Testing testing testing

Yay. After spending way too much time on other pointless pursuits such as running a civil engineering company, I've finally handed out Duck Tiles for external level testing.

I've still got one or two spots open for relief-testers, but you've gotta be dedicated. Lemme know if you're interested.

Note to those who post comment spam

I get notified every time someone leaves a comment, and I can delete 'em faster than you can post 'em.

Actually, I'm thinking of looking up your competitors and changing your URL's to theirs in your comments.

Good tutorial

Here is a good tutorial on how to make a "jump on the platforms" style game. It's written for Flash and ActionScript, but it should apply to other stuff fairly easily. It's also got nice little examples embedded into the text. Enjoy!

There needs to be a word

Sometimes there's no English word to explain a concept. A good example would be "Schaudenfreude", which roughly translates to English as "shameful secret happiness at the failures of others".

I need a word. This is what you would use to describe a person who's such an egomaniac that they've gotta parade their own neuroses to the world as if they're the first to experience it and that their personal problems are something of which to be proud.

A good example would be Susan Powter, who got marginally famous in the 90's for her books, I used to be fat, but now I'm not. You should be more like me., followed immediately by Well, it turns out that I was a complete drunk while you were trying to be like me for losing weight, but now I'm not. You should be more like me. Unfortunately, her fame was too fleeting for us to get the next volume, likely entitled Go figure, it turns out that I was sniffing glue while you were trying to be like me for sobering up after I was done losing weight, but now I'm not. You should be more like me.

Another good example would be Elton John who, in the 90's was proclaiming his new method of weight loss that involved chewing up food, but then spitting it into a pan rather than swallowing, a practice that nutritionists equate with bulemia. A few years later, he proclaimed that we should be proud of him because he was free of all kinds of personal demons. . .including a problem with bulemia. . .which he was proud of a few years earlier!

What brought this about is my visit to Barnes & Noble, where I saw a stack of Dr. Phil's latest book on weight loss, even though Dr. Phil himself is overweight. I'm certain that there'll likely be another volume in a few years in which he proclaims that his weight loss book was a load of hooey and now he's proud of being a druid or scientologist or something.

Anyway, I need a word for this weird need to tell the world that you're an archetype for success, even though it's obvious to everybody but you that you're screwed up.