Non-fiction – Page 3

On Reviews and the Indie Movement – An Optimate Memo

David V Stewart May 5, 2020 May 5, 2020Analysis, Art, Ethics, Non-fiction, Philosophy, politics, Writing 5

I haven’t done much in the way of book reviews, either here or on my YouTube channel, but I’m reconsidering how I approach this. First, take a look at this blog post by Alexandru Constantin, regarding where he has settled on book reviews: There are few things I want to cover here related to all this, before I get to prescriptions: Tradpub may be a facade, but it is one that normal folks think is real – and perception matters What is the point of a book review? Is there any point to negativity? The “political right” doesn’t think strategically…

The (Game) Song Remains the Same

David V Stewart April 28, 2020 April 28, 2020Analysis, Art, Games, Non-fiction, Writing 1

A good thread to kick things off: Games are first, and foremost about their gameplay, NOT their story. Story in games can be great. You can tell stories in unique and interesting ways that other mediums just can’t do. However, gameplay is a prerequisite for a gaming experience to be… well, game. I never finished The Last of Us because its gameplay was, quite frankly, too boring. It also looked boring. The story started off with a good hook in the form of tragedy, but then became a slog. There was very little game at the macro level, and none…

A Culture In Need of ENJOYABLE Books

David V Stewart April 28, 2020 April 28, 2020Analysis, Art, Education, Non-fiction, politics, Writing 9

Talking with some other #pulprev friends today, one of the best points brought up about stories in video games is that players often focus on the story because they don’t read. I’ve made this point numerous times regarding video games and stories within them – if your goal is to tell a tight story, a game is not a very good medium. Gameplay is the art that is unique to games; this doesn’t mean you SHOULDN’T tell a story with a game, it just means that if your primary goal is a traditional, highly constructed story, you are better off…

Don’t give money to people who hate you

David V Stewart April 27, 2020 April 27, 2020Art, Philosophy, politics 2

Brian Niemeier’s new book is out now, and it’s a number one best seller: Let’s address one 100 IQ level comeback I see frequently when talking about shutting your wallet to the mega-corporations who not only don’t give a shit about the franchises that you grew up with, but actively hate you and your culture and want it (and you) dead: bUt yOu Use AMaZon/yOuTUbE/fAcEbOok/PAtreON First, this isn’t an argument against the basic thesis at all, but an attempt to make an argument for behavioral consistency (otherwise known as the hypocrisy fallacy or “tu Quoque” – you can’t say something…

It Doesn’t Affect Me

David V Stewart April 24, 2020 April 24, 2020Non-fiction, Philosophy, Prepping, Writing 0

Except through the people I know who are affected. I’m talking about Corona-chan and all the mess that has gone along with it – wearing masks, social distancing, quarantine, etc. I realized talking with my wife tonight that she, along with most “normal” people, have strong emotions regularly as a result of this pandemic – anxiety, dread, general worry, even anger. I have none of those feelings whatsoever. I’m not worried. I’m not panicked. I feel absolutely know anxiety about getting the virus, nor what would happen to me if I did get the virus. Part of this is that…

The Coming Creative Boom

David V Stewart March 27, 2020 March 27, 2020Art, Economics, Movies, Non-fiction, politics, Writing 2

The Corona-Chan quarantine might bless us with a baby boom, but it will also bless us with a creative boom, and in the “right” direction. Hollywood has had to halt its productions. They might lose 20 billion dollars. They’ve put their feature movies onto streaming platforms, just so that they get seen and the brands can maintain some value. Hollywood and its giant apparatus represents the last remaining tower, however dark and menacing, of the corporate period in art. It takes lots of money and lots of people to make art on that scale, and virus is a perfect menace…

Keys to Prolific Creativity now available!

David V Stewart March 27, 2020 March 27, 2020Art, Non-fiction, Site News, Writing 0

My book on creativity and productivity is now available in ebook ($2.99) and physical formats. Grab it now and unlock your inner master! ebook – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084P8P1M2 physical – https://amazon.com/dp/B086B79WFW Still not sold? Listen to the introduction and first chapter in audiobook format: Just so you know, the audiobook by necessity will be a later release. Amazon takes much longer to process audiobooks than the physical editions. I’m still waiting for the completed audiobook for Eyes in the Walls to go live. In the meantime, you can check out the ebook here:

Numbers make people stupid

David V Stewart March 14, 2020 March 14, 2020Economics, Ethics, Non-fiction, Philosophy, politics, Prepping 0

As soon as you introduce numerical data into an informational vector, you are going to confound people and turn them from rational into irrational. Some people get numbers. Some people understand what math means in a practical sense. For others, statistics turn them into idiots. Ex. 1 – IMPACT Coronavirus is 98% survivable (ignoring distribution). No big deal, right? Why is everyone freaking out? Would you play Russian roulette? The odds of winning are pretty good – 80%! Most people would say no, because they aren’t idiots. How many cylinders would it take for you to gamble? 20? 50? 98%…

Aesthetics MATTER

David V Stewart March 12, 2020 March 12, 2020Analysis, Art, Economics, Non-fiction, Philosophy, Writing 0

I’ve been travelling lately, so I’ve missed some on-point commentary by my contemporaries. Alexander, who I’ve had on NewPub Talk before, nails it once again: Within that article is one things that I’ve been trying to hammer for years: Aesthetics Matter. Aesthetics are powerful. Aesthetics have meaning. They aren’t just arbitrary window dressing, as some post-modern critics would have you believe. My YouTube subs often take exception to my heavy weighing of Aesthetics as a category when I review movies and games, but I often feel like I give them too little weight. Good aesthetic presentation can save a sub-par…

Going Stupid

David V Stewart March 9, 2020 March 9, 2020Economics, Non-fiction, Uncategorized 2

As my Google Pixel XL (the original) continues its decline into non-functionality through hardware failure and obsolescence, I am seriously considering “going stupid” for my next phone. That is, I will “downgrade” to a flip-phone or the like. I have a lot of reasons for this, but there are also some big problems with trying to avoid smartphones in 2020. Reasons to go stupid: Headphone jacks are disappearing – This I decided was my line in the sand for smartphones. If I can no longer get one with a headphone jack, that means I won’t use one. I just cannot…

Category: Non-fiction