Author Profile

  • Laurent Hubeek
  • Url: http://lhubeek.blogspot.com/
  • Posts: 9
  • About the user: Laurent Hubeek is currently participating in the UvA New Media Master’s program. He has also spent time studying at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam where he received a Master’s degree in information sciences. Before making the switch to the UvA, Laurent worked at Accenture, a large multi national IT consulting company, and participated in a variety of projects focusing on HR systems automation. Activities ranged from functional design and requirements elicitation to offshore team coordination and system configuration. Having left behind the world of business IT, Laurent is now exploring his interests in Web culture, social media phenomenon, the security and privacy aspects of IT use, cloud computing and (online) gaming and its design principles. Having an appreciation for old media (and old curiosities in general), he is also developing his skills as a writer on Masters of Media, Xi and his own blog.

Author Archive

Thoughts on the Contemporary Gaming Landscape

Laurent Hubeek | 27 April 2011, 5:20 pm | tags: , , , , , , , ,

This post is a bit of an experiment. Basically, it’s a summary of what I would like to write my thesis about. In the spirit of open collaboration, I’d like to know what you think of this idea. Obviously, it needs to be fleshed out further and could use more examples, but I’m hoping the gist of it is clear. I’m already aware of a couple of gaps or possible retorts, but I’d like to see what some fresh eyes can come up with. So, in advance, thanks for reading and any and all comments would be very much appreciated.

Exploring the Zone of Alienation

Laurent Hubeek | 01 November 2010, 12:43 am | tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Please, allow me to indulge myself. Let me tell you a tale about a book, a film, a series of video games and what is perhaps the world’s eeriest man made disaster area. I’ll even throw in a bit of media theory. Let me tell you about the Zone of Alienation.

Gently Down the Stream: Advances in the Digital Distribution of Video Games

Laurent Hubeek | 18 October 2010, 2:18 pm | 6 comments | tags: , , , ,

The landscape of video game distribution is changing. Despite its relative youth, the video game industry has known quite a few different distribution methods already – tapes, floppy discs, CDs, DVDs and now direct downloading and streaming services.

That Twitter Thing That You Do

Laurent Hubeek | 11 October 2010, 3:12 pm | 1 comment | tags: ,

So, Twitter. It seems to be all the rage these days. Blog posts about it seem to be popping up everywhere. Then again, a tool that simultaneously fuels revolutions and allows me to share with the world the mundanity of the wonderful sandwich I’ve just eaten is bound to be divisive. Could there be more to it, perhaps?

The Future is… When Exactly?

Laurent Hubeek | 07 October 2010, 2:05 pm | tags: , , , ,

Computing interfaces have come a long way over the years. I think we can all agree that the mouse and keyboard of our current day pc’s is highly preferable to the tape spools and cable jacks of the WOII era beasts like the Colossus. With the fairly recent integration of practical touchscreen interfaces into devices such as the iPhone, a long dreamed of vision of advanced haptic interfaces seemed one step closer to reality.

Introducing: A Wiki Debut

Laurent Hubeek | 30 September 2010, 12:33 pm | tags: ,

In order to gain some more insight in the inner workings of Wikipedia, I’ve created a new entry about the book Learned Pigs & Fireproof Women by Ricky Jay. A highly recommended history book about some of the worlds most amazing circus and sideshow entertainers and… Well, just read the entry.

Don’t Feed the Trolls

Laurent Hubeek | 27 September 2010, 2:56 pm | tags: , , , ,

Back in 2006 when Ze Frank was still running The Show, he asked his viewers to help him find the creator of a funny audio clip that had been floating around on the Web. Frank’s community, his Sportsracers as he likes to call them, had been playing around with the song for months already and had produced many remixes, videos and album covers based on the original clip. Frank’s plan was to present the mysterious singer known only as Ray with their finished works. But how do you find someone if all you know is a first name and the sound of their voice? Apparently, it’s not that hard. Frank’s community managed to find and identify Ray within two days, which, Frank admits, is kind of creepy. In this case, Frank’s mobilization of his community was based on good intentions and fun was had by all, including Ray. But what happens if things turn a little more serious?

‘A Collection of Many Problems’ by Garnet Hertz – A Review

Laurent Hubeek | 18 September 2010, 3:21 pm | tags: , , , ,

Alternative post title: The Good, the Bad & the Downright Crazy.

Mail-by-rocket, cat pianos, astrolabes, Inca quipu knots and musical fingers. Seems like a fairly random collection of things, doesn’t it? They do have one thing in common, though. They’re all dead forms of media; either because they’re downright silly or impractical – like the mail-by-rocket and cat pianos – or they’ve outlived their time and usefulness – like the astrolabe and the quipu knots. All these objects and more can be found in a wonderful little book called A Collection of Many Problems.

Eskil Steenberg’s Labour of Love

Laurent Hubeek | 11 September 2010, 3:52 pm | 1 comment | tags: , , , , , ,

In a media landscape dominated by online collaboration, DIY content and crowdsourcing, it may seem like the notion of the Renaissance artist-savant really does belong to an age long since passed. The idea that an artist must have a keen grasp of mathematical perspective, optics, geometry and anatomy can sometimes seem distant on a Web ruled by lolcats. What I would like to do is remind you of what a single individual can accomplish with enough skill, determination and the right tools. I would like to talk to you about Love.