Hack Circus Leila Johnston

Can games be art? We're back from a long hiatus with our first Hack Circus podcast interview about videogames! Introducing Jonas Antonsson, founder of Sweden-based games publisher Raw Fury. Raw Fury turns out games that make you feel, and Jonas believes the quest for emotion is just as important as the quest for knowledge. Find out what makes him and his company tick in this long, wide-ranging chat. 
Remember Hack Circus is on Twitter @hackcircus – and check out the website for all the episodes: hackcircuspodcast.com

What does it mean for creative people to be motivated? Is there a secret to getting more motivation, or is the drive too mysterious to neatly unravel? What are the three reasons people aren't motivated, and what happens to highly driven people when they run out of motivation altogether?
In this very personal episode, I talk to digital artist Seb Lee DeLisle, play impresario Emma Bearman, business director Sarah Allard and performance coach Maria Jacobsen Holmes.
Empathy, creativity and motivation come together in this, the last in the trio of special documentary-style episodes investigating the forces that power the creative mind. 

What is creativity? How does it relate to things like problem-solving, risk-taking, impulsiveness and excitement?
I talk to some highly creative individuals in this special episode, part of a series of three 'Mastering' documentaries.
This little documentary, part of the Mastering Creativity strand of the HC Masterclass series (hcmasterclass.com), introduces three successful, creative individuals taking very different paths in life, and tackles these questions – and more.

Is empathy important in business? Is it possible to have too much empathy to be successful? What's the connection between empathy and power? 
This little documentary, part of the Mastering Empathy strand of the HC Masterclass series, introduces three successful, creative individuals taking very different paths in life, and tackles these questions – and more.

Alex McLean is a well-known artist, musician, researcher, and coder based in Sheffield. He is the creator of Tidal Cycles, free software for writing music, and is one of founders of live coding and the algorave phenomenon.
Alex actively builds communities in the areas that interest him, and in this episode we talk about some of the events, festivals and groups he's been instrumental in developing, including Algomech and Dorkbot London.
He's also an academic researcher on the Penelope Project, and we discuss his particular interest in the seldom-acknowledged connection between weaving and modern technology. Alex explains the loom punch cards aren't the interesting bit – it's the interference patterns we should be focussing on.
This episode includes a live-coding demo. If you want to download TidalCycles and try it yourself, the code Alex was working with is: d1 $ jux rev $ chunk 4 (hurry 2) $ n "0 .. 7" # sound "cpu1" d2 $ jux rev $ off 0.25 (|+ n 12) $ n (off 0.125 (+ 7) $ "") # sound "rash"
 
Alex's website
Algorave
The Penelope Project
iTunes link
HC on Spotify
HC on PlayerFM

The world has changed since I last talked about motivation. More than ever, we're addicted to devices, addicted to YouTube, addicted to interrupting and derailing our thoughts – addicted scuppering our plans in favour of a quick hit!
For those in a motivational rut, here I lay out four simple ways to get you back on track.
1) Pretend you've got a boss
2) Childlike rewards, tiny changes
3) Set the scene for the activity
4) Focus on the now, not the future