Mike Brinker

Dyadin update....

Most of you know about Dyadin making it to the finals at the IGF. Just recently, a well known gameing site called "Gamespot.com" and "Cnet/Downloads.com" have teamed up to host the content for all of the student finalists! Should be up sometime in February.

Clownerstrike

Hey, it's been a while!

Here's a PDF of my schedule for the following semester, along with other stuffs. There will be a large web update of fun stuff later, once I get all that data over onto my laptop. PDF found here...INKY LINKY

Oh, and a random picture that cracks me up!

NTN and Bar Trivia

Based on some stuff we talked about in 482 today:

During the holiday break, a lot of my friends spend time at a restaurant/bar called, "Buffalo Wild Wings." Website here. Something that I didn't realize, but they have incorporated a version of trivia that is actually a lot more interesting and dynamic than anything else I have seen strapped to a bar or slapped in an arcade style cabinet. Hosted by NTN trivia networks, this barfly trivia game is time based and pits players against other players per location, but also boasts location vs. location based games and score comparisons. The system is deployed using smallish (still pretty heavy) blue wireless modules that act as portable answer units. The questions, trivia and scores are all broadcasted over a television feed (live) in the bar. Players can also sign up and keep track of their scores through a dedicated login/account. I believe that the casual gamer can play for free, as we have never been charged before. To bad I can't keep track of my terrible score without paying. I'll see if I can't post pictures of the units sometime.

Goodbye MSN Messenger

Cut and paste the following line into your "Start" --> "Run" dialogue box. Then say goodbye to the annoyances of MSN messenger.

RunDll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection %windir%\inf\msmsgs.inf,BLC.Remove

EA internship

Break Report:
The break was good, and it was much needed in order to break down some of my thoughts and feelings from last semester. Had a lot of good rest time, in between stuffing myself with good food and relaxing on the couch in front of a 20 inch wall of snow.

News Report:
For my internship that I have to complete for my degree (yes everyone has to do an internship for credit) I decided to apply to EA. As of last Thursday, I have been offered a position with the Medal of Honor Team. I am EA bound starting Monday. I wanted to share a few things with all of you who might be headed towards the gaming industry in the near future. The interview process was pretty intense, and it helped that I had a clear head going into it. It consisted of meeting with five individuals concerning my interest, skills and know how for the job. The questions that were asked continually got harder throughout the process, but I felt confident in my replies because of a variety of factors. Most of the harder questions asked got down to a more theoretical level. This pleased me because I felt prepared through my education and course work at USC that my answers were good ones. I would say that as a foundation, Chris and Tracy's 488 was a good course to have, and that most of the discussion that I have par-taken in during our Wednesday night rituals at ZML were also valuable. I think the best thing that I did, however, was to actually jump in head first with the Dyadin team and produce a completed work from start to finish. That was key.

Hope that helps a few people.

I have Dyadin copies for faculty, don't let me forget to hand them out come Monday!