Somewhat embarrasingly, when I tried out the tent & sleeping bag on Friday night, I managed an hour or so and felt a bit odd, so came in to a nice warm bed. Mmm, perhaps sleeping outside is not so easy after all.. :$
I should say that I cycled around Brittany with a school friend when I was 19, and for 2 weeks that was rather pleasant – perhaps it was because it was during the Summer…
Anyway, I’ve learned that
a pillow would be a terrific idea
bed roll was rather good
sleeping bag was warm enough (fingers crossed)
it could be quite a tough gig to sleep out, especially if the weather isn’t kind :-s
I’m not all that good at putting up tents :$
I’ve also found my own survival / bivvy bag and also a sleeping bag liner.
I think I’m beginning to get my head around it all – but it helps having the pledges so far, and also means I can hardly back out.
Hello folks, I’m thrilled to be able to say that (at the time of writing) I’ve nearly reached 2/3rds of my initial fund-raising target of £500. I’ve also got some cheques coming in, so the fund-raising continues! :-D
I’m really happy about this, but am keen to collect as much money as possible.
[The widget on the right is powered by the JustGiving website, so the total will hopefully have gone up.]
My Brother has offered to double his donation if I shave my beard off, but I’m not altogether sure for how long!
So, if you can think of other ideas as to how I can raise some more wonga – please leave a comment.
I’m including some more background information:
Things I think I’ll need
The second part of a previous Byte Night video diary from Reading
The flyer to accompany the Newcastle event, to give you an idea of what’s it all about.
Packing List
I like lists, so this one is my aide memoire starter-for-ten:
I thought I should write up my thoughts re my recent attendence at GameHorizon:
It seems pretty clear that the Computer Games industry is a major success story
Apparently making more money than film & music [although all I can find on Google are rather dodgy get-rich-quick schemes which refer to this…!]
What I *did* find was a report from back-end of 2008, quoted here and here, saying “Verdict research predicts gaming will become the UK’s premier leisure activity before 2009”
But it seems to be in ‘stealth mode’ in terms of profile
There have been various controversies about computer games – which are set out in this section from Wikipedia
Reminds me of my MBA paper on Microsoft & Public Affairs paper [which I should publish]
The nub of this was that Bill didn’t take politics seriously until he found his competitors were using their political connections as a business strategy
Also is on the cusp of convergence of various positive technological trends
3D & virtual worlds
Serious Games
Favourite sessions
‘Sneaking in the Back Door to become an AAA Multiplatform Studio‘ Sponsored by Game Republic – Paul Wedgwood, CEO and Game Director, Splash Damage Ltd.
‘Separating Fact from Fiction: the Future of Digital Distribution’ – Roger Walkden, CEO, AWOMO
‘Development Opportunities in PlayStation Home’ Peter Edward, Director, PlayStation Home Platform Group
Panel Discussion: ‘Game Exposure – The naked truth about marketing your self published IP’ Sponsored in partnership by BAFTA and Northern Film + Media.
[that’s enough – Ed.]
Pretty reasonable games industry in the UK, also in Europe
Cutting edge stuff going, which I have highlighted in my list of favourite sessions
What struck me was the the Social Media / online component that many companies are only now discovering seems to be standard operating procedure for the games industry – as Paul Farley (Managing Director, Tag Games) explained.
I met some good people & am following up various business opportunities. This was an eye-opener for me, and I expect to see the Games industry as part of a major convergence of computing trends in the home.
Live bloggging info
If you would like to read my live blogging notes from the conference, please see this summary page.
Virtual worlds could be recession-proof because the economy won’t change the fundamental desire users have to evolve their identities and express themselves creatively. Virtual worlds allow this in ways never before possible. Some claim that virtual worlds are in a recession, based on low currency spending and falling hours spent.
With all the stuff we weed through online, good filters are crucial. Who’s best-suited to determine what’s best, curators or the crowd? People have their religion about one or the other, however this panel will focus on the overlap, the grey areas and how curating and crowd-sourcing enrich each other.
And so much more [sounds like a 1980’s advert – Ed.]
I’ve also been investigating some pro bono work to assist some non-profit organisations and generate some happy customers — and thereby reference material!
STOP PRESS: Over the weekend I have contributed to a bid — my part being how the solution might involve online collaboration. The wheels begin to turn! :-)
