About alpha54.net
Hi, I’m Fabian! And as of now, I’m the sole writer and contributor here at A54. The genesis of this site is rather simple: I used to write a lot when I was younger, but haven’t been doing it anywhere near as much as I’d like the last couple of years. This blog is my way of forcing myself to try and put pen to paper more regularly, so to speak, and post my thoughts when I feel they are worth sharing.
That means the content will sometimes be eclectic, but usually focused on the things I’m most passionate writing about: video games, movies and TV, books and comics, as well as design.
[Photos, from top-left to bottom-right, by Ash Edmonds on Unsplash, 343 Industries/Microsoft Game Studios, Jakob Owens on Unsplash, Jan Piatkowski on Unsplash]
Games
Like most passionate gamers, the games that shaped my childhood, my adolescence, and now my adulthood will stick with me forever. Pac-Man, Pokemon Blue, X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter, Half-Life, FreeSpace 2, Counter-Strike - to name just a few. Followed by Halo: Combat Evolved (and the rest of the Halo series), Half-Life 2, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, and the Mass Effect series (perhaps my favourite IP of all-time, across all mediums).
Little did I know when I first played Pac-Man, that 25 years later I’d be experiencing whole other worlds in virtual reality, through a wireless headset that seamlessly keeps track of my hands.
I continue to be passionate about many types of games, across genres and platforms, and will try to do the medium justice.
All console games are played on an Xbox One X, all PC games are played on a medium-spec rig outfitted with an Nvidia RTX 2070 Super graphics card, and all VR games are experienced on an Oculus Quest.
Entertainment
Like most of us, I love to be entertained - across many different mediums. I’ve already called out video games specifically, but I am also an obsessive watcher of movies and TV shows, as well as a ferocious reader.
My tastes tend to vary quite a bit, from genre and hard sci-fi fare, through to crime dramas and workplace comedies. Hopefully, in some way or another, I’ll manage to cover it all.
All movies and TV shows consumed at home are played on a 77” OLED TV, paired with a 7.2.4 Dolby Atmos sound system setup.
All books I read these days are consumed on an Amazon Kindle Oasis, while I read comics on an Amazon Fire HD 10” tablet.
Design
Design, and design thinking, is where my professional life and my personal interests intersect. As a Strategy Designer, I spend my day job thinking about how we can enable our employees to better serve our clients. Aside from strategy, I operate primarily across the dimensions of service and customer experience design. Design thinking, or human-centred design, is a key component of my toolkit.
My professional obsession with designing engaging experiences has bled into my personal life, in the sense that I notice good (and bad) design more than ever before. I have no idea what I’ve got to say on this topic yet, but I hope to find a way to bring it into this blog in an impactful way.
Get in touch
If I ever manage to grow this blog beyond an audience of one - that is me re-reading my own writing - nothing would make me happier than to interact with readers. Please make use of the comments section under the posts, and use the button below (or the Contact link in the main menu) to get in touch via email or social media.