Category: Technology

Quote I’ve been pondering:

Build something 100 people love, not something 1M people kind of like. – Brian Chesky

This quote from Brian Chesky, Airbnb co-founder and CEO, is similar to Kevin Kelly’s 1,000 True Fans mantra. I’ve hesitated with my creativity in the past, worrying that too many people would judge me. But the truth is, even the most successful endeavours draw criticism. So instead of focusing on the haters and hiding, focus on the few who appreciate what you are putting out there and grow and flourish instead.

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Who remembers the Intellivision?

That question is an easy way to separate the Boomers and Gen X’s in the audience from the youngsters who came after. 🙂

I remember the Intellivision fondly. It was THE only gift I wanted from Santa one Christmas when I was little. I wanted one really really bad. And lucky for me, Christmas did not disappoint! That said, this photo from that Christmas still makes me laugh: there’s me, waiting for a turn on my fancy new video game system while my mom was playing instead.

And, here’s another pic from later that day or the next day, showing more of the same… “Hey mom, when do I get a turn?!?”

That Intellivision disappeared years ago. I don’t even remember what happened to it now. It’s old 16 bit graphics were fancy for the time but they are downright archaic when you put them beside a modern Xbox or Playstation. It’s ridiculous to even try and compare the Intellivision to today’s graphics cards, but for starters, modern cards are at least 256 bit, plus a bunch of other fancy tech to accelerate their performance even further.

But even though the tech is grossly outdated, I jumped as soon as I heard it was being re-released. Atari bought the rights to Intellivision and have now launched the Intellivision Sprint. I ordered one for my mom for Christmas (from Amazon here in Canada – they offered a much cheaper “Canada delivery” option than trying to order from Atari in the USA). Note that amazon.ca is now showing it as Currently Unavailable. I kinda feel like I got away with something because I can’t find anywhere that will deliver it to Canadians right now. I ordered it well in advance of Christmas (sometime in November, if I remember correctly) with a promised delivery date of mid-December. Unfortunately, Amazon didn’t get it here by Dec 25, but it did show up between Christmas and New Years.

As soon as it arrived, I delivered it to my mom, set it up, and then proceeded to make up for all of the Intellivision beatings she gave me when I was just a helpless little kid. First up was Astrosmash – this was an Intellivision staple back in the day. Immediate nostalgia when this game fired up. Next up, we played Baseball – she begged for the mercy rule to come into effect shortly thereafter. And then we got stuck on Snafu – she is still twitching from the beatings she got in that game. So much fun!

This was a great reminder that you don’t always need the latest tech to have fun. This decidedly low tech game system will likely never entertain anyone under the age of 40, having already been spoiled by the likes of Super NES and more. But for those of us who aren’t as spry as we once were and who try to argue that their grey hair is just a sign of “experience” and not old age, well… this is a great trip down memory lane that is bound to transport us back to some great childhood memories.

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Speaking of childhood memories… The Angry Therapist wrote this week about how “the parts of you that feel most alive are often the first parts you’re told to lock away.”

This was so timely for me. I’ve been enjoying a renaissance existence over the last year or so after rediscovering Dungeons & Dragons. I used to play as a kid. I loved D&D. I collected all of the books and adventures. I used to play with my friends at school every day. It was so much fun. I felt so alive – imagining myself as the various characters that I had created and acting out these adventures around a table with my friends.

But then, I did something I am not proud of. I got caught shoplifting D&D books at the local Coles bookstore. My punishment was that I had to give away all of my D&D books and supplies, and I was not allowed to play D&D anymore. That immediately ended my relationship with D&D.

Over the next few years, I saw newspaper and magazine headlines that accused D&D of allegedly promoting Satanism, witchcraft, suicide, pornography, and murder. (Dungeons & Dragons controversies – wikipedia) And, D&D and the like have historically been associated with geeks and nerds.

My initial rogue-based thievery, combined with ongoing societal stigma, kept my childhood enjoyment at bay for way too many years.

But over time, numerous touchpoint helped bring me back. Lunchtime board game sessions with my co-workers at Postmedia reintroduced me to the joy of games and group play – that group showed me a ton of new games and styles of play that I had no idea existed.

The Big Bang Theory raised awareness and showed the fun of gaming, even while it grappled with the tension between the cool kids and the nerds.

But finally, it was a suggestion by a friend of mine, who suggested that I give D&D another chance – “What’s the worst that can happen? You might waste a few hours checking out a game store or two. But it could open up a whole new world of enjoyment to0. You’ve got nothing to lose.” (I”m paraphrasing, but that was the gist of the message.)

My first stop was at Mecha Games in St Catharines. From there, I bought a couple of D&D books, then a couple more. Then found startplaying.games. Then found a local once a month one-shot. And then I bought a few more books. Then some kickstarters. And now I’m over run with more paraphernalia than I know what to do with.

And boy is it fun. I haven’t felt this stimulated creativity-wise in years. And I’m finally ready to write. I’ve had some projects tucked away in my head and in various notes for years. But this new creative surge has got me moving and typing and creating in a way that I haven’t done in years. It’s pretty awesome.

So yeah… I found myself nodding my head repeatedly as I read The Angry Therapist’s post this week. His story had a similar arc. And his call to action couldn’t be more timely for me – but also for all of us:

What Part of You Have You Locked Away?

Maybe it’s your creativity. Your playfulness. Your curiosity. Your fearlessness. Your ability to laugh without apologizing for taking up space.

Whatever it is – it’s still there. Waiting for you to remember it exists.

You don’t need a complete reinvention. You need a reunion.

With the version of you that existed before you learned to play small. Before you decided being responsible meant being boring. Before you locked away the parts of yourself that felt too risky, too much, too alive.

Feel free to share in the comments below… What part of you have you locked away? And why don’t you revisit it?