on i’ve been listening to the audio edition of Reality Is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World, by Jane McGonigal and it’s full of fascinating ideas. Just mentioned in the book is an example of an augmented reality game (that is, a game that influences real life, rather than existing in a virtual realm) called Chore Wars. If you’re intrigued by the idea that it’s even possible to make chores fun or enjoyable or engaging, you should check this out.
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on “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
– Mark Twain
on Today is Diadeloso, Baylor’s “Day of the Bear” celebration. It’s a day the students (mostly) have off from classes and the library is a little quieter than most days. But the real reason Diadeloso is important to me is because twenty two years ago, Diadeloso was my “first date” with Ann – the love of my life. It was a great day not only because of our first date, but because we’d been friends for the past year while dating other people and finally (just the night before) came to the realization that we really liked each other! Back in those days (he says in his old-timey narrator voice), Diadeloso was held on what is now the parking lot in front of the Student Life Center and Baylor Science Building. Back then that spot was the practice field for the marching band and the intramural fields, stretching all the way from Ft. Faculty to University Parks. It’s strange to think that many of the students celebrating Diadeloso today (now on the mall between the libraries and Pat Neff hall) weren’t even born yet when Ann and I first attended Dia together (some of them not even for a couple more years!) As I write this, there’s booming music from the celebration shaking the walls of the library, but despite that, it brings a smile to my face each year this time when I think about that this event, going on now, is a wonderful reminder of a similar day, twenty two years ago. And while I didn’t know it on that day way back then, my life would be forever changed by that wonderful person. Happy Diadeloso, Ann!