"Penguins don't come from next door! They come from the Antarctic!"

Head-achy. Late night. Not-so-early morning.

Today there is much cleaning and tidying up to be done. Why? For no particular reason other than the fact that my apartment is: a) dirty, and; b) messy. Which won't do. So I must roll up my sleeves (well, no. I'm wearing a t-shirt) and get to it. After I'm done browsing the net, of course. Gotta do my browsing. It's my God-given right as a citizen.

My Xbox is acting oddly. It sometimes refuses to boot up DOAX (see below - you know, the one with the bikinis), and it's making strange noises. Not good. That would be the second console I have with hiccups. My GameCube - which took a nasty tumble to the ground a while ago - skips when playing Eternal Darkness and, sometimes, Super Monkey Ball. There's no good reason why the Xbox should be acting up, however, aside from the fact that it's had trouble with the Buffy game as well. Maybe it just doesn't like games with female lead characters? I'm starting to think there's a connection. It's bloody irritating, that's what it is, and with my now severely reduced budget for luxuries (anything other than food and bills), I can't afford to replace either console. So I'll have to suffer. In not-so-silence. Ack.  ¶ 13:08   

  "So I was rummaging around in the attic. And I found the original Crown Jewels! Which was nice."

I recently partook in an RPG Vault roundtable on storytelling in online worlds - you can read my entry here. Expect a follow-up today (I think), where the participants reply to each others' statements. That ought to be interesting.

I was going to say more, but then I remembered: I'm at work! There's work to be done! Aaah!

So I'll be back later instead.  ¶ 10:57   

  "Do not bring your evil into my swamp.

Norwegian TV shows David Letterman weeks after the original broadcast, so tonight I'm watching Bruce Willis sit in for Dave. Okay, so it sucks to get the show so late, but hey, better than not getting it at all. The glass is, I believe, half full. Yup, I'm irritatingly positive - the kind of guy you'd want to smack if you're feeling a bit down.

Bought Shenmue II and Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball yesterday - the latter of which I have to admit I'm a bit embarrassed about buying. It got great reviews, and it's a fun game, but it's also a bit...cheesecake. Amazing graphics that just happen to revolve around half-naked girls. Literally. Parts of the game are just about controlling the camera as the girls do such exciting things as sunbathe, walk down the beach, or sit on a swing.

Yeah. Embarrassing.

But still, still, there's something to the game that's strangely compelling (and not just the breasts and the bikinis). It's got a great volleyball engine, cool casino games, a weird jumping game, and the collecting-stuff aspects of the game are highly addictive. You just wanna catch 'em all (even if "'em all" in this case refers to skimpier and skimpier bikinis...sigh).

So, excuse me, but I think I need to return to the beach, and, uh, play for a bit...yes.  ¶ 23:02   

  "They give us lessons."

How about an update about why I won't update? Here it is.

I'm tired.

There. Happy? I still haven't recovered from Sunday night/Monday morning's marathon. Granted, I got a few hours' sleep after the show (from about six to ten thirty), so I should be all right by now, but I didn't sleep a lot last night either, and I just need a break from writing (after all, I write all day long. Supposedly. Today and yesterday, it's been mostly meetings). So expect a big update tomorrow, but for now - this is it.  ¶ 23:10   

  Okay, here we go - best flick. The two Douglases presenting. The Pianist for sure. Best actor, best screenplay, best director. It's gotta be...

...and, TA-DA, Chicago! Okay. Hey, it was the favourite to win, so...no big surprise. Well, there you go - done and done. Lots of movies I haven't seen this year. Gotta catch up.

That's it. I'm calling it quits, and heading off to bed. Thanks and goodnight!  ¶ 05:58   

  Best movie coming up, and I actually think The Pianist will snub Chicago - steal the fire away from the odds-on favourite. But I could be very wrong. One thing's for sure, The Two Towers will not win. Next year is the year of the Rings. Next year. Not this year. Next year. For sure.

So. Come on, come on...first, best director. Hmm. I'm betting...Roman Polanski? That'd be cool. But chances are...maybe Rob Marshall. Oooh, or Martin Scorcese. Yeah, Scorcese. And Almodovar got his award... Hey, Polanski got it! Incredible. I never thought he'd get it. Wow. Excellent.  ¶ 05:53   

  Best adapted screenplay. Rootin' for Adaptation, here. Oh, The Pianist won. Okay. And the best speech. Short and to the point. Goodie.

Best original screenplay. The Affleck presents it! Shiny forehead! Sweating much? Ah, The Affleck in all its glory... Rootin' for Y Tu Máma Tambien...Pedro Almodovar won. Cool. Gotta see Talk to Her. Yeah, yeah, haven't seen that either.  ¶ 05:47   

  Loooooooong sequence with "past winners" - seemingly a few hundred of them. Interminable. Dull. Self-indulgent. This is the point where I start to regret staying up... All. Night. Long. Need sleep now. I won't be showing up for work on time, that's for sure. I think I'll sleep until lunch.  ¶ 05:38   

  Ooh, forgot: Best song, Eminem. Something of a surprise, but he deserved the Oscar. He didn't show up, though. He sent a curly-haired guy to pick it up for him.

Best actress. Let's see...my money's on Julianne Moore. She should win for Far From Heaven. Great movie, great acting. But probably...no. Probably Renee Zellweger or Nicole Kidman. Yup: Nicole Kidman. It was the nose. The nose did it. All right, haven't seen The Hours either yet. It's probably very good.  ¶ 05:18   

  Peter O'Toole gets an honorary award. He's one of the last - if not the last - great classic British actors, after the passing of Richard Harris. He hasn't really been in anything worthwhile these past few years, which is a shame. He initially refused to accept this Oscar, but reconsidered. He didn't want this to be the end of his career, but, hey, let's face it... I'm happy he got this, and he's speaking a great speech. Funny man. He got style.  ¶ 05:10   

  Film editing...Chicago. The sweep continues.

Updates getting more rare. Awards slowing down. Okay, one of the big ones: Best actor in a leading part. Daniel Day Lewis - come on. He must get it... It's Adrian Brody, for The Pianist. Embarrassing, haven't seen that one either. Some movies take a long time to get here. His speech - funny stuff. He's definitely in shock. I've seen him give acceptance speeches for this role before...well, once...and he was more lucid then. And he kissed Halle Berry on the mouth, something she didn't seem to appreciate much. I look forward to seeing this movie.

...okay, he's getting into political anti-war speech territory, which is fine, but not suitable for this environment... He told them to stop playing the music. Guts. But - if everyone does this, it'll take hours.  ¶ 04:55   

  Documentary feature. Rootin' for Bowling for Columbine though I haven't yet been able to see it. I will. I most certainly will. Okay, Michael Moore wins! Good. This will be interesting.

Yup. Booing. Politics. Interesting stuff, that's for sure! :) Booed off the stage by republican audience members. Hee-hee. And Steve Martin makes fun of him. I think Mr. Moore isn't very appreciated in this room...at least not vocally.

Cinematography: Conrad Hall. He died a few months ago, so this was a nice gesture.

"Every time an Oscar is given out, an agent gets his wings." Now that's comedy.  ¶ 04:32   

  Musical score...Frida. Elliot Goldenthal. Haven't seen it, haven't heard it. I'm sure it's fine. Frida also won for best make-up. Yeah, that big black eyebrow is a real accomplishment. What about The Two Towers? A thousand orcs? Big hobbit feet? Gandalf's nose and beard? How's that less of an accomplishment than turning Salma Hayek into Salma Hayek with an eyebrow?

Best foreign movie - Germany. And Germany didn't show up. Surprise, surprise.

Another win for Chicago. Sweeping. Told ya. For sound? Sure. I can buy that.

Sound editing, The Two Towers. Excellent. Absolutely well deserved, beyond a doubt. I can't wait to play that DVD on my home theatre.  ¶ 04:13   

  I love that disappearing microphone. If you're gonna cut someone off, do it in style, and with cool technology.

Sean Connery! Looking...weird. What's up with that costume? Is that a bib? He's old, but not that old. All right...actress in a supporting role. Probably either Meryl Streep or Queen Latifah... Catherine Zeta Jones? Huh. Pregnant. Yup.

During the commercial breaks here they cut back to the Swedish television studio where a bunch of dressed-up "experts" do their best to be really, really dull. I'd have preferred the ads, to be honest.  ¶ 03:40   

  Mickey Mouse!? What the hell...what's he doing there, talking to Jack Nicholson? Oh, wait, animated short. Makes sense. My bad. The Chubbchubbs won - haven't seen it.

I still can't get over Mickey talking to Jack. One of those weird, surrealist moments that will linger in my nightmares.

Short movie...the Danish one won. Cool. They showed that on TV here just before the awards, but I didn't see it. Guess I should have.

Costumes? Chicago. Saw that one coming a mile away. It's gonna sweep the damn show, yup. And I haven't seen it yet. Doh.  ¶ 03:20   

  Actor in a supporting role. No clear favourite there, though my money's on Christopher Walken. Oooh, Chris Cooper won. He did a great job in Adaptation, so well deserved. Good man.

Art direction - another category where The Two Towers might win...but no. Chicago did. Haven't seen it yet, unfortunately. It opens here soon.

Oh no, musical number. Can't take it. The show would be half as short without the stupid bits, and all the better for it.  ¶ 03:02   

  Special effects... Now this is another sure must-win. The Two Towers is so far beyond anything else this year, there's no question.

The Oscar goes to: Yay again! The Lord of the Rings nabbed its first award. Hopefully the first of many.  ¶ 02:49   

  Best animated movie. If Spirited Away doesn't win, I'm turning off the TV. There's nothing to compare with it, even though Lilo & Stitch and Ice Age were both great movies. Heck, Spirited Away should be nominated for best movie overall...

...yay! It won. Great! A perfectly deserved win for one of the best movies of last year. And no acceptance speech either! Hurray!  ¶ 02:47   

  "There are no losers here tonight...but we're about to change that."

A bit of a stumbling intro, but still funny. A few of the jokes seemed to misfire, technically, but there you go. It's not as though this show is produced by Hollywood professionals.

Oh. Wait.  ¶ 02:45   

  "Mickey Rooney is the same age as Earth!"

Good intro. Funny stuff. Except for that mobile phone dropping...such a lame joke. Or was it? We'll never know.  ¶ 02:42   

  Two minutes to go. Oh. My. God! I'm so excited.

No I'm not. I'm sleepy, that's what I am. Sweet sleep...stolen from me by the damn Academy Awards. Curse you, shiny metal Oscar! Curse you to hell!  ¶ 02:26   

  I really loathe the "pre-show" stuff that they've got going. Lame, lame, lame. It's so Hollywood, in a bad way. Still, can't fast-forward through it. Unfortunately.  ¶ 02:07   

  So I totally forgot to mention this earlier, but tonight's Oscar night, and we all know what that means. Yup, it's the annual (well, second year in a row) RagnarTornquist.com live Oscar watch! Yup, tune in and stay online to get my continuously updated commentary on the 75th Academy Awards...live from L.A. And also my living-room in Oslo. Glamorous, ain't it?

Since I forgot to advertise this, chances are the audience numbers will be...negligible. To say the least. But for those of you who log on and keep clicking 'refresh' every ten minutes, I salute you. Good on you, mates. You're in for a right old treat, you are. My trademarked Funnies(TM) will make you laugh. My pathos will make you cry. My spell-checking will also make you cry. And so will my utter lack of originality after about the third post. There's only so much you can say about self-congratulatory stars before it stops being interesting.

Anyways. Stick around, Regular Readers, and I'll be sure to make this an experience you won't ever forget. Until Wednesday afternoon, at least, when something even more memorable will surely come along and bite you. Thanks. Peace out.  ¶ 00:07   

  "Dead things"

GameSpy has posted a top ten list of dying game genres, with graphic adventures, unsurprisingly, topping the list. Aside from the fact that they're a bit wrong in a few instances - neglecting, for example, the importance of shmups in Japan, the continued survival and success of the beat 'em up (uh, The Two Towers anyone?), and the abundance of rather good puzzle titles on both the consoles and the PC - it's a good read.

I specifically wanted to address a few bits from the graphic adventures "obituary":

On the bright side, there's still hope for fans of a good treasure hunt. The Longest Journey, considered by some to be the best adventure game of all-time was released just three years ago, and just last year Syberia proved that occasionally a worthwhile adventure game will trickle out and get a little attention.

What, no mention of the fact that development is proceeding on sequels to both Syberia and The Longest Journey - the latter a multiplatform sequel - for the PC, most likely both Xbox and PlayStation 2, and perhaps GameCube - with the definite potential to truly expand the market for adventure games, and to evolve the genre in an exciting direction that will pave the way for future titles, one of which will of course be the third chapter in the TLJ saga?

No? Oh.

Sorry for the marketing spiel, but, hey, that's my job! Fact is, I hope - and believe - that the next Journey will be a massive success across all platforms...not just for our sake, but for the sake of the genre and for other companies like Dreamcatcher and Microids, who are still developing exciting adventure titles.

However, it's also important to not look at adventure games as a rigid genre, something that has to look and play a certain way in order to be "pure". That's reactionary thinking. The word "adventure" isn't about how you control the game, or whether it's 2D or 3D: it's about adventure; about immersion, story, puzzles, and about experiencing a world through the eyes of a well-defined character. The adventure genre should be a flexible one, facilitating for a wide variety of gameplay - from pure exploration and puzzle-solving, to more action-oriented gameplay. Ideally, you should be able to walk into an Electronics Boutique and pick and choose from adventure games as varied and different as any other genre out there.

GameSpy is quite right about the following statement:

...many elements of adventure games have been integrated into other genres. Today's RPG's, for example, feature many of the same puzzles and situations you'd encounter in late-80's PC adventure games.

True. Modern multi-genre games - including some of the biggest games out there, like GTA: Vice City, Final Fantasy X, and Resident Evil 0 - have borrowed important adventure elements like the strong storyline, inventory, quests, multiple choice dialogues, puzzles, exploration, and so on. And that's exactly why they're so popular, because people want adventure games. They just may not have found a "pure" adventure to tickle their fancy lately. Why? Maybe there aren't enough good adventures (there aren't). Maybe some adventures are a bit too "old fashioned" (though that didn't hurt The Longest Journey or Syberia). Or maybe the above-mentioned games just happen to offer more gameplay, more fun, more bang for your bucks, than any recent adventure.

I dunno. I guess there's no one answer to that question. I do know what I would like to see in an adventure, however, which is why we're making another one, and why I'm confident it'll be a big success. And that's also why our next online world (which has been in development since last summer) contains a lot of adventure elements - enough to make it a very unique multi-genre title, the first of its kind to go online. But enough about that. For now.

Phew. Interesting subject. With Funcom focusing on the adventure-slash-RPG genres, it's important to get your feedback on this, so let your voice be heard - in e-mails to me, on boards and in forums, and in letters to your favourite online sites and magazines. Let it be known - in polite and professional terms, of course - that the "graphic adventure" ain't dead, because it's a genre that encompasses so many different elements that have been proven to work in a multitude of successful recent games.

More on this later.  ¶ 14:04   

  "We've all been killed before.

I played a lot of The Getaway yesterday. A lot. I rarely stick with a game for more than one or two hours at a time, but last night...more than five solid hours of driving and shooting my way through through the London underworld.

Five. Hours.

That may not sound like a lot to you, but it's rare that I spend five hours doing anything these days. I'm usually just waaay to busy for that (being Mr. Important and all). So the game's good, which is strange, because it has so many problems that it really shouldn't be. It's lacking basic things like a health bar and ammo count; it's incredibly difficult to navigate through the city sometimes, because the only indication of direction is the car's blinkers - which may not even work, if you've been tailgated; you can't skip the cut-scenes, some of which go on for ever; and the on-foot controls are often iffy.

Despite all of this, however, the game really does work. I don't know if it's the story - which is rather good (for a game), and well acted too (for a game) - the fact that you've got all of central London in there - looking damn close to reality, though rather empty at times (maybe it's Sunday morning) - or if it's just the fact that I love jacking cars and shooting people. Considering how much I love the recent Grand Theft Auto games, it may be the latter. But The Getaway is certainly better than some reviewers have claimed. It takes a while to works its charms on you, but when it does...five hours. Straight.

I have two missions left on my first runthrough, so even though it's a sunny and beautiful day, I think I might stay inside for a bit.  ¶ 12:13   

  "They're techno trousers, ex-NASA, fantastic for walkies!"

It's really quite absurd to sit on the couch and watch a war on TV. That's what this world has come to, mass bombing of real people as entertainment. You can't possibly relate to it on any level of reality. It becomes fantasy simply by being contained within the geometry of that square box in front of us where we're used to watching Bruce Willis kick ass. War, to a generation of pampered Europeans and Americans, is something we play at. It doesn't - can't possibly - affect us, on any level. When the revolution comes, it'll be televised, and we'll be watching it...until the moment we're dragged out into the streets and beaten to death.

Happy thoughts.

I've said it before, I'll say it again: I'm not about to use my journal to front a political agenda. There are enough people doing that already, thank God, and I really don't have anything to add. I'm reasonably intelligent, I have my own opinions, and so do you. They may agree with mine, and they may not. There are other forums where those views can be argued back and forth. Not here. Nope. We're a war-free zone.

Going out in a bit, out into the burgeoning spring - no more winter, yay! - of Oslo. It's a bit greyish today, but no biggie; anything aside from snow and the big chill is summer for me. Thinking about picking up Shenmue II for the Xbox, if it's out (it should be, the official release was yesterday). I already own the Dreamcast version, but I've only played about halfway through it, and I don't mind starting from the top. Besides, this new version is probably quite a bit better. At any rate, it's a fantastic game, and well worth picking up if you like adventures (with a fair bit of action as well).

Right then. Cheers.  ¶ 13:51   

  I just started reading The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, and I'm liking it a lot. It's a quirky, sad, and funny novel, told from the perspective of a 14-year old girl who's been murdered, and who's looking down from her own personal heaven on the lives of the people she loves. And that's about as far as I've gotten. I picked it up by chance in the bookstore, and ended up reading the entire first chapter before heading over to the cash register to pay for it. Yes, it was that engaging. I love finding books that I've never heard of, purely by accident, and telling others about it. So consider yourselves told. It's a recommended read.  ¶ 23:34   

  "No news is no news."

This morning, I woke to the sound of a drill. Drilling. A lot. It went on for about an hour before my regular wake-up time, which was very irritating. It also stopped as soon as I went into the shower, which was even more irritating, because, hey, up already! Combine that with some horribly noisy almost-neighbours (I'm not sure which building they live in, unfortunately; if I did, I would've called the cops) who decided (yet again - it's becoming a tradition) to have a party at 4 AM (on a Thursday morning, no less) with lots of piano and guitar playing, screaming, shouting, and other forms of "music" (they obviously can't play a single instrument, none of them, but God knows they try).

All right, enough with the whining. It's about time for some good, old Reader Mail. Here's Michael from Germany:

I'm just a TLJ-fan from Germany with a small question.

Reading that there will be a sequel made me very happy, but I'm just worrying that I won't remember the story of the first part in its full complexity and with all its characters. So, what about releasing a kind of summary of the first part in order to bring the player back into business and to remind him of all the important details of the plot and the characters?

Just a suggestion, but I think the fans would welcome it.

I think so too. I'm always frustrated when I get the latest book in a Bloated Fantasy Epic, and it doesn't have a summary of what happened in the previous books. I can't be expected to remember all the plot threads and silly fantasy names a year and a half later, can I? No I can't. And neither should you.

So yes, we'll try to find some way to summarise the events of the first game, but in a way that feels natural. Not, "Previously, on The Longest Journey". That would be silly. I think I have some good ideas about how to do it, but you'll have to wait a while to find out. Two years. Give or take.

From Christopher:

Has a The Longest Journey book/novel/text conversion ever been considered by you or Funcom? from reading and reminiscing over on it on forums it has suddenly become apparent to me how well the game would work as one. It's suddenly become a dream to curl up infront of the fire with a blanket and a copy of The Longest Journey. And its so much easier (for me) to re-read a book than replay a game, and I can't seem to remember much of what happened for some strange reason.

Good question, Christopher. I've had the same thought before, but I've come to the conclusion that it probably won't happen.

Here's the thing: Until the story's been completed in its "original" form, in the games (our plans are currently to make (at least) two more), a novelisation would spoil the focus of the story and the involvement of the players - a unique and important aspect of this particular tale. From being a participatory and inclusive story, it would be something very different and much more traditional. So we would definitely have to wait until the end of the saga in game form. At that point, sure, yeah, it'd be great to see a novelisation - but I wouldn't be writing it. Why? Because writing a novel - or a series of novels - takes a lot of time, and I think I'd rather want to do something original. That might sound a bit selfish, but life's short! If someone else offers to do it, and I'm confident that they could do it well - great, sure, let's do it.

Personally, I'd rather want to see a TV-show or a movie based on the concept, simply because it's such a visual story, and we'll definitely explore that option if and when the next game is successful. Or, alternatively, we could work with someone to create a graphic novel, which would be very interesting, I think.  ¶ 10:00   

  "This is your life, and it's ending one minute at a time."

I spotted this scary image in a recently distributed Anarchy Online newsletter:



Yup, that's me. Being afraid. Of the leet. I don't know what's more frightening: the furry beast, the expression on my face, or...the shirt. I vote "the shirt".

It's been a good long while now since I left the AO story team, but it's worth pointing out that the game is doing extremely well, and it's worth checking out - again, or for the first time - if you haven't done so lately. Just click on this link for a free seven day tryout. (Unlike most freebies, it really is free. For seven days. Until the phone rings again, and then you die, horribly. Uh, wait - wrong movie.)

This weekend, my brother visited from Denver, Colorado, which was very cool. I don't get to see him very often, and it's hard to stay in touch when you're thousands of kilometres - and an eight hour time difference - away. So we spent the weekend at my parents' house in the country, talked, and ate. A lot. Too much. This week, I'm eating less, much less, and that's not just because I'm completely and utterly broke. Although that's certainly an important reason. In fact, when I was buying groceries last night, my debit card was refused. I didn't have enough cash on my account to buy bread. So when you think "big-shot game director", also think "poor, penniless schmuck". Because, hey: me!  ¶ 12:48   

  "Not very."

I'm happy to report that spring has arrived.

However, with spring we're also getting what's commonly known as an "apocalypse", or, more correctly, "Armageddon".

From China, the death virus. From the Middle East, one (1) mad dictator. And from across the ocean, one (1) world war. Joy. I don't see any point in using this journal to float my own political views - I just wanted an excuse to use the word 'Armageddon', because, hey!, good word. Oh, sure, none of us will see old age. Chances are this Earth will be wiped out in the next eighteen months by: a) the death virus; b) nuclear war; or c) gamma radiation from a dying star. But we get to experience Armageddon first hand, so who's complaining? Not me.

Good thing people will still play games when the world's about to end. Yup, we're doing important work for all y'all.  ¶ 23:13   

  "Mr. Not-Right-Now."

I've been stricken with the mythical 'jet-lag' disease, and I may not have very long.

I don't know how I could possibly have caught it. Might be something I've eaten, somewhere I've been, or someone I've made out with. There is no known cure. Only an hour ago, I fell asleep in front of the TV. This, doctors say, is one of the early symptoms of the 'jet-lag'. It will only get worse from here on in, and then, some day soon, I'll...

No, it's too horrible. I'm too young, dammit! Too young! Why God, why?!

I think I'll go to bed now. Don't expect much in the way of coherence or intelligent writing from me this week. It's that darn disease, I tell ya.  ¶ 23:14   

  "Demon llama? Where?"

Just tried connecting the PlayStation 2 network adapter to my cable modem, but no luck. Something - I don't know what - is very wrong. My PC and laptop connect easily enough, so there's no reason why the PS2 shouldn't. I got EverQuest Online Adventures in the US, and was looking forward to playing it - guess I'll need to do some troubleshooting. Might have something to do with my ISP. Or the modem. Or the network adapter. Or me.

I'm guessing 'me'.  ¶ 23:35   

  "Exodus. In reverse."

Home. Wheee. Warm apartment, warm cat, warm food - after travelling for almost twenty hours, you learn to appreciate the simple things.

My mortal soul hasn't quite caught up with me yet (it's currently somewhere above the North American continent, being slowly reeled in on an invisible fishing line connected to my physical body), so I won't try to be very verbal tonight.

That's it, actually.

(More tomorrow.)  ¶ 18:34   

  Hangin' out (uh, well) at the CompUSA store on Market Street in San Francisco. It's dusk, it's a bit chilly, and we're about to head out. Where, I do not know. I expect I'll find out soon. Tomorrow, we're heading back to Norway - back to the ice and the snow and the not-California.

I prefer the California. Much.  ¶ 03:29   

  Late. (Although the time stamp on the post is Norway-time, not California-time, so it's not that late.)

Just returned from the Microsoft party. We worked hard to get in, but we left quickly. Why? It just wasn't very...good. Really.

The male to female ratio was 99 to 1, which, to be fair, wasn't Microsoft's fault - it's this damn industry we're working in. It's a men's only club. If it weren't for marketing and PR, there would be nothing but beards and beer bellies. Granted, you can still have a decent party without the women (in theory - it's yet to be proven), but this wasn't it. Again, I don't blame Microsoft. I blame the geeks. And I blame the nerds.

Geeks are good people. They're really are. They're just not good party people. It's not their natural environment. Like lions in a zoo, they retreat to the corners, growling, aggressive - deadly. Mmm...not so much, no.

Ah, heck, it has nothing to do with the geeks or the nerds. While my nerdish genes are few and far between, I've been known to geek out once in a while, and yet, strangely enough, I do all right at parties.

It's all because of the women. Or lack of it. Them. Lack of them. Women are the secret ingredient. Parties just aren't the same when you put five hundred guys in a room and turn down the lights.

(Besides, the music sucked, the food wasn't very good, and I was tired. I think the 'tired' bit is the truth behind the 'sucky party' complaint. I needed my Zs. Desperately.)

Bedtime. Night.  ¶ 08:52   

  Just a brief note. (I'm skipping the headline. No time for frills.)

In San Jose, and getting ready for my first day of the busy. The weather is just lovely: Not too hot, not too cold. A happy medium, and a world away from Norway. Lovely. Heading up to San Francisco on Saturday, and spending the afternoon and evening there before travelling back on Sunday. I'm hoping to catch Daredevil and Old School while I'm out here - could be a while before the latter shows up back home.

I have absolutely nothing more to add. But stay tuned. I'll probably be back this evening.  ¶ 16:16   

  "Mmm...not so much, no."

Winter is clinging like a sticky t-shirt in humid weather.

Humid. Sticky. Clinging. Three words that work well together, like Really Big Gun, Ouch That Hurts, or Bad Little Monkey.

In his latest novel, William Gibson writes that jetlag is the soul being reeled in on a ghostly umbilical down the wake of the plane, long after the body has arrived at its destination. He theorises that the mortal soul cannot travel fast, and must thus be awaited, upon arrival, like lost luggage.

I like that theory. But I also think that the soul leaves before us, which is why, before taking a trip, we feel lost and empty - soulless - stuck in a no-time that doesn't resolve itself until we've arrived at our destination, and reclaimed our lost souls.

Poetic, innit?

I think it speaks volumes, and it reminds us that...we all have a bad little monkey inside of us.

(Yes, my soul left a long time ago, and it took most of my Sense & Reason with it.)

I'm getting up at 4 AM tomorrow. Four. A. M. This is quite early. A farmer might call it "time to hit the shower and eat a farmer's breakfast, with the bacon and the steak and the coffee, and also possibly a monkey". I call it "time to reposition myself in bed, and possibly get started on a fresh batch of dreams. Preferably something with cute girls. Or monkeys. Or both. Both is good."

Tonight's secret word is 'monkey'. I have absolutely no idea why. See 'soul/missing', above.

Much work to be done during the next four days over there in San José, and on Sunday I go back. So, mmm, not so much with the weekend, no. I'm not complaining, though. It's good to get out and about. Inspirational. I think I'm pretty inspired as it is, but it never hurts to get with the inspiration.

I can feel a ramble coming on, so I should quit before I break something. I'll try to check in with a post on Thursday, but - no promises. I'm not bringing a PC, so I rely on the Kindness of Strangers.

Cheers.  ¶ 22:44   

  "The Muffin Man"

I have become hopefully addicted to blueberry muffins, in all their blueberry goodness. In the past week, I've had one for breakfast every morning, together with a cold carton of milk, and I. Just. Can't. Stop. (I think it's because of their secret ingredient: Blueberries. [The manufacturer is terrible at keeping secrets.])

Much talk about the next Journey in different forums at the moment, and that's definitely a Good Thing. This game needs to be talked about and hyped, so that it sells a million gazillion copies. So if you're a fan, here's your assignment: Spread the word. Make sure everyone knows we're making a follow-up. Don't let your friends or family or friends of family sleep, eat, or get a word in edgewise until they swear allegiance to the Balance, and agree to buy at least two copies. You all demanded the next chapter in the saga - now help us make it into a Big Success. We definitely need that.

Too much mail recently to answer every single one, but here goes; from Pyro, regarding the Announcement:

Hell yeah! Just promise me that just because it's coming out on consoles you're not gonna water down the story, add guns and cut dialogue? I'm not bashing console gamers, or anything like that, it's mostly just the nature of the market. Like movies, no studio is gonna spend 100 million on a movie that doesn't have wide appeal. And wide appeal means less depth.

April Ryan is back, riiiight? It would be neat to see her all high-polyed up, with a really detailed facial system with dozens of expressions. Oooh, I'm getting excited all ready! Gotta have Sarah Hamilton back for her voice though, she was terrific.

Good Luck!

We're not going to water down anything, and wide appeal doesn't necessarily mean less depth - take The Lord of the Rings, for example. Great depth, wide appeal. It will be deep. And wide. Like the Pacific Ocean.

There will probably be less dialogue, however. One general criticism the first one's received is that it was too talky, and we're taking that to heart. There will still be lots and lots of dialogue, but snappier, better paced, a better balance between playing and listening - generally better, then. Much, much better.

Yup, the characters will have a high polygon count, and complex facial expressions. In fact, you probably won't believe your eyes. The stuff that's on the drawing board...it's pretty stunning.

And April? "She'll be back." Yes. Oh yes. But it'll be...very unexpected. And very, very cool.  ¶ 11:02   

  "I think of myself more as a guestage."

I am so sleepy. This will be sho-

Oh. Wait.

Friday, I worked on a time-travel thingy that made my head spin. I've said it before, and I will say it again, many, many times, until everyone gets really irritated and fed up and leaves: Writing is hard. Don't try it at home, kids.

Thing is, I'm concerned with a stupid little thing called "internal logic". I hate it when things don't make sense within the context of its world. Like when they blow the computer-stuff on 24 (the show, not the number). How hard would it be to get it right, I wonder? (He said mockingly.) Not very. Just call up someone who's actually touched a computer that's not a Mac, and a program that's not a screenwriting program. That might help. You think?

So when you're working on a story about time-travel, that in itself may not be completely logical, because, hey!, no such thing. Yet. But even if it doesn't exist in our reality, it does in another reality, and in that reality the concept has to have internal logic. The pieces have to fit together. You can't cheat. This is a Golden Rule. Cheating is bad. You may call it 'fantasy' or 'science-fiction', but if your fantasy or science lack internal logic and consistency, if it doesn't feel real, coherent, true to the rules of your universe - then it's not good writing. Even fairytales are perfectly logical, within their fairytale worlds.

Sleep no-

Oh. Wait.  ¶ 01:54   

  "Oh, right, with the giant heads."

I am so sleepy. This will be short.

I haven't been this busy since 1999, and it's absolutely bloody brilliant. I love being busy. The busier the better, really. (To a point, of course.) It's amazing how much you can get done when you push yourself, and when you're having fun - and I'm doing both. Pushing myself and having fun. I've barely had a chance to sit down all day, and my mind's gone Schumacher. It's racing. At the speed of sound.

Leaving for the US of A on Wednesday, to sunny (hopefully) California; San Francisco and San Jose. Lots of meetings. Back on Monday. Short trip. I'm heading back there in May, for E3, and then I plan to stay a bit longer, take a short vacation. Probably the last one I'll have in quite a while, seeing as I'm sort of...busy. Yes.

I got to see some cool concept art this evening, and hopefully it'll be something we can show y'all at some point in the not-too-distant future. Start getting excited just about...now. You'll love it, guaranteed. I'm rubbing my hands and grinning just thinking about it. (And yes, it's TLJ-related stuff. Lots of cool and nifty surprises in store.)

Sleep now.  ¶ 00:08