Laid out in Stone

"I left some words quite far from here to be a short reminder. I laid them out in stone in case they need to last forever." - Angels & Airwaves

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Finished The Martian today. Really, really good. Funny. Scary. Science-y.

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January Wedding by the Avett Brothers

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And the importance of checking your sources before putting them on air...

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A whole loaf of bread, sliced lengthwise and slathered with butter and hollowed out. Add a jar of creamy Peanut Butter and a jar of Jelly. Add a pound of bacon. Deep fry and serve. 8,000 calories.

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And the award for coolest coffee creamer container goes to... #StarWars #Coffeemate

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Sister photo at Roosters #BirthdayDinner

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Sherlock and the Grinch each like my new "N" hat, knitted by @abbeyroy

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Community Post: Who Said It: Donald Trump Or Lucille Bluth?

If you're a fan of good television, you know Lucille Bluth from Arrested Development. If you're a fan of bad politics, you know Donald Trump. These two seem to have a lot in common.

So...how is this guy getting major support for president? I scored 5/10...couldn't believe a real “"successful” person said this studf

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What choices have I made in life that iTunes would suggest I listen to Dr. Dre?

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Hat tip, Shane Haggerty.

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Interesting, sobering and sad look at gun violence this year. An average of 1 mass shooting per day, defined as 4 people injured by a shooting Tweet by Dan Hodges at the bottom hits it on the nose: "In retrospect Sandy Hook marked the end of the US gun control debate. Once America decided killing children was bearable, it was over." @DPJHodges

[joehillsthrills-deactivated2019]

Insane but true: if you own a print copy of any of my books, you can download Shelfie (which is terrific fun to play with), and get the eBook for the outrageous price of free.

A little backstory here. About a year ago today, Shelfie (then better known as BitLit) and I tried an experiment with my first novel, HEART-SHAPED BOX. We offered the eBook free to anyone who had already plunked down their money on a hard copy. This is known as bundling, and I’m a fan. I love the idea that you don’t have to choose between a physical copy and the e-book… or between the big online megastore and your local, lovable indie. Shelfie allowed folks to walk into their neighborhood bookshop, snag a HEART-SHAPED BOX paperback, and then use the app to get a copy of the eBook without spending a dime.

People responded and Shelfie flipped a lot of copies of H-SB and it was so much fun, we’ve decided to expand the offer to all the other books in my catalogue (not counting comics, which for technical reasons is trickier). As of today, 20th CENTURY GHOSTS, HORNS, and NOS4A2 join HEART-SHAPED BOX in the Sheflie stable, all available to owners of the physical copies at no additional cost at all.

“But, wait!” you say. “Joe… aren’t you worried people will take advantage of this to swipe a free eBook?”

It is true someone could (ab)use Shelfie to help themselves to an eBook without too much trouble. But why would anyone go to the trouble? If anyone wants a copy of the eBook without paying for it, they could always just download from the pirates (you will be shocked - SHOCKED - to learn that the books are out there on the torrent sites, along with every other book published pretty much ever, and every other movie, and every other song, etc.).

Some people support artists, and some people don’t, and that’s the deal, and I can’t do anything about it. My deepest hope is that if you want a copy of one of my books, and you don’t want to pay, it would be awesome if you would use a library card to get it. If you go that route, you are at least supporting a vital community resource. Also pirates are nasty and librarians are fiercely intelligent, typically generous, and often smell like gingersnaps. (Note: I don’t actually know that last detail is true, but it feels true, and that’s good enough. Please don’t start sniffing librarians.)

(Updated to add: but don’t go to the library and use the library book to claim your Shelfie, because that’s weird, and would also require you to write your name in a library book, but mostly it’s weird.)

If you do want to pay, you rule, and I am grateful to you. Thanks for buying a physical copy. Now use Shelfie to get your free eBook.

Besides… Shelfie is, in and of itself, a very fun app, and the beginning of a community that could easily take its place alongside GoodReads and LibraryThing. I’m hooked and if you give it a shot, I think you will be too. Check it out.

And happy reading —

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Very cool...May just do this with his books. About time to re read some of them.

[mikebithell-deactivated20180803]

The backcatalogue

I see a lot of people referring to Volume as my second game (it’s my ninth).. and, yeah, that’s sort of understandable.. but an old colleague sent me a let’s play video of one of the games I worked on, and it sent me down a rabbit hole.. so.. every commercially released game I worked on (as part of many cool teams):

1) Tak and the Guardians of Gross (junior level designer)

2) Invincible Tiger: The Legend of Han Tao (level designer)

3) iCarly (designer)

4) Dead To Rights: Retribution (designer)

5) SpongeBob’s Surf & Skate Roadtrip (concept design)

6) Monstermind (lead design)

7) Merlin (lead design)

8) Thomas Was Alone (everything, ish ;D)

9) Volume (design)

(the moral of this story: you’re probably not going to be known for your first game, and chances are your enjoyment of a project will not align directly with the metascore)

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Great insight at the end: you're not going to be known for your first (job). And your enjoyment of a project is sometimes inverse to the wider public perception.

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What I read, played, listened to & Watched this week

I’m getting into the swing of things with the beginning of the school year, so I’ve been a little slower with posting this week. Here’s what I’ve been doing (entertainment-wise) this week:

What I read: I still haven’t dove into anything more...heady (I just started reading an old Star Wars Omnibus comic, that starts around the time of New Hope). But this article from FiveThirtyEight, titled “Are there too few teachers, or too few good ones?,” is an interesting look at ways to make teaching a more attractive career, and the ways it could help improve teacher quality. The one thing the article doesn’t mention is the impact that professional development can have in a teacher’s career and growth. The phrase “professional development” is found nowhere in the article.

What I played: I finished up a somewhat older game in Bastion, which pits you as “The Kid” in a post-apocalyptic western-tinged fantasy world, complete with six-shooters and a spaghetti western-inspired soundtrack. I’ve also started a stealth game, called Volume, which tells a sort of futuristic Robin Hood story...except the story is a bit blah and gets in the way of really fun and satisfying gameplay. It feels good to outsmart the guards as you swipe the diamonds and make your way to the exit.

What I watched: We finally watched the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie. Not sure what the wife felt about it, but I thought it was a fun, action-packed summer movie.

What I listened to: Nothing new this week. I’m still stuck on St. Paul and the Broken Bones. Take another listen below.

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Apparently, Ben Carson won the debate with his closing song. Is that how it went? #BadLipReading

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It's been a busy day. First day of school tomorrow. Always makes me think of Jackson 5 and "ABC," and this fun mash-up with OPP.

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Listen to Intro to Cream by Apple Music Classic Rock on @AppleMusic.