smiles134's recent activity
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Comment on Jack Dorsey quits Bluesky board and urges users to stay on Elon Musk's X in ~tech
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Comment on NFL draft pool shrinks as NIL money entices more players to stay in school in ~sports.american_football
smiles134 Link ParentThe latter -- return may have been the wrong word, but generally the people signing these kids to the deals are boosters, through local businesses, in exchange for endorsements and whatnot....The latter -- return may have been the wrong word, but generally the people signing these kids to the deals are boosters, through local businesses, in exchange for endorsements and whatnot. Players are lured to schools in exchange for signing these deals -- which, again, I think is great for the players -- but ultimately I think the total $$$ involved in all these deals over the years will shrink, or will scale mostly toward the top of the top players.
To my point, AJ Storr transfered away from the Badgers after this season, and reportedly he told Kansas he'd transfer there if they could secure him $1 million in an NIL deal. Kansas balked initially and then offered him 750k, which he accepted.
Of course, the schools aren't allowed to be directly involved in these negotiations. So while right now the businesses or the boosters are fine to sling this money around, it doesn't feel sustainable.
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Comment on NFL draft pool shrinks as NIL money entices more players to stay in school in ~sports.american_football
smiles134 Link ParentYou're thinking of Marvin Harrison Jr, who didn't want to sign the NFLPA's licensing agreement. It looks like he signed a separate deal with Fanatics. I don't know how much more we'll see of that,.... I seem to remember one the the top receivers in this year's draft holding off on signing an NFL contract that allows the league to use the players' likeness in their marketing, but j can't remember the player or what came of that.
You're thinking of Marvin Harrison Jr, who didn't want to sign the NFLPA's licensing agreement.
It looks like he signed a separate deal with Fanatics.
I don't know how much more we'll see of that, but I also think that NIL in college is a bubble that will burst sooner rather than later. It's terrific that college players are now able to profit off their brand as college players, but it's sort of a race to the bottom in the current system. I think that the folks who are investing their money in these players will recognize that the returns aren't always worth what they're putting in and opportunities will dry up for all but the biggest stars. And those are the players who are going to make the most in the professional leagues anyway.
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Comment on The world owes Spider-Man 3 an apology in ~movies
smiles134 Link ParentI don't think that's terribly controversial, but it signals bad writing which is the root of most of the problems with the prequels.I don't think that's terribly controversial, but it signals bad writing which is the root of most of the problems with the prequels.
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Comment on Wild Orangutan observed using first aid on a wound in ~science
smiles134 Link ParentInterestingly, I hadn't heard of this before, but I did find this article from 2018 that cites a study published that year on the topic. So, I'm not sure why it's being reported this way now. The...Interestingly, I hadn't heard of this before, but I did find this article from 2018 that cites a study published that year on the topic. So, I'm not sure why it's being reported this way now. The author of the study discussed in the original post (and elsewhere in the news today) seems to believe this is the first time it was observed. I'm not sure if there's a distinction I'm missing.
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Comment on The California man who hid for six months in a secret room inside Circuit City in ~life
smiles134 Link ParentChanning Tatum seems like a good choice to play it as a kind of comedic drama (polite and charming but still a physically fit dude), but it's being directed by the guy who wrote Blue Valentine and...Channing Tatum seems like a good choice to play it as a kind of comedic drama (polite and charming but still a physically fit dude), but it's being directed by the guy who wrote Blue Valentine and Sound of Metal which suggests it may be a more serious meditation. Which is kind of odd, considering.
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Comment on Authors of Tildes: How well do you know your own book when you publish? in ~creative
smiles134 LinkI wrote a short story collection for my graduate thesis, and I worked pretty tirelessly on it for about 6 straight months, on edits, redrafts, etc. I haven't looked at it in almost two years...I wrote a short story collection for my graduate thesis, and I worked pretty tirelessly on it for about 6 straight months, on edits, redrafts, etc.
I haven't looked at it in almost two years because I was just so tired of it by then and needed a break. I'm working my way back to it soon and though I know the beats of the stories by heart, I am going to be surprised by the prose itself, I think. I've also been thinking about them a lot without looking at them, to try to work out some issues I have with some of the stories, so I may also be surprised at what state they're in.
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Comment on What if we discover the answers of the Universe, eliminate cancer, halt aging. What's next? in ~humanities
smiles134 Link ParentI think about that scene from season 1 all the time when the dude goes down to the lower city and walks among the commoners like a god as his body is rapidly decaying from disease, just to swap...I think about that scene from season 1 all the time when the dude goes down to the lower city and walks among the commoners like a god as his body is rapidly decaying from disease, just to swap into a new body right away.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
smiles134 Link ParentI just started Midnight Suns (about 3 hours in, though with a decent amount of idling). I'm finding the amount of conversations a bit tedious and wish the "base building" aspect was somewhat more...I just started Midnight Suns (about 3 hours in, though with a decent amount of idling). I'm finding the amount of conversations a bit tedious and wish the "base building" aspect was somewhat more in line with XCOM2. I do like the combat though -- it feels unique enough that it's not just XCOM2 with a marvel skin but still in that same lineage.
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Comment on Movie of the Week #26 - Aliens in ~movies
smiles134 Link ParentThanks -- one of the few streaming services I'm not currently subscribed to lol. We are looking to pare down and maybe pick up a different few so Max might be one of thoseThanks -- one of the few streaming services I'm not currently subscribed to lol. We are looking to pare down and maybe pick up a different few so Max might be one of those
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Comment on Movie of the Week #26 - Aliens in ~movies
smiles134 LinkIs anyone aware of this streaming anywhere? I've been on the lookout for it on my services the last few months but hadn't seen itIs anyone aware of this streaming anywhere? I've been on the lookout for it on my services the last few months but hadn't seen it
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Comment on Quentin Tarantino drops ‘The Movie Critic’ as his final film in ~movies
smiles134 Linkoh damn that's surprising. Tarantino has always been a bit hit or miss for me personally but I was intrigued by the premise of this oneoh damn that's surprising. Tarantino has always been a bit hit or miss for me personally but I was intrigued by the premise of this one
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Comment on 'Grand Theft Auto' maker Take-Two to let go 5% of staff, scrap some projects in ~games
smiles134 Link ParentRockstar was founded as a Take Two subsidiaryRockstar was founded as a Take Two subsidiary
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
smiles134 Link ParentFirewatch is great, and I think the concerns about the ending are overblown. But I'm also someone who values narrative over player choice which I know is somewhat of a divisive opinion. Truthfully...Firewatch is great, and I think the concerns about the ending are overblown. But I'm also someone who values narrative over player choice which I know is somewhat of a divisive opinion.
Truthfully I think that any other ending would've felt incomplete or unearned.
Also, sidenote, I think you're going to love Journey based on the other games you've listed here. If you don't know anything else about it right now, don't look it up. Just play it!
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Comment on The Museum of Science and Industry abruptly closed for a day last week to allow it to move “military artifacts from archival storage” in ~humanities.history
smiles134 Link ParentSorry, I didn't mean to make it sound that way, just felt like it was worth distinguishing between something like the Smithsonian museums, which I would consider public, vs the museum of science...Sorry, I didn't mean to make it sound that way, just felt like it was worth distinguishing between something like the Smithsonian museums, which I would consider public, vs the museum of science and industry, which is technically not. As far as I'm aware, no tax money is used by the state of Illinois to keep it operational.
I grew up going to the museum of science and industry, and it always gave weird corporate vibes to me. I haven't been there in years though so I can't really comment on the atmosphere now.
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Comment on Help me re-learn how to write, understand the nuances of writing, be a good writer in ~creative
smiles134 Link ParentCraft books are some of my favorites because I just love fiction and love thinking about how it all works. I'll answer your questions a bit out of order. I'm a writer and an editor,...Craft books are some of my favorites because I just love fiction and love thinking about how it all works.
I'll answer your questions a bit out of order.
I'm a writer and an editor, professionally. I have an MFA in creative writing and I've been the editor in chief for a mid tier literary journal for about 6 years. My goal is to someday teach fiction writing at a university, but I'm taking some time off to think about whether I want a PhD or not. I'm also trying to use this time to work on my short story collection that I wrote for my graduate thesis, but I've taken quite a break from my own writing and am finding it a bit difficult to get back into the habit now that I'm also working full time. My full time day job is as a technical writer on a contract for federal agency, but realistically that just means I'm managing documents and doing very little writing myself.
I always have a hard time picking a favorite book, so I'll say my favorite writers at the moment are George Saunders, Kurt Vonnegut, Aimee Bender, Alice Munro and Jhumpa Lahiri. You really can't go wrong with any of their short stories (although for Vonnegut I prefer his novels).
As for where to start, there's not one right path through these books, really. Writing Fiction and The Triggering Town are probably your best bets for starter books. They're definitely geared toward beginners. Writing Fiction is organized a bit oddly in my opinion, but it makes sense when you read through it.
Bird by Bird is more about the practice of being a writer than actually writing, but it's so so useful and reassuring. "Shitty First Drafts" was a foundational aspect of the first year writing courses I taught in grad school.
From Where You Dream is an interesting book that takes pretty much a polar opposite approach to writing compared to the rest of the books. Robert Olen Butler really truly believes in divine inspiration for writers, more or less. He talks about his process of "dream storming" as an organizing principle for early drafts, and he's a big believer in the "yearning" of fiction. I took a workshop with him in grad school where all we wrote were the first pages of stories. He then read that first page and would tell you whether to continue with the story or not. If it didn't have yearning, in his read, by the first 750 words, it wasn't worth continuing. I disagree with his about a lot of things, especially where craft is involved, but his process works for him and I know it's worked for others too.
The Art of Fiction is another good one for getting started. It's a bit older than the other books I listed, but Gardner writes really well about things like perspective and narration and voice, and these are things that writers often really struggle with.
This Won't Take But a Minute Honey is short but so worth reading and re-reading. In a couple hundred words, Almond really captures the essence of the points he's making. His sections on pacing and Suspense vs. Surprise are the ones I most often reference.
The rest are a little more geared toward novel writing or editing but are absolutely worth it even for short story writers, where it comes to understanding when to start and when to stop with a story (narratively and in terms of actual drafting and revising).
The anthologies are good to just have on hand and read and reread as you work. They're fairly varied in their styles and content, and there's something that every writer will find appealing or inspiring in there. The Scribner has a story by Robert Olen Butler that I first read in undergrad, and I remember that moment where it clicked for me like This is what I want to be doing, what I want to be writing. (The story is "Jealous Husband Returns in Form of Parrot" from his collection Tabloid Dreams, which I think you can find online.)
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
smiles134 LinkI finished Baldur's Gate 3 on Friday which had devoured essentially all of my playing time over the last 2 months. I'm in awe of the scope of the game and can't really wrap my head around all the...I finished Baldur's Gate 3 on Friday which had devoured essentially all of my playing time over the last 2 months. I'm in awe of the scope of the game and can't really wrap my head around all the complexities of the story, with all its branching possibilities. I'd read an interview with the studio head, I believe, who talked about the N+1 design philosophy, ensuring that even if the player did the most insane off the rails things, they'd still be able to complete the story.
I completed most of the quests that I activated, though a couple I accidentally locked myself out of (like basically all of Karlach's quests because the guy I needed to be alive had died before I even met Karlach) and a couple I decided weren't worth my effort, especially once I realized there was a level cap. Still, there's so much of the game I didn't experience, like having Minthara as a companion. I didn't even meet Minsc in my playthrough. All of that took 88 hours according to the save file, and 110 according to steam.
Sometime way down the road I'll do another playthrough, but games of that magnitude take a lot out of me, so I don't have much interest in going back to it right now.
Now that BG3 is off the table, I'm looking forward to getting into some games I'd set aside. I started Baltaro this weekend and am definitely feeling the hook already. I also started Max Payne 3 for the first time, looking for something both dumb and action filled. It's certainly scratching that itch.
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Comment on The Museum of Science and Industry abruptly closed for a day last week to allow it to move “military artifacts from archival storage” in ~humanities.history
smiles134 Link ParentFor what it's worth, although the museum is a non profit organization, it is privately owned.For what it's worth, although the museum is a non profit organization, it is privately owned.
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Comment on Help me re-learn how to write, understand the nuances of writing, be a good writer in ~creative
smiles134 (edited )LinkIn addition to the great suggestions from @paris, I can suggest -- once you're comfortable -- adding in books on craft to your reading list. There's a pervasive but misguided belief that writing...In addition to the great suggestions from @paris, I can suggest -- once you're comfortable -- adding in books on craft to your reading list. There's a pervasive but misguided belief that writing can't be taught. This is like saying you can't teach someone to paint or to draw. Understanding how your genre works, its various parts, what the "rules" are, is extremely valuable so that you know when and why you're breaking from convention.
These are books that I recommend to every writer I work with, but it's important to note that these are all supplemental material, not substitutes for the primary texts you should be reading, and they are all guides who offer sometimes conflicting advice. There's no one way to write, no right or wrong way, but learning how others approach their craft -- and how they deconstruct the craft of others -- is extremely valuable.
Writing Fiction by Janet Burroway
The Triggering Town by Richard Hugo (primarily for poetry, but absolutely useful for writing fiction as well)
From Where You Dream by Robert Olen Butler
This Won't Take But a Minute, Honey by Steve Almond
Truth is the Arrow, Mercy is the Bow by Steve Almond (this is brand new and I haven't had a chance to read it yet, but the earlier cited collection of micro essays is by far my most referenced resource)
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamont
A Swim in the Pond in the Rain by George Saunders
Spiral, Meander, Explode by Jane Alison
Refuse to Be Done by Matt Bell
The Modern Library Writer's Workshop by Stephen Koch
The Art of Revision by Peter Ho Davies
The Art of Fiction by John GardnerThese are more for writing exercises:
Naming the World and Other Exercises for the Creative Writer by Bret Anthony Johnston
Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Flash Fiction
What If? by Anne Bernays and Pamela Painter (this book is rather old, so some of the exercises feel a bit dated. But they still can be useful for generative practice.)I'd also recommend picking up a couple of anthologies for contemporary examples of excellence in craft -- my focus is on fiction if the above recommendations don't make that obvious, but I'm sure equivalents exist for poetry.
Scriber Anthology of Contemporary Short Fiction
The Norton Anthology for Short Fiction
Gotham Writers Workshop Fiction Gallery
New Sudden Fiction -
Comment on Save Point: A game deal roundup for the week of April 7 in ~games
smiles134 LinkThe System Shock remake from Night Dive is 55% off on Steam until the 25th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/482400/System_Shock/The System Shock remake from Night Dive is 55% off on Steam until the 25th:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/482400/System_Shock/
Yep -- just like with the Reddit protests, there weren't really better, established places to go that an entire audience could just pick up and migrate to. Threads tried to capitalize on the Twitter upheavals, but as far as I can tell it was half-baked and not successful.