Depause

What is the verb for ceasing to pause? Unpause? Depause? I guess the language hasn't caught up the culture on that one.

Back from San Francisco, where I renewed an old friendship, and met up with newer friends. I showed projects to publishers, and lectured to AI experts. I ate magnificently well in a half dozen different cuisines, and also, sadly, at The Olive Garden – but at least I ate there with a delightfully amiable crowd, including an Only a Game stalwart that it was a pleasure to meet in corporeal form, so to speak.

A few random thoughts, as is my wont:

• Having limbered up a month, we are now ready to get down to some serious intrigue in the Ethics Campaign. This week, we’ll go over a key idea from Kant; something that should allow us a little firmer foundation to our discussions...
• I finally got a functioning PAL to NTSC convertor so we can play our European games consoles. Getting this – at a price of more than $160 – drove home to me just how little interest I have in the power consoles, except perhaps as platforms to develop on. What exactly is it about the failure-prone Xbox 360 or the hugely expensive PS3 that puts me off...? I think it’s just the lack of anything on them that I might actually want to play.
• Meanwhile, the wait for something to make the Wii worth plugging back in continues.
• I am considering buying a new console though – or rather, an old one. It’s almost time for me to get my own Xbox. At less than $100, and games from as little as $5 a piece, there’s never been a better time to purchase an ugly giant brick of a machine. And best of all, no money at all goes to Microsoft – only to my local game retailers, bless them all.
• I read Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling while in California; I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to get to it. I’ll probably review it in the not too distant future, and I’ll definitely be getting more of his work – I had no idea there was a Christian existentialism before Sartre’s vanilla existentialism. I still have much to learn.

Until tomorrow!

PS: Jack, where are you? Hope all is well.

Comments

[Chris (fishtopher)]

Un-pause.

Might not be in the OED, but I'd never heard the word "depause" before now.

Alternatively, "resume" is a good verb to use.

[Darius K.]

"I had no idea there was a Christian existentialism before Sartre’s vanilla existentialism"

It does kind of shock me that you didn't know that--but now you get to experience the discovery of a wonderful philosopher. Kierkegaard is my favorite Christian: when you had the game where atheists named theists they respected and vice versa, he was my first choice until I realized that I had to pick living people!

[Chris]

Chris (fishtopher): I changed your name to preserve my own sense of identity - sorry about that. If you want a different name, just let me know!

And while I intuitively feel that "un-pause" is more grammatical, you're correct when you say the OED doesn't have it. It doesn't have any word for that role. Since the language is open, I'm making a crazy bid for "depause"! :)

Darius: Well the shocking thing for me is that I have a philosophical system intimately compatible with Kierkegaard's - and yet, I have only just discovered him. It's a touch freaky, actually!

Well, that's not strictly true, I have been *aware* of Kierkegaard for some time - I just didn't really know anything useful about him. :)

Do you have a recommendation? I'm keen to read more of his work.

Best wishes!

[Jack Monahan]

Not dead!
Sorry to worry you Chris, it's just been an odd few weeks or I suppose past month for me personally.
Looks like I'll have to postpone paying you a visit in person though, since I recently had an encounter with a game developer that was foolhardy enough to hire me full-time. Suckers!
I start on Monday. With all the joyful trappings of my first on-site position, will come more regular sleeping hours and the delightful rituals that anchor our mornings--like breakfast, coffee, and digesting the latest Only A Game entry.
Oh, and I'll now be working as a level designer, which means I'll be doing my best to implement all the Chris Bateman design philosophy I've been absorbing. I'll keep you updated, just give me a few days to catch up on the Ethics campaign :)

[Chris]

Jack: thanks for getting in touch, and congratulations on your new job! Where will you be based?

I'd like to get in email contact with you so that the next time I need you to assuage my paranoia I can do it over email. :) When you get a spare moment, can you join LinkedIn and link up with me via that service? The basic service is free. Or you can get in touch with me via International Hobo, of course.

Many thanks, and once again - congratulations on your new job!