Digital DIY
I love ebooks, but as a format they're a real pain in the ass. If you're not already An eBook Person, getting started is a labyrinth of confusion; you can either sign up for one of the big user-friendly platforms like Kindle, which lock you into using only their bookstore and can delete the books you've bought any time they like, or you can buy from a DRM-free platform and (in most cases) download an EPUB file that most devices can't natively read.
I'm sure this is why webnovels remain a popular storytelling format, and it's one of the big reasons I like to serialize my stories online. As user experience goes, it's hard to beat "click link, begin reading." Up until now I've been using Ko-fi to post and paywall my work, but unfortunately Ko-fi's UX for longform posts kind of ... sucks. For you as the reader, and also me as the writer.
My other options for third-party services are either Patreon (similiarly terrible posting experience, increasingly sex-negative content policies) or Substack (overrun by Nazis). And neither of those offer the kind of granular control I want over content navigation and reader UX.
... Which means, as usual, I'll probably just have to build something myself.
New on Ko-fi: "Moriarty & Moran Contribute to Community Welfare," Chapter 2
Behind them, the door opened.
There was just the one exit, and a severe shortage of places to hide. Sebastian only had about half an excuse formulated when Jay grabbed him by the shoulders; Sebastian’s back hit the row of lockers with a metallic rattle and thud. Instinct briefly took over, muscles tensing to fend off the attack—but Jay’s body against his was by now a familiar sensation, and the sense of threat evaporated.
Especially once Jay’s mouth sealed over his.
Chapter 2 of "Moriarty & Moran Contribute to Community Welfare" is now up for all supporters on Ko-fi. If you're not a fan of serialized works, you can also get the entire novelette as an ebook.
This Week's Links
Green’s Dictionary of Slang is the largest historical dictionary of English slang. ... On this website the dictionary is now available in updated online form for the first time, complete with advanced search tools enabling search by definition and history, and an expanded bibliography of slang sources from the early modern period to the present day.
... I've no doubt that everyone reading this can think of at least one system where they've thought "I can't believe I'm at the mercy of a person that isn't even thinking". Frequently their rules are not even rules, they're just phrases that competent people used to say, and eventually they became well-known enough to become fake-able signal.
... Enron wanted to put some wind farms into a special purpose entity (SPE) in such a way that it didn't own the wind farms but still got the tax benefits from owning wind farm. Normally, SPEs were supposed to be completely separate from the company they're linked to. The person who runs the SPE couldn't be an employee or family member of an employee of Enron.
...but it was 1997. Legally, gay relationships weren't marriages. So Enron got the male partner of one of its leaders to run the SPE.
Possibly both the best and worst thing that ever happened to me was learning to use the computer.
-K
