Back up your work

I'll tell you, finishing this game has been one son-of-a-gun. Little things keep cropping up and we are stuck at 99.5%. Unfortunately, if certain shortcomings violate Apple's rules you will get rejected. The problems we have now fit in that category. I spent the morning working out details including the re-write of the press-release announcing the game to the app community. While typing away, suddenly my monitor turns off. Like anyone you curse first, leading to minor panic followed by quick disaster planning. We were in the middle of a huge rain storm. I looked at the floor in my office and I was 1/2 inch deep in water. My back-up power supply was filled with water and turned off like it is supposed to. I spent the next 9 hours dealing with the flood and I was lucky. It ends up the city had a back up of the entire system.

This brings up another point, back up your work and have a back-up power supply! Here is what I do.

I use a Mac Pro tower with a 23" monitor plugged into a back-up power supply. Two internal drives, one external. I have Time Machine backing up hourly to the internal drive, Deja vu backing up daily to the external. I also have a portable drive I keep in another location in case of disaster. Back-up came into play during the last few months, I'm glad I was doing it.

Come hell or high water I am finishing this app. More storms are coming, so I better watch what I ask for.

This is it

My good friend Jim Stavis recommended that we go see Michael Jackson's "This is it" at the movies. Jim is in his early fifties, not representative of the expected demographic. But now that I think about it, Jim did listen to Michael's music his whole life. Marianne and I caught the film in-between errands over the weekend. I must say, that was a great movie. I envisioned he was a shadow of his former self prior to his death. I was very wrong. His dancing and singing were vintage Michael.

My first concert that I ever went to was The Jackson 5 when I was 12. Michael and I were born days apart. I have measured fame for someone of my age by the Michael Jackson barometer, bigger than Elvis in my opinion.

After seeing the film I felt bad for all the dancers and musicians. This was an elite team gathered from talent around the globe that was about to perform 50 amazing shows. They had to be devastated about the death as well as the lost opportunity. Too bad, he was a great entertainer.

I have been trying to figure what I am going to follow up with after Beat the Boss. I have many ideas that I have been weighing. "This is it" represents a few things for me. Beat the Boss is a compilation of MY life's work. While Michael was dancing I was drawing. I wish I had a speck of his talent.

The dancing reminded me of one of my app ideas to animate interactive characters dancing to your chosen music from iTunes. At this moment, this would have me changing venues from business to music. When Adobe CS5 comes out and I can output to iPhone from Flash, this might make a whole bunch of sense.

Apple "Magic Mouse"

Just when you think you have learned something like "patience", you rush...at least I did. Apple announced this new mouse on the internet that has features similar to a touchscreen on an iPhone called "The Magic Mouse". They also sent me an invitation to go to an iPhone developer conference in San Jose. Between the two, it got me Apple crazy for a minute. I drove straight to Best Buy where they had no idea what I was talking about. I drove to the Apple store where the told me I can order it online and get it in a week. Part of the rush was to actually use the thing now. I forgot that Apple does this all the time, announce but not stock immediately. I can't wait to get this thing. http://www.apple.com/magicmouse/

Heat Wave

Southern California has had a recent heat wave. It is October but global warming even makes fan purchases difficult. I went to Walmart first, then Home Depot, Lowes, CVS, Walgreens etc etc. Certain products are seasonal…fans, heaters, umbrellas to name a few. I was forced to buy large feathers and rent eunuchs till the weather gets cooler.

iPhone apps aren't seasonal."Beat the Boss" will be relevant and available independent of outside forces. Inventory is not a problem, but I still want to buy a fan and an umbrella.

Acronyms and Endorsements

In business, acronyms are a big deal. They show that groups of people agree with your concept. I figured I'd join in. At first, I wanted to get ringing endorsements from large companies. The problem is, I am making fun of the people that I want to endorse my game. Being that no self-respecting manager would want to admit the value of Beat the Boss, I have approached other organizations that embrace the idea of executive punishment. Here is a list:



NBA - National Boss Assault
moPow - mo People out of work
BBS - Boss Beater's Society
OJDP - Office jerks that deserve punishment
ASTHMAH - Association of supervisors that maim and hurt
mWAM - Mad women Angry men
ESPS - Employees scared of pink slips


I am waiting on the BBB (Better Business Bureau) and UL. I expect that the above mentioned organizations will be jumping on the bandwagon shortly.

Bluetooth StyleYapper $19.95

In previous posts, I have mentioned my hassles connecting the iPhone with stereo bluetooth connectivity. It gave me a thought that stereo bluetooth headsets that connect to iPhones should be sold on infomercials. According to the experts, the things that work on infomercials are items dealing with cleaning, pain, fat, bad hair and bad teeth that cost $19.95. A bluetooth headset doesn't fit in that category even if you have bad choppers. My idea now is to combine bluetooth with the success of the Instyler so that you can answer the phone while styling your hair. I am hesitant to even write this article. My fear is that my idea will be stolen and knocked off in China. Imaging straightening your hair while yapping on the iPhone. Thinking about it, people in China already have straight hair, the big bluetooth hairbrush rip-off may not happen.

Geeks don't exercise

If you are reading this you have geek-like tendencies. Generally, geeks don't exercise. It's difficult walking away from your project, but getting outside can be a good thing. When you make your body work and let your mind relax answers to questions just come flying at you. Over the years I have been involved in many sports. 30 years of baseball and softball, football, golf, tennis, waterskiing, body surfing, snow skiing and bowling. You have to commit just like you do creating a new iPhone app. These days I row and bike ride. Time in the saddle makes you better. Now my exercise routines take approximately two hours. Years ago I had the golf addiction.That's 6 hours to play a round. On a bike I can ride 30 miles in 2 hours. Rowing is similar. When I get out of my head I find problem solving easier. But a few weeks ago I hit a buoy. Dang.

Pizza Hut iPhone App

I had mentioned a pizza app in a previous post. Pizza Hut has come out with their own app. One of the things I read is that you want to fill your first 20 reviews with positive messages. This takes an organized effort. Eventually reality hits and the reviews truly reflect the value of the app. But when a consumer checks, they see those first few. Obviously whoever made the Pizza Hut app didn't think of this. The public took care of it and it isn't pretty. There is a lot of mention of "sucking" and " I hate this app". Corporate creation is tough, too many chiefs. They actually make you register online before you can move forward. They could have done that in the app and made it more seamless. They did get 150,000 downloads in a two week period. My guess 149,000 deleted it first day.

There is a good article at:
http://www.digitallunch.blogspot.com/.

The Returnimator

Communication is a big part of success. Phone, cellphone, headset, bluetooth, e-mail etc. need to work when you need them. My bluetooth in my car needs to be paired every time I get in my car, headsets last about two months, my phones work occasionally. Now it's the home phone. I checked out a unit and bought it. This time the demo phone doesn't match the phone in the box. There is no 2.5 mm jack. Son of a bitch, back I go.

Hugh DeMann vs. Don King

I had mentioned in a previous post that Hugh DeMann was the object of affection in my new game. I actually designed him over 25 years ago. As a kid I played and coached little league. Hugh was a mix of all the asshole parents that I had to deal with while coaching. He had a bald head, Hawaiian shirt, plaid shorts, black socks, flip-flops and a huge mouth with a cigar. Later I just used his finger to portray the hand of authority. I have a job for Hugh. It's to get his ass kicked by a lot of different people. I guess this makes me a little like Don King.

The Tipping Point

I had heard of a book that talks about trends called "The TippingPoint" by Malcom Gladwell. I took note but had not acted. While driving yesterday I heard an interview on Sirius radio, a caller mentioned the book again. I found a Borders and bought it right away. I am now on page 50. I try and listen now and then. That is easier when you are alone in the car.

http://www.amazon.com/Tipping-Point-Little-Things-Difference/dp/0316346624

Bernie Madoff

Watching TV, I saw a segment about a guy that made statues of Bernie Madoff that you would destroy with a gold hammer. He was selling them for $100. I don't know if he sold any but it got me thinking. My first experiment was designing a game where you could beat the crap out of Bernie. I thought twice after making the demo. One thing I have learned is to stay away from current events, spicy foods, Ponzi schemes and celebrities.

Looking at demographics my questions was, who is holding an iPhone? What do they have in common? What do they want in an app? Most apps fill a need, measure this, find that, on and on 65,000 times and counting. I decided to make an app aimed at the typical office worker. Everyone holding an iPhone pays about $70 a month. They either have a job or don't have a job which means they want to smack their current boss or the one that fired them. "Hugh DeMann" will be an app where you take out your angst on a fictional character.

The most important part to me is making a game that is fun to play. Word of mouth goes a long way. The free version will display what is possible. $2 bucks gets you twelve levels and 10 weapons. A hamburger costs $5 and it's gone in 5 minutes. If it is good, people will buy it.