happy new year from {fray}

New in {fray}: A year of stories: "2001. Say it out loud and let your mind wander. A year ago you might have thought of Kubrick. Space. The future."

I can't tell you how pleased I am to see some familiar faces return to the {fray}. Be sure to check out the author pages for the folks in the new story. Some of them go way back.

{ 7:52pm }

down on the ad farm

Nervous Text Ads has moved out on its own and become the Ad Farm! Now you can place text ads across a dozen fine, independent sites (including the ever-delightful Powazek Production known as Kvetch!) for only ten bucks! Definitely worth checking out.

{ 6:43pm }

the united states of holiday blues

It's funny how infecting the Christmas spirit is, even for someone who isn't supposed to be moved by it. I can't help it, it's just there. A yearly secular force that changes the tides of economies and the emotional states of entire cities. It's unlike anything else.

{ more » }   { 11:05pm }

bits and pieces

It really is that good. It's not a movie, it's a tidal wave. See it now. Twice.

Also, on another topic, I just wanted to mention that anybody who calls me Vanna will not get selected. That is all.

{ 11:42pm }

welcome home erik

See what Amazon employees do for you, the web-surfing public? Think about that the next time you fire off a quick present to someone from their wishlist!

{ 3:56pm }

tasty visual treats

R. Stevens is taking a little break from creating Diesel Sweeties, one of my favorite web comics. But intsead of letting the legions of DS fans stew for a few weeks, he's gotten a host of talented guest artists fill in. You can start here and page forward to see new interpretations of the usual cast.

But the best part is following the links back to the artist's own projects. I've already discovered several amazing comics. Check out the whole list!

{ 2:32pm }

mirror shooters celebration

Congratulations to Heather and Aaron at The Mirror Project for getting the much-anticipated auto-upload feature online! Now mirror shooters can finally upload their own submissions. Stand by for an explosion in new mirror shots. Yay!

{ 2:05pm }

new in dfc

Lots of energy going into Design for Community at the moment, what with a new essay and a new excerpt and all those great conversations. So go be there now. Really. Shoo.

{ 1:38am }

oui c'est moi

Amour heureux fray.com de grenouilles!

{ more » }   { 1:26am }

beep beep boop

This is so cool. Ben and Ani are on the road, driving up to my home town, and they're posting updates from the road along the way. With a cell phone.

And to think I once laughed when Greg Knauss mocked pecking words into a cellphone. 77778822255, indeed.

{ 9:30pm }

and I mean it, too

An excerpt from the latest powlist:

My friends, email is a fucking curse. I tell you this with full knowledge of the irony that I'm pecking into an email client at this very moment. Still, I believe it. From now on I'm treating email like smoke, like a ghost, like an ephemeris. Good or bad, it's sure to disappear in a blink.

Poof.

{ 2:06pm }

ho ho ho

We saw the Santarchy Santas this weekend, swarming down Haight Street, singing songs, spreading joy and chaos, and only stopping to yell into shop windows or go into a bar. I hear that wearing a big red suit is a great way to score free drinks, but I've never tried it myself. Last year, I was told by a friend who participated, several of the santas gave out lumps of coal, wrapped in porn.

I love San Francisco.

{ 11:26am }

content directory

Root / Art / Media, that's me!

{ 9:08pm }

the saddest 404

Ladies and gentlemen, here is my first contribution to the internet, preserved for all eternity.

That was my first homepage at the end of the giant url. It's gone forever now - even the Internet Archive missed it - but my unanswered plea for critique lives on. Viva la web.

{ 2:05am }

read like crazy

That story I wrote for Words! Words! Words! Issue 1 has been picked up by Central Booking! Check out: How to Write a Book in Three Easy Steps.

{ 12:47am }

so new media

So New Media is live! Buy cool independent media for yourself and the folks you love. My contribution was a quick design for the site. It's all surfboardy. I diggit.

{ more » }   { 12:44pm }

a great yop into the universe

If you haven't heard, Lance Arthur is posting a new piece of writing to Glassdog every day for the entire month of December. And every day, he's deleting the one from the day before. Download, delete, write, upload. No archive, no permalink. It's about impermanence, he says.

I say: Whatever flips that light switch in your head, man.

{ more » }   { 10:43pm }

chanukah explained

I just got back to San Francisco from a wonderful little gathering down in Claremont to celebrate the first night of Chanukah. Presents were exchanged, wine was drunk, candles were lit, and much eating ensued. I'm still full, and that was yesterday.

Lately it's become clear to me that some people may not really understand what Chanukah is. Fortunately, John Styn's glorious Prehensile Tales is here to explain everything about this misunderstood holiday.

Check out: "The Fifth Day of Chanukah: The Day of Uncertainty" for all the kung-fu action, er, explanation.

{ 4:40pm }

threatening and interesting

The rain stopped, the sun came out, and for the first time in a week, I actually had a good day.

Thanks to Kevin, I got to drop by The Grotto for a lunchtime chat, where I did most of the talking and none of the eating.

{ more » }   { 6:16pm }

one down, one to go

Almost forgot to mention: In my shopping binge today (er, yesterday) I stopped at the Booksmith to check on the kids and one was finally gone!

Sniff. Baby's all growed up.

{ 1:33am }

'tis the season

It's the assumption that gets me.

Today I wandered into Vierra and Friends downstairs to pick up some shampoo (or "product" as they call it). I'd been wandering Haight Street in the misty fog for an hour and a half, trying to find a few gifts for my family. As soon as I walked in, Rari got that concerned look on his face and asked me how I was.

{ more » }   { 10:52pm }

farewell indeed

I still have a pile of Guilder from my time in Amsterdam. The sad part is, as boring as the new Euros are, they're sill more interesting to look at than the ol' American buck.

{ 6:04pm }

get texty!

Kvetch! is jumping on the text ad bandwagon. Out with the old 234x60, in with rich glorious text that you (yes, you!) can purchase starting at a measly ten bucks! Makes a great holiday gift!

Mad props to the burgeoning Nervous Text Ads network for powering this whole shebang. It's all beta, naturally, so let me know if you bump into any weirdness. Yay, text!

{ 11:20pm }

the art test

She screams, I dance. How about you?

{ 3:15pm }

did you know

Did you know that Chanukah begins on Sunday?

Did you know I have a wish list?

That was crass, I know. Sorry.

{ 12:02am }

fool me twice, shame on me

Last year, about this time, my secondary 9 gig drive died a horrible death, taking about 6 months of my digital photos with it.

It took me about a month to replace. Which means that this second, secondary 9 gig drive lasted just about a year exactly.

That's right folks, it died again. A shallow metallic scraping sound signaled the end this evening. So I tell this to you as gospel: Never ever buy a hard drive from Seagate.

At least this time I made backups.

{ 10:24pm }

{fray} is without

12.1.01: day without {fray}

{fray} is observing World AIDS Day. In association with Link and Think, we're devoting the whole website to this issue for the day. The rest of fray.com will be back online tomorrow. For now, get informed, and inform others by telling your story.

{ 12:03am }