March 03, 2003 -
Meet a Rising Star in Game Design
- By Elisa Batista, WiredNews,
After four years studying chemistry and
pre-medicine, Fraz Akhtar found himself
with nowhere to go. That was six years
ago, shortly after Akhtar graduated from
Southeast Missouri State University. It
was a time of uncertainty for Akhtar: He
didn't want to remain at the power plant
yet longed to build a life of his own.
So he applied and got into the PhD
chemistry program at Southern Illinois
University. However, he ended up
scrapping those plans when one of his
brothers -- a 37-year-old computer
programmer -- encouraged him to apply to
DigiPen Institute of Technology -- a
four-year college in Bellevue,
Washington dedicated solely to the study
and development of video games. After
witnessing Akhtar spend 3 to 4 hours a
day after work playing video games, his
brother was convinced he would not be
happy as a chemist...
March 03, 2003 -
Face the Music: CDs Stink -
StorageSupersite, By David Morgenstern,
Now that the floppy drive is on the
way out, Storage Supersite Editor David
Morgenstern hopes CD storage will soon
follow suit. The old saw tells us that
the more things change, the more they
stay the same. Recently, we've seen one
moldy technology—the floppy
drive—finally begin to head out the
door, still to the dismay of many. Now
in the CD and DVD formats we can see the
same market dynamic that kept the floppy
firmly entrenched in our systems long
after retirement time...
March 29, 2003 -
Tables Top Typical Bar Diversions
- By Steve Friess, WiredNews, LAS
VEGAS -- At MGM Grand's Tabu nightclub
there's a lot more than Bruce Willis
dancing on the table tops. The club --
where the action flick star has been
spotted -- is test-driving a
revolutionary technology in which images
displayed on table tops change in
reaction to motion that occurs above
them. Wave a hand above a
black-and-white image of a woman's
pursed lips on the table top and the
area below your hand turns to color.
Other tables appear littered with dozens
of paper clips that scatter to other
parts of the surface when an object
passes over them. Yet another table is
decorated with a fairly plain motif,
until an item -- say, a drink -- is
placed on it. At that, a Lord of the
Rings-style circle of fire surrounds the
object...
March 05, 2003 -
Kicking back as a career - Life of tester not all fun, but it
is all games, Carrie Kirby, Chronicle Staff Writer, Wednesday, As a
lead game tester for San Rafael's LucasArts Entertainment Co., Alamano
acknowledges that he works in a kick-back atmosphere, and he likes his
$40,000- a-year salary...
TOP
