http://erikloyer.com/index.php/blog/ An RSS 2.0 feed of blog postings by Erik Loyer. en erik@erikloyer.com Copyright 2008 2008-07-15T12:28:00-08:00 http://erikloyer.com/index.php/site/top_five_sci_fi_fantasy_moments_evoked_by_the_iphone_buying_experience/ http://erikloyer.com/index.php/site/top_five_sci_fi_fantasy_moments_evoked_by_the_iphone_buying_experience/#When:12:28:00Z So, even though I told myself on Saturday at the Glendale Apple Store that to stand in line for 5+ hours for an iPhone was patently ridiculous, somehow I ended up doing it myself yesterday at the Sherman Oaks Apple Store. During my extended stay on the polished marble, I kept finding myself reminded of seminal moments in sci-fi and fantasy movies and TV in which anticipation and revelation play a major role (usually with unhappy results!). Fun, iPhone 2008-07-15T12:28:00-08:00 http://erikloyer.com/index.php/site/bavcs_producers_institute_kick_starts_innovative_online_documentaries_serio/ http://erikloyer.com/index.php/site/bavcs_producers_institute_kick_starts_innovative_online_documentaries_serio/#When:10:42:01Z I was recently invited to be a mentor at the Bay Area Video Coalition’s Producers Institute, a week-long intensive workshop in which teams of independent documentary producers are immersed in interactive technologies and techniques and then develop pitches for interactive projects based on their work. At the end of the week the project teams pitch their ideas to potential funders and hopefully get a kick-start on the path to getting their proposals underway. Though I was only able to help out for two days towards the end of the workshop, it was still a pretty amazing gathering to see and be a part of. Events, Games 2008-06-27T10:42:01-08:00 http://erikloyer.com/index.php/site/an_inspirational_gathering_for_lovers_of_electronic_literature/ http://erikloyer.com/index.php/site/an_inspirational_gathering_for_lovers_of_electronic_literature/#When:04:33:00Z I’ve had peripheral contact with the Electronic Literature Organization over the years (including a public reading of unpublished chapters of Chroma at the Hammer Museum which was a blast), but never attended one of their conferences until this year. Blue Velvet was accepted in to the Media Art Show at this year’s Visionary Landscapes conference at Washington State University Vancouver, which afforded me the opportunity to attend. I’m glad I did—it was a wonderful experience. Electronic Literature, Events 2008-06-18T04:33:00-08:00 http://erikloyer.com/index.php/site/viewfinder_precision_targets_shown_at_hastac_ii_conference/ http://erikloyer.com/index.php/site/viewfinder_precision_targets_shown_at_hastac_ii_conference/#When:23:45:00Z After a two-month hiatus (busy busy!), I’m back to report on goings-on at several conferences and happenings I’ve been fortunate enough to attend over the last several weeks. Digital Humanities, Events, Flex, Viewfinder 2008-06-05T23:45:00-08:00 http://erikloyer.com/index.php/site/viewfinder_your_photos_seamlessly_aligned_with_google_earth/ http://erikloyer.com/index.php/site/viewfinder_your_photos_seamlessly_aligned_with_google_earth/#When:14:43:00Z Over the past six months I’ve had the privilege of working with an outstanding group of folks from USC’s Interactive Media Division and the Institute for Creative Technologies on a new project called Viewfinder, directed by Michael Naimark. It’s a departure from my usual work in that it’s more of a pure research project—the goal being to make it easy for people to place their photographs into a 3D world model like Google Earth so the the image is perfectly aligned with the model. Announcements, Flash, Flex, Viewfinder 2008-04-04T14:43:00-08:00 http://erikloyer.com/index.php/site/iphone_sdk_launches_apple_into_mobile_gaming/ http://erikloyer.com/index.php/site/iphone_sdk_launches_apple_into_mobile_gaming/#When:05:29:00Z Excellent article today on Roughly Drafted about how the release of the iPhone SDK has suddenly catapulted Apple into a very strong position in the mobile gaming market. I heartily agree, having happily participated in the stampede that brought down Apple’s servers subsequent to the SDK’s release. Games, Interactive Design, iPhone, Wii 2008-03-21T05:29:00-08:00 http://erikloyer.com/index.php/site/flash_platform_article_posted_at_adobe/ http://erikloyer.com/index.php/site/flash_platform_article_posted_at_adobe/#When:06:03:00Z An article based on a section of my recent Flash Platform Workshop went live on Adobe.com last week. Titled “Adobe Flash and Flex—Which Makes the Most Sense for Your Project?” it’s a short piece that presents a generalized heuristic for developers trying to decide whether they should use Flash or Flex. I hope it’s helpful—feel free to post any feedback! Announcements, Flash, Flex, Interactive Design 2008-03-20T06:03:00-08:00 http://erikloyer.com/index.php/site/3dv_systems_z_camera_game_interaction_post_wii/ http://erikloyer.com/index.php/site/3dv_systems_z_camera_game_interaction_post_wii/#When:15:01:00Z IGN Wii Editor Matt Casamassina recently posted video on his blog of 3DV Systems’ Z-Camera technology, which was showing at GDC. It looks pretty impressive--enabling body motion sensing in 3D without the need for an input device. Games, Interactive Design, Wii 2008-03-04T15:01:00-08:00 http://erikloyer.com/index.php/site/flash_is_the_next_gen_console_designing_for_multiple_input_schemes/ http://erikloyer.com/index.php/site/flash_is_the_next_gen_console_designing_for_multiple_input_schemes/#When:15:44:00Z Raph Koster, president of Areae and designer of Ultima Online and Star Wars: Galaxies, made this and other interesting statements at a private GDC lunch as reported on gamesindustry.biz. Flash, Games, Interactive Design, Wii 2008-03-02T15:44:00-08:00 http://erikloyer.com/index.php/site/source_and_slides_for_the_flash_platform_workshop/ http://erikloyer.com/index.php/site/source_and_slides_for_the_flash_platform_workshop/#When:05:04:00Z For those attending today’s Flash Platform Workshop, this is the place to download the source code and slides. Events, Flash, Flex, Interactive Design, Source Code 2008-02-25T05:04:00-08:00