Docandersen&#039;s Blog

I like many people have a guilty pleasure – playing online games early in the am (before work to kind of get my brain moving again – but also because it is fun). I realized there were a number of “kinds” of games and players.

I can’t win so I quit. This player is usually the one that is several levels ahead of you when you start – but then they give up because they can’t actually win the game. Outside of the game watch for these people they are not team players. I compete until I realize I can’t win – then I quit.

I like to play cooperative games. These are the people playing Farmville and Cityville. These are games that require you to help others in order to move ahead in the game. Normally the people in the first bucket – I quit I can’t win – don’t play these games well as they are all about the competition not the cooperation. Team players – I like the game – and at work? They are people you can count on – they won’t compete with you, unless you are competing as a team!

What about the people who play games that are pure competition (Vampire Wars, Mafia Wars, Pirates or for that matter online Poker?) These are games of domination. Games where its not about working with others but dominating others. What do you do with people like that in the work place?

Does the game you play show the kind of person you are? Does the way you play the game show even more? Just some initial thinking about this – not sure it goes anywhere, just some thinking.

What about the last category? I don’t have time…I wonder about that one as well. To me that seems the most interesting and the one I am going to spend the least time talking about today. Why don’t some people have time to have fun?

.doc

just another shameless review

April 28, 2011April 28, 2011doandersen

The new Comcast High Speed internet is here. I’ve been a Comcast customer (its either cable modem, dish network satellite dish or DSL where I live) for about 6 years now. I’ve increased my monthly cost over the past few years moving closer and closer to their top package.

Recently they unveiled some new components that were supposed to speed up my network – and other than the still frustrating VOIP burps, the solution has worked. My internet is very much faster than it was before.

The other day I download 16 gigs of images to build out a virtual machine solution to play with. What once would have take 1 or 2 days of real time – was down in about 4 hours. Even ITunes (which is HORRIBLY slow with its downloads) is much faster. I downloaded a gig of data from ITunes in about 7 minutes. Which for ITunes is practically a sprint.

There are practical limits to how much they can speed thing up. Mr. Einstein’s speed limit certainly causes some “upper limit” to exist. But all in all I am very happy with my rapidly improving Comcast service.

Now if only VOIP would work consistently.

.doc

Apple–we know where you are

April 27, 2011doandersen

I have to say it feels more creepy every time I think about it. Its not that I am anti apple – I have my IPod and I love it. But the thought that not only are they telling you where to go – that they know you are there is terrifying.

The age of privacy is upon us. You can be connected, connect and live entirely on the web now. You can check in anywhere and everywhere with foursquare and other applications like that. You can tweet or wall post your location and what you are doing 24 hours a day.

What gets me about the Apple (and apparently Android – and to a lesser degree Microsoft) is that they are tracking you. Watching every move you make and in Apple’s case leaving it open and available on the device.

There are 100’s of stalker movies from Hollywood (phone rings) “hello” the person says answering the phone “I love the yellow shirt against the blue of the couch” the evil sounding voice says. Its one thing for me to tell you where I am. Its another thing (and not good) to securely track where I am. It is, however a violation of my rights as a human being to track where I am and store it in an open and now easily accessed file.

No more using my IPod touch as a GPS unless I delete that file.

Back to my Car GPS – it is where I use it the most anyway.

So to apple – you almost had me with the IPad2. You got me with the IPod touch and you nearly got me with the IPhone. But now, I am staying where I am. I am happy to tell you (and for that matter show you) where I am. Shame on me for sharing that information with the world when I do. But shame on you for sharing it, when I WASN”T EVEN THINKING ABOUT SHARING.

.doc

From the desk of Sandler Boggs

April 26, 2011doandersen

The progression of the march of time.

Time marches on as though we aren’t involved in what it does. Of course this is probably true as time exists separately from any one person. I don’t feel older and slower but I know I am. In my world knowledge is king, but speed is the critical part of knowledge and I am not as fast as I used to be.

Age is the quiet assassin that lives inside of us and over time wreaks its havoc. We don’t realize these changes because they are gradual. They happen over the inexorable march of time.

We are living, while we are dying. It’s a line from a poem once read aloud, shared with people who walked out of the coffee house thinking, pausing, wondering. Is it true that we are living, and dying at the same time? That the pause before while is the life we live? All the memories, the love, the moments that will not be forgotten until we slip away from memory.

Age is a thief. That steals from us so that when we turn around what we thought we knew is now gone.

The march goes on, but eventually we can’t keep up.

Sandler Boggs

Chief Creative Officer

Creative Technology & Innovation

.doc

My own small blogging streak

April 25, 2011doandersen

I am starting to understand (very little really but it sounds awfully good) how Cal Ripken felt. I have actually blogged for a number of days in a row without missing (the last one I missed was in November of last year).

Of course that isn’t by any means saying blogging every day is equal to the greatest baseball streak of all time. What Cal Ripken did was change baseball forever. I look back at the steroid era and find one shining baseball record. Cal Ripken, I’ve blogged about this before (nearly 5 years ago now) but that record remains the best bar none for me.

But I feel a little like I am on a streak – so here’s to stepping in to play everyday!

.doc

The fall of a hero…

April 24, 2011doandersen