The Journey… Day 4
Measurement
What’s the difference between a nice table and an off-balance table? Some people may say color and size. Other’s may extol the virtues of materials and functionality ad nauseam. Still other’s may even gush over a brand or country of origin. But if you ask me, my answer may surprise you.
Measure twice cut once.
What’s the difference between a good haircut and a really bad, uneven haircut?
Measure twice cut once….
Measure twice cut once was a phrase that my dad always raised me with. Do your work. Be precise and check your work, especially those pesky math equations. Under season your food…. because once you add it you aren’t taking it away. Making sure you do everything you can from the very beginning to ensure arriving at your desired destination. It’s things like this that I was taught growing up. My dad was pretty amazing. This January will mark the second year of his passing and there is not a day that goes by where he doesn’t cross my mind and I’m not thankful for some knowledge that he passed on to me during his time on Earth.
I miss my dad… but every time I pour over a project with a fine toothed comb I feel him looking over my shoulder and giving me the same positive messages that he always imparted. “You may be out skilled… That’s ok.” He would say to me as I attempted to pass something not quite up to snuff by him. “It’s ok to be out skilled but never let yourself be out worked.” Boom. Before mic drops were even much of a thing my dad would drop mic on me daily with thoughts and ideologies that fundamentally shaped my world. He gave me skills to be able to accomplish these things when he would no longer be able to be around.
Today’s coding was precise work. I took a break from pushing the quantity of code to pushing the quality of play. I polished sprite sizes taking time to make sure they were perfectly sized for the vision of a desired end result. I adjusted colors, and trimmed microseconds from random generators needed to time out enemy spawns. I added a second enemy with multiple hit points so that one would take three hits before its demise while the other would perish at one. I previewed sound files and determined immediately that my music production would serve me well by giving my project a unique aural signature.
Measure twice, cut once…
As a scientist I love code. I love puzzles, riddles, and strategy games. If is tickles my intellect and problem solving skills, sign me up. As an artist I love layering in almost transcendent levels of detail. It is said that to be a great chef you must elevate your ingredients beyond something that just is to something that may never have been. In a world where so many things have been done. Giving people new experiences is what sets one onion, or line of code, apart from another.
In really slowing down and putting that estra love into the project today I got another chance to watch my game take another step forward in it’s youthful existence. Watching it grow as I watch my children grow.. with each passing step and each passing day. Today it looked like a game. With textures in place, 2D rigid bodies and collision spaces set up my newborn game started to walk. With all of the care that was show me in my development I breathed the life of my father into in and I was stoked.
I wish he could see me now…
In life, everything that you do should involve love. Even if the only love to be found is making sure that what represents you does so to the best of your abilities. Make it your best. Give it your best shot. Make sure you mind your “caps” and “semicolons” if you are coding. Don’t add too much salt to start off. Take time to fine tune while you have the gift of time… and make sure to measure twice before cutting. This day is for you dad.
