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Hey, everybody, and welcome to another episode of the Dead Robots’ Society. This week we’re lucky enough to have the chance to sit down with honorary co-host PG Holyfield and discuss his experience with self-publishing his novel. Where did he go to do it, why, and what did he learn? Settle in with us at the feet of a master and learn a thing or two. I know we did.

PG Holyfield’s Website

Flinchy and the Mexican Show Truck

Lulu

CreateSpace

Lightning Source

BookSurge

Article on self-publishing

All of the hosts are on Twitter, but I figured it would be a good idea to create a Twitter account for the show. That way I could put out tweets about when we’re recording, who we might have on, when episodes are uploaded, that sort of thing. The URL is:

www.twitter.com/DRSPodcast

I wanted to just use Dead Robots, but that was taken. Dammit. Anyway, please add us to your follow list, and I’ll make sure we put all important notices there first.

This week the Dead Robots are joined by special guest James Batchelor, and together they talk about the topic of story telling in the interactive medium of video games. How does it tell a story, is it better, and what can we learn from it? Enjoy!

James’ WiiDS podcast

As the other hosts have their blogs aggregated here, but I don’t have a blog of my own, I’m posting my thoughts directly here. I don’t blog because I think I should only say something in one that is important enough to need to be said. I know that’s not how everyone else seems to see it, but blogging came to be long after my ways were set and I don’t expect them to change.

That said, on to the main subject of my thought.

There was a recent story that ran in a number of places that claimed there were a lot of things hidden in the stimulus package. I don’t doubt that. One of the specifics mentioned was 30 million dollars for the endangered mouse living along part of San Francisco Bay.

That story was false. A distortion.

One of the responses to the story got my blood up. It was the most recent of several similarly themed comments, and not the worst. Someone I know said the following about the story.

“No mice. No Pelosi. Complete GOP lie. As per usual.”

Statements like this make my blood pressure rise, be they from the right or left. Now you get to hear what I think about this phenomena.

[Rant Mode ON]

Enough is enough. It’s time for these hard-line, biased smear attacks to called out, whatever side they come from. The hard left lies and distorts just as much as the hard right. Anything claimed by the far right or left needs to be looked at with a jaundiced eye. They are after all, extremists. It’s been that way for as long as I’ve been an adult and longer. At this point, it doesn’t even matter who started this downward spiral. We don’t need finger pointing, we need to stand up as Americans and say this isn’t right and it needs to stop.

The sad thing is that this kind of talk has become so widespread that people see it as the norm and acceptable behavior. It shouldn’t be. The Washington Times distorted this story and they don’t expect to be called on it because everyone there does it. While not quite yellow journalism, it’s close. And it’s not just the media on the right. The media on the left has been just as bad with the New York Times leading the way. Don’t get me started on the television media. Both sides can and do intentionally distort a story to try and influence people that they don’t seem to realize already share their point of view. News flash! People take in news from organizations that share their biases.

With something like 40% of the country being a Democrat of some type, and about the same amount being a Republican of some kind, we need to be finding ways we can work together, come together. Not point at the other side and call them liars and trash everything they do. We need to find points we can compromise on and come together. This divisive talk, demonization, and at times outright hate of someone whose ideas don’t mirror our own will never, ever do anything to help this country and all its people.

Such one-sided behavior is bigotry, pure and simple. A bigot is, as defined at Dictionary.com, one who is strongly partial to one’s own group, religion, race, or politics and is intolerant of those who differ. If this isn’t bigotry, I don’t know what is. Now, that being a hot-button word, I’ll no doubt be flamed for my “intolerance” of someone’s right to speak as they see fit.

So be it.

Perhaps such things just trip off our tongues and we don’t realize how hateful they are because everyone around us seems to share the same views. Well, we should be told. Hate and intolerance should always be called wherever we see it. If enough people say no to something odious, society changes. 1960′s anyone? Things have changed. It’s time to raise our voices again.

Paraphrased, President Obama says we can’t keep doing business as usual, being partisan hacks. I couldn’t agree more. Yet his voice is being overwhelmed on both sides. I may not have voted for him, or even support most of his policies, but in this I am his loyal servant. We must change Washington or it will change us. For the worse. To do that, we have to change ourselves and those around us.

The founders envisioned the people of the government would be drawn from the people, bringing their views to Washington. Instead, Washington now seems bent on dividing the country and forcing their myopic biases on the country. And it’s working.

Where does that lead us? Do the people in Washington that behave this way ever look at the endgame? What do they expect to come from this behavior? Do they really think their divisiveness will convert the other side to be like them? Doubtful. Nobody is fool enough to think that demonizing someone and their beliefs will make them do anything but move further away from your view. So, what is the point? Making people hate you because you attack them? Counterproductive.

I don’t really think any of them have a long-term strategic goal. It’s all about short-term tactical goals. Gathering power and control long enough to ram through your agenda before the other side gets control back and undoes what you’re doing and does what they want.

I didn’t vote for President Obama, but I did hope that he could soften both sides and bring back some civility and cooperation to Washington, get them to look past their own short-sighted desires. Bipartisanship. I still do cherish hopes, though they are fading.

Every time anything political is trotted out in a public forum, we see zealots from both sides come out and do as Washington does. Frankly, I’m tired of it. Zealots aren’t interested in finding common ground and bringing people together. They just want to take that issue they feel so strongly about and use it as a club to beat someone with.

It’s time to stop acting like children who don’t understand what compromise and respect for opposing points of view is. Adults learn the art of compromise. That is how society survives. We as a people need to grow up. We’re all Americans (those of us that are, of course) and it’s long past time we started behaving like responsible adults. If we can’t start coming closer together, then we will move further apart. Does anyone really want to see that? It can, and will, get uglier if we allow it to continue unabated.

Look at the endgame. People that are divided do rash things, because they feel they are disenfranchised, that have no voice or control. Do we want to condone even more drastically partisan behavior?

I don’t.

Stand with me to dial back the rhetoric. It’s fine to disagree, even vehemently, on issues, but when we lump all our opponents into a pile and label them liars or worse, we are part of the problem. If we don’t stop the slide and change the tone, we can never expect our representatives to.

[Rant Mode OFF]

Terry

This week, in a rare act of daring (or stupidity) Justin goes it alone, but to help him not make a fool of himself he has the pleasure of interviewing someone representing an avenue of writing we have yet to cover – journalism. We’ve talked with novelists, podcasters, TV writers, and game writers, but journalism is something we’ve manage to miss. Until now. So, settle in and enjoy as we talk with Anthony Gallegos and learn about the art of writing reviews and features for print and online sites. Anthony was former a writer for Electronic Gaming Monthly, Computer Gaming World, and 1UP.com, but now he is a freelancer and an independent podcaster.

Eat_Sleep_Game

Anthony’s Blog

Anthony’s Twitter

Anthony’s Music

My Cheats

1UP.com

Oh, and for fans of Matthew Wayne Selznick, pick up a copy of his new chap book. And when you do, tell him the Dead Robots sent ya.

Justin wrote:

Argh, since losing my job I’ve had the hardest time getting my head back into a writing mode. One day I’ll wake up ready to sit down and hammer those keys, and other days I’ll look down at them like they’re objects from an alien world. I thought that part of my problem was the [...]

Read more…

Well, it looks like tonight might just be me and… me. We had an interview lined up, but they said they need to reschedule, and so far they haven’t gotten back to me as to what date and when. So, if 5PM rolls around (our usual recording time – welcome to behind the curtain) and I haven’t heard anything, I’m probably just going to do a show on my own. Yes, exciting, I know. If anyone has anything they’d like to hear me talk about, or read on the air, let me know. Heck, even better, send a voice mail to 1-206-339-7506 and I’ll play it.

But, if they get back with me after that and say they want to do the interview sometime later this week, I’ll still do it and edit it all together in our usual seamless fashion.

This week we discuss the topic of writing environments. Do we need a particular place, the right music, some candles, perhaps red curtains and dancing girls? Listen in as we talk about what works for us to see what might work for you.

And hey, I thought I’d post up a couple of pictures that show the space I talk about in the podcast. I really am as geeky as I sound.

Well, it looks like the server move went off nearly without a hitch. Matt Selzick has been a dream to work with on this, and I know we didn’t pay him nearly enough for all the effort he put in (though don’t tell him that, ’cause we can’t afford for him to know it). The only stumbling block we encountered was that the URL for the forum had to change. I hope that didn’t prove to be a problem for anyone, and if it did, I hope it didn’t take long to figure out how to get back. The link in the above bar works perfectly.

Anyway, I would greatly appreciate it if those who read this could make sure they can see “this space for rent” at the bottom of the main page. If you can, post here letting me know that, and also what country you’re in. That’ll let me know how far out the change over has gone. Thanks, and take care!

Hey, everybody! Justin here. Well, it looks like we’re about ready to move the site and the forums to a new hosting location. Hopefully, if the techno-gods are pleased with my offerings, then you shouldn’t notice anything. If you do, and the gods were kinda sorta pleased, what you notice should be minimal. Hopefully they won’t poo-poo my offerings and decide to trash us. Either way, we’ll all know how it goes starting tomorrow evening. We’ll start the move process at 5PM Central Time. What happens after that is… well, we shall see. Let’s all hold hands and pray that everything goes according to plan.

Also, if you have any old tech gear you’re not using, go burn it in our name. Perhaps that will appease the e-lords above.