• Phoenix is working on a neat bit of code called HyperSpace, which sits between your BIOS and the O/S launch, that will let you fire up individual applications without enduring the Windows boot cycle.  Translation:  You can turn on your laptop and use your e-mail within seconds, without having to load the rest of Windows.  Further translation:  Fast computers!  Cool!
  • Am I the only remaining living fan of Old Man Murray?  Because then it would feel like this interview with Erik Wolpaw was written just for me, even though it might have something to do with him writing Portal.  Whatever.  Wolpaw’s wisdom about writing is worth noting regardless of who the article was written for:

“As a novelist, you just need to think of a few decent strings of words and then fill the other 98% of the book with more or less random descriptions of things and exclamation points. In a game, the 98% garbage section is filled with the actual game. Even worse for game writers, the 98% garbage part of a game isn’t even usually garbage because instead of reading something boring about the history of Belgium, the ‘reader’ probably gets to jump a Camaro over a dinosaur. That means the pressure’s on to make the two percent wordy part that you’re responsible for really, really spectacular. It’s a tough job.”

  • It’s always interesting to read articles about the weak dollar, and why people shouldn’t get too upset about it.  I do find it a bit surreal, though, to see them written about the US greenback — though the content is almost exactly the same.  I have to wonder if the American market will learn from its neighbors what to do (enjoy their export market) and what to avoid (taking on low-value employment), or settle to suffer the after-effects that Canada is currently enjoying.
  • Among other things, the Atari 2600 was elevated to the Toy Hall of Fame this week.  The Atari was my family’s video game system of choice for that era, and I remember with surprising clarity playing games like Enduro, Wizard of Wor, and Frogger.  I may have envied my neighbor his ColecoVision, but how many kids can say that his Mom stayed up playing Megamania so long that the Atari overheated and shut itself off?  Not many, that’s for sure.  And as an added bonus,  we never did get a copy of the worst game ever:  E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.  I wonder if that made it into the hall of fame, too.
  • As an added bonus, the original commercial for the worst game ever, for those of you who might not have had the pleasure: