#tic programme
Explore tagged Tumblr posts
automaton-enjoyer · 4 months ago
Text
data headcanon/fanon from someone who has only watched the first season of TNG but wants to write a narrative fanfic GO
Data's code is strikingly similar to Lore's. Given the fact that Lore was created first, I'm inferring that Dr. Soong took Lore's code and only modified it to a point it would produce the results he wanted for Data. Like hardcoding speech patterns, and potentially placing a block on emotions.
Note that this is very different than removing emotion altogether. We can easily see that Data does feel emotion despite him saying he doesn't. This reminds me of repression in certain mental disorders like PTSD coupled with a lack of outward emotional expression sometimes seen in ASD. He also just thinks he can't experience emotion because he's an android, and traps himself in that thinking pattern.
Programmers, being naturally lazy as they are, would probably take an opportunity to simply block that code instead of work around its deletion. So if you removed this barrier, he would be able to feel a fuller range of emotion.
This can also help to explain why Data was over-emotional with the emotion chip. Instead of simply giving him the ability to feel, the chip was building on what was already there and caused double what it should have done.
"But automaton-enjoyer! He's a computer! He can't have mental illness!"
1. Look at Lore and tell me he's not a lil fucked up (lovingly). His tic can also be considered a neural malfunction. Also Data is autistic (also lovingly)
2. Dr. Soong's goal was to create a positronic brain, not a positronic computer/AI by itself. So it very well could function similarly to a human brain, but with enhanced memory etc etc.
3. If the issue was a blockage coded into him, it's less of a mental illness and more of just something that's there that has the potential to be removed. Also! Coding is rarely perfect, especially in something so complex! So the "issues" the brothers have could be errors too.
There's my ramblings! Do with it what you will.
88 notes · View notes
theineffablecon · 10 months ago
Text
🚫 No Blue Monday here! 🚫
If you're feeling blue today, we have some ineffable Good Omens announcements for both our virtual and in-person attendees that might cheer you up...
Tumblr media
First up, we're delighted to announce two special guests - the wonderful Peter Anderson, who is joining us again for the FOURTH time to talk title sequences, and Colleen Doran, who showed us ALL OF THE ART from the graphic novel at TIC 4! 🥰
Tumblr media Tumblr media
📢 For those of you thinking of attending TIC 5 in person, we are down to our last few rooms at the convention venue 📢
We do have overflow accommodation available and you can find out more information here:
If you're thinking of joining us virtually, tickets range from £5 to £15!
If you're in a position to book early, it helps with our forecasting - if you're not, tickets will be available up to (and, tech permitting, including) TIC 5!
Any questions, you know what to do, do it with style!
Tumblr media
For our in-person delegates joining us on the Hambleden (aka Tadfield) trip, we have two treats to share...
We'll be travelling by vintage Routemaster bus and we'll be served dinner by Heavenly Crepes!
Tumblr media Tumblr media
A TIC thread wouldn't be a TIC thread without a plea for volunteers!
You can find out more about the auction, exhibitors, programme, zine, vid show and volunteering using the menu at the top of this page:
Finally, our 2024 JustGiving page is open!
As always, all TIC events raise money for Alzheimer's Research UK in memory of Sir Terry Pratchett.
The 2023 total is coming soon, but it's over £40,000 - let's get to £50,000 in 2024!
That's all, folks - have an apology dance for such a long thread!
Tumblr media
311 notes · View notes
loving-n0t-heyting · 5 months ago
Text
I have an irritating habit of hyping up my grad school depts prestige when explaining my life history, and namedropping that i spent a year of grad school (before going "on leave" from insanity/burnout) at usc. This is definitely stupid status pandering, but it kind of bugs me bc other ppl with comparably fancy academic backgrounds from harvard or whatever dont have to hype their shit up! Ppl will be suitably impressed by unembellished, straightforward accounts of their track record. So i have to come off as a status-seeking asshole to get the same recognition others in my position get for free! And i got there with thr handicap of no fancy undergrad (tho my undergrad was extremely cool and good, im not ashamed of it or anything, but it has no reputation) to do the same signalling work
Wouldnt a better proof of my coolness be casually mentioning cool stuff i am continuing to do after having gotten thru most of my fancy grad programme? Yes, but that would require not being a fuckup. Fuckups who went to harvard for grad school still get to say they went to harvarrd for grad school and have this be recognised as impressive
Anyway, if you wanted an explanation of this obnoxious tic of mine, there you go. I am just feeling the weight of realising how much pit there is to climb out of, is all
19 notes · View notes
clever-fox-studios · 10 months ago
Text
Two Weeks
A little thingy I started as a crossover of my Legacy AU and @garbagechocolate 's Truth Virus. I might continue as it's short and meant as pure angst, if that's desired; it'll go on AO3 if that's the case. It's not canon to my AU at all, but it does have Legacy-canon-compliant information that may or may not be relevant when the time comes~
Content below the cut:
Overhead lights hummed, casting dirty yellow-white light across cement, tile and metal rebar and pipes, trying and failing to make the dirty underground service bay seem somewhat sterile but only managing to pick out every crack and spot of dirt in grimy, perfect detail. Normally, Parts & Service was busy and filled to the brim with techs and programmers looking for something to do during the day, but at this moment only two could be found operating the repair pod, the others long gone on daily tasks of some sort or hiding out of camera view to catch a smoke or pilfer uncollected fries from the warmers. Fingers drummed the service pod keyboard lightly–click-clack-clack–but never enough to press a key by accident. That was what rookies did. Contrary to the opinion of corporate, they were not rookies. They were not paid like rookies, and yet…
Yet.
“Are you sure we shouldn’t just wait for Phil?”
Balling a fist, the older technician slammed his fist into the desk, avoiding the keyboard altogether but still startling his coworker into biting his own cheek with fright.
“Owowow–”
He gave the younger worker a hard look, stilling their whining so he could speak, sharp and firm as a stroke of a key on the computer. “It’s a fucking patch for the new system they wanted the jester thing to test run.”
This was true.
“It’s from the server at fucking corporate, so it’s gotta be legit, right?”
This was also true.
“We shouldn’t have to wait for Mr. Espresso For Dinner to supervise us every fucking time the talking pipecleaner needs a spit shine”
Nervously, the younger technician nodded, then shook his head. “But Phil–” He stopped for a moment. “Mr. Mercer was extremely clear about us being careful with the theater unit after the–”
“I. Don’t. Care,” the older man cut in, face creased with angry lines and graying brown hair. “I’ve been working here almost as long as that junkrat in a trenchcoat. Just because he’s Reed’s favorite little dumpster fire he gets the head IT position, but I’m just as capable of working on the attendant as he is. I’m not a fucking rookie–no offense.”
“N-none… taken,” the younger man squeaked, unable to voice further concerns.
“Just get the fucking twink down here so I can get this done, will you?” With a sigh, the older man wheeled his chair to the desk and began to prepare the file for processing, grumbling under his breath. “It can’t be that hard to install a fucking patch for something that’s already in their system, it’s robotics, not fucking rocket science!”
~
“Let me guess.”
Sun fidgeted with his ray, fingertip flicking over the point rhythmically, eyes looking anywhere but into the acid-bright hazel eyes staring him down from behind unkempt brown-black hair.
“You didn’t stop them because Mason’s a jackwad and you didn’t want to cause more problems?”
Nodding, Sun’s fingers closed around the end of his ray tightly–a nervous reflex. Before he could do any real damage, a hand wrapped around his wrist, firm but not overbearing. It still got him to jump, gaze darting up in spite of himself to see the hazel gaze was less of a disappointed burning and more of a concerned flicker, one that knew well and good about his… ‘problematic’ tics that had been developing over the months.
“I’m not mad, Sun,” the man said, voice gentle as he slowly brought the jester’s hand down from his head. “Not at you two, anyway.”
Sun couldn’t help himself, the apologetic babble coming up before he could really stop it, “I’m so so so sorry, Phil! I know you’ve told us not to let them bully us, but the new employee was so nervous and we didn’t think it was a big deal, we just–”
Phil’s palms pressed into both of Sun’s cheeks, causing him to stop as the short human got his attention, face unchanging. “Sun,” he started, speaking slowly and firmly, “I. Am not. Mad. At you. Understand?”
Feeling his jaw quiver, Sun nodded; the hands left his face, turning to hold the man’s chin in thought as he finally broke eye contact. Quietly, Sun folded his own together at the fingers, trying desperately to contain the guilt he felt as he noticed the stirring in the back of his programming of Moon as the night unit tuned in from wherever it was he found himself during daylight hours.
“Is he mad?” the crackly voice inquired.
Sun knew only he could hear his brother but it didn’t offer any solace–it was upsetting, if nothing else. Wrong. Even after months, he still wasn’t used to it, finding himself turning to answer only to be met with an empty room. This time, though, he was acutely aware that Moon wasn’t there. That turning would net only a concerned gaze from their maker, Phil Mercer.
“Not at us,” Sun whispered back, aloud.
Phil’s gaze flicked to Sun at the sound, but he didn’t acknowledge it. He didn’t need to. Instead, Phil mumble, a bit loudly on purpose so they boys–the theater jesters both–would hear without needing to be direct, “That idiot can’t even set the time on a microwave without using wikihow. I could run diagnostics myself and see if it worked but Al’s already up my ass as it is and I don’t have time for a full sweep…” He sighed with exaggeration, folding his arms together.
Sun’s head was tilted curiously at the mutterings, his fingers fidgeting over each other rhythmically.
“Of course Mason picks this week to be a pain. The inconvenience can’t be helped.”
“We’re sorry–”
“Shush.” Rubbing the back of his head and neck, Phil came to a decision–he only hoped it wouldn’t come back to bite them all later. “How’s daycare duty treating you both? Any issues outside of the whole ‘Moon didn’t switch from theater to nap time’ thing the patch was for?”
With a click and whirl of his rays, Sun smiled, glad for something good to talk about--relatively speaking. “Oh, it was lovely! The children are so much fun to interact with! Such wild imaginations!”
A half smile crept onto Phil’s face under his 5-o’clock shadow. “Moon? What about you?”
Sun waited as Moon spoke, relaying his answer precisely while switching the voice setting to the blue unit’s default. “It’s different trying to make the little ones sleep instead of cheer or laugh. Keeping them up by mistake was… odd. But I’ll learn.”
“Well,” Phil mused, “hopefully you find it easier now but I’ll be honest, I don’t trust that patch corporate sent–especially knowing Mason was the one to install it.”
“I don’t trust that guy as far as we can throw him,” Moon muttered, earning a snicker of agreement from Sun.
Catching this, Phil asked, “What's so funny?” still grinning.
Eyes wide, Sun stuttered, “N-nothing! Moon just–doesn’t like Mr. Mason!”
Knowing how this game went, Phil pressed, “So what did he say?”
“It’s not that funny, really!”
“Then why’d you laugh, Sunny D?”
With a raspy giggle, Moon kept on in the back of Sun's mind, “I saw him struggling once to change the input source on the TV in the P&S bay when he pulled a late shift.”
Sun’s voice cracked with disbelief. “What???”
“Let me in on the joke,” Phil begged dryly, giving the tall robot a playful elbow.
“No no–stop!” Sun laughed, rays spinning while Moon dropped more little things about the man named Mason and his prevalent skill issues; if he could cry he’d surely be in tears from laughing, between the snark of his brother and the amused ribbing of his friend on either side as Phil started piling on his own observations of the tech’s mishaps. “Please, this is so mean!”
“You’re feeling better though, right?”
The others stilled, giving Sun a chance to catch his breath so to speak. “I… am, yes.”
“Good.” Phil gave his back a pat. “So listen carefully, alright?” Sun nodded, feeling Moon’s presence close in as he leaned in to hear. “I’ve already got a bunch of things to go over and finish up for you guys for this new trial run they want you two to do. I’m going to work on my own fix for the default program issue but I can’t install it until I’m back.”
Sun’s rays retracted just a hair, giving off a series of clicks that gave away his sadness as he clamped his hands against them with embarrassment. “Ah!”
Phil’s brows raised in a sympathetic arc. “I know, I wouldn’t leave it be like this but Emilia’s…” Without meaning to, Phil’s voice trailed off for a moment, his mind going a thousand miles away briefly. “She’s having a rough trimester.”
“Oh no.” Carefully, Sun’s hands grazed Phil’s shoulders, attempting to comfort the man . “Of course, of course! You can take time for Mrs. Mercer as much as you need!”
Phil gave the lanky robot’s hand a grateful pat. “Appreciated, Sunny, but I still have a job to do. I’ll be home for two weeks and I’ll come back with all kinds of things to clean you up and make you the best daycare attendant those chucklefucks at corp–”
“Phil, language!” Sun blurted, catching both of them by surprise for a moment.
After a second of seeing Sun’s shocked face, rays retracting with embarrassment, Phil let out a deep laugh. “Well, it’s already working so that’s a relief!”
“Can we do that to all the adults?” Moon wondered quietly, a devious feeling creeping into Sun’s mind of how his brother wanted to abuse that feature for his own amusement. It was admittedly tempting with the way some of them talked.
Exhaling briskly, Phil got the pair’s attention before they could get caught up with mischief planning. “Do you think you two can handle me not being here for that long?”
“We should." Sun hoped saying it would give him some confidence in the idea.
“Can you promise me not to be too agreeable with the new guys and keep your butts out of P&S until I get back?”
That one would be harder. “W-we can try. The kids…” Images of the last few days flashed through Sun’s active mind–colorful paper, sliced apples, pillows soaring through the air–and glue.
So.
Much.
Glue.
“You are too new to this to have that look of ‘back in ‘Nam’ already, Sun.”
Sun blinked and came back to the present, grin shaken but not gone. “It was just a lot! Great, but a lot! We can handle it! The helpers are very good at keeping us ready to go!”
Moon mused, “Especially Nana,” which made Sun’s smile change from nervous grin to gentle curve at the mention of the older woman with curly, gray hair and too many bracelets that insisted on everyone, even the staff, calling her ‘nana’ or ‘granny’ despite none of the kids in the daycare being her family by blood.
Phil observed all of this quietly, taking note of Sun’s expression and how he tended to look off to the side whenever Moon spoke. Despite being unable to hear the entire exchange, he had some idea what they were talking about; nothing those two did went unknown to him for long, even in spite of their best efforts to hide some of their hiccups from him at first. If nothing else, he was glad they could still talk to each other actively. I’m glad those mooks in the office are still afraid of the big bad OSHA man, he thought to himself smugly, thumb twitching against his forefinger.
With habitual movements, the messy haired man pulled a sucker out from somewhere in his pocket, peeled the wrapper off in one graceful tug and popped it in his mouth–he grimaced as the sour tang of lemon-lime graced his tongue. Peeking at the wrapper, he saw a small green gator-shaped icon stare back at him. Of course it would be Gator Blast.
“Phil?”
Said man glanced up, realizing the yellow jester had finished his aside in time to see the face Phil pulled at the bizarre flavor of Faz-pop he’d managed to fish out. “Hm?”
“What’s wrong?”
Rolling the candy to his cheek, Phil grumbled, “Monty’s lollipop flavor tastes like plastic and battery acid.”
Horror and concern flickered through Sun’s optics. “Should you be eating that??”
“Too late now.” He checked his watch quickly and made a displeased sound in his throat. “I’ve gotta go wrap some stuff up before Al starts in on me, promise me you two will be careful.”
“We promise!”
“I’ll see you in two weeks. Moon.”
Sun felt his brother’s awareness lean in again just as he was recoiling to whatever mental corner he claimed for himself.
Brow raised as he placed a hand on the daycare exit doors, Phil stated, “Behave,” despite knowing full well it wouldn’t be obeyed for very long. Waving politely, Sun affirmed on Moon’s behalf that he would, indeed, behave as much as possible–Moon himself made no such claim but chose not to argue the point for the moment. No, it would be more fun later to bring it up if and when Phil eventually found out he was not, in any capacity, behaving himself.
With the daycare functionally empty now, the yellow attendant set about checking his new and improved To Do list. Equipment and playsets loomed above him, one of the few things he found that could make him feel small–and hesitated. They still were not used to sharing a body, never mind the bizarre sensation of action overrides that happened on occasion when one of them felt too strongly and it overtook the other’s priority listing, but this one Sun had gotten familiar with. Though he himself didn’t have any issues with the bright plastic tubes and tangled nets that so many kids--and himself-- loved to scramble and climb over, he knew his brother had some… lingering hesitations about them.
For good reason, he knew, despite having been assured Moon wouldn’t remember the details, yet it didn’t stop the lunar unit from the occasional fear response whenever either of them found themselves looking up at the bars and bridges too long. Gently, Sun murmured, “Moon?” just loud enough to get his pair’s attention and snap him out of his trance–immediately, Sun felt his knees relax and motion return to him.
“Sorry, Sunny,” he heard back after a moment.
Carefully, Sun picked his way across the daycare floor to the great glass wall that enclosed the play area; there was a spot they knew where the shadows on the other side made the glass just a bit more reflective, allowing them a murky look at themselves if they stood in just the right spot. For a moment, Sun saw only himself staring back, red frill laying neatly around his neck, eyes bright and baby blue against his yellow and gold facial mold; he blinked hard and was not surprised in the least that when he look again, what stared back was a red frill laid under a blue cowl, navy and gray features replacing his own as grayed eyes peered back from the glass. A quirky little feature that had taken getting used to, but Phil never passed up on a chance to make things a bit easier on them, even when corporate threatened him with termination for making ‘unsolicited upgrades’.
Guilt crept through Sun’s circuits as he met Moon’s gaze in the glass; part of him was glad Phil hadn’t manually swapped them out to see for himself, but the betrayal of trust was almost too much for the yellow jester to bear. Feeling this, the reflection of Moon’s face creased with concern–he couldn’t touch his brother physically, but Moon knew he could be heard regardless. “You could have told him,” the night-colored bot said gently.
Sun started, “Its–” but hesitated, unable to maintain eye contact with the reflection. “I’m sure it’s nothing major. Mr. Mason isn’t the most… careful with us, and Phil has enough to deal with. You heard him, Mrs. Mercer isn’t feeling well and she’s having a baby–!”
“Sun.” Moon’s voice was firm, cutting off the tirade of excuses before it could get out of hand. “You’re doing it again.”
“I’m sorry.” With a start, Sun realized he’d grabbed onto one of his rays again while talking.
“Why do you do that?”
The barest hint of a shrug moved Sun’s shoulders. “Maybe the same reason the playsets make you freeze in place?” Sun’s brow furrowed. “I–I’m sorry, I…”
That hadn’t meant to be said aloud.
Moon seemed just as confused as Sun felt, thankfully, his brow an exact mirror of Sun’s, bunched in confusion at the odd vocalization. “It’s… fine,” he eventually managed to say, shaking his head. “I don’t mean to do it, I just…”
“I know.” Standing straight, Sun brushed imaginary fluff from his collar, attempting to make himself ‘presentable’ in an effort to get some kind of control over himself. “And you’re right, I should have told him about your eyes, but if he’s going to give us a big system clean-and-polish when he comes back, we can wait until then. Right?”
Their gazes met in the glass again.
Moon closed his eyes briefly and nodded. “It’s probably just Mason being clumsy, nothing major. We’ll tell Phil once he’s back. Mrs. Mercer needs him more than we do right now.”
“Exactly!” Turning quickly, Sun moved away from the glass, no longer able to maintain a sense of ease while his brother stared back with the empty, gray eyes that didn’t belong to him. “Today’s list has something new on it–” Pausing, Sun raised a finger in thought. “I don’t know where they keep the disinfectant.”
“I hope it’s not behind the desk.”
“Me, too!” Set about to find the elusive chemicals, Sun didn’t dare to check the glass again. At first, he’d hoped he'd been wrong when they chatted after the patch update and he thought Moon’s eyes were off somehow, but then a worker commented on it.
“Why are his eyes gray?”
Thankfully, by some miracle, that tidbit hadn’t gotten back to Phil yet.
Not that it made it feel better in Sun’s coding when he was met with empty gray irises any time he used the glass or a mirrored surface to see his brother.
Moon’s eyes shouldn’t be gray, he told himself fretfully.
They should be yellow.
23 notes · View notes
andsheoverthinks · 2 years ago
Text
personally, i think something the femininity discourse is missing is that some things considered feminine aren't inherently oppressive, they're only sneered at because women do them. for example, teaching and nursing are incredibly important professions crucial to society's basic functioning but because they're associated with women (feminine) people don't respect them. in the early days of computing, many programmers were women (including the very first computer programmer Ada Lovelace and the female programmers who worked on the calculations for the first moon landing).
if men never took over CS, would people be disparaging programming and making fun of 'girly hobbies like making a tic-tac-toe game to play with your friends in Python?'
Tumblr media Tumblr media
[a 'feminine' profession]
57 notes · View notes
Text
By: Tim Dodd
Published: Apr 15, 2024
A charity that has helped almost 4,000 people with their mental health say some boys in the area are "suffering in silence".
TIC+ offers support and counselling, but said only 30% of those accessing its services were male.
The help available could make "life and death" differences in some cases, the Mitcheldean-based charity says.
Its outreach scheme is focusing on males aged nine to 25 in some of Gloucester's most deprived areas.
The Levelling Up Together initiative, launched by Gloucestershire County Council, will allow TIC+ to help tackle the disparity in those who access its service by introducing an outreach and engagement programme.
Formerly named Teens in Crisis, TIC+s targeted programme Boys in Mind operates in Barton & Tredworth, Kingsholm & Wotton, Podsmead, Tuffley, Westgate, and Cinderford.
In order to reach more young men, it wants to hear from community groups about events in the county where it can connect with youngsters who may not already know about the service.
"We want to know what's stopping you, why can you not reach out? Is it the stigma... is it just that you don't know that we're here?" was TIC+ Youth Outreach and Engagement Officer Kerryann's plea on BBC Radio Gloucestershire.
"This service is there, it's free... we've got the technology out there where it doesn't need to be face to face, it can be online, it can be through text messaging.
"And it's such a shame that these boys and young men are still suffering in silence."
The mental health of young people has been in the spotlight for a while, particularly in terms of the group's social media use.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has been accused of misleading the public about the risks of using social media and contributing to a mental health crisis among youth.
Meta argued in a federal case in the US that it provided "teens with safe, positive experiences online" and had "already introduced over 30 tools to support teens and their families".
Anxiety, depression, isolation, and gang-related issues, were all issues that TIC+ could help with, Kerryann said.
"It can just make such a massive difference, in some cases you're talking literally life and death," she added.
The charity wants to level up mental health provision across disadvantaged areas to prevent deterioration in mental wellbeing and work towards reducing incidents of self-harm and suicidal thoughts among young men.
The TIC+ Boys in Mind project aims to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of mental ill health, ensure young males know about the support available, and to encourage them to seek help at an early stage to prevent issues becoming embedded in later life.
6 notes · View notes
toboldlywrite · 2 years ago
Photo
Tumblr media
Dana Eligie’s world is a near-utopia. Poverty, hunger, and inequality are distant memories of a tarnished past. Humanity is united now through the Network--the virtual representation of the collective human mind--and their shared cyber-DNA which created it. Dana is in her last year studying to be a Dream programmer; the culmination of her life-long goal. Until utopia comes crashing down around her.
Minds have started going missing inside their Dreams, leaving their owners empty shells. With no answers and no clues, Network access is being restricted more and more by the day, and people are afraid to fall asleep. Soon, they might not be able to at all.
But while working on her final project, Dana makes a disturbing discovery; one that might just be a clue to the mystery. When authorities don’t believe her, and her best friend is the next to disappear, Dana takes matters into her own hands. With only her Familiar--an anxious cat program named Virgil--for guidance, she embarks on a quest through the Network to save her friend.
In honor of working on TIC 2.0 for Camp NaNo, here’s an updated moodboard and blurb! The latter of which is still a work-in-progress of course.
it’s been a while so I’m not sure how accurate this taglist is now. Lmk if you want on/off!
@this-fire-grows-higher-blog @silenciadelumbrae @hannahcbrown @reininginthefirewriting  @cjjameswriting @realashergray @weaver-of-fantasies-and-fables @rusty-cat-writes @mischief-writter-24-7  @neitherearthnoratom @adie-dee
27 notes · View notes
freeuselandonorris · 10 months ago
Note
14, 18, 34 pleaaaaase 💕
hiiii bb ♡ thanks for asking!
14. what’s something you’ve always wanted to do but maybe been to scared to do?
oh god there's loads (i have two modes: poor impulse control acting without engaging brain, or wildly risk averse. no midpoint) but the one that springs to mind is learning to drive. i was in a crash when i was 11 where a bus drove into the passenger side of my mum's car and it gave me a pretty bad phobia of cars, especially slip roads, junctions etc. i was a nightmare passenger for years and never brave enough to learn to drive because i was scared i'd instinctively flinch and veer out of lane if another car came too close. last year i had some EFT (sort of like hypnosis with tapping meridian points?) with a counsellor friend and that really helped my physical anxiety symptoms - i'm unnervingly susceptible to stuff like that, which is why i've never fucked around with erotic humiliation in real life lmao - but i still don't feel like i'd be safe to learn to drive. plus i have no sense of direction. or spatial awareness. but it does mean i'm basically tied to living in cities with good transport networks or relying on kind friends/family, which sucks.
18. do you believe in ghosts and/or aliens?
answered here! short answer: kiiiind of?
34. any pet peeves?
concerning that you found this question difficult because i can think of LOADS lmao. some that spring to mind: being micromanaged. being patronised. bad faith takes. people who take things that should be fun too seriously. professionally offended people. vagueposting. phone calls that could have been an email (ESPECIALLY when i send an email and the person answers it by ringing me). paying for subscription services and still being served ads. narratives that use 'character X has s&m sex' as a shortcut for 'character X is terribly damaged' (usually female). that "now LOOK" vocal tic tory politicians do. people who conflate activism with posting loads about an issue and act morally superior about it. when adverts are louder than the tv programme.
christ. clearly i need to go and touch grass.
questions i think would be fun to be asked meme!
3 notes · View notes
gstdaisuki · 8 months ago
Text
Part 1: A Chat with Paul Hutchinson
While I usually interview musicians, Paul is a programmer first, and musician when he needs to be. However, I still had a lot to ask about, as he was able to provide a fascinating window into what gamedev was like in the late 80s and early 90s.
This interview was conducted across several emails in 2024Q1. The exchange has been rearranged to flow more naturally as a conversation, with quote blocks mostly removed. There's a part 2, in a different format with more of a music focus. Both are mirrored on patreon.
Tumblr media
GST: I'd like to start with a somewhat open-ended question: most of your online presence is under the handle "Z80GameCoder". that's a really interesting processor to embrace! I'd like to know why you embraced that, and I guess how you got started on that path. I got the impression that you were part of the UK's "bedroom coder revolution" era, but it seems like the 6502 was more popular (C64, BBC Micro). Was the ZX Spectrum your first computer, perhaps?
PH: It all began when I was about 13 years old, in 1977. Technically, the very first computer I had experience with was via a 300 baud modem teletype (playing Tic-Tac-Toe, on a print-out), but I don't recall what was on the other end of the telephone line. This was an interim solution, until the new machines arrived at my school. Computer Studies (O-level) was a brand new course at the time, and my mum said I should give it a try, on account of it being such a new thing. When the first machines arrived, after a few weeks, they were RML 380Z desktop computers. Made by Research Machines Limited, as I recall, and Z80 based.
They were a lot more fun than the teletype. I dove right in, and became quite familiar with them. So that is probably why I got into the Z80 in the first place. I wrote some BASIC games at the time. A version of Tic-Tac-Toe, and a version of Star Trek, which was another game they had on the teletype. Man, we used up a lot of paper playing that game on the teletype.
I left school at 16, to go to College, where I took Computer Science (A-level). There was a computer lab with a bunch of RML 380Z desktops. I continued to program games in BASIC, including a version of Pong, Breakout, and even a rudimentary implementation of Space Invaders. The graphics were very blocky, four pixels per character square, with black, white, and two shades of gray, if I remember coirrectly. Yeah, that was pretty basic stuff.
I got a Sinclair ZX-Spectrum 16k in 1982, for my 18th birthday, my very first computer. We quickly replaced it with a 48k version, as 16k clearly was not enough RAM to be working with, even at the time. I bought, and played, all the games I could, spending many hours with my beloved 'Speccie'.
Meanwhile, back at college, a friend, and one of the teachers, challenged me to write my games in Assembler, instead of BASIC. So I then set about learning Z80 code. I basically taught myself, although, later on, the Computer Science class began working with Assembler. But by that time, I was already fairly proficient. And the rest, as they say, is history.
GST: So in other words, you taught yourself Z80 assembly outside of school. What resources were you using to teach yourself all that? It's a few years before google, after all.
PH: Yes, I taught myself BASIC programming, Assembler, and everything related to game development. You had to be able to do everything back then, so I did.
The resources I used were …
Sinclair ZX Spectrum BASIC Programming - Steven Vickers - Appendix A
(For some reason Appendix A has been removed from the PDF that is online, I have no idea why, it's very strange.)
I referred to the assembler code there, but it was not enough, long term, and I very soon got …
Programming The Z80 - Rodnay Zaks
This was the resource for the Z80 at the time. Very detailed descriptions, and, most importantly, the execution time T-states, along with the byte length, for each and every instruction. With this I was able to determine that using a bunch of LDI instructions in a row, with a JR instruction to loop back, was much faster than using an LDIR. This got used in the V-blank routines used to dump memory to the display, for example. It used up more memory, but it got the job done way faster.
Tumblr media
GST: How did you get into PSS? Did Xavior come first, and you found PSS as a publisher? Or did PSS find you? It looks to me like you found PSS and they brought you in to work on other projects, since your Amstrad games all came after 1984
PH: The first real piece of code I wrote in Assembler was for LBC's "Computer Club", a radio show hosted by Clive Bull. They would broadcast a program over the air every week. I sent in a version of Pacman I called MacMan, because it had a burger theme. (It's at the bottom of my game page at z80gamecoder.com ) After that I wrote Xavior. I spent about two months teaching myself Assembler, and coding the game. We were moving back up to Coventry from London, so I looked for a publisher in Coventry. That was PSS. I pitched the game to them, and they accepted it, and offered me a job. It was my first job. Pretty basic, not well paid though, but it got me into the industry. I got to work alongside Alan Steele (a really good bloke, I miss him), who was the leading War Game programmer at the time (at least in the UK). I worked with Mike Simpson (on Swords & Sorcery), who went on to do the Total War series of games, at Creative Assembly.
(As a side note, a member of Creative Assembly (I think his name was Ingi? Ingimar? [EDITOR'S NOTE: it was Ingimar Guðmundsson]) showed up to work at Gogogic in Iceland, when I was there. It's a small world, eh. re: the gaming industry)
I have worked alongside some of the biggest names in the history of game programming, looking back, it's pretty cool, tbh.
Tumblr media
GST: I'm kind of surprised to see a game development job described as "pretty basic"!
"Not well paid" is easy to believe, but games are complicated! What made it basic?
PH: I say "basic" firstly because of the low pay. With the contract I had after leaving PSS, a project with Firebird (BT), I earned my yearly salary in just two months, which would be a six-fold increase in earnings in one jump. Secondly, the place where we worked was a residential house, nothing fancy.
Tumblr media
(this off-white building is the same place in 2014, via google street view)
Mike's office was behind the top left window, our office space was at the back on the same floor. Humble beginnings. Although the bosses, Gary and Richard, drove around in super fancy sports cars.
GST: Actually, I'd like to ask about the names you mentioned. Maybe you can dig up some old memories about working with everyone and use those stories to illuminate what it was like at the time.
Or at least I think anecdotes are fun and interesting. :P
The credits I can find on Swords & Sorcery are all quite vague, saying that you and Mike Simpson both did "unknown".
I assume that he took the role of a designer while you programmed? Or is it impossible to cleanly divide who did what?
PH: Names …
Mike wore sweaters that were not the most fashionable, as I recall, and, as a result, got some degree of ribbing from co-workers. He was not always in the office, he came in when necessary. My involvement with Swords & Sorcery was with rendering the action window, Mike did the bulk of the coding, obviously, and he was the game designer. I contributed some graphics too, as I have some natural artistic ability. I worked on both the Spectrum and Amstrad versions (the full code conversion for Amstrad). The project took quite a bit longer than we expected, by my recollection. I remember a conversation with Mike about how excited he was with the possibility of fractal generation of environment, what is called 'procedural'? An example he gave was being able to generate graphic renderings of trees in games, using maths, rather than having a pre-rendered image of a tree. He was a bit ahead of himself, as he needed to get S&S finished first. … and now we have games like "No Man's Sky".
As an example, I did the graphics for this:
Tumblr media
GST: Looking at mobygames, you're in the credits for the ZX Speccy version of Bismark alongside Alan Steele.
It says he designed everything and you just provided "graphic help"?
PH: Alan was a really nice bloke, and very talented. One day he showed me a book he had gotten, and at the back was mention of Jacqui Lyons, who was just starting to represent game developers, having been representing authors for some time.
Alan said I should get in touch with her and see where it would lead. I took his advice, and ended up as one of her clients. She got the contract with Firebird. It was definitely a good move, and I am really grateful to Alan for that advice. In turn, after a couple of contracts with Firebird, Jacqui said I should consider an opportunity in America. The first one that presented itself was with EA, in California. I did an interview with them, I think it was with Trip Hawkins (if I recall correctly).
However, I was not ready to make the move, so I declined their offer. Subsequently, I was rather glad about that, as I have heard that working for EA was not easy.
Tumblr media
Later, the offer from MicroProse presented itself, and I was ready by then, and accepted. I interviewed with Steve Meyer, who had a firm handshake, which was something I noted about the Americans that I met. A level of confidence, assertiveness, that was not typical of your average Brit, including myself. I liked Steve, he was a good boss.
For Bismarck, I was working on the arcade screens, and the Amstrad version of those when I left. When I look now, I do not see that it ever got published for the Amstrad? Hmm. I commented the heck out of the code, right before I departed, and printed it all out, just to be certain it was well documented. That way I could not be said to have left things in a mess. I guess they never got someone to pick up the project. Oh, well. [EDITOR'S NOTE: this version was advertised as "coming soon", but never released.]
I had asked PSS to give me a contract right from the beginning, but they never did, so I had the freedom to leave whenever. When I told them I was leaving, they offered to double my wages, and give me a bonus there and then. However, double is still less than six times, and I had already committed to the contract with Firebird.
In my experience, and my life in general, everything happens for a reason. Looking back I can see all the turning points, and how everything just fell into place at exactly the right moment in time.
GST: I'm very fascinated with the situation you described with Jacqui Lyons. She's like an agent… for game developers? I'm surprised I've never heard of this!
PH: Yes, Jacqui was an agent for quite a few developers, some big names, apparently. She would find contracts, negotiate the best deal, and receive a percentage in recompense. It was well worth it. I got work, was well compensated for it, and I could just get on with doing what I loved, coding. I would go down to London from time to time, for a meeting with her, and for interviews with potential clients for projects. It worked out very well. She looked out for me, and I appreciated that too. When she got me the position with Microprose, all that came to an end, obviously.
Tumblr media
GST: Looking at your gameography, it looks like Project Stealth Fighter is the only released game from Microprose.
Did you do anything else there? Or was it just a series of contracted projects once you came to America?
PH: At Microprose I did the 128k version of PSF for the ZX-Spectrum, and then I squeezed it down to the 48k version, as I recall. By the time I was done, two years had passed. In the meantime I had met my wife-to-be, and we had a wedding date planned, so I was kind of committed to staying in America by then. Once the PSF project was completed, I tried to convince the management at Microprose that I was worth keeping on as an employee (because I knew for a fact that I was). However, I was not able to do so. The new boss (not Steve Meyer) decided to let me go. They claimed I was not useful for anything else, and could only do Spectrum related projects, which they had no need of any longer. At the time, it seemed like a bad situation, but, as with everything else in my experience, it was just a transition to something much better.
When they let me go, I had to pack up all my stuff immediately, and vacate the building. That is how it worked in the software business. Once they were done with you, you had to leave. Supposedly due to industry secrecy etc. I would continue to be paid, I just could not be in the office once I was being let go.
As I was leaving, walking to the end of the corridor, there was a fellow coder, who had his office door open. He asked me about what was happening, and I told him. He quickly produced a business card for "Innerprise", a nearby company that was started by Paul Lombardi, a former Microprose employee. The co-worker said I might want to try giving those guys a call. And so, there was another stepping stone to a brighter future.
After leaving I did give Innerprise a call, got an interview, and was offered a job. I just had to wait until after I was allowed to work again, with the correct paperwork. There was a gap, where I went back to the UK briefly, returned, got married, and got the necessary paperwork.
I do have some anecdotes related to MicroProse, if you are interested in those?
GST: Absolutely! Anecdotes are great brushstrokes that help paint a picture of the era.
PH: MicroProse was a great experience for me. For the first year and a half the "MicroProse Family" (which I think it was actually referred to as) was a lot of fun. There were a lot of social activities going on, which was actively encouraged. This was a good business strategy, because a happy workforce is a productive workforce. We were more of a team as a result.
The whole company went to the Air Show at Andrews Air Force base, for example. Where the Blue Angels put on quite a display. Then there was the company trip to have a flight on the "Miss MicroProse", an old WWII airplane, with a single propeller. "Wild" Bill Stealey was the pilot, and we each took our turn up in the air, donning a flight suit and clambering up into the cockpit. I remember it being a pretty wild, and noisy, ride. Much more fun/exhilarating than any rollercoaster I had been on. We all went on a trip to an aircraft museum also. No chance was missed to participate in Aeronautical activities related to the flight sims the company was developing at the time.
Tumblr media
(from an advertisement, courtesy SidMeiersMemoir)
The company purchased season passes for Merriweather Post Pavilion, for the summer concerts. We could select which concert we wanted to attend, based on availability. I remember going to see Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea, which was most agreeable. Herbie Hancock being one of my favourite artists at the time, an excellent keyboard player/musician. The weather was suitably "summery", and the music was excellent.
GST: Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea! That's a great pair already! This would've been not long after "Perfect Machine", one of my fav HH albums.
I'm very curious about your music tastes, but I don't want to derail your thoughts just yet.
PH: Each Monday there was a company meeting, where everyone gathered in the main area of the building. Bill Stealey would address us all, along with the other management, keeping us up to date on the various goings on. That was fairly mundane, tbh, and not the most fun. However, one time, someone (and I do not recall exactly who it was) had an idea to help make it more fun. They ordered some comical headwear for all of us, which we paid for ourselves. And so, one Monday, we all showed up wearing a fez. It took a few moments to become noticed, as we filed in and sat down. It was rather silly, but it did lighten things up, with a round of laughter to follow.
Sid Meier was a cool dude to hang out with. One time, after work, a small group of us, including Sid, played M.U.L.E. on an Atari 400. We each took turns on the console, making our moves, as the game is turn based. Pizza was ordered, so we would have something to eat for dinner. As I recall, whilst we were waiting for the pizza to be delivered, Sid came up with the idea of "Pizza Hijackers", where you would order the pizza to be delivered, then hijack it on its way, and end up being the one who delivered it to the customer, thereby removing all the (unnecessary) overhead of actually having a pizza business. After consuming the rather delicious pizza, we drove to the local 7-Eleven, and picked out a pint of Ben & Jerry's, each. Then returned to the office, and devoured the entire pint in one go. Ah, the joys of being young and carefree, eh.
My (humble) contribution to making things a little "funner" was a "Name The Gorilla" competition. I purchased a bunch of small stuffed gorillas, and posted details of the competition, the prize for a winning name was a doughnut (the budget for the project was somewhat limited, obviously, going mostly for the gorillas). There were a few participants, including Bruce Shelley. I think Bruce's winning name was "DrillBit". The only other name I can recall is "Gorilla MyDreams", which was John Kennedy's entry(?). I still have "DrillBit", in a box somewhere here. I used to hangout and chat with Bruce from time to time, he was a big fan of the Saturn cars, which I think were fairly new at the time. I remember him mentioning, more than once, how popular they were.
Man, I just remembered the pit beef. Was it "Sharkey's Pit Beef"? There was a nearby food shack that sold pit beef. My first lunch in America was a pit beef sandwich. I always ordered it the same way from that day forward: pit beef, salt and pepper, American cheese, on a kaiser roll. We grabbed the sandwich and went to a local field, where we ate, and threw a softball around for a bit. The company had a softball team, which I joined for a while (although I do not remember us ever winning a game).
I seem to remember the food quite a bit. My first burger, which was about twice the size of anything you would get in the UK at the time, and I was unable to finish it. The ribs at "The Corner Stable" too, which I really enjoyed at the time. Ah ... Roy Rogers ... One lunch time, we went out to get burgers from "Roy Rogers". When we got there, the restaurant was quite busy. So, my roommate, Kevin, said we should go through the drive through instead. Except, he suggested we park the car, and walk through the drive through in formation. Okay, so off we went, on foot, in formation, to order and collect our lunch. I think the drive through staff were a little perplexed, but we got our food, and had a laugh at the same time.
All in all, the first 18 months at MicroProse were a lot of fun for me, which helped me adjust to life in America. I can remember when I first arrived I had some culture shock. America was quite different from England. It felt a bit weird because everyone was talking with an accent, and, unlike on TV, it did not stop, I could not turn it off. I did get homesick for a while, as it was my first time living away from my family home. In the end, I adjusted pretty well, and grew to prefer America as a place to live.
GST: Man, that drive-through prank in particular is perfect. Beautiful. lol
Let's see... after Innerprise, you moved to Sega of America. How did that work? I recall reading that you were in a unique position with SoA…
Tumblr media
PH: I was at Innerprise working on the Sega Master System version of Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin. As such, I was in touch with Ed Annunziata, the project manager at Sega of America. The project was moving along, although maybe not as smoothly as it could have been. However, Ed and I worked together well, and had a good relationship. There were some things going on behind the scenes with the management at Innerprise, and I was not privy to such activity. What I did know, was that my paychecks were bouncing. I am not one to be working for free, and the cost/inconvenience of a bounced check is not to be tolerated for long. Ed came out to visit, we met and discussed the situation. Ed appreciated my honesty. After the third bounced paycheck, I had had enough, and I left my position at Innerprise as a result. After a brief period, I was contacted by Sega Of America and offered the contract to finish up the SMS version of Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin. (The Genesis version was still under development by Innerprise.) Thus, I found myself working directly with Sega Of America, as an independent contractor (rather than as a company), which made me unique. SoA seemed quite pleased with the choice, and so we continued our relationship across quite a few projects, moving on to the Game Gear right after Spider-Man was finished (beginning with that conversion).
Tumblr media
GST: Oh yeah, I had a very specific question about your work on Spiderman vs The Kingpin: the in-game credits say that you were the programmer "with assistance by John Kennedy". I assumed that this was a senior programmer that helped onboard you to the project, but I actually can't find any other credits to his name.
Do you recall what the situation was, here?
PH: John Kennedy helped with some subroutines on Spiderman vs The Kingpin, I was the majority programmer.
GST: I'm curious about these conversions in general, actually. What was it like working as an independent contractor? Specifically, I noticed that the credits always had a tiny number of people, and your name was often in programming, music, art, AND design.
Were you doing all of this with some kit at home?
PH: It was great working as an independent contractor. I got to do what I loved to do, and without a lot of additional stuff to deal with (business-wise). After I left Innerprise, and got the contract with SoA direct, I had to go pick up the development kit from the Innerprise Office. Then I went and bought a new PC to hook it up to. I remember paying about $2200 for it. A 486 DX2 66, as I recall. With a $300 14" CRT monitor. I think that is the most I ever paid for a PC. Later I got an Amiga 2000HD also, for doing art (using Dpaint), and music (using Pro-Tracker). The Sega development kit included a ZAX-ICE (In-Circuit Emulator), which plugged into an SMS where the Z80 cpu would be (the SMS top cover was removed in order to achieve that). Those ZAX units ran about $50,000 a piece at the time. SoA provided a second one later on, when I was doing Game Gear work, as backup. I still have both units (SoA said I could just keep them or throw them out at the end of the GG development cycle, they did not want them back), and last time I looked, some years ago, they were on Ebay selling for only about $500. The Game Gear had a special development board, into which the ZAX-ICE plugged, it looked nothing like an actual Game Gear. I coded, and then uploaded to an SoA BBS (this was before there was an internet for that sort of thing). Once a year they would fly me out to visit, and we would meet and discuss the next project. I worked from home, and I was a stay-at-home dad too. My wife was an anesthesiologist, so she was busy full-time with that career. It was a lot to handle, and I did the best I could.
I was involved in all aspects of the games' development to varying degrees. There would be a designer who wrote the initial design paper, and we would work from that blueprint, going back and forth to get the best possible game we could make that was practical. There would be a musician who composed music for some of the projects too. And, of course, an artist to take care of the bulk of the necessary artwork. I contributed to everything that I was able to. I would touch up bits of art in order to make it work right, particularly sprites. I had prior experience with Spectrum and Amstrad, where I did everything myself. I really enjoyed having a hands-on approach to projects, it was very satisfying to have that much influence.
Tumblr media
GST: I also spotted a Judy Hutchinson in the credits for the 2nd X-Men game. Any relation?
PH: Judy was my wife at the time, she was quite supportive. We supported each other. When the Game Gear projects ended, and the final X-Men 3 SMS conversion for Brazil was done, I was done working with SoA. I continued on as a stay-at-home dad. That was enough to keep me busy, with about three jobs worth of activity. A doctor for a wife, who was often on call. Three young children, all growing up. A large household, on 18.5 acres, that needed a lot of attention. Up to five horses, two pygmy goats, a pot-bellied pig, a rabbit, and around ten cats (at one point). I had my hands full all the time. I planned, drove, shopped, cooked, cleaned, mowed, planted, tended, … all the things. It was a great experience, which I would not repeat. I was a stay-at-home dad before that was even really a thing, so I was pretty much on my own (very challenging).
Looking at the .ASM files I can see the dates/years. We moved to the Gettysburg farm in 1995, I think. Before that we lived in a townhouse in Timonium, MD. There I worked in the basement. Slightly less work for me there.
GST: It's funny to hear that you were making these games on a farm! (Or, well, mostly basement.) I think most people imagine video games are made exclusively in high tech offices filled to the brim with cutting edge technology. I keep finding just the opposite! (Thinking of David Wise having to furnish his studio from a cattle shed...)
Anyway, from the above, it sounds like you were kind of a funnel: The person that put every asset and idea into the ROM.
... And you took advantage of that by polishing everything you got as you put it in.
Or am I misreading? I suppose you could've been uploading pieces to the BBS, for someone else to assemble/compile…
PH: That is correct. I put everything together, and built the finished ROM. I used the Avocet Z80 Assembler for coding. Turbo C++ to write utilities to convert data into assembler files (with db/dw statements, and lots of hex values). Dpaint artwork, and music files had to be converted from native formats. Maps were built in TUME (The Ultimate Map Editor). TUME was made by my friend, and ex-colleague from MicroProse, Dan Chang (Echidna, who made NES "Cool Spot", "M.C. Kids", etc.). He went on to work for Nintendo, and was in Washington state, last I heard. I programmed the EPROMs using a Needham's Electronics EPROM programmer. I put those into a test cartridge and ran it on a regular system.
Tumblr media
GST: I'd like to circle back and talk about music. You were getting into game making at what I think was a time of transition, when people were starting to expect music to be part of the game experience…
…but the ZX Speccy only had a beeper.
Your first 2 games featured (as best I can tell on my emulators) purely beeper music on their title screens. It's simple, but that's par for the course considering the hardware. I'm curious if you recall any of your thoughts/philosophy about music on the ZX and CPC.
I mean, you could probably have gotten away with a silent title screen, but you put the effort in to make some music, so you had to see some value in that, right?
PH: Absolutely, title music had value to me. Music on the Spectrum was quite limited, due to the nature of the hardware. The Amstrad had more to work with, obviously. Actually, I remember making an attempt at "Acid House" on the Amstrad. I made a demo tape from simple loops I constructed, in BASIC. I took it down to Jazzy M's record store in London (Michael Schiniou, Oh'Zone Records). I used to listen to him on LWR, a pirate radio station in London. I would go down and buy House Music from his store. He was a cool dude.
(Interview, 1h 50m 38s)
GST: Man, this interview is wild. It feels like a very distinct slice of time. I'm not familiar with pirate radio but it makes sense that someone like that would be the "A&R guy for the A&R guys", as he put it 🤣
PH: On a later visit I purchased an LP of UK Acid House (I think the cover is yellow, mostly), which had a track on it which sounded very familiar. I think my Amstrad demo tape was inspiration for it. This happened also with a track I did on the Amiga. I posted several tracks I made on an Amiga Music BBS, when I was living in Timonium, MD (1991?). One was called "Baby Beat", which I made whilst my then wife was pregnant with our first child, Samantha.
And this is the track that I think it helped inspire:
Orbital - Midnight (Live)
Tumblr media
I am unable to prove this, since my Amiga is long gone. I am not able to prove the Amstrad track either, unless there is a tape somewhere here that still has that recording on it (maybe I will find it one day, who knows).
GST: Man, I'd LOVE to hear a comparison between your CPC acid and the vinyl it inspired. Too bad it's been lost to time…
I also tried a quick search for any archived amiga tunes with "baby beat" in the instrument text, with no luck. alas…
PH: I released "Baby Beat" into the public domain, so it's fair game for anyone. I think I used my Mista "P" handle for that. That was the handle I ran with for pirate radio. We used to listen to Radio Invicta back in the day. Another pirate radio station, playing mostly soul, funk, jazz-funk etc. Stuff you could not hear on the BBC or even commercial radio at the time. I made, and sent in, large envelopes covered in funky artwork. Something to get noticed. We had lots of dedications read out, which were also designed to be stand-out (funky/quirky). Invicta was a South London based pirate station. They got to be quite familiar with us, due to our consistent interaction (via mail and phone). We (me and my younger brother, who called himself "Jam Thang", his name is James, btw) got to host a show once, with Steve DeVonne. We brought in all the Funk and P-Funk we had on vinyl, and Steve played it for us. We were teenagers at the time. The shows were recorded ahead of time, to cassette, then broadcast on a Sunday. Invicta would pick a block of flats somewhere, and set up their transmitter on the roof, for that afternoon. They had to stay ahead of the authorities, since it was not licensed. We even answered the phones one week too, so our home phone was used (just the once). It felt very cool at the time. I have a lot of the dedications on tape still, and the show we did with Steve too. I visited with Tony Johns, who ran the station. And I also made a banner for them in 1982 (when the "Falklands War" broke out, as I remember hearing it on LBC when I was painting the letters on the canvas). I met Steve Walsh (DJ), to deliver the banner, as I recall, when it was completed. I remember getting BBC Radio Medway to say stuff they were not allowed to say, that was fun. Dave Brown used to have a show on there. I sent in a dedication that included a "hi" to "Ray, Dee, Owen, Victor …" Hahaha … Dave read it out, before realizing what he had just said on air, then quickly said "Oops, who got caught out there? …" and laughed. That is on a tape I have. Man, I have to digitize those things before they fall apart, eh.
Tumblr media
GST: I encourage this! It looks like it'd be in great company, too: https://archive.org/details/70s-80s-radio-shows/
Skimming through some of these shows, I imagine this is what I'd be into if I were there at the time. Especially when they bring in the jazz fusion.
I even spotted some Shakatak! Seven years before my favorite album of theirs!
This kinda answers an earlier thought, where I was wondering about your musical tastes.
Though these roots don't show very much in your game scores, which feel more dancefloor inspired, to my ear. Looking it up, I guess the music on LWR is a closer match
PH: Shakatak!
I remember buying their first 12" (1980)
Back when Brit-Funk was starting to be a thing.
I was recalling going up into town (when I lived in South London), to visit Groove Records (to get Surface Noise's 12" "The Scratch") and Bluebird Records (Manfredo Fest "Jungle Kitten"). I think both stores were in the Soho area? (generally)
I still have the plastic carrier bags from those stores. :D
GST: I keep being amazed at all the little details you can find online. Check this out, a website dedicated to remembering these old record stores: https://www.britishrecordshoparchive.org/shops/blue-bird-records/
PH: That is cool.
Ok, Counterpoint is where I bought my first vinyl, it was just up the road from where we lived. I even worked there for a time. Dang. This is a different location. The one I shopped/worked at was on Westow Hill, Upper Norwood. https://www.britishrecordshoparchive.org/shops/counterpoint/
GST: Circling back a bit, you mentioned you that you wrote an acid tune... I think it's kind of funny to imagine the square waves of a CPC in rotation on a pirate radio!
Were you able to get that "ringmod" sound with the AY using BASIC? (This "triangular" sound.) I've never worked with the AY so I don't fully understand it, but I always figured that was a fast CPU trick…
PH: I don't think I achieved that with the Amstrad audio in BASIC. I remember I was doing bending/ramping somehow. It wasn't actual Acid House sound, but was as close to it as I could manage. It sounded funky, and had that chip-tune quality to it.
I am happy at the thought I might have inspired some actual musicians. :)
GST: That's a funny choice of words, I think. What is an "actual musician" and how does that definition exclude you?
To be fair, I've been making and sharing music for decades but haven't signed any record deals, so perhaps I'd exclude myself from a category of "actual musicians".
It's an interesting thought to me, though. "No true Scotsman" and all that.
PH: "Actual musician" … hmm … I guess I mean "professional"? Like, it's something the person projects as what they inherently are? Technically I got paid for my music, so simply earning money from it is not what I mean. I would say I was a Game Coder, who made music, as opposed to a musician. But maybe, if I look at it, then I am a musician, by simple fact of making music?
GST: You definitely carry the essence of a Game Coder, specifically on the Z80. ;)
I'd describe these as hats. You may primarily be a game coder, but you've worn your musician hat plenty as well.
Tumblr media
PH: Back on the topic of games … My time at Gogogic was even more of a family experience than it had been at MicroProse (the first 18 months there, that is). Such a cool bunch of people. I really enjoyed that time. There were co-workers who had grown up playing my games as kids (e.g. Jonathon Osborne, Australian, now in Montreal, Canada, I think).
GST: Was that the first time you had experienced that? I can imagine this being a shock, both with the realization that your work reached others, and the feeling of "I can't believe that I'm old now"
PH: Yes, that was the first time I experienced meeting someone who had played my games as a kid. It was kind of cool. It's heartwarming to know that I helped bring some fun/joy into the world. I don't regard game programming as something that has much impact on the world, in general, but knowing that it has had a positive effect is comforting. Yeah, there is a disconnect between programming games and the audience that plays them, for the most part. There are a few people in the industry who are "rock stars" that get that kind of experience. Most of us are just coding away, and getting on with our lives (and getting older).
GST: I'm also noting that you skipped straight to Gogogic, not really talking about what I presume was an era of self-study, learning how to write iOS apps. I suppose it was too transitional to mention?
PH: Ah, yes, the time before Gogogic …
I was doing the stay-at-home dad thing, on the farm, as I mentioned. I spent the time collecting consoles and games, in order to keep up with the industry in general. I was "The Entertainment Committee", and I had a (weekly) budget even. I built a home theater in the basement, with a projector, a 12' screen, large surround sound system, and six La-Z-Boy chairs, with the back row on a raised platform. It was super cool, especially when the THX sound played, at some volume. There was also an array of consoles set up, so the kids could all be playing whatever game they wanted, simultaneously. Then, after some years, I was being encouraged by my then wife to get back to work (since the kids were growing up, and requiring somewhat less supervision). I saw the growth of the iOS market, and people making a decent living from it. I had an iPhone, so I had played games on that. I set about finding out how to program iOS. It's a lot different from Z80 Assembler, the whole approach is different (high level vs low level).
We had a two story home, so I sequestered myself in the (finished) basement every morning for some months. I just pushed myself forward until it finally clicked. If game programming is supposed to be like "riding a bicycle", then it was more like having had muscles atrophy, and having to grow back muscle mass, before even getting to ride anywhere. It was literally painful to get my brain accustomed to programming again, but I persevered. I wrote a word puzzle game for iOS. I am sure the structure is terrible, because I did not apply the new philosophy of high level languages to the process. But, it worked. I made a word dictionary using a DAWG (Directed Acyclic Word Graph), which kept the size down to a minimum, and traversing it to find words was fast. Little did I know that it would come in very handy when I interviewed for Gogogic, and then getting hired within two weeks of arriving in Iceland.
Tumblr media
We had developed a friendship with the team at Gogogic through their Facebook game "Vikings of Thule". We played it a lot, and interacted with the development team, providing bug reports and feedback on gameplay. We were getting very interested in Iceland, after visiting during a stop-over on the way to see my family in the UK. To the point of wanting to live there, at least for a part of the year (it was a mutual preference/desire). When we bought a summer house in Kjós, near Hvalfjörður, we hosted the entire team at our home (during one of our stays in the summer). It was the "Gogogic Fanfest". CCP had their big annual Fanfest each year, and so we decided to host one for Gogogic. They hired a mini-bus, and drove up to visit. It was so much fun.
GST:
It was literally painful to get my brain accustomed to programming again
yeah, I feel that! I took a class on iOS development around the same time (~2012) and it's far, far removed from assembly! I was curious about that transitional period specifically for that reason.
I can't help but zoom in on some of the things you say: You make it sound like you were playing Vikings of Thule, noticed a bug, reported it, then heard back from the developers… and then repeated that cycle until you became friends and coworkers.
Is that what happened?
PH: Yes, that is it in a nutshell. We (Judy and I) played the game a lot, found bugs, as it was still under development, and reported the bugs. We also made suggestions for improvements and features. It was really cool to interact with them. We visited Iceland a number of times before buying the summer house. Firstly, we met Gogogic at their office, before they moved to Laugavegur, which was here …
Tumblr media
Glass building on the left, I think it was the third floor. The Japanese embassy is also in the building. To the right is the petrol/gas station that was used for the TV show "Næturvaktin" (highly recommended, very funny).
GST: that's a funny way to move to Iceland :P
PH: Actually, it was the perfect way to move to Iceland. Everything fell into place in exactly the right way. When our marriage came to an end, everything was in place for me to move there as smoothly as can be. The timing was perfect. I had just three days notice, from the time I was told "You have to go!", to when I was on the ground in Iceland. When I arrived, I had a car, a home, and a job lined up within two weeks. Jón Heiðar kindly picked me up, once I arrived in Reykjavík (on the bus from the airport), and we chatted on the drive up to the summer house (where the car was parked). He said Gogogic was looking for an iOS programmer, and I should interview. Which I did, not knowing how vital that would be at the time.
I also had developed a friendship with Jared and Hulda, and their friend Tim, which revolved around paragliding. They looked out for me, a lot, being concerned about my well-being, given the circumstances. I learned paragliding with them, up to the point of making an actual flight (a small flight, but nonetheless, I flew). I probably would not have made it without them. I am forever grateful.
I had been corresponding with Jared on account of his blog about moving to Iceland, and we had met at least once before I moved there. So I had actual friends as well, not just friends who were co-workers. Given that I ended up going through a divorce, everything else was perfect. It helped immensely, and I thank God for all of it.
GST: Paragliding? That's a funny recurring motif: flight!
PH: I bloody loved paragliding. I got really good at ground handling, which they told me is harder than flight, because in flight you don't have the ground to deal with. They all said they had never seen anyone learn so fast, and I was good. Tim said I could be one of the best if I continued.
(37s) "Hola Hop"
Hulda is holding the camera, and that's her voice. Jared is the other paraglider in the video.
They moved to Switzerland. During a flight, where Hulda was given instructions, which she followed, she got into a spin that was not recoverable from. She went all the way into the ground and died as a result. When I heard of this I quit. Hulda was the one who managed to get through to me with instruction the best, and we clicked as regards teacher/pupil. She trusted that instructor, and I would do the same. So I saw the potential of being in a similar situation. I could not risk that. My kids were pleased I gave it up.
GST: oh, that's a really tragic turn of events :(
I suppose it's nice to have experienced flight at all, but that's got to be haunting…
PH: Yes, it is a bit haunting. However, I remember all the good times we spent together, and I am forever grateful to Jared, Hulda, and Tim. I cherish those memories, and they always bring a smile.
GST: I'd like to circle back to gogogic. so, although both involve programming, working on high level iOS code in the 10s is extremely different from working on machine code in the 90s. I'm wondering if you experienced any culture shock, not just from moving to Iceland, but from jumping 15 years into the future of game development so to speak.
PH: yes, very much so. It was not just the Assembler to Objective C jump, in terms of type of language. It was also the jump from a lot of constraints, to relatively few. Space was at a premium on the Z80 devices I coded for. Whereas, it was not so on iOS. My co-workers at Gogogic were very helpful in guiding me in how to change the way I wrote code. On Z80 I used a lot of abbreviations, due to space. This makes code harder to read, obviously. On iOS they told me to name things according to what they were, or what they did. I did not have to abbreviate to save space. Then there is the object oriented aspect of the higher level coding. It is very different indeed. Working as part of a team was a change too. I mean, I worked on a team before, but I had more hands-on control over things on Z80. I enjoyed learning. We used Git, so I had to learn about version control etc. The way I did debugging was not to their liking, as I recall. I relied on intuition a lot, and it worked very well for me. They prefered a more systematic approach to debugging. I remember having my bug fixes rejected, after I came up with them very quickly. Then they went through the process they had adopted and fixed the same bug over again. It took them hours to do, but that is how they wanted it done. So that would be a change too, having to use the same methods as the team, with no room for bringing my own. I am good either way. My focus is on delivering the product, and doing the best job I can possibly do, regardless of anything else. If something is worth doing, it is worth doing well. That is how I have always worked, and it applies to everything in life.
GST: They didn't like your debugging? Interesting… I remember looking at your linkedin and seeing that you particularly enjoyed debugging code. I suppose this means you became accustomed to the team's "newschool" methods?
PH: Yes, I love debugging. I like fixing things in general, so that is the coding version of it. I did learn how to debug their way, and fit in with the team as needed. At AppDynamic I was praised by the boss for how I helped take the product(s) from something that functioned, to something that was really polished. Pratik was quite pleased with my debugging. He was really good at getting code up and running, but I don't think he liked debugging as much as I did. It's like a puzzle, you have to solve it. Puzzles are fun.
Fixing things is great. Taking something broken and making it of use, I love that. I can do anything I put my mind to as well. My friend Kent said "You can do anything that you want to do, if people do it, you can do it." "If you don't want to do it, have someone else do it" I took his advice, and I did all sorts of things. I bought a secondhand big dish (10') system, for $300, and installed it, so we had satellite tv. That required digging in the ground, hitting a boulder, drilling into the boulder, inserting rebar, pouring concrete, and setting a pole, perfectly vertical. I mounted the dish, ran the cable to the house, drilled through the wall, ran more cable. I set up the receiver, I buried an earthing rod and ran cable for that too. I aligned the dish with the satellite, and got C-Band stations across the entire arc. I had never done anything like it. It stayed in place throughout the years, through all kinds of wind and weather. We got a lot of enjoyment out of it. It builds confidence to achieve things like that. I did many projects like it whilst we had the farm.
Anyway, I digress, again …
GST: no, that makes sense! I think this mindset is why programmers are considered engineers.
I think I've covered all of the ground I was interested in, so I'd like to wrap up this interview with a few final questions.
First, since you mentioned it earlier [EDITOR'S NOTE: this mention was moved to part 2], have you worked with the PICO-8 at all yet?
PH: I have not worked on the Pico-8 yet. I bought the app, and I have it running on a Powkiddy RGB30 handheld. Which is the ideal platform for it, as the screen is square, and just the right size. I've played a few games, and watched a few videos (e.g. Pico Playtime on YT), and I just like the whole concept. It would be a fun thing to try, and not too much of a stretch.
GST: Another recurring theme I noticed: it's kind of fascinating that you still have an archive of all of your project files from so long ago.
Were you actively trying to preserve everything at the time? Or was it just a recurring thought of "hmm, maybe I shouldn't delete this"?
PH: I definitely meant to backup the files to the CD in 1999. I am a bit of a digital packrat, I have podcasts (including all the raw files from my own podcast) and all-sorts of digital archives from years gone by, because I don't like to throw out digital stuff. I started putting the Sega directory on whatever was my latest computer, so I would have it on hand for reference. I don't know if Sega still keeps that stuff after all this time, I would guess not, since it has been so long. I am not sure how long the NDA lasts, so I would not release the code into the public domain without asking them first (I don't have any of the paperwork I signed for them any longer).
GST: And finally, to endcap this interview, I'd like to open up a space for you to talk about what you're up to these days. Any upcoming projects you'd like to promote?
PH: We skipped over AppDynamic, where I coded for the iOS apps: AirServer, AirMediaCenter, and RemoteHD. Largely bug fixes, and some minor feature updates. I discovered that coding on its own is still fun for me, not just games. Again, because it is puzzles to solve.
I also spent a year without work, in Iceland, in between jobs, which was a challenge, but very necessary. Before I returned to the US, for the sake of my partner, and my (grown) children.
The last bit of coding I did was on the Ethereum blockchain. A project for my daughter's company (now dissolved, I think). So I taught myself that too. It was kind of fun. When it was published the contract number had "1dad" in it (what are the odds of that?), so my daughter had a t-shirt made for me with the address on it. :)
These days I am continuing to collect items related to retro gaming. I got into emulation pretty heavily, with a view to experiencing older titles on newer machines (for ease/convenience), and preserving them too. I want to have my own little video game museum, which maybe I can pass on to generations that follow me. I have most consoles going all the way back to pong. I recently acquired a bunch of retro systems, including a Wii, Wii U, PS2 fat, PS Vita, and a 3DS. Some of the hardware is getting harder to find, I got the last two devices from Japan. I collect games on the PC too. I have over 1300 games on my gaming PC, for example. Even though I have mostly just played Fortnite (with my sister) and Destiny 2 (with my youngest daughter). I bought Return To Monkey Island, and played that all the way through with my partner, as I just love point and click adventures. I have many fond memories of playing those types of games in the past. I listen to music a lot, and I make playlists on YT, either based on mixes, or of my own choices (lately, select tracks from a single label). I watch a lot of movies, and have a personal collection of DVDs/Blu-rays in the thousands. I have archived those too, and converted to them MKV, for convenient playback on a mini PC running Kodi. I love old movies, it's like time travel. Fascinating to see how the world was, over 100 years ago, for example. And for the nostalgia factor, for the years I experienced myself.
So … video games, music, and movies. That takes up a lot of my time currently, since I am basically retired (for now).
We live in a one-person apartment (it's a bit cramped, to say the least), so I am always looking for a house, to make into a home for us. When I get that, I will be able to spread out a little/lot. Set up all my old systems like I used to have them (they are currently in tubs, on shelves). I want to set up a home theatre again, so I can have that full movie experience once more. The audio in particular was what I enjoyed (I still have the speakers from that). I would get a new projector though, as now there are 4k projectors for less than the $3,000 I paid for my 720p projector for my old home theatre. I want to set up my podcasting gear again, and do some more recording. I miss that, it was a lot of fun. I want to set up my dual Technics SL-1200 turntables too, and listen to all my vinyl again (for now, they are all sat here on shelves).
I definitely want to do more creating, I do miss that quite a bit. I have been consuming a lot lately, but producing very little. Be it music, art, audio or video. Certainly doing some coding too. Maybe Ed Annunziata and I can collaborate on something cool, just like the old days. I would love that.
4 notes · View notes
scarlet-ancunin · 2 years ago
Note
Hello are you ok?, i hope of time i asked hahah ,and I was wondering if you could imagine that Reader's five-year-old younger sister saw Ian Wright and said he's very handsome, and Reader would scold her, but her sister would say "but you say he's beautiful, why can't I speak"
thank you for letting me know
Lol i love this okay Ian x Fem Reader.
°•○°•○°•○°•○°•○°•○°•○°•○°•○°•○°•○°•○°•○
Sister Knows Best
Tumblr media
Today was not a great day for you, you was running slightly late because your babysitter called out sick so it would mean you had to bring your younger sister to the facility.
You called magic and told him the truth and the situation you was slightly facing and they said it was okay lucky for you. Your sister behaves well and you filled her bookbag with things she would like to do.
Then you had a small bag with her little snacks because you told her you would go out for lunch. Which she agreed. "Is this where wright works y/n" ylur sister ask cutely.
You chuckle "yes bunny this is were Ian works the pretty one" you smile blushing lightly when your younger sister does kissy faces to you "h-hey please don't do that in front of them"
"No promises" she giggles when you told her you would get her extra nuggets. The whole team was there as you walked inside "guys im really sorry i am late i just i couldn't find a proper babysitter but i promised she is well behaved." You said quickly
Magic chuckles "i told them already we were just waiting on you to come so we can meet her" they all nod and Ian was sitting on their chair smiling at you.
Your little sister peeks her head and looks at everyone and smiles waving shyly "hello" they all said hello you pushed her gently to the front "im Magic" she giggles and says hello magic then afterwards Addison and Jenn introduced themselves then Ian "hello I'm Ian Wright im the brains here" they all rolled their eyes including you playfully.
"Your handsome Ian" your youngest sister said making raise a brow "b-bunny i told you not to-" "thats no fair y/n you called them pretty why can't i call them handsome" she pouted cutely.
Ian was grinning but their was a light blush there, the rest of your friend was trying to hide their laughs and smirks Jenn giggles. Ian got up suddenly and picks your younger sister up. "Hmm i think I'll take my first watch with her she looks smart enough to handle Ziggy" they walked away
Addison and Jenn laughed Magic tapping your shoulder "good luck" when he walked away the girls came closer "you better hope your younger sister doesn't tell them everything." Jenn said laughing
Addison held your hand "it was nice knowing you y/n" you blush deeply and nod "uggghhh lets work you guyss" you all left to work.
Around Lunch time you walked towards the break room getting your youngest sister McDonald's since it is what she wanted and yourself a little sandwhich. Of course Magic, Addison and Jenn was watching from his office and had the audio on. They totally wasn't trying to play match maker.
Your youngest sister managed to see what everyone did but they ended up staying real close to Ian. So when you walked in their and saw Ian playing tic tac toe with her it was a sight to see but also your heart was beating fast.
"Oh y/n we was just talking about you." You did a nervous laugh "good things i hope" you glare at your sister who sticks her tongue at you.
"Yes there were good things including how much of a crush you have on one of the programmers here" you pause mid-step and looked confused.
"I like to know who the only one i talk about is you-" your sister giggles loudly "i told you y/n will do that"
Magic and the rest laughed while watching you blush deeply glaring at your little sister "why you little" "mmm don't harm the messenger y/n besides that means the feelings are mutual." You looked at Ian blushing more. "I like you to y/n i just wasn't sure you felt the same and now that i know you do i can finally do this"
By that time they was in front of you and kissed you softly on the lips where you was to surprised to respond before responding soon after and kissing them back. "Get a room and where is my nuggets" your younger sister said pouting. The team on the other end just laughed now leaving to finally join them.
You pulled away blushing and sat between your sister and Addison while Ian was on the other side of your sister talking with the rest of the team. Jenn was playing with your youngest sister ever so often and you trying to ignore how cute Ian was eating their food but sneaking fries from your sister who literally ended up feeding them a fry.
You suppose your sister knows best.
~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~
Taglist: @justaproudslytherpuff , @sherazyjade , @the-masked-scorpio , @sugakookieswithacupoftae16 , @happilydangerousworld , @harlekin6 , @supermegapauselouca
24 notes · View notes
theineffablecon · 1 year ago
Text
📢 THIS WEEKEND! 📢
📗 A Nice and Accurate Guide to The Ineffable Con 4 ���
Where: Online
When: Friday 20th to Sunday 22nd October 2023
Why: Raising money for Alzheimer's Research UK in memory of Sir Terry Pratchett and to celebrate all things Good Omens!
Tumblr media
📺 What's on? 📺
You can find our programme here: https://www.theineffablecon.org.uk/the-ineffable-con-4/tic4-programme/
We have special guests Peter Anderson, Rory Kurtz, Colin Smythe at Irish Discworld Con, Rob Wilkins, Alzheimer's Research UK, Colleen Doran, Gavin Finney and Sandy Higgins!
Tumblr media
❓ What if it's my first time? ❓
All welcome, whether it's your first time or your fourth!
You can check out our FAQs here: https://www.theineffablecon.org.uk/the-ineffable-con-4/tic4-faqs/
You can also drop us a DM if you have any other questions!
Tumblr media
⏰ Am I too late to get involved? ⏰
NOT AT ALL!
We are still very much in need of volunteers for games and for support in the lounge!
You can find out more and volunteer here: https://www.theineffablecon.org.uk/the-ineffable-con-4/tic4-volunteer/
Tumblr media
🎟 I've got my ticket! 🎟
Remember that you need to have a Zoom account in the same email address as your Con ticket. That will allow you to log in to the Zoom Events platform when the time is right!
You will receive this information by email, too!
Tumblr media
💸 Keep an eye out for the AUCTION! 💸
We have nearly 30 lots - a first for TIC! - and all money raised from the auction will be donated to Alzheimer's Research UK.
Check out our recent posts to see some of the goodies coming up and we'll post when it's live for bidding!
Tumblr media
🛑 That's all, folks...for now! 🛑
If you'd like to buy a TIC 4 ticket, you can do so here: https://www.theineffablecon.org.uk/events/the-ineffable-con-4/
See you SOON!!!
Tumblr media
225 notes · View notes
dojae-huh · 2 years ago
Text
I feel like Christmas Carol Special from DoJaeJung should have "produced by Kim Dongyoung" somewhere stamped. The idea and the production just screams him (in both positive and negative ways).
K-pop companies produce a lot of Christmas songs, SM especially.
In 2016 Doyoung had a Christmas song with Joy. It was released as a single.
In 2018 Doyoung started to do covers and upload them on NCT Music channel. He made a quick cover for Christmas (with no proper MV prepared).
Do's example was followed by Taeil and Jaehyun, their first covers were carols.
In 2019 4 Season presented an original winter song and did an impromptu carol medley. Doyoung did a quick Christmas cover. His example of a cover-maker was followed by Yuta. And I'm inclined to think that Do didn't have an MV to give the spotlight to Yuta. From Yuta we know that he approached Do for vocal tips/guidance.
In 2020 Doyoung, Jaehyun and Johnny, as well as Jaehyun, Jungwoo and WinWin were meant to sing carol songs, but the "task" was never fulfilled. Instead, Doyoung, Jungwoo, Chenle and Renjun had a Christmas cover. That year Do got closer to Chenle and Renjun thanks to NCT projects.
2021 had an official song from Universe album released on December 24th. Sweet Dream (Jaehyun)
2022 - Doyoung, Jaehyun, Jungwoo carol medley.
In interviews before 2022 Doyoung mentioned how he would like to sing with Jungwoo and Jungwoo and Jaehyun, and that the style that would suit JaeDo duet is Disney songs. Jaehyun said he would like to do a carol medley. (before 2021) Jungwoo expressed desire to make covers. DoWoo regularly sang on lives and for programmes.
So you can see the development. From Doyoung coming up with uploading covers on YT (SM had just started to develope NCT's presence on the platform), his tendency to gift fans something on holidays, to his pushing for a winter album/songs and singing with his biases.
We know Doyoung comes up to the management with ideas. Awzas was his idea. So was the video for concert version of "Golden Dust" and the siluettes for DoJaeJung Link performance.
From the way Do talked about the song the unit was given, and remembering how he pushed for 4 Seasons to be a thing, I think the Carol medley is more of what he wants for the unit (but he will go the successful path, whatever SM will come up with for DoJaeJung if it will have a continuation). Doyoung wants vocal-focused songs with nice lyrics.
The medley had an SNCD's song (Doyoung is a sone) and a jazzy carol (Jaehyun's taste). I don't know Jungwoo's interests well enough to guess if the third song was of his choice or not. It probably was? Obviously, they had to choose from songs known to Koreans and available for covering.
Jaehyun is a well known lover of vinyls, the setting for the medley is about him. JaeDo also sported very similar coats in the end.
Jungwoo got to sing in a lower voice (if I'm not mistaken, he expressed desire to show it off in addition to his high?).
To sum it up. Jaedo gets to sing together. Woo gets another cover and can show off more of his voice. DoJaeJung unit has another "test" for the stuff to gauge the audience's reaction. Fans get a gift. NCT tics off "Christmas song" from "to do" list.
Doyoung is nothing but an efficient bunny.
Even if it was the stuff that offered DoJaeJung a medley (which I doubt because of the low budget, last minute shooting of the video, and the three rotating around the central position, minGtion arranging the songs), the groundwork was laid out in the past by Doyoung and Jaehyun.
10 notes · View notes
xylophonetangerine · 2 years ago
Text
Most of the time when I talk about my mental health to my family I don't get help or support, I get unhelpful and hurtful comments like "Why are you like that? Have you tried to not do that?" (You're right, it never occurred to me to try to not be crazy, thanks, I'm cured!) or "How long are you going to keep taking those drugs?" (I don't know, until I feel better? Maybe for the rest of my life.) For this reason I don't talk about my mental health very often and they forget or don't even know that I'm still not feeling well at all. And then they complain endlessly about how I'm not able to do everything normal people can which makes me feel even worse. Do you think I'm not aware of the fact that it's taking me at least five years to complete this three-year degree programme? Do you think I'm not aware of the fact that I can't always get the dishes washed or my shirts ironed? Do you think I'm not aware of my mood swings or compulsions or fixations or social anxiety or facial tics or awkward demeanour or confused and unnatural vocal affect or the fact that I forget to do things all the fucking time and even when I do remember normal tasks that I have to do completing them is a massive fucking pain for no reason?
2 notes · View notes
shadowcrest · 5 months ago
Text
And remember: behind every ai that turned evil is a programmer the crunched and didn't put strong redundancy due to crunch time and spaghetti code *I say while looking away from my fucked up basic tic tac toe game code and the 24 if else statement trying to check for the winning condition*
Remember: behind every robot that turns evil is an engineer who specifically installed red LEDs into the eyes just for this occasion
118K notes · View notes
lapseudosphere · 7 days ago
Text
13. Levée du secret - Partie 2 (pseudossier : le phénomène ovni)
À lire avant pour ne pas être trop perdu :
1. Petit historique - Partie 1
Pseudocomplément : l'affaire Roswell
2. Petit historique - Partie 2
3. Petit historique - Partie 3
4. Caractéristiques générales
5. Comportement et lieux d'intérêt
6. Troisième type
Pseudocomplément : le mystère Oummo
7. Abductions
8. Multiples interprétations
9. Cover-up américain
10. Opérations secrètes - Partie 1
11. Opérations secrètes - Partie 2
12. Levée du secret - Partie 1
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Je remercie les chercheuses et chercheurs cité·e·s dans ce pseudossier pour leurs travaux. Pour réaliser ce pseudossier, je me suis appuyé sur des films documentaires, des interviews vidéos, des ouvrages, des articles de presse ou de sites internet. Je remercie les pseudosphéristes passionnés qui en sont à l’origine.
Principales pseudosources :
Globalement, je me suis appuyé sur les articles suivants publiés sur le site UAP Check news et écrits par Thibaut Canuti : (en anglais) https://www.uapcheck.com/news/id/1345/the-genesis-of-a-disclosure/ (en anglais) https://www.uapcheck.com/news/id/1923/the-skinwalker-ranchs-legacy/ (en anglais) https://www.uapcheck.com/news/id/1967/the-nimitz-ufo-incident/ (en anglais) https://www.uapcheck.com/news/id/2002/2017s-journalistic-bombshell/ Ainsi que sur les vidéos suivantes : Chaine de Philippe Fabry, OSINT #99 | OVNIS : QUE SE PASSE-T-IL AUX USA ? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1CxhtsHsww&t=2955s) avec Baptiste Friscourt et Guillaume Fournier Airaud Chaine Nuréa TV, Divulgation OVNI aux USA : On fait le point avec Fabrice Bonvin (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0ZXKZDdmfg&t=2637s)
Skinwalker Ranch : https://www.inexplore.com/articles/improbable-skinwalker-ranch Chaine Vertical Project Media, Hypothèses sur les phénomènes paranormaux du Ranch Skinwalker (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x43uU4GSnxg&t=1911s) Chaine Nuréa TV, "Skinwalker : Le Mystèrieux Ranch de l’Utah" avec Elisabeth de Caligny (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ueo78b5mBRE)
Objectif de récupération de débris d'ovnis derrière la création de l'AASWAP et Lockheed Martin : Chaine Sentinel News, ALERTE INFO OVNI : David Grusch et Christopher Mellon envoient l'artillerie ! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTKG8y1mI2o&t=596s (à partir de 53 min 25 s) (en anglais) https://nypost.com/2021/04/30/former-sen-harry-reid-thinks-lockheed-martin-may-have-ufo-fragments/
Programme AATIP et Luis Elizondo : (en anglais) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Aerospace_Threat_Identification_Program https://www.francetvinfo.fr/economie/emploi/metiers/armee-et-securite/etats-unis-le-pentagone-a-mene-un-programme-secret-de-recherche-sur-les-ovnis-pendant-au-moins-cinq-ans_2519311.html (en anglais) https://www.washingtonpost.com/washington-post-live/2021/06/08/transcript-ufos-national-security-with-luis-elizondo-former-director-advanced-aerospace-threat-identification-program/
Échanges de mails entre John Podesta et Tom Delonge : https://www.liberation.fr/checknews/wikileaks-les-mails-de-john-podesta-ex-conseiller-dobama-et-clinton-evoquent-ils-lexistence-des-extraterrestres-20210618_T3DEEIVQMRFU5J3PLFZ72EP44A/
To The Stars Academy : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_the_Stars_(company)
Leslie Kean et fuite des documents : (en anglais) https://www.uapcheck.com/news/id/2002/2017s-journalistic-bombshell/
Vidéos d'ovnis : (en anglais) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentagon_UFO_videos
Réunions secrètes entre les pilotes et de hauts responsables du congrès : https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/ufo-sightings-pentagon-us-navy-congress-senators-oceana-a8968256.html (en anglais) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentagon_UFO_videos
Témoignage de Ryan Graves et d'autres pilotes : https://www.leparisien.fr/societe/tic-tac-geant-toupie-hypersonique-des-pilotes-de-l-us-navy-racontent-avoir-vu-des-ovnis-28-05-2019-8081538.php
Nouvelles photos et vidéos d'ovnis filmées en 2019 (pyramides, gland…) : (en anglais) https://www.foxnews.com/us/ufos-spotted-navy-best-the-world-has-seen (en anglais) https://www.news18.com/news/tech/is-this-confirmation-that-aliens-are-real-officials-say-leaked-ufo-images-are-authentic-3642443.html (en anglais) https://www.mysterywire.com/ufo/new-uap-photographs/
Propos de John Ratcliffe en mars 2021 : (en anglais) https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/mar/22/us-government-ufo-report-sightings
Cas de Trinity : (en anglais) https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11579533/DoD-investigate-1945-crash-mysterious-avocado-shaped-UFO.html
Propos de Barack Obama sur les ovnis : (en anglais) https://edition.cnn.com/2021/05/19/politics/barack-obama-ufos/index.html
UATPF : https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unidentified_Aerial_Phenomena_Task_Force
Rapport du 25 juin 2021 du Pentagone sur les phénomènes aériens non identifiés : https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapport_du_25_juin_2021_du_Pentagone_sur_les_ph%C3%A9nom%C3%A8nes_a%C3%A9riens_non_identifi%C3%A9s Egon Kragel, OVNI, Les rencontres qui défient le FBI et le Pentagone, édité par MAX MILO, 2023 (voir la préface)
Déclarations de Bill Nelson : https://www.lefigaro.fr/sciences/ovni-des-scientifiques-francais-dressent-l-etat-des-lieux-20210625
Projet Galileo : (en anglais) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Galileo_Project
Rapport de la DIA sur les effets subis par les témoins : https://www.7sur7.be/sciences/rencontre-avec-des-ovnis-radiations-et-grossesses-non-expliquees-le-pentagone-devoile-une-etrange-serie-de-documents~abc78735/?referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F
Audiences au Congrès en 2022 : (en anglais) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_United_States_Congress_hearings_on_UFOs
AARO : (en anglais) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All-domain_Anomaly_Resolution_Office
Rapport du Pentagone de janvier 2023 : (en anglais) https://edition.cnn.com/2023/01/12/politics/us-government-ufo-reports/index.html
Différence entre l'AATIP et l'AASWAP : https://reason.com/2022/04/20/the-feds-spent-22-million-researching-invisibility-cloaks-ufos-and-a-tunnel-through-the-moon/
Incident des "ballons chinois" : https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incident_des_ballons_chinois_de_2023 https://www.bfmtv.com/international/amerique-nord/etats-unis/objets-volants-joe-biden-precise-que-rien-n-indique-qu-ils-sont-lies-aux-ballons-espions-chinois_AD-202302160737.html
Conférence de la Nasa en mai 2023 : https://www.cnews.fr/monde/2023-06-01/ovnis-la-nasa-devoile-une-video-inedite-lors-dune-conference-inedite-sur-le-sujet
David Grusch : (en anglais) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Grusch_UFO_whistleblower_claims#cite_note-23 (en anglais) https://thedebrief.org/intelligence-officials-say-u-s-has-retrieved-non-human-craft/ https://www.leparisien.fr/sciences/david-grusch-lanceur-dalerte-sur-des-ovnis-ca-peut-etre-extraterrestre-ou-autre-chose-mais-pas-humain-07-06-2023-P73S2REKZJDGNGCEJQBDEIQJTU.php https://www.francetvinfo.fr/sciences/espace/vie-extraterrestre-des-engins-non-humains-detenus-par-les-etats-unis-pourquoi-les-propos-d-un-ancien-colonel-americain-sont-a-prendre-avec-des-pincettes_5890093.html
Audition au congrès du 26 juillet 2023 : (en anglais) https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-us-canada-66307705 (en anglais) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Grusch_UFO_whistleblower_claims#cite_note-23
Amendement Schumer : https://www.slate.fr/story/250948/ovnis-extraterrestres-pentagone-amendement-etats-unis-revelations-david-grusch https://www.btlv.fr/mystere-inexplique-enigme/mystere-actu/ovnis-le-projet-de-loi-sur-la-divulgation-adopte-au-senat-americain-pour-mieux-controler/
Audition des 12 septembre et 7 novembre 2023 au congrès mexicain : https://www.parismatch.com/actu/insolite/ovnis-de-soi-disant-momies-extraterrestres-devoilees-au-congres-mexicain-229403 (en espagnol) https://www.diariodemexico.com/mi-nacion/ufologos-y-diputado-respaldan-iniciativa-para-desclasificar-informacion-sobre-ovnis-en
Conférence de la NASA (14 septembre) : (en anglais) https://www.reuters.com/science/nasa-panel-calls-agency-play-larger-role-studying-ufos-2023-09-14/
Survol des laboratoires de recherche par des ovnis : (en anglais) https://thedebrief.org/u-s-department-of-energy-uap-documents-reveal-puzzling-aerial-incursions-near-american-nuclear-sites/
Echo Event : https://www.nexus.fr/actualite/news/ufologie-sorbonne/
Fondation SOL : (en anglais) https://thesolfoundation.org/ (en anglais) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sol_Foundation https://sentinelnewsfrench.substack.com/p/un-plan-sur-7-ans-presente-au-symposium
Rapport de l'AARO de mars 2024 : https://www.leparisien.fr/sciences/selon-un-rapport-du-pentagone-rien-nindique-que-les-ovnis-observes-depuis-1945-sont-dorigine-extraterrestre-08-03-2024-L7EWI5XMUBC47EB3QJG5G2GCUI.php (en anglais) https://thedebrief.org/the-pentagons-new-uap-report-is-seriously-flawed/#sq_hooc4ftc4r
Conférence sur les pans au Parlement européen : https://www.uapcheck.com/wp/news/id/2024-04-25-20-mars-2024-premiere-journee-europeenne-des-uap Chaine Euro Ufo, UAP: Reporting and Scientific Assessment in the European Parliament (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puUeTG8_ctw&ab_channel=EuroUFO)
Yoshiharu Asakawa et groupe d'études des PANs au Japon : https://www.uapcheck.com/news/id/2023-11-11-representative-asakawa-questions-japans-minister-of-defense-on-uaps https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2024/06/06/japan/japan-lawmakers-ufo-probe/
Imminent de Luis Elizondo : Chaine UAP Afrique, Debriefing : 'Imminent' de Lue Elizondo commenté par UAP Afrique, (www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUcyuMYzKTQ&ab_channel=UAPAfrique) Chaine UAP Show, The UAP Show - IMMINENT : la bombe ufologique de Lue Elizondo / Avec Sylvain Matisse (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcIIzrcbEsc&t=6892s&ab_channel=TheUAPShow) (en anglais) https://www.newsnationnow.com/space/ufo/pentagon-official-alien-implant/
Échec de l'amendement sur la transparence UAP : (en anglais) https://www.liberationtimes.com/home/paradigm-changing-ufo-transparency-legislation-fails-in-congress-for-second-consecutive-year
Immaculate Constellation : https://veryexcitingtime.com/episodes/2024/56-immaculate-constellation/
Mensonge des armes de destruction massives en Irak : https://www.bfmtv.com/societe/les-mensonges-qui-ont-change-le-cours-de-l-histoire-les-supposees-armes-de-destruction-massive_AN-202108130001.html
0 notes
amelie1981 · 1 month ago
Text
En Suisse, le métier de webmaster reste dynamique et évolutif, avec de bonnes perspectives, notamment en raison de la croissance continue des PME, du commerce en ligne et de la digitalisation des entreprises. Voici les points clés sur l’évolution et les caractéristiques de ce métier dans le contexte suisse.
1. Perspectives du métier
Le besoin croissant d’une présence en ligne pour les entreprises, même pour les plus petites structures, alimente la demande pour les services de webmasters et de développeurs web. Selon certaines études sur le marché suisse du travail, la digitalisation des PME et des startups reste une priorité, et avec la montée en puissance du SEO, du e-commerce et des technologies comme WordPress ou Joomla, le métier de webmaster continue de se développer. Beaucoup d’entreprises préfèrent externaliser ces services plutôt que de les internaliser, ouvrant des opportunités pour les indépendants.
Tendances :
Augmentation des projets web personnalisés : Les PME cherchent des solutions adaptées à leurs besoins spécifiques, ce qui rend le rôle de webmaster essentiel pour des services sur mesure.
Focus sur le mobile : Avec le trafic mobile en augmentation, les webmasters sont sollicités pour rendre les sites responsives.
Cyber-sécurité : Avec l'augmentation des cyberattaques, les compétences en sécurité web sont un atout majeur pour les webmasters.
2. Le métier est-il plus féminin ou masculin ?
Le domaine du développement web, y compris celui de webmaster, est historiquement dominé par les hommes. En Suisse, les femmes représentent encore une minorité dans les métiers techniques liés à l’informatique. Toutefois, des initiatives telles que Women in Digital Switzerland ou Swiss Tech Women visent à encourager davantage de femmes à rejoindre des secteurs liés au développement web, au design et à la technologie.
Malgré cela, des progrès sont réalisés. De plus en plus de femmes se lancent dans des carrières liées au développement web ou au rôle de webmaster, souvent en tant qu’indépendantes ou entrepreneuses.
Chiffres :
Selon les statistiques du Bureau fédéral de l’égalité entre femmes et hommes, les femmes occupent moins de 20% des emplois dans les TIC en Suisse.
Toutefois, on observe un intérêt croissant des femmes pour les formations en développement web, notamment grâce à des programmes de soutien ciblés.
3. Indépendants dans le métier de webmaster
Le métier de webmaster est particulièrement propice au travail indépendant. Beaucoup de professionnels choisissent le statut d’indépendant pour la flexibilité et la variété des projets, travaillant souvent pour plusieurs clients en parallèle. En Suisse, ce modèle est en expansion, en partie grâce aux plateformes qui facilitent la mise en relation des freelances avec les entreprises (comme Upwork, Fiverr ou Freelancer).
Points à retenir :
Un grand nombre de webmasters indépendants travaillent pour des PME ou des clients privés.
Les indépendants bénéficient d’une plus grande liberté, mais doivent également gérer eux-mêmes les aspects administratifs (comptabilité, fiscalité, assurance).
Le marché du freelance est compétitif, mais la demande reste forte, notamment dans les cantons urbains comme Genève, Lausanne et Zurich, où les entreprises technologiques sont plus nombreuses.
4. Quelques sources pour approfondir :
ICTjournal.ch : Analyse et actualités sur les métiers digitaux et l'évolution du secteur TIC en Suisse.
BFS (Office Fédéral de la Statistique) : Données sur le marché du travail, y compris des informations sur les professions TIC et la répartition hommes-femmes.
Women in Digital Switzerland : Initiative pour promouvoir les femmes dans les métiers digitaux, avec des études sur l’évolution du secteur en Suisse.
En résumé, le métier de webmaster en Suisse offre de belles perspectives, tant pour les salariés que pour les indépendants, mais reste majoritairement masculin, bien que des initiatives encouragent de plus en plus de femmes à s’y intéresser. Le nombre de travailleurs indépendants dans ce domaine est significatif, particulièrement dans les grandes villes où la demande est forte.
0 notes