More on Niantic Project ARG/Narrative

Well, the google Niantic Project is going strong and seems to have more coming.  A lot has happened just in this last month of full on launch.  There was a massive shift in the ARG about half way into the month when Google released Ingress - www.ingress.com  it made a huge split and created a new wave of "players" many of these however were not interested in the ARG or backstory (some in chat have said that very thing) but just the Ingress video game app - it was fascinating to watch the IRC channel change from the puzzle solving and chatting to the new audience of gamers - there was such a difference... it was, odd and a definite people watching moment to see the shifts and changes.

It looks like this project has no signs of stopping, a second month timeline at www.nianticproject.com looks to be starting tomorrow.

Plus in this article - http://allthingsd.com/20121115/google-launches-ingress-a-worldwide-mobile-alternate-reality-game/  J. Hanke, the head of Niantic Labs - the department seeming to be behind this, or at least the PR face for this, mentions a long event.

I wanted to continue my community and fan based thread and thoughts and, i will get to that, but WOW a number of communities appeared overnight with the advent of the Ingress video game app element - there are dozens of groups.  Also, as the IRC and ARG puzzle solvers were overrun by the Ingress gamers, more wikis and google docs and other outlets have appeared, these are more one or two people, but are attempting to continue the puzzle solving.

There is so much going on with this project and event, people have been making art and similar by the 100s and 1000s to try and get invite codes to the Ingress game, have to admit, getting people to do something for the invites and especially creative art and similar is awesome.  Also, google is collecting a buttload of map data as people are taking pictures of local art, murals, science places and similar to try and get portals made. plus, they send in a map error when a portal is located wrong - what a way to do free data collection...

And I could go on, I need to, there is a lot to talk about and point out, but I am off to try and hack a portal.

Oh, for the record, for now, I joined the Enlightened side, even if it seems like the Shapers are not so nice.... ;)

Niantic project - community and info sources

As mentioned, have been following this ARG or more that somehow is Google related and who knows what else.  One item that has come up is how all these different people and communities have sprung up working to solve the codes and puzzles and brainstorm.  Making for a fierce collective.  Some of the in game characters have even been referencing some of the collections and IRC chats and so on). In fact, something the one character said got me to thinking.  There are so many communities that have been springing up.  Some more active and "fast" than others.  It is neat watching the different communities and how they are structured, their pace and so on.

That said, it also made me think how if we all tried to stream to the one IRC chat or the one wiki - would that be a case of putting all our eggs in one basket? What is someone hacks the main wiki or something goes wrong with the IRC?  Is all our data and knowledge and solutions lost?  Backups, mirrors, and archives are important, especially in this day and age as I fear we are losing so much history as it is all digital (look at how many websites and content from the late 90s and early 2000s websites still exist....)

Plus, the groups are at different levels, so in one you might be frustrated as you never get a chance to solve anything.  In fact, that is something important in a "game", the ability to solve and progress.  if you get frustrated because everyone else is faster than you, or you are not able to solve things, you tend to tune off, or miss much of the game because you are tuning in and out.  Yes, I tend to like to watch the story unfold, but there is a piece of me that likes to help and be involved.

I've tended to be best at the FieldTrip App and map stuff as well as chatting with the characters through g+ and that type of activity in this adventure.  Cyphers and codes and puzzles and I do not get along.  I like the chatting about theories, events and research as well as cataloging.  I am an archiver and a librarian at heart.

So, for today, I am archiving all the different places I can find people are discussing this.  If I have missed a spot, please let me know.

last updated 11/17/12 - adding Ingress links as well - seems the game has exploded ;)

Base Niantic Project

1.  http://niantic.schlarp.com - Major wiki and resource to track what is going on -
2.  - IRC chat hosted by same person as wiki
3. irc.irchighway.net #niantic. - IRC chat
4. https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1cmV8-PT631wjejfAzz7x64j1AEZSVJWu5P8dxAI050M - shared by +Johnathan Chung - his notes including solves and other resources
5. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oA26tpCwYRTYnRDtCNV3Hqta5GUVXEVI_mN19B0p7Mo/edit - another google doc worked on by general group associated with wiki
6. reddit - http://www.reddit.com/r/NIANTIC/ and http://www.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/12u9ih/google_this_is_getting_pretty_weird_the_niantic/ 
7. unforum discussion - http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=36434
8. map with some of the locations marked - https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=203685585566952099382.0004cd94033b5f5265661
9. http://facepunch.com/showthread.php?t=1222933
10. https://www.facebook.com/NianticProject 
11. https://twitter.com/search?q=%23nianticproject&src=hash - hashtag nianticproject for twitter
12. http://habrahabr.ru/post/158145/ - habrahabr forum thread

Ingress oriented communities and places

1. http://www.reddit.com/r/Ingress/ - focused on Ingress

Niantic Project

I am soooooo behind in my blogs and posting and projects (thank you real life and Sandy megastorm and Nor'Easter and...)

But just caught wind of this Niantic Project and you might wanna check it - looks cool - and yes, I am bias as I like Google - http://www.argn.com/2012/11/google_niantic_project_smartphone_portals/ - great article by Michael Anderson

Will explore and report back this weekend - this is a good wiki and resource to track what is going on - http://niantic.schlarp.com/


Other places to check

• reddit - http://www.reddit.com/r/NIANTIC/ and http://www.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/12u9ih/google_this_is_getting_pretty_weird_the_niantic/ 
• unforum discussion - http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=36434
• map with some of the locations marked - https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=203685585566952099382.0004cd94033b5f5265661
• http://facepunch.com/showthread.php?t=1222933
• https://www.facebook.com/NianticProject 

A downside to any bigger ARG or project is how so many conversations spring up in multiple places.  A good side though, is you can pick a group and work through the "game" with the group and thus have an unique experience.

PB Works or Basecamp or...

So trying out the new "freemium" version of the complete PB Works content management/project management program.  Have been using the wiki part off and on for years (I remember PB wiki - do you?) and also had been using Basecamp as the manager system for another project.  So, seeing if the PB Works will work as well as starting the conversion process of World of Depleted Wikia to PB Works.

A lot of wiki work is very tedious and repetitive and yet in some ways can be soothing, a very odd mix.

I am also using mediawiki with the semantic wiki addon - I have only begun to scratch the surface.  And yet - I feel wikis and similar archiving systems and projects are crucial as this article (http://gigaom.com/2012/09/19/the-disappearing-web-information-decay-is-eating-away-our-history/)  points out (thanks to Lance Weiler via twitter for the link)

That is scary, to be a culture with no history....  those that have no history are doomed to repeat it.....

Supporting a great creator (Nancylee Myatt)

If you follow along with my tinkering in fanfic, you may have noticed I tend to write a bit of Nikki and Nora fanfic as well as Cowgirl Up.  Both series were created and written by Nancylee Myatt.  IN addition to those great series, she's done a lot more (3Way, South of Nowhere, Night Court, Living Single, 5 Mrs Buchanans and even more).

If you follow her on twitter (@ishakeitup) or other social media venues, you may have noticed mentions of the passing of her mother and her sister.  Times these days are hard, losing family members makes it all that much harder.  Allaine (Femslash4Fans) had mentioned in one of our discussions how he wished there was something we, Nancylee's fans, could do.  In reaching out to Ms. Myatt, Allaine found out that her family had set up a fund.  Below is the information.  I've had experiences with hospice myself (my mother and others), and I know how important it is to make the time you have with your family and loved ones as comfortable as possible. Sometimes it is the little things that matter the most.

We support Ms. Myatt's work and creative spirit by watching and enjoying her creations; here's another way  to say thanks.

PS - Please help out by copying and pasting the info below to help spread the word.

Nancylee Myatt, best known for creating "Nikki and Nora" and "Cowgirl Up!" and for her work on "South of Nowhere", recently suffered a double loss when both her mother and her only sister died of cancer, less than one month apart.  Nancylee has said that "in lieu of flowers", she asks that people make a donation to the hospice where her mother passed away.  We all know how much Nancylee has given of herself to the fans, and how she is loved and respected in turn.  So we thought many of you would be eager to show her your support in this difficult time,  by helping ease the final days of others suffering from terminal illnesses.  You can either make an online donation or send a check by mail.

(checks payable to) Mercy Health Foundation
P.O. Box 17000
Ft. Smith, AR 72917

In Honor of Maye Welch Myatt 
To benefit the Mercy Hospice Wing

You can also donate online - https://ssl.4agoodcause.com/mercy-st-edward/donation1.aspx?id=1

Storify and Nikki and Nora

So more twitter talk about a maybe Nikki and NOra webseries led me to see how easily Storify works to update a story - well it was very easy and I just added the new tweets and such down at the end - I know I should be experimenting more and trying to make it look pretty and readable... but at least I am doing a little.

 Also, I could break it into separate stories, but not sure on that yet, so, keeping it as one long record. As to the content of the Storify story, YEEEHAWWW even if it is just a tease, it is a nice one ;) and it helps fuel the fire for N&N stories, which I just posted up the last chapter for my current N&N story over at the Nikki and Nora BB

 Also working on two other N&N stories, one with 1shinyboat and 1 with pbwr - plus I have the next N&N in my series I am outlining now....

 so, all this N&N talk just makes it fun ;)

 and ohhh Cowgirl up 2 coming soon too - wheeeee

 thank you TelloFilms and thank you Ms. Myatt

 N&N Storify - http://storify.com/geologylady/nikki-and-nora-web-series

More on Nikki and Nora and using Storify

Ok - trying out Storify - and more on the N & N webseries chatter on twitter

via @storify I collected tweets @ishakeitup @tellofilms @lizvassey @reallychristina & others made about Nikki and Nora http://storify.com/geologylady/nikki-and-nora-web-series

Nikki and Nora the webseries??

So I am a huge Nikki & Nora fan (one of the many reasons I write N&N fanfic) – but some interesting tweets have been flying today.  Here are a few

https://twitter.com/LizVassey/status/231191871102283776

https://twitter.com/MccyC/status/231231249165996032

https://twitter.com/ishakeitup/status/231415852044521472

https://twitter.com/ishakeitup/status/231416630087929857

https://twitter.com/LizVassey/status/231437747246739456

https://twitter.com/ishakeitup/status/231440436718342144

https://twitter.com/ishakeitup/status/231441767122231296

If you are on twitter, I recommend jumping in and responding to Ms. Myatt’s tweet and anyone else as well and let them know a N&N webseries would be awesome and there are a lot of fans out there who would love to see more N&N.  Please spread the word!!!!!

PS - I am posting up a new chapter of my current N&N story over at the Nikki and Nora B&B - http://nikkiandnora.createmybb3.com and also can check out N&N stories at the livejournal - Ladycops - http://ladycops.livejournal.com/

and I am always up for chatting on twitter - @geologylady

I am still alive

OK, I am still here, just took vacation, participated in a few projects and just got busy with everything.

So much is going on and I have so much to share.  This includes work on the shared story world "Copper Rock" (www.darkgamergirls.com).  Work on the TofR shared storyworld, work on the World of Depleted shared story world.  Work on my www.transmediaresources.com website. Playing in the Miracle Mile Paradox ARG and soooooo much more.

I am trying to get into the depths of wiki construction as well as a few other projects.  And, so much more too....

I'll work on starting to post more and start jabbering again.... honest ;)

This is the way to tell someone off

I want to hear this read up on a stage, I just love it

http://www.sabotagetimes.com/tv-film/werner-herzogs-note-to-his-cleaning-lady/

Miracle Mile Paradox ARG and overview

UPDATE 4/5 - Mr. Toasty on Unforum added a bunch of twitter, facebook and linkedin accounts connected to Agent Intellect Corp - I am making a twitter list to try and follow these people (I'm @geologylady and the list is miracle mile paradox) - if you check it and I am missing people, let me know -

-----------

OK, I wrote up an entry for unforum and decided might as well flush this out more here

I have come across and ARG - Miracle Mile Paradox, that is using a Kickstarter campaign (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/susanbellfilm/the-miracle-mile-paradox-arg) for funding and I suspect to build a base (many of the trailhead pieces have already been circulating, as I wrote at Unforum.

I like steampunk and love old gadgets, so the pics the main character, Rex Higgs has been posting via his twitter accoutn @RexHiggs are kinda cool

Examples are at end of blog.

He seems to be talking to a couple people so far, mainly, on Twitter (although he has replied to one of my tweets so he is interacting with others) but I am watching the twitter accounts that he seems to interact with (a little exchange with one might have a location - but I do not live in the area to go and check - I wonder if there is a flyer there....)

He took out a Craig's List ad - http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/laf/2924733764.html - mentions one of the people he is following on Twitter. It also www.enchantingandobsoletus.com which is not live yet, but I am watching. It also has an email jgnn9-2924733764@comm.craigslist.org and I am going to email asking about the patent that is mentioned in the ad.

There are also flyers that might be showing up that could lead you to Rex (plus a cool logo that I really like, so much so, yes I kicked in enough in the kckstrt campaign to get the shirt - I am a doctor who fan, look at my nic docwho2100 - of course I want a cool logo shirt, now, what does it mean ;)

So - I will be following this and hoping it makes its funding because I would love to see this run, even if I am in the back just watching the story unfold as smarter peeps solve the puzzles. That said, if anyone is up for chatting ever about this, give a holler, I suspect there will be some pieces to this.

flyer example (I snagged this from the facebook page, which right now is serving as more of a holding point for the kickstarter and the ARG in general than in in game site)

Examples Rex has posted on twitter site

fromhttps://twitter.com/#!/rexhiggs/status/181196494077038592/photo/1

Example 2

from https://twitter.com/#!/rexhiggs/status/183349608997601285/photo/1

Update in Willy WOnka remix

seems IP and copyright again cause issues - I updated my earlier blog post ( http://docwho2100.blogspot.com/2012/03/willy-wonka-remix.html ) with the newer info

Best Friends Forever Film

So, stumbled across this film - http://bestfriendsforeverfilm.com/

Well, film in production. They are running a kickstarter project - http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/breagrant/best-friends-forever-an-apocalyptic-feature-film

It is a buddy flick, a horror flick, an apocalyptic flick and a woman flick (many would say chick flick, but I am trying to be classy ;)

From their kckstr page - "BEST FRIENDS FOREVER is a dark comedy and sci-fi horror film, combining equal parts buddy film, road trip and nuclear apocalypse story, but with girls. Harriet, the perpetual but unsuccessful optimist, has finally figured out how to take her passion for comics and turn it into a responsible life. But when she and Reba, her seemingly devil-may-care best friend, hit the road to Austin, TX, an impending nuclear apocalypse endangers the best-laid plans and even the best of friendships."

The intro video for their campaign is one of the funniest I have seen (along with the videos from the King and Keck team for TILT the Movie and other of their projects) - I really liked the banter between Brea Grant and Vera Miao who are the stars, writers, producers and multi-talented hat wearers for this project. I really like the small clips they have shown as well as the funny videos they have been putting out as part of the promotion.

Go check out their project and kick in a few bucks to help get this movie finished and ready for viewing! And as a treat for reaching 10K on their kckstr campaign Brea Grant filmed a video of her eating a pie in slow motion holding a severed leg - makes sense, right? ;)

Animated short - RUIN

Wow - this is a great post apocalyptic short - I hope more of this story will be done!! go give it a look see

RUIN from OddBall Animation on Vimeo.

Gavin's Strange Code and Email - world of depleted

Well, I have been swamped with this and that, but, finally getting back to things I love to do and play with, including World of Depleted.

There are three things I am playing with

1. My next two stories. One is the next installment in my Business series - I will post it here in a couple days in a rough draft form, anyone willing to read it and give me opinions and help with editing it :) pleassssseeeee :o)

2. Strange email from Gavin

Got an email from Gavin a little bit ago (from the account which I am still trying to figure out what the name means - any ideas)? but I digress - the subject line read:

Rift..*&&@!!@89o8#!##...mail...

There was one word

Meta.

and there was only a QR code attached. When I scanned it - the following popped out

Book of Enoch. Beta Israel.

Read Metadata.

ok - so, I finally figured out how to read metadata of image files (yeah, ok you seasoned ARG players, I know that is a skill you do in your sleep, still, I am giddy I managed to do this, and will be going back and looking at all images and codes now) but as mentioned in this post I read the metadata on the QR code and came away with this.

Soooooo what do people think? It looks like Fred was spot on in his discussions (on the Facebook group and other places too) - hmmmm France, that has been mentioned a few times, so did he make it there?

3. Strange codes from the DVD

ok - so, I ordered a World of Depleted DVD (check here if interested http://worldofdepleted.com/archives/1837 ) and it, among other things, has some secret clues.

from my DVD QR code

Mamadon exists in your time.
Her goths rob graves.
Find D.S. in the city over-the-rhine,
where chili meets pasta.
Call her.
Say the shadow phrase.
She knows where I'm at.
Her tribe will help.

Fred Koskin shared his too, which I am going to share here as any and all help to decipher these and figure out the next piece to Gavin's story would be appreciated.

from QR Code

You must be creative enough to think outside of a box with seven levels!

m_ayo_ra=_.vgom_sherbadherabdoer_veone_iernnhcs_s

Sooooooo - we have some pieces of a code, a box with seven levels (is that seven part of a encryption key we need) and the odd Gavin email.

I think I might post some of this over in Unfiction forums to see if anyone has ideas about the code

but if anyone else has ideas.... I wonder if this links directly back to Gavin's last message or not?

Willy Wonka remix

UPDATE - so I go to listen to this and the link says video removed - I am like nooooo the willy wonka people took it down - then I search and find this - http://srslysirius.com/blog/my-dispute-with-quadjacks/#more-192 interesting article and read - and good thoughts on the stress copyright and IP causes - but if you wanna hear the cool willy wonka - go to his site

Ok this is so oddly bad and catchy - hehe - it's my new ringtone and no, I will not admit how many times I have now listened to it

thanks to http://io9.com/5892278/gene-wilder-picks-up-the-beat-in-this-surprisingly-awesome-willy-wonka-remix?

TapJoint and SXSWesteros

So, two new narratives, events, games, interesting way to tell a story can across my Twitter scanner this evening and both look fun, although one is better lending to my time than the other.

Also, something very, very interesting is the diminished turnaround time between the story being introduced and fans taking over and setting up shop (aka discussions on unfiction, working the wiki and more) to take advantage of a story - are readers/story users finally starting to really groove to alternate story delivery and beginning to make connections to make the story better and to keep it flowing?

I hope the answer is yes... also, I have to admit, I am not a crack puzzle solver, so middle level puzzles/interaction projects are more accessible to me, and it seems like more of these types of projects are starting to come out (part because mainstream has caught this form finally, part because people are better at making this type of story and part because it has finally really moved into the fan realm - meaning - just like the first sets of fanfiction being a form of entertainment made by fans, for fans rather than a professional, fan ARGs, transmedia narrative and shared storyworlds are starting to be made by fans.

All of which means, more story to explore :) so the two stories

The first is Tapjoint - http://tapjoint.com/

I've only looked at it a little, been intrigued, giddy, frustrated and then slowly drawn in (well until I had to go back and finish a work project) ;)

This article provides a good overview - http://www.argn.com/2012/03/telegraphs_to_an_alternate_world_with_tap_joint/

Here is a wiki already up for sharing of code and story - http://tapjoint.wikia.com/wiki/Tapjoint_Wiki

And here is a mobile option that also has a way for us keyboard lovers to better enter - http://tapjoint.com/mobile/

I recommend start at the official site first and see how much you can suss out on your own. Then read the ARGNet article and from there use the wiki and even better, contribute to the wiki

The second is a Twitter mashup/interactive with the SXSW conference

SXSWesteros - http://sxswesteros.wordpress.com/ and https://twitter.com/#!/SXSWesteros

Essentially as you can find at the wordpress site, this is a "role-play" AU fiction, not sure what name to use - narrative.

from the site -

#SXSWesteros asks the question: What if a similar event was held in the Seven Kingdoms?

What sort of panel discussions would there be?

What kind of keynote addresses? What parties? What mischief?

To play along, simply act as if #SXSWesteros is happening… and YOU are there.

Tweet about what panels you see. What parties you are attending. Who is hanging out with whom.

Make sure all of your posts include the hashtag #SXSWesteros.

A neat way to make a conference that much more interactive and fun!

So - give one or both a try. For now, I am off to tap in some more code.

Black Letter Box puzzle game

this looks really interesting, but alas $60 is not something right now I can part with. I wonder how well this will do. The idea of having the puzzles delivered is cool and I wonder if there will be connections between players or if all players are essentially going through the same puzzle?

I wish, to, there was a transmedia/puzzle site kinda like trip advisor that could be used to rate people and organizations that run these events, especially as more and more are popping up - kinda part catalog for what is out there and part user comments about whether the person/group is valid, delivers good product, etc.

Hmm - is there a transmedia/ARG/stuff like this ratings site out there?

I started to rate things with my transmedia maps - maybe I should go back to that.

Anyhoos,

here is the game - let me know peoples if you play and if you know of a ratings site.

http://www.blacklettergame.com/faq.html

Wanna help make an ARG

So - a project that has come across my scope is looking for people to build an ARG - take a look - jump in, have fun - http://passion-perfect.livejournal.com/4291973.html

You know the environment is bad when

So - it is so bad that the UK is considering GMOs - yes ladies and gentlemen, the environment is changed and now we must too - http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/oct/07/gmcrops.food

and then there is this no need for animal cruelty or vegetarian worries any more ;) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17104501

a few quick tools

Running like crazy as I am supervising a student-run environmental conference - but - as a hold over until time once more is mine.... I've been using a few tools of late for some ARG fun and other cool projects and just wanted to give them a quick shout out

1. http://zxing.org/w/decode.jspx - a very handy tool for online qr code reading when a smartphone or similar device is not handy.

2. QR code tag extension for Chrome - now I can quickly make any site into a QR code and blast it to the basic social media outlets - https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/bcfddoencoiedfjgepnlhcpfikgaogdg

3. http://camerasummary.com/ - Camera Summary allows for quick decoding of image exif data -http://www.exif.org/

4. http://regex.info/exif.cgi - Jeffrey's Exif Viewer - and I also have that as a chrome extension

So - just a few QR code readers and Image metadata - hidden data readers - great for finding all sorts of hidden treasures!

A quick thought about Kickstarter, PBS and knickers

An update from one of the KickStarter projects I backed got me to thinking.

Here's the project - http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/terribleminds/bait-dog-an-atlanta-burns-novel-by-chuck-wendig

Here's the update with a question about the money levels set in the project - http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/terribleminds/bait-dog-an-atlanta-burns-novel-by-chuck-wendig/posts/176249

and here is my reply to that update - "you know, the question and your answer that you shared points out a very important thought/topic in regards to Kickstarter and funding projects. Since finding and getting into Kickstarter, I've viewed it more like the PBS fund drive you mention. Being a huge docwho and British show fan, I grew up on PBS and always pledged - knowing I was funding a big system and more than just my shows, but I knew that you have to keep the station running to get to see the shows you want. Rather than paying money to get a specific product, or to even "get something" (although I did try once to get the knickers signed by Molly Sugden but I was the wrong caller :) I was doing it to show support for things I liked and to keep a good system around. A lot of people though look at the other aspect of Kickstarter, which is I am buying a product only and I am spending my money simply to get some tangible product. I wonder if more see kickstarter projects as a pledge of support or as a way to "get" something????"

So - do people only use kickstarter to get something and pass on the project if they think they can get the item somewhere cheaper? Or do they back a project just simply to help the project and the project creators?

The Dark Room

Ok - so I got sucked in - it is funny, odd, weird, definitely WTF territory - and yet, I am laughing my butt off clicking happily away.

I speak of this performance, game, something called "The Dark Room" a choose your own adventure type story that uses YouTube as the platform, minimal effects and yet keep me and, at this writing, 1000s of others coming back and clicking.

It uses the old-school MMORG concept of "typing" the directions for your character to explore. However, it quickly leaves that behind as the humor of the options and the unexpected choices leave you with a deer in the headlights feeling. I did enjoy the love poem and love letter ;)

What was your favorite bits?

below the video link I am adding a couple of my favorite screen shots - the actor in this story has wonderful expressions

Here is the link - http://youtu.be/hvkjP6dqpfY

Big Think and how life rambles

so - stumbled onto this site today - http://bigthink.com/about - which I am finding very interesting. Has any ever ued this, reads it, likes it, hates it?

Almost as cool as the site is how I stumbled onto it as well as a few other points that are feeding my story and creative muse.

I was perusing Google news and caught this article - http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/which-foods-contribute-most-to-our-sodium-intake/2012/02/08/gIQAbYABzQ_gallery.html - which is very distrubing, although i do not use salt on foods or cooking, it appears that is still not good enough. But - I had not visited the washingtonpost.com news and was looking for general news and i liked how the sections were laid out, specifically there was one called energy and environment - which fall right into my work and interests. so i click that and one of the main headlined stories is "Lake Vostok, a German Nazi base? Russian news agency floats odd theory" -http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/lake-vostok-was-once-a-german-nazi-base-russian-news-agency-says/2012/02/07/gIQAKo9RwQ_blog.html?tid=pm_national_pop

so of course I have to go look ;) well the story included references to Godwins's Law (which I did not know about, but plan to use in a story -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin%27s_law) and of course the fact that a Russian news agency was talking about a possible secret Nazi Antartica base.... A piece from the article includes "But while “Neuschwabenland” appears in several horror novels, the Big Think suggests that it may also have actually existed:"

So I click on the Big Think link and find this - http://bigthink.com/ideas/21137 - which provides even more fodder for the imagination as well as I must admit I have never read the H.P Lovecraft story referenced in the article - H.P. Lovecraft’s “At the Mountains of Madness - which I now intend to read. But after reading the Big Think article - I clicked around Big Think and I am becoming hooked :)

I do love the rambly way life goes sometimes :)

So - how do I work a secret nazi base, antartica, Godwin law and oh yes - these three concepts I found today into my next story? -http://gizmodo.com/5882725/the-miraculous-nasa-breakthrough-that-could-save-millions-of-lives/ and http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/9066393/Ancient-seagrass-Oldest-living-thing-on-earth-discovered-in-Mediterranean-Sea.html and http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/117463-biological-computer-can-decrypt-images-stored-in-dna

Hiatus Absolved

Well, life has been a bit rough, would make sandpaper look like a baby's smooth butt ;)

However, things seem to be settling into a bit more of a routine, which means I can get back to doing what I like - including writing here. I hope to be a bit more vocal as so much is going on.

This weekend I may actually get to enjoy my World of Depleted: Day 419 DVD - complete with secret codes and other fun :)

I hope to get back to writing on my Nikki and Nora fanfiction series.

And my wikis have been so neglected (poor transmedia wiki and world of depleted wiki and my upcoming storyworld wiki)

And yes, a couple storyworld projects I've been working on are finally starting to take shape.

And of course I got caught up in a few ARGs, cool transmedia projects, awesome Kickstarter campaigns and more.

To that end - I leave you with my YouTube debut ;) I did this in support of a Kickstarter campaign for this awesome ARG app project about Snowtown - so - enjoy my geek vaudeville craziness



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9w_XPgUqOk