I got linked to this from my friend Alyssa, and I have to say, as much as I currently fail at a number of the things he lists, John Scalzi makes some damn good points. Writers and artists in general would benefit from taking a read.
Links
Anecdotes from the Father of MUDs
Richard Bartle in a GameStop, found via in the ineffable Greg Costikyan. There’s not really much I need to add to this, it sort of speaks for itself. I laughed out loud in the middle of a coffee shop when I read it. It’s a bit like having Kerouac show up at your open-mic poetry slam.
Music Shirt of Doom
My last review for this week will be up later tonight, but I did want to share this delightful t-shirt: Elitism. It seemed appropriate to the whole music blogging thing.
Wii Loops
The Wii Loop Machine, found via the new site KiiWii. This is absolutely brilliant, and really highlights just how many new avenues for expression are being opened through rethinking how we control things. I could go on about it, but I think the video really speaks for itself.
Night Photography
Setting Your Night Photography Goals: I found this blog through my father, and have been enjoying the photography and writing he posts. While he’s primarily focused on the topic of night photography (as fits the topic of the blog, and a subject near my own heart), what he talks about with keeping yourself motivated and on track by setting yourself good, clear, reasonable goals is really worthwhile no matter what sort of creative work you’re endeavoring to do.
Democratized Literacy
Raph Koster has an excellent post up right now discussing the notion of democratized literacy that is well worth the time to read. I’d have to say that I largely agree with him, and feel that he makes an important implicit point: the entire notion of literacy and literature is constantly evolving, and should not be assumed as a static and limited definition. The structure and limits of a definition can change and expand, as long as the idea remains.
There will be more substantial content “soon.” In the meantime, I hope readers are finding these links useful.
RPGs at Gestural Narrative
While I may go back and expand on this in the future, I wanted to mention this post about games, in particular role playing games, as a form of gestural narrative, which I found over at Roll the Bones. Rather than reinventing or reiterating the wheel, I would instead suggest you swing by the site and read it for yourself.
On an unrelated note, please be patient; we’ll be doing more with this site soon.
Games Are Art
I recently discovered that a website working to put forward the belief that games are (or at least can be) art was shut down with no prior notice for an erroneous violation of terms of service by Network Solutions. The link for more information is here: Games Are Art!: Censorship.
Network Solutions is hardly one to be trying to take the high road, given their previous actions including wildcarding all .com and .net domains so any non-existent or typo’d domain entered goes to THEIR site, among others. I’m glad that Games Are Art have moved away from Network Solutions (and had I known that’s who their provider had been previously, would have suggested they leave earlier), and hope others will take this as yet another sign that you shouldn’t give Verisign/Network Solutions your business.