6:38 PM  
Upset that in a recent cam photo he was only featured from the rear, Mike Craddick has requested a more formal introduction to the masses of OD readers. He's single, ladies, but you better hurry...

6:13 PM  
Emoticons.

Have I ever told you how much I hate them? I mean, really hate them? It's bad enough that people don't capitalize or use proper punctuation online; now they don't even have to clearly convey their emotions using words?

"But Seth," you're saying, "what if I say something that's a joke, but it may not be clear that I'm joking? I have to put a little smiley face at the end so people know I don't mean it." I have two responses to that. The first is: just tell them you're kidding. Follow up "Last night you were wearing the ugliest shirt I've ever seen" with "But of course I'm just kidding." The second is to relate the only words the ever-annoying Charles Grodin spoke to which I attribute any value whatsoever:"How much you hate someone is in direct proportion to the number of times you tell them, 'Just kidding.' "

That may be a strange train of thought to be ridden by someone whose default mode is often joking around. But as far as I know, I don't joke about things I know are personal to people, and when I do I feel badly and often apologize--which in turn has led to some of the most interesting conversations I've ever had (such as conversations with my vegetarian friends about their decision and culinary lifestyle.) Just don't toss out your bon mots like they don't have any impact and you can just yank 'em back, that's all I'm asking.

I digress.

Emoticons. The only thing worse than Internet acronyms. Maybe it's the writer in me speaking, but if you have something to say, say it. Yes, you do save precious seconds typing AFAIK rather than "As far as I know," but what are you doing with that time? Come back when you're working on a cure for cancer or an extremely clever device.

If you're not certain that your email--or anything you write for that matter--will have the proper emotional impact, I have two words that will guide you: PROOFREAD and REVISE*. If we can back again to saving time, the time saved in email is not the time saved in writing it--writing email should take just as long as a letter or anything else you might undertake. The time saved by this Wonder of Our Modern World is delivery time--it takes just as long to write the letter/email, but it is delivered instantaneously.

(People mourn the loss of the postal system of Victorian London, when mail was picked up and delivered as often as seven times a day. They should get on email; I've exchanged as many as three dozen messages in a single day with a single correspondant. Should have kept up with the Engine instead of continuing to build away at the postal service, Babbage. Our hindsight-empowered futureworld mocks you.)

I'm running out of steam, which tends to be a sign of imminent rambling. So in closing, let me sum up:

BAD: emoticons, random abbreviations
GOOD: proofreading, revision
EXCELLENT:The new Spider-Man trailer.

As might be obvious, I'd have to be debated on the merits and flaws of clear-but-colloquial use of language. But that's for another time. Have a good weekend, all.

* Okay, this link isn't entirely pertinent. I just think the picture of the old lady is oddly amusing.

5:52 PM  
I have just discovered I am limited to 100,000 hits per month for this page. So if you're constantly refreshing in hopes of nude campics or more video game porn, you'll just have to relax back to 99,500 hits per month (that means no more than twice a minute, friend) so that every one else can get in.

3:20 PM  
Those on the mailing list were the first to know, but you are now the second: Monkeyfan Records has a new CD, GEEK OUT!, packed to the edge with cult favorites and obscurity that will have all of your friends asking, "Can we please listen to a different CD?"

Strangely, most stores are not open at three in the morning. So tonight I leave at a reasonable time to get some gift shopping done.

2:56 PM  
Good news! The ODArchive is no longer horrendously ugly. It is now simply ugly. But at least it's functionality is obvious to all passerby. Refinements and enhancements to come as time permits.

2:23 PM  
There's a calendar that hangs above my desk, on which I write important things I don't want to forget--e.g., appointments that involve anyone other than myself. Being the introverted malcontent that I am, normally it's pretty empty. But for some reason, the next two weeks are full to the brin with new friends, old friends, family.... Maybe it's the holidays. Okay, probably it's the holidays. But it does look like it'll be a busy--and fun--two weeks.

Now I just have to figure where I'm going to squeeze in a) the rest of my shopping, b) some freelancing I need to work on, c) updates to this page, and d) SSX Tricky. Hopefully in that order.

10:45 PM  
Tired of your Xbox already? Why not pop the top and do a little brain surgery?

10:37 PM  
In case you haven't made a Christmas list yet, just print this out. I'm really disappointed that GTA3 isn't on there, though.

Jon posted this link to a page of Francois Schuiten prints, and I was so excited to see some of his work online that I had to post the link myself. Go check out one of the best things since sliced cheese.

1:16 AM  
A post from home, where I've spent the day doing laundry and spending quality time with SSX Tricky. Nothing else to report; sorry for wasting your time.

4:16 AM  
Oh boy. I could really see getting into this. Luckily there's a piece of hardware I'd have to buy first...

3:06 AM  
As can be seen by the time of this post, I have now gone completely nocturnal. I am disappointed to discover that I have inherited none of the abilities of the vampire by taking on their lifestyle.

So I've been playing Return to Castle Wolfenstein this weekend, and I think I can honestly say that I would pay twice as much for the game if it were multiplayer only. This should be taken to indicate that a)I think the singleplayer game is incredibly boring and b) the multiplayer has taken my world, turned it upside down, and shaken it until change came out of the pockets. I think Tribes 2 is still probably a better team combat game, but Wolf recreates the WWII milleu pretty darn well, and the 'reinforcement' respawns work better than they have any right to. I've been playing it pretty hardcore this weekend, and I expect to keep doing so for another week or so--until I get bored with the short map rotation. That's the problem, see: not enough multiplayer maps. That's why I'd pay twice as much for multiplayer-only--twenty-five MP maps rather than the...six?....that are included. As witnesses friendly to the defense, I call upon Gabe and Tycho of Penny Arcade.

I do have to admit, however, that I rather enjoyed the opening cinematic. Yes, JP, I know how much you hate pre-rendered cinematics. But this one had a lot of nice touches--not the least of which was the score. I liked it so much, in fact, that I went and tracked down the website of the composer, Bill Brown, who it turns out has done music for movies and games both great and small. I reccommend downloading some of it (or, for those of you with download-unfriendly connections, listen to it via streaming channel) and checking it out for yourself.