Link Roundup 8/15/2013

Another day with lots of links . . . think this may be a regular feature!

Technology:

Career:

Media:

Comics:

Events:

Video Games:

– Steve

 

Glad To Sell You The Power: Consumerism Meets Creativity

There’s no doubt we live in a consumer culture in America, and a good part of the Western (and Eastern) world. There’s plenty of things made, plenty to buy, and we do so beyond our basic needs. Obviously, not everyone is happy with this situation, as you can read . . . well anywhere. I myself, always a fan of technology and new things, am not thrilled with waste, passivity, and commodification.

However, at least in some spheres, I’m noticing there’s turns away from standard consumerism. There’s the DIY culture, and its offspring the Makers. There’s focus on simplicity and zero/low waste.

However, I noticed a curious phenomena building over time, one I’d like to discuss for it’s relevance in geeky careers and opportunities; we’re already getting “outbursts” of people wanting more control over what they do and more creative outlets – and people serving their needs by providing ways to do it.

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Game Direction and Blown Minds with Gabe Newell

As I try and analyze where the game industry is going and what it means for your career, Gabe Newell of Valve came down from Asgard to give us his insights on gaming at the DICE summit.  He certainly had a ton of insights to share, and I thought I’d take time to deconstruct what he said.

Fortunately arstechnica has their usual roundup here, so let’s look at the highlights.

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