Friday, January 18

Irma had a meeting in the centre at 10:00, which was when Auo had to be at school, so Naa and I left them to it. We left the house at 7:30 and walked to the bus in the coldest morning of winter so far. It was about minus fifteen.

I started the Real-time Web course this morning, and explained what we will be doing. I gave out the required materials, and then we all sat and watched two TED talks by Jane McGonigal. The first one runs through some of the main themes of her book, Reality is Broken, and the second concentrates more on the health benefits of gaming, triggered by the game she invented to help cope with the suicidal feelings that followed her severe concussion and brain trauma.

I am intending the course to produce an actual real-life online game for 250 players, that will run in April and be presented as a completed project at Camp Pixelache in May. Will this work? I have no idea? What will the game be about? I have no idea. I have decided to adopt a position of extreme optimism and see what happens as a result. I am going to do a second alternate reality gaming project in Period 4 with the first year, which may also play a part in Camp Pixelache, so Extreme Optimism will definitely be needed.

Now I have had enough of being indoors for fifteen minutes. I am walking to the mall where I will buy a plastic bowl. Right now, I m captivated by the light on the snow under the bright blue sky. The bowl will be used next week when I begin eating my bag full of sachets of savoury porridges from India.

Later I will adjust the proposal for PxCubed, and send out emails about it. I will also get Camie’s agreement to do a guest lecture at the Masters course in April. For once this week I will leave early.