Most Science Games Suck
January 29th, 2008 Filed Under games, science
In my quest to create fun games that actually teach some science, I’ve been researching existing science games, and I’ve definitely learned something: most science games suck. Even the ones that aren’t Trivia or Bingo or Bingo Trivia are pretty bad.
For instance, check out Acideroids, which wants to teach you the structures of the biological amino acids. The concept just doesn’t fit: take an established game, remove all the fun aspects, and slap some science terms on it. In this case, if you don’t know already know what you’re supposed to learn, good luck either learning it or having any fun. It’s more of a test which the teacher won’t accept for a grade.
As a counterexample, It’s Just a Phase (click “Play Online”, then go to the Space Center and choose the game–too bad each individual game can’t be linked to directly) is actually kinda cool: a character has taken outdoor pictures and wants to figure out what day of the month and time of the day they were taken. It’s a little tedious and not very game-y, but I fiddled with it for 10 minutes and actually learned something. The other 5 games in the collection, however, are just some clickety schtick with better graphics.
Stumble it!Project: Nuclear Paddle
January 23rd, 2008 Filed Under activeprojects, games, ideas, science
This is a skeleton design for an action science game in Flash, which teaches the atomic particles and elements of the periodic table, and implements basic concepts of nuclear interactions and decay.
Foster’s Kiss Tattoo
January 18th, 2008 Filed Under ideas, saulism
I’m thinking about getting a tattoo of Foster’s Kiss over my heart, in recognition of my reception into the inner circle of self-religion. I’m saved–from antiquated dogma and superstitious intolerance. Thou art god. I am god!
“Did you know that all Fosterites are tattooed? Real Church members, I mean, the ones who are eternally saved forever and a day–like me? Oh, I don’t mean tattooed all over but–see that? Right over my heart? That’s Foster’s holy kiss. George worked it in so that it looks like part of the picture…so that nobody could guess. But it’s his kiss–and Foster put it there hisself!” She looked ecstatically proud.
They examined it. “It is a kiss mark,” Jill said wonderingly, “like somebody had kissed you there wearing lipstick. I thought it was part of the sunset.”
“Yes, indeedy, that’s how George fixed it. Because you don’t show Foster’s kiss to anyone who doesn’t wear Foster’s kiss–and I never have, up to now. But,” she insisted, “you’re going to wear one, both of you, someday–and when you do, I want to tattoo ‘em on.”
Jill said, “I don’t understand, Patty. How can he kiss us? After all, he’s–up in Heaven.”
“Yes, dearie, he is. Let me explain. Any priest or priestess can give you Foster’s kiss. It means God’s in your heart, God is part of you…forever.”
Mike was suddenly intent. “Thou art God!”
“Huh, Michael? Well–I’ve never heard it put that way. But that does express it…God is in you and of you and with you, and the Devil can’t get at you.”
“Yes,” agreed Mike. “You grok God.”
– Robert Heinlein, Stranger in a Strange Land
Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein
January 11th, 2008 Filed Under books
I’m inspired to get a new tattoo: a “Foster’s Kiss” over my heart.
A Holiday Miracle
January 6th, 2008 Filed Under happening
My friend’s sister almost died from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning over the holidays. She got home one night, thought maybe the battery in her other car was dead, so she turned it on and let it run in the downstairs garage while she put something in the microwave–and that’s the last thing she remembers until 9am the next morning, when she woke up on the floor, paralyzed and barely able to hear herself scream. She eventually regained control of her arms, and crawled around looking for her cat, which she found in the upstairs bedroom closet, dead and hard as a rock.
She eventually went to the E/R (why she didn’t call 9-1-1 immediately is anyone’s guess), where the doctor said she had no business being alive. They couldn’t figure it out, until she told him she had climbed Mount Kilimanjaro a month ago. They figure she only survived because she had recently been in an oxygen-deprived environment, and the idling car was low enough on fuel that it ran out of gas sometime during the night.
