Just Tripping Along The Freakazoid

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...

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...

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 htt...

A lot is happening at World of Depleted including the release of "Depleted" Day 419" in ePub form - go check out the great story and the new updated WoD site - there are many things there to explore - enjoy!

Alright - so here is my firsthand account (well a bit vague as I did a lot of clicking and wandering around) of how I found a new story/transmedia property or whatever ya wanna call it. I am very interested in the concept of UX (user experience) and user narrative, so I thought I'd try to document how just this simple little journey worked. I am amazed as I started writing this entry how far that little rabbit hole or entry point led me. 1. So, I am going through my twitter stream and I come across this tweet - http://twitter.com/#!/Megaton_us/status/108664814808731648 from Megaton_US. 1a. Megaton hosts a very cool all things Post-apocalyptic site - http://www.megaton.us/ which I started following because 1b. I participate in World of Depleted - http://worldofdepleted.com/ a very cool post-apocalyptic film, story, shared storyworld. 1c. Megaton was woven into the WoD storyworld as well as being a supported/Dark Dreamer and more, and thus I found out about the Mega...

Check out this article on Jeremy Hanke's visit to GothiCon - http://worldofdepleted.com/archives/1768

Hmm - I think I want to look into this - anyone already using it? I need to contact world of Depleted and ask if they are going to convert the stories into ebook format and if we can offer them in some format on some platform and all that. time to start making that story make magic for me ;) http://mashable.com/2011/08/11/movellas/

I know I mentioned the rental film a couple blog posts ago and have the player and trailer link at the bottom of the blog. But the first 50 rentals also receive a copy of the song - “I Want to Destroy Something Beautiful,” by Josh Woodward. http://worldofdepleted.com/archives/1674 I really like the song, it fits the mood of the world

I'm in, anyone else up for some summer reading and discussion? via @Megaton_us Book Clubs & Coupons & Zombies, Oh My!: OK, technically, there are no zombies http://apclypt.ca/bxyBp There is a discount for the book and a group that will be ready for some reading!

So the day is here (yes the puns have begun) World of Depleted have released (well pre-release rental option) the feature film Day 419 - from the official site - http://worldofdepleted.com/contributor/world/canon/viking-productions Day 419 Description: Written and directed by World of Depleted co-founder, Jeremy Hanke, Day 419 follows the journey of forger Jenna Whitmore as she must discover the secrets her mentor Gavin has left for her, learn from her Dark Dreams, and get out of Maysbridge, KY alive! Length: 22 minutes Starring: Kat Carney, Eric Henninger, David Haney, Tim Smith Written by: Jeremy Hanke Directed by: Jeremy Hanke Stage: Completed Anticipated Release: July 17 2011 (Pre-Release Rental), July 22 – August 18, Episodic Serial Release (Four Parts) At the bottom of my blog is an embedded preview - they are using distrify to distribute - so I am learning a new media tool as well as watching a very cool movie!!!! - take a look at the preview below and if you like - you can pu...

As I work to catch up - I have added the links to my World of Depleted Stories to my story web site (go to http://home.comcast.net/~jstratton1/storywebsite/worldofdepleted/index.htm ) I still need to update the character bios (I like to add the bios as it makes it more like an RPG format and also if anyone ever wants to write these characters, it gives a bit of jump points). Also - here are the two official canon badges - thank you Craig, Jeremy and everyone else at Viking for helping me!!!!! Getting Business Done That's None of Your Business

Alright - I am way behind - but got to see a sneak preview of Day 419 (see http://worldofdepleted.com/archives/1626 As a thank you from that showing (and oooooo the film is awesome! So much revealed and lots of questions that demand answers...) we were given a swag pack of some awesome stuff. There was a special epilogue for the film with more story! and four songs from The Fall: world of Depleted Soundtrack The songs are from: Zero-Project - http://zero-project.gr/ Stacey Lux - http://worldofdepleted.com/archives/1614 Deathboy - http://www.deathboy.co.uk/ and there were two pieces of album art (included below) The one is the Dark Dreamers symbol - the second is a bit of a mystery (see http://worldofdepleted.com/archives/1638 This is something very positive about the WoD franchise - they make events special and end up delivering more than the standard entertainment. They also include their fans (LIKE ME!) in special events and with all sorts of goodies and fun! PLus, they keep the...

Just had my second story in World of Depleted posted up - http://worldofdepleted.com/contributor/news/canonnovellanonebiz - there is sooooo much more that can be explored - come play! Please :)

So - World of Depleted and Environmental research - watched "Collapse" - very interesting one man show - I think the 1st 30 minutes are prety tight - the rest - a little more preachy. I LOVED VH-1 POP-UPS (and they are a way to add more story/content) so reading this http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2011/05/vh1-revives-pop-up-video-behind-the-music-renews-mob-wives-love-hip-hop.html made me happy And along with those two themes - good article on on-fictional use of transmedia delivery - http://documentarytech.com/?p=8161

Well started a Tumblelog for assorted projects - more just to learn how to work Tumblr - I am trying to learn the best way to use each social media/crossmedia/transmedia/etc tool/resource - tumblr I think would be good for video and pictures - but well see - here are the tumblelogs My general one - geologylady.tumblr.com My World of Depleted - www.tumblr.com/tumblelog/worldofdepleted-jojo Transmedia Resources - transmediaresources.tumblr.com/ For Quixotic Taboos and Copper Rock Project/Storyworld - quixotictaboos.tumblr.com/

Ok - I need to say more on this topic and website - but I am running like mad GO RUN DO NOT WALK to this web site especially if you like the idea of a place where people come together and share a world and share their thoughts and stories about this world http://sharedstoryworlds.com/ I snagged this from their about section -------------------- Shared Story Worlds explores new models, frameworks, and best practices for creating, curating, sustaining, and maintaining collaborative entertainment properties which invite audiences to participate in the co-creation of the world and ideally rewards them for doing so (please read What is a Shared Story World ? for a more detailed definition). Shared Story Worlds examines this participatory entertainment space in several ways: • Publishing articles about the unique aspects of shared story worlds (legal, narrative, creative, community) • Publishing interviews with the creatives behind shared story worlds • Maintaining a list of shared story wo...

So, I have a story I am working on for World of Depleted and because I want to submit it as possible official canon, I am learning some of the nitty gritty differences between fanfiction and "official" writing, a big one being, you can get away with a lot of stuff in fanfiction. The question (among many) I am chasing tonight is - I have a character and I want them after doing something to quote the Homer Simpson line about being "I am so smart, SMRT" - yes there is a reason for using the Homer line, if there was not, I'd just take it out and not worry, but pop references is something I can see this character doing a lot, and it ties the story more to "this world" you know that thing where you try to make your character seem real by surrounding them with the same things your reader would be surrounded by... Well my question is - can you do this with out contacting the holder of the property and can I basically use that (and in the future) similar refere...

So need to update more frequently - A LOT going on - will share more soon but for now been playing with www.tiki-toki.com to create timelines and really liking it!!!! Here is what I am making - http://www.tiki-toki.com/timeline/entry/153/Gavin-Hesterdales-Journal-Entries/ Yes it is tied into World of Depleted :P more good news on that front soon too. Ok off to bed, but, I recommend giving Tiki toki a looksee at least

I am so very behind - and trying this week to catch up. one place I am behind is in my World of Depleted to do list - so this is a quik mention: Forsaken, the first canon property based on the World of Depleted has been officially launched. From the WoD site - "Forsaken, the new film from Ben Nash & James de Paula Hanika (of Four58 Productions) set in the World of Depleted, debuted today in the World of Depleted: Contributors section. The film, set 352 days after the Fall in England, follows a man who’s lost everything on a road trip to try and regain part of what he’s lost." Definitely go check this film out - worldofdepleted.com/contributor/

Gavin's Feb. 15 journal entry - http://worldofdepleted.com/Gavin/?p=404 Wow – many little things in the latest entry – I just have to jot them down First – I got a reference in the journal – stepping outside the game and being a geek – all I can say is – [insert geek cry of most awesome coolness here] WHoooo hehe – it is the little things in life that make it fun and also give vindication to Mr. Warhol's 15 minute theory ;) Ok – back to the entry – 1. – Deep thoughts – I have been trying to plug at that – and it is mentioned in the entry – the name Pythagoras is listed as the shadowy figure behind the site… hmmmmm, another number/math/pattern related name – need to look that up As to the site – the most I come up with the text in the completed QR code M.A. Vindobona 180 Is either something is happening on march 17th (Marcu Aurelis died in Vindobona on March 17th, 180 AD) or something is going on in Vienna (which use to be called Vindobona) – I am thinking more the MA tie as t...