Wednesday, April 13, 2005

Rattlesnake Pasta

I was hungry for lunch, but wasn't sure of what to have. I went to Uno's, since I know I like most of their stuff, and just had the waiter pick for me. I briefly spelled out a few things I didn't like, but let him do the rest. He brought back something called "Rattlesnake Pasta" which is penne pasta with chicken in a cream sauce, a little bit of cheese, and a bunch of jalapenos. Very interesting, and something I would have overlooked had I picked for myself.

The easiest way to try something new is to have someone else pick it for you.

I've been doing a little thought on Grinning Gecko, and I'm starting to think that maybe in the long run - like once it starts making money - it should be a nonprofit organization. Now, nonprofit organizations certainly can pay people a decent salary. It's just that I think that even though I want to make games, the real purpose is to shape people's behaviour. It's an educational venture, really. The goal is to improve society by changing people's behaviour on a long term basis, and the means is games. This adds to some power and freedom of Grinning Gecko - it won't have to listen to people who are purely driven by profit.

Understand that I don't object to profits or making money, but that I think that it can frequently blind people to positive goals. Money itself is a neutral entity, a tool that lets you get what you really want. It's a mistake to want it for its own sake.

2 comments:

Steven A Bristol said...

Very brave letting someone else choose your lunch. =)

Aaron F Stanton said...

Perhaps, but I thought of it more as being open to new possibilities. If you enter into a situation with a preconceived notion of how it should go, you close yourself off to some possibly good experiences. I did tell him a few things I didn't want - things I already knew I didn't like - and I suppose I could have left off all restrictions. I wasn't quite ready to go that far just yet. Maybe I will sometime. I'm sure it would be safe in the sense of not getting food that would make me sick. (You also set some restrictions just by choosing which restaraunt you walk into, but not setting that restriction is pretty tricky.)