Sunday, November 12, 2006

The Devil is a Cosplayer So it's largely been business as usual lately, although I have managed to create a little more time for myself during the past two weeks. Something as simple as sitting down to play Guild Wars is amazing for stress relief. I have to say, before this job I thought I knew the definition of stress. But I really didn't. I also have begun to understand what happens if you don't relieve stress - your body builds up adrenaline and if it is not released, it literally burns a hole in your stomach (ulcers, anyone?) This is why, when stressed, it is a great idea to exercise. I have definitely found that if I avoid this, I get nasty stomach aches. Better stress management has definitely helped to improve my overall mood, too. Despite all of the negative aspects of the job, in terms of the very long hours and the responsibility, I must say that I'm glad I accepted it. If I can do this job in this company, I can honestly work anywhere under any conditions - facing such constant pressures forces you to either sink or swim. And I'm swimming. It's actually a good feeling to know what you can do when you're really pushed to the limit. One thing I have also discovered in a very real way is the value of intellectual property. I am now so much more wary than I used to be - I have had a couple of pieces of work "stolen" by another staff member and as a result, I've become very particular about being credited for the work I've done. In many cases I'm submitting work or contributing to things that go above and beyond my regular role - that is to say, I'm doing extra things that I'm not being paid for. In some ways this reflects the work I've done online in the past as well. And in both cases, whether or not I'm being paid, the simple acknowledgement is ultimately what really matters. I have always known what it felt like to have someone mimmick my work (or parts of it) and I've always known what it's been like to have someone else take credit for things I've done. While that can be annoying and frustrating in the online world, it can be downright dangerous in the business world (especially if you miss out on opportunities as a result). So this really means that I have become even more guarded and protective of my work and my ideas. This is true online also. Speaking of the online world, there is a lot to organise. For one thing, I am looking at getting a new host (Tony, in fact - while I'm here I should apologise for the delay, I haven't had much time to check out Paypal...I will try to do that soon for you) and I'm also trying to work out who I can bring on board to help me with the programming side of things. The main difference now is that I'm actually willing to pay for programming support, so hopefully that should open the field up somewhat (and if any skilled programmers are reading this and would like to earn some extra cash, please let me know). Before I go I might as well ask everyone a question. For those of you who have ever worked in a creative group (or even in business), do you tend to be very protective over your own work, or are you usually willing to just throw it out there and keep your hands away from it? Sometimes I am very much the latter, but only when my position is clearly defined early on. In other cases (especially after what's happened in recent times), I tend to be the former. Aaryanna: I'm sure you would like Canberra (and Australia, for that matter). It would be fun to show you the sights! Nehszriah: Heh, it's Canberra...Cannaberra sounds very Spanish (perhaps it would have been called Cannaberra if we'd been settled by the Spanish, you never know!) ~_^ One-way streets are annoying, but I suppose they help to deal with traffic congestion in large cities. Many cities were apparently never planned with large volumes of cars in mind (especially much older cities). Sydney, for example, has very narrow streets and lots of one-way streets. It wasn't planned and it has simply had to cope with large traffic flow. Melbourne, on the other hand, has wider streets and is designed in a grid pattern...it also has multiple laneways to divert traffic flow. So it all depends how the city was planned from the beginning, I guess. CosmicSailor: Oh I would love to visit the various NASA centers in the United States! I've also always wanted to see a space shuttle launch. That would be a dream come true for me. Hopefully one day I can go over there to visit all of those amazing sights. In terms of your time-out issue, I'm wondering, do you tell OB to remember you? If so, time-outs should not be an issue. However, if OB doesn't "remember you", time-outs can tend to be very annoying. Perhaps this is something we can look at fixing, although it's a good solution for public computers (especially those in school libraries and whatnot). SunfallE: Hopefully one day both of you will be able to travel to Australia and see the sights. There's plenty to see and visitors from overseas tend to really enjoy their stay here. It's always very warm and friendly, so within a few days you'll feel like an Aussie yourself. ~_^ Crystia: Yes, I think most foreign tourists think of the usual places (particularly Sydney) and even then, I suspect that many of them don't even really explore NSW very much (Sydney is the capital city of New South Wales, which is the largest Australian state). The big attractions are wonderful, but as usual, it's even better to look under the surface and explore things that most tourists don't see - knowing a local really helps when it comes to that stuff. You have a planetarium? I love those. The last time I went to one was years ago as part of a school excursion (field trip). Was a lot of fun! I'm also glad you feel comfortable enough to use your first name on here. It definitely provides a sense of familiarity. I have always used my first name on this network in particular, mostly because I could never think of a screen name that I liked...so using my own name is safe in that way. Shinje: Where have you been in Australia when you visited before? I'm sure I could recommend a few interesting places to you for when you come here again in the future. ^_^

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