-
This Lens, That Cat
-
Buying Russian Train Tickets: A Tale of Language and Gaming
Goal Get from Moscow to Saint Petersburg on a particular day, starting at a particular time, and on a particular train. Trouble I don’t read Russian! Nor do I have a grasp on the phonetics of the alphabet, although I can now successfully remember/guess the sounds of some letters and thus near-cognates (e.g., “ДOKУMEHTA” is probably something about a document, although Google Translate throws up its hands). Things in My Favor I’m using Google Chrome, which seamlessly lets me toggle back and forth between the original Russian and translated English. I have a precise train number, car number, and set of seat options to book. (Hoo, boy, if this had…
-
All-Call: Granny Squares Translators
I have a lot of French-, Hungarian-, and Italian-speaking visitors to Granny Squares, and a common complaint by visitors is that it’s only in English. I would love to have help translating into different languages. I’m going to take a first-pass with Google Translate to implement the above three languages, but here’s my all-call: Help me translate Granny Squares into your language. You’ll see some (probably rough) French and Italian translations soon (the most popular languages of visitors other than English), but I want your help. Any language goes. Contact me if you’d like to help.
-
Visiting Russia: the Unfriendly Reactions
The trip to Russia is in planning–our traveling companion is researching hotels (so we can get visas!) and sight-seeing destinations in Moscow and St. Petersburg. What’s been surprising me is how much negativity I get when I tell people I’m planning a visit to Russia. “It’s depressing!” (with pictures like the one to the right) “Don’t go to XYZ!” “It’s super-dangerous!” “The USSR?!” It’s disappointing that my friends and colleagues have little other than (relatively uninformed, I think) skepticism and dire warnings. I find wonder in so many things; a few pictures from the internet don’t suffice to satisfy or discourage that. I might choose not to visit an active…
-
Future Proof Has a Blog!
Go read it and subscribe! We’re just getting warmed up, but there’s an announcement there that will be of some interest to folks who might be asking, “Whatcha working on now that Ossuary is released?” I’ve got a couple of posts lined that will likely end up there–I’ve been playing in the world of free-to-play (mobile) games on my shiny and fast new phone, and the ethics of the set are… fascinating.