An interesting speech from Ken Robinson about how to nurture creativity and just how badly our modern society education system is failing to do so.

Une présentation très intéressante de Ken Robinson sur la créativité et l’échec de notre système d’éducation moderne à générer de cette dernière.

Here’s a list of AAA music groups/artists from Quebec who sing in french that I really like! Enjoy!

Une liste de mes groupes francophones préférés! Du très bon stock pour les oreilles!

• Le husky
• Danny Placard
• Malajube
• Mistaire Valaire
• Simon J. & The Fuckingrüvin Virtual Dumb Band
• Alex Theriault
• Les Balthazar
• Damien Robitaille (Ontario)
  

Do I personally give a rat about what movie or actors were the best? … last year according to the academy? no.  I think several things will help destroy the worldwide influence of the event in the next few years…

1. People care less and less about the ‘elite’ opinions, they go to the movies and judge by themself.  Or they go online and instantly see whats their friends like.
2. Good movies are from everywhere, people are more and more open to foreign movies.
3. Watching the Oscar is boring! it’s to long!  I don’t care about Kate Winslet tears or friends (despite the fact that I love her as an actress)
4. There’s nothing new to discover there.  Slumpdog Millionaire was a hit before the Oscar.  Producers don’t need the Oscar anymore.  Good movies virally spread by themself.  I discovered a lot more gems at the Cannes festival…

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Imaginez-vous dans 60 ans, vieux et solitaire comme nos grands-parents.  Avez-vous déjà passer quelques heures avec ces derniers à feuilleter des albums photos, à discuter de leur vie et de leur jeunesse… si oui, rappelez-vous à quel point ils étaient heureux!  Ça doit être si chaud et rassurant de revivre les prouesses de son passé face à l’incertitude de sa vieillesse et de sa mort.  Moi même quand je regarde les clichés de mes voyages j’en ai des frissons, je retrace les odeurs, les peurs, les difficultés et ça m’enveloppe; ça me rend heureux.

Maintenant je m’imagine parfois à 80 ans, vieux et acariâtre perdu dans les centaines de milliers de photos, vidéos, textes et amitiés archivés de ma vie sur le Web.  Complètement ivre des souvenirs de ma jeunesse.  Combiens de fois pourra-t-on revivre sa vie?

Serait-ce pas ça la meilleur des fins?

If we venture away from the rhythm (taptap) and syntetiser (Orcina) games genres on the Iphone we hit a black hole! There’s nothing new, no real experiment.

I will show you three examples of application released by the music industry that in my view failed to capture the new possibilities of the Iphone.

The biggest buzz (again outside of TapTap) came from an application released by the music group Snow Patrol.  A pretty interesting effort to freely offer to the fans an interactive booklet.  The problem? it’s not innovative… to me it looks like we took the group flash website and translated it into an Iphone app, nothing more.  Yes it’s interesting, it’s a goodies for the fans… but it’s not a marketing vector and it won’t bring food on the table.  Of course the thing could be push to a level where fans would be ready to shell some cash for it… with a lot of features, behind the scenes videos, music videos, interview, etc…  but that’s nothing more than selling the group DVD content in an Iphone app.

Sony BMG took a different approach with Pink newest album.  It used the app platform as a marketing vector to push sales of the album by offering 30 seconds (ya really… so kind) demo of each songs, news and photos.  Well again, they took Pink website content and put it inside an app…  where is the meat for the customer.  Doesn’t the Iphone come with a browser and an internet connexion?

The last attempt I present you is the most ridiculous  one… the classic… a Tetris clone!  Yes your heard it!

CEO - I wonder how we could sale more albums?
PR Guy - I heard games were pretty big on the Iphone
CEO- Hmmm… we could make a Pac Man game branded with our music!
PR Guy - Hmmm… better … What about a Tetris game with falling instruments!
CEO - Brilliant! We will be rich!

This sadly comes from an alternative label featuring really innovative artist!  The Beggars Group.

What we need is definitely not more of the same.  We need artistic and original Music Interactive Clip where the spirit and substance of the artist is translated to the listeners.  Apps that generate goosebump, laugh and tears!

After a quick chat with Marc-Olivier d’Amour about the idea of an outside game dev competition, we decided to join our forces and talents and give it a shoot.

Marco works for Gestev on different events like the Red Bull Crashed Ice and the Snowboard Jamboree.  He has  also organise countless of students events and competitions at Laval University.  He is now finishing an MBA in marketing.

I will be in charge of everything relating to the gaming competition and he will be in charge of everything related to event organization.

In the next two weeks we plan to write a summary and a sponsor prospectus.  We’ll then start seeking advices from different actors in the Québec/Montreal gaming scenes. (Studios, Universities, Colleges, Professional Associations, etc.)

Wanna help? drop a line in the comments…

[processus -> l10n -> transfert -> fr_CA.utf8 -> done]

Après une bonne discussion avec mon bon ami Marc-Olivier d’Amour au sujet d’une compétition de programation de jeux extérieur, on a décidé de joindre nos forces et de tenter le coup.

Marco travaille actuellement chez Gestev sur différents projets tels le Red Bull Crashed Ice et le Snowboardboard Jamboree.  Il a également organisé une quantité impressionnante d’évènements et de compétitions étudiantes au sein de la faculté d’administration de l’université Laval.  Il termine un MBA en marketing.

Je serai en charge de tout ce qui est relié à la compétition de programmation et Marco à tout ce qui concerne l’organistion physique de l’événement.

Au cours des deux prochaines semaines on prévoit écrire un résumé et les ébauches d’un plan de commandites.  On commencera ensuite à tâter l’intérêt pour un tel projet au près de tous les acteurs reliés de près ou de loin à la scène jeux de Québec et Montréal.

Si vous voulez participer n’hésitez pas à écrire un commentaire.

Yesterday I had this crazy idea for a game development competition in Québec. Where the thing could be held outdoor! Nobody want to be inside 4 walls during the most sunny weekend of august even the geekiest out of us!

Participants would only have to bring their tents and their laptops. The organization would provide a big top (the ones used for weddings), barbecues, meat, beer and an most importantly an internet connexion! Imagines creating crazy games with your friends between a cold beer, a steak and some sun! That would be sick! The competition theme could be base around every inspiring things we found outside our walls.

Love the idea? would want to help? give me some feedback!

[Amnésie langagière]

Hier j’ai eu une idée un peu folle! Organiser une compétition de programmation et de design de jeux vidéo à l’extérieur en plein milieu du mois d’août. Personne veut être entre quatre mûrs durant le week-end le plus chaud de l’été!

Les participants auraient qu’à amener leur tente et leur portable! L’organisation s’occuperait du reste: chapiteau, barbecues, bières, viandes et le plus important la connexion internet! Imaginez créer un jeu avec vos amis entre une bonne bière froide, un bon steak barbecue et du soleil! Ce serait fou! Le thème de la compétition pourrait être inspiré de tout ce que l’on trouve à l’extérieur de nos mûrs.

Vous aimez l’idée? vous participeriez à un tel projet? vous voulez m’aidez à réaliser ce projet? laissez moi un commentaire!

1. Independents games developers are desperately trying to find ways to live from their crafts.
2. The music industry his desperately trying to find new ways to monetize their content.
   
3. Powerful device like the IPhone, the Blackberry Storm, the Android G1, the Palm Pre will be in the hands of millions of costumers soon.
   

Sells interactive apps for touch-screen phones based on artists songs at twice/triple the price of the equivalents MP3.

Let call those interactive app, MGC aka Music Game Clip.  But don’t be fool by the name it doesn’t necessarily have to be a game or have a goal; it only have to be interactive and be related to the artist song.  It could be anything…  And I trust indie game designer genius to come up with incredible idea that could change both the music and game industries for ever.

The collaboration between indie developers and musicians could create gems!  Like the collaboration between musicians and film maker did years ago and still do with music videos.

Why I think it makes sense:

• The economics is solid!  The MGC can be cheaply produced by small team or even individual in short period of time.  The marketing channel of the musicians could be use to sell them to fans trough Online Store like Itunes.
• The music industry would be trill to makes money with a product they entirely own. (contrary to music games like Guitar Hero)
• The indie games developers can spend time developing crazy concepts and ideas around songs, make them come true and distribute them to millions of fans.  And make money from that.
• It’s a win win situation for everyone involve.

Why I think fans would buy them:

• Imagine … you commute in the metro or the bus you listen to your favorite band song and you experience it, totally!  Like they envisioned. A perfect moment out of reality.
• Cool factor
• Cheap

So what do you think? Think it will append?  When?  Can it append without the support of Apples or The big major?  Could we see a hit from an obscure music artist set the bar and create the genre?