Here is my Photoshop Logo:

It’s an electro-kitty, the image has a lot of contrast so it should engrave well.

Next is my illustrator logo:

I’d want to engrave this somewhere like on my calculator because a piece of info like this is always useful.

I think the true measure of success is in the product someone is able to produce, I have always told myself that you can estimate your success by saying that your product will be the product of both your knowledge and your effort that you put into something. What I mean by this is that someone with more skill in a certain area will be able to produce something of equal quality to something someone less skilled made in more time. Likewise, no matter how skilled you are (or not), you can continue to put in the effort until you have learned from your experiences, and you will eventually have a product equal to something a very naturally skilled person could have made. What’s important to my ‘equation’ is that neither skill nor effort can be zero, you can’t put no effort into something and expect something in return, similarly, you can’t overestimate your skills and skip to the dreaming phase, we all work up from zero.

To better my chances of success, I think something I really need to learn is time management and motivation. Firstly, I definitely have a problem with managing my time, I always put the things I enjoy first, and that sometimes gets in the way of my other tasks. Luckily, most of the things I plan to do for the rest of my life are what I find enjoyable, and I think motivation will not be a problem for me in those fields. Where motivation is a problem for me is in things I am not so fond of, particularly repetitive work that requires no logical thinking, or work that has no definite goal (how else can I say art?). I know that if I think more open-minded I could find joy in everything, so it is something I acknowledge I should work on. As for time management, I would call myself pretty efficient at getting work done at the last minute without compromising on quality, but I know I could do so much more if I always worked at that rate.

I have experienced my share of “you can’t do that” comments, but I actually appreciate them a lot, if someone took the time to tell me what I can’t do, I will gladly prove them wrong; I think criticism is a much stronger drive than support because telling someone they are doing great puts a ceiling on their thoughts, it tells them they should take a break and walk because they have already run so far. The quote I will always live by relates to this thinking: “As our circle of knowledge expands, so does the circumference of darkness surrounding it.” – A. Einstein

Here is the arcade machine I propose:

When picking a design for the 50″ arcade cabinet, I thought that starting with a normal ‘modern’ arcade machine form-factor (one with a thinner body to accommodate a larger screen) would be a good start.

For the aesthetics, I thought going with classic SNES and Atari games for the side decals would look nice, and bring a nostalgic look.

Because I think using a 4k HDR tv for just Atari games would be a bit of a waste, I think the best option would be using a gaming PC as the host for all games. A PC is especially nice because along with modern titles, you can emulate practically any system ever made, and to make it even better, a PC’s excessive amount of processing power allows for upscaling of games made for a lower native resolution.

Here’s an example of a PlayStation 2 game I upscaled to 1440p from 480p (not bad coming from a CRT!):

For controls, I thought it would be a nice touch to incorporate the classic feel of ‘real’ joysticks and buttons, which can be connected to a microcontroller that talks to the PC. In terms of storage and security, there are cabinet doors on the front of the machine for external remote and PC access. The body of the console will be built around the TV, so there would be no non-destructive way to remove the TV without access to the mounting device from within the cabinet, deterring any theft. Finally, for safety, the arcade machine will feature an internal power bar, so only one cable will go to an outlet (yes, one outlet is more than enough power to dedicate to a PC and a TV), to reduce tripping hazards. I think a simple solution to the cabinet tipping would be to all some L-shaped mounts on the back, where the cabinet could be bolted or weighed down, tipping horizontally is very unlikely due to the width of the machine.

Overall, I think this would be an interesting project and a good blend of classic and modern gaming technology.

During quarantine, we’ve all certainly reached the peak of boredom, so some of us have found joy in playing games, whether it be alone or with friends. Instead of a normal card or board game, my friends and I have made what I think is an interesting game to explore the outdoors from within our homes.

As I certainly missed exploring the outdoors, I wanted a way to adventure the world from my computer, and it turns out Google Earth was the perfect solution. The desktop version of Google Earth, Google Earth Pro, allows for a fullscreen bird’s eye view of any building, and it’s even in 3D! It’s truly amazing how much of the world has been mapped and saved on computers, and it’s almost uncanny walking around a virtual copy of Port Coquitlam.

Below is a screenshot from Google Earth:

This brings us to the game my friends and I played, virtual, extreme I-Spy…

The rules are simple, one person sends another a screenshot from Google Earth, and the other tries to find the exact location, utilizing any hints they are given. Of course, you could add elements such as points and a time limit to your liking. The way my friends and I played was by finding a picture online and racing to see who could find it first, this allows for both players to be playing at the same time.

For the sake of standardization, here are some rules for the version of the game with turns…

1. The Chooser finds an image of a place and gives the Finder one hint about it’s location
2. The Finder is able to ask one question per minute (for a total of 3 questions) regarding the place, however, questions that narrow the possible location to a finer point, such as “what street is this on?” are not allowed.
3. The Finder has 3 minutes to find the location and upon finding it, is given 2 points, plus an additional point for any unused hints (no points are lost for an incorrect or missing guess).
4. These steps are repeated for the next player, where the Finder then becomes the Chooser.
5. The first player to pass or hit 20 points wins, however in the event of a tie on 20, the game will continue until one player passes the rest by more than 3 points after everyone has had an equal amount of turns (so one person must have made a perfect guess, while the others didn’t in order to win on the next round).

I think the best part of this game is the fact that if you ever find a place you’d like to visit, you can put a pin down and navigate there when quarantine is finally over. Overall, I think this is an interesting game that we have made, and an excellent way to enjoy BC’s beauty safely.