I just watched the announcement by J.K. Rowling for Pottermore, and I’m really, really excited. This experience — using technology to bridge the gap between author, reader and gamer — is exactly where I hope to see the rest of the industry go. We are moving toward interstitial experiences to breathe life into our worlds, our stories and our experiences.
Mind you, the reason why something like this could happen, is because the audience is already there. I’ll be watching to see how successful this will be. Since one part of the equation is already taken care of, this will be a great test to see if others can and will follow. Not to mention, Sony is behind this and it’s no secret I’m a big admirer of what they can do.
Today’s Caturday post takes on a somber tone. I fear that as much as I am a friend to cats, dogs and small woodland creatures everywhere, I will not be safe from…
CATS IN TANKS.
And yes, this is a little violent. Along the lines of Starship Troopers. You’ve been warned.
A quick post today, to share with you that Simon’s Cat is sponsoring a monthly contest for readers. All you have to do is download a printout and take a picture of Simon’s Cat with your own furball.
To find out more about Simon’s Cat contest details, click here.
Every. Where. I. Look. The. 80s. Have. Returned. I hear people arguing about who sung which song. Most of the songs I stayed up late to watch music videos of are being remade. Smooth Criminal? SHEESH. I’m seeing feathers and cargo shirts and fluorescent yellows and men with perms.
If they bring back jelly shoes I might have to buy a Cabbage Patch kid. I mean, they’re already showing episodes of Jem and Rainbow Brite is on Netflix. What’s next? Friendship bracelets? Admittedly, I am making one simply because it’s absolutely, positively stupid that some sites are charging sixty bucks for them because they’re “in vogue.” ‘Course, this is coming from the girl who picked up a print of He-Man from Tim Seeley. Yeah, well. It’s He-Man. Didn’t you want to know what secrets Grayskull held?
Oy. To share my nostalgic pain, check out this video from Funny or Die. Not work safe. Just sayin’.
Today I’d like to share with you a video Wil Upchurch (Thank you, Wil!) had sent me in an e-mail. This talk was given by Stefan Sagmeister and discusses the value of time off. Every seven years he takes a one-year sabbatical to refresh and rejuvenate his creativity.
I really enjoyed the video not only because it resonates with my social media experiment now, but because there’s a lot of truth to what he’s saying. Constant production — whether it be words or art or whatever — takes its toll. Add deadlines on top of that or some other kind of pressure (e.g. marketing, promotion, social media, other people, etc.) and the quality can (and will) suffer.
Sometimes it’s hard to recognize when that quality takes a dive. Sometimes it’s difficult to understand why or to catch it before it does. In a way, this video reminds me of a mantra I’ve once heard: Americans live to work; Europeans work to live. Here, Stefan shows how the work can be more fulfilling if you take time off to pursue personal projects. Powerful stuff, because he’s not advocating that you stop doing whatever it is you love, but to redirect your talent into a different direction to help your baseline grow.
In my case, I’ve removed social media because I perceived its effects on me. Have I learned anything from this? On that “deep” personal level? I’m starting to. The reason why I am didn’t come from me, though. That insight came from another author and I’ll be writing about that later this week.
