Suart Tracte and Josh Wolff talk MMOs and gaming.

A structured conversation on gaming and MMO’s

Podcaster Stuart Tracte and web designer Josh Wolff share a unique history: though both only recently met IRL, both have logged thousands of hours – literally hundreds of  days – inside World of Warcraft, the world’s most successful MMO.

Gaming, historically relegated to social realms populated by computer geeks and creative nerds, is now undeniably mainstream. The critical and financial success of social games like the recently released Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Skyrim further validate the medium.

Speculation on the alleged addictive nature of MMOs has been a persistent media narrative for years, and the games are undoubtedly designed to be sticky. World of Warcraft, published by Blizzard Entertainment, currently claims north of ten million subscribers, each paying a 15-dollar-per-month fee. Blizzard, in an effort to sell the idea of community and address allegations of MMO addiction recently funded The Raid, a documentary that chronicles the lives of a Guild (a group), in-game and extra-game. The 2010 documentary Gamers, while short and simplistic, does a good job of breaking down the mechanics and culture of MMOs.

Stwo, Wolff, and I (with a special cameo by @JoshSternberg) discuss the history of console and PC games before jumping in to a lengthy discussion about the mechanics of WoW. We wrap the conversation with a few deeply personal stories of their individual time spent in-game.
A Structured Conversation on Games and MMOs by danpatterson

About: This post summarizes (social)media reports from the #OccupyWallStreet protests in Zuccotti Park in Lower Manhattan. A real-time summary can be found on Storify.

Update; Sept 25th: I spoke with many protesters, police officers, journalists, bloggers, and bystanders. I documented my experience on Twitter and Google+. The quick and dirty takeaway is that the protest as a unit is smaller and less focused than the media hype would have you believe. Yet many protesters, as individuals, are well-educated, articulate, and share a common frustration with the economy, lack of socialized health care, and Wall Street “gambling.”

Update; Sept 27th: This morning I swung by Zuccotti Park en route to WTC 1.  The protest size, energy, and focus seemed, more ore less, on par with what we saw on Sunday. The group remained relatively small in number, but gained strength through the morning as protesters rose from make-shift beds  (tents are not allowed) including air-mattresses, tarps, and thick blankets. I updated the Flickr photoset with a few snapshots. I’ll revisit the park later this week and will summarize the post on Storify as the protest continues. For strong, in-depth analysis of the #OccupyWallStreet protest I strongly suggest you read Josh Sternberg’s report.

Update; Sept 3oth: The protests today were significantly larger, more organized, and more alive than previous days.  A police officer at the scene estimated that three thousand people were packed in to Zuccotti Park. While the political and social message of the protest remains as diverse as the attendees,  the protest group itself is significantly more organized and appears to be gaining momentum. Through the afternoon the group – and accompanying police and media presence – grew substantially. A sense of electric excitement rippled through the protesters as members of the New York City Transit Union - flags waving - joined the group. At approximately 5:3o protesters marched from Zuccotti Park, up Broadway, towards City Hall and One Police Plaza.  Through the late-afternoon and in to the evening protesters dispersed through lower Manhattan, settling again at Zuccotti Park as the sun sank and rain approached. As the protest and occupation of what is now being called ‘Liberty Park’ continues I too will continue to report and produce media from events.

Update; Oct 3rd: A chilly, drippy rain fell on #OccupyWallStreet this evening. Reporter Josh Sternberg and I revisited Zuccotti Park, spoke with a number of protesters and bystanders, snapped a few shots, and grabbed additional video and audio (below). The protest was smaller than the throng gathered this previous the weekend, but more substantial than the week prior. A police officer estimated this evening’s crowd to be ‘several hundred.’ Given the rain and cool temperatures, the protest was lively as ever. Tarps protected mattresses and inflatable beds from the slow, cold rain. The sounds of a drum circle rang through the park, accompanied by occasional chants and one-off shouts. Additionally, the group is beginning to show signs of organization. While the protest message remains diverse, a make-shift ‘media tent’ (a large umbrella protects a few laptops and other broadcast equipment) has sprung up and protest signs display more ‘policy’-oriented messages than in previous days. I won’t be able to cover every major event of this ongoing protest, but I will do my best to continue reporting through the entirety of the event. Much thanks to Xeni at BoingBoing and the TWiT gang for their moral support of this social journalism project.

Update; Oct 7th: Last Friday rumors of an alleged Radiohead concert drew a large crowd to Zuccotti park and #OccupyWallStreet. This week beautiful weather and an increased media presence – both traditional and social – helped swell the protest group. Along with @JoshSternberg I recorded several pieces of audio (see below), shot a few more photographs, and conducted a few more interviews from the protest. Of note was our discussion with a food truck vendor parked outside the protest. Vendor Abdul Mubarek has been parked near Zuccotti Park for the past six years. On a typical Friday afternoon Abdul makes about 300 dollars per day. During the protest he’s made only 80 (audio interview link). And yet, Abdul supports the protest. While the protest message remains muddled (and maybe that’s the point?), the protest has matured. What began as a rag-tag gang is now an organized, smart  Along with the oder of several hundred protesters, a sense of self-confidence and an air of inevitability now wafts from the ‘occupation’ of Zuccotti Park. For more information on this week’s visit to #OccupyWallStreet please read Josh’s post. **Coverage Note: To help share individual #OccupyWallStreet stories – pro and con – I have created a Google Voice number to which individuals can call and share their personal feelings about the protest. The number is:  (347) 422-6491.

Update; Nov 2nd: For the first time in several weeks I returned to #OccupyWallStreet at Zuccotti Park in Lower Manhattan, accompanied by anthropologist and old friend Quentin Lewis.  // #OccupyWallStreet has evolved over the past several weeks. When last I visited the encampment, the protest was still in the process of self-actualization. Many events have occurred since October, and#OWS movements have sprung up in cities across America, and the world.  //  The world is trying to make sense of #OccupyWallStreet. In the past few weeks, the movement has achieved main-stream press adoption, celebrities have visited – and funded – the movement, a href=”http://www.onthemedia.org/2011/nov/04/public-radio-journalists-and-political-expression/”> part-time web producer for WNYC was let go for her participation in the movement, and a late-autumn snow storm struck the Northeast region.  //  Of course, the journalism hook is difficult to decipher. It’s important to note that much of the coverage of the movement is  split along two lines: analysis of meaning, purpose, and identity (a tactic preferred by pundits), and ‘process journalism’ – reporting little more than the facts of events. While I’m constantly tempted to engage in analysis and punditry, I’m more comfortable - ethically and practically - with process journalism.  //  To that end, I simply attend, observe, and report (as heard on Soundcloud here, and in a set here). Now, the tarps and mattresses on the ground have been replaced by tents housing cozy sleeping bags. Human-powered bikes provide electricity and tarp-covered structures provide shelter to marked zones of ‘Comfort’ and ‘Sanitation.’ Quentin, the ever-insightful academic, noted that this infrastructure is necessary for both practical reasons like riding out a long winter, as well as fulfilling social needs like strengthening the community mission. No doubt, #OWS is changing, adapting, and evolving. Of course, the media narriative will evolve along with the protest. Through the cold months ahead I will continue to visit movement’s spiritual and physical headquarters and report on it’s evolution.

Update; Nov 15th: Early this morning, acting on a court order, New York City police descended on Zuccotti Park in Lower Manhattan and dismantled the ‘tent city’ village that was #OccupyWallStreet. During the day police, protesters, and media jostled for tactical space, literally and metaphorically. As of this evening the future of #OccupyWallStreet remains opaque. What’s clear is that which once was a a small town and community of activists, students, and city homeless is now an encircled but empty battlefield.

Live from #OccupyWallStreet by danpatterson
The Sounds of #OccupyWallStreet by danpatterson
Audio Recorded on September 30th, 2011

#OccupyWallStreet in the Rain by danpatterson
Audio Recorded on October 3rd, 2011

#OccupyWallStreet Grows by danpatterson
Audio Recorded on October 7th, 2011

#Anonymous at #OccupyWallStreet by danpatterson
Audio Recorded on October 7th, 2011

Food Trucks at #OccupyWallStreet by danpatterson
Audio Recorded on October 7th, 2011

#OccupyWallStreet – Tent City by danpatterson
Audio Recorded on November 2nd, 2011

#OccupyWallStreet – The Game Has Changed by danpatterson
Audio Recorded on November 2nd, 2011

Flickr Photoset of Snapshots Taken Between Sept 25th and Oct 3rd, 2011

Video Shot on September 30th, 2011

Video Shot on September 25th, 2011

Video Shot on October 3rd, 2011

View Larger Map
September 3oth Approximate Protest March Route

#OccupyWallStreet

Along with the @abcnewsradio team I helped to cover the 10-year anniversary of the attacks on September 11th. I manned the social media ‘desk’.   Using a Google Voice number  followers shared short audio memories of September 11th.  I pruned and edited the audio submissions then uploaded each to Soundcloud. During the ceremony I  slowly released short segments via Twitter, Tumblr, and Google+.  Below is the full collection.
Voices of September 11th by abcnewsradio

Image: Lyons Press

This interview was initially posted for @abcnewsradio and can be found here.

How to disappear completely and never be found: an interview with Skiptracer Frank Ahearn

Frank Ahearn, author of How to Disappear, is a Skiptracer: he helps locate ‘lost’ individuals. Perhaps more importantly, Frank helps people disappear. In this interview with Dan Patterson from ABC News Radio, Frank details common information mistakes, subtle privacy slips, and how best to erase your footprints, online and off.

From his days as a documentary filmmaker in San Francisco to the New York technology scene, Scott Beale has been on the forefront of emerging culture. Best know for his work as web curator Laughing Squid, Beale bridges the gap between traditional and social media.

In this interview with ABC News Radio’s Dan Patterson, Beale discusses his humble roots as an artist in San Francisco, the many iterations of the internet, and the rise of social platforms like Twitter and Tumblr. Beale and Patterson go in-depth with a focus on the the rise of social media journalism and how groups like Anonymous and LulzSec influence web identity.

An interview with Brooklyn DA Charles Joseph Hynes recorded during the 2010 Liz Claiborne ‘Love is Not Abuse‘ radio row in New York. In this interview Mr Hynes discusses the services provided by the Borough of Brooklyn to threatened and abused women, and the practical steps women can take when in need of help.
Interview: Brooklyn DA Charles Joseph Hynes by danpatterson

This post was originally created for @abcnewsradio and can be found here.

Andrew Hyde is a successful entrepreneur, founder of Startup Weekend, and organizer of the TEDxBoulder conference.

By all rights Mr. Hyde should reside in an expensive Manhattan condo and dine at the most exclusive restaurants.

Instead, Mr. Hyde owns just 15 things and is currently homeless. After leaving his job as community organizer for the New York-based start-up incubator TechStars, Mr. Hyde sold all of his posessions and traveled the world. He now moves through the New York and Silicon Valley technology scenes, mentors young companies, and is currently building a business that creates art from old vinyl records.

In this podcast interview, ABC News Radio’s Dan Patterson talks with Mr. Hyde about technology, innovation, and digital materialism.

This post was originally created for @abcnewsradio and can be found here.

Max Brallier, author and marketing representative for St. Martin’s Press, discusses the future of digital publishing with ABC’s Dan Patterson.  Brallier, author of Can YOU Survive the Zombie Apocalypse and the new Kindle-only Vatican Assassin Warlock, describes historic publishing models of marketing and distribution, then contrasts tradational methods with non-traditional digital publishing. While the mechanics of publishing have changed dramatically in the past decade, Brallier asserts that the creative process remains remarkably similar.

Download Audio

This post was originally published on ABC News Radio.

– — –

Jay Adelson of SimpleGeoDan Patterson of ABC News Radio interviewed Jay Adelson – CEO of geolocation company SimpleGeo – at the 2011 SXSW Interactive conference in Austin, Texas.  Adelson, former CEO of social news company Digg, talked about transitioning from leader of a consumer company to executive of an enterprise infrastructure business.  Additionally, Adelson spoke about the future of geolocation and how the SXSW community has matured over the past five years.

[Enclosure]

This post was originally published on ABC News Radio.

– — –

Dan Patterson Interviews Ze Frank at the 2011 SXSW Interactive ConferenceDan Patterson of ABC News Radio interviewed internet cult hereo Ze Frank at the 2011 SXSW Interactive conference in Austin, Texas.  Frank, best known for his work on the web video hit ‘The Show,’ is developing a game company called Star [dot] Me that provides rewards and positive feedback for ‘good’ work.  In this interview Frank discusses leveraging adult playfulness in the workspace and and how viral content can lead to a more happy and productive life.

[Enclosure]