Sneakheads in Chinatown
I read this article years ago and it has really stuck with me. Especially considering I now live blocks from East Broadway. This article is the inspiration for Rivertown. Read it. I was just mining it for some numbers and came across this:
East Broadway became known as “Fuzhou Street,” and the Chinatown shorthand for new arrivals was “eighteen-thousand-dollar men,” after the snakehead rate in the eighties.
The New Yorker
A Reporter at Large
The Snakehead
The criminal odyssey of Chinatown’s Sister Ping.
by Patrick Radden Keefe
Read more http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/04/24/060424fa_fact6#ixzz1RKEyUZQv
Pitches
There is a biblical rain falling in the woods. I’ve got all the lights in the house on because it is dark as night at noon. The lightning cracks are making the house shake and so it’s time to work on the Gatecrashers business plan. Diana has been furiously kicking out edits as fast as I can write.
Had some exciting ideas on structure for networked game play, mostly revolving around player groups being able to create Ambulance Dispatcher Garages, and making player profiles portable across all Gatecrasher Universe games. These dispatchers could have the potential to become canonical.
Writing
Okay, I’ll try not to bore myself or you with writing self help posts. But I sure seem to have found my way onto a bunch of blogs that have one top 20 list after another. So here’s a quick post from Donald Maas Literary agency with writing prompts to test your direction.
- 03 Find any violence in your ms. Delete any shock, fear or horror. Replace with two *conflicting* emotions that are less obvious.
- 02 What’s the most selfless thing your MC does? What good change or effect does that have on someone unexpected? Add that in.
- 01 – What’s the worst thing your MC does? Whom and how does that hurt? Now work backwards, set it up to hurt even more.
That Sage, W. Ellis
This one just caught my eye. Worth more than a retweet.
See the question and more over at Warren Ellis’s blog.
Identify a character in your idea.
1) What does that character WANT?
2) What does that character need to do to GET what they want?
3) What are they prepared to DO to get what they want?
Container City
The inhabitants of Rivertown surely did their homework and caught wind of the artsy, high class version of lowdown living. (okay they definitely didn’t do any homework). But this is a great visual model of what stacks of shipping containers can look like as they are re-purposed into living quarters. I doubt the refugees in Rivertown would have access to beautiful 36″ circular windows and ikea flooring. But, I like the open doors to create balconies and entrances.
Here’s some more from wikipedia.
Here’s a link to the project site itself: ContainerCity.com
Neuroware
Neuro-controlled fashion accessories. If that doesn’t scream body modification what does? Awesome. I want a pair. Maybe we can put them on babies before they can speak to help us communicate more effectively. Neuroware “necomimi”
From: JapanTrends.com
Just Another Night In May
Where do the days go? Back at the decks working on some general world work, tightening up some loose screws. I’m listening to PsyChill on di.fm. Hit the IFP Cross Media Forum a week or two ago. Seems like everyone in NYC that’s trying to get something going was there. Nice work IFP.
Visit:
