AppsWrap - Mabinogi Duel G2 + work CYA

Just finished first take at AppsWrap write up of Mabinogi Duel.  Wow, this is an excellent Android game!

(I'm trying to break off Apps reviews from here onto separate blog, AppsWrap.  This one is about my LIFE, not just software.)

Please read the write up and provide your feedback?  I can say this -- it's one of the best free to play CCG's (collectible card games) I've encountered in Android, it has animated bouncing boobs, generally nice artwork, and it's got some strategic deck design.  It's Korean, so there's some funny mistranslation and some really interesting cultural crossover stuff here.

Some confusion at work, can't elaborate much except to say it felt like another arbitrary management thing where I got the short end yet again.  Unthrilling, to say the least.

When I screw up, I am accountable.  When managers screw up, what happens -- obfuscate, misdirect, blame someone else.  I've seen this so many times now.  Blech

Update -- back to that previous work thing -- now that I've been laid off, I'm more free to say a few things:

1- that job sucked.  I liked the concept, but the execution was failed.  I could list all the failings, but the simplest way to summarize is that the management was erratic, questionable, and unprofessional. The only upside to their direction was there was no up-front harassment and there was no completely illegal management (which I've seen at other places).

2 - the Director was, to be political, rather unusual.  He'd say things like, "I'm not known to be a micromanager", and then require everything on workdesk to be velcro-taped down in specific positions.

3 - I got laid off again; "We were contracted to video tape 1000+ meetings, but now the [govt organizations] say they only want to film 100 or so this year, so we have to downsize.  Again, this is due to no fault of your own." etc.  Well, last time it was due to automation (ie computerization), and this time it is due to poor management by weirdo Director (see #2, but I will add some more).  Here's a suggestion -- how about laying YOURSELF off, you buttwipe?!?!

4 - Bad management example #2: after the strangest interview I have EVER had, I was hired for a DIFFERENT job (lower paying too) than the one I interviewed for -- PART TIME WEBCAST DIRECTOR.  Another 5 guys were also hired (all of us white males btw).  We all got phone training for 1 month, followed up by on-site training for a month.

Just as we are all up to speed, the Director calls each of us up individually, says the client has decided they'd now prefer to have fulltime employees rather than part timers, so he tells me this and asks, "Would you be open to working full time?"  I said sure.  OK.  The next day, only 3 of us come in.

The Director announces the other 3 were let go because they didn't want to work full time, and congratulations!  2 of you are now fulltime, and you (REkzkaRZ) will remain part time.  WTF?

Although the Director tried to make it seem like the client had just changed their mind, the other supervisors said things like "congratulations, you made the cut.  Get this gig is harder to do than getting into Harvard" and one mistaken 'potshot' comment, that the Director deliberately "decided to try and hire more compliant and flexible people who would commit and stay with the role, rather than the stars".

And then a few weeks later the Director emailed the fulltimers that work hours would now start at 7am.  Since he didn't email me or mention it to me, I didn't acknowledge it and kept working @ 9am.   Then the Director stopped them from being allowed to leave when there was nothing to film (ie no meetings), but I kept on leaving since he never informed me of this.  Then he voided the fulltimers contract offers & made them sign new ones with the new terms -- after already working there for 5+ months.

Anyway, despite the generally weird experience at that job, it did provide me with a title I wanted, 'Director', and they paid me for 6 months to do one of the most simple jobs I've ever done.