Hey buddy. I understand your frustration. Just thought I’d point out that you called this one four years ago.
Links of Interest (September 29th 2008 through October 17th 2008)
- Glassbooth – Quiz to help you choose best 2008 presidential candidate
- Glassboth lets you see where each candidate stands in relation to the issues that matter to you through the used of a weighted quiz. Slick interface that I found very easy to use and understand. Even if you’ve alredy made up your mind I recommend you check it out.
- Byline – Google Reader on the go.
- If you use Google Reader, and you have an iPhone or an iPod Touch you should check out Phantom Fish’s Byline. Byline is essentially a Google Reader client that syncs so you don’t need a network connection at all times (and it offers features missing from Googles own iPhone interface, like an oldest post first view). It’s not perfect, but I find it a vastly preferable in most cases to the Google Reader iPhone web interface.
- Shyamalan Talks ‘Unbreakable’ Sequel
- Seems to me that M. Night Shyamalan doesn’t exactly rule it out, but there’s no “it’s happening” in here. Still “Ubreakable” is probably in my top 10 list of films, and I’d love to see where it goes next.
- My Life With Gwen Stacy,Or, How an audiobook narrator redeemed his misspent youth reading comic books by getting to the bottom of the greatest comic book mystery of all time: Who killed Spider-Man’s girlfriend?
- Scott Brick, one of my all time favorite audiobook narrators, recounts the story behind his 1998 Comic Buyer’s Guide article “Who Killed Gwen Stacy?”, which delved into the creative decisions behind killing off Spider-Man’s girlfriend in 1973. Like most of Scott’s posts it’s also available in audio.
- Web 2.Rockstar: The robotic tale of Jonathon Coulton
- Ars Technica offers a nice JoCo primer, and how he succeded where the underpants gnomes failed. “When I first started the important thing was audience: if I can reach enough people, that’s leverage, or power, and maybe that leads to something that does make money.” Has some interesting thoughts on labels, and what may replace them in the future.
Links of Interest (August 25th 2008 through September 28th 2008)
- jQuery and Microsoft
- When Microsoft started adding some of the often requested features to their ASP.NET AJAX Client API they realized that jQuery (my personal favorite javascript library) already did what they wanted. Rather than reinvent the wheel Microsoft will be shipping the standard, as-is jQuery with full intellisense support in Visual Studio.
- The Creative Process
- “For me, ideas stream through my head at a frantic pace. I feel like a bear trying to grab a salmon. If my paw misses its target, that salmon is gone for good. I don’t dwell on it. I just lunge for the next salmon.” Scott Adams (Dilbert) discusses ideas, and how he sometimes forgets he’s already used them.
- Tip: Using a background image on an image
- Using CSS to create layered images (with a fun animated example). Simple but effective.
- Fresh Out – PDF Version
- Free fun little mini-comic from Natalie Metzger. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll really want some cookies! Ready for printing.
- Sizzle: John Resig has a new selector engine
- Ajaxian brings word that John Resig is working an a new Javascript selector engine, which is expected to replace the one in jQuery. So far it’s less than 4k (but it doesn’t support IE yet). “4x faster in Firefox 3, 3x faster in Opera 9, 1.5x faster in Safari 3 than the other major JavaScript libraries.”
End of the Amazon Rush?
The Amazon rush is dead. I don’t think we’ll see authors getting the same kind of lift from it going forward.
Chris Miller ((Didn’t I just say he was everywhere? And note that his post was spawned by a comment from Kris Johnson. I’ve seen this before. These two may be working together in some capacity…)) shared his thoughts on the Amazon Rush ((“Amazon Rush” refers to a concerted effort by an author with an established fan-base to get into the Amazon charts by mobilizing said fan-base into purchasing their latest book all on the same day.)) , and how they’re getting to be old hat.
I’m glad this discussion is happening, because it’s been on my mind, but I haven’t really taken the time to form any coherent thoughts. Other people have, so be sure to go and read the comments, even if you don’t care to read what I have to say.
I think folks who listen to podiobooks may be approaching a saturation point for this type of thing. Amongst the subset of those folks who are on twitter and follow their favorite podcast authors it’s even more likely. If that’s as far as the message is getting, then I think authors have to beware of fan burnout.
As a consumer who primarily listens to audiobooks, the product that I want has already been delivered to me for free. Now I’m exceptionally appreciative of that fact, which has led me to buy many of these book (which I have no intention of reading in print form) to support the authors. In the perfect world I’d be able to buy the audiobook versions, but so far that’s only been possible for Scott Sigler’s Infected ((which is finally available from audible.com, although I was impatient and bought the CD version and converted it.)) .
But really I bought the books for selfish reasons. I want to see these authors succeed because I want them to keep producing content ((And being brutally honest there’s an even more selfish (and perhaps self-delusional) reason: If they can make it, maybe I can too.)) . I want to know what happens to Perry Dawsey and Keepsie Branson next. So while I can support these authors by spreading the word, writing reviews, or even just giving them money, I want to support their careers as writers, so they’ll keep writing. While I’m sure the love and adoration of their readers keep some of these folks going, I’m not sure it’s sustainable in the long term.
I have more to say about this, but I never intended to go on this long, so I’m going to let my thoughts roll around a bit more.
T is for…
Last night, after the little ones were in bed my wife pointed to a pile of papers near the mail containing my oldest daughter’s school work (she’s in first grade). For one of the assignments she had to color a picture of something beginning with the letter T.
Yup, my kid drew a TARDIS. I’m so proud!
Unspecified Error: Learn by Doing
The ever prolific Chris Miller ((Seriously, Chris is everywhere. He’s just stealthy about it. If he were ninja we’d all be dead by now. I could easily see him becoming some kind of evil genius.)) started a new site dedicated to learning by doing. That initial post resonated with me. I’ve felt that rush he’s talking about, and I’m thankful to Chris for allowing me to contribute.
My first contribution covers one of the many ways I use Python to bend iTunes to my will. Check it out ((My posts should also show up in my LifeStream if you’re into that kinda thing.)) .
Re-learning How to Think (About Writing)
Yikes! It’s September and I never posted my “Writing Update” for July. I’ve been busy, and one of the things I’ve been busy doing is taking Holly Lisle‘s new online course: How to Think Sideways. I’m really enjoying the course, and I’m amazed at how well some of the techniques are working for me.
The first section of the course is all about ideas. If you write anything like me, sometimes you get ideas that seem to almost write themselves. In my case a lot of these had themes of objects that seemed to pop up in multiple otherwise unrelated stories. One of the first things I got out of this course was a much fuller understanding of what this means, how to map out the things that set off my imagination, and how to use this understanding to tap into story ideas in a more “on demand” fashion. It’s like finally having the address for that P.O. Box in Schenectady.
One of my biggest problem with ideas is that I do get a lot of them ((That is too a problem! Trust me.)) . More that I possibly have time to write ((Although if someone wants to fund my early retirement I’d be willing to give it a go!)) . Sometimes I get pretty far into turning the idea into a story before I realize that it’s not as great as I thought, or it’s just not for me. One of the biggest things I’ve taken away from the course is how to figure these things out quickly, and well in advance. This lesson came with four versions of the proposal for her novel Talyn, three as examples of what not to do, and the version that sold to Tor (that’s about 150 pages of examples for one lesson).
The second section (which I’m getting into now) is about planning. What to plan. What not to plan. How to avoid over-planning. How to plan and still allow things to grow organically. This is something I’ve struggled with over numerous short stories and three novels, and I welcome any help in making sense of my experiences.
Invitation Only Limited Time Offer!
The first run of this course (300 seats) sold out fast. Holly has opened up sign ups between now and September 8th, at 9am EDT on an invitation only basis. If it’s sounds at all interesting, consider yourself invited.
I’m a MINER
I’m incredibly excited to announce that I’m now an official contributor to MINE. MINE, a pop-culture blog that digs a bit deeper, is the brain child of author/podcaster JC Hutchins, and I’m honored to listed amongst all the other great folks on board.
MINE is your one-stop shop for entertainment news, crazy rumors, Internet memes, whimsical news bites, music, gossip … you name it. We’ve amassed a small army of savvy, slightly-snarky writers — we call them “MINERS” — dedicated to extracting the most fun and interesting stuff from the webscape.
We dig bubblegum pop, video games, TV, podcasts and vidcasts, rock ‘n roll and R&B, movies (if they’ve got fireballs and giant robots, we’re so there), celeb gossip, nutty YouTube videos, the list goes on. Like you, our interests are all over the place, and we’re gunning to be the first online place you visit for the fantastical, fascinating and frivolous.
So far I’ve MINED up something truly evil, and truly awesome, and some incredible new software that will let you walk through your photos. I hope you’ll enjoy my contributions, and be sure to check out all the great content MINE has to offer.
Available August 25th: Mur Lafferty’s Playing for Keeps in Print
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Next Monday, August 25, Mur Lafferty‘s Playing for Keeps will be available in print ((Technically the book is available right now due to the fact that Amazon listed the books when they arrived, but just ignore that. You can also ignore it if Amazon says “Out of Stock” because it’s practically meaningless.)) from Swarm Press. I’m really psyched about this one.
Welcome to Seventh City, the birthplace of super powers. The First Wave heroes are jerks, but they have the best gifts: flight, super strength, telepathy, genius, fire. The Third Wavers, like bar-owner Keepsie Branson and her friends, are stuck with the leftovers: the ability to instantly make someone sober, the power to smell the past, absolute control… over elevators. They just aren’t powerful enough to make a difference… at least that’s what they’ve always been told. But when the villain Doodad slips Keepsie a mysterious metal sphere, the Third Wavers become caught in the middle of a battle between egotistical heroes and manipulative villains.
Playing for Keeps does a great job of showing what it might really be like to live it a world where some people have super powers. It does this not by focusing on the heroes and villains, but on the folks with lesser powers. But it’s not all “I wish I had a cooler power and people liked me” angst (although there is some of that). It’s about friendship, about the dangers of seeing things as black and white. It’s also an action packed romp that’s a whole lot of fun.
But wait, there’s more!
The Podcast
Playing for Keeps was first release as a serialized podcast (in both audio and PDF form). The unabridged audio version is available from Podiobooks.com where it currently has five star ratings across the boards. This is how I consumed the book, and I recommend you check it out.
The Theme Song (now with video)
The audio version also featured the books theme song, written and performed by Beatnik Turtle. Mur recently held a contest where fans sent in video clips of themselves dancing, or lip syncing, or acting out a scene, or whatever to make a music video for the song. The results can be seen here.
Stories of the Third Wave
One of the most interesting thing that was done to promote the original podcast, was Stories of the Third Wave, a companion podcast featuring fan created content ((I contributed to Episode 6)) . For the print release Mur has started a new season of Stories of the Third Wave featuring short fiction and in-universe radio programs. You can get them all by subscribing to the feed at PlayingForKeepsNovel.com. So far it’s quite the line up:
- Easter Egg Commentary 1 — featuring the Easter Eggs originally hidden in the PDF version of the podcast
- Manic Mondays #169 — a PfK themed episode of Tom Rockwell’s Manic Mondays
- Super 107! — featuring Casey Shultz of SciFi Surplus and Natalie Metzger of Radio Isopod
- Geek Survival Guide — a PfK themed episode of Zach Ricks’ Geek Survival Guide
- Political Heroes — from Christopher Lester and Bryan Watson
- The News from Bewilder Pond — from Matthew Wayne Selznick
- Faith Matters — from Dr. John Cmar
- The Cockroach’s Bite — fiction from DK Thompson
- Conversations About Things With Wheels — from Joe Mieczkowski of On The Podcast
- LoveLines — a full cast program, produced by Kimi Alexandre
- Knit Spirit — a PfK themed episode of Ivy Reisner’s Knit Sprit
- Gestalt — fiction from JC Hutchins
- Block Party! — a PfK themed episode of Jason Block’s Block Party
- This Seventh City Life — from Christiana Ellis
- A Klamath Home Companion — from Grant Baciocco
The PDF
Want to give the book a read right now? Then head on over and download the entire book in PDF, including a all new short story Parasite Awakens, not currently available anywhere else ((This story is intended to bridge Playing for Keeps with it’s planned sequel)) .
Still Not Convinced?
Look, Playing for Keeps is an awesome book. You should buy it, next Monday, August 25th, from Amazon.com. But you don’t have to take my word for it…
Links of Interest (July 18th 2008 through August 21st 2008)
- Tor’s e-book giveaway: Someone is WRONG on the Internet
- Tor books recently gave away a batch of free e-books as publicity for the new Tor.com. Many of the books were of the “first in series” variety. Some folks expected to be able to buy the sequels at Tor.com when it launched, and weren’t happy to find they could not. A representative from Tor responded, and it seems thing got a bit heated. An interesting look at an unintended side effect of “free” (be sure to read the comments).
- Zombies attack musician, everyone laughs (including musician)
- JoCo attacked by Zombies an the 2008 New Media Expo
- It’s a tasty thing
- J. Dack posits “Scalzi’s Law”. I doubt this will be disproved any time soon.
- Ballantine Books to Publish Book Inspired by the Webcomic Garfield Minus Garfield
- I enjoy the heck out of “Garfield Minus Garfield”, but I assumed it would go the way of “Dylan Hears a Who”. I applaud Jim Davis and Ballantine Books for embracing the comic strip remix rather than issuing the standard cease and desist notice.
- PDTool
- A sliderule to help determine copyright status.
- A Talk with JoCo
- Five part interview with Jonathan Coulton (both mp3s and transcripts are available).
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