I had to cut my Sundance a little short to make sure that I was able to get home in time to prepare for Australia this weekend.
I want to thank Bing, Tweethouse, Sony, Backstage, Screen Actor’s Guild, and Blackhouse Foundation for showing me an amazing time.
I especially want to thank Matix Clothing, Native Eyewear, Ergo, and Snowlizard. Thank you guys for the gear it looks great!
I was uploading photos throughout my short trip to the twitter @Sundancephotos for the very cool iOS app Tracks, check out the gallery here! Thanks for inviting me to be a part of your Sundance.
My new book is almost ready to drop. It’s the first art book I’m releasing in the states and I’m very excited.
It’s hardcover, large format, and full color. The book pushes together my photography, art, and writing into 100 glossy pages. MSRP $35.99. There’s little narrative, lots of stream of consciousness. I’ll post more preview pages when they’re cleared.
My graphic novel, Wilderness, is set to release later this year with an extended preview available at Wondercon.
My friend Jon Armstrong consulted on this comic for IDW. It’s written by Mike Costa and beautifully illustrated by Ryan Browne. I don’t usually review things, but Jon was kind enough to send me the first issue. I’m blown away.
There’s the old Clarke saying, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic” and this title takes that to an extreme. In the universe of Smoke and Mirrors technology literally IS magic, in the classical Harry Potter sense. You have a nod to the late Steve Jobs in a zealous CEO who introduces new magic-powered devices to the world, really showcasing how this world is different, but the same, from our own.
The protagonist is Terry Ward, an illusionist from our reality who has to now fight for survival using his wits and a box of tricks.
I love the pulp feel with the philosophical overtones. Really well done guys. I’m hooked!
Yesterday I was contacted on Twitter by Rick Holman, a self-published author who works in the media industry in New York. He’s been under a non-compete agreement for the last twelve years of his professional life.
In my current protest of Halifax Media and their practices I’ve been lucky enough to hear the stories of people who live under these blanket non-compete agreements. All of my speculation in the previous article was brought into sharp focus reading Rick’s blog, which can be found here.
If one thing is true, management makes sure to let me and others know in their own way that they are doing me a favor by giving me a job. I’ve lived with constant threats for many years and have had interviews with many companies that don’t want to hire me because I don’t have industry related skills. As far as the companies in my industry are concerned, some have met with me and have said in the end that they can’t consider hiring me since they can be sued and even receive a cease and desist letter from my company for hiring me.
In fact, one of the last interviews I had last year was with a company that liked my skills and wanted to consider me until they saw my non-compete. They felt that one of their products competed with the company that I work for. The frustrating part was that my company didn’t hear of this company and this company even admitted that we are not on your radar.
This statement along is enough to reveal crippling realities of these non-competes. They’re an instrument of fear. Fear of displeasing your employer. Fear from any company brave enough to consider hiring you. Fear of starvation if you’re fired. We often toss around the term “wage slave” but these far-reaching non-compete agreements, which offer no severance or safety net, are engineered to destroy the lives of anyone who does not agree with their employer.
This isn’t just about mavericks and renegade journalists, this is about every office problem that anyone has ever left their company over. Something as simple as the way a co-worker talks, smells, or walks. Forgetting to lock a door. Borrowing stationary. Any run of the mill gray-area that exists in every office becomes the battleground where these non-competes show their force. How can you look your wife or husband in the eye and say “I got fired because I didn’t meet my quota this month… and honey, I can’t work again for two years.” Show me a universe where that represents the American dream?
If you would like to support Rick in his struggle you can do so by buying a copy of his book on Amazon.com. It’s a murder mystery based around a radio station which is gripped in non-compete fear. It’s called 96 Rocks. The more people who buy projects like this the more people you’re helping break the non-compete cycle of fear.
Don’t forget to write letters and talk about this through social media.
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