- "All that sleeping made me tired." #thingskayleesays #
- Thinking about Tolkein, Tangled, and women who give up a power to stay w/ their man. Result: sucked into tvtropes.com again. I blame @cyface #
- Err. Tvtropes.org I mean. Silly me. #
- My work in progress /appears/ to be missing about 10k words. The most recent 10k, actually. This troubles me. #
- Son of bitch I hate rewriting stuff I already wrote. Damn it. Fuck. It was good, too. DAMN it. #
- Getting a song stuck in your head is a little annoying. Getting a sing-a-ma-jig song stuck in your head is a special morning hell. #
- Castle Ravenloft – The Game (http://j.mp/hpBiVv) – Very interested in this, as my near-future gaming time looks to shrink. #
- My Favorite Game Console – Dark T-Shirt > Daniel Solis T-shirts (http://j.mp/fAjN1u) – Wishlist. #
- Aww. 10th Doc David Tennant engaged to Georgia Moffett, (played the Doctor's Daughter and is the daughter of 5th Doc) http://bit.ly/eNl3jN #
- Wizard101 takes home Reader’s Choice Best MMO of 2010 (http://j.mp/gJOUIK) – Very fun game, which I enjoy both with and without Kaylee. #
- RT @skagency: E-book versions of the top six books on the USA TODAY bestseller list outsold the print versions last week. http://is.gd/k7Tum #
- Twitter: You're using an old version of Twitter. Me: Yeah, the new layout sucks. Twitter: Oh. Me: Yeah. Sorry, but… seriously, it sucks. #
- Last night's rice/chutney/veggie mix seems to have acquired "heat" only thanks a tense hostage exchange involving "taste". #bleh #reheatfail #
- Random Average: Burning Wheel, in Review http://bit.ly/eWJcgJ #
- True Grit: a pretty fine movie. #
What’s up, January 2011 edition
Things have been fairly quiet here on my home-blog, as it were, but nothing’s been very quiet for me, so I figured I’d document my current areas of activity, just so people know.
Those of you who see what I see on Twitter and in GReader might be aware that I’m writing stuff for MMO Reporter now. It’s a newish gig, but a topic I enjoy, and I’m learning a lot about the industry in the process. I’ve also been sharing a less newsy rant or two with their sister site, the Green Dragon Inn, though that’s a bit more intermittent, since I have other ports through which to vent my spleen.
In related writing-for-other-people’s-internets stuff, I’ve been asked aboard a new webzine project targeted towards gamer women ages 25+ with families and/or careers. You might ask why me, since I’m am not a woman aged 25+ and very likely never will be, but that’s OKAY, since I will in fact be providing a weekly column from the point of view of a dad+gamer, something I’ve got some experience with. The title of the column has been determined, though not by me, and it’s not something I’d have suggested, so we’ll just forget to mention it for now, shall we? Title notwithstanding, I’m excited about this project.
There has been some bookish news that I can’t really talk about yet, but I will say: when I got it, it did not ruin my day. So there’s that.

Speaking of writing, I neglected to save my work and lost several key and painfully constructed scenes in my current novel to power failure. There may have been a lot of primal roars and some swearing. I’m quite angry with myself over the whole stupid thing, and have assigned myself nothing but apples and porridge until the scenes in question have been rewritten to everyone’s satisfaction. (Not much of a punishment, since my porridge is actually oatmeal with honey and raisins in it, but it’s the best I’ve got.)
In any case, learn from my mistakes and make sure your autosave function is actually ENGAGED, and not simply adorning your options panel like a quaint but dusty cameo necklace.
Anything else? Oh yes, I’ll be a father (again) in a few short weeks, and we (read: our contractors) are racing to finish Kaylee’s new bedroom in time to get all her stuff moved and all of the bear cub’s stuff in place. Permit delays are a killer. (As is the stress of finding out one of your foundation walls is not so much a “foundation” as a vague suggestion of stability.)
Have I found a “regular” job? No I have not. The market is so terrible it can hardly be dignified with the name; it’s really just ten million people wandering the aisles of eight million empty stalls — bit more of a maze than a market — a maze with no entrance or exit. Cheerful!
And that’s it — now you know where I’ve been, and I’ve blown the dust off this particular window enough to realize I’d like to clean it off properly and do some work here.
Happy new year and all that; talk to soon.
Tweets for the week of 2011-01-02
- One too many 'who's that flabby bastard holding my daughter?' pictures yesterday. Off to the gym. #
- First inspection (rough frame, rough electrical) of Kaylee's new room. Nomming oatmeal to fortify and scribbling down things to ask. #
- NICE. RT @seananmcguire: Who wrote one of the Onion AV Club's best books of 2010? Was that my evil twin, @miragrant? HOLY CRAP IT WAS. #
- People, I know I've rung this bell already, but if you haven't read Feed, by Mira Grant, you are missing one of the best books of the year. #
- Yumpin' yimminy it's dry out. Supposed to get cold today. Hope cold means snow, cuz right now the grass crackles when you walk on it. #
- Ooh. Johnny Cash download pack available for Rock Band on January 4th… #
- Spokeo may know more about you than you realize (http://j.mp/gVT8CN) – Yeah. A little disconcerting. #
- Ahh, tradition. RT @DaphneUn: Some people watch the ball drop. @doycet and I watch Denethor jump off Minas Tirith in flames. #happynewyear #
- My daughter's marching around the house with a sign taped to the end of a stick that reads "Happy Noo Yar". #
Tweets for the week of 2010-12-26
- Child abuse down 26% from 1993-2006; child sex abuse down 38%, yet we're more afraid than ever. http://bit.ly/hNDhZY #thanksFOXinthemorning #
- Are Virtual Worlds Part of the Cause of our Real-world Recessions? http://bit.ly/gvBWAg #
- Listening to the latest Podgecast. Sweet mercy, the Worst Icebreaker Ever. My eyes are failing me. The pain. The wonderful pain. #
- Clear skies tonight; very excited to watch the #lunareclipse while @DaphneUn snaps pictures. #
- How the japanese multiply (http://j.mp/i9TD37) – I finally watched this. My mind = blown. #
- This was one of our shots from last night. RT @DaphneUn: The moon in Earth's shadow: http://bit.ly/fTBsl9 #
- One more shot from last night — probably my favorite of all the one's @DaphneUn took: http://bit.ly/e9uVqP #
- RT @carriepatrick71: People say I'm always wanting what I haven't got. But what else is there to want? #
- AOL acquires About.me – Holy Kaw! (http://j.mp/hWHXLl) – Well, crap. #
- Calamities of Nature on the True Meaning of Christmas. (http://j.mp/eUIT59) – Sooth. #
- *beats head on web server, passes out* #
- MMO, Social Gaming Up; Console Gaming Down (http://j.mp/i4G5ed) – In other news, water is wet. #
- Moffat’s Women: Amy Pond (http://j.mp/ho9ZAH) – I enjoy Matt Smith, but Karen Gillan made Season Five for me. #
- Remember that Secret Santa who wouldn't 'accept' anything on my wish list? They finally approved a suggestion… then bought something else. #
- Trying to find #lotro gift cards at GameStop stores in town (just checked the 5th). So far, they either don't carry em or can't find them. #
- My gift wrapping really lends the holiday an authentic feel — the feeling of "a five-year-old wrapped this, after getting into the scotch." #
- RT @cpat71: Merry Christmas to all you wonderful people who live inside my computer and make me happy. #
- Finished standard Christmas Eve preparations: watering the lawn and trees to stave off drought conditions. #
- I have a cunning hat (as does the bear cub): http://twitpic.com/3jkc8a #
- Twitter seems to be staggering under the weight of people Tweeting "Twas the night before Christmas", line by line. So… you know. STOP IT. #
Happy Holidays to You and Yours
Revisting, briefly, the source of my Publishing Predictions
As I’ve already said, all of my predictions about publishing come from observing other industries that have recently gone digital (in some cases, unwillingly).
From that, I’ve projected things like the demise of chain bookstores; their failure slowed but not stopped by stubborn publishers clinging to DRM in a vain effort to make digital books work like paper books, and as a result making ebooks not more ‘secure’, but less attractive for early adoption by the casual consumers who (understandably) prefer to actually own the shit they buy.
It’s just fucking math, guys.
In 2001, we got the iPod. Three million iPods were sold in two and a half years.
Nine years later, the number of employees of music stores has dropped from 80,000 people to 20,000.
Three million iPods were sold in two and a half years.
Three million Kindles were sold in two years.
Three million iPads were sold in eighty days.
Three million iPhones were sold in three weeks.
Just do the fucking math.
Tweets for the week of 2010-12-19
- The “first SUV” (http://j.mp/fAaIxW) – Want! #
- Dropped in on @dknippling's Choose Your Doom book signing. At the mall. At Christmas shopping time. Totally worth it. Good book; go buy it. #
- How to drive Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Lord of the Rings Fans Insane with Just One Pic (http://j.mp/e8NrzR) – HA! #
- Getting laid off is not the same as getting fired (http://j.mp/fBuNbj) – This reality is pretty much life right now. #
- So… that crazy-making Harry Potter/Star Wars/Lord of the Rings picture? We forgot Trekkies: http://brizzly.com/pic/3ZK7 #
- International “Change Your Account Password” Day (http://j.mp/eReGVZ) – Me, on MMO Reporter. #
- RT @rdonoghue: The unifying characteristic of people who would do it better is that they didn't do it. #
- At the Kindergarten holiday pageant. Preparing to be jingle bell rocked. #
- Republican Thinking on Recent Healthcare Developments (http://j.mp/gHo2rT) – Shocker. #
- Everyone knows someone hard to shop for at Christmas. This is the first time I've encountered someone who's hard to be shopped BY. #weird #
- TWITTER HIVE MIND: My "secret" santa rejected my entire Amazon wishlist; I need a single, $100 gift for them to buy. WHAT SHOULD I SUGGEST? #
- HIVEMIND: The gift can TOTALLY be pointless/annoying, because at this point, I DON'T ACTUALLY WANT IT. #
- HUMAN GOOGLE: Your gift suggestions are collated and forwarded. Now to see if they meet the MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS. #
- My personal favorites were a couple goats donated through WorldVision.org, or $100 bucks worth of fruitcake. We shall see… #
- The more irritated I get, the more I sound like my dad. #
Tweets for the week of 2010-12-12
- Why look: Musicland is buying Sam Goody – http://www.yorkblog.com/books/2010/12/borders-barnes-noble-closer-to.html #
- Man I hate people. Sometimes. Not *you* guys, of course. Definitely not you guys. But, you know… people. Everyone else. #
- Cataclysms are tiny, compared to the Big Bang (http://j.mp/gjkJzG) – My first article for MMO Reporter. #
- Comic: Teef (http://j.mp/iacSES) – Oh yeah; this is gonna be me. #
- Weather Radar (http://j.mp/eZ5sDx) – This is pretty much what it's like to live in Denver. #
- Can you be a Community Coordinator for the whole Universe? (http://j.mp/gMcdre) – Latest article for MMO Reporter. #
- More than 1000 Wikileaks mirror sites spring up in a week (http://j.mp/gsqYTA) – Can't stop the signal, Mal. #
- This sums up what the holidays are like around here: @daphneun – "I think I have glitter in my eye." #
- The Play’s the Thing: A New Holiday Acting Event for LotRO Thespians (http://j.mp/fMAd1O) – Me on MMO Reporter again. #
- The Road to Mordor: A conspiracy of hats (http://j.mp/hUcYEf) – Funny hats. Funnier commentary. #
- Banana split for breakfast! Except the ice cream has been replaced with oatmeal and the whipped cream with brown sugar and milk. But STILL. #



