Looks like Google came out with a better game

I came up with a game a long time ago, when I was bored and working in Canberra. Thinking about how isolated it was, I wonder sometimes why someone else did not come up with the game sooner. I called it the blog photo game.

Anyway, it appears that Google have come out with a far better version: Ingress.


If you have the opportunity to play this game, I highly suggest it. It turns your Android phone into a "scanner" and then you take photos, and check-in to locations around your city, or your country. At the bare essence of the game, you are now employed by Google to make sure their "geo-data" in your city is accurate. It also allows for the creation of other applications like Field Trip.

My apologies to the Apple iPhone faithful. The game is solely for Android appliances. While you may be happy in the fact that you are not an unpaid employee of Google, you are missing out on the fun of this game. Apparently an Apple version is due out soon.

Blog photo game in Melbourne

Here's the mark:
Ignore the blurring in the photo. If I didn't blur it, it would be too easy to get. The clue is - To get this mark, you'd better factor in a jam.

If you want to know more about the game - read the rules.

6 months back in Melbourne

I've been back in Melbourne now for the past 6 months. I'm enjoying being back in the town where I was raised - especially in comparison to Canberra. Melbourne has its own "vibe". There is always something to do. It is never dull. If you are not into looking at trees and hills in Canberra, then you will get bored very fast.

I have just wrapped up a 6 month contract in Melbourne, and am looking for some time off before I embark on another contract. I do not have anything lined up as I write this, but the market is still quite active, and there are many opportunities I am being introduced to.

While I have some time off, I thought I would resurrect a game I played while I was in Canberra. The reason for starting it was that Canberra was very stagnant, and I was interested in making it more interesting. Unfortunately, it did nothing to make Canberra any better. The game I am talking about is the blog photo game. In the next few days, I am intending to take some photos of Melbourne and post them on this blog. Find the same picture, and take it yourself. In a way, think of this as a different "grassroots" version of foursquare. While thinking up this game, I did not think of replicating it. I do not want to have real-time updates. I do not want to know people exact locations.

So my intention is to take some pictures of Melbourne, and post them on this blog, and see if anyone is willing to take over. There may be several games / threads in play at the same time. At least it will encourage me to get out and take some photos of a great city. If last time was an indication of how this game will work, it will have a small following that will fizzle out. I hope it changes this time.

Feel free to play - everyone is welcome.

New Gentoo kernel, compiled and running - and the blog photo game

A new kernel for my Gentoo PC was downloaded last night. Being a minor revision of the previous kernel (being 2.6.26-gentoo-r3), only a small amount of patches was required to be downloaded, instead of the entire kernel. Compiling took around 20 minutes, and here is the result:

evilric@lasek ~ $ uname -a
Linux lasek 2.6.26-gentoo-r4 #1 SMP PREEMPT Mon Dec 8 22:50:16 EST 2008 i686 Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 3.00GHz GenuineIntel GNU/Linux

Jarvo is also using Gentoo on one of his PCs. We went through 2 weeks of attempting to tweak his kernel, only to find it was nothing to do with his kernel, but it was a "stuff up" on my behalf by putting the wrong initrd settings in his grub.conf. At least we have one booting kernel now.

On another note, links to Jarvo's site have been temporarily stopped. No doubt he will start working on another site soon... maybe... This may also mean that blog photo game may be put into hibernation, as this was a game that Jarvo thought of, I played, NutMeg won once, and then has been left dormant. I'll post when I know more.

Hey Rocky...

Rocky: "And now..."
Bullwinkle: "Hey Rocky, watch me pull a mark out of my hat!"
Rocky: "But that trick never works."
Bullwinkle: "But this time for sure. Presto! Well, I'm getting close!"
Rocky: "And now it's time for another special feature."

Good luck and good hunting...

Nice hat rack!

Looking for a place to rest your hat in Canberra? May I suggest you try the cube sculpture in Belconnen?
This is my shot to NutMeg's mark in the blog photo game. You can find it also on Google's street view (see the Google map thingy below).


View Larger Map

Real car in a toy box

These days I find myself carrying my camera around with me a whole lot more. This is due to playing a certain blog photo game. I was driving home tonight from dinner, and noticed a real car in a toy box on the corner of Commonwealth Avenue and Constitution Drive - in Canberra. Thinking it would make a really good mark, I got out to take photos - and hence found one major flaw in the design of Canberra roads. You have to drive all the way down to Canberra City if you're heading north on Commonwealth Avenue, as there are no U-turns.

Upon arriving at the display, I asked the security guard how long the display would be there for, with the man responding "another 5 days". Since we're in a holding pattern while we wait for the next mark to be posted (yes, NutMeg, that's a "dig" at you), I didn't think that gave enough time for this to be a mark in itself. Too transient. So therefore, here is the mark I would have posted, with some subsequent photos of the display as well. The following images ARE NOT apart of the game:

And the game goes on...

In the last blog photo game, NutMeg has submitted the first shot that matches my mark.

Control of the game now moves... check NutMeg's blog for the next mark!

"What is thy bidding, my master?" -- Darth Vader (Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back 1980)

The new "mark"

Here is the new mark in the photo blog game, as I am the new master from the last game.

"Only a master of evil, Darth!" -- Obi-Wan Kenobi (Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope - 1977)


Clue:

• It's Scarborough (un)Fair - so find it and take the shot!

If you seriously cannot figure this out in a few days, I will update this page with the google map location. The link is just to wikipedia.org, and has nothing to do with it expect provide some weird information. Fast game is a good game.

Good luck and good hunting...

The shot for Jarvo's mark

In the first blog photo game, here is my shot for Jarvo's mark.

In case you want to find it for yourself, it's "SAP House" on Bunda Street, in Canberra City (see the Google Maps thingy below).


View Larger Map

You need to go after dark, as that's when all the neon is turned on. Here are some more photos of the building, in both day and night.

I believe this makes me the new master...

"The circle is now complete. When I left you I was but the learner. Now I am the master." -- Darth Vader (Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope - 1977)

Game ON!

Jarvo has finally posted up the first mark... good luck to everyone who wants to join in the game.

Let the photo game commence...

Jarvo came up with this really good game, and him and I will play it over blog initially. Simple rules, and anyone can join in. Fork it, and play it in your locale as well.

The Blog Photo Game
Objective: Match the photo made. One person ("the master") takes a photo of something ("the mark"), and drops some clues on their blog. The other people ("the hunters") involved need to take a similar photo of the mark ("the shots").
Rules:
1. Must be in your locale (currently ACT, Australia for Jarvo and me). Be reasonable - eg. don't drive out 200 kms away from your locale to take a photo.
2. The shots should be taken around the same time of day as the mark. They do not necessarily need to have the same transient objects in the photo - eg. you do not need to have the same people in the photo.
3. Where possible, do not use phone camera photos - they're grainy and they suck.
4. First person to duplicate the mark takes control of the game, and becomes the master for the next game. This doesn't stop the other hunters from still making their own shots. New masters should be announced and linked to from the original photos postings. Use the "comments" feature, which should be available on most blog pages (where possible - allow for anonymous comments on blogs). At the discretion of the original master, he or she may reveal the location of the mark. A fast game is a good game. If you become the new master, don't procrastinate and delay posting a new mark.
5. All marks and shots should be posted on a blog, and should be licensed with some open license, preferably something like Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, or tailored for your region if required. Although you don't need a blog, it will help. There are many cost-free public blog sites out there (like this one). Do not use social networking sites that requires the participants to log in (eg. facebook), unless all you want to do is play a private game. As mentioned previously, allow for anonymous comments on your blogs in case participants want to keep their anonymity.
6. No need to GIMP or "photochop" your work - but feel free to make photos more fun!
7. When posting photos on your blog, state whether it's the mark, or if its a shot. Link to the original where possible.
8. Photos should be able to be taken in public or accessible by the public. For example, a picture of a specific tree in a park is fine - a picture taken only from the 20th floor of a building that is only accessible because you work there is not. Additionally, please refrain from taking photos from places that you have to pay admission to enter.
9. This game is open to anyone. No restrictions, and no need for an invitation! Just put comments on the master's blog. You can always remain anonymous, but if you become the new master, you will need to communicate where the hunters can see the new mark. Respect the right to privacy and use pseudonyms, unless the person consents with using their real names.
10. Do not make the marks and clues too obscure. Ideally, it should only take a day or two for the hunters to figure out where the mark was taken, so they can make their own shots. The format of the clues is up to the master.

Over to you Jarvo - you can start with the first mark. playaDee, Nike, and Tickets - you're more than welcome to join in.