tony.dowler.com

2008-07-01T10:33:00.000-07:00

It's just possible that the first word my daughter ever read on her own was dragon.

She's been asking spellings of words for weeks now, but she hasn't,t started reading them per we.

Today I heard her saying "dragon" over and over very slowly. When I went to investigate, she was running her finger over the word on the cover of one of my D&D books.

My Favorite 28 Songs

2008-06-30T22:57:00.000-07:00

I don't post any more do I?

My Favorite 28 Songs:

All Along the Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix
All Through the Night - Cyndi Lauper
Bachelorette - Bjork
Budos Theme - Budos Band
California Dreamin' - The Mammas and the Pappas
Chicago - Sufjan Stevens
The Dark of the Matinee - Franz Ferdinand
Flagpole Sitta - Harvey Danger
The Happiest Days of my Life - My Favorite
Here Comes your Man - The Pixies
Highwya 61 Revisted - Bob Dylan
Hold on, Hold on - Neko Case
House of the Rising Sun - The Animals
I Drove All Night - Cyndi Lauper
Jaan Pehechaan Ho - Mohammed Rafi
Little Round Mirrors - Harvey Danger
New Year's Eve - Dengue Fever
Ode to my Family - The Cranberries
Purple Toupee - They Might be Giants
Spybreakd! - The Propellerheads
Such Great Heights - The Postal Service
Walkin' on the Sun - Smashmouth
Where do I Begin - The Chemical Brothers
Whisper to a Scream - Icicle Works
White Room - Cream
Wild Horses - The Sundays
Wish you were Here - Pink Floyd
3 Girls Walking - Mistle Thrush

I never get tired of those songs.

Go Play NW 2008, May 31 - June 1

2008-05-09T09:19:00.000-07:00

Go Play NW 2008 pre-registration is almost done!

Go Play NW 2008 is our home-grown role-playing game convention. This year it's going to be held at the Watertown Hotel in Seattle's University District, May 31 - June 1. You can find out more and register at the Wiki.

Last year we used an ad-hoc game sign up system where people simply showed up, offered games, found players, and played. This year we're going to try having a bit more structure, with a mix of pre-scehduled games you can sign up for and ad-hoc gaming on site.

Bing Bang Boing

2008-03-31T07:31:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid, my brother and I would scour garage sales for awesome-crappy games to play. One of th games we found was probably an add on for this early 70's "expandable action game", Bing Bang Boing:

Link courtesy of Boing Boing

My family in LEGO

2008-03-23T20:30:00.000-07:00

This is the family in LEGO:

My wife made this picture using the Mini-Mizer and Microsoft Publisher. I overheard my daughter say, "Can I have a lightsaber in my hand?"

My wife replied, "No, I want you to wait until you're a little older. Lightsabers are dangerous." So, my daughter is holding green chalk in one hand and a volleyball in the other.

The Three Waves of William Gibson

2008-01-27T08:44:00.000-08:00

I finished Spook Country, but I never did a follow up post. A friend of mine said she thinks that William Gibson only has two books to write. That kind of stuck in my head. It might be true. Yet there is something to be learned in the three waves of William Gibson.

First I confess that this wonderful theory is partially cribbed from a friend who excells in the creation of startling literary theories.

There are three waves of William Gibson. In the first wave, he wrote of a dystopian fantastical future where losers alienated from the world and themselves by technology find a way to fight back and come to terms with what they've become. It's set solidly in the 1960's sci-fi aesthetic where technology is potentially monstrous and certainly not to be trusted.

In the second wave, technology is fun and inspires something akin to awe. We call this the "Microsoft wave". It's where we forget that technology can't be trusted.

In the third wave, we return to the dystopian world, but we retain our sense of awe at technology. The world is our present day.

Now that I've written it out, I'm not as satisfied by this theory as I was.

So in conclusion, Spook Country is very good; quite possibly Gibson's best yet. It approaches not only technology, but our current social political situation with a mix of suspicion and awe at this amazing thing that apparently we've made, but do not fully understand.

Independent Insurgency Podcast

2008-01-09T16:58:00.000-08:00

I get wicked kudos on the Independent Insurgency podcast from Vincent Baker. When I finally meet Vincnet Baker in person, I'm going to make it my mission to tie him down and force him to take at least some of the credit for the game that he designed and published. :)

Spooks, William Gibson

2007-12-16T14:35:00.000-08:00

Today I am reading William Gibson's Spook Country. I'm on page 45. There's a powerful and frightening idea on this page.

Aljandro looked over his knees. "Carlito said there is war in America."
"A war?"
"A civil war."
"There is no war in America."
"When grandfather helped found the DGI, in Havana, were the Americans at war with the Russians?"
"That was the 'cold war'."
Alejandro nodded, his hands coming up to grip his knees. "A cold civil war."

I am full of anticipation and a little fear to see this idea develop on the page.

Federalist 51 to the Rescue

2007-12-06T17:01:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I wondered where Al was going. The answer is, delightfully, Federalist paper 51. To quote Al:

The "auxiliary precautions" he [Madison] had in mind were the checks and balances that our Founders use in their design of the Constitution in order to prevent the unhealthy concentration of too much power in the hands of a few--and thereby to force those in authority to justify their views to one another by applying the rule of reason. When those in power are forced into a process of deliberation, then and only then will reason play its necessary central role. The separation of powers and the system of checks and balances are therefore essential to create the virtual space within which reason operates in American democracy.

I'm not one of those guys who can quote the Federalists chapter and verse, but I do remember this much from my College political science courses: it is not reason, faith, or even institutions which capture the unique character of the American founding, but deliberation. For me, this is where Gore wins the prize. The Assault on Reason is at time a polemic against President Bush, but contains, nonetheless, plenty of intelligent analysis and insight.

For this, I'll call Al a hero.

From the "I never saw that coming" file

2007-12-05T18:15:00.000-08:00

As others have noted, Bush's view of his policies in the context of a fateful spiritual conflict between good and evil does not really represent Christian doctrine. It actually more closely resembles an ancient Christian heresy called Manichaeism (...) that sought to divide all of reality into two simple categories, absolute good and absolute evil.

--Al Gore The Assault on Reason

From my early education I absorbed a strong prejudice that a militant reverence for reason is a primarily conservative virtue. So it was with some bemusement that I picked up Al Gore's The Assault on Reason. Of all the criticisms of George Bush I might have anticipated Manichaeism is about the last.

I'm pleased to see that this book is so far a decent defense of the role of reason and faith in balance within American society. I look forward to seeing where Al is going with this.

My Daughter Names her Dream Ticket

2007-12-01T08:55:00.000-08:00

My daughter, at the age of four and half, has passed into the sponge stage where she absorbs everything that is said and seen around them. She is particularly interested to know the names and jobs of the people she sees on the cover of my Newsweek. Yesterday we had the following discussion in the car:

Her: Are we going to have a new president?
Me: Yes, we're going to have a new president.
Her: I want Giuliani to be our new president.
Me: OK, dear.

pause

Her: Does Condoleezza Rice help the president.
Me: Yes she does.
Her: Is Condoleezza going to help the new president?
Me: That's up to the new presdient.

pause

Her: Is Giuliani a girl?
Me: No, Giuliani is a man.
Her: Is Hillary a girl?
Me: Yes, Hillary is a girl.
Her: I want Giuliani to be the new president and I want Hillary to help her.

Do-do-do Dorodango

2007-11-16T16:20:00.000-08:00

Josha Newman's post about Dorodango has gotten me playing with mud. A Dorodango is a polished ball made of worked earth. As near as I can tell, you create a sphere out of damp earth and work sand and dust into the outside. As the moisture moves out from the center, it collects micro-particles that can be made into a shiny surface. The end result can be quite beautiful.

My first dorodange fell apart in my hands. My second one got to a dull shine, but had some big pits in it. I'm going to take another shot at it soon. I'm looking forward to a real dorodango, plus it gives me something to do when we watch TV.

PS. One drawback of Dorodango. Apparently "Dorodango" is Japanese for "mud dumpling". It's pretty hard to be cool when you're talking about your mud dumpling.

Willian Gibson: It Changed the Night they Turned it on

2007-10-19T08:17:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine was mining YouTube last month and he came up with footage shot in the street in New York on a particular day, in the evening. And he knew that this footage was shot the day before broadcast television began in New York. So this footage is of the last night that streets in New York were the way they were before everyone started staying home to watch television. All the footage that he's been able to find afterward is dramatically different. It changed. It changed the night they turned it on. The night they started to broadcast television in New York, New York ceased to be what it had been before. Because everyone stayed home to watch television.

Willian Gibson on what happens when we turn on the Internet

Victrola has always been a tough place to find a table, especially on weekends, so limiting the wifi is pretty much a no-brainer. Nonetheless, the news stories we're seeing are full of controversy and hand-wringing about the demise of cafe culture and the menace of wi-fi zombies.

NPR: Seattle Coffee Shop turns off Wi-fi on the Weekends

A Harlan Ellison Rescue

2007-10-12T15:15:00.000-07:00

From BoingBoing:

An incredible story of how a group of friends are confronted with a larger than life situation in the life of their friends elicit the aid of Harlan Ellison: The True Story of Jesse James.

The strange thing about something like this, about an encounter with a genuine monster, is that our minds tend to default to what�s normal, to what we know. We found ourselves talking about the situation as though Audrey had simply made friends with an eccentric person we didn�t like. Surely, it�s Audrey�s business whether or not she wants to be friends with Janna, isn�t it? Then someone would remember that a potentially dangerous lunatic was in the house with our friend.

I called Harlan.

Planet Thirteen Games.

2007-10-03T21:08:00.000-07:00

I've been terribly remiss in not pointing out the site for my game publishing company Planet Thirteen. If you go over there, you'll find information about my upcoming role-playing game Principia and a free download of my Strange & Norrell tribute story game Magicians of England (a work in progress).

Writing Rooms

2007-09-21T12:01:00.000-07:00

I was inspired by a peice in the Guarding with photos and descriptions of well-known writers' writing spaces.

My writing space is usually a tin table at a coffee shop (I can usually be found at the Joe Bar on Capitol Hill from 9am-11am Wednesday and Friday, for example). I do have a couple of writing spaces in my home, but one is our dining table, another is our gaming table, and the third, my office, doesn't get used much. I'm a writing nomad when you come right down to it. I should write a book about the best places to write in Seattle.

My Perfect Career

2007-09-15T09:03:00.000-07:00

If you go to http://www.careercruising.com/, log in with the username 'nycareers' and the password 'landmark', you can take a test to find out what careers you're best suited for. Here are my results:

Technical Writer

Drafter

Cartographer

Model Maker

Writer

Communications Specialist

GIS Specialist

Print Journalist

Critic

Translator

Number 1 is what I do for a living. Number 3 is my side business. Number 4 used to be my hobby, but now I spend my free time doing number 5. I guess when it comes to career choices, I've got nothing to complain about!

Howard Jones in Heaven

2007-09-09T08:30:00.001-07:00

I must break from blog silence to point you to this pots from doc Rot in which he envisions 80's synth heaven.

Now I am Stronger!

2007-08-01T14:20:00.000-07:00

I'm ecstatic. I've become stronger at Go. The change isn't huge, and I'm not sure that my opponents have noticed, but I've gained a slightly deeper insight into the game. I now more often understand what's happening on the board than not (i.e. I know why I am losing).

One thing that helped is watching a bunch of game commentaries on YouTube. Finding Go stuff on YouTube is a bit tricky. I did discover several Go commentaries collected by user HW9x9. These include training sessions from the European Go Center (EEGC).

I've also been playing game on Dragon Go Server (my username is platonic1).

But most of all, I've gotten jazzed up for go by reading Hikaru no Go. I've never been a manga fan, but I'm loving this. The downside is that I can't explain to anyone why the stories are so good! As soon as I start, they get a blank look on their face then shake their head in pity.

It's a Carnival!

2007-07-29T20:47:00.000-07:00

This is totally out of date, but check out The Carnival of Children's Literature on my lovely wifes awesome blog. On her blog you will also find deep personal details of the Green Arrow, and Interview with a Gorilla, and Dowler family Simpson's avatars.

Go Play Northwest

2007-07-25T10:29:00.001-07:00

It's now more than a month after Go Play Northwest. I didn't post a post-mortem here for a number of reasons. At the time of Go Play, I'd been pushing myself very hard in work, trying to get my game written for Gen Con, and getting Go Play together. I was in a bit of a daze.

I had a great time at Go Play. If I had any complaint, it would be that I ran too many games and didn't spend enough time hanging out and socializing. Part of this was by design. I knew I was going to be busy, and I decided before hand that I'd run games if people needed them. I also just wasn't in that much of a mindset to be socializing. I'm sorry to all those whom I didn't get to hang with.

So to summarize, we had about 60 people show up. Things ran very smoothly, with only a few minor complaints. Hopefully we'll do this all again next year.

Gen Con Disappointment

2007-07-17T16:10:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to Gen Con this year. Production delays with the game (i.e. it turned out to be about 30% longer than I thought) and financial constraints mean that I'm just not going to be able to make the big Gen Con release for my game this year. The game will still be out within the next couple of months. This is all for the best, blah blah blah, build momentum for next year, and so on. Bringing a game to Gen Con was and still is a big goal for me.

This has been a big, busy year. In retrospect, helping to launch a gaming convention of our own was probably a big enough milestone for one year. I'll definitely be at Gen Con with my game (and maybe another little surprise) next year.

Burning Nihon

2007-06-22T14:01:00.000-07:00

A piece of my artwork for an upcoming game was just published on the web. You can see it here. It's the big map halfway down the page. I 'm pretty psyched. This is one of the more ambitious pieces I've attempted.

Kids say the darndest things

2007-06-21T08:09:00.000-07:00

The other day I came upon my daughter sitting on the floor, stretching her arms over her head and poiting her legs out.

Daddy: What are you doing?
Daughter (age 4): I'm stretching out my legs.
Daddy: Oh, that's very nice.
Daughter: I'm the Vitruvian man.
Daddy: !

Pride

2007-06-14T14:32:00.000-07:00

I'm so proud. I was taking some notes on a pad of graph paper today, and my daughter was fascinated. Now she has her very own first pad of graph paper.