The recent controversy surrounding Kathy Sierra has lead many people to call for, or rail against, a blogger's code of conduct. The foundations of this idea, namely human censorship and ID verification, are both unwise and unnecessary. This short essay lays out my reasoning, based on recent research in social psychology and computer-mediated communication.

The Chimera Mythos: Tales of Gnostic Horror

H.P Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos is built upon the existential shock of realizing that the universe is an incomprehensible, mindless, aimless thing that doesn't care one bit whether you live or die. For twentieth century readers, that's not always such a shocking revelation. This is my attempt to work the same magic with a mythos that speaks to modern audiences: the existential shock of realizing you're not who, or even what, you think you are.

Shaping Online Behavior through User Interface Design

The best solutions to social software's most pernicious problems already exist. Peer ratings and recommender software could be combined to predict which posts a forum user will want to read. Treemaps could help community members browse, ignore, and promote the content as they see fit. Other visualizations, like this Community Map, could help lurkers evaluate new communities. All of these techniques influence the arrangements of social consequences that control antisocial behavior.

 

Memes, Communication Technology, & Cultural Change

My first foray into the deep magic of meme theory. I describe how various telecommunication technologies (writing, radio, television, and the internet) shape society by exerting different selection pressures on the meme pool. In the age of broadcast, this meant a powerful "mainstream" culture dominated by the wealthy. The internet is increasing diversity in the meme pool and accelerating the pace of cultural change. See, it's not just for porn.

Sanctum

I've been writing monthly columns for RPG.net since 2001. My latest brainchild explores under-appreciated settings and genres. It's also a stage on which my fellow indie game designers can showcase their talents. Each month, a new author casts the demon-hunters of Sanctum into a different time and place

Action Scenes!

This column has become a core resource for fans of my indie role-playing game, Wushu. Each installment deconstructs a new place to set a fight sequence, from a city bus to Santa's village.

Bag o' Nifties

My first column ran for two years and covered a wide range of role-playing topics. It was the crucible in which many of my published game were refined. My personal favorite is "Glass Room Interfaces."

 

  

At the Gallows

The tendency to portray werewolves as lone predators robs the wolf of its most terrifying aspect: the pack. Written for my Erebus setting, this short story tells the final tale of Lord Drake Gallows, werewolf hunter extraordinaire!

The Celeb & the Cyko

The cyberpunk genre is showing its age. Ubiquitous computing and augmented reality will change the world in ways we can only imagine... which is where science fiction comes in. This short story is just a sneak peek at a much larger setting.

Good of the Many

This was the first short story I ever wrote. It's chock full of all the florid prose and melodrama you'd expect from a high school student. Still, I rather like it.