Fortnightly
Many thanks to everyone who responded to the poll at the end of Better living through compliments. I truly appreciate you taking time from your day to help me with this crazy little newsletter.
And the results of that poll were hilariously inconclusive. The votes were evenly split between 4 of the 5 options. So it was up to me to cast the deciding vote.
So what release schedule won? Full deets after the news.
What’s going on?
- June? Already? I’ve got to cut back on the cryostasis...
- Wanna know about 20% of a secret? Your Parasite and You was just accepted into a major international genre film festival being held this summer. It’s probably the largest festival I’ve ever had a film accepted to, and I am chuffed. I can’t tell you what, where, or when yet, but the official announcement should be in a month or so.
(That’s right, chuffed.)
Biweekly or bimonthly?
So the big change: I’m going to be releasing (required field) Transmissions every other week. An interval otherwise known as fortnightly, or as one of the definitions of both biweekly and bimonthly. English is a very strange language.
English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.
- James D. Nicoll
So the next newsletter should be showing up in your inboxes on or around Thursday 12 June. That’s the plan.
What’s wrong, Jamie? Getting lazy?
Well, yes.
OK, that’s me being mean to me. More specifically, I started this newsletter as a social media substitute for (required field) Productions. I saw it as a way to stay in contact and build an audience without having to chase the arcane and arbitrary social media algorithms just to be seen. Not to mention the fact that most of the major social media companies increasingly help monetize and amplify political and social developments I find repellent.
So I moved to a newsletter platform, Ghost, where I had more control. And as I started writing this newsletter, I realized that it – and you, dear reader – deserve their own amount of my attention. This is not just an add-on (rf)P – it has its own identity and its own audience.
But when I give this newsletter the attention it deserves, my video and music work stop. And I enjoy that work so much. So going to an every-other-week cadence opens up my schedule to let me go do all the things. And as an un-diagnosed ADD guy, that is a perfect working situation for me.
Fun facts to know and share
You know that thing people ask about major historical events: “Do you remember where you were when…?” Well, I remember clearly the first time I saw the video game Doom. And I remember thinking, “Oh, this changes things."
(content warning for violence and weirdness) This is a a promotion for a new video game, and it is equal parts fascinating and horrifying. It shows how far video games have come since Doom — and how little has changed at a core level. You can only do what the engine allows. We may talk about this again. It has a lot to say to our current worries about the limitations of algorithms and AI (beyond the fact that AI is built on the massive theft of copyrighted materials).
Eva Baron
I’m amazed at this person’s ability to see build these architectural forms with standard lego pieces.
Tom Jones
Remember that quote about the hidden depths of genre (mystery, fantasy, horror, etc.) from Steven Soderbergh in the last newsletter? It was part of him advising new filmmakers that horror is a great genre to start in. It’s amazing the breadth of stories you can tell while being creepy.
This is a TV show within a TV show, and it’s is a beautiful, beautiful thing. And it’s terrible, in the very best way. (If you aren’t watching or reading The Murderbot Diaries, may I recommend you try it out? You’re in for a delight.)
Over to you
So, two weeks from now, I hope to have:
- Recorded two songs as an audition for band camp
- Started the rough cut of my next video
- Sent another newsletter to you
- Dump run! Maybe two!
Sounds like a good couple of weeks to me!
Until we talk again, I remain,
Your pal,
Jamie