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In the main, the overarching function of this blog-o-space is to define a new kind of literature.
That’s kind of a bold claim, isn’t it? I guess we’ll see what ends we come to.
As readers, we find ourselves in the thick of a new age in entertainment. Hundreds of books are digitally bound within a single Nook or Kindle, and eBook sales are ever on the rise. Video-games are praised as a valid art form, and offer not only elaborate stories & backgrounds, but also thriving communities of analysts and puzzle-solvers. Media distribution is more omnipresent than ever before, and the rapid-fire rate of accessibility can be almost nauseating in its abundance. For the first time ever, the sheer magnitude of collated human experience is available via a few simple keystrokes, and the need to physically maintain a collection of VHS tapes, vinyls, or cookbooks is quickly becoming a thing of the past - or at least the 80s.
This incredible wealth of information does have its costs, however. Borders’ Books is tragically undergoing liquidation, some used book sellers have had to close-up shop for good, magazines are 95% advertisements, and newspapers are trying to reconfigure themselves to compete with services like Twitter, or the social networks. (Here's a fascinating article from The Economist.) While popular, web-comics can be very difficult to monetize, and blogs (like this one) just hemorrhage unsolicited opinions, polluting this vat of raw information with slander and libel. For all the bright and glorious advantages of the Internet, there are just as many dank underbellies; swollen toxic teats, tempting the lost or naive wayfarer on the World Wide Web.
This blog is not about those woes.
This blog is about stories, and new ways to tell them.
That’s kind of a bold claim, isn’t it? I guess we’ll see what ends we come to.
As readers, we find ourselves in the thick of a new age in entertainment. Hundreds of books are digitally bound within a single Nook or Kindle, and eBook sales are ever on the rise. Video-games are praised as a valid art form, and offer not only elaborate stories & backgrounds, but also thriving communities of analysts and puzzle-solvers. Media distribution is more omnipresent than ever before, and the rapid-fire rate of accessibility can be almost nauseating in its abundance. For the first time ever, the sheer magnitude of collated human experience is available via a few simple keystrokes, and the need to physically maintain a collection of VHS tapes, vinyls, or cookbooks is quickly becoming a thing of the past - or at least the 80s.
This incredible wealth of information does have its costs, however. Borders’ Books is tragically undergoing liquidation, some used book sellers have had to close-up shop for good, magazines are 95% advertisements, and newspapers are trying to reconfigure themselves to compete with services like Twitter, or the social networks. (Here's a fascinating article from The Economist.) While popular, web-comics can be very difficult to monetize, and blogs (like this one) just hemorrhage unsolicited opinions, polluting this vat of raw information with slander and libel. For all the bright and glorious advantages of the Internet, there are just as many dank underbellies; swollen toxic teats, tempting the lost or naive wayfarer on the World Wide Web.
This blog is not about those woes.
This blog is about stories, and new ways to tell them.
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