Thinkpadius | For The Casual Nerd

Dear Steve Jobs: I want "Conflict Free Minerals" in Apple Products

Dear Steve Jobs: I want "Conflict Free Minerals" in Apple Products

Submitted by Thinkpadius on Tue, 07/20/2010 - 14:48

Desirable metals such as gold, tin, tungsten and tantalum are used in gadgets, computers and wiring for just about every product available. But in war torn Congo, these minerals are mined and sold to finance wars. You may have heard of conflict or blood diamonds, well these "Conflict Minerals" are the same thing. I shouldn't have to choose between buying a cellphone or preventing violence in a war torn part of Africa. So I wrote to Steve Jobs and told him I want a solution.

Save The World With Computer Games

Submitted by Thinkpadius on Wed, 07/14/2010 - 11:59

Innovations in interactive entertainment to promote social activism are important and deserve your attention. These games thrive on our social instincts, our desire to compete and the challenge players face to solve problems. Eventually someone will turn them into self contained MMOs and then we'll really be combining the two things I always wanted to do simultaneously: save the world and play computer games.

6 Ways to Write About Computer Games

Submitted by Thinkpadius on Mon, 07/12/2010 - 20:52

The video game industry has only recently grown large enough to become mainstream and thus, something to talk about with non-gamers. Sure, we all collectively like to know if its a Sandbox-FPS-RPG-MMO-Business Sim*, but there's more to game writing than a jargon laden article full of non-specifics and screenshots. I think different writing styles enrich my appreciation of a game. I thought of 6 ways to write about video games that I think will broaden the horizon of game culture and improve my ability to talk about games to everyone.

Deus Ex 2010: Play it With Mods

Submitted by Thinkpadius on Fri, 06/25/2010 - 19:43

Eus Ex is a first person roleplaying game. Like morrowind, it has a large community of players that continue to enjoy and modify the game. The story centers around a series of conspiracies to consolidate power and control human destiny. Your character is an augmented human with powerful abilities provided by nano-machines in your body. We're now in the 10th anniversary of the game's release. Perhaps it is time to revisit the game, but this time with some nice mods to update it to current standards.

Just Not an iPad: Why Competing Tablets Will Fail

Submitted by Thinkpadius on Sun, 06/20/2010 - 15:57

I've read so many "ipad killer" articles that I'm starting to really wonder what is going on with tech journalists! As a nerd I happily enjoy gadget candy whenever it comes my way, but as a writer I have to do go beyond mere drooling over technology. The iPad finally turns mobile computing into anytime, anywhere, something that laptops and even netbooks don't do as successfully. If you're looking at iPad alternatives you will see them here, but will these tablets be able provide the right amount of features? I don't think so.

The Present Future: The Singularity is Coming

Submitted by Thinkpadius on Tue, 06/15/2010 - 19:41

I read a really interesting article in the NYTimes about the Singularity University and its creator, Ray Kurzweil. I've always been completely fascinated with the idea of Singularity, and the increasingly closer future. That's why this article - in the NY TIMES no less- is important. These ideas are more mainstream than ever, the most important people in power are paying attention, the most important people in industry want to know what it takes to get there. And why? because the technology we're now looking at is at the cusp of conquering death, fear, famine, poverty, and illness.

Socrates Image Macros

Submitted by Thinkpadius on Fri, 06/11/2010 - 12:54

blags
funny

I couldn't help myself. But why has no one done a Socrates image macro? I made these pretty easily. The base image is available below to make your own.