Hi all,
Vancouver is often called "Hollywood North" because so many movies are
filmed in the city. However, what may not be as well known is that
Vancouver is also a hot location for another type of entertainment
industry: Computer Games! With companies like Electronic Arts and
Slant Six Games located in Vancouver, the city is a real hotbed for
computer game development. I've written in the past about using Lisp
for game development (see here - my write-up actually got referenced
in Wikipedia, so it must be authoritative! ;-) ). Well, this month,
we'll be hearing about using Lisp for game development from someone
who is in a position to really know what he's talking about. Dean
Giberson is currently a Senior Software Engineer at Slant Six Games
and previously worked at EA. Here's a short bio:
Dean Giberson was a tool developer for 4 years working on several Star
Wars game titles. After a short period teaching and contracting he
returned to professional game development working on Sports titles for
3 years. He is currently employed at Slant Six Games working on
"SOCOM: Confrontation" developing the next generation of workflow
tools.
Although we were hoping to be moving to a new location (with a
projector and a special meeting room!) for this month's meeting, the
new location is still under construction. Therefore, we will be
meeting again this month at Calhoun's Coffee House and Restaurant
There won't be a projector, so we'll have to VNC a couple of laptops
so that we aren't all crowded around one laptop. We've done that in
the past, so this shouldn't be a problem (so long as some people
remember to bring laptops! ;-) ).
Here's the "official" meeting notice:
Topic: Using PLT Scheme for Game Development
Presenter: Dean Giberson
Date: Thursday, June 19, 2008
Time: 7pm - 10pm (or whenever)
Venue: Calhoun's, 3035 West Broadway, Vancouver (see map)
Summary: Inspired by tools such as DabbleDb, Fluxus, Alice or
Processing and driven by the problems of programming in the large Dean
will explore the use of PLT Scheme in game development.
Solutions to distributed development, complex tools, and dynamic
languages are explored with current solutions explained.
Concepts explored:
Live coding
Web interface for development
Connecting external tools
Version control
Searching
Join us for a beer/coffee and a chance to see/discuss how Lisp can be
used for game development.
Any updates and links will be on my blog entry for the meeting:
http://bc.tech.coop/blog/080606.html
If possible, I will do a screencast of the presentation and link to it
in a subsequent blog post.
--
Bill Clementson
On Jun 6, 2:02 pm, billc <········@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> Vancouver is often called "Hollywood North" because so many movies are
> filmed in the city. However, what may not be as well known is that
> Vancouver is also a hot location for another type of entertainment
> industry: Computer Games! With companies like Electronic Arts and
> Slant Six Games located in Vancouver, the city is a real hotbed for
> computer game development. I've written in the past about using Lisp
> for game development (see here - my write-up actually got referenced
> in Wikipedia, so it must be authoritative! ;-) ). Well, this month,
Bill, you forgot to include the links!
> we'll be hearing about using Lisp for game development from someone
> who is in a position to really know what he's talking about. Dean
> Giberson is currently a Senior Software Engineer at Slant Six Games
> and previously worked at EA. Here's a short bio:
>
> Dean Giberson was a tool developer for 4 years working on several Star
> Wars game titles.
I imagine that with all the research in computer vision and computer
graphics, there must be exciting developments on the horizon in the
games industry.
I remember when I first stumbled across Paul Graham's website years
ago, I thought it was unusual that a hacker would also have skills in
the visual arts. But this fusion of computer science skills with
artistic abilities - I've discovered - is a signature among hackers.
The games industry reaps great benefit from the cocktail skills of
such technical artists.
This came to mind again just last night as I watched Transformers. My
cable provider had a temporary problem with the Sci Fi channel so I
couldn't get my usual Friday night Battlestar Galactica fix. Hopefully
Dean will work on some explosive, Lispy, Battlestar titles
sometime? ;-)
I'd love to join you at Calhoun's, but I'm still immersed on the law
project :-( Fortunately, I should be wrapping up this document in a
couple of weeks.
agt
On Jun 7, 9:13 am, ·············@gmail.com wrote:
> On Jun 6, 2:02 pm, billc <········@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Hi all,
>
> > Vancouver is often called "Hollywood North" because so many movies are
> > filmed in the city. However, what may not be as well known is that
> > Vancouver is also a hot location for another type of entertainment
> > industry: Computer Games! With companies like Electronic Arts and
> > Slant Six Games located in Vancouver, the city is a real hotbed for
> > computer game development. I've written in the past about using Lisp
> > for game development (see here - my write-up actually got referenced
> > in Wikipedia, so it must be authoritative! ;-) ). Well, this month,
>
> Bill, you forgot to include the links!
>
> > we'll be hearing about using Lisp for game development from someone
> > who is in a position to really know what he's talking about. Dean
> > Giberson is currently a Senior Software Engineer at Slant Six Games
> > and previously worked at EA. Here's a short bio:
>
> > Dean Giberson was a tool developer for 4 years working on several Star
> > Wars game titles.
>
> I imagine that with all the research in computer vision and computer
> graphics, there must be exciting developments on the horizon in the
> games industry.
>
> I remember when I first stumbled across Paul Graham's website years
> ago, I thought it was unusual that a hacker would also have skills in
> the visual arts. But this fusion of computer science skills with
> artistic abilities - I've discovered - is a signature among hackers.
> The games industry reaps great benefit from the cocktail skills of
> such technical artists.
>
> This came to mind again just last night as I watched Transformers. My
> cable provider had a temporary problem with the Sci Fi channel so I
> couldn't get my usual Friday night Battlestar Galactica fix. Hopefully
> Dean will work on some explosive, Lispy, Battlestar titles
> sometime? ;-)
>
> I'd love to join you at Calhoun's, but I'm still immersed on the law
> project :-( Fortunately, I should be wrapping up this document in a
> couple of weeks.
>
> agt
My charismatic alter ego seems to be more dominant at this time of the
morning.
;-)
Hi all,
Thanks to Dean for an interesting lispvan presentation last night.
I've uploaded a screencast of the meeting on my blog:
http://bc.tech.coop/blog/080620.html
--
Bill Clementson
From: Kenny
Subject: Re: Vancouver Lisp Users Group meeting for June 2008 - Using PLT Scheme for Game Development
Date:
Message-ID: <485bf881$0$11644$607ed4bc@cv.net>
billc wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> Thanks to Dean for an interesting lispvan presentation last night.
> I've uploaded a screencast of the meeting on my blog:
> http://bc.tech.coop/blog/080620.html
Cool. Lisp-NYC's highlight last month was a bar fight. Over a bar stool.
Bit of a recurring theme in my experience, real estate is valuable in
NYC. Sorry, no screencast.
We're having so much fun at our meets that word is out and we are
attracting non-programmers, some of them... well, let's just say this
time I was a peacemaker, 'nuff said?
Can't wait for July's throwdown, should be celebrating the first release
of the Algebraware.
kt
Hiya Kenny,
On Jun 20, 11:35 am, Kenny <·········@gmail.com> wrote:
> billc wrote:
> > Hi all,
>
> > Thanks to Dean for an interesting lispvan presentation last night.
> > I've uploaded a screencast of the meeting on my blog:
> >http://bc.tech.coop/blog/080620.html
>
> Cool. Lisp-NYC's highlight last month was a bar fight. Over a bar stool.
> Bit of a recurring theme in my experience, real estate is valuable in
> NYC. Sorry, no screencast.
Geez, the only interesting thing to ever happen in a Lisp-NYC meeting
and you don't take any photos! ;-)
Bar fights are a dime a dozen at lispvan, so we only record the
presentations.
> We're having so much fun at our meets that word is out and we are
> attracting non-programmers, some of them... well, let's just say this
> time I was a peacemaker, 'nuff said?
You must be getting old. The Kenny I used to know would have waded in
with a stool in one hand and a bottle in the other.
> Can't wait for July's throwdown, should be celebrating the first release
> of the Algebraware.
Why debut it in NYC? Why not come to Vancouver and give your stuff
proper international exposure? Come on Kenny, NY is so 20th century.
- Bill
From: Kenny
Subject: Re: Vancouver Lisp Users Group meeting for June 2008 - Using PLT Scheme for Game Development
Date:
Message-ID: <485c64cd$0$5011$607ed4bc@cv.net>
billc wrote:
> Hiya Kenny,
>
> On Jun 20, 11:35 am, Kenny <·········@gmail.com> wrote:
>> billc wrote:
>>> Hi all,
>>> Thanks to Dean for an interesting lispvan presentation last night.
>>> I've uploaded a screencast of the meeting on my blog:
>>> http://bc.tech.coop/blog/080620.html
>> Cool. Lisp-NYC's highlight last month was a bar fight. Over a bar stool.
>> Bit of a recurring theme in my experience, real estate is valuable in
>> NYC. Sorry, no screencast.
>
> Geez, the only interesting thing to ever happen in a Lisp-NYC meeting
> and you don't take any photos! ;-)
>
> Bar fights are a dime a dozen at lispvan, so we only record the
> presentations.
Ah, I forgot, yer in cattle country, no kidding around out there. Ours
was actually pretty sad: everyone made up and spent the rest of the
night buying each other shots. Just sickening.
>
>> We're having so much fun at our meets that word is out and we are
>> attracting non-programmers, some of them... well, let's just say this
>> time I was a peacemaker, 'nuff said?
>
> You must be getting old. The Kenny I used to know would have waded in
> with a stool in one hand and a bottle in the other.
I believe you are looking for "kickin and a-gougin in the mud and the
blood and the beer" over in the monthly what's-wrong-with-Lisp thread. I
squared off with the girl in the party as per last time but this one
didn't do Matlab, dropped me with a shot to the solar plexus. Gotta
remember to keep my elbows in.
>
>> Can't wait for July's throwdown, should be celebrating the first release
>> of the Algebraware.
>
> Why debut it in NYC? Why not come to Vancouver and give your stuff
> proper international exposure? Come on Kenny, NY is so 20th century.
I'll come out after the IPO when the snow is back and I can afford the
heli-snowboarding. :)
kt
On Jun 20, 7:17 pm, Kenny <·········@gmail.com> wrote:
> billc wrote:
> > On Jun 20, 11:35 am, Kenny <·········@gmail.com> wrote:
> >> billc wrote:
> >>> Hi all,
> >>> Thanks to Dean for an interesting lispvan presentation last night.
> >>> I've uploaded a screencast of the meeting on my blog:
> >>>http://bc.tech.coop/blog/080620.html
> >> Cool. Lisp-NYC's highlight last month was a bar fight. Over a bar stool.
> >> Bit of a recurring theme in my experience, real estate is valuable in
> >> NYC. Sorry, no screencast.
>
> > Geez, the only interesting thing to ever happen in a Lisp-NYC meeting
> > and you don't take any photos! ;-)
>
> > Bar fights are a dime a dozen at lispvan, so we only record the
> > presentations.
>
> Ah, I forgot, yer in cattle country, no kidding around out there. Ours
> was actually pretty sad: everyone made up and spent the rest of the
> night buying each other shots. Just sickening.
wimps. At lispvan, if we don't finish the meeting with a few missing
teeth and a few broken bones, we think it's been a pretty sorry
presentation!
> >> We're having so much fun at our meets that word is out and we are
> >> attracting non-programmers, some of them... well, let's just say this
> >> time I was a peacemaker, 'nuff said?
>
> > You must be getting old. The Kenny I used to know would have waded in
> > with a stool in one hand and a bottle in the other.
>
> I believe you are looking for "kickin and a-gougin in the mud and the
> blood and the beer" over in the monthly what's-wrong-with-Lisp thread. I
> squared off with the girl in the party as per last time but this one
> didn't do Matlab, dropped me with a shot to the solar plexus. Gotta
> remember to keep my elbows in.
Don't worry, if you come to Vancouver, we will hire the Hells Angels
to act as bodyguards. We'll make certain you don't get beaten up by
any girls here!
> >> Can't wait for July's throwdown, should be celebrating the first release
> >> of the Algebraware.
>
> > Why debut it in NYC? Why not come to Vancouver and give your stuff
> > proper international exposure? Come on Kenny, NY is so 20th century.
>
> I'll come out after the IPO when the snow is back and I can afford the
> heli-snowboarding. :)
Good to hear that! I've got you penciled in for the January meeting.
Any particular day of the week work better for you? I'll have to ask
my wife to take you to some of the easier slopes cause I know that you
easterners aren't used to decent skiing/boarding conditions. ;-)
Looking forward to having a beer or two with you when winter comes
around. Till then, keep away from those NY women!
Cheers,
Bill
On Jun 21, 12:44 am, billc <········@gmail.com> wrote:
> wimps. At lispvan, if we don't finish the meeting with a few missing
> teeth and a few broken bones, we think it's been a pretty sorry
> presentation!
>
... And all this time I thought that I was missing intellectually
uplifting, edifying experiences at Lispvan.
I would be very worried about an Algebraware debut at Lispvan Kenny.
If you think a few teeth and your solar plexus are all you have to
worry about, Bill is likely to invite women armed with brooms (see
http://bc.tech.coop/blog/080616.html).
You'll be banished to Devizes,
Or worse still Nosizes,
And win no more prizes for good!
(see http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.lisp/msg/3268e2a796cbb596?hl=en)
;-)
--agt
On Jun 21, 9:32 am, viper-2 <········@mail.infochan.com> wrote:
>
> You'll be banished to Devizes,
> Or worse still Nosizes,
> And win no more prizes for good!
According to the Cylon Oracle, the last line missed a beat:
You'll be banished to Desizes,
Or worse still Nosizes,
And win no more prizes
- For good!!!
http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.lisp/msg/3268e2a796cbb596?hl=en
;-)
--agt
From: Sohail Somani
Subject: Re: Vancouver Lisp Users Group meeting for June 2008 - Using PLT Scheme for Game Development
Date:
Message-ID: <yTZ6k.379$2G6.186@edtnps83>
Kenny wrote:
> billc wrote:
>> Why debut it in NYC? Why not come to Vancouver and give your stuff
>> proper international exposure? Come on Kenny, NY is so 20th century.
>
> I'll come out after the IPO when the snow is back and I can afford the
> heli-snowboarding. :)
Is that the new "when pigs fly?"
From: Kenny
Subject: Re: Vancouver Lisp Users Group meeting for June 2008 - Using PLT Scheme for Game Development
Date:
Message-ID: <485c88e8$0$11599$607ed4bc@cv.net>
Sohail Somani wrote:
> Kenny wrote:
>> billc wrote:
>
>>> Why debut it in NYC? Why not come to Vancouver and give your stuff
>>> proper international exposure? Come on Kenny, NY is so 20th century.
>>
>> I'll come out after the IPO when the snow is back and I can afford the
>> heli-snowboarding. :)
>
> Is that the new "when pigs fly?"
Possibly. I am not sure they do heli-snowboarding. I do know that when I
fall in deep powder unless it is steep I will be busy for a good 5-10
minutes re-establishing a descent, at which point it's a good thing my
heart muscle belies my age cuz I am otherwise frickin toast.
I'll let you know how/if it goes.
kt