Comments for Ted Howard

Comment on Want to retire early? Sniff marshmallows. by TedHoward

TedHoward — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 17:05:04 +0000

I sort of answered that question in a new post - http://tedhoward.com/index.php/2009/10/11/what-i-did-during-my-early-retirement/.

Comment on Want to retire early? Sniff marshmallows. by bill

bill — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 18:02:05 +0000

Awesome post! I’m glad that you start blogging.

Until I got married, I had never rented an apartment by myself. I always shared houses with several people.

Living below the means give one a lot of freedom and down side protection!

What’s your plan next? Travel more? Indefinite retirement?

Comment on I’m a . by TedHoward

TedHoward — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 01:07:15 +0000

“you’re just as bad” seems a bit harsh. I started the post explaining that I had never experienced such prejudices before moving the Bay area. The simple fact is that the atmosphere of San Francisco and Silicon Valley has done this to me. I never before heard disparaging comments about computer choices and I never before witnessed the “Apple fanboy.” Now, not a day goes by that I don’t here baseless negative comments made about technology. It’s almost always an attack on Microsoft, Windows, and anyone who chooses to use Microsoft products. As stated in the post, I with I were wrong, but the atmosphere here is very different than in Seattle.

Comment on I’m a . by jack

jack — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 22:15:46 +0000

I came her from your rather insulting comment on Jason C’s blog.

I’m an apple user for about 10 years now. A switcher. I’m very glad I switched, I don’t regret it. I love apple products because I spend less time messing with them and more time using them.

I couldn’t care less what you use. Or what you think of me.

But today, as you have shown, it’s almost impossible to say you’re an apple user without being labeled a fan boy. it’s an easy way to invalidate an opinion. “you like apple? oh, then you’re a fan boy”.

Your opinions, complete over generalizations, show that you’re just as bad, but coming from the other side. It’s such a childish reaction.

If you think I, an apple user, cares that you come into a coffee shop and open a pc, you’re deluded. I don’t give a ____. Obviously, you do.

Comment on Games are a Moonshot by Ted Howard : Funware is not a Moonshot

Ted Howard : Funware is not a Moonshot — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 03:15:02 +0000

[...] a previous post I posited, while providing little proof, that games are a moonshot in a sense that you aim and [...]

Comment on Open Source Model Applied to Cars by Rob

Rob — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 22:36:53 +0000

When will people realize “open source” is not a product and amateurs need to back away.

Comment on Games are a Moonshot by TedHoward

TedHoward — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 17:18:41 +0000

@NickH, lowering prices won’t do much. You said it yourself as you state that “when its time to get a new game” you don’t mention price, just newness and buzz. Game consumers, especially the hardcore market which is the majority in dollar terms, has a very price inelastic demand.
Generating buzz is incredibly hard without something that’s new. What will the press say to generate the buzz? “Game still exists, see last year’s reviews for more.” It doesn’t work.
DLC packs, like the Lost & Damned, provide a way to extend the buzz for a game by providing something for the press to write about. That’s one reason that publishers like DLC’s.
On the other hand, thanks for the comment. The important thing I think is to continue to question the status quo, consider new business and production models, and ultimately try some out to see if they work.

Comment on Games are a Moonshot by NickH

NickH — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 12:04:31 +0000

The cost of new titles to consumers is not exactly low, and there is a common perception (with some truth to it) that games developers learn how to get more from a platform over time. As a result, when its time to get a new game, whatever is currentlynew and generating buzz is what’s going to sell.

The solution is to lower prices, and generate buzz and excitement without having to complete in the current games arms-race. Easier said that done, but Nintendo seem to be making a fair attempt at doing exactly this.

Comment on Does Open Facebook mean more Spam? by Siqi

Siqi — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 20:46:21 +0000

All true, but just a note that the Status Update API has been around for a few months now. It requires extended permissions and for the most part it looks like it hasn’t been easy to ab/use.

Comment on Games People and Web People by axcho

axcho — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:48:43 +0000

Oh, just thought I’d share this comic by Mr. Shen, in case you hadn’t seen it. The fact that this comic resonates with a lot of the Flash developers on MochiAds does suggest that the tension there is real. Click my name for the link.