A writer's interpretation of the modern world.

Anyone that knows me personally knows that I’m a sucker for comics. I’ve read them obsessively for years, almost to a bank-breaking point. So being a writer and a comic book lover, I’ve naturally had a desire to write in the super-hero space. But how do you go about doing that when you don’t write for Marvel or DC? They’ve completely dominated the super powered being universes. It’s hard to think of super powers without thinking of the Kryptonian or the X-gene. You don’t want your franchise to be derivative. And you certainly don’t want to get sued if your franchise ever becomes profitable.

Luckily, I’ve figured out my world. It hit me as I was driving home after watching Game of Thrones last night. (Nope, it has nothing to do with Game of Thrones! Much more to do with me forgetting to turn on my radio as I was driving in silence.) In issues #2 & #3, I’ll be exploring the more “fantastical” nature of my comic Good Grip. Up until this point, I had been racking my brain on the mechanics of how my supernatural beings manifested. Now I know.

Let’s just say the idea has a lot of potential. Read all about it in issue #2 and issue #3. If you haven’t even checked out issue #1 yet, What are you waiting for?

Neil Gaiman is nothing short of a master. I picked up this book last week and am giddy with excitement.

Nothing like good old fun research!

-
K Lex

I bought a fun new toy last week and went and got shutter happy this weekend when I went to Big Sur. It’s the Nikon D3000 DSLR camera, complete with 18mm-55mm and the 55mm-200mm zoom lenses. If a picture’s worth a thousand words, here’s a mouthful. I’ll let you fill in the blanks:

-Lex

lim*bo | limbo {noun} – an uncertain period of awaiting a decision or resolution; an intermediate state or condition

It is a place many of us learned to fear as children, never truly knowing why. Now we think of limbo as a dark place that is quiet and forever. Everything happens in limbo, but nothing changes. It is the worst state of mind. It is the worst place to ever be. But now, Playdead is sending you there.

I started playing Limbo on xBox with my buddy Matt. It’s an excellent co-operative game experience. When I take a wrong turn and get crushed, Matt takes over. While he’s in control making evolved versions of my own mistakes, I’m free to observe and develop my next strategy. Puzzles, it turns out, are what this game is all about. But they are dark and cryptically evil. And they are not easy.

There are a few traps in the beginning. Not an incredibly high learning curve. The game tricks you into thinking it’s going to be an easy ride. Just don’t fall for it. Pay attention. Keep your eyes open and be precise. You can be as smart as you like (and you’ll need to be) but if you have slow fingers, you’re out.

The game frankly gives me chills. It frustrates me to no end, but I find myself addicted anyway. Would I play alone? – Not a chance. Would I play again – Well, I’m practically playing right now.

-lex

2010 WWDC Conference

I don’t like it. I don’t like it. I don’t like it.

I guess I’ll just have to get used to it. But seriously Google… W T F ?

http://search.twitter.com/search?q=wtf+happened+to+google

This afternoon I received incredibly disturbing news. I apparently have a doppelganger on the internet.

If you find him, please call me immediately.

-Lex

I don’t know how this gem slipped by me, but whoa nelly.

-Lex

I’ve got a few posts pending in my queue, but a co-worker sent something kind of fun my way and I thought I’d share it. This could make an excellent stocking stuffer.

Just don’t get me one.

Twitter Literature

-Lex

In early 2000s, AOL was America’s literal interpretation of the internet experience. People signed in and the AOL portal consumed their screens, holding their hands from “You’ve Got Mail” all the way to “Goodbye.” Then along came broadband, RoadRunner and AOL’s eventual merger with Time Warner (ie; branding death).

AOL more or less disappeared as Google took over the internet, delivering a viral but much more disjointed experience. The internet was not much more than a FireFox or Internet Explorer browser and the user was left to control the entire experience alone. Admittedly, with ups and downs.

Today, AOL and Time Warner ended their long engagement, which financially isn’t a terribly promising sign for AOL. But their CEO Tim Armstrong, former Google guru claims otherwise. There’s now untapped potential for media and brand advertising, which spells revenues. But it looks like Wall Street is a little hesitant, with AOL closing at -.063% today.

The world wide web has evolved to a cut-throat environment. Will AOL compare to its successors? For nostalgias sake, I’m rooting for yes.

So here’s to hoping an old dog can actually learn some new tricks.

Read More:
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=118857

-Lex