07.13.2008

WE, THE WATCHED -- NOW AVAILABLE!

My first novel, We, The Watched, is now available as a free, weekly eBook. The first chapter is up in PDF form at www.wethewatched.com. All you've got to do is register for the forum, and then check back every Sunday. If you like what you read, please leave some feedback and tell your friends to check it out.

I've been meaning to get back to recording music, but have been focused on reporting work and getting the novel ready for publish. I'm also looking to resume work on the video game front and see if I can make some solid progress on Ballman. We shall see.

The Dark Knight comes out next week. You might say I'm extremely excited. I just picked up the animated tie in, Gotham Knight (think Animatrix), and it's only made me salivate more. Seriously, all this drool is getting kind of gross. I'm surprised people even come near me anymore.

Happy Independence Day. I'm a week late, I know. But then, this news post is like three months late, right?

03.08.2008

PROGRESS

I started reporting on a new beat at Communications Daily this week. Whereas I was before covering telecom business, I am now tackling wireline regulation. What is wireline regulation?  Well it's all about rules the Federal Communications Commission (aka the FCC) makes for traditional landline phones, VoIP (the voice service Vonage and cable companies sell) and broadband. It's a bit of a mess getting started on a beat because you have to learn the issues and introduce yourself to a plethora of people in the hopes they'll become great contacts. But...so far, so good.

Oh -- I got a letter from an agent interested in taking a gander at my novel. I'm inclined to let her have one.

Microsoft is going to make available the first service pack for Windows Vista later this month. Maybe my microphone will work again?

01.22.2008

SO THIS IS THE NEW YEAR

Two important developments:

1) There is more to write for the novel. The latter statement is contrary to previous comments on this page that the book is finished. But the explanation is the same as the statement: there is more to write. I'll leave it at that for now.

2) Development on the game mentioned in the last post is moving along. I'm feeling good about the play mechanics thus far, and am busy adding fresh, fun play concepts all the time.  It's a Ballman game, incidentally.  If that means nothing to you, let me explain.  In high school I created a really lame/awesome TI-83 graphing calculator program called Ballman.  All it did was run graphs that made it look like a ball was moving along a platform.  Each graph had a different shaped platform for the ball to follow.

Then I made a Ballman video game in Clickteam's Klik & Play.

All said, I'm confident that this, my third attempt at an awesome program starring a ball as its protagonist, will be f---ing sweet.

But don't take my word for it!

P.S. Whatever happened to LeVar Burton, anyway?

11.04.2007

SAVING DAYLIGHT

Turned the clocks back, stepped outside and felt the sudden chill of autumn.  I do it every year, but seasonal change always manages to take me by surprise.

I am done the final edit of my book, and shopping it around to a few hand-picked agents. I've been told the publishing world is hard to break into, but I'm confident in the words I've written. You will see something eventually.

Finally got around to buying a copy of Clickteam Multimedia Fusion 2. For those unfamiliar, Clickteam creates software for developing computer games and other cool applications. I've used their software since they had a program called Klik & Play, but MMF2 is the most advanced release yet. I'm working on a platform, side-scrolling game involving a bouncing ball. I'm only just starting, but it's already looking good! I'll post more info, pictures, and more as it progresses.

Oh, and yes: the text on this page got bigger. Maybe it looked OK on your computer, but it was hurting my eyes just to write.

08.25.2007

HOT SUMMER

Telecom business is more interesting than it sounds. That's how I've been feeling lately in my continuing work at Communications Daily. I'm getting a better handle on the subject (though I still have much to learn) and feeling better about the articles I'm writing.

I've been writing on a lot of NSA surveillance stuff at work, and it's inspired me to do one more manuscript edit for my upcoming novel, We, The Watched. I've also strengthened my writing skillz since starting at the trade daily in January, so that alone probably makes another read-through worth it.

I picked up Bioshock for the Xbox 360 earlier this week. I'd been uncertain whether to do so for quite some time, fearing an overly intense experience not conducive to post-work relaxation. But it's hard to ignore a video game getting reviews mostly higher than 9.7 on a 10 point scale, and one that at least one critic referred to as "art." I'm glad I made the move. I love games with absorbing stories and atmospheres, and this one certainly fits the bill. I find myself craving the intensity I was so worried about. It's sort of like what happened a few years ago when I picked up Eternal Darkness for Nintendo GameCube.

Music recording has stalled since buying a Windows Vista computer in June. Seems my USB microphone, Blue Snowball, is not compatible -- and the company still hasn't released an update! Man, if I didn't have other creative outlets...