Author Archive
Kung fu & Cowboys: Facts and Fun
In Hung Kuen kung fu schools we often talk about the full range of martial training: spiritual, moral and physical. But what do we mean by these things? Do they exist as we seem to describe them?
Products that promote themselves
[Originally featured on Gamasutra.] What to do when you’re a start-up that has dedicated everything to product development and yet need to do marketing? Make the products promote themselves! Kuboo.com faced a difficult problem: the mainstay
Damo: Conspiracy of Ignorance
Damo: Conspiracy of Ignorance, by Chris Toepker Many martial artists will have heard the story of Bodhidharma or Damo. In the story, this Indian monk arrived in China, eventually making his way to Shaolin temple on Mt.
The Riddle of Southern Shaolin
I translated “The Riddle of Southern Shaolin,” by Wen Yu Chen, many years ago. Recently the subject came up again, as it inevitably does. Since the article seems to have been taken down elsewhere, I thought it
Report: Air pollution, it’s so simple. Isn’t it?
All too often, visitors to Beijing fret and cluck their tongues at the air p0llution. While it certainly is awful, clearing the air is certainly no simple matter. This year, the most encouraging aspect of the whole
Post Mortem: DNF (a.k.a. DFO) needs a Style Guide
When making any creative product, we all know it’s super important to have a style guide. Clearly, you cannot unleash your pack of creative types without the North Star of a guide to direct them. Even
Mirror, Mirror: How did I not know?!
Come poke fun at me as I stumble through the new year holidays, caught on the word “give.” I mean, can they “give” you days off, when you then have to return them the following weekend? Oh,
Note from the homeland – Trolling all America
I recently got a note from home – a letter to the editor in a small town in Michigan. I’m not usually so easily trolled, but I feel this warranted a response. Ultimately the guy asks “what
Criteria first, judgment second
Any review should always hold forth a set of criteria before weighing in. Otherwise, how can anyone know what the preferences or even prejudices of the reviewer are? For the record, here are (most of) mine: Strategy
Reflection: “End War” (from Ubisoft)
End War, from Ubisoft Shanghai, stands out for me as an excellent example of strategic and tactical game play and appropriate technology. Sadly, it has always seemed to me to get short shrift in reviews and consideration.