Seeing our editor is off to Atlanta for Easter and our California liaison is drowned with work, it's up to me to pretend to be Kenray and write these tidbits and tell you what has been going on.
A lot has happened in the past two months. VelocityArt appeared, Dredwerk passed away (RIP man), our main pillar Jumbles resigned from the mag, meaning Tek had to move and ended up on the DeskMod server <obligatory> (thanks to gorman and iMike) </obligatory>, the community/scene (whatever you prefer) now has its own Olympics, complete with shady business and what not, and we've got a brand new look. Well partially.
Plenty of stuff to write about one would think, yet there is a bit of a lack of content in this issue. We really wanted to write about the GUI Olympics, plenty of food for thought there. But we've decided to wait till it was finished, so that one won't fly. Then Ken was working on this “Skinning and the Dollar” article, but due to lack of time, we don't have that either. And Hippy resurfaced with the rumour of a possible article he had floating around somewhere. I haven't seen anything yet, so we won't have that either.
It's at times like these that you wonder “what the hell am I doing this for anyway?” There's too much one way communication here. Does Tek matter? Does anyone care? We have 400+ members, but I don't see them. No, don't worry, I'm not going to start a “I'm not being appreciated” thread at DevArt, I'd rather be constructive than pitiful. We who currently are Tek, Kenray, Doreen and moi, have thought and discussed about this a lot. The results of those discussions can be found in the The Future of Tek article.
Doreen's been busy, generating three interviews. Victims were federal of VelocityArt, Garoo of Ghrone fame and the infamous Shoggot. Normally interviews are done via email, which makes them appear rather static, but the Shoggot one was done in irc and I must say it's her best interview yet.
Wrapping this issue up are Ken's article on working in groups, an article he wrote based on his experiences with his community skin project Red Leader, and a very very basic article on XML and WinAmp3 skinning, which I wrote because I find the “oh, WinAmp is too difficullt for me” attitude I see everywhere rather annoying. Here we have this awesome format, yet no-one is skinning it, @#$%!!
Anyway, this may be a small issue, but at least it's the first ever Teknidermy issue that actually has seen some dedicated attention to the layout of the magazine. I've been complaing about Tek's lack of design since issue one and now I've finally had the opportunity to do something about it. /me's pretty pleased with it, I hope you are too.
Let us know what you think. This (simple) commenting script I whipped up for this issue, could use some stress testing.
— craeonics, March 30th 2002
Jeez, just noticed the handpuppet thing. Funny moves, kenray.
plastic {04.01.2002|18.49}
I can always pretend to be Ken's body double when he gets famous.
craeonics {04.02.2002|01.13}
I like Tek. Though I do think not covering the GUI Olympics on a daily basis was a real missed opportunity. When someone asserts that Stardock has too much "influence" I would counter that if that is the case, it's because others don't speak up with their own points of view. A daily neutral/objective third party analysis of the events and such over a 2 month event would have been a real opportunity to do whose who articles and other goodies.
It would be like Entertainment Weekly or what have you not doing any pre-oscar coverage. Just my 2 cents. That said, I visit Tek nearly every day to see what Crae has written.
Frogboy {04.02.2002|10.13}
That's actually a long, long story. I wanted to do day-by-day coverage (or week-by-week) of the GUI Olympics and actually started it, but then was halted by the Powers That Be within Tek. 't Was then decided that we'd wait till the event was over. Trouble is that I've forgotten just about all that has transpired in the past two months. I only recall lots of fuss about the judging.
craeonics {04.02.2002|11.22}
...which is a loss really, 'cos you'd only see what transpired there on the GUI Olympics site itself.
princess {04.02.2002|11.25}
Crap, that was me, forgot to enter my name.
craeonics {04.02.2002|11.25}
I have to stop by here more often. I'm a fan, it's my job. ^.~ From what I've read, it a great issue. Covers what's going on pretty well. As for not covering the guio, dosen't both me. It'll be in next issue. I'm glad VelocityArt got some coverage. We've been doing pretty good, but we aren't very well know yet. Great work ppl!
CutTheRedWire {04.02.2002|11.31}
waiting until the event was over to cover the GUI Olympics was my decision & i will stand by it.
Tek is not the "Entertainment Weekly" of skinning.
Tek is the "American Journal of Medicine" of skinning.
Event summaries of the GUI O appear on every skinning site, even upon Tek itself.
Dailiy information was easy enough to find as well.
In order to write a Real Article on the event, it's implications and it's results;
one must wait for the event to have happened.
What is Really Important about the Gui Olympics will not be lost on a day-by-day basis.
What is Really Important will be discovered in retrospect, and will, most likely, not be quickly or easily forgotten.
I am optimistic that this magazine will receive 100% co-operation from all parties
when the time comes for the article to be written, and I am sure that our reporting on the event
will be factual, well-researched, and well documented.
kenray {04.02.2002|13.07}
I am not sure whether comparing a skinning magazine to the american journal of medicine is valid. Do you realize how that sounds?
Why then, for instance, even have the daily news portion of the site?
It doesn't matter to me what Tek covers or not to be perfectly honest. I just think it's a lost opportunity.
Frogboy {04.02.2002|15.22}
abstraction is the first sign of higher intelligence.
If you get the "Entertainment Weekly" metaphor, then you should get the "American Journal of Medicine" metaphor.
As for "how that sounds", sure, i hope it sounds like Tek is more than a "TV Guide" of the interface cutomization community.
You are a prodigious, intelligent writer, and it is always honorific to present your work
in the pages of Tek when opportunity presents itself.vWe are open to submission. Especaily from you, considering your position within the community, and your effect (and affect) on the "scene".
The "Front Page News" section of the mag we have perceived as being a public service. Perhaps it is redundant, perhaps it might be a positive dipersion of items of interest.
kenray {04.03.2002|00.31}
I see it more as a "gathering of news", 'cos not everyone visits each site a dozen times a day (hey, I've got to do something with this information super highway here at work). Though the entire point of NewsStand is to give the site some continuity in between issues. Ofcourse with the digest system, we'll already have more continuity.
But er, Ken, we are not a TV Guide? I may not know what is Entertainment Weekly nor American Journal of Medicine, but where are the deep articles then?
*craeonics throws a frog at the Kenman to see if we can get some discussion going on
craeonics {04.03.2002|01.36}
Crae,
i consider your winamp3 tut one of the deepest things i ever saw...
ken {04.03.2002|10.24}
other deep bits i liked:
The Shell Bit by Tin Omen in Issue #5
the Greg Lanweber Interview in ish#4
FOF's tut on Colorpad skinning in is #3 was very helpful
and the interview with Schrader in Ish #2 combined with the Interview of Gorman in ish#1 are a really compelling little bit of the recent history (at least in my opinion)
we dont have to get into touble to be deep do we?
=`)
kenray {04.03.2002|10.30}
You sure as hell need to have a good memory for that.
craeonics {04.03.2002|11.56}
Kenray, it's important IMO that we not take what we do too seriously. You're comparing talking about skinning with talking about curing cancer or other deadly illnesses.
Skinning, as presented by Tek, is a purely consumer entertainment thing. I haven't seen any articles dealing with how skinning is actually *helping* people. No corporate interviews of how they are using customization to further their ends.
I like Teknidermy, that's why I'm posting here. But let's not kid ourselves, it's not curing cancer. It's a consumer *entertainment* guide. Tek isn't a serious magazine simply because you say it is. The content determines what type of magazine it is.
The content has primarily been interviews with people (usually very young people) who are creating some sort of skinnable widget or running a site that provides skins for the skinnable widget. How is this different than say Gamespot which provides news and information on games?
I spend my days working on Object Desktop, it's what I've dedicated my professional career to. But I don't pretend that I'm curing cancer or whatever. And while I do hope that we are helping make the world a better place in some small way, I do know that the way most people who visit the sites that you cover use it is to jazz up their computer, create skins, or write software to jazz up their own computers.
A tutorial on how to make skins for colorpad is of good entertainment value, but it's not deep. It can't be compared to the seriousness of curing a deadly disease.
So I'd argue the Entertainment weekly analogy is much more valid. The *content* of Teknidermy is good - good at reporting software and information that allows people to entertain themselves. It's not curing any diseases or helping people.
If you want to go that route, perhaps you should start doing articles on how skinning is helping people. Or how skinning is taking advantage of the latest computer technologies or what have you. Otherwise, your statement just makes it sound like Tek takes itself way too seriously.
Frogboy {04.03.2002|14.30}
"Skinning killed son, woman sues Teknidermy"
versus
"GUI Customisation and its impact on our kids' health and the national economy"
craeonics {04.04.2002|01.32}
Personally, I'd prefer a "National Enquirer" of skinning:
"Bigfoot Ripped my Skins!"
:)
Elwin {04.04.2002|05.33}
See, this is the kind of thing American Republicans do. Grab onto a word or phrase used as part of a bigger metaphor, and just hammer away on that tiny piece of scrap metal until there are enough sparks flying to obscure the true point of the conversation.
So lets digress a bit.
The point here is to compare the "style" of Teknidermy magazines content to generally well-established norms, in this particular case, those norms being "Entertainment Weekly" and “The American Journal of Medicine".
The illustration in the first part, as so taken by myself, being the style of the Hollywood variety, where smiling plastic sycophants regurgitate the press releases spoon fed to them by the entertainment industry for the consumption of the sheep-like masses.
(if you don’t believe that last bit, go see [link])
The illustration in the second part, so intended by myself, being that of the inquisitive variety, wherein, be it the step-by-step instructions on a program, or just trying to get some personal insights on a programmer or developer, the "style" of the content is that of the rational inquirer/reporter.
And to be honest, I do take it seriously, not so much because I believe that skinning will cure anyone’s ills, but because I chose to begin a magazine about an art that I enjoy, and having done so, I have to consider the undertaking a serious one.
When I paint my fence, I take it seriously.
When I wash the dog, I take it seriously.
When I brush my teeth, I take it seriously.
That's just the kind of person I am.
If there is fault in that, then I’ll be faulted. And happily, at that.
kenray {04.04.2002|10.39}
*plastic admits he's doing whatever he's doing online with very, very serious intentions.
And I see that being done here too. It's good to see people take their job seriously; if ken hadn't, there problably wouldn't be a magazine anymore.
plastic {04.04.2002|13.39}
thanks P!
and as regards that "usually very young people" comment:
Jesus Christ begins ministry - age 30
Mozart Meets Haydn (who praises him as "the greatest living composer") - age 29
Nikola Tesla devised an AC power system to replace the weak direct-current (DC) generators and motors then in use and generally creates the world we know - age 26
Enlightenment of the Buddha in Bodhgaya - age 36
Annus Mirabilis, Einsteins "Miracle Year" - age26
Jobs, jesus begins ministry - age 30
Mozart Meets Haydn, who praises him as "the greatest living composer" - age 29
Nikola Tesla - devised an AC power system to replace the weak direct-current (DC) generators and motors then in use and generally creates the world we know - age 26
Enlightenment of the Buddha in Bodhgaya - age 36
annus mirabilis, Einsteins "Mirical Year" - age26
Jobs, age 21, and Wozniak, age 26, found Apple Computer Co. in the Jobs' family garage.
So, as we see, young people make some important contibutions.
kenray {04.04.2002|14.28}
oops, sorry, misprint, Steve Jobs and Jesus never had a business together...
kenray {04.04.2002|14.29}
Yea, I'm sure the people who put together Entertainment Weekly are not serious about their work either.
I took your analogy as I believe it was meant - Entertainment Weekly discusses things that aren't serious. While Teknidermy discusses serious issues.
Except that it's hard to see how a skinnable widget being a serious issue. We all take our jobs seriously. But one might argue that it's not necessarily good to take oneself so seriously.
Frogboy {04.04.2002|18.39}
btw, by very young people I meant teens. None of your examples includes a teenager.
Frogboy {04.04.2002|18.40}
I had to look that up in my dictionary, "widget". It said stuff like "thingy" and alike. Wonder how those small devs feel about that. Had some talk with phantom, cool guy developing ControlBar, lately. He's very, very serious, in bringing a new, completely rewritten version of a tool I've found pretty handy, if not invaluable, online. I'm very seriously preparing to give it all the exposure I can give it (doubt he'll think of submitting the news). I know it's not a live and death issue, but can I be permitted to think a creative process is way cool, and I'm not a lunatic for appreciating it, and valuing it as a great thing ?
<grin> nah, same road. Seems there's this "East is east, and west is west, and never the twain shall meet" saying (if I quoted that correctly), that really applies here.
But you're in a dark mood too, frogboy. Never see you around at the small sites anymore (i know, we talked about how wars evolved, I said lower your profile or something, but I think the Brad as Brad, the guy (re: Brad, SD), is missed), get back in, forget about those olympics while not at the office, have fun while being serious.
plastic {04.04.2002|20.17}
I mean widgets as "Things". We refer to our own software as widgets for instance.
We're making "things" (widgets). Sure, we're serious about it but so what? Our attitude towards development has nothing to do with the end result.
Game development is a serious undertaking too but at the end of the day, it's a game still. It's entertainment.
Hey, if Kenray or someone wants to compare reporting on skinnable software as being analogous to reporting on cures for diseases then that's his business.
I like Teknidermy just like I really enjoy developing software (And I take developing software seriously). But I don't consider the software we maek to be the cure for cancer or something. It's software that makes computers more enjoyable or better to use.
Perhaps a middle-ground analogy - Teknidermy as the newsweek or the skinning community.
Plastic: I took your advice and have kept a lower profile. ;-) I kind of gave up on participating on many of the sites because I kept being accused of trying to "sell" stuff to the handful of people who happened to read some posts I'd make (talk about inefficient "selling" then eh?). But with my hobby and job being pretty much the same thing, I'm always doing somethign with either desktop enhancements or PC games. ;)
Frogboy {04.04.2002|23.00}
I think kenray's analogy was pretty clear: that he wants to make in-depth articles, not just report the same news everybody else does, only with a different tie and a logo in the corner of the screen. Nothing to do with the seriousness of curing cancer.
And that's what we like about tek, so keep up the good work here :)
garoo {04.05.2002|06.38}
*craeonics sees talk on different wavelengths
With "serious", froggy means skinning plays no role in global affairs, so to speak, but he doesn't mean that those involved in skinning are merely messing around. Remember, the guy is making a living out of this, so he does take it serious.
craeonics {04.05.2002|08.31}
and if nothing else, this converstaion serves an insight into what some of us really think of skinning as a whole - th artform itself...interesting reading, above and below the line...
...and i am sure i coudl have mentioned Jesus whompin hte pharisees at age 6, or the authoring of "Twinkle Twinkle Littel Star" by a three year old, but i still like ot think of my self as a young person, and i am getting up there....=`)
kenray {04.05.2002|10.15}
;) Well I'll always be 29. Even 50 years from now..
What we differ on is a matter of perspective. Like Craeonics points out, I do this stuff for a living so I obviously take it pretty seriously. But I guess I am not seeing the depth or seriousness that Kenray sees in the content of what we actually produce.
The daily Tek could be a great, neutral third party way to spill the real beans on what's happening out there rather than just regurgitate press releases. That's why I like Craeonics' writing, he cuts through the spin (even mine) and tells it how he sees it. And he doesn't seem to have an agenda or axe to grind (he's an equal opportunity de-spinner! ).
There is a vacuum for a news source on customization that talks about the mainstream issues. It'll get filled by someone. Just like there was a vacuum to have an inter-website skinning contest. It got filled and you (Kenray) complain that it only had one app. That's because of who ended up putting the inter-site contest together. Similarly, when someone decides to put together a more mainstream (less "serious") customization (skinning) webzine together, you may not like its content either but don't let it be said that you didn't have an opportunity to fill that vacuum too. Even now, the other websites are starting to do that.
I'd say Teknidermy daily could serve as the Newseek/Entertainment Weekly role and the periodical could be your "serious" in depth webzine.
Frogboy {04.05.2002|11.52}