Fail

Of course, I failed Script Frenzy.

It's my fault. I'm not going to blame the new job, or the marketing for CAGES, or all the other crap I'm doing, or the fact that writing a screenplay is goddammit seriously hard. It's my fault.

Still, I really like what I've written. Enough that I'll keep going and finish the damn thing, some time, at some point in the indeterminate future. This I swear.

By the way, I'm writing the script using Zhura.com, and I really like it. Don't let the silly social networking look of it put you off -- the in-browser script editor is robust and powerful. If you'd rather not download a copy of Final Draft for whatever reason, this is your best alternative.

The reviews are in for CAGES, and people like it. They really like it. This makes me happy. I'm also soon to be doing a phone interview thing for CAGES, which is bound to be embarassing.

So I guess Cubans can buy computers now. And they run fucking Windows XP. Look, I don't want to sound crazy here, but if the Cuban government wants to shield its people from the grasping talons of corporate capitalism or whatever, well, why not go open source?

I can't believe I never heard of this before: Lego's free Factory program that lets you build your perfect virtual Lego model, then delivers all the required bricks to your door. How cool is that?

Also, I own the film Iron Man an apology. Here goes: Iron Man, I'm sorry I pre-judged you and said bad things about your trailer after San Diego last year. You are actually really awesome. Let's be friends.

Finally, I leave you with this parting image, which I'm pretty sure I saw on a gilded mural within the hallowed Duomo of Florence.

In My Firefox Tabs Right Now

Let's see what sort of marvellous crap the internet has for us today...

Go Queensland! It's about time they did something progressive.

Thinking of going off the grid? This might help.

Free awesome art comix FTW.

For some reason, this makes me laugh uncontrollably.

Goddammit, why wasn't I born in the 60s?

Anonymous vs Scientology In Vancouver

Today, February 10 2008, was a watershed moment in political history.

No, really.

Today a series of simultaneous, ad-hoc political protests were carried out by thousands of anonymous net citizens in dozens of locations all around the world. These protests were carried out by a decentralized group that, as of three weeks ago, did not exist. These protests were not funded or led by any person or organisation. What they did have was numbers, a cause, and a common enemy: the Church of Scientology.

I'm talking about the anti-Scientology group known as 'Anonymous', which was flash-baked into instant existence following the online controversy over the Church's efforts to censor a leaked Tom Cruise video during the middle of January.

Here's the Wikipedia link regarding Anonymous.

Here's a massive summary of all worldwide locations that were 'raided' today, including a ton of photos.

And just for fun, here's a Google News link to the ongoing world coverage of this historic event.


Interestingly enough, there was a large protest here in Vancouver today. I can't really say whether or not I attended. That's the whole point of Anonymous, is it not?

But had I attended, I'd be able to tell you that there were at least 200 people there. Almost all of them wore face masks or coverings of some kind, due to Scientology's practice of hounding and persecuting those who speak out against it. Oddly, perhaps a third of the crowd wore Guy Fawkes/V for Vendetta masks.

Yes, had Austin and I attended this gathering, he might very well have taken a lot of photos of the crowd. They might even now be posted on his photoblog, and they might include some excellent shots, not just of the protesters but of the 10 or so Scientologists who stood out front during the raid. Some glared, some chatted and answered questions from protesters, and a few creepily filmed our faces with handheld video cameras while refusing to speak to anyone.

Had I been present, I'd tell you that the protest was a kind, gentle sort of affair. Even with all the covered faces, you could tell the demographic was more Concerned Geek than Bomb-throwing Anarchist (Hell, some Anonymous even wore Star Wars stormtrooper masks. Sorry, but that shit doesn't intimidate anybody). People chatted, cracked jokes, and generally had a fun time. There was one police car parked nearby, but apart from some vigorous sign-waving and a couple of rowdy sing-alongs, the event remained peaceful. Miraculously that seems to have been the case in every single protest today, even the London one, where they had the pleasure of being herded and barricaded by mounted police.


Anyway, had I attended this little shindig, I'd have said it was the most fun I've had all year. And that'd bode well for my time in Canada, wouldn't it?

More linkage...

Anonymous' own website covers the events.

Ongoing coverage of the raids on the Whitechapel forum.

A pretty decent Newsweek column from 2 days ago, explaining Anonymous and their purpose.

And finally, here's another link to Austin's excellent photos from today.

xenu.net

More soon.

G'night.

Do The Dance Of Joy

Out with the old...

...in with the new.

Election Day Is Tomorrow

But I've voted already.

Yes, they had a voting booth set up at the Australian embassy here in Saigon. Meanwhile, out there on the streets, anyone who so much as loiters in front of an official government building is liable to get carted away by the green-clad police.

They actually do vote here. The people get a say in who's elected to Parliament -- they just all happen to belong to the same Party. Here's where a better (less tired) writer than myself would draw an amusing parallel with the current situation in Australia, what with our two conservative parties, Rudd's apparent spinelessness, etc.

But nevermind that. The whining can wait until after Howard loses. I just wish I could be home by the TV to watch his stammering, hang-dog resignation speech, but hey, that's why god made YouTube.

I should hit 40K on NaNoWriMo (70K on the book proper) tomorrow, and it's all downhill from there, baby. It's been a lot of fun, and scary at times, but I think I'm going to be proud of this thing in the end.

Finally, I am currently obsessed with androids. There, I said it. As if writing about them in my novel every day wasn't enough, they're now making guest appearances in my Elephant Words pieces. Such as this week's (Why breaking up with an android is hard to do) and the one from two weeks ago (In the future, Saigon will be full of androids, apparently). Last week's piece did not feature androids, but if I'd kept going with that concept, it very well might have.

21K

Oh yeah. Read the yellow typewriter and weep: 21675 words. I am now less than 1 day behind schedule.

Incidentally, this brings the total wordcount for my novel proper to over 50 thousand words. That's, like, a lot of words.

That is over half of a real goddamn novel.

To celebrate, here's some lame linkblogging:

• Award-winning SF writer visits and reviews new 'Creation Museum', $27 million worth of drooling, retarded, Bible-thumping schlock. Plus, cavemen versus dinosaurs!
• Tired of arguing with the 'climate change skeptic' in your life? The BBC has a handy list of rebuttals for you to use.
• It's funny because it's true.

Sorry about that. But what did you expect -- real content?

Now: Bring on 30K!

Election Called, Plus a Quiz

'J-Ho' (as the lovable Mr Clayfield insists on calling him) has finally called the election.

In lieu of anything better to do, I took a 50-question test (link courtesy of dual masterminds Xander and Nico) on my Australian political leanings.

My results are here.

No surprises, then. It's actually a pretty good test, and I recommend it if you need a quick guide to which political parties are on your side, and which represent the death of all hopes and dreams.

Until next time, let's all read some Matt Taibbi: Living God of Journalism, and start working up our righteous rage.

Fun With Politics

A political post! Huzzah!

Feast your eyes on these here links...

• Google is now following the Australian election. Add feeds, check out your electorate on Google Maps, or watch Youtube posts from all the major parties. Fun, huh?
• I know this guy, and he's alright by me. Let's follow his election coverage, shall we?
  
• And lastly, here's a link to my absolute favourite Australian political blog. It may not be pretty or polite, but neither's the truth.

Now that all that's out of the way, what's missing? What's the one last thing that needs to be done?

Oh yeah: John Howard needs to call the fucking election already.

Prattle

I'm currently resisting the urge to turn this place into a political blog -- because, fuck it, there are a lot of things to get angry about right now, most of them beginning with 'APEC' and ending with 'Liberal Party death throes'.

But, no. This is a workblog. Stay on target...

So I now have Facebook, and you can find me on there if you're so inclined. So far I haven't spent more than 10-15 minutes at a stretch on there, because the interface is clearly a freakish black hole of time waste-age.

My first Elephant Words image has gone up, and already the fictional responses are more inventive than I'd expected.

I found this page today: New York Surveillance Camera Players. Now, that? That's provocative art. Their site is a goldmine of weird mind-expandiness. Check out the FAQ, for instance.