25th

Cunning has usurped intellectualism as the supreme virtuosic expression of intelligence.

9th

Client.


"What's this?"



Developer.


"I call them a stick and a stone."



Client.


Cool. What do I do with them?"



Developer.


"Ah, er, whatever you need to do."



[time passes]




Client.


"Wait If I find some rope, I could strap this stick to this stone.... and I could chop those trees down faster!"



[does so]



"Cool."



[Client starts cutting down the tree]




Developer.


"Hey, that's pretty cool! What do you call it?"



Client.


"An axe. It's great for cutting down trees."



Developer.


"Sure is. Why don't I take a look at it and see if we can give you something better?"



Client.


"Great!"



[Client gives Developer the Axe]




[Weeks pass while the Client sits amid the forest without his axe, stick or stone.]




Developer.


"Done! Take a look."



[Client takes the new invention]




Client.


"Er, what the hell is this?"



Developer.


"I call it a fork."



Client.


"What am I meant to do with this 'fork'?"



Developer.


"What do you think? Eat food better. See its got three prongs to help you pick up your food, and then you can just bite it off. Its also made of what we call 'metal'. Its stronger and harder then wood."



Client.


"Ohhhkay."



Developer.


"Try it."



[Developer wanders off]




[weeks pass]




[Developer returns. Client is still using their stick/stone axe to cut down trees.]




Developer.


"Why the hell aren't you using the fork we made you? Its got three prongs and its made of metal. Its genius."



Client.


"But I want to cut down trees."



Developer.


"You're meant to be using the fork. Use the fucking fork. That cost a lot of money to develop!"



Client.



[Client reluctantly starts trying to chop down trees with his fork. Surprisingly, success eludes him.]




Developer.


"ARGH! Look, let me show you."



[Developer takes the fork. With patronising slowness, he digs the fork into his potato and lifts the potato to his mouth. With his mouth wide open, he slides the potato off the prongs and lets it drop.]



"See. Now you try."



Client.



[bangs his head against the tree stump]

VoodooPad 3

VoodooPad 3 is out.


(Voodoopad is a nice desktop wiki for OS X)

I thoroughly recommend it as a tool for writers of all persuasion. Why? Cause writing isn't a linear process. By writing, I mean in the whole gamut of building a storyworld - your characters, your plot, your locations, your language, blah blah blah. All the stuff which gets condensed into the actual screenplay, novel, short story etc. When you're in this place, researching your story, your mind shits web spirals. You need to be able to capture that without being caged to linear physicality (hence index cards, notebooks, whatever)

Voodoopad is a great way to harness that process and to find new links, figuratively and literally, between ideas. I guess its kind of a self-theorising-object. I would happily release my voodoopad file when my script is done...

Anyway, the new version is out now. It has Tabs. AWESOME!.

(Though it's a .0 release, so its a bit buggy in some little ways)

(I'm also using VP to plan my sojourn overseas. Its a great way to organise all the info I need in one file. Hell, I might even export it all to my iPod!)