Yo I Be Where I Be At

Yes, I'm a neglectful bloggist, I know, but I'm good at what I do, and I'm rather charming, which means I can get away with whatever I want.

Lemme lay it out for ya like this:

- I take classes, and I'm one of those students who works incredibly hard at determining what I can do to get away with having to do the same amount of work as the generic, average students, but get at least a B. This takes a lot of dedication and devotion to fucking around. I take my slacker-ness seriously.

- I work, and I rather enjoy what I do. Working in IT on a college campus seems like a tough, bitchy job if you haven't actually had a tough, bitchy job. I have had some fairly bad jobs (ripping the guts out of chickens), and I've had some very, very hard jobs (being a restaurant GM), so going to work in an IT department on a college campus is something that I actually enjoy, and in order to keep enjoying it, I actually, ya know, work. And read sports news on the internet.

- Uncharted fucking 2: Among Thieves. Thank the Maker, this is the best game I've played in a long, long time. I know that Cody's mental vagina has developed a severe allergy to cut-scenes, but this game epitomizes my belief that, in certain games, the cut scenes provide a wonderful breather, and act as a 'take a sip of your beer, grab a smoke, and relax for a minute' kinda moment. Cody, my dearest friend and fellow bloggist, I urge you to inject your brain with some Vagisil, and happily slurp down a PS3, loaded with wonderful cutscenes. Anyway, this game is the best of the adventure/platforming genre, and has a beautiful blend of puzzles, storytelling, rich characters, platforming, combat, gorgeous art, and my wife was even wanting to give kudos to whoever 'dresses the sets,' so to speak, because the environments are so detailed (and I don't mean polygons and textures, though those look nice, too.)

- I also journeyed out to Kingston, IL and Chicago over the weekend for a wedding and to visit the in-laws, so there.

- I spent quite a bit of time fighting with Windows 7, since I got my retail keys for several copies a couple weeks ago, through work/school. I've been trying to upgrade my gaming Deathbook from Vista Home Premium x64 to Windows 7 Pro x64, and it is not, officially, possible. I don't accept that, and I'm halfway through the process now. Of course, if I have to do a full reinstall, so be it, but I have that machine, and each game install, super-customized, and don't even get me started about my fucking iTunes library. If I have to reinstall, I'm looking at a month or two of tweaking to get everything back to where I want it. No thanks.

- Lastly, I've been working on getting more gaming going w/ Linux. One of the things I'd really like to do in life is bring a greater gaming presence to Linux. It would make gaming platforms FREE, which is a huge win, but would also open game development up to a greater number of people. Gaming + open source could be a great thing. I've now got Guild Wars & the Neverwinter Nights (plus all the expansions) running on my Ubuntu netbook, and they both run PERFECTLY. NWN actually runs without any emulation. It is actually running ON Linux, which is awesome. Now, if we can just get Steam to act as a means to run anything and everything on Linux...

Oh, and I guess I need to publish that third chapter of my book on here, as I had promised. I'll get it up here tomorrow.

What have you been up to?

-Blaine

Open Source & Writing

There are certain benefits to having absolutely no direction in life. One of them is that you accidentally learn a lot about a variety of subjects. You might be amazed what you pick up when you bounce from being a Video Game store manager to an art school student (graduated with a 4-year BA!) to a restaurant manager to an IT student/professional.

One of the best discoveries along the way has been open source software. I used to be just another brainless Microsoft-using drone, banging out my stories on Microsoft Word on Microsoft 95/ME/XP, until John led an intervention.

He mocked me ruthlessly for months, saying unkind things about my intelligence, waistline, and penis, until I finally caved and installed Ubuntu on one of my PCs. From there, I discovered all kinds of open source applications and now the only software I ever pay for is games.

Open Source & the Writer
I'm a writer. I also work in IT. I don't know if I can properly explain to you how diametrically opposed these two worlds are.

Allow me, then, to tell you why every writer out there should use open source software.

There are few things in this world that I find more childish and obnoxious than the person who prides themselves on their ignorance, as if being open to being taken advantage of is some idiotic badge of honor. Technophobia was cute back when the Church was still allowed to be transparent about its hateful agenda, and they were killing people who pointed out that the world is round. Nowadays, you have companies like Apple & Norton who prey on the technologically retarded by making them pay for services they don't need and overpay for various wares that could be more easily gotten if the user dared to challenge themselves a little and learn the basics of computing.

I'm a writer and a musician. I love musicians but tend to battle most other writers. Most musicians have a grasp of two basic principles very dear to my heart: the embrace of technology & the ability to play well with others. Again, that's most, as I understand that there are plenty of self-absorbed pricks in the music industry.

Anyway, by and large, musicians tend to be pretty cool dudes, and as long as they're hungry, they'll let themselves be pretty versatile and learn any skill necessary to let themselves quit their horrible retail/fast-food job.

Writers, though, aren't always the most tech-savvy, which surprises me, as they should be using computers all the fucking time.

Talk to any serious writer, ask them about their writing process, and they will lay out for you this amazingly elaborate ritual that takes place in a very specific setting during a certain time of day. I don't know why so many writers want so badly to restrict the circumstances under which they can be most productive, but hey, ya gotta be at least a little neurotic to be an artist.

This isn't to say that I don't understand the need for ideal comfort when writing, as I absolutely do. When I write, I like being alone, I like bright lights, I like being able to recline a bit, and that's about it. My process is another post unto itself, but I just wanted to point out how much cooler I am than other writers.

Writers, though, with all their twisted neuroses, need for attention, and desire for cripplingly specific creative process should LOVE open source software.

For me, it came down to three things. One, free software. Two, customization. Three, community.

If you want Windows 7 & Microsoft Office 2007 this fall, you're forking over $500-800. No shit. If you want Ubuntu + OpenOffice, it's free, and just as powerful. If you need to, you can save as MS Word docs, or as .pdf, or whatever you need.

Additionally, by opting for the free open source solution, you're helping adjust the market in that direction. Software tends to be outrageously overpriced, and every little market correction helps.

As for the customization, this is the big one. Ubuntu is fully cuztomizable, and very easily so. OpenOffice has many, many extensions, and can be easily customized, as well. What this allows the writer to do is create his/her ideal writing space on their computer. By being able to tweak both the OS and the word processor, you can make things more comfortable for yourself, and allow yourself to cut the bullshit and get to the writing that much faster.

I've found this is especially nice on my netbook, which I use quite a bit for editing. I write a bit on it, but the keyboard's a little small for the furious slamming of keys. It is, however, perfect for curling up on the bed and editing.

The last point, community, was one I wasn't expecting. Being a user of FOSS instantly connects you with a huge community of people who not only use the same software as you, but often times contribute to the project, so if you ever have questions, you have a vast pool of people who are willing to help you out.

Additionally, you're able to help out quite a bit by contributing feedback on the various projects, which is invaluable.

What's nice, too, is that you may find yourself actually pulled into the tech side a little more, and may just learn a thing or two.

It took me ages and ages to finally lock down and put out my book, and I can easily say that switching to open source software was a huge reinvigoration, as it allowed me a free and easy way to create the perfect writing environment for myself.

So, if you're a writer, I urge you to check out the FOSS scene, and see if there's anything there for you. You may be pleasantly surprised by how much you can get for nothing.

-Blaine

PS - any other writer-ly or tech stuff you wanna read about here?

Please be sure to check out my novel, the Endless Wars: the Descent! Thanks!

Even closer...

...got the book back from my editor/wife. She doesn't normally read that slowly, but was taking time to give me a thorough ass-kicking from an editorial standpoint. Some stuff she loved, some stuff she hated, and I am now poring through her notes and making minor adjustments in preparation for submitting the manuscript to Lulu to get the thing printed.

The manuscript, now, is at 260 pages, but that will likely increase a little.

I had a very minimalist cover in mind that was simply a black & white photo of a building (central to this particular book) for the front and back of the book, but have decided that I'd rather have plain white w/ black courier font for the covers & spine. Just seems cleaner and less pretentious. I dunno. I just like the way it looks in my head. We'll see. I'd like to have each book in the series be kinda uniform in that respect.

I've confirmed the book will be available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble, as well as the Lulu site.

There will be an e-book version available at some point, but I don't know if it will be day & date with the print version.

There will NOT be a Kindle version, as I've pulled my support for the device after the 1984 fiasco.

I don't yet have a release date. I have a feeling it'll be this month, but it could slip to September. I may push it to September just so I have time to actually build up some anticipation for it. Again, we'll see.

I've made some cost-related decisions, as well. Any additional content that's included will likely be downloadable, to reduce the cost of the book. The more the book costs to make, the more I have to charge. Also, I will be taking a dollar or less per book, in an effort to further reduce cost.

I've started the second book, and it was refreshing to really bang out some new material with these characters for the first time in years. If the first book was dark, this one is cold. With any luck, it won't be another 10 years between books, and I can put out a couple a year. I feel great about the second book thus far.

I'm also thinking about doing a free online-only prequel series of shorts to help flesh out the worlds that appear in these books. I've got the first one in the bag, and am kinda sitting on it while I decide what to do with it.

There have been two very rough things in this process: nightmares and lost companions.

Writing the book gave me nightmares, and editing it has had the same effect. There's some really twisted, deeply personal shit in this volume, and writing/editing it forces me to confront a lot of this shit, at least on some level, and the result is nightmares. Not the kind ya laugh and tell your wife about the next day, either.

My Linux netbook is down at the moment, at least until I either diagnose it or send it in to the manufacturer. It's covered under warranty, but I have a feeling that the HDD is on its last legs. I'm going to try and grab an image of it this week, before I send it in, but I worry that I can't keep it running long enough to grab said image. We shall see.

Either way, that netbook was HUGE in getting this thing edited. It's only 8.9 inches across and weighs 2 pounds, so it was a delight to just lie in bed, read, and edit. It's also my only portable option for Linux at the moment, and Linux is ideal for writers.

With Linux and a little know-how, a writer can pick up a cheap-ass Linux netbook, and customize the shit out of it, thus creating his/her ideal writing/editing setup. Ask any serious writer, and they'll tell you that they are very particular about their rituals, spaces, setups, etc. for when they write. I'm not as overly sensitive as most writers and don't like to cripple myself by limiting the conditions under which I can write.

That reminds me, some day I'd like to post about my dealings with other writers, and how most of them hate me, and how musicians are actually 'my people.' Just know that most writers are amazingly pretentious douchebags who want nothing more than to masturbate to ten-cent words.

Anyway, the netbook will be up and running again soon, but since I back everything up every day in quadruplicate, it's not too big an issue. That thing is just my favorite object in the world, and my most useful tool (other than my penis.)

I'll be back soon. The breaks between posts will be shorter from here on out, since there will be more to talk about the closer we get to release day.

Real quick, I've been reading my first ebook. I wasn't sure if I wanted to publish in that format, so I decided to test-drive a book. I've been reading the first Song of Ice and Fire book in this format, and so far, I really like it. I've been using eReader (running via Wine) on my Ubuntu netbook (which is perfect as an ebook reader, another reason I already miss it.) The netbook is so light and small, one can hold it easily in one hand and lie on his/her back, or lie in any preferred reading position. The nicest thing is that the backgrounds and font are totally customizable, so you can adjust everything until it's nice and easy on your eyes. I think I like it.

In the meantime, let's talk books. What are your favorites? Who are your favorite authors? Favorite genres? Do you like ebooks? What do you think of the Kindle? Anything!

Alright, let's get this hype machine going! HOOWAH!

-Blaine

No, seriously, I'm a writer.

The hardest thing about writing is actually writing. I know some authors, good and awful, who can crank out material non-stop, but I know a greater number that have to push themselves to stick with it every day.

For me, it's tough because I'm always playing around in so many different mediums. Sometimes, I'm working on my music, sometimes I'm programming for long stretches (like the last 10 months or so), but lately, I've been itching like hell to finally squeeze my 10-year old first novel out.

I'm not self-conscious about shit, but I really feel like putting this novel out would be the equivalent of exposing every vulnerability I have to every person out there who was kind enough to read it.

I need to get over that, and I will, but I'm still struggling with the book's cover, since it's something I don't really know a lot about, but when I see concepts in front of me, I know I don't love any of them. I want something minimalist, but haunting.

I need to finish the final edit before anything else, though. I've been tweaking and refining this thing for literally 10 years, and at some point, I'm just gonna snap and go completely mad.

I've been considering posting the first chapter on here, to give people an idea of where I'm coming from, but we'll see. I'll probably wait until it's ready to be printed before I do that. Don't know. Just don't know. Not sure.

ANYWAY...

...I feel like blogging can be a way to keep your writing skills sharp, but you really have to push yourself for that to be the case. My writing has degraded sharply over the last couple years, mainly from the lack of an editorial process. I used to hate having an editor, and now I see why it's a good idea. I write like shit now, and I used to be really good at it. That's actually one of the points of this new blog.

I'm trying to use this blog as a platform to improve my writing. I'm actually applying an editorial standard with this blog, something I didn't do with my 1UP blog.

One thing that's been really interesting is editing this old book. It's been edited a few times over the years, but now, it's actually going through a bit of an overhaul, as there are ideas that have been cooking for a few years that I was going to put into future books that actually fit wonderfully in this book, so they've been implemented in this edit.

A particular point that's been added is a character that acts as a "distorted mirror" for the main character, a foil that embodies what the main character could have become had key choices in the past been made differently. Once I added that, it kind of unlocked everything that had been bothering me about the book. Good times.

Something about writing fiction that I love is playing with characters and seeing how they'll react to various stimuli. If I can surprise myself, it's working.

Anyway, I'll post more on the book here as things progress. I've got class and work 'til 5/13, and then I'm only working part time for a few months after that so that I can focus on writing and coding all summer. There will be nothing to announce about the book until at least June, and then depending on what I do in regards to E3, it may get pushed to late June. I'm not sure.


Etcetera
Kubuntu I've been running Kubuntu on my desktop PC for the last week or so, and I'm done with it. I love Ubuntu, and have been a very happy Ubuntu user for almost three years now, and only use Windows for gaming and 360 streaming.

Kubuntu is a variation on Ubuntu that uses KDE instead of Gnome for a desktop environment.

I had never user KDE before, but I love playing around with new interfaces, so I was excited to try something new in terms of desktop environment.

I gotta say that I understand why KDE is the way to go for some folks, namely people that inexplicably like the Mac approach to interface, but are too smart to plunk down twice the amount of money that they should for a computer that is so insulting to the user, it only comes with one mouse button.

The thing I don't like about KDE is the same thing I don't like about Mac, which is the click-click-click-click-click-click that goes on to access something simple. It's also not as easily customizable as Ubuntu, which is a big no-no for me. Ubuntu is a dream for those that want to make their OS work for them, whereas I feel like I'm fighting the OS at all times with Mac, Kubuntu, and Windows, because they want to dictate to me how my computing experience should be.

So, yeah, tonight, I'll be reloading Ubuntu onto my main desktop, and then installing OpenSolaris on my secondary desktop to start getting more practice managing a Unix server. The goal is to use it as a means to work on my own site before uploading the new site version, and maybe use it to run my own email. We'll see.

So, what do you do for a creative outlet? Are any of your creative projects technical in nature? How's your creative project(s) going?

Peace out.

-Blaine