Thoughts on “That Dragon, Cancer 2016” 

That Dragon Cancer, a game changer (please forgive my pun). At least it expands my idea of what video games are, and what they can be.

Games are immersion, bringing you deeper into a narrative than any story or film can bring you. Elements of poetry, art, motion interplay to bring you deeper than you ever could’ve gone .

They won the “Games With Impact” at this year’s “The Game Awards“. Which tells me the gaming industry recognizes the importance and power of such games. I’m pondering what the intersection with VR will bring about. The future holds amazing promise. 

Watch “My love letter to cosplay | Adam Savage” on YouTube

I’ve long admired the artistry that is cosplay. And Adam Savage’s contributions have a glorious quality. Below is a TED Talk by Adam the dives deeper into the psychology  of cosplay, and his personal love of the art. You’ll learn more about the richness of geek culture and the narrative we value. 

A Comic Discovery: Underground Seattle

While cleaning up today, I found this well outside of where it’s supposed to be…far from it’s bookshelf. So, I was delighted to find this gem and, so much for the work I wanted to get done, I set myself down and re-read it. Behold: “Underground Seattle”!

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I found this gem at the Edmonds Bookshop, one of my uber-favorite bookstores. I bought this early this year, and it was sold in support of Independent Bookstore Day (April 30, 2016). Definitely a worthy endeavor! This little book was a solidly delightful read. Reminds me of the art you find in such magazines as The Stranger, and the Zines of 90s. I think it does a fantastic job capturing pieces of Seattle’s underground culture.

Though I’ve poked around, I couldn’t find a place to see or even buy a copy of this little guy. I intend to keep looking, though it might have been too limited a run. If you know, let me know.

Here’s the list of contributors, along with web presence (websites, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook pages). They’re all interesting and do fascinating work. Check them out!

Seth Goodkind (this link takes you to a copy of his contribution for this book), David Lasky, Max Clotfelter, Joe Garber, John Ohannesian, Ben Horak, Kelly Froh, Peter Bagge, Marie Hausauer, Tatiana Gill, Colleen Frakes, Ellen Forney, Roberta Gregory, Pat Moriarity, Laura Knetzger, Robyn Jordan, Allen Gladfelter, Marc Palm, Tom Van Deusen, James Stanton, Brendan Kiefer, Ryan Thies & Eroyn Franklin.

A Friday Haiku 

We love our Fridays

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Looking at Fear 

There are times of fear 

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Reflecting on Om Malik’s article “Silicon Valley Has An Empthy Problem”

​”Silicon Valley Has An Empthy Problem”

It’s very hard to break free of our focus bubble, seeing the impacts of our technological creations. Whether Uber, Amazon, Bitcoin , or any of a huge number of disruptive changes. People’s lives, and livelihoods are hugely impacted. We lose sight of that at our peril. 

i agree quite heartily with Om here. Tech needs to add empathy into its DNA. A simple elementary possibility: add empathically oriented checks in the project mapping. Ask “who’s hurt by this product”?

It’s a start. An important one. Or, perhaps, a critical one. 

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Thoughts on Casey Neistat’s Vietnam Notebook

I’ve been enjoying Casey’s work for sometime now. It’s really a 2016 discovery; one I’m happy I made. I get ideas of things to film, someday, that mythical someday when I have plenty of free time. 

Moleskine junky that I am, I really love what he did with his notebook. Cutting out/adding in tickets, maps, key details, blah blah. Things I wish I’d done with my trip to Yellowstone Grand Tetons this summer. 

I think it’d be fun to craft some videos like this, too. My son is going deep into videography. He really wants to collaborate, and I really want to embrace that. 

Lastly, Casey makes note about nothing drives home how fast time passes than watching kids grow up. And I’m really feeling that this fall. We’re preparing for highschool, talking college, cars,and well, being grown-up. I’m so damn glad I made the time to be here, to be part of his childhood. So many men I know regret missing this, and feel pain as they try to connect with their grown children. Trying to find a place in these lives that were filled in their absence. 

There’s nothing I’m more proud of than my simple integration with my son’s life. He’s a great kid, and an amazing young man. I’m very happy. 

Calmness in the Darkness 

​Lights flicker at night

There’s calmness in the darkness 

Unexpected peace  

Quote of the Day

Was just emailed this one: “Failure is the price of Legendary” ~ Robin Sharma

I was thinking about these sorts of things over the long weekend. A key moment was while watching “A Chef’s Life” on PBS. Vivian (show’s main focus) was struggling with anxiety around her life. With her book deal, as well as a next managing chef, her life has changed dramatically. She’s in unfamiliar ground, and not sure where she stands with things.

It makes perfect sense to feel this way: she’s never done anything like “this”. This is part of the lot for innovators. Doing the new and unique means you’re in uncharted territory, often without anyone doing anything even close. Living a life without roadmaps ensures “failure” lurks.

In order to really innovate, to achieve something Legendary, you have to stretch well past the comfort zone. Well into the potential to fail. So, in the end, the only road to success is through failure. With each failure, stand up, brush off, learn the lessons and move forward. That’s the only way to Legendary.