MMO Money Trades

Apparently, the value of the dollar dropped when World of Warcraft introduced real money to be exchanged for its currency titled “gold.” Personally, I don’t have any experience with that game but I can see what they are trying to do. While I don’t know much about World of Warcraft, I do know about Star Wars The Old Republic. The same type of market applies ot this game as well. A third party will advertise, “Spend $3.00 and get $1 Million credits” or something similar to that.  However, The Old Republic offers another fomr of currency called “Cartel Coins” that can actually be bought like a gift card. The only things worth the in game currency, known as credits, are the rare items that are no longer sold anymore. Those usually sell at the highest price possible. Some will buy them and other will try their luck and hope it’ll get released again. Also the rare modifications that can be added to armor. Those would have to be the most popular. So, whether it is “WoW” or “SWTOR” if people have the cash, and most likely trust or desperation, then that will be one of the fastest ways to make a character stronger all for the sake of money.

Art of the Digital Age Ch. 7-9

I have to say at the very last chapter I am surprised that they even mention gaming and virtual reality. While this concept seems like a dream I guess it does have the possibility to exist somewhere in the future. However, like I keep saying I think by the time it comes around the people who really wanted it when they were young might think differently about it when they grow up/mature. What was once enjoyable at one stage of their life might be replaced or totally forgotten. That’s the thing that scares me the most. Regardless, I really hope to see it one day. Technology will keep advancing and sooner or later  breakthrough will occur. Whether that is in my lifetime or not remains to be seen. Although it is like a pipe dream at the moment, it is something to look forward too. If nothing else, it is really popular with the current generation.

Contact lens

I would have never expected something like this before. It almost sounds like something out of a spy movie. The contact lens is like a telescope allowing the wearer to zoom in on things. Apparently this can help with people who are near sighted and/or diseased. If you can wink then, depending on the right or left eye it will either zoom in for you or it will go back to normal. I can't blink my left eye so this can be problematic for people who can not wink at all. I do think this is a sound idea though. People who are near sighted or are starting to lose vision could greatly benefit from this. However, there is a chance it could suddenly fail as well. If someone relied on it so much and all of the sudden it stopped working then that would be a major drawback to it.

Art of the Digital Age: Ch. 5-6

The way music is portrayed in this chapter is very interesting. Personally, i'm more of a country fan so learning that people can play music to that sort of extent is pretty astonishing. Matching the music in order so that it can react to something is impressive. Not only that but to somehow turn it into a work of art is skillful. What the computer can do with music back then and even to this day will keep on evolving and changing. The way people have their own personal labs set up is amazing, trying to obtain the right sounds. The amount of work it must have taken shows their passion for it. As for animation, I really liked the Particle Dream one. Not only does it show that art is an evolving thing but what the piece itself is about a human ,who is quite possibly a dreamer, is thinking about ideas that are coming to him or relaxing under a waterfall type thing.