28 April, 2009 | No comments

Toward the End of My West Coast Tour

So, hanging out in Los Angeles right now. Genkii was named to the OnHollywood 100 list, so we came down for the awards and to meet people about investment. Also trolling conferences and potential investors in San Francisco and Portland. Visiting family and friends. Stuff like that. Heading back up to the Bay Area Thursday, then Oregon on the weekend. Later that week it’s back to Tokyo.

What is this? Not so much an update as another lame excuse for why I never update this blog.

On the writing front, I’m still posting stories at The Daily Cabal. There’s some fun short-short stories appearing there, so please check out the work that’s posted and leave comments.

24 March, 2009 | No comments

Where The Hell Have you Been, Ken?

Well, there’s this company, Genkii, that has been around about a year now. I’m CEO, so, I’ve been a bit busy. The Sparkle virtual world app for the iPhone and One Coin Comics (comics and manga) for the iPhone. We’ve got a lot on our plates.

I am still writing - including the two first comics applications for our One Coin Comics platforms. After we release those, we’ll be opening up the comic platform to other writers. More on that later!

I’m writing with The Daily Cabal, a group of writers doing flash-fiction. Be sure to check that out. New stories every weekday.

And I have some stories trickling out in magazines and anthologies. I’ll try to remember to update as they release!

My Twitter feed is much more active, of course, so keep up with me there. You can also find me on LinkedIn and Facebook.

11 September, 2008 | No comments

Long Time No Blog

I’ve been crazy busy. I started my own virtual world and social media consulting company in Tokyo this spring, so that — and the travel that goes with it — has taken a lot of my time.

That said, there are a few things in the writing world to talk about:

1. Quillpill is a micro-fiction tool that allows you to read and write on a variety of devices, from PCs to mobile phones. You write in a similar way to using Twitter: 140 characters at a time. Check it out. You can find my writing here. There’s a literary magazine to go along with it, and the first issue includes an article I’ve written one of my pieces of flash fiction written via mobile phone. You can buy a copy of the magazine here.

2. The Daily Cabal is a group of writers around the world that post a new piece of flash fiction every weekday. I’m now writing there. You can see what I’ve written here.

11 September, 2007 | No comments

Twittering One-Line Movie Reviews

You see how often I update my blog. I’m going to go ahead and Twitter my One-Line Movie Reviews now, so that I at least update that part of my life…

I’m here:

21 June, 2007 | No comments

Asia, Portland

Wow. Said I’d keep this blog current, but I’m a slacker. I bitch at other people about not keeping their blogs daily and look at me. Hmm.

Also, I’m off to the Platform International Animation Festival in Portland, Oregon next week. Should be a good time. I’ll be speaking on the last day about Second Life and other virtual worlds.

A quick recap: Spent May in Singapore, Indonesia, China, and Japan.

A few days in Singapore, where it was hot and sticky. The city itself was a bit to sterile for me, but the people were great. There was a lot of good food, but alcohol was outrageously priced. From what I understand, an alcohol tax instated to discourage drinking never really did its job, and it’s still in place. Met many new people and future partners, and also saw friend Saori and Dustin who were visiting from Tokyo. Dustin: as you may have noticed, the beer is strong in Singapore.

A day trip to Indonesia was enough to let me know that I want to travel that country sometime soon. We really didn’t have time to see much, as it was just a boat trip from Singapore to Batu Ampar and then wandering through the street markets for the afternoon and evening.

A short stay in Tokyo, where we went out with Centric’s Japanese partner company, Metabirds. We also spent a little time at our Nihonbashi office, and hung out with friends.

Then off to Shanghai for a few weeks, where we met with more friends, had a slew of meetings, and ate and drank a lot. Two trips to Beijing squeezed in as well. Met with HiPiHi, the soon-to-launch virtual world.

A few days in Hong Kong. We were supposed to go sailing while there, but there was a thunderstorm warning and that was called off. Since our plane had been struck by lightning on descent into Hong Kong, we understood the precaution. Great beer and food in Hong Kong, and some new and old friends and family.

Back to Japan for a week. So many meetings they all blur together, but we saw friends, explored, and talked to many companies doing virtual world development. Also took a side trip to Osaka, where we hung out with our friend Naoki. I attempted to visit my cousin, Yukiko, but she was in Nara and hadn’t gotten my messages. Next trip.

Returned to Los Angeles dead tired, of course. And ready to do it again.

Pictures from the trip soon.

2 May, 2007 | No comments

Coachella 2007

So, I’m in Singapore, and haven’t really woken up yet. It was a 19-hour flight, after all. More on that later…promise.

How about some highlights from the Coachella Music Festival in Indio, California? First, I decided to skip some of the first day’s gigs to finish up work, then do the 2 hour drive to Indio. That turned into a 7.5 hour drive through the Interstate 10 parking lot, from L.A. all the way out there. Missed Tokyo Police Club, Sonic Youth, Bjork, Interpol, and several others I wanted to see. Luckily I’ve seen them before.

Saturday was another late start, but caught Travis, the Decemberists, Andrew Bird, Blonde Redhead, the Arcade Fire, Kings of Leon, Red Hot Chili Peppers. Andrew Bird was the surprise. Very good. The Arcade Fire sucked live…badly. The lead singer to Kings of Leon looks like my friend The Grapedonk.

Sunday was Amos Lee, Lily Allen, Kaiser Chiefs, Explosions in the Sky, Placebo, Damien Rice, Manu Chao, Willie Nelson, Air, Against Me!, The Lemonheads, Crowded House, and Rage Against the Machine. Obviously a good day. Amos Lee was great, but I got bored. I went to see what all the fuss was about Lily Allen and decided it was nothing…overrated and strung out. Love the Kaiser Chiefs but I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t want to party with them and the lead singer’s ego. Explosions, Against Me! and Placebo put on awesome shows. Manu Chao was wacky, Willie Nelson was somehow not out of place, Crowded House was 80s. Damien Rice got his set cut 20 minutes short by Air, which pissed me off. This is the first time I’ve seen Rice with a full band. He’s incredible.

Rage put on the show everyone expected, sounding like they’d never left the scene. I’m down with their music (saw them last in 1993) and their lyrics — well, except the part about killing white people, which would pretty much screw me over, yeah? — and it was certainly an energetic display. But I’ve got to wonder about Zack de la Rocha’s real reasons for quitting RATM years ago. Was it really to pursue a solo career and study South American folk music? Or did he just look around one day and realize he was living in a $7 million mansion, had a couple cars, and naked chicks at his feet, and start feeling a bit hypocritical about his band’s politics? He’s like, “Wow…I’ve got all those things I complain people don’t have…hmm.”

Now he’s back, and I like the idea of revolution, but watching people my age jump around and sing “Killing in the Name” doesn’t really do it. A call to revolution at midnight in a field with 100,000 sweaty people who’ve just spent the weekend in 100+ degree weather watching live music? No one had the energy to revolt.

Now, Zack’s starting to look like Wayne Coyne from The Flaming Lips. Seriously. Check out these pictures:

.

I wonder what it means?

To end it off, we wandered over and saw The Lemonheads for a bit. Poor guys…there were only about 50 people watching, but they put on a good show. Hard to face off against Rage.

16 April, 2007 | No comments

Science Fiction Conventions in Japan and China!

This press release prepared by David Brin goes out to anyone interested in science fiction and fantasy in Asia. For anyone interested in attending the upcoming conventions in Japan and China this fall, take a look. I’ve set up a mirror site for the Chinese convention at www.chengdu2007.com — with a blog and a forum. Please join, comment, and ask questions!

Press release follows in English and Japanese. Chinese coming soon:

The “Science Fiction Year in Asia” is expanding, with another meeting in China, prior to prior to the World Science Fiction Convention in Yokohama.

Prof. Yan Wu has announced a one-day academic conference on “the recent development of science fiction in China and the world” to be held August 21 at Beijing Normal University. U.S. attendees will include Worldcon guest of honor David Brin, Prof. Janice Bogstad and others, along with Chinese writers, scholars and representatives of the burgeoning Chinese film industry.

The event will offer an opportunity for foreign guests to visit the Forbidden City and Great Wall along with other sites, while learning more about the world’s largest market for SF. Those interested should write to yan_wu98@yahoo.com in order to be put on a mailing list as travel and hotel arrangements are set up.

Following that one-day meeting in Beijing, there will be the much larger three-day gathering — the “2007 International SF/Fantasy Conference” in China’s great inland city of Chengdu, August 24-27. Sponsored by SF World, the top Chinese science fiction magazine and the SF publication with by far the planet’s largest circulation. Chengdu is noted for history, pandas and renowned Sichuan cuisine.

A web site: www.chengdu2007.com is partly completed. Anyone tentatively interested can log into the website’s FORUM in order to ask questions and be put on a notification list.

Under discussion: a journey by train, from Beijing to Chengdu, stopping for a day at the historic city of Xian - home of the famed “terracotta soldiers” and the tomb of the First Emperor.

After the SF World conference, there appears to be a convenient flight from Chengdu to Tokyo (via Shanghai), for those heading on to the Yokohama Worldcon (www.nippon2007.org).

(People with experience helping to organize trips like this one are invited to help! Either by joining the forum discussion at www.chengdu2007.com or by writing to kenbrady@gmail.com or davidbrin@sbcglobal.net.)

This may be a great opportunity to spread contact between occidental SF communities and the largest, fastest growing market of science fiction literature and media, as well as participating in a unique and historic milestone in our field.

Here’s the announcement in Japanese. Thanks to Yuki Saeki for the translation!

横浜ワールドSFコンベンションの事前に行われる中国のイベントにより「アジアのSF」が拡大する。

ウー・ヤン教授は8月21日、北京師範大学で「現代の中国と世界におけるSFの発展」と題した学究的コンフェレンスを開催する。アメリカからの参加者はワールドコンのゲスト・オブ・オーナーであるDavid Brin、Janice Bogstad教授などが含まれる。中国からは著名な作家、学者、映画業界の代表者などが参加する。

世界最大のSF市場について学習するついでに、紫禁城や万里の長城など様々な北京の名所を観光してみてはいかがだろう。ホテル、交通を予約するにはyan_wu98@yahoo.comに連絡し、メーリングリストから情報が得られる。

北京のコンフェレンスに続き、さらに大規模なイベント「2007 国際SF/ファンタジーコンフェレンス」が8月24〜27日の３日間、成都で開催される。このイベントは、中国産SF雑誌の最大手であり、世界最大の発行部数を誇るSF Worldがスポンサーする。成都は歴史のある街であり、日本でも人気な三国志の名所、パンダリサーチセンター、四川料理などで有名だ。

ウェブサイト：www.chengdu2007.comはまだ部分的にしか作られていないが、興味のある方はFORUMから質問が書き込めるようになっている。

検討中事項：北京から成都へ電車の旅。途中「兵馬俑」と始皇帝の古墳で有名な西安に一泊。

SF Worldコンフェレンスの後、成都から上海経由で東京へ行く便利なフライトが出ている。横浜ワールドコンの詳細はwww.nippon2007.orgまで。

（このような旅行を計画した経験のある方で手伝ってくれる方大歓迎です！www.chengdu2007.comからフォーラムに参加するか、kenbrady@gmail.comまたはdavidbrin@sbcglobal.netに連絡してください。）

これらのイベントにより、西洋のSFコミュニティと急速に成長しつつあるSF市場の間に繋がりができるだけでなく、中国独特の歴史を知る良い機会になるはず。

13 April, 2007 | No comments

Weird Al

Went to see Bill Plimpton’s animated film Hair High and “Weird Al” Yankovic was there talking about Plimpton and the video for “Don’t Download this song.” Very cool. Hey…at least we both look like long-haired dorks. Not that we are. Either of us…er…yeah.

Check out this pic of Ken and Weird Al at Laemmle Sunset 5

13 April, 2007 | No comments

Wineass Live

Wineass is going well. I think we’ve shot episode #115 now. Time to do a live event! The owners of Weeneez and the Red Dot Gallery and Bistro liked Wineass enough to invite us to do a live taping at their place. Come join us. Here’s the press release:

“The Grapedonk,” Comedic Video Wine Reviewer, to Entertain at Weeneez and Red Dot Bistro in Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA. Wineass.com has slated the evening of April 21st for the first public appearance of “The Grapedonk,” the most popular independent video wine reviewer on the internet. Wine reviews will be taped live in front of an audience for later podcasting on Wineass.com, iTunes, Revver, YouTube, and TasteTV.

The Grapedonk, known for his raunchy, wine-related humor, has been described as “Woody Allen’s hick cousin,” and “long-haired, foul-mouthed dude reviewing cheap wine,” and has built a following of tens of thousands of fans on MySpace and beyond. His no-holds-barred reviews on sub-$20 wines have been lauded by wine industry insiders as a “breath of fresh air,” and “valuable insight into what the general public thinks about wine.”

Grapedonk cheerfully admits he’s no sommelier. “But I know when something tastes like crap,” he said. “And if you ain’t having fun with your wine, people ain’t having fun with you.”

Event Information

Weeneez/Red Dot Bistro
500 South Spring Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013
Saturday, April 21, 8:00 AM

Representatives of the media are welcome to attend.

Wineass.com is the most popular independent wine video podcast on the internet, with over 100 episodes produced since September 2006. Wineass looks for wines from an outsider’s perspective, choosing inexpensive wines and rating them on a simple 5-point scale, then delivering the reviews in comedic form.

Weeneez and Red Dot Bistro are innovative venues in downtown Los Angeles, featuring a hot dog restaurant, gourmet food, a wine and beer bar, and an art gallery—under a single roof.

For more information, contact:
Ken Brady
ken@wineass.com

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