| My name is Trae Dorn, I live here, and this is the story of my life...
Creative Expansion Sep 1, 2010 - 10:20:15
 So today I launched "Small Galaxy," my serialized web novel. I've been working on Small Galaxy for a while, and after debating what I was going to do with it, I decided to go with what I like to refer to as "The Lazy Route" and just slap it up on my website in monthly installments. The story is a simple comedic science fiction adventure story... which doesn't sound all that simple when I say it out loud. But it will make sense, I promise. I like to think of it as "What if everyone in Flash Gordon was significantly less competent." Okay, so it isn't quite that, but whatever.
I'll be putting up at least one chapter a month, sometimes more than one if I'm dealing with a shorter chapter, but never less then that. I know I put up an earlier (okay, almost identical) draft of the first chapter quite some time ago, but we'll get to new material soon enough. If you haven't done so, go ahead and read the first chapter of Small Galaxy.
And yes, the "cover" image for Small Galaxy will eventually make sense at some point too. It is an actual scene from the story.
In unrelated news, Irresponsible Irreverence has finally been given its own forum. I'm of course trying to encourage feedback and discussion of the strips, and I figured that's the first step in doing so.
According to the ongoing poll on TRHOnline.com, people want to see commenting fuctionality installed on UnCONventional. I'm working on a plugin for the site which will allow you to do so using a TRHOnline.com ID and should have it rolled out by next week. What I have to do still is to create the ability for anonymous commenting in the system, which it currently doesn't support. While I know a lot of the readers for UnCONventional are active on the site, not everyone is. My main concern is finding a way to prevent spam from getting through, which is (of course) the bane of my existence.
Or something.
Anyhow, I have something fun planned for Friday's blog - which hopefully the few of you who read my blog but are not at Geek.kon will enjoy. Or those who ARE at Geek.kon will enjoy on Monday after they wake up at 3pm.
Yeah...
- Traegorn
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A Simple Weekend Aug 30, 2010 - 9:33:54
 While this upcoming weekend I'll be galavanting off to Geek.kon 2010, Crysta and I spent Saturday and Sunday... not being exciting and instead just relaxing. Sometimes you just need to have some fun that doesn't involve complicated circumstances.
We started off Saturday morning with the slightly less fun event of getting to the bank so we could get Crysta on the checking account. We've been meaning to do so for a while, but just hadn't been able to find the time (as I work most of the time the bank is actually open). We managed it though, so we got to at least check something off of our list.
Crysta and I went out and saw "The Other Guys" that afternoon which was surprisingly enjoyable. That's right, I liked a Will Ferrel movie. I won't say much more about the film other than Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson's exit from the film is fairly epic and hilarious.
On Sunday, Crysta's brother Nick stopped in (as he had been visiting their sister in Ohio). He spent the night here before heading out for Milwaukee this morning. I like Nick quite a bit, and he's a fairly interesting guy to talk to. We spent most of Sunday night introducing Nick to "The Guild" as he'd never watched it before. We ended up going through the first three seasons (and the music videos, and "The Guild Sells Out"), but didn't show him the few released season 4 episodes.
Because that might have been overkill.
It really wasn't that exciting a weekend, but it was fun none the less. Having Nick come over was also the motivation we needed to finally get around to cleaning up the last of the post moving mess from our dining room (which still lacks the table intended for that space).
There was a ton of packing materials and empty boxes left in there, and now that we've cleared it out, the apartment feels significantly larger than it did before. Now all we have to do to get everything going is get the furniture from Crysta's Dad's house and we're all set.
That will be a bit of a chore though, as we're going to have to rent a vehicle large enough to haul said furniture (as there isn't really any way it's fitting in my Ford Escort).
In the end though, it was a simple weekend, and I that's exactly what we needed.
- Traegorn
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Loss of the Long Form Blog Aug 27, 2010 - 10:37:19
 I like reading what people think. I know it's a simple statement, but a truism none the less. The invention of the blog, a simple platform where anyone could easily share their ideas, is one of the best things that came out of the last decade in my opinion. And whenever I run a convention or attend one, traditionally I like to search the web to find out what other people thought about it. I like reading con reports, blog entries and all that fun stuff. One of my favorite tools to use over the years has been Google's blog search.
Unfortunately, it's been a tool of diminishing returns.
With the growth in popularity of sites like Facebook and Twitter, short form posts have become the norm. And while Twitter is open to all, the types of things you get there... don't exactly express a lot. Don't get me wrong, I use these services too, but when people switch to these as their primary descriptors of events you get things like "[Insert Con Name] was awesome!" or "[Insert Con Name] sucked!" It's not exactly an in depth analysis.
Heck, my LiveJournal friends page has become a practical ghost town. I used to read many, many entries a day, both public and private, and now I just see the occasional friends only. While it's true tools like Facebook and Twitter appeal to more people than long term blogging, people who used to be more than happy to write their thoughts out in considered length have stopped doing so.
And it makes me sad. I like reading what people think. I like knowing what's actually going on with my friends who are now far away. It gives a nice sense of connection. When it comes to researching cons, I like knowing that someone liked the Opening Ceremonies of a Con, but found the cosplay intermission was long and boring. It helps me understand what people think. It's like poor man's market research.
The blog is far from dead as a medium, but the personal journal blog is becoming an endangered species. I find it disappointing, but I really don't see anyway to stem the tide.
- Traegorn
[ Comments ( 7 ) ]
Please Stop Walking in Front of My Car Aug 25, 2010 - 9:01:14
 Dear Students of Purdue University,
I drive through your campus once a day to drop off my lovely wife. My car is old, busted, and not exactly in prime condition. It's high mileage and fifteen years old. When I need to, it takes me a little while to stop. So with that in mind, I am simply asking you:
Please stop walking in front of my car.
I fully respect right of way, and I understand that pedestrians have it. I would never challenge that, as I spent several years as solely a pedestrian -- walking everywhere, and never driving. I get it, trust me. But there's a level of awareness a pedestrian should have, and I think you guys are, well, lacking it.
I'm not sure if you've noticed this, but there are some lovely crosswalks scattered throughout your campus. May I proffer the advice that you actually use them? While you can just walk out in the middle of the block, perhaps you shouldn't. Can I also advise that you look both ways before walking into the street? While I know this is advice that we usually give to two year olds, I think it still holds true. Pausing for a second and looking both ways also signals to drivers you're going to try and cross the street.
It's good to let drivers know you're about to cross the street.
When you stride out into traffic randomly, especially when it's right in front of my car, it makes life significantly harder for all of us. As previously stated, my brakes may not be the most awesome things on the planet. You are putting both of us at risk, and... well... that isn't really all that much fun. Also, red lights and "don't walk" signs are not a suggestion. Consider it a bad idea to brazenly stride out into traffic against them.
I'm sure we can all find a way to safely share the road. If not, I may have to do some considerable body work to my Ford Escort.
Sincerely,
-Trae
- Traegorn
[ Comments ( 2 ) ]
Paving Roads is Bad Now? Aug 23, 2010 - 7:40:07
 Over the last few days there's been a new, bizarre ad running on the airwaves. You can watch it here on Youtube, and let me tell you, it will make your head spin.
My anger was peaked at the beginning - with the line "Are the streets of Hollywood paved with gold? No! They're paved with your tax dollars!" Read that again. While clearly they're attempting to invoke outrage by placing "Hollywood" and "your tax dollars" in proximity, anyone with half a brain should be doing a bit of a facepalm...
Hollywood is a place, and of course it's roads are paved with our tax dollars. As are the roads anywhere in the country (and technically, the commercial then cites a construction project on the Sunset Strip - which is in West Hollywood, not Hollywood). One of the government's primary jobs is to provide infrastructure for it citizenry. The commercial, paid for by "Americans for Prosperity" is apparently against... infrastructure? It gets stranger.
They then point out stimulus spending across the nation (from which their "Hollywood" example is only a minor part of) under the pejorative "pork" intending to anger you right off the bat. What they don't mention is that many of these projects were going to be done in the long term anyway, but their schedule was moved up in an attempt to stimulate the economy.
In other words, this was money we were already going to spend.
But hey, then they point out that this was happening "While America Lost 2.7 Million Jobs." So, they're saying that the construction jobs created by the spending didn't stem the tide of that job loss? That makes little sense.
They then say that this will cost every American family $10,000. I can't seem to find a source on that, and I'd honestly like to see where the hell that number came from. The only thing I can find is an article from the right wing think tank Heritage Foundation, which talks about balancing the budget, and they don't seem to have a source on it either.
I guess the message they're trying to send is that "Government spending on infrastructure is bad, even if it creates jobs which then allows those now employed construction workers to go spend money, fueling the economy - and better infrastructure so consumers can more easily access goods also stimulating the economy."
But you shouldn't be surprised. Americans for Prosperity was founded by David Koch of all people. You've probably never heard of him, but David Koch is one of the richest men in America and one of the people in charge of petroleum and chemical giant Koch Industries. Americans for Prosperity's causes have included claiming global warming doesn't exist (shocking, I know, especially from a group that gets funding from Koch Industries), and fighting against health care reform. This is merely their latest cause generated from wealthy self-interest.
- Traegorn
[ Comments ( 4 ) ]
Religious Freedom and American Idiocy Aug 20, 2010 - 10:57:22
 I talked about the Fourteenth Amendment last week, but today I turn my eyes towards the First Amendment. There's been a lot of noise from right wing pundits about the proposed "Ground Zero Mosque" (which is neither a Mosque nor would it be at Ground Zero), and frankly I just find myself getting angrier and angrier everyday.
I remember where I was September 11th 2001 when the planes hit. In fact I remember that whole day quite clearly. What I remember most of all though is my thinking "This is a criminal act." Nineteen people committed a horrific crime against humanity.
Nineteen individuals.
They were Radical Muslims, but the key word here is Radical. This wasn't a crime committed by Muslims so much as a crime committed by Radicals. Extremist forces exist in every religion. As a non-Christian, I don't blame Christianity as a whole for every abortion clinic bombing or the actions and atrocities committed in the name of Jesus (of which there are quite a few).
So why are people blaming Islam for the crimes committed by a group of Radicals?
The answer is simple: prejudice. There is a fundamental force of bigotry at the center of this outrage, and it's dangerous as hell. These are people who would blame over a billion Muslims for the actions of 19 crazy people.
And that's just insane.
Freedom of Religion is a founding principle of the United States of America. It's why many came here, and while writing the Bill of Rights it was important enough to put right at the beginning. We exist in a pluralist society, willing to accept more than one idea. Islam did not commit any crimes that day, and as a religion should not be blamed for the actions of 19 crazy jackasses. To supress those rights is a violation of our Constitutional principles, and I question the patriotism of those who would do so while still wrapping themselves in the flag.
This is a bit of an aside, but is it just me or does this and the 14th Amendment bashing make it seem like the 2010 midterm election plan for the Republican Party really feel centered on Xenophobia? Did they let the Klan start dictating their agenda or something? When you add in the fringe "birther" movement it seems like they've really gone round the bend lately.
- Traegorn
[ Comments ( 3 ) ]
Managing Marcus Aug 18, 2010 - 6:53:25
 So this week in UnCONventional Marcus, former central character of Room 825 and Full Circle, is making an appearance. He's been brought back for purposes of continuity (although I'm sure that it's not something anyone would have noticed) and won't really be dominating the plot at all.
Now, most of UnCONventional's readership didn't read either Room 825 or Full Circle, so for them Marcus is just some random character being tossed into the story. For those of you who really don't care about my earlier projects (especially since they've sort of disappeared from the internet), don't worry -- it's not really important. Everything you need to know about this character will appear in the comic.
It's weird though to resurrect an old protagonist for what is essentially a cameo. It's hard to keep myself from dedicating a lot of time to him, as I'm just so used to using him as a central character. Part of me wants to talk about what he's been doing. Part of me wants to talk about when he moved away, why he moved away, and what's kept him away from his friends for so long. But I can't. This strip isn't about Marcus. Marcus is not a main character, and I've only got so much time for my current storyline.
It's very different than when I brought back Lynn. Lynn was brought back as a main character. There's a lot about her I want to work into the story, but I have plenty of time. She's not going anywhere, and I can pace out the details as I see fit. Marcus though is going to just make some small appearances and not be seen from again. I have no time to develop him beyond "Co-founder of Bork Con, Moved Away, Close Friend of Lynn."
And that's too bad.
Marcus is always a funny character to me. He admittedly started out as an author proxy in Room 825, but his appearances in Full Circle diverged him from my own personality quite a bit. I have a habit of designing characters in pairs, where the two combined represent my point of view or personality, but neither one individually is really meant to be me. Full Circle had Marcus and Lynn for that very purpose -- but Lynn's been walking around on her own for months in UnCONventional. In fact, UnCONventional is purposefully not designed that way, and it's a bit of a departure from other things I've done for that very reason.
Well... that and the stick figures.
- Traegorn
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Adventures in my being stupid... Aug 16, 2010 - 6:26:17
 So I realize that while I mentioned this on my Twitter Feed/Facebook account, I never really explained what happened last weekend in detail with my car. My blog entries instead were about the site redesign and politics... neither of which had anything to do with my little adventure. I feel that I need to correct this, so today (a week late) I've decided to tell you why I, Trae Dorn, can occasionally be a complete idiot...
...and how it is demonstrated through my car.
My car no longer detects whether or not the driver side door is open. This is important to know. It has this problem because I, quite a while back, manually disconnected the sensor that told it. My reasons were sound, as my 1996 Ford Escort's driver side automatic shoulder belt got jammed. It originally was stuck in the forward position, but I fixed it so it would be in the back (and useful/safe/seatbelt-like) position -- but unfortunately had to cut power to the motor so it wouldn't burn itself out. As the power to this unit is one and the same with the door sensor, that meant that I no longer get a warning bell if I forget to turn the headlights off.
Needless to say, a week ago Friday, I forgot to turn the headlights off on my car.
The next night, at least 30 hours after I'd left them on, Crysta and I went out to the car as we decided to see a movie that night. We noticed something was wrong when the (functional) passenger side automatic seatbelt didn't move forward. I then noticed the lights were "on" (as the headlights were now dark) and the car wouldn't start.
I had, in fact, drained the battery.
Joy of joy, our plans for the night ruined, I then walked the 3/4 of a mile to Target and bought a car battery charger (as I lacked one). Try as I might though, the old battery had been far too discharged. No matter what I tried I couldn't get the (not that old of a) battery to accept a charge. This sadly meant one thing: I had to get a new battery.
Crysta and I own one car. This is important to note. So when I had to go purchase a new battery, I had to walk the mile and a half to the Auto parts store. This was not a big deal. The big deal was that once I had the battery... I had to walk home with it. For anyone who has had to carry a car battery before, imagine how that feels after you carry it for a mile. Now also imagine that the heat index is possibly over 100 while doing so.
Not a whole lot of fun.
Thankfully, a nice couple saw me in my slow, painful progress, and gave me a ride for the last half a mile home. I honestly don't know if I would have made it. I successfully installed the battery though, and the car is fully functional yet again.
But I'm still a bit of an idiot.
- Traegorn
[ Comments ( 5 ) ]
When to be Political? Aug 13, 2010 - 9:50:31
 So the blog post I put up on Wednesday generated some interesting discussion. For those who didn't read the post, I was talking about the negative ramifications of changing the 14th Amendment and why, as I put it, doing so would be "terrifyingly stupid."
I've obviously never been accused of hiding my true feelings on things.
The comments were interesting, and while there was disagreement, things stayed thankfully amiable. I've never been afraid to discuss politics, and over the nine years that I've been writing this blog it's come up quite a few times. I really do have strong political opinions, and have never been afraid to use my little web-based soap box to express them.
That said, one of the things I've been trying to promote lately (through advertising) is UnCONventional - my webcomic about convention culture. The comic is, for the most part, not political. Really, it should be accessible to anyone out of geek culture, regardless of their politics. My blog appears on the comic pages though, so that means that when I talk about political issues it may put off readers who would otherwise enjoy the comic.
It's a hard balance to strike. On the one hand, I don't want to start censoring my opinions and beliefs out of an attempt to promote the comic, on the other hand I don't want to offend potential readers. I really do want as many people to enjoy the comic as possible, as I believe it to be a fairly entertaining strip.
But I might just be saying that because I write it.
Okay, so I actually have never been afraid of offending people. It's not in me I don't think. And in the end I probably won't ever end up censoring myself either. But every time I talk about politics now, I think some voice in the back of my head is going to start asking "is this a good idea?" -- and I'll likely promptly ignore it and go back to writing about whatever I originally was going to.
Yeah, that's probably what's going to happen.
- Traegorn
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