January 2021

10 posts

The Drongo, Interview #2: Chris Stasse

calligraphy chinese drongo interview newsletter

From Drong Beach, California comes another interview with The Drongo.

Subscribers are up 20% since the first issue! Thank you all for such positive feedback. If you're not signed up, subscribe to The Drongo (it's free!), and you'll get these interviews by email twice a month.

The Drongo: Chris Stasse and I have been friends since we met as college sophomores taking Second Year Chinese. Today's interview guest is a supreme shenaniganeer, one who acts with vigor and learns with rigor.

Continue reading

Santa Cruz Portfolio

Introduction

This portfolio helped earn my admittance to the Computational Media master's program at UC Santa Cruz.

Table of Contents

  1. Ryan Quest
  2. Poetry and Parody
  3. A D&D Economy
  4. The Drongo

Ryan Quest

Areas: creative, technical

Ryan Quest was a gift for Ryan Wright, my college roommate. In this interactive fiction, you play as Ryan in a fever-dream parody of his life as a Game Studies graduate student in Copenhagen.

Until I sat the protagonist down in front of the completed game, he was totally unaware that I was working on a videogame, much less one about him.

Continue reading

Seagulls

poetry

This morning message is work in progress, for sure. It means something, but doesn't mean it as fully as it might.

I'm posting it to keep encouraging myself to post snippets and snoopets.

For breakfast, man made sausage, so I sausage,
And squint askew as Ra holds high his disk.
With no time for poetic inspiration,
He casts aside the slinking clouds of mist.

The seagulls, noisy poopers, have come inland.
With stupid orange mouths agape, they wheel,
Ungainly flap, and float, til they spy refuse,
Then land to fight amongst themselves and squeal.

On high, in blue, airliners cut a contrast,
Speed straight where birds must fart around like clods. 
Do seagulls ever wonder what a plane is?
Do they believe in jets, as we do gods?

It's Time for Better No-Hands Computer Interfaces

computing hands linguistics rsi

Introduction

I have typing-induced RSI aggravated by a fall off a bicycle. I've struggled for months with available voice-input software. I've been forced to place nearly all of my personal projects on hold, and I'm uncertain how I will perform a normal job without further degrading my hands.

I will not stand for this. Computers can do anything. My mission in 2021 is to build the best possible no-hands interface for textual work at the computer.

I'm currently seeking funding which would allow my mission to become my job. Failing that, I will at least find mentors to guide me as I create this interface myself.

Continue reading

The Drongo, Interview #1: Karthik Bala

ayurveda drongo interview newsletter

The day has come! Welcome, one and all, to the first interview with The Drongo.

Before I introduce our guest, a celebratory note: delightful drongos have completed enough interviews for me to release one every two weeks through late February March. Even more are under way!

The official drongometer readout is mere millimeters from "Maximum Drong." There's no better time to subscribe.

The Drongo: Please join me in welcoming Karthik to the stage. For being the first interview guest, his courage is matched only by his drongitude. I can also vouch for his sense of humor. Karthik, please introduce yourself to the audience.

Continue reading