Smooth McGroove on the Upvoted Podcast, timestamp 17:45:

It’s such a niche thing that I had going, and still do. Not a lot of people played these video games, especially in Oklahoma. Most people that I’d encountered had heard of Zelda and maybe played a Mario game or something like that. Whenever it came to the people that I encountered day-to-day, most people would have never been supportive of this. They would have just said, “Oh, that’s a fun thing but keep your day job.” It was really the feedback that I got back from the Internet that gave me enough confidence and willpower to reinforce my own drive to do this.

It was April of 2013. I quit giving [drum] lessons, I finished up my last semester at college, and from then on it was a good year-and-a-half straight of just singing, recording, mixing.

On fans:

The fact that they were willing to not only watch a video or listen to a song but make a comment under the YouTube video or buy a song from one of the places I license with. It was when I started a Patreon that they were willing to donate a dollar for every video I put out.

All of these things coming together was huge for me. It felt so big. It felt like… I can’t even describe it really. It was that feeling that allowed me and gave me the confidence to squash not only the doubts, but to push forward the stuff that I really wanted to do, which was make music in some form, some way. It just happened to be through this video game music platform with me singing all the instruments.

Upvoted is the newly debuted podcast from Reddit. Every episode is hopeful and inspiring, especially for silly dreamers.

My personal favorite McGroove jam here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iW_Ct49H1ng

Find all of Smooth McGroove’s albums on iTunes.

Adi Robertson, The Verge:

How much of it is just an act? How much does it actually matter? How much empathy should we feel when we read something that genuinely seems like a cry for help, when the entire premise of modern-day trolling is that the internet is just a giant game of make-believe, and you’re a fool to do more than point and laugh?

None of this is encouraging, especially when you know that just mentioning it puts you in the crosshairs, too. It doesn’t prove that there’s some hidden decency to reach or some way to impose offline consequences (I haven’t looked up anything about these people’s real identities, and I don’t plan to.) It doesn’t prove anything about what kind of person does this, because someone’s web presence doesn’t necessarily indicate much about their everyday lives. All it proves is that this isn’t some barrage of throwaway insults in a vacuum. Given enough time, whether it’s created out of deep resentment or teenage thoughtlessness or deliberate, sociopathic calculation, even the most one-dimensional troll mask can start to come alive.<

Great read.

Matt Leone, Polygon:

When we launched Polygon’s cover stories last year, I wrote that one of our goals was to do something different each month. One month could be a behind-the-scenes story on a AAA game, like we did with Call of Duty. Another could be a feature about the fall of a company, like we did with THQ. And this month, we’re trying something else — instead of posting one feature, we put together an online magazine about Japan’s game industry.

I’m just now dipping into this collection. 17 stories, gorgeous cover art, and a jukebox; a brilliant take on the digital magazine. The effort and resources Vox Media puts behind their editorial continues to amaze and inspire. Really looking forward to experiencing all this has to offer.

I’ve spent the better part of my career in technical support roles; hours upon hours equating RAM to freeways and CPU-cores to cooks in a kitchen. Countless individuals taking backup advice with a “ya, sure” and a head nod. People terrified over the word “server” and unassuming over the word “cloud”. It baffles me how such basic knowledge is so foreign.

We spend large parts if not the majority of our days wrapped up in feeds and phones, devices and displays. How is it that none of us understand the fundamentals of how they operate?

I am not talking about the Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) behind everyday objects. I am not talking about teaching higher level concepts or tinkering with “niche” concepts like geometry, chemistry, or physics. I am talking about the everyday. I am talking about principle understanding of devices we fear to go without. Tools we use more than anything else in our lives!

Why is it that computer classes are electives? Why is it that those enamored with video games are the only ones expected to understand the relationship between browser tabs and RAM? Why is it that those obsessed with science fiction, participating in chess club, or enrolled in AP classes are the only ones expected to understand the severities of hard shutdowns? Why should cookies, encryption, or battery drain be mysteries to anyone born into today’s world; mysteries to those touching unfathomable technology at 12-months-old?

This is not STEM. This is fundamental. This is commonplace. This is home economics.

Wikipedia:

Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS), also known as home economics, is the profession and field of study that deals with the economics and management of the home and community.[1]The field deals with the relationship between individuals, families, and communities, and the environment in which they live.

As a subject of study, FCS is taught in secondary schools, colleges and universities, vocational schools, and in adult education centers; students include women and men. It prepares students for homemaking or professional careers, or to assist in preparing to fulfill real-life responsibilities at home. As a profession, it includes educators in the field and human services professionals.[2]

The field represents many disciplines including consumer science, nutrition, food preparation, parenting, early childhood education, family economics and resource management, human development, interior design, textiles, apparel design, as well as other related subjects. Family and Consumer Sciences education focuses on individuals and families living in society throughout the life span, thus dealing not only with families but also with their interrelationships with the communities. Other topics such as sexual education, food management, and fire prevention might also be covered.

Not a single mention of computers, yet nearly half of our time is spent in front of a screen. (Source: KPCB)

The misunderstanding or incomprehension of OS differences, dot-version subtleties, and computer languages can be expected. What should not be expected is the misunderstanding of “memory” versus “disk space” or the incomprehension of a kilo/mega/giga/tera/petabyte.

I do not fault those without basic computer knowledge or those born into this embarrassing system. There are simple things about computers I’m sure I do not wholeheartedly understand. There are simple things I use every day that I don’t understand. I drive a car to work and still have a very little idea of how it operates. I’m intimidated by the cable, electric, and gas lines in my home. Hand me a toggle bolt (yes, I had to look it up) and I would swear it was a missing piece from an Erector Set. I’m a music junkie and I still have a hard time wrapping my head around the technology behind vinyl records and cassette tapes, let alone speakers themselves!

The lack of basic knowledge about the technology we utilize day-in and day-out, the technology we can’t go five minutes without touching, tapping, refreshing, or waking gives me chills. I’m sure I get more pleasure from solving technological problems for people than most, but I sure as hell get tired of the same questions day-in and day-out. I know this is much bigger than a blog post, but his needs to stop. Redefine Home Ec 101 and make it mandatory.

Desiree Echevarria:

I have a pretty apathetic stance when it comes to McDonald’s — I don’t love it, but I certainly don’t hate it the way some McDonald’s-shamers do. But I recently got a new job with an office within walking distance of a McDonald’s. And since I generally don’t care about what I put in my body when I’m in the middle of a work day, I gave it a try. On the outside, it looked like a perfectly normal McDonald’s — in fact, even a little boring, as it’s attached to a run-of-the-mill corporate office building. But when I walked inside, my jaw hit the floor.  The restaurant had all these bizarre statues on display in the eating area. And I mean BIZARRE.

Possibly the most hilarious/terrifying thing you’ll see today.