Lithotripsy

Exactly one year ago I was doubled over in pain suffering from my second bout of kidney stones. One of the reasons that this happens is because I don't drink enough water. Creative people are weird, kind of like baseball pitchers…head cases. The idea is to get into the groove and come up with some great ideas. Throw strikes. This can take hours or two days. Personally I forget to eat, much less drink. A kidney stone attack hurts in places you don't know you have. Twice this has happened in my life. Believe me, it's some major league pain. While you are creating your own app, don't forget to exercise and drink water. Man cannot live on Red Bull alone. I now know the meaning of a procedure called, "lithotripsy". I wish I didn't.

Snow Leopard

I'm working on a Mac. Snow Leopard is the latest Apple software update. There are annoying glitches that are supposedly addressed and some new functionality. I draw using Adobe Illustrator. One hassle that I have always dealt with is not seeing a preview of those Illustrator files. Now, the icons show you a mini picture of the content of the file. Small thing but huge for me. I have been using Macs for 15 years. It has never been perfect, there is always a bug. It seems as though computing has moved into an era where the main focus is to take advantage of the processor and move packets of information effectively using the Intel Highway. I am really concerned about glitches in my program. People are getting used to things working well. If your game hangs up or crashes your audience will write bad reviews and vaporize.

MotoRokr S9-HD

Sound is also part of a an interactive experience. One of the worst things as a mobile designer is to watch someone hold a phone to their ear while playing a game. It takes their eye off the screen. I am hoping that the audio is understandable when the phone is a foot away from your face avoiding such activity. I just bought the Motorola Rokr S9-HD bluetooth stereo headphones to work with my iPhone. My goodness, the sound is way better than my old plug-in head set I wear while riding my road bike. When I get a call I can pick it up immediately rather than fumble for the phone. I just tested, if you wear the headset while playing the game you can hear the audio just fine. Bad news is I can't seem to get it to skip the the next song. I hope there is a fix.

Ideas vs.Programming

The hardest part about any project is waiting for it to bake. Creating a game takes logic as well as creativity. I am an artist not a programmer. It's kind of like Star Wars. In the mid-eighties digital effects geniuses and movie makers had to figure out how to get the results they wanted. Tron lead to Star Wars where the right and left brains met. On a small level I am in the same boat. I know what I want, but I need help getting there. Creating an interactive story requires teamwork. The programmers and I are not seeing the same picture at the moment. They promise I will be happy. We'll see. I have been studying to learn my craft. You have to know what the phone is capable of and what you want to create. My strength is character driven, I am specializing in more visual, tactile apps rather than technical.

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.

T-Shirt Give away

My app should be ready for Apple approval soon. It's time to reassess my marketing position and get ready for release in approximately 3 - 4 weeks. I have been monitoring the app scene and have decided to forgo adding Admob to the free version. From what I have learned, it doesn't add to the bottom line. Word of mouth is what you want to make happen. I am going to try some grass roots methods to get people talking. I went to a street festival concert last night. One thing I was reminded of is that people will do anything for a free T-Shirt. I am going to do a T-Shirt give-away. T-ShirtPros.com prints custom jobs or I may go the CafePress route. Coffee Mugs will also be a good office related giveaway.

Be Yourself

Most anyone that knows me personally for the long haul is aware that my right knee is a painful issue related to a football injury in the mid eighties. I have a scar a foot long. I have had 5 surgeries since to correct the hatchet job done to fix me 25 years ago. Of all things, I just went to a Beverly Hills function supporting a charity and sat next to a doctor who was in intern at County USC when I got hurt. It's been a long time, but I swear I remember him checking me in a huge evaluation room. How is this relevant to creating an iPhone app? Well, back then I was not focused. I spent a week in County Hospital in agony, Demerol every 3 hours for 7 days. I had been drawing since 5, I decided to sketch to keep my sanity. During that time I decided to make art my career. So what lesson did I learn from blowing out my knee?

Be yourself.

I had a teammate named Mike that was very quick. He could bob and weave and stop on a dime. I caught a pass and and ran for the sideline to turn the corner. I remember thinking, "Do Mike's move". I slammed on the breaks and threw a fake. I felt a level of pain that is hard to describe. Kind of like a planet landed on my knee. I got hurt because I was mimicking someone else. Create your own truth using the gifts God gave you.