Friday Links 08-10-02

From the Web

The Moral Roots of Liberals and Conservatives – An interesting talk about the five pillars of morality across human cultures and why liberals and conservatives disagree.

In Praise of Salaried Employment – Tim Clark has an interesting article about the joys of not working for yourself.  I’m a big fan of entrepreneurship, especially smaller ventures, so it’s interesting to read about the opposite perspective.  Ultimately, I think the decision needs to be about what the lifestyle you want is, and what your values are.

One of the problems with working for yourself Clark mentions is social isolation.  Like it or not, a job provides a community.  Being a lone wolf can be, well, lonely.  I think this is an important point that anyone seriously considering taking off on their own needs to deal with.

From the Archives

Ten Steps to Cultivate the Now Habit :

“We all need something to anchor ourselves. Something to give us certainty and happiness through the ups and downs in life. A compass point to give the day direction and prevent feeling meaningless and letting disorientation creep in.

Some people use relationships, status or religion as that anchor. I believe the best one of all is simply the now. Cultivating a habit to focus on what is, not what might be or what was, is a happy way to live. Relationships can end, status can fail and religion can delude, but the now is a constant.”

From the Hard Drive

Spore – I don’t really play many computer games.  I usually find they are just too time consuming and it’s hard to find really original concepts that are well executed.  Spore is a big exception.  I had been waiting for this since I first heard about the development a few years ago when Will Wright presented at the GDC.  The game focuses entirely on procedurally generated content, instead of hiring an army of professional artists to fill the game, every player is a creator.  This creates some interesting side-effects where the game can have a nearly infinite scope.

While I think games still have a ways to go to prove themselves to a broader audience, I think they are coming a long way to be recognized as an art form, just like film or literature.  Spore is definitely a step in the right direction.