AMZN Cyberpunk Crapshoot: %Randomized/Control?Sam[le

Anti-Anxiety Coloring Books and Dirt Wizard Radio

GOOD MORNING

I fell asleep at 10 p.m. last night. Big news here. Still woke up at 5, but I feel rested, and that means it’s time to do a post. I’m choking down the dregs of my morning drink (AG1 and Four Sigmatic Defense) and looking forward to drinking some Starbucks brand gingerbread coffee out of my Cyberpunk 2077 mug that Rios got me for Christmas. It says WELCOME TO NIGHT CITY. Easily my favorite gift in a long time.

It’s cold outside. We got the Polar Vortex. Yesterday, driving my wife to work, 50 mph winds pushed light snow across the road. Felt like driving through a B-movie vampire castle. Snow cyclones on the side of the road, too. Coolest weather. Coldest winter ever.

RANDOMIZED CONTROL SAMPLE

Do you suffer from anxiety? Are intrusive thoughts keeping you up late at night, when you should be resting and preparing for another day full of intrusive thoughts? I have good news for you: there is a Cyberpunk 2077 coloring book for anti-anxiety available on Amzn.

You can find almost anything turned into a journal or a coloring book these days. I got Rios a True Detective themed notebook for Christmas (it was a stocking stuffer) and when you open it up there’s a Live Laugh Love style intro page. Jarring for a notebook that is themed around Ligottian nihilism and serial killers, but these online sellers copy and paste the interiors and slap a cover on. We’ve reached full low-effort IP Disrespect.

As a side note, there’s something to the “coloring book as anti-anxiety” thing. It’s simple. You sit down and focus on one thing for fifteen, twenty minutes. You can sell anything as “anti-anxiety” if it’s not connected to the 24/7 FEED of our lives. An anti-anxiety whittling kit, an anti-anxiety puzzle, literally anything that gets you to quit staring at your phone and focus. Much to consider, there.

I found a series called Liquid Cool by Austin Dragon that surprised me. It’s got the juice. You’ll be surprised to hear that it’s got real writing in it, not the clunky pat drivel typical of 95% of writing these days. Does it always work? NO! But neither does anything else. It’s a ten-book series, and I could see them going down smooth. Will report back. Meantime, check out the sample:

Night Hunters by Alex Ziritt and Dave Baker looks cool. Haven’t read it yet but this is the “random control sample,” remember, which means that we can discover these things together. My initial impression is that the cover is sick and the interior looks great, too. I’m all about indie comics.

PODCAST ROUNDOUP: SOAPBOX PROPAGANDA (ABBERATION EDITION)

The Agitator Patreon is humming along. Kelby and I decided our numbers were good enough to start paywalling episodes. We’ve got four up so far, including two with guests (Jack Mason of The Perfume Nationalist and Adam Lehrer of Safety Propaganda). We also talk about the 2017 stop-motion dystopian BLAME!!!-influenced Junk Head. One man made this over seven years, building the sets, capturing a million frames for his two-hour saga of a “Human” exploring the depths of a future world where worms live in walls and Trees give birth to mistakes.

I appeared on the Soapbox podcast hosted by Reverend Janglebones and Kurt. Most fun I’ve had on a show in quite some time. These guys have got it. Kelby and I talk all the time about how to exit “the Discourse” and get to a “third way” of approaching life in the 2020s, but these guys, humble and friendly, have figured it out: you do it by having a strong understanding of spirits, flow, and just who or what exactly represents the REAL enemy (any force that seeks to imprison you; there are many ways to be imprisoned). I just felt so ALIVE after talking to these dudes. We chatted for the first hour and change about the masterpiece comic Scalped, then got into ghost stories and “the death of the innocent question.”

Ryan Jackson invited us on to talk about Fist of the North Star for his podcast Mutual Aberration Society. I always appreciate his perspective on things, as someone who makes a living as a screenwriter. This one is heavy with talk of independence and hustle and “getting it out the mud” as Kelby would say. Also, since my podcast appearance schedule is packed, I’ve had to learn how to multitask: this one is fun because I’m changing diapers, playing with my son, and making breakfast, chiming in whenever. This is the future of podcasting: living life while you do it.

THAT’S IT FOR TODAY

I have approved all of the Broken River collective to post on Bestseller. They’ll be dropping book recommendations and essays that document their journey towards selling a ton of books.

We hope to provide you with entertainment and lightbulb moments.

Stay warm, Northern Hemisphere.