Ai Wewei, Yesim Agaoglu, Stephen Black, Eugene Soh collaboration in gallery.sg
Nhung: Floating
Works created with ink
If one person can be said to symbolize the Tiong Bahru Market, it might be this guy in the hat...
Posted in Art, Artists, SPOKEN
Tagged art, artists, authors, collaborations, creative writing, network art, SPOKEN
THIS post was written before SPOKEN started. SPOKEN is a project I am doing with Eugene Soh, an experiment in which art, text, virtual reality and social media intersect. Learn about SPOKEN here.
To enter gallery.sg and experience SPOKEN, click here.
Here is the extremely short version: from 2002 until 2008 I was involved with a visionary virtual reality project that combined educational practices with gamemaking and multimedia. However, the spiritual captain of the project was part Disney, part Microsoft and part Sex Pistols. An unexpected death, treachery, incompetence, inexperience, bureaucratic boondoggles and more made my life "interesting"... I have pages of notes about the events and the spirit of the times. We were doing things like Youtube and Second Life before they started. The project was so close... and yet so far away. (Actually, now that mobile technology has settled down, I hope that the lessons and products of that experience can be revitalized. But that's yet another story.)
In 2006, as a way of showcasing our technology, I entered a gamemaking hackathon. A theme was given on a Thursday morning and the next day at five the results were judged.The theme was something about healthy eating, I think. Working with my programmer in Hong Kong, we made a game in which the viewer learned about the calorie count of certain foods. The player competed with an AI character. It was fun to do.
However, what I remember most was a team that made an incredible flash game. I don't remember if they won or not, but I do remember two guys on that team very well. George Parel and Eugene Soh were full of energy, knowledge and bursting with creative ideas.
They still are.
I've been lucky to work with George and Eugene on a few projects since then. In 2008 I finally had to put the educational gamemaking project on hold while I waited for a programmer and the mobile device situation to stabilize.I put more time into writing and art projects. George and Eugene (that dude from Singapore) however, have kept on doing remarkably creative things with IT, art, design and more.
Virtual reality may seem to be an artificial place, but the gallery Eugene has created fills me with memories and hope. I am honored and very thankful for I Ate Tiong Bahru to be on display in gallery.sg
Cheers, Eugene! Cheers, George!
Preface
This informal essay is my way of marking the end of a certain era in ebook history. It's part snapshot, part reference materials, part journal.At the end of this post are notes about me, my experiences and my books. Thanks to Doug Rolph for his insights on economics, Eric Hellman for his input and my dad for having taken care of our family by selling books.
το πνεύμα του Ιανού
After I finish writing eight books, I will begin marketing. Until then, I'll probably study the ebook world less and hopefully do more writing, arting and engaging with Life. When it does comes time for me to contribute to the marketing conversation, I hope I have something to say. For now, I present the following notes, quotes and thoughts as a means of punctuating a phase in the development of ebooks as I have seen and experienced it.
This is an exciting time. The ebook delivery platforms are finally stable, self-publishing has proven to have great value and a number of services have recently appeared that shorten the distances between readers and authors. It seems to me that indie ebooks and ebook marketing are about to enter a new era.
This blog post makes little mention of traditional publishing. This is simply because, as much as I would like to enjoy the benefits of being a Big 5/6 author, that fruit is not now within my reach. I am however, considering joining the Author's Guild.
Although I've done almost no marketing, I have studied the environments in which ebooks are created, presented, bought and sold. Some observations:
1. Except for uploading, nothing about ebooks is easy. Writing is the anti-social social media, full of long, long hours of pressure-filled solitude. Assembling an error-free book is never simple. The social part, finding an audience, is an immense challenge. I respect all of the authors mentioned in this post for they have successfully met these challenges and more.
Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work. Stephen King
Based on my experiences, the work breakdown of an 88,000 word novel looks something like this: 1000 words a day (88 days) or, more likely, 500 words a day (176 days). Call it 200 days to prepare something for a proofreader. Two months for corrections, art, and ebook conversion. So, a book takes about 300 working days to finalize. About... And then there are the thousands of actions needed to connect with readers... The title of Guy Kawasaki's excellent book says it all: APE, meaning Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur
This document, by Mark Coker, the founder of Smashwords, is a data-based analysis of the ebook market. Highly recommended, it covers topics important for newbies and veterans. It touches upon issues like word count, pricing, marketing and more. For instance, his research shows that the average bestseller on Smashwords is 100,000 words, and the average romance is 112,195 words. (There are more links to resources at the end of this post.)
Very few traditionally published authors became bestsellers; the same is true for ebook publishing. My goal is not to become a bestseller, but to connect with the largest possible community of people who enjoy the art of reading.
2. A great writer or a great marketer...
....or, the frustration of being caught between not doing enough writing and not doing enough marketing. A writer writes, a salesman sells.
Self-publishing does not equal self-marketing. Spending money wisely on promotion money means income and time to write. (See the links below)
Twitter, Goodreads, FB, LinkedIn and blogging? All have their advantages and disadvantages...
3. There are no independent, hugely successful ebook-only self-publishers. Note: Two days after this post went up, I became aware of this great piece by Dana Beth Weinberg on Digital Book World. Thank you Jacqueline Church!
Amazon is huge, Apple is huge, Kobo and Smashwords are very big. Unless you are selling from your own website or the back of your car, you're not truly independent.
OK, A bit of an attention grabber there...but the author's need for a partnership with Amazon and ebook distributors is a dependence that cannot be overlooked. These "automatic partners" will always protect their interests first. They call the shots. Amazon is a business, not an author.
Amanda Hocking is a hugely successful author. At one point, the average daily sales figure of her self-published ebooks was 9000. Again: average DAILY book sales: nine thousand! Her success was based on hard work, technological first mover advantage and an indirect tie-in with Hollywood.
Consider: -the successful and pioneering integration of ebook readers into tablets and mobile as well as the launch of the Kindle (2007) and the iPad(2010)
-the large demographic of young women who bought readers and tablets - the fact that, having written many books, Hocking could quickly provide a new and large market with a variety of new titles - writing books about the paranormal when Hollywood is pushing the same cannot hurt. Twilight, the hugely successful series of movies about teen vampires began in 2008. Hocking's first book, My Blood Approves, began selling in 2010.
E.L. James' book phenomenon began in the fan fiction chat rooms for Twilight. The characters in Fifty Shades of Grey were originally the characters from Twilight. Could Master of the Universe, as her series was originally called, have achieved its success without an existing network of thousands of Twilight fans?
These two women made their mark upon society in two different ways. As shared, collective book-based experiences: WOW! However, the writing is..."not terrible" or worse
I remember SF/F authors complaining (back in 2011) that their readers hadn’t switched to e-books yet, casting jealous eyes at the outsized romance audience. But as readers did move across, we saw people like David Dalglish and BV Larson breaking out, and the rest of “genre” fiction soon followed. http://davidgaughran.wordpress.com/2013/10/22/amazon-makes-life-easier-for-authors-of-historical-literary-fiction/
There are "indie success stories" about authors who "rode into town" on the backs of traditional publishing. Funded by Big 6 money these "indies" were advertised and publicized, sent on book tours and given things like business cards. Possibly, audiobooks were made. Hundreds, if not thousands, of their books were given away, many to reviewers. As the 'first mover'possibilities of the ebook market became clear and realistic, these authors, knighted by the Big 6 and armed with credibility and connections, rode onto a battlefield with little opposition... Undoubtedly hard work was involved, but to label them as indies brings to mind the quip about George Bush: "...was born on third base and thinks he hit a triple."
There certainly are "ebook only" indies connecting with many readers and enjoying sales. I just don't know of any. (FOUND SOMEONE: LINDSAY BUROKER Please tell me about others! them! Somewhat related to this, are there any "ebook only" awards?
Here, authors talk about their sales experiences.
4. The ebook world evolves to reward the reader; the prepared author benefits from this. Fan fiction. Goodreads. Ebook readers on mobile phones. The mashup between big data and metadata. Entrepreneurs with vision who see ways to connect authors and readers in a new ways.
It is an exciting time.
Ebooks: Born to Click, Part 2 of 3 visit www.blacksteps.tv for parts 2 and 3 of this post, as well as information on art, books and ebooks
Posted in ebooks
Tagged Amanda Hocking, E.L. James, ebooks, experiences, Fanfiction, Fifty Shades of Grey, history, self publishing resources
The ARt School (an example for discussion and learning)
An art school sets up a web based app. The school is not concerned with showing up in search or reaching anyone besides its students. The school and its students are happy that there are no downloads. The app allows one jpeg of a painting to be shown in AR.
One day, a teacher records a 10 minute video of herself talking about the painting's technical aspects and history. The app is capable of showing this video and the jpeg at the same time. A student creates a sculpture inspired by the painting. A Unity version of the sculpture is created, and the app shows this sculpture, the video and the original jpeg.
Choreographers, working with musicians and students specializing in Unity and 3D motion, create a short AR dance piece full of leaps and spinning. The app can handle the performance of the eight CG models...
The app can do all of these things and information is shared and everyone lives happily ever after.
I am planning an AR startup. The file size issue is a huge challenge. In the story about the school, the line about "no downloads" is probably incorrect.... or is it? We can watch movies on youtube without downloading them...
Is there any way to avoid heavy downloads for AR? I know technology will improve, but for now it seems like what I want to do could easily be 100 megs, likely much, much more. I have been researching how to "eliminate" file size, but have not yet found anything directly related to AR and progressive web apps... Finally, although I am extremely interested in programming and computer languages, I have only superficial knowledge about them.
Yes, I know about ARKit and ARCore, but have no experience with them yet. It would seem that they automatically must utilize the Apple/Google platforms. Plus, I am researching Vuforia, Wikitude and anything else that I discover.
Thank you for your time and comments.
onwARd,
Stephen Black
Here are some excellent posts related to Progresssive Web Apps:
https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-Progressive-Web-Apps-over-Native-Apps by Alex Russel, Google employee
https://medium.com/javascript-scene/native-apps-are-doomed-ac397148a2c0
https://hackernoon.com/the-wisdom-of-the-crowd-c7aff954bd5f
Posted in Uncategorized
The startup will generate revenue in the following ways:
- Software (original IP, and possible synergies with Unity, Google and Apple)
- Digital Products, AR and 2D (direct download to individuals, bundling and through online stores)
- Character Goods, Advertising and Licensing (SDW, TD, Bubiko Foodtour)
- Character and AR Content Creation for Third Parties
"the Pixar of AR"
AR is a new medium. There are countless opportunities for entertainment, business and self-expression.
The following are now being reviewed:
Startup Growth Calculator by Trevor Blackwell
https://techcrunch.com/2014/01/31/the-complete-quantitative-guide-to-judging-your-startup/
The 10 Most Important Metrics In A Startup's Financial Statements by Tomas Tunguz http://tomtunguz.com/ten-financial-metrics/
My company aims to be the Pixar of AR: original characters and software, with a surprise or two. Assuming that I am fortunate to receive one million dollars, how would the money be spent? Actually, I would prefer to bootstrap, but after ten years of only writing books and purposely doing no marketing, that might not be very efficient: it takes money to make money. It is said that bootstrapping teaches one how to earn money, while investor funding teaches one how to spend money... In any, event, the following exercise is good practice.
It could be as simple as...
250,000 for IT: research, model creation,programmers, cloud storage
250,000 for staff and rent (although I strongly believe that for the first year the company benefits most from being a "digital nomad" )
250,000 for promotion
250,000 held in reserve
Realistically, more detailed planning usually eliminates inefficiency.The first 18-24 months could look like this:
Model creation of 35 3D characters (textures,rigging etc.).200K Staff......................................................200K
Promotional Tour...........................................150K
Cash Balance on Starting Date..............................200K
Domain/Name/Cloud Services/Big Data.........................50K
Research:.................................................. 50K
Digital Marketing...........................................50K
Equipment/Storage Rental....................................50K
Start Up expenses...........................................50K
For now, the above is a good starting point.Elsewhere, I have started an Excel document that will go into much more detail on a month by month basis.
The Wall Street Journal Startup Calculator
U.S. Small Business Association Guide to Startup Costs
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Potential investors in my AR startup need to know the company's GTM strategy, GTM meaning Go To Market. Based on my experiences in teaching gamemaking, art and network television promotion; I strongly believe that live demonstrations and instruction are the strongest ways ways to gain users and create outstanding services for them. Although AR is simple to use, a deeper appreciation usually results when there is a personal connection. The advantages of watching and listening to users cannot be overestimated.
A carefully planned "digital nomad" approach to business growth/promotion/publicity/marketing can result in a large and diverse user base, as well as networking opportunities that are difficult to obtain online. This approach has been successfully tested, even without a product. The 2018 tour, properly funded and planned, will build upon the network established in 2017.
Starting in January, 2018, the tour is based upon a successful crowdfunding campaign concluding at the end of October, 2017.
EMU= Events, such as South by Southwest + Meet Up events, self-organized.
2017
NYC, NY DMWF Digital Marketing Conference, November 7, 8
2018
PARK CITY, UTAH Slamdance Film Festival http://www.slamdance.com/ January 18-25
PROVO, UTAH One of the top ten American cities for Startups and Entrepreneurs
ROCHESTER, NEW YORK
TORONTO, ONTARIO
Toronto Gift Fair, Canada’s largest, produced by Canadian Gift and Tableware Association January 28-Feb 1
MONTREAL, QUEBEC
Festival of Lights Feb 22- March 4
AUSTIN, TEXAS SXSW March 9-18
All In! Young Writers Festival, organized by the Singapore Book Council March 16-18 Confirmed participant, now developing programs for storytelling in AR and VR
Internet of Things/Iot Asia March 21-22,2018
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA
JAKARTA, INDONESIA
BANGKOK, THAILAND
HO CHIH MINH CITY, VIETNAM
HANOI, VIETNAM
HONG KONG, SAR
OSAKA, JAPAN
TOKYO, JAPAN Design Festa late May
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
PORTLAND, OREGON
SAN FRANCISCO,CALIFORNIA
SANTA CRUZ, CALIFORNIA
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA
LAS VEGAS,NEVADA
BOULDER,COLORADO
DENVER,COLORADO
NASHVILLE,TENNESSEE
ATLANTA, GEORGIA
MIAMI, FLORIDA
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK New York Comic Con
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK
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Since June 2017, I have been on a tour of Southeast Asia, building connections for my AR startup. AR is expected to become as common as GPS in late 2018. Until that time, education and relationship-building are necessary for success.
Stephen Black teaching gamemaking in Singapore
CHINA
Dragon Food Inc. "Dragon Food Inc is the largest soybean milk powder products manufacturing enterprises in China, with original fixed assets of more than 100 million, 10 million acres of Non-GMO soybean planting base, world-class testing equipments and advanced laboratory center. Permitted by China Green Food Development Center, we can use trademark of “Green Food” and “Certified Organic COFCC”. We are also certified by BCS OKO-GARANTIE GMBH to use trademark of “Organic Food” in both Europe and the US. Using 31 processes to extract protein from soybean effectively, we ensure the safety and healthy from the seed to dining-table and share with the world. And our products do not contain any chemicals, additives, preservatives, or artificial colors. http://en.primesoja.com/about/"
INDIA
Harsho- the award-winning graphic novelist
INDONESIA
JAPAN
Many others, including associates at companies such as Fuji TV and Sony, as the result of having lived in Japan for over twenty years.
MALAYSIA
Abby Hotel, Ipoh
Imagineering// second startup venture capital
Meraki tempe, Kuala Lumpur
SINGAPORE
Numerous experiences with Singapore Science Center, Ministry of Education and other institutions, as a result of a 15 year residence.Plus, extensive experiences in gamemaking and teaching gamemaking.
Singapore Youth Writers Festival 2018 Invited participant, focusing upon the relationship between writing and AR/VR.
Visual art, video art, haiku and photographs of Tiong Bahru Singapore and Ipoh, Malaysia. Stephen Black: artist, producer, author of the bestselling book, i ate tiong bahru. Bubiko Foodtour is AR's first indie superstar! Aroi mak mak!
Tiong Bahru Mouth by Stephen Black
Ipoh in August by Stephen Black and Bubiko Foodtour
This post is a response to the Singapore/Ipoh Causeway Exchange Project
https://www.facebook.com/tiongbahrumouthhaiku/
Support:
22 Hale Street Heritage Museum
Stephen Black is now completing an ebook of visual imagery called iPoh, iPhone. If you would like a free copy, send a reason why to bubikofoodtour atmark gmail.com. Bubiko is on Facebook.Share this:
In June 2017, public actions began for Bubiko Foodtour, a character who will soon be appearing in AR(Augmented Reality). These actions involve networking, photographing Southeast Asian foods for a Bubiko Foodtour book project and informing the general public about the possibilities of AR with examples such as these:
Additionally, my background with VR is explained, and these two projects are shared: Beach Road (a short 360 movie I co-produced with hiverlab) SPOKEN a virtual galley, curated by myself, co-produced with Eugene Soh and featuring a variety of artists and writers. Regarding my background related to my AR startup, this link and this collection of links.
Unlike Pokemon and other characters that have made an impact in AR, Bubiko is starting from zero: a grassroots, bootstrapping approach. Her base is being built in Southeast Asia, for two reasons. First, Bubiko is “ä littlë chef from Thailand”, who is currently researching Southeast Asian food for her book project.
Secondly, Southeast Asia is ideal for gaining the first-hand knowledge necessary to create successful international AR experiences. SE Asia is a complex, multicultural and expansive environment for gaming/digital entertainment. Lessons learned here minimize unpleasant surprises for a global launch.
We are now creating a Bubiko Foodtour mockup, one much more hi-tech than this: 
Although Bubiko’s character is now being created (in Z-brush), she is being introduced to, and discussed with, a variety of individuals, restaurants, companies and organizations.
Just as AR technology and Bubiko continue to develop, the following database will also expand, creating possibilities of many kinds. Also, not all of our plans and activities are outlined here; do get in touch if you would like to know more.
onwARd,
Stephen Black
ART
David Severn (UK/Japan)
Stephen Black (US/Asia)
Harsho (India)
Eugene Soh (Singapore)
Syauqi Kahar (Malaysia)
FOOD
Straits Affair Peranakan Food and Culture Specialists Melacca
Samm’s Farm Coffee producer/ two cafes Bandung Indonesia
Pizza Puzzini Swedish pizza in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Oatmygod Whole Wheat Snacks Taiwan
FUNDING DISCUSSIONS/LEGAL
- Singapore-based VCs
- Johor Bahru, Malayia-based VC
- San Francisco-based VC
- American/Asian IP lawyer specializing in IP
- colleagues and leaders of industry
TECHNOLOGY
Pet Shop Box Studio: specialist in digital stickers
Google seminar on VR for artists by Michael Neimark, Google's first artist in residence
Vive/NVidia bootcamp Google Earth VR and TiltBrush demo at Cooler Lumpur, KL
3D printing
NVidia
Imagineering
Unity
University of Monash (research)
VR Lab
Nearly every vendor of VR gaming software that we see!
SOCIAL MEDIA
Major push after Bubiko is officially ready
Posted in Bubiko Foodtour, I Ate Tiong Bahru, Stephen Black
Tagged artists, food, I Ate Tiong Bahru, network art, Southeast Asia
I’m multi-tasking; this short piece of writing hops across topics like Southeast Asian cuisine, Bubiko Foodtour, self-promotion, AR, VR, branding, racism, philosophy, and the meaning of life. In short: I’m rambling.
We get out of a Grab car in front of a McDonald’s. A young Malay is standing and eating soft ice cream. We ask where the police station is. He doesn’t know, but asks an elderly Chinese, who does. Both men are friendly. We quickly set off down the covered sidewalk. Our destination is the cart of a vendor who sells kidney bean soup and almond paste. The internet says he is near the police station and he sells out by 5, sometimes earlier. It’s now 4:30.
VRLab! I didn’t know there was one here. This morning I had exchanged emails regarding an interview with Dato Jack, VR Lab’s founder. From outside, I can see two women signing in. I enter, explain my connection with Dato Jack, and am allowed to watch. After a thorough explanation and simple instructions, the two women put on headsets. First, they move their heads in all directions, then they slowly manipulate their hands and arms, acquiring the skills to become virtual archers. I study all this because I am writing a book about VR and haptics, as well as planning an AR startup that will eventually expand to VR.
The TV screens in the room show me what they are seeing: a castle under siege. Suddenly, an axe-thrower attacks so suddenly that the woman with braids jumps. Her headset falls off. I leave after a few minutes, by which time they are fully immersed: crouching, cautiously turning and laughing. They are killing people with arrows.
We rush back outside. The sky is soft and complex: rain clouds/blue sky/sunlight/evening. The atmosphere is fresh and I’m glad to have a camera. We find the soup vendor. He’s surrounded by people, all of whom seem to have placed large orders to bring back home. Nearby is a truck stall selling assam laksa. The aroma is uniquely seductive, like a tart, mysterious fruit beckoning from a bed of homemade noodles.
We are soon seated at a rickety table, experiencing multiple foodgasms from the assam laksa, the kidney bean soup, the almond paste and a plate of perfectly fried kway teow that we couldn’t resist. We finish and head into the U-shaped market. In an hour it will be packed.
Ears of sweet corn! I can honestly say I am a farmboy from Ohio, with many memories of corn fields and corn roasts. However, the corn I picked and the cows I milked were actually in Michigan. (OK, full disclosure, about the cows: There was only one. I was a five-year-old visiting a farm with my family. And, yeah... I was too shy to squeeze anything.)
A sign for Pun Tofu! Word play that is not wordplay. I write, often about food. Eight books. One, i ate tiong bahru, is a national bestseller in Singapore. Stories about my IT/VR/AR adventures in Hong Kong and Singapore will soon be a series on Popularium. This trip to the market is research for the text part of Bubiko Foodtour, an AR project. A stall sells kuehs and this is good: I heart kuehs.
The sky is peacefully exploding. Sharply outlined clouds, bulging with water vapor, dissolve into darkening, ragged zones of blue and orange. More generators are started. The lights of the night market come on as the moon rises in a kaleidoscopic sea of twilight. We eat black tofu. This same stall had intrigued us at another market, but we hadn’t tried it. We watch it being made and find a table. Surprisingly, the chicken soup served with it has the taste of green tea. The news of the day encroaches unexpectedly: skin color and Charlottesville.
I remember an article I found while doing research. In a city in Malaysia, over an unspecified period, the police took action on illegal street vendors. The breakdown: 158 actions against Chinese-based businesses, 103 against Malay businesses, 31 against Indians and 13 on other races. The harmonious flavors in the black tofu soup are wonderful , but not enough to take me away from thoughts about Nazis, Communists and the White House.
We step into the crowd one last time, studying foods like nasi lemak, Vietnamese pizza and salt-baked chicken. Five blind Chinese, all elderly, sit on red plastic chairs and sing Chinese songs. A man plays acoustic guitar, a woman taps a tambourine. There is a bowl at the woman’s feet. We listen as we watch Murtabak Sam make pandan pancakes with bamboo charcoal flour. We call a Grab and wait.
Now, here on Medium, are some of my experiences, my reality at that market. As I wrote this I remembered scenes, recalled what I was thinking and added new thoughts. I input my data into the internet, and now it is all over the world.
…one kind of wonder after another kind of wonder, all in something wondrous...
I am doing a presentation in Kuala Lumpur about Toyo's work. The location is Tandang Records/The Zhongshan Building at Kampung Attap.
This link explains my relationship to Toyo.
This link goes to a series of posts about a photographic collaboration with Mee-Young Arkim. The posts outline some of my ideas on the art of photography.
The Japanese photographer in Bali Wave Ghost..
FA-Q was an artist with impact and a friend of Toyo's.
The Guardian on "the art-punk firestorm".
Rivington School: 80s Underground, book launch at Printed Matter
Special thanks to OUR ArtProjects and CC!
