to put your blog as a clickable link on your gmail account (thanks Phil(l)ip)

And finally
I hope to write something that's made me laugh that day and/or share some idiotic antic I've subjected myself to (the more usual option, although I understand that sometimes you have to be there).

Todays lol - my keyboard keeps having dicky fits. So when I tye somehing i loks like his. My friend Steev did the same today when we were chatting on MSN just so I didn't feel left out. It was a bit Rolf Harris.

Think that's it for now. I'm off to my IGDA meeting soon.

Blog Malcontent

I've just received an email from a friend (you know who you are), who says my blog is an excuse for putting perv stuff on here. Well there'll be no nonsense like that I can tell you. Phillip. So, instead of working on my correlation tables for my PhD I decided, with the help of my friend Mickey, to create a blog so I can wibble away to my heart's content. This is a rare treat for me being on my own all day and not getting backchat and cheekiness from certain MSNers (love you really *sniff sniff* or *hif hif* (Hamtaro style).

Henry has been quiet for most of the day despite the fact he has my flatmate's budgie (called Green) for company. Yesterday however, he sat ('sat' I said) on my shoulder for the best part of an hour. I had to put him back in his house eventually as he was shrieking in my ear. Honestly, it made my ears ring (what? what?). Oh, he also shat on my carpet and on my combats. Bless him leaving little poopy presents all over me.

It's nearly the end of my third day of giving up the bad bad weed. My carbon monoxide level was 17 on Friday and now it's 1. Hurray! I don't feel too tempted atm. We'll wait and see. Patches are bit itchy tho. Can tell I'm feeling irritable tho. Went to Morrisons before for fud and there were loads of groups of old shuffling people EVERYWHERE! Times like that makes me wish I had a large bowling ball ........ grrrr. Like being in Dawn of the flamin' Dead. Especially around the meat section.

Another hour and I'll be a gnome. Woo!

Henry, Winged Commander Chocobo of Palmers Green

He's a good boy!

Hurray!

Now to write something ........