Yes, I'm Propositioning You

It's been over a week since I last filled this space.  It's a shame too, because I was averaging an all-time high in page views per day and when I disappeared, that fell off a cliff.

Where have I been?

If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you have some clue about how I've been filling my days without filling these screens with funny little characters that string together to form funny little words that mean something to us. If you don't follow me on either of those forms of social media, the briefest synopsis I can offer you is this: Work called.  I answered.  I'm going to spare you the details of most of it.  Let it suffice to say that the responsibilities of my day job temporarily far exceeded my time allotment for it.  It spilled over into everything else.  Those responsibilities grew like kudzu in the southern heat and I had to grab a machete and spend some time hacking it down.  Okay, so a machete and a flamethrower.  My writing related activities have been almost non-existent for the past week.  My sleeping related activities even suffered drastic cuts.  I can't help it.  I need my job and the money it provides us to almost-but-not-quite meet basic necessities every month.  But I'm back in the writer's saddle again.

One of the activities that forced me to unplug from the matrix for a bit was a camping trip.  Yes, the outdoor kind.  With tents.  And fire.  Ooooh, pretty colors.  Wait, what?  Sorry.  So, I went camping.  In a tent.   On the beach.  On the hottest day of the year so far in coastal North Carolina.  Believe me, it was definitely not by choice.  It was a work thing.  It was organized as a stress release by and for my colleagues and I.  It wasn't bad.  Compared to taking a knife in the eyeball.  It was hot.  There were lots of small biting insects that seemed to know how to squeeze through the netting on my tent.  There were a lot of people drinking tremendous quantities of alcoholic beverages (THIS is phenomenal with juice).  Did I mention that it was hot?

The whole trip did remind me that my wife and I used to go camping.  When we were younger, we'd load the tent into our van and drive to the mountains of North or South Carolina and spend a night or three.  Now, we've been thinking that we should do that again.  Except, our giant two room plus screened porch extremely expensive cabin tent is mysteriously missing its poles.  And an air conditioning unit.  Seriously, I can't figure out what happened to those poles.  I had to borrow a tent for the trip.

When I returned to the real world and plugged back into the matrix, I was reminded by a friend on Twitter that I had missed the release of some phone that came out last week.

For those of you who are regular readers, if any of you are left, you remember that I wrote some flash fiction for a couple of contests over the last few weeks.  I've decided that I'm going to be posting more fiction in the near future.  I am going to have to decide first what is the most appropriate venue for said fiction, but I will be sharing more of my writing with you as soon as I figure it out.

Here are my three options:

1. Continue posting fiction here.  This allows it to be seen by a larger number of people who visit here, but tends to crowd out the other content (news about that will be later in this post).
2. Start a fiction blog.  This option allows me to get a clean start for a blog, but will require setup and design work, as well as the marketing work to get people to go there and read.  I'm not sure I have the time for that effort.
3. Start an online fiction magazine/community/blog beast.  This is my favorite option.  If I could find a few other aspiring writers who want to share writing duties on a fiction blog/online magazine, it would be a great opportunity (I think) to get short fiction out on the web for people to read and critique.  It might also give some other new writers a chance to get some exposure and confidence.  I wouldn't mind designing a wordpress (NOT Blogger) site to host this.  I just don't have the money for the hosting or domain name right now.  The basic premise would be that a group of writers, myself included, would each retain administrative access to the site and each of us would post one piece of short fiction (typically 1,000 words or less - but if it runs long, hey it would be our site, damn it!) each week (serial works are also acceptable).  We would also invite others to post their original works to the blog (as guest writers), showcasing original talent.  I'm not attached to setting up/maintaining this, so if someone else has a burning desire to do that, it's fine, but I'd be more than happy to do it, allowing others to just be responsible for their writing.

Please give me feedback on the above ideas.  If you are interested in #3, please let me know!

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I also have a proposal to throw out into the void of cyberspace regarding this wonderful place I call Geekcentricity.  I think that the wide variety of interests and pursuits that are geekcentric offer an excellent opportunity to cover more aspects of geekdom than I can possibly cover alone with my interests and limited time (remember, I'm in the "Learn My Craft" phase of my very own Operation: Awesome, so I need to have time to write other projects - my game, The Broken Veil, has suffered a horrible lack of attention of late). 

With this in mind, I am initiating my own contest. More like an open call.  Here's the deal: If you have an interest in some geekcentric topic (video games - console/pc/mmo/whatever, board games, ccg's, pen & paper rpg's, photography, technology - phone/computer/whatever, geek-related pop culture, whatever - the possibilities are staggering) and a desire to share your knowledge/passion/expertise with the wider world, then I have an opportunity for you!  Here's what I need:

1. Comment on this post and tell me that you would like to write for Geekcentricity (it is totally voluntary for you, just like it is for me - I have no money to pay anyone). 
2. In your comment, include the type(s) of topic(s) you are interested in writing about.

That's all!  I will contact you and we will decide on a topic and when the post will be finished and ready for posting.  I will retain editorial control (but will let you know in advance about any major revisions) and will set up access for you to post your content here as a guest blogger.  If it works out and you enjoy it, then we can talk about continuing the process, but writing a single post in no way obligates you to any long term commitments.  The way I see it, if you're interested in geeky stuff and enjoy writing, this gives you the opportunity to share that with others without having the responsibility of coming up with daily content or dealing with the setup, marketing or maintenance of your own blog.  It also helps Geekcentricity gain more content and the perspective of fresh minds and voices.  Have a video game that you loved/hated?  Have an rpg you want to pimp?  Got a book you want to tell people about?  Cool iPhone app whose features you want to share?  Awesome new video card coming out that you think would be perfect for gaming?  Want to share the joys and trials of raising a little geek in today's world?  All of those things and more would be perfect!  What do you think?  Is anyone interested?

Okay, there are some things I need your feedback on peeps!  Help me out here.  Drop me some comments.  I'm waiting with bated breath.  Or at least a trickle of drool on my lip.

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My Social Media Disclaimer

I know a large number of people. Or rather a large number of people know me. Don't get me wrong, I'm no celebrity by any stretch of the imagination and I have no desire to be one.  Lately though, I have been connecting with a number of family, friends, former students and other people I've known in various roles throughout my life.  Whether they find me or I find them, there they are.  There you are.  Most of you, my fine readers, know me in some form or fashion, even if it's just as "guy who writes a geek blog" or something like that.

I'm going to offend you.

Chances are, that at some point I will say something you didn't expect.  I may offend or even disappoint you.  I know, there's nothing I can do to offend some of you, no matter how hard I try.  Still, I write things here, and on Twitter or Facebook, that may be shocking to some of you.  That's why we're here.

When we use social media, we expose ourselves to a wider audience of friends and strangers alike.  Since the comment that I re-tweeted on Facebook a few weeks ago about liking my women like I like my coffee (for the record, those weren't my words - I just found the joke humorous and passed it along), I've been thinking that I need to clarify some things.  So, in the vein of Wil Wheaton's "What to Expect If You Follow Me on Twitter" I felt compelled to write a little disclaimer of my own.

I'm Not Who You Think I Am

If you friend me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, or even just read my posts here on Geekcentricity, you may see a side of me you didn't know about.  Especially if you haven't talked to me in a long time.  Social media allows us to connect to people we haven't seen in years, from childhood friends to old Sunday school teachers and everything in between.  At some point, I will say something you didn't expect.  I may crack an insensitive joke or use some other form of crude or "politically incorrect" humor.  I'm not going to apologize.

I've given many presentations, taught many classes, and given many speeches in my life, but the one that was heard live by the largest number of people was all about finding who you are and being honest to that person.  It was all about becoming an authentic person.  Sometimes, I offend people.  I use profanity.  My sense of humor can be crass at times.  My filters are mostly turned off.  I'm not the guy who stood in front of you ten years ago in a classroom and had to keep myself to a G-Rating (okay, sometimes I let it slip to PG or slightly more on occasion).  I'm a writer, a gamer, a geek, a husband, a boss, and many other things.  Sometimes life gets messy.  Sometimes I say some pretty outrageous shit because I think it's funny.  Or it just came across my mind and I needed to blurt it out.  I can be irreverent and even downright blasphemous at times.

That's my reality.  If you're offended, at least I warned you.  I'm not trying to be a jerk, I just want to take those unrealistic expectations and run over them with a 10-ton truck.  To all of my family, this is how I turned out.  Isn't it great?

Oh, and one last thing:  I'm not "Mr. Miller" anymore.  "Miller" is still acceptable, as is "Darren", "Big D", or "DM".  I'm just not in anything even remotely resembling a "teacher mode" anymore and haven't been for a long time, so it's best just to put those illusions to rest.

Now that all of those unpleasantries are out of the way, we now return you to the regularly scheduled programming.

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What's a Little Exchange of Bodily Fluid Between Friends?

I have a plethora of things to share with you today, so strap in, buckle up and get ready for the ride.


First of all, plethora is a great word.  I use it to mean something along the lines of "a metric shit ton."  Or what my friend and frequent commenter here at Geekcentricity, "Snapper" would call an "ass load."  I'm not sure why he's so fond of that terminology and I'm afraid to ask.  It actually originated from Latin and first made it's happy little way into the English language in the mid-1500's as a medical term meaning "an excess of bodily fluid."   That means that in my first sentence above, I basically told you that "I have an excess of bodily fluid to share with you today."  In addition to straps and buckles, we may need some rubber gloves or... something.  Which brings me to my next point.


I've been losing fans.


No, that doesn't mean that the cooling devices on my ceilings have been disappearing, it means that people have been dropping off my fan list over on Geekcentricity's Facebook page.  Sure, I've been gaining new ones, but I've been losing others.  I don't like it when that happens.  I know, I know.  I shouldn't even look at that stuff, or take any stock in it.  But still.  It bothers me.  I feel like I need to have an exit interview.  Or at least I can send my buddies Big Tony and Vinny the Snake over to the former fan's house and have them ask a few questions.  No pressure or anything.  Just tie them to a chair, pull out the rubber house and get some answers.

"Our boss wants to know why you don't like him no more."

 I figure the most likely responses would be one of two things.  Okay, the most likely, and desirable, responses would be screams of pain segueing into tears followed by smashed fingers on the mouse and keyboard correcting their sorry mistake.  But I'm not bitter.  Actually, what I would expect to hear would be either just a general lack of interest in the topics at hand or that I had said something that offended them.  The first one I can understand.  Not everyone is a geek (I know - shocking).  Even some who are geeks aren't interested in everything I'm interested in (also shocking).  After all, at this point, this is still a personal blog, so my personal interests and endeavors are strongly featured.  I get that.  As for the latter issue, I get that too.  I know that some of my fans have more delicate sensibilities than others.  It may be uncomfortable for some people to read about my excess bodily fluids.  Hell, some of you might even flinch when I use profanity.  I realize that I know a good number of you personally in one way or another.  Many of my readers have a concept of who I am.  Or of who you perceive me to be.  Got it.  I've served many roles in my life for many of you, from teacher to nephew to uncle to fellow congregant to student, etc.  So, what I plan on doing is writing something inspired by what Wil Wheaton wrote on his blog when he started using Twitter.  I referenced it recently in my Geekcentric Guide to Twitter.  By the way, if you found that post useful, you should check out Dane of War's Guide to Twitter.

I used to be anonymous.  My first blog didn't contain my real name, photo, or any references to my real identity.  There was comfort in anonymity.  I didn't tell people who I was.  I only posted under my pseudonym.  I could write whatever I wanted without offending people who knew me in "real life."  After all, I was still teaching when I started that blog.  I tended to keep my private life a bit private.  That just got old after a while.  I spent so much time as "teacher me" that I got sick of always being somebody I wasn't.   Geekcentricity embraces who I am.  It's ugly and offensive sometimes, but it's genuine.  Writer and game designer Rob Donoghue wrote something a few weeks back about the benefits and dangers of internet anonymity that I found helpful.  Do yourself a favor and check it out.

So stay tuned for my disclaimer.  If you're still with me after sharing my excess bodily fluids, you're doing pretty well.

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Sheppard's Pie

Have you ever eaten shepherd's pie?  Unfortunately, I have.  From what I can tell, it's an unappetizing mish-mash of whatever happens to be leftover from previous meals.  At least it was when I was eating in school cafeterias.  Which wasn't all that long ago.  This post is the shepherd's pie of Geekcentricity.  These are odds and ends.  Leftovers that I covered in mashed potatoes and served up for your eating... enjoyment?  Or tolerance.  Yes, I know that some of you may like shepherd's pie.  Yes, I also know that I spelled it wrong in the title.  I promise I intended to spell it that way.  You'll understand in a few paragraphs.  Now, open wide...

I'm glad to see that things have picked up around here a little bit.  There are a few discussions that have originated on some of my most recent posts.  That gives me a clue about what you, my readers, find interesting.  Or at least care enough to comment on.  Which is actually easier to do now that I fixed my comment form.  Apparently the comment form was a victim of my redesign.  Anyway, it's all better now, so comment away.

Here are the posts that have been generating some comments:

• Laying the Cornerstone of Concept - Building an RPG, pt. 1:  The post in which I laid out the concept for a project that has been beckoning to me for a long time.
• Fear Itself:  A look at what scares us and why.  It is really more thoughts for the rpg I'm working on.

What those two seem to have in common is that they are the two posts about the survival horror rpg I'm working on.  With that in mind, look for the next installment sometime tomorrow.

I am now the proud owner of a shiny new (okay, so I've had it for a few weeks) Google Page Rank (cue the heavenly chorus of "Aaaahs").  It's only a "1" and I know it really means nothing at all, but still.  It's good to know that the Matrix has taken note of my existence.  Speaking of which, people are starting to come here from search engines.  The number one search term that people have used to get to my site?  Of course.  It's obviously "i4e for iPhone."  Something I've never written about.  Until now.  Here's a link to at least make your visit somewhat worthwhile.  I guess this means it'll continue to be my top search term.  Unless it get taken over by the ever popular "mi llamo es bob brent spiner."  At least I included Brent Spiner in my Geekcentric Guide to Twitter.  By the way, Mr. Bob Q. Googlesearcher, it should be "me llamo es bob."  I'm not sure why.  Actually, I know exactly why.  It should be that way because my wife said it should be that way and she's the Spanish speaker in the family.

Finally, I want to share another link that has been brought to me by the Great and Powerful Twitter.  Someone I should have included in my guide is Stephen Lea Sheppard.  You probably have no idea who that is.  Unless you've seen the excellent but short lived television show Freaks & Geeks.  Stephen played Harris Trinsky.  That's the guy who was Dungeon Master for the geeks on the show.  Yes, he's really a gamer.  He has actually written some gaming materials.  He also reviews video games.  I had the good fortune of participating in some great conversations with Stephen on the rec.games.frp.dnd newsgroup many years ago.  

Wait... I was saying something about a link...  Right?  Okay, right.

So, Stephen tweeted a link to the blog post he wrote today.  It involves something near and dear to my heart... horror gaming!  It turns out that Stephen is a fan of Dead Space, one of my favorite video games.  He too has read the interview regarding the upcoming Dead Space 2. I was disappointed to learn that Dead Space 2 would be more of an action game than a survival horror game.  Except that it won't be.  Yet, it will be.  Now I'm confused.  It will be everything!  It slices!  It Dices!  You can even make julienne fries with it while cutting through a tin can!!!  What???  I'll let you read the conflicting statements for yourself.  Visceral says they want to empower the protagonist.  But Stephen brings up an excellent point about horror gaming:

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't horror traditionally entail giving the audience the impression of a disempowered protagonist?"

That's exactly what I've been thinking since I first watched the interviews.  I agree.  That also sets the stage for tomorrow's (actually, now later today's) post.

EDIT:  Twitter brings me yet another example of a horror game being written with the "characters as ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances" theme in mind.  The game is Razed, by Will Hindmarch.  Today, he tweeted a link to his latest design diary about the game.  That entry contains a quote I'd like to use here:

"This creates a hybrid environment where the familiar is rendered strange, yet the people who inhabit it are immediately understandable. They are us. My goal is to make Razed about ordinary people rendered extraordinary by their circumstances."

That's Once again, that's exactly what my thoughts are about the game I'm working on.  The world is going to be strange and unfamiliar, so I want the characters to be easy to identify with and familiar.

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A Geekcentric Guide to Twitter

Since I started using Twitter again about a month ago, a bunch of people (and when I say a bunch, I mean a staggering 3 or 4 people at least) have been asking me questions about it.  After I got past the obvious ones, like "Why in hell are your tweets so boring?" I actually got down to some good questions about the nuts and bolts of using Twitter.

I actually had a Twitter account a few years ago and found it incredibly annoying and practically useless.  First, the format as a pain in the ass.  I had to say something meaningful in how many characters?  To quote a friend of mine (bitemeNsuckit - you should follow her, she's wicked funny and is going to be a great Twit once she gets used to it) who just joined Twitter, "I have more characters than that in my head."  My other huge failing was not following the right people.  "Wait" you say, "There are 'wrong' people to follow?"  Yes.  There are wrong people to follow.  There are also wrong reasons to follow people.  The person who lays out some of those wrong reasons better than just about anybody else is Wil Wheaton.  He also mentions another of the dangers I ran into in my first Twitter-go-round.  I had the updates of everyone I was following sent to my cell phone as text messages.  My cell phone battery had an average daily life of about 3 minutes.  Actually, it was about 4 hours, but you get the idea.  So, my first venture as a Twit was doomed to fail.  I stopped using it after only a few weeks.

This is where I take one for the team.  If you've never used Twitter, or barely used it and haven't really been able to "get into it," then LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, BOYS AND GIRLS, STEP RIGHT UP and learn from my failures (and my successes).  I hereby present to you...

A GEEKCENTRIC GUIDE TO TWITTER

First off, if you have an Android, Blackberry or iPhone (my Tweapon of choice), you should find a good app that delivers your tweets not just to Twitter, but also to Facebook or whatever social networking platform you use.  I use TweetDeck and love it.  TweetDeck isn't perfect, for examply, it makes it a bit difficult to quickly look up your list of followers or followees.  So, I also have Twitteriffic on my phone for circumstances when I want to do something that TweetDeck doesn't do well.  For anything else, I just use the Twitter site.

As for the 140 character limit for each of your tweets, think of it as learning to write more concisely.  Challenge yourself to say things creatively, but please... PLEASE for the love of all that is holy, don't use so many abbreviations and/or "leetspeak" (if you don't know what that is, then I revoke your Geek credentials) that your tweets require a translator to read.  Also, you should use a link shortener to make your links fit into your tweets without using up all of your 140 characters.

That said, there are some necessary abbreviations, commands and acronyms you should learn.  Here are what I consider the bare minimum:

• @ - This directs your tweet "at" someone.
• RT - retweet.  If you like something that someone else tweeted, then by all means share it with your followers.  Just please remember to give credit where credit is due and attribute it to the original Twit.  The best way to do this is to preface it with RT @[original poster's name here].  That way, the original author knows that you found value or humor in what they tweeted and, most importantly, attributes their intellectual property to them.
• D or DM - direct message.  This is a private message that only you and the intended recipient receive.
• # - hash tag.  This is a meta tag used to group tweets about similar topics.  For example, you could hashtag any tweets about this blog as #geekcentricity.
• #FF - Follow Friday.  This is a Twitter meme where Twits share people that they enjoy following with others.  Fridays are a great time to recommend some of your favorite Twitterers to other people.

That leaves the biggest question of all:  Who am I supposed to follow on this thing?  This single question can make or break your Twitter experience.  The short answer is to find people you are interested in and follow them.  

If you're into shallow celebrities, then by all means follow Britney Spears,  Kim Kardashian, or Lady Gaga.  If that's your thing, then go right ahead.  I won't be joining you.

Since this is the Geek's Guide to Twitter, here are some suggestions of people for you to follow (in no order):

• Wil Wheaton - He's more than the guy who played Wesley Crusher and Gordy LaChance.  Actually, before you follow him, you should read why it will disappoint you. 
• Larry Hryb - XBox Live's Major Nelson.
• Grant Imahara - from Mythbusters.
• Kevin Smith - Yep, THAT Kevin Smith.
• John Kovalic - The cartoonist who writes/draws Dork Tower.
• Levar Burton - Another ST: TNG alum.
• Bill Amend - Writes/draws Fox Trot.
• Berin Kinsman - RPG blogger.
• Jane McGonigal - Game designer.
• Brent Spiner - Yet another ST: TNG alum.
• Neil Gaiman - Author.
• Stan Lee - Comic book genius.
• William Shatner - Actor from the original Star Trek.
• Leonard Nimoy - Another Star Trek cast member.
• Zachary Quinto - Different actor, different Star Trek.
• Sheldon Cooper - From Big Bang Theory.  Yes, he is a fictional character, but his tweets are hilarious.
• Johnn Four - From RoleplayingTips.com
• Steve Jackson Games - Venerable game company.
• Robin Laws - Gaming author.
• Gameplaywright - A gaming/writing site.
• Todd McFarlane - If you own action figures based on comic books, he probably designed them.
• Monte Cook - Writer, game designer.
• Jim Butcher - Author of the Dresden Files novels.

If you have any other Geekcentric names to add to this list, please let me know and I will edit the list.  My disclaimer here is that I don't follow all of the people above because I would suffer information overload and my brain would explode, spewing flaming chunks of my gray matter around for someone to clean up.  Also, there are other Geekcentric Twitterers that I follow, but I won't list them here without their permission, in order to save them from being flooded with followers.  If you really want to know who I follow, feel free to check in on me and follow my tweets.

I hope this helps you neophyte GeekTwits... or is that Tweeks?  If you have any more Twitter related questions, please ask.  In the near future, look for a Geekcentric Blog Reader, with some blogs I follow.  Until then, you can find many of them on the right sidebar.  Also, pt. 2 of my RPG building series is on tap soon.

I'll see you around the Twitterverse, my fellow Tweeks.  Yes, Twitterverse sounds as bad as Blogosphere.  Later.

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