tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71831357402632384752024-02-19T21:48:01.362-05:00Rogue TendenciesRogue Tendencies is Jeremy Buehler's blog, and hosts a myriad of thoughts and viewpoints pertaining to technology, the Web, Web culture and how society adapts to virtual reality.Jeremy Buehlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18309315176210095602noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7183135740263238475.post-49737736360904376912010-09-17T16:20:00.001-04:002010-09-18T03:57:52.082-04:00Ursine Essentials Tomorrow I start my vacation in the wilds of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and it’s times like these that I think about one of my heroes, Lyle Simpson.
Simpson was attacked by a grizzly bear in April, 2005, while at a Bible retreat in Alberta, and lived to tell about it. While there are no grizzlies in Halifax, there are plenty of black bears, and if I run across one I hope I do as well as Simpson.
Jeremy Buehlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18309315176210095602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7183135740263238475.post-30881860473954166022010-05-19T10:08:00.000-04:002010-05-19T10:08:48.662-04:00On Privacy and the Google WiFi ScandalYou've probably heard about it: Google's Street View cars that drive around taking pictures for the service also logged open WiFi networks and occasionally nabbed unencrypted network data.
While the logging of open WiFi networks was intentional, the nabbing of unencrypted data was, apparently, not. Google claims to have since deleted the unencrypted data from its stores, and has deployed a fix Jeremy Buehlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18309315176210095602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7183135740263238475.post-43170765624860467882010-05-04T06:43:00.002-04:002010-05-04T06:48:17.280-04:00The Ethics of Social Game DesignI've been spending a lot of time lately thinking about how to make a social game fun, viral, non-predatory and liability-free. Here are a few of the things that got me headed down this path:
First was this article about Farmville. In it the author (A. J. Patrick Liszkiewicz) talks about why 73 million people play Farmville (An outdated statistic - today Farmville has 80 million monthly active Jeremy Buehlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18309315176210095602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7183135740263238475.post-8619696535389258792010-05-03T06:40:00.000-04:002010-05-03T06:40:00.876-04:00Weekend Comic - Groundhog Day© Jeremy Buehler and Rogue Tendencies (www.roguetendencies.com) 2010.Jeremy Buehlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18309315176210095602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7183135740263238475.post-69246338296648172842010-04-19T03:07:00.000-04:002010-04-19T03:07:24.275-04:00Weekend Comic - Modern Warfare© Jeremy Buehler and Rogue Tendencies (www.roguetendencies.com) 2010.Jeremy Buehlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18309315176210095602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7183135740263238475.post-7865859143915177222010-04-16T05:22:00.000-04:002010-04-16T05:22:59.956-04:00Pickstr Goes AlphaWhat a week!
One of my many side projects, Pickstr, went to public alpha this week, and my days and a lot of my nights have been filled with chatting with alpha testers and integrating their feedback. It's good to reach this point in development.
If you haven't been to the site or are too lazy to click the link and check it out, Pickstr is a web-based game. In it, players select the outcome of Jeremy Buehlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18309315176210095602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7183135740263238475.post-12653009507186016362010-04-08T15:40:00.002-04:002010-04-08T15:46:13.957-04:00iPhone OS4 Means New Opportunities for Game DevelopersAfter watching the iPhone OS 4 media event live blog coverage I realized the definition of what goes into a gaming platform is becoming fairly standardized for this generation of technology.
As I've written before from a slightly different perspective, developers and designers need to develop for platforms that are going to be profitable and technologically viable.
Here's what Apple is making Jeremy Buehlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18309315176210095602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7183135740263238475.post-52067432082528350352010-04-07T16:31:00.004-04:002010-04-07T16:57:41.467-04:00The Internet of Things Will Improve Augmented Reality GamesAfter reading this article about big network players talking-up the 'Internet of Things' I got thinking about how awesome it could be when more everyday things get connected to the internet. In some ways, the more mundane, the greater the potential... not just for the thing itself, but for how all other things interact with it.
Here's an example to clarify what I mean:
The newspaper box. They Jeremy Buehlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18309315176210095602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7183135740263238475.post-5175880146165211072010-04-06T10:33:00.001-04:002010-04-06T11:05:29.693-04:00Will Technology Deliver Ghost in the Shell?I recently saw a story about some university students who made a glove mouse much like the one Tom Cruise uses in Minority Report. I am a big fan of real life technology catching up with the super-fantastic technology of science fiction. And the glove got me thinking about what science fiction most accurately reflects where I think technology is headed today.
I came up with Ghost in the Shell. Jeremy Buehlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18309315176210095602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7183135740263238475.post-76803622691189914042010-04-05T07:51:00.000-04:002010-04-05T07:51:37.831-04:00Weekend Comic - Easter Twitter© Jeremy Buehler and Rogue Tendencies (www.roguetendencies.com) 2010.Jeremy Buehlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18309315176210095602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7183135740263238475.post-89847089074745028632010-04-02T12:02:00.001-04:002010-04-02T12:02:55.379-04:00Happy EasterToday I offer nothing more than my hope that you also have a three day weekend and beautiful spring weather to go with it.
Enjoy, and remember to take time to enjoy the simple things.
© Jeremy Buehler and Rogue Tendencies (www.roguetendencies.com) 2010.Jeremy Buehlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18309315176210095602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7183135740263238475.post-21718570613006782382010-04-01T14:04:00.002-04:002010-04-02T12:38:42.791-04:00Barriers to Digital Product Sales Encourage PiracyI've mentioned before via Twitter that the world would be a better place if it was as easy to buy digital goods as it is to steal them.
There are options that are close; the Apple iTunes store, Amazon and its Kindle, Netflix, Steam, etc. But each of them pale in comparison to going to a bittorrent site, finding and downloading the same product.
Each 'official' delivery mechanism brings with itJeremy Buehlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18309315176210095602noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7183135740263238475.post-9695136368473258662010-03-31T22:54:00.000-04:002010-03-31T22:54:37.844-04:00Why Iterative Development is AwesomeI wanted to call this post "Knowing When to Not Listen To Anyone" but I thought it was too negative so I went with "Why Iterative Development is Awesome". Iterative development is the process of developing an application in a somewhat flexible manner.
By flexible, I mean it creates opportunities in the development process for new ideas to alter the final form of a product. Anyone who's built a Jeremy Buehlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18309315176210095602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7183135740263238475.post-41434459211402191492010-03-30T07:24:00.004-04:002010-03-30T07:29:17.329-04:00Facebook Changing Fans to LikesCaught this article that talks about how Facebook will soon be phasing out 'Fan' and replacing the concept with 'Like' in most cases. Apparently the goal is to increase engagement with brands on the platform.
I find it to be an interesting change because of the nuances of meaning.
'Fan'
noun – an enthusiastic devotee, follower, or admirer of a sport, pastime, celebrity, etc.: a baseball Jeremy Buehlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18309315176210095602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7183135740263238475.post-47027293146982013602010-03-29T09:51:00.000-04:002010-03-29T09:51:13.218-04:00Five Desirable Traits in a Community ManagerLooking back at my time as a community manager got me thinking about how not everyone is cut out for the job. That's not self-flattery; I feel some people's personalities would have trouble adjusting to the highly social and sometimes volatile nature of it. That got me thinking about what personality traits I see are important for a good community manager:
Detail Oriented. One of the hazards of Jeremy Buehlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18309315176210095602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7183135740263238475.post-28183626403026151842010-03-28T23:46:00.000-04:002010-03-28T23:46:31.930-04:00Weekend Comic - The Idea© Jeremy Buehler and Rogue Tendencies (www.roguetendencies.com) 2010.Jeremy Buehlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18309315176210095602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7183135740263238475.post-72818340451979452462010-03-26T22:46:00.000-04:002010-03-26T22:46:48.990-04:00Friday Inspiration: My Favorite QuoteI thought since it's Friday I'd leave everyone with an uplifting quote that always manages to help me through the day, even when times are tough:
"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.Jeremy Buehlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18309315176210095602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7183135740263238475.post-7203018426642791472010-03-25T20:40:00.001-04:002010-03-25T20:40:31.231-04:00Social Marketing is Not a BubbleI recently heard a comment that social marketing is a bubble. The term implies that sooner or later everyone will conclude social marketing is significantly over-valued, and soon after there will be a social marketing 'crash' with far reaching effects.
I don't buy it. But the idea is worth thinking through, if only to validate (again) that any social marketing endeavor undertaken in an Jeremy Buehlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18309315176210095602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7183135740263238475.post-66879219288092884162010-03-24T18:28:00.000-04:002010-03-24T18:28:44.141-04:00Five Considerations for Choosing a Social Games PlatformSocial game developers are faced with a number of platforms to choose from on which to build their products. But what platform should they choose? The greedy answer is 'all of them'. The larger exposure your application has to various audiences on various platforms, the larger the opportunity for revenue in the long run.
That logic, however, has some large obstacles associated with it. Jeremy Buehlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18309315176210095602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7183135740263238475.post-12811354377654757692010-03-23T13:09:00.001-04:002010-03-23T13:10:29.541-04:00Feel Good Technology StoriesI like reading feel-good technology stories. They bring out the best of the geek in me. Here are three of my favorites from the last 48 hours:
Efficient Desalinization. MIT scientists developed a desalinization chip that could one day provide clean drinking water to remote villages with only a solar power source to drive them. Read the story at PopSci.
Privatized Space Flight for the Rest of UsJeremy Buehlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18309315176210095602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7183135740263238475.post-65236583413063527742010-03-22T16:55:00.000-04:002010-03-22T16:55:58.526-04:00Five Social Marketing Budget Hot SpotsI cringe whenever I hear someone new to social marketing say they are eager to pursue it because it is 'cheap'. The five hot spots listed here should make any check-signer pause, because failure to contemplate their associated costs will result in a low return on any investment made.
Staff. The nature of social marketing implies highly sophisticated two-way communication between businesses and Jeremy Buehlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18309315176210095602noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7183135740263238475.post-14771770255172630872010-03-21T20:17:00.000-04:002010-03-21T20:17:31.994-04:00Weekend Comic - The Chatwalker© Jeremy Buehler and Rogue Tendencies (www.roguetendencies.com) 2010.Jeremy Buehlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18309315176210095602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7183135740263238475.post-31103673404031743742010-03-19T11:47:00.003-04:002010-03-19T12:02:37.002-04:00Monetizing Social GamesAll social game designers face the challenge of monetizing their games. The problem they face is this: Providing premium entertainment does not by itself guarantee revenue, especially in a world where customers are reluctant to pay large sums of money for a product, and a precedence for free product exists.
This is especially true of iPhone development, with its vibrant Apple App store and Jeremy Buehlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18309315176210095602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7183135740263238475.post-75682225642151257212010-03-18T10:00:00.002-04:002010-03-18T16:24:30.611-04:00The Social Web - Is it a Big Bang Deal?Sometimes working in an industry magnifies the industry's importance. This doubly applies to anything digital, like the social Web. Sometimes it's easy to forget that a very short while ago the electronic technology we take for granted today didn't exist. Can't live without the social Web? Pfft! Back in the day, if we wanted to be social with someone we had to walk up hill both ways, in the snow,Jeremy Buehlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18309315176210095602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7183135740263238475.post-87913576384936479202010-03-17T10:24:00.002-04:002010-03-17T18:03:58.495-04:00Good News From the Digital Ad WorldThere were a couple of interesting stories recently in the world of digital advertising that should be of interest to Web and mobile game developers who build ad-supported games.
The first is this Reuters article covering a comment made by Google Engineering Vice President Vic Gundotra about mobile advertising:
"'We hope and believe that there's even a chance that we could exceed desktop in theJeremy Buehlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18309315176210095602noreply@blogger.com0