TED Talk

Overall I thought that I had done a pretty good job on my talk. However there where a couple of things that if I were to do it again I would change. The thing that I think that I need to work on the most is my enthusiasm. As much as I try to sound excited and poised I feel as though they way I present sounds like I am just rambling on. My voice seemed robotic. I knew I was passionate about my project but I'm not sure how that came across to the audience. Another area that I struggled with was presenting my product. My product was not tangible. I couldn't hold it in front of a crowd and I had a tough time figuring out how to convey that idea. I explained my process and included a message that the audience should take away but I think my project should have been more centered around the message you should take away instead of explain your process.

My talk was definitely not perfect but I had put a lot of time in to it. If I could do it again I would definitely change a lot of things. I believe that I deserve a 26/30 on my TED talk.

Blog #6

FINAL WEEK

Throughout the course of these seven weeks I have really enjoyed this project. Now that the end of this project is so close I would like to look back. In the very beginning of this project my end goal was to develop a deeper understanding of the game and eventually develop a specific game strategy. But what I had found from r

eading the Art of War was a new understanding of the game. What I soon came to realize was that what Sun Tzu has taught me transcends beyond the realm of military strategy and while I may not have been as specific as I had hoped I feel as though I came away with something greater. I could use strategies from Starcraft and The Art of War and apply them to the real world. It is applicable in everyday environments like school, the workplace, and even sports. Not only did I achieve my goal but by following my passion I had gained a new outlook on life and I am proud of this.

Here are some of my favorite quotes that maybe you can interpret and incorporate into your own life:

“Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.”

“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”

“Supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.”

“All warfare is based on deception.”

“know yourself and you will win all battles”

“Thus we may know that there are five essentials for victory:

1 He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.

2 He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces.

3 He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks.

4 He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared.

5 He will win who has military capacity and is not 

interfered with by the sovereign.

Blog #5

In Starcraft you are acting as a general while controlling an economy, building an infrastructure, and taking command of your own army. Sun Tzu was way ahead of his time and I used this to my advantage. Once I had read and understood the importance of Sun Tzu’s teachings I was able to apply it to the game. In Starcraft the player must choose when to focus on growing economy, when to raise a standing army, and how to counter the tactics used by the opposing player. What Starcraft does is show where the true power lies in any military endeavour. If you can out-resource, out-build, and only then out-think your opponent, you’ll come out on top. Reading the Art of War had helped me develop a new understanding of the game. An example of this can even be seen in the civil war. 

Generations of historians and analysts have looked back at the Civil War and come to the conclusion that the South was destined to lose, despite having a motivated army and some of the best generals in history, like Robert E Lee and Stonewall Jackson. However,  modern wars are industrialised which means that the more advance nation wins. If only the South had listened to Sun Tzu and pursued peace after their first victory in the war...

“The art of war is of vital importance to the State. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected.” -Sun Tzu

Blog #4

After reading a lot about Sun Tzu and his work I decided to research some other applications. The biggest contribution that The Art of War had made was in the field of military. Many of the world’s greatest generals throughout history have in some way or form used Sun Tzu’s philosophy. Since the original text was written in Chinese, it has been translated into almost every major language. Most often it is associated with military strategy but as I was researching I found it interesting that over time it has been interpreted for many different applications. One of the most common applications was in the business world. The Art of War is written in a style that is poetic. Because of its style, it can be applied to almost any situation. Many CEOs and managers are implementing points stressed in the Art of War and applying them to the office.

By breaking down the book into main points you can apply them to your everyday life:

• The importance of intelligence:

• The importance of maneuvering so your enemy is hit in his weakest points

• The importance of morale

• How to conduct diplomacy so that you gain more allies and the enemy loses allies

• Having the moral advantage

• The importance of national unity

• All warfare is based on deception

• Logistics

• The proper relationship between the ruler and the general

• Know the difference between Strategy and Tactics

• No country has benefitted from a prolonged war

• Subduing an enemy without using force is best

Some Quotes to Live By:

“If it is to your advantage, make a forward move; if not, stay where you are.”

“The quality of decision is like the well-timed swoop of a falcon which enables it to strike and destroy its victim.”

“If, however, you are indulgent, but unable to make your authority felt; kind-hearted, but unable to enforce your commands; and incapable, moreover, of quelling disorder: then your soldiers must be likened to spoilt children; they are useless for any practical purpose.”

“The skillful tactician may be likened to the shuai-jan. Now the shuai-jan is a snake that is found in the Ch'ang mountains. Strike at its head, and you will be attacked by its tail; strike at its tail, and you will be attacked by its head; strike at its middle, and you will be attacked by head and tail both.”

“Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him.”

“When the general is weak and without authority; when his orders are not clear and distinct; when there are no fixed duties assigned to officers and men, and the ranks are formed in a slovenly haphazard manner, the result is utter disorganization.”

“Move not unless you see an advantage; use not your troops unless there is something to be gained; fight not unless the position is critical.”

“Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys; look upon them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death.”

Blog #3

Over the course of the week I began to read The Art of War by Sun Tzu. I decided to research about Sun Tzu prior to actually reading his work. The Art of War is believed to have been written about 2000 years ago by a man by the name of Sun Tzu in ancient China.  He was an ancient Chinese military general, strategist and philosopher from the Zhou Dynasty. Despite the fact that historians are still arguing about the origins and legitimacy of Sun Tzu, it still impacts both Asian and Western culture and policies. Even after his death many generals still implemented his ideas into battle. What I found most interesting is that a text that is written thousands of years ago can still be applied to modern life. I was surprised to learn about some of the applications.

The Art of War has become very popular across the globe. You would think that a book written thousands of years ago would be outdated but in the 1980s a law was enacted that made it so that no officer can become a general or admiral without graduating from one of the nation's war colleges, where ''The Art of War'' is a mainstay of the curriculum. The ideas created by Sun Tzu are till this day being implemented by the military. Sun Tzu was thinking way ahead of his time. Even in one of our most recent wars the US implemented this ancient Chinese philosophy.

In the words of Sun Tzu. ''Now an army may be likened to water, for just as flowing water avoids the heights and hastens to the lowlands, so an army avoids strength and strikes weakness... And as water has no constant form, there are in war no constant conditions.'' Flexibility is a key aspect in war. Being able to adapt to any situation can gain you almost any victory. This was especially important when US soldiers had to fight against Iraqi irregulars and improvised explosives.  

While Sun Tzu had to use secret agents to gain crucial information, the US military developed high tech sensors. General William F. Kernan told Congress that the ability to ''gather, analyze, and share critical information electronically allows us to fulfill Sun Tzu's dream of a common picture of the battle.''

I have spent a lot of time reading about Sun Tzu and reading his work. His work was way ahead of his time. I think that it is amazing that modern day nations still utilize his ideas that were originally written down on bamboo strips.

Vlog

Here is the link to my first vlog where I explain some of the inspiration for my project. The camera and microphone quality is not great but I hope you still enjoy.

Here is the link to the vimeo: https://vimeo.com/62215060

Blog #2

This project could not have come during a better time. Approximately one year ago Blizzard announced their plans for the next installment in the Starcraft Franchise. I have been waiting so long for the release. At least I don’t have to wait 12 years like the last one that Blizzard released. However within these years Blizzard has done an awesome job perfecting every aspect. Even the trailers are so well done.

http://vimeo.com/59326597

If Blizzard ever decides to stop making games they can always make animated action movies. Being that the game is not going to be released until 3/12/13 I have not been able to play. However I was able to get my hands on the beta test where I could play a couple of games. The game is greatly improved and I am so glad that Blizzard is making the right steps.

In preparation for the release myself and thousands of other players have been searching the internet looking for any insider information about the gameplay. However,  It isn't hard to find it. As I have said in the previous blog Starcraft is a community of players. One of my personal favorite sites to visit is twitch.tv. On this website players can start streams and allow for others to watch live. This is particularly advantageous for professional players to stream and gain a fan base while practicing. This website is great for allowing players to share ideas within the community and even for other games too even though they aren’t as cool as Starcraft. Many of the top beta testers stream live games on twitch. I actually do not play the game that frequently. I spend most of time on sites like twitch, youtube, and various forums immersing myself in the game. Reading forums and watching videos help me gain a new understanding of the game and learn new tactics. The most prolific and popular professional Starcraft analyst is called Day9. He has been apart of the gaming community since its origin. He has over 300,000 subscribers and over 74 million views on his main channel on youtube.

My goal for this week was to establish a baseline of my skills and knowledge. When I wasn't playing lacrosse or staying up reading Les Mis I was finding time to play. During a competitive match both players start out with the same basic means to form an empire. Each player starts out with a main control center for operations and six harvesters. The harvesters must then be sent to collect resources and return them to the control station. Both players are competing for supremacy. The end goal is to eventually kill your opponent by destroying his structures with your warriors. Once you have established a steady economy, you can then start to construct structures capable of building warriors. Different warriors require different amounts and kinds of resources and can only be produced from certain structures. Each different type of warrior has a certain application and use. It is up to the player or commander to use each warrior properly and kill your opponent. Amongst the three races to choose from there are 43 different types of warriors and 48 different structures. In order to master the game of Starcraft a player must first gain the knowledge of when and how each unit works. This can only be achieved by playing the game more frequently.

Starcraft is a very complex game and in this video a commentator by the name of Husky does a nice job explaining the basics of the game through the use of a special program

.

All in all I am absolutely in love with this game. I have spent a large amount of time playing and I am so glad to see that as time progresses it is getting more and more popularity on a global scale.