In a concerted effort to Do Stuff With My Weekends, I spoke to my old mate Paul during the week about tripping off today to the London Expo at the ExCeL Centre in London's sunny Docklands. Traditionally not my favourite of the fan conventions, but normally worth a look. The London Expo is supposedly organised by the same folks as Memorabilia... but it's not done half as well.
I'm not sure whether it's the location (ExCel and the NEX are similarly purpose-built convention centres) or the people (a much greater percentage of Londoners at this one, obviously), but the London Expo always seems more crowded and more prone to hugely long queues at the entrance. We spent approximately an hour and a half queuing for tickets before even getting into the hall (a second hall was used for the queues, but very badly sectioned off into channels, which had the be constantly adapted and extended while we were progressing in the queue), and then navigating the show itself was a nightmare.
It wasn't even that it was poorly laid out... it was just difficult to see where you were, if your tendency is to navigate by the stalls. I'm pretty sure that we saw everything, but two of my regular haunts - Genki Gear and Retro GT - only turned up on my second run-through. I really must get my arse in gear and draw some of the T-shirt designs I've had knocking about in my head for Genki Gear. It'd be cool if they were turned into products...
In the end, despite having plenty of cash on me when I walked in, I spent very little - about £30 on T-Shirts and a further £10 on a new travelcard holder for me, and a choice of two for someone else.
I was very disappointed in the show in general - even the guests they had in weren't exactly prominently placed - but also very glad I decided to go with Paul, rather than my usual companion, who would have been foaming at the mouth and murdering people left, right and centre before we'd even got our tickets.
Still, the Cosplayers were there in force and, broadly speaking, seemed to be enjoying themselves. Must say I'm still creeped out by some Crossplayers and the sheer number of people with "Free Hugs" signs and, annoying as they were, I'm forced to agree with the two kids who were behind me in the queue - why on earth would so many of the Cosplayers attend something like the Expo in costume and look so serious about it? No surprise that there were quite a few Na'vi at the show, some more successful that others but, other than them, there weren't a huge number that I recognised.
I'm kind of wondering if the majority of the retail stands ended up going to Collectormania instead... that runs over the whole Bank Holiday weekend... There was a decent amount of upcoming movie stuff on show, plenty of Manga and Anime, and an excellent selection of videogames (particularly on Wii)... but the crowding and the lack of stuff to buy really let the show down for me.
Saturday, 29 May 2010
Wednesday, 26 May 2010
A bizarrely calm press day?
Yup, I'm serious... What has traditionally been one of the craziest press days of my month went quite smoothly. Very much overlong, due to the Editor being incredibly slack. I spent a lot of time advancing my next couple of flatplans, and trying to decide whether or not I could safely work on web ads... But eventually the pages came through. Slowly.
Doesn't help that the Designer isn't exactly quick in her work, or assertive with her editor (defensive enough about her work when it's called into question or otherwise challenged, though). It's frustrating in many ways... She reckoned on being familiar with InDesign, so Quark 4 was probably a terrible shock to her... but she's not picking up on shortcuts (I can only hope she's better in InDesign, as I've never seen her use it), and is very reluctant to think for herself. On a couple of occasions today, she wanted me to look at pages that had failed their flightcheck. Since the software puts up a big, red icon saying "PDF Failed Checks" where the page preview should be, it seemed as though she hadn't read the details of the error. Most were self-explanatory. More than 310% ink coverage is the norm with supplied artwork (and our own, where the Designer is using stupid Photoshop profiles), and I've lost count of the number of times I've explained to all of them that, yes, we like to have our images at 300dpi, but anything above 150 is passable.
I do not understand why so many 'Designers' these days cannot remember and understand these things... Why they can't look at a preflight report and determine for themselves whether the artwork is passable or not and, if not, investigate the reasons and take appropriate action to fix them without involving me.
Although, upon reflection, it is perhaps for the best that they do involve me... I just kinda wish it wasn't necessary. In many ways, I feel (and have done for years) that my presence in that sort of environment inhibits their development as Designers. While I'm there to answer questions and investigate problems, why would they try? It's not as if they'll be as good as me anytime soon... if ever.
These people will be made redundant at the end of the year, and I dread to think what their next job will be like. As harsh as my boss is, she has yet to sack someone for being crap - and there have been those who really needed sacking for being crap. I don't necessarily agree with her methods, but her ultimate aim is to get people to think about what they're doing, recognise their mistakes and learn from them. Far too many are far too keen to stop listening and blanket disagree with any comment made about their work, rather than taking on board what's been said. They shut down at the first sign of complaint, and - quite visibly in some cases - build walls around their egos, which the criticisms do not penetrate.
One of my team is an excellent Designer when given something worthwhile to work with, and time enough to work well... but point out a mistake, and she snaps. Eyes narrow, mouth tightens, arms cross.
I've had limited success by suggesting alternatives ("instead of this, try that... and maybe see what the other looks like."), but what I'd really like to do sometimes is wring her bloody neck and point out that the reason our boss is so hard on her is because she knows what level of work to expect, so she's frustrated and disappointed when she doesn't see it... but if this Designer can't figure that out on her own, it's hardly worth the effort.
If they don't learn, part of me actually hopes they'll get sacked from one job after another, until they figure out that much of what our boss says was worth listening to... but, I suspect, by that time, they'll have forgotten it all.
In other news, The Naked Office? Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, Reality TV Commissioners. The woman fronting the show poses the question: "If these people can get naked in front of each other, what can't they do in the future?"
Um. Breathe in space?
But seriously, what on earth does that have to do with failing business? "Breaking down boundaries"? Please. This is just some TV Commissioner's bizarre wet dream. Nothing more. But what's worse - that someone is actually daft enough to believe that getting people to strip off in front of their coworkers will actually help their business, or that some businesses are desperate enough to give it a try? Or maybe the possibility that the folks behind the show don't believe that nakedness will make the tiniest difference, and choose to continue the parade anyway?
Ugh.
Really ugh.
But, hey. Season three of Chuck begins on Monday... and it doesn't even clash with the finale of FlashForward. Sometimes, I like the schedulers.
Doesn't help that the Designer isn't exactly quick in her work, or assertive with her editor (defensive enough about her work when it's called into question or otherwise challenged, though). It's frustrating in many ways... She reckoned on being familiar with InDesign, so Quark 4 was probably a terrible shock to her... but she's not picking up on shortcuts (I can only hope she's better in InDesign, as I've never seen her use it), and is very reluctant to think for herself. On a couple of occasions today, she wanted me to look at pages that had failed their flightcheck. Since the software puts up a big, red icon saying "PDF Failed Checks" where the page preview should be, it seemed as though she hadn't read the details of the error. Most were self-explanatory. More than 310% ink coverage is the norm with supplied artwork (and our own, where the Designer is using stupid Photoshop profiles), and I've lost count of the number of times I've explained to all of them that, yes, we like to have our images at 300dpi, but anything above 150 is passable.
I do not understand why so many 'Designers' these days cannot remember and understand these things... Why they can't look at a preflight report and determine for themselves whether the artwork is passable or not and, if not, investigate the reasons and take appropriate action to fix them without involving me.
Although, upon reflection, it is perhaps for the best that they do involve me... I just kinda wish it wasn't necessary. In many ways, I feel (and have done for years) that my presence in that sort of environment inhibits their development as Designers. While I'm there to answer questions and investigate problems, why would they try? It's not as if they'll be as good as me anytime soon... if ever.
These people will be made redundant at the end of the year, and I dread to think what their next job will be like. As harsh as my boss is, she has yet to sack someone for being crap - and there have been those who really needed sacking for being crap. I don't necessarily agree with her methods, but her ultimate aim is to get people to think about what they're doing, recognise their mistakes and learn from them. Far too many are far too keen to stop listening and blanket disagree with any comment made about their work, rather than taking on board what's been said. They shut down at the first sign of complaint, and - quite visibly in some cases - build walls around their egos, which the criticisms do not penetrate.
One of my team is an excellent Designer when given something worthwhile to work with, and time enough to work well... but point out a mistake, and she snaps. Eyes narrow, mouth tightens, arms cross.
I've had limited success by suggesting alternatives ("instead of this, try that... and maybe see what the other looks like."), but what I'd really like to do sometimes is wring her bloody neck and point out that the reason our boss is so hard on her is because she knows what level of work to expect, so she's frustrated and disappointed when she doesn't see it... but if this Designer can't figure that out on her own, it's hardly worth the effort.
If they don't learn, part of me actually hopes they'll get sacked from one job after another, until they figure out that much of what our boss says was worth listening to... but, I suspect, by that time, they'll have forgotten it all.
In other news, The Naked Office? Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, Reality TV Commissioners. The woman fronting the show poses the question: "If these people can get naked in front of each other, what can't they do in the future?"
Um. Breathe in space?
But seriously, what on earth does that have to do with failing business? "Breaking down boundaries"? Please. This is just some TV Commissioner's bizarre wet dream. Nothing more. But what's worse - that someone is actually daft enough to believe that getting people to strip off in front of their coworkers will actually help their business, or that some businesses are desperate enough to give it a try? Or maybe the possibility that the folks behind the show don't believe that nakedness will make the tiniest difference, and choose to continue the parade anyway?
Ugh.
Really ugh.
But, hey. Season three of Chuck begins on Monday... and it doesn't even clash with the finale of FlashForward. Sometimes, I like the schedulers.
Tuesday, 25 May 2010
...And in conclusion...
There's something about this time of year that says "Season Finale".
We've already had the end of the update to The Prisoner (more story than the original, but just as unintelligible... and sadly predictable in its presentation of an "Oh, no... Not that!" ending), with FlashForward concluding next week (my guesses: Mark Benford lives, Demitri, Janice and Simon get killed, Olivia and Charlie probably get captured) without ever really getting anywhere. I'm sure there was at least one other Season Finale since I last wrote but, if so, I've already forgotten it.
Doctor Who continues apace... I'm reasonably impressed by the reintroduction of the Silurians, even though they're rather derivative of the Predator, now that their alien/reptile/fishy appearance is explained away by a mask that gives them heat vision (amongst other things). The first part seemed perhaps a little slow (and how is the young boy the Doctor's responsibility rather than that of his own mother?), but Matt Smith is working out far, far better than his predecessor, and the 'two companions' dynamic is much more interesting than the previous, single companion setup.
Work is settling back into a decent enough flow. The new top dog introduced himself to everyone on the floor yesterday, then started calling meetings with all the Sales Managers, generally making himself unpopular by asking them difficult questions (such as "what have you been doing today?" and "what are your prospects?") and making them accountable for their sales and those made by their staff.
Having now played a bit of Castlevania Judgement, I can say that it's rather hard, but not just because of the way the camera tracks the action (or, more accurately, doesn't). Playing in Story Mode, I can win a few battles... but playing in Castle Mode is bizarrely difficult on the first stage. Perseverance will win, though... it's a very interesting concept hampered by a few technical issues.
I've also had a go at Monster Hunter Tri using the bowgun as my weapon. It's a very different style of game that way, not least because I'm packing a six-shooter when even the smaller animals can take 7 shots to put down... and it took me far too long to remember how to reload. I did happen upon an interesting revelation about armour upgrades, which I may well put into practice when I switch back to my main game... in which my character has already faced off - and, to be perfectly honest, lost - against the Lagiacrus. Its first appearance is a shock, considering how early on in the game it is (something like 3-5 hours for me, so substantially less for some, or more for those who like to explore before they start hitting the quests)... but that initial shock is nothing compared to the urgent yet glacial terror of realising that it can quite happily follow you from area to area.
My problem is that, when I panic, I lose any level of ambidexterity I might normally have, so I can't get my hands to coordinate and direct the camera where I want to go, so I can swim in the correct direction. That, coupled with my inability to switch focus to the map for a vague idea of what the correct direction might be, is why I got myself chomped. That said, my panic-state affects this game a little less than it does the likes of Silent Hill...
We've already had the end of the update to The Prisoner (more story than the original, but just as unintelligible... and sadly predictable in its presentation of an "Oh, no... Not that!" ending), with FlashForward concluding next week (my guesses: Mark Benford lives, Demitri, Janice and Simon get killed, Olivia and Charlie probably get captured) without ever really getting anywhere. I'm sure there was at least one other Season Finale since I last wrote but, if so, I've already forgotten it.
Doctor Who continues apace... I'm reasonably impressed by the reintroduction of the Silurians, even though they're rather derivative of the Predator, now that their alien/reptile/fishy appearance is explained away by a mask that gives them heat vision (amongst other things). The first part seemed perhaps a little slow (and how is the young boy the Doctor's responsibility rather than that of his own mother?), but Matt Smith is working out far, far better than his predecessor, and the 'two companions' dynamic is much more interesting than the previous, single companion setup.
Work is settling back into a decent enough flow. The new top dog introduced himself to everyone on the floor yesterday, then started calling meetings with all the Sales Managers, generally making himself unpopular by asking them difficult questions (such as "what have you been doing today?" and "what are your prospects?") and making them accountable for their sales and those made by their staff.
Having now played a bit of Castlevania Judgement, I can say that it's rather hard, but not just because of the way the camera tracks the action (or, more accurately, doesn't). Playing in Story Mode, I can win a few battles... but playing in Castle Mode is bizarrely difficult on the first stage. Perseverance will win, though... it's a very interesting concept hampered by a few technical issues.
I've also had a go at Monster Hunter Tri using the bowgun as my weapon. It's a very different style of game that way, not least because I'm packing a six-shooter when even the smaller animals can take 7 shots to put down... and it took me far too long to remember how to reload. I did happen upon an interesting revelation about armour upgrades, which I may well put into practice when I switch back to my main game... in which my character has already faced off - and, to be perfectly honest, lost - against the Lagiacrus. Its first appearance is a shock, considering how early on in the game it is (something like 3-5 hours for me, so substantially less for some, or more for those who like to explore before they start hitting the quests)... but that initial shock is nothing compared to the urgent yet glacial terror of realising that it can quite happily follow you from area to area.
My problem is that, when I panic, I lose any level of ambidexterity I might normally have, so I can't get my hands to coordinate and direct the camera where I want to go, so I can swim in the correct direction. That, coupled with my inability to switch focus to the map for a vague idea of what the correct direction might be, is why I got myself chomped. That said, my panic-state affects this game a little less than it does the likes of Silent Hill...
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