August 6, 2003

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?

Posted by Jason at August 6, 2003 6:34 PM | TrackBack
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