Asides

I found myself inserting a bunch of asides in front of the book list, so I decided on a separate post. Thoughts:

One: I’m amazed by the amount of stuff coming out, mostly within 12 to 15 months of each other. It’s a tad overwhelming to have a tsunami of research hit your research shores as you’re trying to write a dissertation (I know, I’m sure it happens all of the time).

Two: Once again, I’m tempted to dust off my php/mysql skills at give a go at a simple online bibliography database. Does anyone use something – preferably *online* – to maintain a bibliography? I would want to be able to enter URL entries as well as print/’traditional media’ entries. I have ProCite, but it doesn’t seem to be saving me a lot of time, especially since it’s not terribly transportable. And nothing is more boring that data entry…

Three: I want custom spider search software, where I built complex searches that might take days to complete, but I get very detailed data that includes textual, graphical, and temporal (like, tracing timestamps) representations of relationships.

Four: DiGRA seems like a great idea, but it kills me that I have to register (and thus pay) just to use the site. I know, I know. I’m cheap. But after years of graduate school, only now a new employee on a regular paycheck (while still trying to write my dissertation), and expectant father, I guess I *should* be cheap. You don’t make a pittance year after year and survive without being cheap – especially in the DC housing market, which borders on extortion (I’d give exact numbers on previous years’ paychecks but, quite frankly, I get a little embarrassed about how poor I’ve been).

Five: I need to get cracking on my links compilation. Several text export files of links just ain’t cutting it anymore. I’m going mad with disorganization. OCD kicking in hyperdrive … (brought on by the fact that after I dug through a bunch of research, I remember the website Game Culture, which had compiled some of the stuff I just spent time doing. *sigh*)

Six: Is there one site that holds a comprehensive, data-base driven archive of articles, books, and websites dedicated to gaming? DiGRA might, but lord knows I can’t find it on the site… Digiplay has some stuff, as does Game Culture. Anywhere else?