e498 — Password to the Oregon Trail

Games At Work dot Biz

covered wagon with a password entry box on the side adapted from Photo by James Lee on Unsplash

Published 20 January 2025

e498 with Michael, Andy and Michael on #maps, #weather, #games, #gamification, #robots, #LanguageLocalization, #LEGO and a whole lot more!

Michael, Andy and Michael start things off with a discussion about the weather, and this time, it’s related to mapping technology and the integration of way finding with weather. Using the example of CARROT weather, the team takes a look at how this app integrates the two. During the show notes writeup, another app, Weather on the Way, surfaces as an example for how weather forecasts along with the directions can be pulled together.

This episode has a bonanza of games and gamification, with the Nintendo Switch 2 hardware announcement. Then, an (un)serious game like 1Crossword, which integrates with your password manager to create crossword puzzles to play and share on social media. Next, an RPG style command line interfaces enabling a rogue-like romp through your directory structure. Doom fans may rejoice at an example of the game played through a PDF. And there is an intriguing experience on the Oregon Trail where waiting down by the riverside for a long, long time will have surprising results.

After taking a look at the 25 year celebration of the Sims and a LEGO example of Tetris, the cohosts evaluate the micro robot from Robeauté.

Wrapping things up for the episode, Michael R shares the news that his Quick Localizer app has now hit the MacOS App Store Check out the link below for more details.

How long would you wait by the river? What other tasks would you want a mini robot to do? Have your bots 🤖 drop our bots 🤖 a line at @[e-mail] (our home for now) and let us know!

These show notes were lovingly hand crafted by a real human, and not by a bot. All rights reserved. That’s our story and we’re sticking to it.

Selected Links

Weather and Maps

9 to 5 Mac article: CARROT Weather adds new CarPlay app, plus upgraded Live Activities

CARROT Weather: Alerts and Radar

The Apple Geek post: Weather on the Way

Weather on the Way

Games and Gamification

Nintendo Switch 2

I couldn't find any good games for my password manager. So I made one.

1Crossword connects to your 1Password vault and generates a crossword entirely out of your passwords!

The crosswords are fun, simple, and great for sharing on social media when you finish. Enjoy!

— nolen (@[e-mail])
2025-01-15T18:27:27.910Z

eieio.games post: 1Crossword: Crosswords For Your Password Manager

olano.dev blog post: Deconstructing the Role-Playing Video Game

Github repo: facundoolano rpg-cli

DoomPDF

moral.net.au blog post: Can you complete the Oregon Trail if you wait at a river for 14272 years: A study

EA Sim4 post: Behind The Sims 25th Birthday Special

LEGO Ideas: Tetris Solid

Mini Robots

Fortune article: Exclusive: Startup pioneering tiny robots that can travel inside the brain gets $28 million in new venture funding

Robeauté

IMDB: Total Recall

Language Localization

Random Thoughts blog post: Quick Localizer – Now available!

Web 11.0 mashup junkie, and co-founder / co-host of the GamesAtWork.biz podcast. My views are my own.

Michael Martine