Its been very quiet around here. Probably a good thing. The new site (diysearch.com) is running very smoothly, not a single problem since the launch (on May 20). Its been seeing about 1,500+ visitors a week, which is significantly down from the peak back in 2002/3 where we were seeing that in a day.
I only have myself to blame for that.
Anyway, I’m working on another side-project, one that isn’t quite as involved as Diysearch, in fact I’m not doing hardly any development for it (thanks for that goes to Joomla, a nice fork of the Mambo server product). The idea is to build a “veterans” straight edge community, which I am calling Still True.
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I’ve finally started my book project. I’ve been thinking about this for over a year now, and finally have managed to start writing it. So, what is this? I’m writing a book on straight edge, as a philosophy, but from a very personal and reflective perspective. I think “thoughtfullness” is a word that is lacking and just darn right nont included in any definition of straight edge. I want to attempt to correct that. Straight edge is either derided as an all-male tough-guy gang or a fashion trend. Frankly, something I have lived my life by, for nearly 20 years, doesn’t feel like a trend, and I sure as hell don’t condone or support some of the stupidity purpetrated in the name of straight edge.
The book called, No Anesthetic, is being written here and there and will most likely come out next year, self published of course. I’m self publishing it for a variety of reasons. One, I honestly don’t think any self-respecting publishing house would touch a book with such a limited scope on a non-mass-marketable topic, two, hey, this is what I do. I would rather do it myself and three, this makes it simple and easy.
I give you How Not To Steal a Sidekick (a type of mobile phone).
Really, this is amusing and while sickeningly appauling (the story that is) this is the shotgun approach to justice in our modern world. I can appreciate it and think, good for him! Get the word out. In the face of uncontrovertable evidence (such as the thieves taking pictures of themselves), they should have to live with the outcome of their actions.
So, if you steel or “find” a mobile phone, use it, then threaten its owner with physical violence, then be prepared to suffer any and all consiquences.
Well, this is indeed good news. It appears that the Factsheet 5 football has been passed and has been caught in Arlington Virginia. They are currently looking for volunteers to help get the thing rolling, but according to their website, they are to begin publishing this year (2006).
For those that don’t know, Factsheet 5 was really the first and largest all-review zine for zines, small press and other self-published material.
Its nice to see it coming back.
What exactly do we hope for? Who is “we?” We, in this case, are all of us out there who do stuff. I suppose I need to be more specific, because quite frankly, that doesn’t mean a whole lot. I also suppose that since I am writing in a particular context, the level of specificity should be such that it goes a little like this: In this sense, the “we” is all of us who spend significant amounts of time, money, effort and energy on a project. There are thousands upon thousands of “us” and the numbers grow every day. I don’t pretend, nor would I want to, speak for all of us, so I will speak for me, a single number in all of us.
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