31 (Plus) Flavors of MMOs

By Frank on September 2, 2010

So I figure with summer coming to a close that I’d roll in and try for one more food analogy that will look really odd if I try and pull it off in the colder months.

I’m convinced that the various conflicts and rivalries that people tend to attribute between MMO titles is sort of like people arguing over what flavor of ice cream is the best. Like ice cream, MMOs have some consistent, basic flavors. Some people like a plain jane Vanilla MMO experience with dungeon crawls and level. Others are into the Chocolate richness of an MMO PvP system with visceral battles and good times involving pixellated beatdowns. Or perhaps someone wants the flavored Strawberry or a decent crafting and economical system.

Then you have the variations and mixes which developers tend to use for the release of their own MMO flavor. Maybe someone mixes more Chocolate than Vanilla, and vice versa. Maybe someone throws in a variation of the PvP theme by using chocolate chips mixed with cookie dough. Strawberry crafting may be married to a Banana flavored idea that players should drive the economy. There’s a ton of different subtle changes and therefore a ton of possibilities as well.

Aside from wanting ice cream, I think you’re getting my point. So why is it that people tend to mire themselves in ugly rivalries and manufactured conflicts where people try to argue their flavor of MMO is the best? I think I must have seen, in the past 5 or 6 years, every comparison under the sun, from WoW vs. EQ to WAR vs. WoW to Shadowbane vs. UO and Guild Wars vs. City of Heroes and…well, you get the idea.

Honestly, I think the reason people expend so much energy arguing and bickering over which MMO is best or will dominate the world is that despite their preferred flavor of MMO, people are seeking what they feel is the “perfect” flavor – a mix of ice cream goodness so amazing that it is universally loved and appreciated, and which is the undisputed king of the MMO world. Don’t get me wrong – I can get behind that kind of idealism, but I do think that more happiness (and less arguing) comes from not seeking that perfect MMO, but understanding there’s so many flavors to choose from. Back in the day, there really wasn’t a choice between MMOs, but as more of them enter the market – and carve out a bit of the market for themselves – there’s more of an opportunity to enjoy a flavor that’s right for you.

Frankly, I’d rather have 31 (perhaps more) flavors of MMOs to choose from than just 1 or 2, any day. And that’s what the variety is all about. Compare MMO flavors a little bit, folks, but let’s try not to get into a taste testing match to see which one is best. After all, too much ice cream and too much arguing both lead to the same thing (a headache and a hurting tummy), right?

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Used To Be Great

By Frank on August 25, 2010

Today’s return to posting starts with a hot topic that appears to have asploded the interwebs today – the debate over the used games market and whether or not gamers giving to it is the same as stealing or not patronizing the developer. This whole shindig got started at Penny Arcade and has ballooned out into the various blogs I’ve read, with Syncaine and Syp both taking a stance on either side of the equation.

Where does an optimistic smiley face guy like me stand? Well, I don’t know if I fall slightly within one side of the coin or the other, but I will say that I like the used games market, as it has given me plenty of joy, appreciation, and, inevitably, support for the folks making games I play.

Maybe part of this stems from your financial situation. As a wee lad, and one raised in a family of modest means, games didn’t come to our household that often – a bit of a rough spot considering I really loved games. When I wanted a game, it’d have to be one of those Special Occasions ™ like Christmas. Otherwise, it was saving and earning through meager little jobs and the allowance I was given, til that magical “new game” number was reached. If, for some reason, I got to buy a game sooner because of the fact that it was used, I did so. But I still earned the cash to buy it.

I can only imagine if I’d been conscious of the developer cost that I was taking away. If I hadn’t bought the games I did used, I might not have gotten a chance to play them. I might not have gotten a chance to appreciate them. And perhaps, just perhaps, I might not have decided to even purchase them.

Maybe I’m kind of a silly idealist (ok, scratch that, I am one), but aren’t there intangibles other than the almighty buck to playing, loving, and patronizing games and the games business in general? Sure, people have to put bread on the table, but last I checked, making and playing games was more than about cashola. For the people making games, I’m willing to bet that somewhere within their head they do them because they are passionate about them and want to create something people will enjoy. For the people playing games, I’m sure that they get enjoyment out of them through escapism, relaxation, or any other reason why they might play them.

And really, isn’t that the important thing? That games are made with passion and are appreciated just as passionately? That an industry does exist, no matter how financially fit, that creates entertainment of this nature? Sure, this sounds ridiculously like rainbows and sunshine, and at the end of the day, there are practicalities. But I don’t think that what enters a developer’s mind when he creates a really kick-ass mechanic is how he’s gonna make cash from direct box sales. I don’t think that what enters a gamer’s mind when they put in a disc and start playing is that they got it used and are therefore stealing the cold hard cash from someone’s pocket.

I think people are just thinking they want to make and play enjoyable, fun games.

The used market (and you could even roll the rental market into that as well) provides a service that essentially fulfills this tangible need. That it makes money doing so is to me, peripheral and no more malicious that the dude who decides to charge 8 bucks a box of popcorn at the theatre because he can. It’s just the nature of providing a business around a service. In the end, however, the more we play, the more we get exposed to, and the more we experience things in the gaming industry, the more likely it is that players will, well, want to play more games and buy more games. Isn’t that the important thing?

The great enemy here is not thievery, or lack of morals, or even money. It’s really indifference. The lack of a wider market for people to play games means less games are played, and therefore less games are bought. And that’s not very optimistic or positive at all.

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Loving The Walls Of The Sandboxed Themepark (And Vice Versa)

By Frank on August 19, 2010

If there’s one trend I am seeing lately as I troll around the interwebz reading about, it’s the whole conflict between open world, or “sandbox” gameplay, and linear, or “themepark” gameplay. There are those who want to be shown things and guided to elements of enjoyment, and those who sort of want to discover those for themselves – or better yet, make some of their own. The talk of which style is better, or which is more successful, is something that has consumed forums and blogs, and is most likely to be connected to MMOs and their gameplay.

The whole business about debating it and being upset or sad about it has never really affected me, but then, that should come as no surprise to anyone who typically reads me. In fact, I kind of find the argument between the two styles to be a bit silly, mostly because of this simple fact:

A sandbox and a themepark still has walls.

Games are developed with limits. Until someone develops something on the level of The Matrix where we can all say “Whoa”  in our own Keanu Reeves-like way, we’re probably going to be walled in with some kind of border in mind. The fact that sandbox games tend to move the goalposts so the wall isn’t as obvious doesn’t mean there’s one there. Conversely, themeparks make it not only obvious that it is there, but also a factor by which a player measures their enjoyment. Either way, the borders exist.

Knowing that a game ultimately has limits makes it a lot easier for me to accept them no matter where they exist. Common sense dictates that the technology has to limit what a player does in a game because there’s an ultimately design to adhere to. Yeah, it’d be nice if I could be the character class and race combo that was totally unorthodox, but there’s a design in place that limits me. Sure, I’d love to be able to sensibly ninja my way onto the roof of a building that somehow doesn’t allow me to jump on it, but there’s a reason the game doesn’t let me do that. Regardless, I know that there are parameters and restrictions, and adjust or move on accordingly.

Now, I’m not saying it’s just wrong to be mad about how a game isn’t open enough or doesn’t guide you enough on the right path – only that it isn’t such a big deal with restrictions are put into place, on any level. Put into perspective like that, I think it gets a lot easier to digest a decision a developer makes when they seem to restrict you from doing something. The sandbox, and the themepark, after all, wouldn’t be identified as such without them.

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The Impending Return of Geek TV

By Frank on August 16, 2010

As hot and humid summer days give way to slightly less hot and humid days (for which I am grateful that some geek came up with the invention of air conditioning), my thoughts turn to the return of fall TV. Now with the advent of streaming video int he past couple years, watching tv seems like it’s a bit old school, but there’s something about popping down in front of the couch, or in bed with the remote in your hands to enjoy a good show.

This is especially true when it comes to the sort of geek-centric fare that I’m used to watching. In my growing old age I’ve kind of shunned the popular mainstream shows for those that have a focus on specific groups or people. And while these shows have become popular in their own right, they do have a special place in the geek community, where intelligence is a virtue over alcoholic capacity and outcasts are the heroes.

I really like the fact that not only are shows like this around, but that they are garnering traction within the “bottom line” of executives at TV networks. No doubt geekery has felt the sins of the past wrought upon them by network bigwigs (a certain series named after a little glowing insect comes to mind), but at least in 2010, vindication has been offered up for shows that cater to geek tendencies. If you’ve been hurt in the past and are one of my readers who is a bit jaded at the rise of reality TV and obsessiveness with pop culture, no worries – it’s still a good time to watch the tube. Don’t believe me? Here’s a few examples from my suddenly-in-use DVR:

The Big Bang Theory – You wouldn’t think a show that makes references to sci-fi, comics, and games would last very long in the dog-eat-dog world of TV, but Big Bang Theory, highlighting the lives of 4 physicists and the cute token blonde that peppers them, is going to be opening its 4th season this September. The fact that Jim Parsons, who plays Sheldon (the personification of every arrogant, OCD, socially inept geek out there) got an Emmy nomination plays up the legitimacy of this series. It’s definitely taken hold among geekery and the wider audience that struggles to understand them. We’ve got a potential new love interest for the aforementioned Sheldon this season and the consequences of the relationship of Leonard and Penny, so that will make for some hilariously nerdy moments.

Chuck – The series saved and beloved by the power of the internet has been on life support a few times during its history, but it has survived being terminated. The series about a tech geek who somehow gets a computer of knowledge downloaded into his head has become endearing to many, especially considering he manages to clumsily navigate success and get the girl at the same time. This season, Chuck sets off in search of his mother, but the spy life is far from behind him. A bonus for watching? Firefly alumni Adam Baldwin, who’s finally got onto a series that utilizes his stereotypical tough guy persona effectively (of course, being on a series lasting more than 13 eps helps, too).

Glee – Probably the show I’ve pontificated on this blog about the most, Glee has achieved meteoric success among geeks who are still geeks and ex-geeks who remember the awkwardness of being involved in the arts in high school. Glee’s the kind of show that has the potential to reach out to an audience while increasing awareness of something else at the same time, that being music and what it means. Having long since shed the High School Musical comparisons, Glee has come into its own as a show that can be dark and witty, funny but poignant, and a whole other bunch of things that resonate with geekery in general. This season, the kids start off a brand new year with a fresh slate, but the victories and defeats of the last year have probably had effects you can only begin to speculate about.

Frankly folks, it’s good to check out TV right now. We’ve still got about a month til everything premieres, but take the time to catch up on the rebroadcasts of these and many other series out there. Trust me – you won’t be disappointed.

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Behind The (Developer) Wizard’s Curtain

By Frank on August 15, 2010

Oftentimes the term of “developer” or “dev”, as people like to refer to the folks behind games, takes on a kind of mythical tone to it. When you’ve seen the kinds of games that a developer studio can put out – from AAA MMOs, to awesome action games, to adventures that become iconic – this isn’t surprising. Because of this inherent magical quality, players tend to take the concept of a game developer and assign all kinds of labels to it, whether positive or negative. I do have to say, you’ve probably not lived the gamer’s geek’s life until you’ve seen someone creatively compare a developer with something as complex as the United Nations or as simple as a bowel movement.

Regardless of the comparisons, the one constant is that developers sort of take on this aura of legend, a kind of entity moreso than a person. The Wizard of Oz is a commonly used, and apt, example. Here you have what amounts to either text on a page or in some cases, a common face of the company, speaking to gamers and interested parties about what they are doing, why it’s cool, and why players will enjoy it. While you do get to see a face every so often, or attribute an actual person to what’s being said, most of the time the subtle nuances of their philosophies are obscured behind what might as well be an impenetrable curtain.

This is why I kind of appreciate developer blogs, the subject of today’s sunshine. Whether they are contained on an official site, or in a developer’s personal page, the blogs serve as a way to let people peek behind the curtain, see not just just concepts but the people behind those concepts, and understand what developers are thinking. The humanistic quality of developers is something that more recently, some studios have taken advantage of, and even though the impression of the game is still mostly dependent on the game itself, having faces to names, and having thoughts to concepts, is very valuable.

There is, obviously, a little bit of a dark side to all of this, of course. I’m typically very optimistic about the kinds of thoughts that developers share online, personal or otherwise. That being said, there’s always a risk that putting yourself out there as a developer has all kinds of consequences, some of them potentially not so nice. It’s not a surprise that some developers or members of development teams who have blogs update only very sporadically. They are, of course, busy with the work of making games, but they’re also conscious of how their words can easily lead to problems later. All it takes is a misunderstood quote, an offhand comment, or a simple answer to a question to be a snowball that turns into an avalanche.

Still,  the developer blogs we do see on the internet are filled with plenty of insight, ideas, and thoughts about making games. Finding out the wizard behind the curtain is a person just like you or me is a valuable idea to keep in mind. Like Oz, they are capable of the same things we are, both good and bad – and reading about what they’re thinking is ultimately valuable no matter how you slice it. Go find some out there – you won’t be disappointed.

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The Oft-Neglected Cheerleading Of Games and Geekery

By Frank on August 14, 2010

Some of you who know me might think of this as a veiled attempt to link some new-ish Korean pop that my friend Amber sent to me. You may be right, but I do have a point behind doing it besides making your eyes bleed with cute. Really!

Note: Not responsible for any catchiness that gets in your head. Like I’d think that was a negative thing!

At any rate, my point in this was to expand a bit about what reader Bede talked to me about in yesterday’s comments in response to my MMO cynicism post. Bede talks a little bit about how looking at MMOs in a default “good” light is a different way of looking at things rather than in a default “bad” or “fail” one. It really got me to thinking that on the flipside of the whole idea of how geek culture perceives MMOs, games, and other new-fangled shiny, that you don’t see many people excited enough to keep up a good, encouraging attitude about things that they like.  More often than not, the kind of cheerleading that has the saccharine sweetness of the young women in the video above is absent. It’s present only in the kind of one-liner or one-paragraph initial “omg excitement” you see in response to something that looks cool, or worse yet, is outlawed among the “cool kids” of geek society as being straight up foolish idealism, otherwise known as “being a fanboy/girl”.

I honestly don’t understand what’s wrong with cheerleading something that you are excited about, especially in geek nation, where sweet new stuff always presents itself all the time. There are a lot of reasons why something that someone likes may later turn out to be something that isn’t expected, but why dampen spirits? A trailer, a sneak peek, a bunch of images, a neato website…all of these things are, in some respects, meant to generate buzz, excitement, and the kind of “rah-rah” for the creators of such things that motivates them. Let people have misguided expectations if they want to have them, I say.

Besides, cheerleading for things isn’t necessarily limited to being constantly talkative about how good something is, how the latest MMO is going to be a blast to play or the latest device is going to change the way you do things. People cheerlead things in geekery all the time without even really realizing they are doing it. Any focused-interest blog dedicated to a particular game, or item, or interest is in a way cheerleading it by merit of the fact that it’s by nature a homage to the things about it. Any fan-created media like a video, or art, or even a real-life picture having to do with it, is also an implicit cry of support. Geeks create things every day that are a nod to something they like or think is relevant to their interests, and with that kind of flattery,  how can it not be wrong ti stifle such creativity with a little too much of the “down-to-earth”?

More than anything, geeks show passion about the things they are interested in. Reducing or discouraging that just kind of makes our entire culture just a little bit more boring. Frankly, I’d rather have a little bit of excitement over the same old attitude any day.

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Easymode MMO Grouchiness

By Frank on August 13, 2010

In my last post I talked a little bit about MMO cynics and how they do tend to feel about the latest and greatest to come through the online RPG-verse. This wasn’t entirely an accident, you see – during my time not writing, I still managed to read quite a few blogs and feeds from my handy-dandy Google Reader. Aside from figuring out that if I have over 1000 posts unread I should probably delete the feed, I learned one thing:

Is there a lot of grouchiness on the internet regarding MMOs or what?

Maybe it’s just me, but perhaps it’s just easier to be grumpy or frumpy or otherwise grouchy about the state of MMOs today. If you think about it, cynicism is easier to argue from if your goal is to actually be correct or viable. Hedge your bets or even fall into the negative on a response to the best MMO trailers, gameplay demos, or reveals, and you’re vindicated when things inevitably aren’t exactly as explained. Refuse to let yourself get excited over the goals that developers want to accomplish, and not get disappointed later. Maybe it’s easier to type “this sucks” rather than “this is awesome”. Regardless of the reasons, it doesn’t seem to be that difficult to be underwhelmed.

Speaking of which, I think I have a new nemesis and opposite, since I suspect  Hardcore Casual’s Syncaine has had the rough edges softened slightly by marriage (don’t worry, it happened to me too). Not to be picking on him, but Keen from Keen and Graev’s blog appears to be my new mirror opposite, and a writer I like to keep reading, partially just to see what not being optimistic looks like. Keen has a few posts where he is genuinely excited about something, but many of the posts fall back on a bit of a negative slant on MMO development in general, how the latest companies to try their hand at something are doing it wrong, and how they might fail or fall short of expectations. Even though he’s very well-written and I respect him, it seems that the posts with which he writes come from an ease of a position wrought with broken hearts, expectations, and promises, making every post in response to MMO news almost automatic in their negativity.

Optimism and idealism, which it seems gets me less readership, is a bit more difficult to deal with and have. If I’m excited about something, see the good in it, want to prod it into a decent light, in today’s MMO community I have to work hard to put it on a pedestal. The empirical evidence for an optimist in the MMO industry is certainly in the “against” column, as the titles since WoW have struggled to maintain some kind of viable market and subscriber base despite lofty missions and ideas (though there are exceptions). And a positive person puts themselves out more for being the target of ridicule and being wrong – because things rarely turn out exactly how they think.

But I’d rather take positive over negative any day. Why? Well, I think that even though it’s more difficult and disappointment can abound, I’d rather be happy about something some of the time than not be happy about anything any of the time. As adults, I think we tend more towards the jaded portion of the scale mostly because our experiences, good and bad, teach us to properly manage our expectations, or even shield ourselves from them to avoid being hurt. This is especially true in the geek world, where the new shiny sometimes has issues that tend to crush hopes and dreams. But the stuff of geekery, especially when it comes to the MMO world, has the potential to be a really fun and exciting experience. Being pleased at having your negative expectations exceeded is nice and all, but the reward for having faith, love, and happiness regarding an MMO title be validated is just that much sweeter.

Maybe it’s easier to walk around with lemons all the time, but I’d rather be doing that with a glass of lemonade and a healthy dose of sugar. Wouldn’t you?

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Cojones-Powered Manifestos From Guild Wars 2

By Frank on August 11, 2010

So if you haven’t seen the very verbal, yet visually stunning “Manifesto” trailer for Guild Wars 2, go check this little bit out, and come back when you’re done feasting your eyes on it:

Not surprisingly, I like stuff like this. Trailers are always fun to watch, but they are even more fun when little nuances are done that make them unique. In this case, the trick is to include developer philosophy and humanism into the mix. Developers appear in all their excited, slightly haggard-with-little-sleep glory, putting out notions like a card shark deals to his marks. The other interesting thing is that they plainly speak about their notions.  Guild Wars 2 is not a grind. People hate grind. People want to be heroes; MMOs have failed to make people heroic. Bosses aren’t epic because they respawn, and everyone is the same.

And Guild Wars 2 aims to change all of that, for the better.

Really, the reason why I’m so happy and excited for this trailer is not because of all that, but for the simple idea that it takes cojones, nuts, guts, testicular fortitude, whatever you want to call it, to make such bold, straight statements. This is different than the “bold” statements MMO devs make about subscriber numbers, or how they plan on torching the competition, or all that. It doesn’t take a sack to say those things, because that’s just bravado. No, laying out the design philosophy and saying not just “we hope to” but that “we will” makes all the more difference.

There are people out there who continue to be cynical about the idea of trailers, visual aids, and even the most plain of ideas communicated through media. It’s too bad that they are, because it’s rare to see developers with a willingness to put themselves out there, this early, and try to declare their own identity. In an online world where MMOs have higher failure rates than first-year restaurants, to be so bitter about them to the point of picking apart even a bold trailer like this one is a little sad, yes? No matter what the message is, the modern MMO trailer is meant to be taken in, enjoyed, and watched over and over again. GW2′s developers simply made sure that you heard their message loud and clear – and out there for all to see. Happy cojones to you.

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Geek and Analog = Best “I Quit” Message Ever

By Frank on August 10, 2010

Update 8/11/10: Looks like this was manufactured by thechive.com.  Doesn’t seem like many people care, since it was sincerely funny. Bravo!

Most of the time, trying to mix an analog method with a geek method just doesn’t work at all. Using a pen to draw something on a computer screen? Employing a console controller to play a board game? It’s like oil and water, people.

But every so often, there’s a little neato combination that happens when you mix more traditional analog methods of communication with modernized geekery. Take the girl on the right, for example, whose swan song involved a simple little writeboard combined with digitally emailed photographs. If you want to check out the full post at thechive.com, you can do so. I’ll wait til you get back.

I’m not sure what’s cooler – the fact that a whiteboard was used 33 times for this project, that our girl’s expressions here are priceless, or that her boss is apparently a little too obsessed with Farmville. I do know that even though tech has invaded just about every portion of our life, that there are ways in which geeks can best express themselves through non-techy ways – and in fact that they should be encouraged to do so. I mean, would you rather take the effort to put together a PowerPoint or a slide show that your non-geek friends might have trouble understanding, much less opening, or do something like what this girl did with pretty pictures? I think the latter ensures some memorable moments – and links across the web.

Of course, the secondary lesson to be learned here is that your own geek tools can easily be turned against you. Installing monitoring software is all well and good, but all it takes is someone with just enough technology knowledge to be dangerous to outdo you. If you don’t keep your own nose clean when it comes to using geekery tech, especially where someone can get to it, then maybe you just might be better off with an abacus for a calculator and a stack of paper, envelopes, and stamps for sending mail to folks. At least you won’t get into trouble from random women with whiteboards.

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Email Asplosionz!

By Frank on August 10, 2010

Normally in my life, I’m pretty decent at being organized. I have a productivity system that works, my mind (which gets older by the minute) is for the most part not as forgetful as a goldfish, and I think that with the various things I do I have it fairly under control.

That being said, there’s always one part of someone’s life, no matter how obsessed with sorting they are, where there is a bit of healthy clutter. For me, it’s email. For a geek-obsessive like me, having email is kind of like breathing, and to have it as disorganized and disjointed as I leave it is always a challenge to deal with.

I’d have to say that I have three levels of email clutter at any time:

  • Mail-con 1 – Only 6 or 7 whole pages of mail grace my presence. Advertisements are sort of discarded, personal mails to be replied to are waiting, and it’s relatively easy to find things.
  • Mail-con 2 – 12 to 15 pages of mail are stuffed into my electronic box. Advertisement mails are unread but left in the mailbox for fear of catching the virtual equivalent of cooties. I recall personal mails 3 weeks old that might be helpful to answer but which get buried in a haze of Left 4 Dead play sessions and huge amounts of procrastination
  • Mail-con 3 – “You are using 6985MB of 7000MB allowed”, also known as “ARE YOU BAT SHIT INSANE?!!!!!”

I don’t know what it is exactly, that keeps this part of my geekery so messed up. I know a lot of people and get a ton of notices and updates and mails about them all the time, so that might be part of the reason. Another is the sheer intimidation factor of going through and dealing with mail in general. E-mail, to me, is like walking into a lion’s cage with a whip and a chair – it’s a savage beast with a life of its own and you end up getting your head bitten off if you aren’t careful.

It’s funny, because even though geeks are totally smart and intelligent most of the time, there’s always an irrational portion of them that makes them behave in an odd way. For me, it’s the dread of opening email and it somehow coming to my house and into my bed at night to eat me because I answered and deleted it. Having 1256 emails that could potentially do that to you is a recipe for procrastination and inbox stuffing the likes of which you haven’t seen since a Chicago election.

As always, I like to look on the bright side of this whole situation. I do, after all, seem to have a lot of people who like to mail me. Sure, they want to sell me breast implants with a free laptop if I just give up my bank account information to some random rich person, but hey, mail is mail. Occasionally there’s the fun little gem of replying “I’m doing fine” to a “how are you”, but for the most part, I like to see the mail pile up as a testament to how much I must whore my own address, or my own presence, online.

If you’ve mailed me, don’t worry – I’ll get to you….eventually.

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