It's been a while since I've posted. A lot has happened in the interim. I've allowed myself to slack on a lot of things, writing being one of them. I've hardly worked on my book over the last few months. I had some pretty negative feedback that really stuck with me more than it should have, and since then I've only written a few pages. I've also obviously neglected my blog.
I'm beginning again. I'm starting over on so many goals. I'm exercising (sometimes a bit too much, I almost passed out yesterday). I pulled out my violin. I'm reading with my family. I'm just trying to start it all over again and be more diligent.
I think it's good for all of us, now and then, to examine where we are in life, what we could be doing better and to really buckle down on those things. Just don't go overboard.
Stay hydrated, and get enough sleep.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Friday, April 5, 2013
The Jaded Empire: The Contemporary Attitude of Criticism
I'm not sure how this happened, or why, but it's disgusting. Our world has become saturated with criticism. It has reached a point such that any work that is published gets immediately attacked by vast amounts of hate, both online and offline. For example: The Dark Knight Rises. Was it a perfect movie? No. Was it really well crafted and, well, entertaining? Yes. People have gotten to a point where they criticize every new release, and it's really surprising to me. When I watch a movie or play a game, I usually ignore a lot of the media and fan feedback until after I've completed them. This means that I, as an optimist, get really surprised when I get online, or talk with other fans about these works. A couple of examples: The ending to Mass Effect 3, the ending to Assassin's Creed 3, or the Dark Knight Rises. People just cannot be satisfied anymore. We are just saturated with so much media, and specifically with so much criticism that it has become second nature, though most of us are no good at it.
Friday, March 29, 2013
Current and Future Writing Projects
Just what the title says. Here are some of the things I'm writing right now, and some of the things I'll be working on in the future.
Current Projects:
Current Projects:
- The Price of Silence
- A Proposal to Ubisoft Montreal for a future Assassin's Creed game (on which I'd obviously love to work).
- The Price of Freedom
- The Price of Peace
- I edited out a couple of the other projects I want to work on, because maybe it would be best to keep them to myself for now.
So, What is The Price of Silence
The Price of Silence is a writing project that I've been working on for the last few years. It began in the spring of 2009 with an idea. I was taking an epistemology class for my philosophy minor. Epistemology is the philosophical study of the mind and thought. My presentation was a lame examination of Global Warming Conspiracy Theory. Anyway, in one of the presentations, the guys examined wikipedia as a database, and compared it to the human brain. One of my classmates put forth the following question: What if the human brain could access the internet? From that time forward, the question really weighed on me and I found myself thinking about it more and more.
I had always had a fascination with cybernetics, but it had been a romantic, heavy science fiction kind of interest, with prosthetic limbs, implanted weapons and other such nerdy things. In early 2008, I had started to think more practically about cybernetics, with things like sub-dermal cell phones implanted next to the throat.
My initial concept was to write about a protagonist who was unique, who had a computer in his brain that was being used to manipulate his course of actions. This concept changed and evolved.
At the Bingham family reunion, Summer of 2011, I flippantly threw the my idea around my Ryan Bingham, my little brother, as well as my Uncle Bill, my cousin Adam and a few others. We talked for hours about how network capable computers implanted in our brains could completely change everything, from advertising to warfare, from politics to family relationships. One example: art shared at the moment of it's cognitive genesis. We went on and on about these ideas, and I received very strong encouragement to pursue this project.
Brainstorming began, and I started to outline the story, the protagonist, and the major events that I wanted to include in my novel. I started to realize that it was a story that could not be told in one installment, so I began outlining The Price of Freedom and the Price of Peace. In January 2012, I began work on the manuscript. The first chapter took me months to write. It is more of a spiritual and emotional introduction to the book than an introduction to the characters, tech or world. Writing has been slow, but steady, and right now the manuscript is around about 60 pages. I've recently started writing Chapter 7, and it's a blast. It's an exciting read, full of passion, deception and political intrigue. I'm seeking out interviews with various authorities in order to grant my text a level of authenticity. The world I've written into The Price of Silence is not a fictional world. It's our world, as I think it may become some time down the road.
I strongly believe that cybernetics are part of our future, though I wouldn't call myself a transhumanist (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transhumanism). The Price of Silence is a novel about the blurring line between man and machine. It examines not only the drastic changes that realistic cybernetics will bring to the human race, but the dangers of integrating machines into the human brain. It's an exciting story revolving around a series of characters whose lives are drastically changed by the actions of a terrorist group known as Vanguard. It involves themes of freedom of the mind.
I really look forward to publishing this thing as soon as I can. I plan to finish the manuscript this year, so you all have something to look forward to.
I had always had a fascination with cybernetics, but it had been a romantic, heavy science fiction kind of interest, with prosthetic limbs, implanted weapons and other such nerdy things. In early 2008, I had started to think more practically about cybernetics, with things like sub-dermal cell phones implanted next to the throat.
My initial concept was to write about a protagonist who was unique, who had a computer in his brain that was being used to manipulate his course of actions. This concept changed and evolved.
At the Bingham family reunion, Summer of 2011, I flippantly threw the my idea around my Ryan Bingham, my little brother, as well as my Uncle Bill, my cousin Adam and a few others. We talked for hours about how network capable computers implanted in our brains could completely change everything, from advertising to warfare, from politics to family relationships. One example: art shared at the moment of it's cognitive genesis. We went on and on about these ideas, and I received very strong encouragement to pursue this project.
Brainstorming began, and I started to outline the story, the protagonist, and the major events that I wanted to include in my novel. I started to realize that it was a story that could not be told in one installment, so I began outlining The Price of Freedom and the Price of Peace. In January 2012, I began work on the manuscript. The first chapter took me months to write. It is more of a spiritual and emotional introduction to the book than an introduction to the characters, tech or world. Writing has been slow, but steady, and right now the manuscript is around about 60 pages. I've recently started writing Chapter 7, and it's a blast. It's an exciting read, full of passion, deception and political intrigue. I'm seeking out interviews with various authorities in order to grant my text a level of authenticity. The world I've written into The Price of Silence is not a fictional world. It's our world, as I think it may become some time down the road.
I strongly believe that cybernetics are part of our future, though I wouldn't call myself a transhumanist (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transhumanism). The Price of Silence is a novel about the blurring line between man and machine. It examines not only the drastic changes that realistic cybernetics will bring to the human race, but the dangers of integrating machines into the human brain. It's an exciting story revolving around a series of characters whose lives are drastically changed by the actions of a terrorist group known as Vanguard. It involves themes of freedom of the mind.
I really look forward to publishing this thing as soon as I can. I plan to finish the manuscript this year, so you all have something to look forward to.
Why Blog Now?
I've never had much interest in blogs. I always thought they were a really vain thing, that it was about having people see you and care enough about you to visit a website completely dedicated to you.
Of course, at least in part, that is what a blog is all about. So, call me vain, but I do want people to care about me and the things I have to say about, well, life, the universe and everything.
One of the biggest reasons that I'm creating this blog is to have a place to write about the things I care about; almost as a sort of digital journal. This is a place where I can be free to write about anything.
Some of the things you can all expect to see posts about:
If you care about this, come back and visit frequently to see what the heck I have to talk about. Or don't.
Of course, at least in part, that is what a blog is all about. So, call me vain, but I do want people to care about me and the things I have to say about, well, life, the universe and everything.
One of the biggest reasons that I'm creating this blog is to have a place to write about the things I care about; almost as a sort of digital journal. This is a place where I can be free to write about anything.
Some of the things you can all expect to see posts about:
- Updates on my novel that I'm writing: The Price of Silence.
- Lots of posts about video games that I'm playing. I may even try my hand at writing reviews.
- Video game guides, including achievement guides.
- Updates about my family. Specifically my wonderful wife, Caprice, and our son, Ethan, who'll be here very soon.
- Politics, philosophy and psychology, some of my intellectual loves.
If you care about this, come back and visit frequently to see what the heck I have to talk about. Or don't.
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