WebExpo - Potenciál online virtuálních světů (MMORPG)

• games
• mind
• writing
• technology
• education

WebExpo byla povedená událost - organizačně bez problémů, spousta lidí, a zajímavých přednášek bylo taky dost.

V neděli jsem taky přispěl svou troškou, s povídáním na téma, které vidíte v nadpisu. Sice mi přišlo, že to je duchem dost někde jinde, než zbytek konference, ale prezentování je potřeba trénovat, tak proč ne.

Dost jsem se toho děsil, musím přiznat, že prezentovat sám na jednolité téma 40 minut se mi ještě nepoštěstilo, ale pak jsem to stejně přetáhl asi na hodinu, a čtvrtinu jsem musel vynechat, protože holt nemám odhad. Nakonec to snad nebyla úplná katastrofa, i když perfektní výkon bych si taky ještě představoval jinak :)

Po přednášce jeden z posluchačů přišel, a ptal se, jestli jsem studoval psychologii. Trochu překvapeně jsem odpověděl, že ne, že se jenom zajímam o široké spektrum věcí. Se zvláštním, řekl bych vážně až očarovaným výrazem mi pak řekl, že to úplně změnilo jeho náhled na počítačové hry, a že jako fakt dobrý. A jelikož to bylo to, co jsem doufal v posluchačích vyvolat, tak se snad aspoň trochu podařilo.

Časem možná bude video, prozatím jenom zpracovaná osnova s odkazy, které jsem zmiňoval. Ještě možná přibude pár odkazů.

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The "Information Artifact" Game - Bios 2007

• mind
• stories
• writing

This year's Bios party wasn't (at least from the viewpoint of our psychedelic decorations crew Vytvarny Krouzek Ctverecek) as hectic and full of work as previous years, and so I used the time to prepare a slightly different kind of project.

The party was in the middle of beautiful woods, but most people tend to spend the whole day around the camp, drinking beer and socializing. Not that there's something bad about it, I just thought they could like a change. So I prepared a game, a "treasure hunt", like those played in summer camps for kids. The goal was to introduce a story, which would engage people a bit and give them a challenge, and take them for a walk. I also wanted the story to help with a proper set & setting for the night, so it's in my favorite "psy-fi" (psychedelic fiction :) style.

Only a fragment of people went for the walk - I knew about 6 groups, but perhaps a few more went too. But this was expected, and I was curious whether someone would like the idea at all. The reactions were "OK" to "very good", just one team complained that the "walk" was actually quite long (about 2 hours) and not trivial - however, that was the point, and it seems that I managed to strike the balance quite well - it wasn't too easy, but it wasn't hard either. Most of the game was about following colored-paper marks, and I was pleased when I was told that it was quite possible to use intuition to find the next mark.

The story itself was composed of two parts. First, there were messages and comments left by someone, who went ahead of the players. The second part was information, leaking from the "Information Artifact", which advanced the story itself.

First comment was available in the camp, together with the key to first cypher, which was placed on a rock above the camp valley and contained first part of the actual story.

Those are the messages as you would meet them on the way. By the way, if anyone has photos from the game, please let me know.

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Internet Marketing Resources For Musicians And Labels (Draft)

• writing
• technology

This post is meant to provide a collection of resources and concepts and basic ideas about how the Internet can be used in music marketing. It is meant for musicians, producers, DJs and labels, hopefully without too many genre-specific things. However, the general ideas about Internet marketing mentioned and linked to in this article may be useful to people in other fields besides music too. Currently, it's a draft, so if you encounter errors, or if you think we should expand on some sections, if you have any questions, or ideas, tips, links etc. which we didn't mention, please tell us, or feel free to leave you're note in the comments. If some of the points aren't anything new for you, good - because there still seems to be a lot of artists and labels big and small, for whom most of this will be new. You don't have to care about the bleeding edge of IT to be able to make use of the excellent (and often free) marketing opportunities of the Internet. However, this post is just for you if you do understand that there is a lot of potential in the Internet, but you could use some help finding out some inspiration and also practical tips about what can be done and how. We'll offer you some general concepts of marketing on the Internet, and we'll talk about how to make yourself present at the places where people could be looking for you and how to make the most of them. Read on...

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Evaluation of 'Influence of Web 2.0 on Business'

• writing
• posts

The evaluation of my Senior Project (Influence of Web 2.0 on Business) has arrived some time ago, and although I've received a C+, the evaluation mentions its because of finishing half a year after the deadline. On the other hand, I believe it was worth it -the paper may not be perfect, but the reviewer obviously liked it :)

Mr. Matysek chose to do his final paper on “The Influence of the Internet on the Business Community”. His topic examined how the Internet has changed the landscape of business and what current trends seem to be indicated for the future. A major focus of the paper discussed how the Internet has grown in its use as a marketing tool and the future growth expected in this area. The sources in support of his topic were gathered from current literature and the internet and were documented appropriately throughout her presentation. He included several supportive grafts and charts which nicely depicted certain elements of the presentation. The final presentation reflected a carefully written presentation that was not only informative but also well organized and developed. He gave good examples and illustrations, describing the history of current practices and what circumstances exist today that have brought about the proposed changes. Overall, he provided a good objective analysis the strength and potential of the internet and its influence on the business community. The major deterrent was the lateness in which it was submitted.

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Rules of modern psytrance

• writing

This text has been materializing for quite some time, and today it finally took on a solid form. Alternatively, it can be found in my last.fm journal. So what are the rules of modern psytrance?

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