Choose your own adventure?

Mobile app update. I’ve finished the first draft of the content. It’s a story written in the style of a choose your own adventure. I have fond memories of reading these when I was younger, and thought that smart phones would do well to see more of these things become available. For those that are interested, and would like to critique, I’ve posted the entire thing here:

https://sites.google.com/site/dmxcyoacaveexplroer/

From a writing perspective, it’s an interesting challenge to write a branching storyline. It’s the first time I ever really used a branching flow chart to lay out all the different plots, identify choices, and decide how different things will turn out. Sometimes different paths lead to the same point in the story, which means you have to take into consideration what previous experiences might not have happened for the reader, and avoid referencing them.

Because it’s written in the second person, you can’t really characterize the protagonist. It’s not my place to tell you who you are, simply present you with choices and notify you of the consequences. It’s also a mistake to write a single story path from start to finish. You’ll unintentionally make it the preferred path, the one where you put most of your energy, and the rest become more filler and the experience less enjoyable for the reader.

So, I’ve got the framework, I’ve got the content, now it’s time to work on the features. There are a couple of extras I’d like to put into the apps to make the experience more enjoyable, and will spend some time fleshing those out.

In the meantime, feedback is, as always greatly appreciated. I’ve done my best to have a good mix of good, bad and neutral endings, as well as consequences that follow a certain logic.

At the same time, you’ll be dealing with giant lizards, so this is not something to be taken too seriously.

Regardless, please take a look, let me know what you do and do not like. I have a problem with drifting between present and past tense, so kudos to anyone who can flag those that I have missed.

Economies of Scale

Why do smart phones cost so much?

Seriously, why do they cost so much?

They have tiny displays, low power processors, batteries that often prove to be inadequate. My netbook has a more powerful processor, a bigger screen, more of pretty much everything, and yet it cost $300 new, whereas your average unlocked smart phone runs about $600. A few years ago, a device like the HTC Tilt would cost you over $800 unlocked, if memory serves.

It’s easy to nitpick that the processor style for a cellphone vs. a netbook is very different. The software is very different. The smart phone has a touch screen. So let’s take an example that’s a bit harder to argue.

iPhone 4S vs. the “new” iPad.

iPhone 4S 16GB unlocked price? $649.

new iPad 16GB wth 4G? $629.

They’ve got the same processor, same screen pixel density, the same internal storage. The iPad has a faster cellular modem than the 4S. The screen is immensely bigger, as is the battery to power it. The iPad intrinsically costs more to build than an iPhone from a materials standpoint. So what is the justification for the cost of the iPhone? The camera? Siri? (hah!)

This is not a hate on Apple post (picking on Siri notwithstanding), I’m pretty certain every other cell phone maker does the same thing. Apple’s iPad affords a cleaner comparison than is usually available. The question is, why are they able to get away with it? If there is such a massive profit to be had making cellphones, why aren’t more companies doing it, driving down the prices?

Designing for consequences

I don’t design cars. By the time you’re done reading this, you’ll be glad I don’t design cars. At the moment, I’m of the opinion that cars should take out seatbelts, airbags, stability control, anti-lock brakes, crumple zones, and all of those safety features they’ve added over the last fifty years.

Instead, they should put a big spike on the steering wheel where the horn is.

Do this for all cars, and suddenly people will become much more cautious and courteous drivers.

I sometimes wonder if the push and drive to increase driver safety comes at a cost. Specifically, it insulates people from the consequences of their actions.

A drunk driver plows into a crowd of pedestrians. Thanks to all of the great safety equipment inside of the car, the driver is fine, and can walk away, but the people he hit were not so well protected. Sure, he might go to prison, but prison hardly heals the injured.

There is an obvious market incentive to increase the level of protection for the buyer. After all, someone who walks away from a wreck that could’ve killed them goes a long way to brand loyalty. But, there’s no incentive to protect things not in the vehicle. The design of cars is largely to absorb as much energy as possible, and transmit the rest away from the passengers.

There is also no market incentive to punish obviously bad drivers. At best, consequences are realized through tickets and a rise in insurance premiums, but it seems that the brain has a hard time internalizing the cause and effect due to time delays between getting caught in your insurance going up, or the the number of times you get away with something vs. the number of times you are caught.

So, how to bring the consequences of your actions into a more real time, present form?

I realize there are a lot of practical issues with the spike, but once something goes from harmless to potentially deadly, it does make one redefine their priorities, as you suddenly face the same potential consequences as those around you.