ChrisTalbot.com

"Side projects" has been a phrase I've been throwing around a lot in my casual speech lately. I guess I feel cool by saying it, like I'm some kind of important guy who's about to break into stardom or some such B.S. The truth is I do these side projects in the hopes of keeping my name out in circles other than the technology industry and just for the fun of it. However, a lot of the projects I'm involved aren't full-time jobs for anybody, so I can get pretty confused about what's going on at times.

So here are things I've been involved in over the last several months and kind of where I stand with each of them:

Mysterious DVD Review Site: Ooo ... mysterious, eh? I've written here and there about how Tom and I are working on a DVD review site focusing on news and reviews of independent, obscure, bizarre and cult films on DVD. Well, the site is going ahead fairly well, but we haven't stuck up a placer page or officially announced it. For now, I'm still keeping tight-lipped about the site on my blog. Tom and I are hoping to actually launch it sometime in the spring, and it might actually be a timeline we can hold to. The construction of the site is almost done (although we'll be updating manually, as neither of us have any clue about building or maintaining a backend posting system -- eventually we'll figure it out, though). However, we haven't exactly filled it with oodles of content yet, so it looks pretty bare for a DVD review site. Can't launch like that ... but soon.

Game-Over.net: Not a clue where I stand here. The last thing I wrote never appeared on the site. If it sucked and wasn't worth the space on their servers, nobody told me. I guess my involvement is kind of on hiatus until I hear otherwise. Oh well. Click here for GO.

N-Advanced.com: The pair that started N-Advanced are in the process of selling it and launching Advanced-Gamer.com, which is a video game site that covers all platforms (PC and console). In theory, I'll do some work for them once the new site is up and running, but I don't know when that will be. So yeah, another of my projects has more or less hit a wall. Click here for N-Advanced and here for Advanced-Gamer.

FlamesRising.com: This is one project I don't think I've mentioned. I've chatted with the editor via email and Yahoo! Messenger, and I'm supposed to be doing a couple of book reviews and pen-and-paper roleplaying game reviews. Frankly, in this case, I'm just a lazy fucktard. I've been reading Stephen King's The Dark Tower series from the beginning in the hopes of being able to read all the way right through as the last two books get published this year (assuming King meets his deadlines). With that in mind, I haven't even looked at the books I promised to review. Sorry about that, Matt. ... Shit. Now I feel bad (as I should). I'd better get going on my work for them and stop dicking around. Definitely click here for FR.

CanadianGamer.ca: Really, it's Mohamed at CG that spawned this blog. After my stint at Total Gamer, Mohamed was one of the first guys I contacted about doing some video game reviewing/reporting. Well, I got an email from him today. After several months of being on hiatus, CG is getting back on its feet. The site has a great name, and I'm hoping I'll be able to contribute in the coming months. You can't call yourself Canadian if you don't CLICK HERE.