bonesiii

Funny how whenever I use IE and then try it in FF, IE loads faster. And what is up with all this "fast and faster"? Everything loads instantly for me, yo. Get rid of your dialup.

Enter the Powerpoint Face Contest by May 15! This won't be my main entry this week if I can help it -- I wanna launch the next interview in a few days here. But in response to a topic in GD the other day, I wanna make something clear. Not going to link to it, just quote from it, and I'll not pretend to speak for Greg or anyone else -- just me. The topic starter had this to say: Now, I can understand his sentiments. Sometimes I am attacked, and of course that is wrong. But some people have also pointed out that it's possible to read my posts and come away with the wrong impression -- and I think that's a fair charge too, so lemme explain my view of criticism. It's basically really simple. As long as you're not flaming me, I welcome criticism. Why? Because as right as I often think I am, I know from past experience that I can be 100% convinced I am right about something and still be dead wrong. For example, I remember when I was in about 4th grade, someone wasn't sure whether penguins lived at the north or south pole. I honestly thought I knew the answer -- I knew that polar bears were large, and that the north pole was simply ice, very little land beneath it, so I assumed they would live in Antarctica, where the ice rests atop land. The other person was sure I was wrong, that penguins = south and polar bears = north, but I was sure I was right. So I argued emphatically and assured them I knew I was right -- I honestly believed I had heard somewhere that it was the case. So then they looked it up. And voila, I was wrong. I felt rather silly about that, and at the time, I hadn't yet formed my views about "truth-seeking debate." It then led me to feeling embarrased, and for a short time, I felt like not admitting that I was wrong and stubbornly holding onto the idea anyways. But through many other life experiences, I realized how foolish that was, and that there was a better approach -- to always be accurate and say clearly when I'm not sure of something,. Today I am eager to find the truth in all things. So if I saying "Not sure about this, but I think it's this way", or even if I slip and just say "it's this way" and you see evidence that I'm wrong, please, please, please tell me! I want to know if I'm wrong. Why? Well, with LEGO and Bionicle, maybe it doesn't matter. It's a small thing. But there's a saying, "if you can't be trusted with the little things, you can't be trusted with the big things." I have opinions about big things too, such as the fate of my soul, that are huge concerns. I think I've found the truth about origins and thus what worldview is correct, and what I needed to do in religous terms that we can't discuss here (I'm actually considering starting a blog somewhere out there about this, though I wouldn't be able to link there from here). I had to drop a lot of pride to own up to that, but even now, I know that it's possible I'm dead wrong even on the big things, and maybe I'm in big trouble right now. All this Bionicle debate, though mildly important to me since I enjoy Bionicle and thus want it to do well, is merely mental exercise for the big things, when you boil it down -- and believe me, it has helped me understand tons of things about human nature that I could not have learned any other way, that I have been able to apply to debates about anything. So I extend that open-mindedness to absolutely everything in my life. That's the most important moral I have, that I must in all things be honest and open-minded. So not only am I okay with being criticized, I want it. Because all I want is the truth -- the real truth. Remember that I am a logician -- I know how to analyze the criticisms myself, so I do not fear them. I can sort out the illogical ones myself. I do not need protecting. So, while I appreciate the sentiment that member was expressing, I do not want people to "lay off" me at all. That said, obviously insulting me is wrong and against the rules -- and also the logical fallacy of Ad Hominem, so it wouldn't work on me anyways. Exactly. Open debate, in other words. Flame-free, but flame =/= criticism. Not by a long shot. I would submit to you that flame is the opposite of criticism, in fact. Doesn't mean criticism is necessarily right either -- but the whole point is that all sides must be allowed to discuss it openly, or how can we find the truth? ------------------------------This Entry Brought To You By:------------------------------

Not that I know of, but I can add them for any winners who want them.

I knew you'd say that.

How do you know you went with the majority? Can you cite something from LEGO that backs that assertion up? I've seen this in posts by BZP members -- but we are a tiny minority of the fanbase. How do you know what the character would choose to wear? Masks are chosen for their power, not their look. It isn't jewelry -- it's an artifact of power. Mask shape goes with the power -- the point of the shape in their culture is so you can tell at a glance what power it has. I think you're confusing Matoran culture for our own -- but there are huge differences. Look at MNOG Ga-Koro for example and you'll find out that many Ga-Koronans are wearing various mask-shapes, many of them not feminine at all, even masculine. They do not seem to care about this. (And really, why would they?) Imold, it's one thing to say "I dislike it" (and I don't so much either), but it's quite another to say "they have no right to do it." That's taste discrimination. On what basis do they not have such a right? Of course they do. This is entertainment; don't take it that seriously man.

Angled or sideways faces are fine too -- as long as the face is visible.

Two sides to my answer, so keep both in mind: 1) Why would they "have" to, though? From what I've heard, blue sets sell very well consistently. I have heard nothing about unfeminine masks hurting sets sales. Makes sense -- most target age kids don't care about that. For the record, Hahli's mask did NOT have a moustache -- it was tubes. Fitting for a Toa of Water. Yes, it could have been mistaken for one (since it obviously was), but this just shows why your second sentence wouldn't work -- anything non-feminine will be misinterpreted as masculine by some people. See my previous blog entry about Gali's real mask (not the prototype you saw from Toyfair), and judge for yourself whether it's too much like Krekka's face, or looks a little more like a Kaukau. Also, that's actually an even better example of why your second sentence doesn't work -- there's nothing about that mask that can be said to be totally masculine, and yet since it's not (all that) feminine, people are mistaking it for being masculine. Finally, Hahli Mahri's mask looked plenty feminine IMO. 2) That said, I don't like it either. Although frankly Hahli Inika's mask looked very feminine IMO. It was just that at first glance you might think it's a moustache but when you look directly (and not even that hard), you see it really doesn't look like one at all, and the stylization is very "curvy" like an animalesque female. Mainly Galii Mistika's prototype mask that I thought looked way too masculine, but the real one is better IMO.

So wait. Is it in the news again, or were you just very bored?

I would love to see that too, but it's probably a bad idea because it might reveal too much about the process that other toy companies could steal.

Actually, many times we do get photos of prototypes. True, we don't know for sure that those prototypes were the ones tested, although I suppose you could ask Greg in each case if he knows, if you were super-curious. Also, Greg has mentioned before that sometimes they present older sets alongside new sets or prototypes, and the newer sets are almost universally more popular. I don't have any info on which ones were used, though.

Enter the Powerpoint Face Contest by May 15! Today the Bones Blog brings you a short interview with Greg Farshtey on the subject of focus groups, an often-misunderstood concept lately. What are the facts? Bold is for important points. Blue is me, black is Greg. The Q&A bonesiii: I've noticed lately that one of the cookie-cutter arguments complainers are using has been the anti-focus groups one. [someone] just claimed in a topic for example that focus groups just like whatever LEGO throws at them in thanks for being chosen. He also said younger fans buy "anything". GregF: That is a very common misconception of people who have never attended a focus group. Trust me -- I attended the initial groups we did for Dino Attack when the theme was just going to be hunting and trapping dinos -- beautiful sets, and the kids hated every one of them. They wanted the heroes to be attacking the dinos, so they got redone as more aggressive sets and sold great. Same with BIONICLE -- the kids are forced to make choices in these groups, of which sets of the group they like best and why. These are professionally run groups, managed by market research professionals outside of LEGO Company, so a kid who just says, "I like everything!" won't be allowed to get away with that answer. bonesiii: Why are focus groups important? GregF: Focus groups are important because, with any product, you need to gauge reactions from your primary audience. This is why movie studios do previews and have people fill out comment cards .... this is why TV producers have people watch their shows and turn a dial up or down when they like something or they don't. Every manufactuer just about uses some form of focus group or focus testing, whether they do it themselves or they hire an outside firm to do it. And all those BIONICLE sets everyone on here loved in 2001 and 2002 all came out of focus groups too. bonesiii: What's the basic process of choosing focus group members? GregF: LEGO contacts our market research firm, tells them what we want to test, how many sessions we want, how many kids in what age range, and what level of enthusiasm we want them to have for the line (heavy users, medium users, light users, and sometimes even rejecters, though not often). They then recruit the kids, so we have nothing to do with the selections directly. They also conduct the groups and present a debrief when they're done, we just observe from another room. bonesiii: How important are their reactions to the final product compared to other things like past sales or just set designer's instincts or whatnot? GregF: Designer instincts and past sales tend to go into the initial design phase. And they do play a part in that you don't automatically change everything you hear a criticism about -- some things have to stay the same for manufacturing reasons, etc. Also, you pay more attention to comments you hear from multiple groups, not just comments from one or two. If you have, say, 8 or 12 sessions over three days (which is common) with different groups of kids each time, and they all pick the same option or they all hate the same thing, you have to pay attention to that. bonesiii: Do they like "anything"? It would be pointless to bother with them if they just liked everything, right? GregF: You're right, it would be pointless. But that's not the case. It's pretty easy to spot kids who aren't really into it or aren't thinking about their feedback, and less weight is given to their comments. Most of these kids take their job very seriously and they get pressed to defend their comments. If they like something, or they dislike something, they have to say why. If they think something could be better, they have to say how it could be better. The difference between a focus group and an online forum is that focus groups are pushed to be as constructive as possible in their comments, where online posters can just say, "That stinks!" and no more. Because of that, we get a lot more valuable feedback from the groups. I would also add that focus groups are not just used for sets -- they are also used for TV ads, magazine redesigns, online and offline game testing, etc. Are focus groups infallible? No, they're not. But what I see when I see people screaming about them is that they are basically saying, "They should listen to me and not them" -- in other words, the complainers don't object to focus groups, they just want to BE the focus group. My Thoughts In my observation, this is more of a "grasping at straws" tactic that some complainers have started using. Some of it might be taste discrimination; implying that the focus groups and thus the tastes of most fans are somehow inferior to the complainer in question, or it might simply be an assumption that the focus groups aren't accurate. If it's taste discrimination, I've already addressed this fallacious, but somewhat understandable mistake here: Taste Discrimination Fallacy, Equality of Taste. If it's a question of accuracy, there's some huge problems with that. 1) Complainers don't have magical access to what the majority wants anymore than anybody else. Just because we might wish we were the focus group doesn't mean our tastes would be more accurate to the majority. In fact the opposite is often true; online fans are often very different from most fans, in any franchise. 2) Random sampling is a proven technique for accurate polling in all areas, including political polling and in fact any kind you can think of. Naturally, the majority will most often be the ones picked. 3) Many of the trends in focus group opinions were represented vocally on BZPower before several problems were fixed. Gear unpopularity, and more "violence/darkness" come to mind. The latter fits Greg's example from Dino Attack too -- so before the problem was fixed, the "complainers" basically were the same taste-group as the focus groups. 4) LEGO uses an independant firm, and the system inherently requires intelligent responses. It's not the simplistic "LEGO shows a few kids the prototypes and they all say 'I likey!'" that complainers seem to have in mind. 5) Most importantly, as LEGO has improved sets more and more, listening to focus groups included, sales have gone up. Either way, I've seen the argument come up seemingly because almost all other illogical complaints have been so thoroughly debunked, while this one hasn't. Those using it display an almost shocking ignorance of what focus groups are exactly and how they work -- ignorance is not necessarily something to be ashamed of, but if you're going to propose that something is a problem, you should be familiar with its details. Yet those using it seemingly have made no effort to find out, so it seems more like a convenient excuse to keep complaining. Hopefully, this entry will help clear up such confusion. Ultimately, the important lesson is that NO illogical argument should be used to say "I don't like this; LEGO shouldn't have done it." We're all free to dislike sets, but that's a matter of taste, not a matter of what LEGO actually should do. Just because you don't enjoy something doesn't mean it's a "problem" -- because you're not the only fan. Instead, we should seperate our personal tastes from our opinions about what LEGO should do. So if focus groups' tastes tend to be different from yours, you should be mature enough to say "I wish focus groups and most fans shared my tastes, but this is reality and I can deal with it. I agree LEGO should pay attention to focus group results." Now, if you can show some problem with focus groups that none of us have thought of, by all means, let's hear it. Otherwise, that argument ain't gonna fly no mo'. Calling all artists! Enter by May 15th!

Dude, you have not lived unless you see the latest episode of LOST (hint: online video)! It's the most freakin' awesome Smoke Monster scene ever! My pic doesn't even come close to doing it justice either. I pity thee, if ye know not the glory that is LOST.

I've never tried it with 2007 version, so not sure. I don't have it. Most likely, it has all the same features, but mixed up for seemingly nonsensical reasons.

Good. I've got 3 pictures ready...Bonesiii, can I show them here, or do I have to provide a link? Either way works. Since this is a Powerpoint contest, I have to say no to that, sorry. If you have or can get Powerpoint though, it works similarly. So you should be able to compete that way.

Not in the Powerpoint contest, but in the S&T Xian weapons contest coming sometime this spring, you could.

It is an art. Whether something is an art is never defined by those who don't like it, but by those who do. Of course, within it there are different styles. All of these are part of that art.

Pre-existing characters are allowed, yes.

Yes, Rangan.

Dalek, this is unneccessary. IMO, even though you're doing the opposite of discussing a disallowed subject, the tone of this entry seems inflammatory.

Yes, I support Acid. I said that -- it's just buried in a paragraph instead of on the random list. These are really good Ko suggestions! I think I like Scanning and Stasis best, and Stasis seems most like an element, so I'll go with that. But I can use scanning too since the mutagen in question can keep on mutating, so some individuals of this classified group might have been more mutated than others. Future-sight is interesting, but doesn't fit the characters I need this for, and some of the other ones already involve heat, so yeah. Still, thanks for the suggestions guys!

What, is it jinxed like "Voldemort" or something?

Random Thunks. Contest Banner Here's a banner to spread the word about the Powerpoint Face Contest: [url="http://www.bzpower.com/forum/index.php?automodule=blog&blogid=39&showentry=29997"][img=http://www.majhost.com/gallery/bonesiii/BZPstuff/powerpointfacecontst/powerpointfacecontest_sigsize.gif][/url] Yall must use it, capisce? That's a Normalfied Calix, a Coolified Kaukau, Coolified Jutlin from my recent Phankuta art topic, Coolified "Igniru"request from GB#1 that was used in the second of the art guides as an example, the original Coolified Vahi, a coolified Hapori Tohu, and finally, a Ninja King face I made for Ninjo a long time ago that he used as his avatar for a while. These are a few of my faves from my own work; hopefully they can help inspire yall for the contest. You can see these and other Powerpoint art on my brickshelf, if you want even more inspiration. Elements A lotta talk lately about new Bionicle or fanfic Elements. Personally I think the more official elements, the better -- even many that Greg has turned down, I would include if it were up to me, but many would simply be considered evil elements just like Shadow. (Acid, for example.) And I really like the idea of "Abstract elements", like "Mind" for intelligence, or "Emotion", in which actual elemental energy would control these abstract aspects of the Matoran's world. I think these would really help make Bionicle's physics even more different from our world, which IMT is a good thing. Maybe more importantly, it would challenge and inspire imagination even better than "obvious" elements. I think imagination is a very worthy goal, 'specially considering this is LEGO. And I think a more complete selection of Legendary elements would make sense, even if they are merely "considered" elements and not actually used in the story. Time and Life don't sound much like a complete list. Force is probably the best example of one I'd support; it's basically kinetics. The best argument against Aether/Continuum/Space, I think, is that kids wouldn't understand it, and I admit I'm Mr. Physics so this is like kindergarten to me much more so than most people, but I think "the fabric of dimensions" is simple enough to understand -- and just say it can make wormholes, modify physics somewhat in an area, and maybe a few other limited things that could be compared to fabric -- but if it ruptures space, the whole universe pops like a balloon. Besides, all I really wish for is that it be considered an element. (Also, calling it "Space" would be confusing, so another good argument against it is that the alternatives are just as confusing for names.) Another idea I've had is "Mutated elements" -- where the element itself is mutated, not just the weilder. So the normal rules for elements wouldn't have to apply, per se, and they could be mixed with powers in some ways. A short list of some random, mixed up examples of elements I have now listed in my Paracosmos Notebook database as real elements in my fanfics: Lava -- A classified weilder of this rules a volcanic island; fits Ta-Koro style. Crystal -- Fits Ko-Metru, lightstones, heatstones, etc. Void -- Vacuum element; I think it fits best as its own element with its own EE, not as a "sub-element" of all others. Plus fits Levhak Kal better. Blue Fire -- The important element of the RPG, as fans of it already know -- probably best not done in Bionicle though. Shade -- Similar to Shadow, but not inherently evil. So stories about heroes who use the darkness are possible here. Another that's probably kept to fanfics. Music -- Sounds weird, but it's tied in with a classified physics concept of the BP that will be revealed in the Le-Koro RPG level. Is an abstract. Ghost -- Control semi-tangible ghostly materials that can defy gravity. Ocean -- a mutated element from Water; weilders can breathe water and repair wooden boats. Garden -- a mutated Le element, similar to Plants, but more for growing crops for food and controlling plant arrangement. Forge -- a mutated element from Ta; includes ability to make metal and melt it. Shredder -- a mutated Po element, can shred stone into fine sand with energy beams. Clockwork -- a mutated Onu element; can reshape any solid into clockwork parts and understand such machines inherently. ____? --- I still need a suggestion for a Ko-equiv for these mutated elements. Any idears? [EDIT: The above six are the Kriitunga elements. Also, the Ko-element is stasis.] Memory -- an abstract element Psionics -- an abstract element Venom -- an evil element Frost -- painfully cold evil element Tar -- an evil element Creation -- a Legendary; includes ability to know how to make things work, and to make them from elemental energy. Chaos -- a Legendary; includes ability to make order chaotic, plus understanding of "chaos theory" -- controlling things that seem random but are really more like complex dominoes, like dropping a feather, or hitting a target from a distance just right, etc. And there are quite a few more that are too classified to reveal. Petitions As I had to say recently, many members seem to think it's wise to make petitions for any random feeling they have. If you wish Bionicle would go back to styles that sold poorly, you make a petition. If you wish LEGO could magically make prices go down with no reductions in sets, you make a petition. If you dislike Onua Mata, you make a petition. If you want free cookies for life, you make a petition. Guys, that doesn't make any sense. First, you must logically determine what LEGO actually should do. Not just what you personally want -- that's personal taste. Bionicle has to appeal to the majority taste, which isn't necessarily the same as your own tastes. And your tastes aren't "better" than everybody else's either. Everybody's equal; to imply otherwise is a form of discrimination, as I talked about in a past entry here. Also, we are a very tiny minority among the fanbase -- sales results are a much larger form of "petition", and LEGO does listen to sales results quite a bit. So LEGO is concerned with what the fans want, enough to do focus group research and sales analysis and various other things instead of just making random things and hoping they sell. We shouldn't puff ourselves up so we think we're the only fans, or worse, the only fans that matter. Everybody matters. "Die-hard fans" -- I've heard the argument that devoted older fans are somehow more valuable. I would actually argue the opposite -- toys are for kids. Have you ever seen those cereal ads where they say "These are for kids, silly!"? Well, us adult fans must always remember that we are guests to this experience. Devotion is great, but acting spoiled is not. We should be grateful for the many nods LEGO has sent our way (especially including the storyline reason the Nuva were brought back -- remember that was never motivated for set reasons anyways; it was to have the Nuva in story spotlight). So petitions like that only send the signal that we want to bite the hand that's feeding us, I'm afraid. Now, sure, petitions for logical, good causes are okay. I've supported one -- the "bring back the collectibles" one. But that was because the starter thought things through and came up with an idea that was actually plausible. That's the key. Requests No matter what I do I just can't seem to get in the mood to fulfill some art requests from some of you. I apologize for the rediculous delays, and I'm afraid the delays are just going to continue for another few weeks at least. I will try to fulfill the requests I have at this point. However, from now on, I will not be accepting any art requests at all. No av requests, no banner requests, nothing. I just need to get that load off my shoulders so I can focus on other things. Sorry. Mysteries One of my favorite things, as a writer, is just reading storyline debates many of you have. Because recently some of my best ideas for Bionicle Paracosmos mysteries have come from things you guys have said. Obviously, I can't get specific or it would ruin the surprises. But the ideas can come from the least expected places. Similar to how I got great new element ideas from the "What Don't You Want" topic (), I got a great mystery idea from someone else who was arguing recently about how something was impossible. Basically, it made me think "what if it was possible? What could cause it?" and I made a comparison to something in the real world that fits the scenario, and modified it to make it possible in Bionicle. So keep on debating guys. This Week and Next Week Probably gonna be busy this week, as I've got a big to-do list from the Dreaded Real Life. I'm hoping to set a new policy in stone related to storyline so we can announce it soon. Don't worry, nothing unusual. Not sure what to expect for next week's schedule but something has come up that might cause me to be away for several days. If I do have time, I'm trying to catch up on all the Gold Key to Nongu nominations that have made. The problem is, some of the nominations seem so good I haven't had time to read them in detail due to their length. Workin on it... Next Survurlode Interview I have three ideas for who to interview next, hopefully in May. But I can't decide which of the three it should be. I am leaning towards a Lawyerahk named Bob -- I usually interview somebody that was hinted at in a past interview, and Lawyerahks are the most obvious category of those. But there's someone else who should be very interesting and who was named in one of the older interviews that I haven't got around to yet (and would be well timed). There's a third new character who should be really fun, but he hasn't been hinted at or introduced at all. Future Blog Contest I got a great idea for another blog contest. But since I'm already running one right now, I'm keeping it classified for now. Suffice to say, whatever you are expecting, that's not it.

I hate it when people say "irregardless." Which means the opposite of what they mean.