The Fall semester ended with a bang, and a selection of two games the students will be working on for the next two semesters. After all the buzz around Opera Slinger, they jumped right in, and many of them worked on research for their games over the Christmas break. Now, we're seeing lots of prototyping, storyboards, concept art and design ideas being thrown around, which is always an exciting time as the games take shape.
I've been spending a lot of time over the last month or two working with programming students on their interview skills, mainly by giving mock interviews and sample programming tests. It's always exciting to see how much better they get at interviewing after just a couple sessions of being asked technical questions. Once they get some confidence, their whole demeanor changes and they interview much more successfully.
I'm almost done with the classwork for my PhD program, which I'm doing here at UCF in Modeling and Simulation. This semester, I'm taking a class called Advanced Computer Graphics, which is actually turning out to be a very interesting, rewarding class. We're talking a lot about raytracing, something the professor insists is moving toward realtime applications like games. Last semester, I took a class in neural networks, where I wrote my own neural network for a game and had the game difficulty adjust as the game was played. It was a fun project, and taught me a lot about what's possible when you have a lot of CPU power to dedicate to AI.
I'm looking forward to going across the street to the Magic game tonight - they're hosting the Bucks. They started out hot this year, but have fallen into a bad stretch lately - hopefully my presence there tonight can help then get a much needed win.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Saturday, January 6, 2007
Dangerous January
Happy new year, true believers!
I've spent most of the time since last we spoke back at my parents' place in Key West. I haven't been down to visit them since May, so it was great to spend such a festive time of the year with loved ones that I hadn't seen in so long.
If you'll recall, I was concerned with having something to show for my break: Turns out there was plenty to do in Key West. Chores needed doing around the house that required a special Brendan touch. There were people interested in FIEA who deserved an update on progress -- especially people that had helped me get here. On top of that, it turns out I was supposed to shop for presents to give to people for Christmas. How long has this been going on? Was anyone planning on filling me in? I'd appreciate a memo next time an arbitrary tradition gets institutionalized when I'm not looking.
Visiting with my family was pretty big on the to-do list, and I had a delightful time hanging out with my little brother Oliver, which I haven't really done a whole lot of. I've been away at school for the past five years, so I've missed out on a lot of what Oliver's been doing. It was a real treat to be able to hang out with him, even for a brief time.
The best game I played over the break? An obscure SEGA arcade game called Jambo! Safari. The machine is set up like a racing game, with a seat, a steering wheel, a throttle, and a gas and break pedal, but the game is devoted towards chasing down animals in Africa's Serenghetti and capturing them with an intricate device which throws both lassos and nets, which you control with the throttle. It was an absurd amount of fun.
The rest of my time was largely devoted towards planning for and worrying about my interview. I tried brainstorming a lot of the potential questions that'd get thrown at me, and did my best to cultivate a sense of confidence and self-assurance. I thought I was pretty well prepared. Then I had my practice interview.
The first part of my practice interview was a nightmare on a scale that I haven't previously experienced. The admissions director, James Brewer, and Rick Hall, the production director, were both on the other end of the line, playing the parts of EA Tiburon interviewers (an easy spot to fill, since they've both actually done that.) I picked up the phone and they introduced themselves and Rick said, "So, tell us a little bit about yourself."
My mind went blank. My stomach started doing backflips. I had nothing to say and I was astonished. I was perfectly calm not two seconds ago and now I felt nauseous. While half my brain was trying to reconnect its circuits, the other half was devoting all of its energy trying to figure out why the heck I was so nervous. This was Rick asking to tell him about myself! I don't freeze up like this! I'm Brendan McLeod! I should have this in the bag! Thirty seconds later and they were still waiting for a response. I briefly considered the possibility of faking my own kidnapping. But if this was a real interview, then I wasn't going to be able to ask for a do-over. There's no reason I could expect any different of the practice interview.
So I struggled on and managed to catch some kind of stride and exit half-gracefully, even managing to make fun of my earlier awkwardness. The interview was a lifesaver and gave me a lot of stuff to think about through the next day leading up to the real thing.
The real deal was still pretty intimidating, but I think I did alright with it -- especially compared to the fiasco with James and Rick. Tiburon said they'll make their decision sometime next week, so hopefully soon I'll be able to report in with regards to that.
Until then, make good choices.
I've spent most of the time since last we spoke back at my parents' place in Key West. I haven't been down to visit them since May, so it was great to spend such a festive time of the year with loved ones that I hadn't seen in so long.
If you'll recall, I was concerned with having something to show for my break: Turns out there was plenty to do in Key West. Chores needed doing around the house that required a special Brendan touch. There were people interested in FIEA who deserved an update on progress -- especially people that had helped me get here. On top of that, it turns out I was supposed to shop for presents to give to people for Christmas. How long has this been going on? Was anyone planning on filling me in? I'd appreciate a memo next time an arbitrary tradition gets institutionalized when I'm not looking.
Visiting with my family was pretty big on the to-do list, and I had a delightful time hanging out with my little brother Oliver, which I haven't really done a whole lot of. I've been away at school for the past five years, so I've missed out on a lot of what Oliver's been doing. It was a real treat to be able to hang out with him, even for a brief time.
The best game I played over the break? An obscure SEGA arcade game called Jambo! Safari. The machine is set up like a racing game, with a seat, a steering wheel, a throttle, and a gas and break pedal, but the game is devoted towards chasing down animals in Africa's Serenghetti and capturing them with an intricate device which throws both lassos and nets, which you control with the throttle. It was an absurd amount of fun.
The rest of my time was largely devoted towards planning for and worrying about my interview. I tried brainstorming a lot of the potential questions that'd get thrown at me, and did my best to cultivate a sense of confidence and self-assurance. I thought I was pretty well prepared. Then I had my practice interview.
The first part of my practice interview was a nightmare on a scale that I haven't previously experienced. The admissions director, James Brewer, and Rick Hall, the production director, were both on the other end of the line, playing the parts of EA Tiburon interviewers (an easy spot to fill, since they've both actually done that.) I picked up the phone and they introduced themselves and Rick said, "So, tell us a little bit about yourself."
My mind went blank. My stomach started doing backflips. I had nothing to say and I was astonished. I was perfectly calm not two seconds ago and now I felt nauseous. While half my brain was trying to reconnect its circuits, the other half was devoting all of its energy trying to figure out why the heck I was so nervous. This was Rick asking to tell him about myself! I don't freeze up like this! I'm Brendan McLeod! I should have this in the bag! Thirty seconds later and they were still waiting for a response. I briefly considered the possibility of faking my own kidnapping. But if this was a real interview, then I wasn't going to be able to ask for a do-over. There's no reason I could expect any different of the practice interview.
So I struggled on and managed to catch some kind of stride and exit half-gracefully, even managing to make fun of my earlier awkwardness. The interview was a lifesaver and gave me a lot of stuff to think about through the next day leading up to the real thing.
The real deal was still pretty intimidating, but I think I did alright with it -- especially compared to the fiasco with James and Rick. Tiburon said they'll make their decision sometime next week, so hopefully soon I'll be able to report in with regards to that.
Until then, make good choices.
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