internet

Click through no click through

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Christ, I meant to watch a few minutes of THE MAN FROM NOWHERE and now it’s quarter to three in the morning and I’m supposed to be getting up to work in the morning.

Anyway, I hate writing short blog posts–esp if it’s just a link to something on another site–because it feels like such a cheat. WordPress automatically posts notice of the new entry on my Facebook, Twitter, and G+, and all people find when they click it is a link to another site. So, for example, if I want to let people know how to write for a game company like Evil Hat, it would make more sense if the tweeted link they’re clicking was the direct one. Just saying.

But the weird thing is that fewer than half the people who click a link to my blog actually bother to click the direct link. It’s like they click the one, see another link and just give up. They cared enough to click once, right?

I feel like Werner Herzog in JACK REACHER: “They always choose the bullet. I do not understand.”

Oh god I’m tired.

This is trolling, right? It’s a prank. Right? A prank? Hello?

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Scientists find secret to writing a best-selling novel.

I thought readers liked verbs.

Randomness for 1/6

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1) A 1600-Year-Old Viking Board Game.

2) Thor is the New Superman. Yet another screw-up by DC.

3) 160-Year-Old historical documents deliberately destroyed in North Carolina. Covering up old crimes? There are followup posts.

4) 4 Things I Learned from the Worst Online Dating Profile Ever.

5) The top 20 most annoying book reviewer cliches and how to use them all in one meaningless review.

6) Here’s Exactly How Much the Government Would Have to Spend to Make Public College Tuition-Free.

7) “There’s a book inside of you. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“The green screen is strong with this one.”

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Must be seen to be believed.

Warning: Can not be unseen or unheard

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The podcast War Rocket Ajax created the Worst Christmas Mixtape Ever for their War on Christmas episode.

Aside from the warning in the subject header, you should also know these are not just incredibly terrible and physically painful, some are downright offensive.

Direct link here.

You’re welcome.

Randomness for 12/17

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1) The Walking Dad jokes.

2) Hippie Boardgame Forever!

3) How English got its current alphabet, and why people say “Ye Olde”. I’m showing this to my son.

4) The origin of common user interface symbols.

5) Kitchy old ceramic statues turned into horror art.

6) Poems made by stacking books.

7) Father makes posters out of strange things he’s said to his kids. I wonder if he’d make one for me: “Do not drink water out of the duck’s butt.”

How I planned my Kickstarter and why I think it worked out so well

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So! As many of you know, last September and October I ran a Kickstarter for my new epic fantasy trilogy. My goal was $10K, which was barely enough to cover the cost of cover art, interior design, a map, printing, copy editing, etc. In my original budget I had about $80 worth of wiggle room, which I figured would be safe enough; if costs went over, I could cover them with the Twenty Palaces POD edition which is coming out soon.

Then this happened:

The project hit its goal in about 8 hours and doubled it the next day. This post is going to be about what happened, why it happened, what I did right and wrong, and what I learned from it. Continue reading

Randomness for 11/19

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1) 16 People talk about the things they didn’t know about the U.S.A. until they moved here.

2) A girl draws self-portraits before and during an LSD high.

3) Man Buys 10.000 Undeveloped Negatives At a Local Auction and Discovers One of The Most Important Street Photographers of the Mid 20th Century.

4) Fate Core Kickstarter price breakdowns, in detail.

5) Attn: Screenwriters: Man makes explosive from items purchased in the post-TSA area of an airport. h/t @hradzka

6) Yearbook photos of heavy metal and rock musicians.

7) A long study that measured the harmful effects that video games have on kids.

If you missed your chance for a Twenty Palaces Tuckerization…

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I know a lot of folks wanted to pick up the Tuckerization for the Twenty Palaces short story in my Kickstarter for The Great Way, but it was the top pledge level. Very expensive. In fact, several folks joked about starting a Kickstarter to buy that backer reward.

Well, you get a second chance: There’s a $100 Tuckerization reward for my entry in HELP FUND MY ROBOT ARMY and other improbably Kickstarters. It won’t be related to Twenty Palaces, but it will be fun.

Also: the video for that Kickstarter? It’s full of cats. If you like looking at cats…

It’s over.

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