Author: Wil

I’ve got a big old interview up at Slashdot today (read at +5 for the best signal:noise ratio), so I’m closing comments until the storm passes.
I also found a few really cool things on the Make Blog this morning that I wanted to share:

• How to make a mosaic from Post-it notes. Man, I wish I had the time and patience to do one of these things!
• The DIY Production Suite — free (as in beer and speech) software that anyone can use to create movies on a budget. This dovetails with what I wrote yesterday about doing things outside of the mainstream.
• Cars that drive where you draw. Draw a line on the ground, and these cool little cars will follow it. They’ll understand visual code, too, so you can tell them to speed up for jumps or slow down for curves. Sort of makes the lane changing aspect of my 1981 sltcar set a little less impressive.

Last year, I donated an autographed Dancing Barefoot to a charity auction benefitting St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.
This year, I donated an autographed Just A Geek. If you’re interested in getting an autographed copy, and you’d like to help the children, or your favorite hobby in the world is looking at things on eBay, you can use This Link to the auction to do your thing.

I spent much of last week writing, editing, and rewriting my seven month overdue “Ask Wil Wheaton Anything Part Deux” answers for Slashdot. I don’t want to steal /.’s thunder, but I just happened upon something that supports one of my answers, so I’m going to steal just a tiny little bit right now.
I was asked a question about doing creative things without getting crushed by “the system” in the process. Part of my answer is:

Here is the most important thing I can tell you: You do not need the so-called traditional channels of distribution to get your work to an audience, and you’ll probably be happier and more successful by not going through those channels. I’ve done it both ways, and self-publishing and distributing was more fun, more creatively satisfying, and much more financially rewarding than the indescribably frustrating process of doing it the other way.

Because I’m so picky about music, I’ve always relied on word of mouth to find new stuff that doesn’t suck. Ten years ago, I spent a lot of time wading through a bunch of crap on KXLU or Rodney on the Roq, hoping to discover a couple of good new bands, and occasionally I’d luck out with a great opening act at a concert, (like when I saw Redd Kross open for The Butthole Surfers way back in 1992, or CornMo open for They Might Be Giants last year). In this Brave New World of media consolidation, it should be harder than ever to find new stuf . . . but thanks to The Internets, the opposite is true. Earlier today, I came upon a band called AeonSpoke. GrapeJuicePlus describes them as “a bit of Radiohead, a bit of Blur, a lot of good stuff.” I couldn’t agree more. The band has made a couple of their tracks available as MP3 files on their website. Here are my two favorites:

• Emmanuel
• No Answers

Ten years ago, I never would have found out about this band, or been able to buy their music, unless a major label picked them up — and they’re from right here in California! Thanks to The Internets, this band has been able to take the traditional means of distribution out of the equation, and bring their music directly to me, the audience. That is why this whole revolution is so goddamn cool.

Holy shit, it’s really happening:

Mr. Wil Wheaton,
Congratulations! The World Series of Poker is the most prestigious Poker event
in the World. This is your receipt for $10,000 for your deposit for WSOP Event #42. Your randomly assigned, computer generated first day of play is Thursday, July 7, 2005 at 11:00 a.m.
Upon your arrival at The RIO, to finalize your reservation and to receive your table and seat assignment, please visit the “Will Call” window located in the Tournament Area. You must complete your tournament registration at least one hour prior to your event. Please be prepared to provide proof of identity via a Drivers License, Passport or Military I.D.
This year’s WSOP events will no doubt be the largest and the most exciting Poker Event in history. Harrah’s continues to lead the industry in creating an innovative gaming experience for valued guests. Harrah’s and the Tournament Staff sincerely wish you “GOOD LUCK” and we look forward to seeing you at the final table.
Robert Daily
Manager, Tournament Poker

Dan Harrington won the WSOP in 1995, and made back-to-back final tables in 2003 and 2004. His two books are the best guides to tournament play I’ve ever read, and by studying them, my game has improved tremendously. I’ve learned so much from him, I’ve got a lot of excitement to go along with the terror about playing in the WSOP.
I listened to the Lord Admiral podcast this afternoon while I mowed the backyard, and found out that Barry Greenstein has a website, where he ranks several of the top players, as well as some celebrities who he’s played with. At the end of each player ranking, he shares an anecdote about the player.
They’re all great, but I absolutely loved this anecdote about “Action Dan”:

When Dan made it to the final table of the 1995 World Series of Poker, he proposed a nine-way settlement to the other players. He explained how they would each get enough money that they could invest it and be rich. Chuck Thompson, one of the players and a friend of mine, rejected the idea and told the other players that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make a million dollars. One by one, as each player got knocked out, Dan tried to sell the idea, even offering investment counseling. There were no takers and eventually Dan came away with the full million.