Twisdom from xeni, December 22, 2014 at 04:24PM

When the government tells you to stop exercising your Constitutional rights it is never the time to stop exercising those rights.

— Xmas Jingle (@xeni) December 22, 2014

via Twitter http://ift.tt/InsbCb



December 22, 2014 at 04:24PM

Twisdom from Iron_Spike, December 12, 2014 at 01:11PM

And finally: Kickstarter and Patreon are where you point your fans after you've earned them, not where you go to *find* them.

— Iron Spike (@Iron_Spike) December 12, 2014

via Twitter http://ift.tt/15uxybv



December 12, 2014 at 01:11PM

Twisdom from KameronHurley, December 08, 2014 at 02:56PM

So goes your regular reminder that being a writer is actually being a small business owner. If I'd known that... well. Too late, now.

— Kameron Hurley (@KameronHurley) December 8, 2014

via Twitter http://ift.tt/1d8cyLE



December 08, 2014 at 02:56PM

Twisdom from MattFnWallace, December 05, 2014 at 02:40PM

"Mountain Dew and Doritos are teaming up with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare!" the ad says, quoting the long missing passage of Revelations.

— Matt Wallace (@MattFnWallace) December 5, 2014

via Twitter http://ift.tt/1c1MKhZ



December 05, 2014 at 02:40PM

Twisdom from BrianReed, December 02, 2014 at 04:12PM

George Orwell was worried about government. The government isn't nearly as well run as Facebook.

— Brian Reed (@BrianReed) December 2, 2014

via Twitter http://ift.tt/1mwd4Fl



December 02, 2014 at 04:12PM

Twisdom from atfmb, December 02, 2014 at 02:09PM

Well.. Now that we've cleared that up... http://ift.tt/1AcUStf

— Patrick Hester (@atfmb) December 2, 2014

via Twitter http://ift.tt/1pMt4oA



December 02, 2014 at 02:09PM

Twisdom from josswhedon, October 17, 2014 at 11:06AM

The most cruel and damaging fantasy American movies ever created was the training montage

— Joss Whedon (@josswhedon) October 17, 2014

via Twitter http://ift.tt/111iUUj



October 17, 2014 at 11:06AM

Twisdom from jasonhiner, October 16, 2014 at 09:19AM

"If the world outside is changing faster than the world inside, the end is in sight." Jack Welch #LDASummit2014 (via @rickmurray)

— Jason Hiner (@jasonhiner) October 16, 2014

via Twitter http://ift.tt/Vya3h5



October 16, 2014 at 09:19AM

Twisdom from guygavrielkay, October 14, 2014 at 10:19AM

My brother carried a wallet card for decades listing the books he was to be given to read 'for the first time' if found with amnesia.

— Guy Gavriel Kay (@guygavrielkay) October 14, 2014

via Twitter http://ift.tt/1fcskbk



October 14, 2014 at 10:19AM

Twisdom from stringsn88keys, October 09, 2014 at 01:58PM

I think I need a lunch with @jaygarmon soon so that he can kill more dreams of mine.

— Thomas Powell (@stringsn88keys) October 9, 2014

via Twitter http://ift.tt/1jKDjIW



October 09, 2014 at 01:58PM

Twisdom from MattFnWallace, October 07, 2014 at 01:06PM

It's never been harder to hawk fiction as escapism because the internet has allowed everyone to turn their own lives into escapism.

— Matt Wallace (@MattFnWallace) October 7, 2014

via Twitter http://ift.tt/1c1MKhZ



October 07, 2014 at 01:06PM

Twisdom from stringsn88keys, September 29, 2014 at 03:18PM

*shakes fists at @jaygarmon*

— Thomas Powell (@stringsn88keys) September 29, 2014

via Twitter http://ift.tt/1jKDjIW



September 29, 2014 at 03:18PM

Twisdom from sempf, September 23, 2014 at 01:56PM

QA Engineer walks into a bar. Orders a beer. Orders 0 beers. Orders 999999999 beers. Orders a lizard. Orders -1 beers. Orders a sfdeljknesv.

— Bill Sempf (@sempf) September 23, 2014

via Twitter http://ift.tt/1hFy3ct



September 23, 2014 at 01:56PM

Twisdom from MattFnWallace, September 15, 2014 at 05:32PM

Worldbuilding is that first part of a relationship where all you do is fuck and talk about being awesome.

Storytelling is a marriage.

— Matt Wallace (@MattFnWallace) September 15, 2014

via Twitter http://ift.tt/1c1MKhZ



September 15, 2014 at 05:32PM

Twisdom from ghostwritingcow, September 03, 2014 at 01:56PM

Show me on the cartridge where the woman ruined your gaming experience.

— Sunil Patel (@ghostwritingcow) September 3, 2014

via Twitter http://ift.tt/Laevyx



September 03, 2014 at 01:56PM

Twisdom from Mike_Eagle, August 28, 2014 at 12:02PM

Inside every attempt to troll is this unspoken message: "what you believe is important to me"

— Open Mike Eagle (@Mike_Eagle) August 28, 2014

via Twitter http://ift.tt/KIX3QP



August 28, 2014 at 12:02PM

Why no one cares about the death of the Star Wars Expanded Universe

In what can only be considered an podcast epic betrayal, I, Jeff Patterson and the Goddess of WhimsyDark Delilah S. Dawson all gang up on Hugo-winning host Patrick Hester and explain no one is surprised (or really all that bothered) by the de-canonization of the Star Wars Expanded Universe... except him.

His exasperated pain is the fuel for the latest SF Signal podcast. It's like a train wreck: you cannot bare to watch, but dare not turn away. Give a listen.

If you're a true sadist, you can hear me crush the hopes and dreams of other wide-eyed sci-fi fans in my podcast archives.

Related articles

• Last *new* Star Wars EU story
• What Is Star Wars Canon And What Isn't? 
• Op-ed: Disney takes a chainsaw to the Star Wars expanded universe
• Disney drastically redefines the state of Star Wars lore
• Timothy Zahn Says We Shouldn't Assume That All Star Wars Expanded Universe Books Are Non-Canon

Twisdom from KieranHD, August 22, 2014 at 04:47AM

Schrodinger's douchebag: A guy who says really offensive things & decides whether he was joking based upon the reactions of those around him

— Kieran Hugh Dickson (@KieranHD) August 22, 2014

via Twitter http://ift.tt/VKiG8q



August 22, 2014 at 04:47AM

My controversial opinion on why rebooting comic book characters isn't controversial

Beta Ray Bill (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Sci-fi fandom's biggest mensch, Paul "Prince Jvstin" Weimer, allowed me to ruin an otherwise perfectly wonderful SF Signal Mind Meld discussing the fallout from Marvel's recent recasting of Thor as a woman and Captain America as a black man, and to follow up with a proposed reboot of a comic book icon.

Basically, I jump right on the landmine of why comics fans who hate change are idiots, and explain why the "still pure" Batman isn't just boring, but nigh-offensive.

Thankfully, authors and experts like Seanan "Mira Grant" McGuire, Sigrid Ellis, Sara Kuhn, Erika Ensign, Tansy Rayner Roberts, Cheryl Morgan, Shira Lipkin, Michael Lee, Cassandra Rose Clarke, Andrew Wheeler, Fabio Fernandes, Erica McGillivray, Abhinav Jain, Lynn M. & Michael Damian Thomas, and my occasional podcast sparring partner Jeff Patterson are there to add a few thousand cogent words to overwhelm my fanboyish pedantry and trolling of narrow-minded Batman traditionalists.

The unabridged (and voluminous) article is available here. Don't judge my peers by their company.

Related articles

• 5 Superheroes Who Went from Guy to Gal
• Women Want to Be Thor - So Why is the New Avengers Line-up Cause For Ire?
• Think Female Characters Don't Sell? Marvel Is Proving Everyone Wrong
• Sorry White People, Captain America Is Black Now
• Surprise, Surprise: People Are Pissed That Thor Is a Lady

Twisdom from ChuckWendig, August 07, 2014 at 12:33PM

Sometimes writing is just aggressively barfing action, dialogue and information onto a page and saying, "I will arrange this vomit later."

— Chuck Wendig (@ChuckWendig) August 7, 2014

via Twitter http://ift.tt/P0VeZP



August 07, 2014 at 12:33PM

Three qualified experts (and me) discuss the Amazon/Hachette showdown

Amazon Packaging (Photo credit: Nic Taylor Photography)

After a well deserved absence from the SF Signal podcast, Hugo-Winning audio-auteur Patrick Hester got desperate and allowed me back on the show to discuss the showdown between Amazon and Hachette, which saw books by Stephen King and JK Rowling suddenly unavailable from the most powerful bookstore on Earth.

Fortunately, Patrick got some actual, qualified experts on the line to tamp down my corrupting influence, including acclaimed authors Gail Carriger (best known for the Parasol Protectorate series) and Michael R. Underwood (best known for the Ree Reyes series), and the world's most under-appreciated sci-fi movie reviewer, Derek Austin Johnson (best known for always being right about sci-fi movies). They more than make up for my inane utterings.

You can listen to the podcast here.

You gluttons for auditory punishment can peruse my complete rapsheet of past podcast crimes here.

Related articles

• JK Rowling tweet tweaks Amazon in contract dispute
• Publishers, authors brawl with Amazon over tactics
• Apple Is Discounting Hachette Books Amazon Refuses To Sell
• Podcast: How Amazon is holding Hachette hostage
• Indie booksellers join Hachette's battle with Amazon

Twisdom from JustinKownacki, July 29, 2014 at 11:23AM

One downside to the post-industrial age is that we have more and more time to be selectively outraged about things that barely affect us.

— Justin Kownacki (@JustinKownacki) July 29, 2014

via Twitter http://ift.tt/1hK1Mu8



July 29, 2014 at 11:23AM

Twisdom from ChuckWendig, July 24, 2014 at 11:09AM

Sometimes the best thing a writer can tell another writer is: "You're not alone. We're all impostors. We're all afraid. It's always hard."

— Chuck Wendig (@ChuckWendig) July 24, 2014

via Twitter http://ift.tt/P0VeZP



July 24, 2014 at 11:09AM

Twisdom from TimAkers, July 09, 2014 at 07:43PM

Good evidence you're doing the thing you should be doing with your life. You could stop working any time, but don't. #fb

— TimAkers (@TimAkers) July 9, 2014

via Twitter http://ift.tt/1qlwVe6



July 09, 2014 at 07:43PM

Twisdom from AaronMarshall, June 27, 2014 at 11:27AM

Heard the term "Minimal Lovable Product" today. It's perfect.

— Aaron Marshall (@AaronMarshall) June 27, 2014

via Twitter http://ift.tt/11odsvH



June 27, 2014 at 11:27AM

Twisdom from LordGrimdark, June 17, 2014 at 10:41AM

Writing is not that romantic, inscrutable or even, often, creative.

Writing is work.

— Joe Abercrombie (@LordGrimdark) June 17, 2014

via Twitter http://ift.tt/1azzdhc



June 17, 2014 at 10:41AM

Twisdom from sacca, June 09, 2014 at 01:44PM

The future will come at the expense of auditory and visual interruption. Only the rich will be able to afford quiet.

— Chris Sacca (@sacca) June 9, 2014

via Twitter http://ift.tt/KAEnPy



June 09, 2014 at 01:44PM

The Three Commandments of Web Site Feature Development

Lesson #1: The 90-9-1 Rule - The rule breaks down like this: 90 percent of the readers of any blog or Web site will never leave a comment, nine percent will comment once during their entire tenure of readership, and one percent will do the vast majority of the commenting. If you think that sounds unreasonable, consider any of the radio call-in shows you may have listened to in your life. How many calls do those shows get, as a percentage of their total audience? How many times have you called into those shows? Yet there are regular callers; they're just a tiny percentage of the overall audience.

I've found the 90-9-1 rule to be strikingly true online and, if anything, optimistic in the percentage of the audience which are regular posters. And that's just for a very basic interactive activity like posting comments. The percentages drop steeply as you get into interactive functions that require more time and effort, like filling out profiles or writing reviews. I took a stab at setting interactivity expectations here, based on what we learned at TechRepublic with some flamingly unsuccessful blog, profile, and social bookmarking projects. I can say with a straight face that getting a decent user-submitted video is literally a one-in-a-million proposition.

Moral: Design for the 90 percent, not the one percent, if you want to actually see an increase in activity, visits, and traffic. Focusing on the power users will almost never move the needle, especially since your usage zealots are already doing almost everything they can or will on your site.

Lesson #2: Design for an Audience of One - Flickr and YouTube get a lot of hype for how 99.999 percent of their content was acquired for free from users, and how the users employ tagging and groups to create wonderful emergent communities, content, and traffic bursts. What people don't talk about is that those are side effects of YouTube and Flickr's business model and use cases.

The vast majority of YouTube's initial users didn't give a crap about making viral videos or monetizing video content, they just wanted an easy way to format videos and post them online. Almost all Flickr users don't care about aggregated group feeds or discovering like-minded photogs via tags, they just want an easy way to post and store pictures online. Flickr and YouTube have value to me even if I'm the only guy using them. All those group-dependent features are a result of Flickr and YouTube's scale. You can't start with those features, you tack them on once you're massive.

Moral: Any feature spec that includes the phrase "will be useful once a bunch of people join in" will almost certainly fail because there is no value for the initial users.

Lesson #3: More of the Same is the Only Feature That Matters - Nobody bookmarks a page anymore. They either search Google directly for what they want (and don't care where it comes from) or get it sent to them in an RSS feed or social network from whichever sources they prefer. Again, your zealous users are a tiny percentage of your audience, so any efforts made to be the be-all, end-all of your audience's activity are likely to fail because most of your users aren't devoted to your site and prefer to go elsewhere.

That upvoting feature that works just like Reddit? They'll use actual Reddit instead. Your blog platform? If they wanted to blog, they'd use WordPress, Blogger, or any of the other services out there first. A user profile? Maybe you've heard of Facebook. Until you reach the stratospheric heights of traffic, there's no point in trying to create new user behaviors on your site. The best thing you can do is reinforce the existing user behaviors. If they came to you for content, the best thing you can do is show them more content. If they came here looking for help making a buying decision, help them make a buying decision.

Moral: Any feature spec that includes the phrase "if we can just get the users to do X" will fail, because if they aren't doing X already, they aren't likely to start.

[This post was originally published on Jan. 18, 2010.]

Twisdom from jayewells, May 19, 2014 at 02:10PM

When you jump into a shit storm, don't be surprised if you come out smelling like an asshole.

— jayewells (@jayewells) May 19, 2014

via Twitter http://ift.tt/1tHk5df



May 19, 2014 at 02:10PM

Twisdom from btcoop71, May 13, 2014 at 08:41AM

"You are a horrible person." http://ift.tt/1jWODDB

— Brad Cooper (@btcoop71) May 13, 2014

via Twitter http://ift.tt/1uZmCjx



May 13, 2014 at 08:41AM

Twisdom from sacca, April 15, 2014 at 01:02PM

I have my daughters listen to conference calls now so they'll grow up to choose careers as artists/poets/railway hobos. Anything but VCs.

— Chris Sacca (@sacca) April 15, 2014

via Twitter http://ift.tt/KAEnPy



April 15, 2014 at 01:02PM

Twisdom from loresjoberg, April 08, 2014 at 04:11PM

Honestly, while Elsa’s ice powers are pretty amazing, Snow White’s power to make woodland animals do the housekeeping seems more useful.

— Lore Sjöberg (@loresjoberg) April 8, 2014

via Twitter http://ift.tt/1nt2Rx8



April 08, 2014 at 04:11PM

Twisdom from NathanFillion, April 03, 2014 at 02:38PM

“@AlexisNiotta: @NathanFillion what was one thing you wish you could have done when doing firefly?”

Season 7.

— Nathan Fillion (@NathanFillion) April 3, 2014

via Twitter http://ift.tt/TXJcH9



April 03, 2014 at 02:38PM

Twisdom from damiengwalter, March 19, 2014 at 02:40PM

It’s possible to make a lot of money writing, but it’s never the writing you get paid for.

— Damien Walter (@damiengwalter) March 19, 2014

via Twitter http://ift.tt/1fbL8od



March 19, 2014 at 02:40PM

For a brief period of time, I was the Tina Fey of mocking the Food Network (#humblebrag)

Because many people who have to come to know me from my recent professional exploits are somewhat unaware of exactly how odd my career has been -- seriously, seriously odd -- I'll just take this moment to remind everyone I was once the lead writer for an online-only ripoff of The Daily Show dedicated entirely to mocking The Food Network.

This was the pilot for that show, which I wrote. The series ran for the better part of a year. No, I have no idea how that happened, either.


FN Crazy: Nutrish and Other Food Network Crimes by FNCrazy

The host, for those asking, is Sarah East. She still works as an actress here locally. She was amazingly good at handling my awful and complicated scripts.

One of my stable of writers was none other than Chris-Rachael Oseland, who went on to found Kitchen Overlord and author the mega-popular Unofficial Dr. Who Cookbook.

My boss at this bizarre enterprise? Rob May, founder and CEO of cloud-to-cloud backup pioneer Backupify. (Or, as I prefer to think of him, author of Coconut Headsets.)

I cannot explain how I was lucky enough to get this job, nor luckier still not to have this job prevent me from getting more muggle-based work. As I said to Jeff Patterson the other day, I'm a beneficiary of an amoral universe.

Twisdom from damiengwalter, February 27, 2014 at 11:46AM

Excellent piece by @jaygarmon on basic income. http://t.co/spq78c1XOO

— Damien Walter (@damiengwalter) February 27, 2014

via Twitter http://ift.tt/1fbL8od



February 27, 2014 at 11:46AM

Twisdom from lisaspindler, February 10, 2014 at 12:21PM

@jaygarmon @JeffPatterson11 Again, Jay is Mr. Awesome Ideas.

— Lisa Paitz Spindler (@lisaspindler) February 10, 2014

via Twitter http://ift.tt/1lWRzmp



February 10, 2014 at 12:21PM

Twisdom from ThinkKentucky, February 04, 2014 at 01:58PM

We were thrilled to coffee with social media masters @JasonFalls and @jaygarmon today. Follow them and learn!

— Cabinet for Econ Dev (@ThinkKentucky) February 4, 2014

via Twitter http://ift.tt/1c0vwRO



February 04, 2014 at 01:58PM

Twisdom from SirPatStew, January 31, 2014 at 10:28AM

Football! http://ift.tt/1dStTW3

— Patrick Stewart (@SirPatStew) January 31, 2014

via Twitter http://ift.tt/V6WUGl



January 31, 2014 at 10:28AM

Twisdom from TheRealNimoy, January 29, 2014 at 09:44PM

I quit smoking 30 yrs ago. Not soon enough. I have COPD. Grandpa says, quit now!! LLAP

— Leonard Nimoy (@TheRealNimoy) January 30, 2014

via Twitter http://ift.tt/RjpHdW



January 29, 2014 at 09:44PM

The DC Comics reboot I wish had happened

Lee's depiction of DC Comics' Superman and Batman. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)UPDATE

Whatever you think of the recent DC Comics reboot (AKA DCnU AKA New 52), most of us agree that it hasn't been all that new-reader-friendly. The real goal of Geoff Johns and Jim Lee appears to have been attracting lapsed readers -- those of us that gave up on DC after one too many crossover events or needlessly grim storylines.

I wish DC had been serious about a bold story direction designed to attract new, first-time comics fans. If I was somehow granted carte blanche to remake the DC universe, here are the fairly radical changes I would institute.

Twisdom from ALeeMartinez, January 27, 2014 at 03:37PM

Normal is a word people created to justify their own assumed superiority. Strangely, Weird is often used the same way.

— A. Lee Martinez (@ALeeMartinez) January 27, 2014

via Twitter http://ift.tt/1ebHmgd



January 27, 2014 at 03:37PM

Twisdom from stringsn88keys, January 24, 2014 at 02:11PM

Internet Explorer is the Internet's version of an unsavory voting bloc you appease out of fear that your competition will if you won't.

— Thomas Powell (@stringsn88keys) January 24, 2014

via Twitter http://ift.tt/1jKDjIW



January 24, 2014 at 02:11PM

Twisdom from josswhedon, January 20, 2014 at 01:32PM

Live each day as if it were your last, 'cause I'm gonna kill you but I'm not super-good w/schedules

— Joss Whedon (@josswhedon) January 20, 2014

via Twitter http://ift.tt/111iUUj



January 20, 2014 at 01:32PM

Twisdom from cmpriest, January 18, 2014 at 10:08AM

There sure is a lot of math in D&D. And bickering.

— Cherie Priest (@cmpriest) January 18, 2014

via Twitter http://ift.tt/1fL1M2y



January 18, 2014 at 10:08AM

Twisdom from hnshah, January 08, 2014 at 11:30AM

"Dance like no one's watching. Sing like no one's listening. Tweet like no algorithm is coldly deciding your social worth." @sacca

— Hiten Shah (@hnshah) January 8, 2014

via Twitter https://twitter.com/hnshah



January 08, 2014 at 11:30AM

Twisdom from josswhedon, January 05, 2014 at 02:53PM

Hey, people who get their work done on time and have active social lives: what was your third wish?

— Joss Whedon (@josswhedon) January 5, 2014

via Twitter https://twitter.com/josswhedon



January 05, 2014 at 02:53PM

Twisdom from robmay, January 03, 2014 at 07:37PM

Rockstar investors claiming this is a "fundamental shift" is a great sign of a bubble. http://t.co/u7xfAPfsV3

— Rob May (@robmay) January 4, 2014

via Twitter https://twitter.com/robmay



January 03, 2014 at 07:37PM