HTML5 Canvas + Web Cam + Chrome = HTML5 Video Puzzle Of You! (Demo)
We are finishing up an update to our HTML5 Canvas book, and I wanted to share one of new examples. This one takes the Video Puzzle app from the first edition of the book, and adds web cam support. It only works in Chrome right now. You also need a working web cam. Also, you might have to start the web cam before the browser will see it. To play the "game", click the pieces to swap their positions. Make yourself whole again!
Check it out by clicking the image below:
Enthusiasts Plan Kickstarter Campaign To Buy Atari Assets And Run It Like It’s 1977 All Over Again
The current company that holds the Atari brand and assets is filing for bankruptcy and planning to sell everything to the highest bidder That fact is not as much news as an update to the "when will Atari go bankrupt again" section of the Atari entry on Wikipedia. What *is* news is the fact that we now live in the D.I.Y., crowd funded, Kickstarter era that allows for "crazy ideas that just might work". In the case of Atari, it's the loyal fans who have spun up an idea that is simply too good to fail, but probably will anyway:
The fans want to buy Atari.
Over at AtariAge.com, the preeminent spot on the interwebs for Atari enthusiasts, an idea was sprung today to take back Atari for the fans. The effort is being spearheaded by Curt Vendel (recent co-author of Atari Inc.: Business Is Fun). The idea is to buy Atari' assets when they go up for auction, then start a new company then embraces fan efforts and the true history and legacy of the company.
Even though the idea seems outlandish, what if it came to be? What if every dollar you contributed to a Kickstarter.com campaign turned into a share of stock in a video game company? I'm not sure the SEC would let it fly just yet, but that's a matter for others to figure out.
For now, my thoughts (and my $20 or so) are behind owning a piece of video game history. Will it work? You can check out the idea and the progress here:
Vectrex Regeneration + iCade: Proof That “Retro” Gaming Is Alive And Well In The Mobile Era
My new article about Vectrex Regeneration is up at Gamasutra.com.
-8bitsteve
Book Review: Atari Inc. : Business Is Fun
My review of the new book, Atari Inc. Business Is Fun, by Curt Vendel and Marty Goldberg is up over at Gamasutra.com
Here is an excerpt:
Atari Inc: Business Is Fun is an exciting, messy, sprawling tour-de-force that fills in a lot missing gaps for Atari fans worldwide. The book reads like 800 page manifesto attempting to right-wrongs and clear-up misconceptions about Atari. At its’ core, this 800 page behemoth aims to prove one main fact to Atari aficionados: That Nolan Bushnell, “King Pong”, was not solely responsible for the success of Atari. If that is, indeed, its’‘ primary goal, the book succeeds famously.
The text weaves asynchronously, with various levels of detail, throughout the history of Atari, treading ground that has rarely been covered before. The authors unearthed documents, memos, company newsletters, and legal settlements that have never been previously published. They also interviewed dozens of people: everyone from Atari engineers to executives and their secretaries, so they could form a full picture of the first successful video game company. What emerges is a tale that attempts to correct inaccuracies and bust the myths of Atari’s past.
Read the full review here.
-Steve Fulton
Don’t be afraid of Windows 8 Desktop
This (Windows 8 has problems, but it doesn’t deserve the dreaded Vista comparison)says that Windows 8 is only good for touch screens.
Windows 8 Desktop
He is wrong. Windows 8 is just Windows 7 with new "window" dressing and a few new good features. The backup and app search are 10X better than Windows 7 [Start] menu or (especially) OS X Finder.
Windows 8 Search
If you need to old Win 7 desktop, just click on the giant DESKTOP button.
Windows 8 Desktop
You will be right back to familiar territory. There is nothing to fear from Windows 8, except time wasted playing with the new free (or low cost) games and apps from the Windows 8 store.
Wordamint
They are easy to build also, as the HTML5 Canvas (we tested all of our book's apps with in) can easily be compiled into Windows Store Apps. This gives you the ability to port all of the older Flash, Android, or iOS games that you want to port to a new platform.