Conrad Zero

Dark Fiction Author

Follow Me on TwitterFollow Me on FacebookFollow Me on Google+Follow Me on GoodreadsFollow Me on Amazon
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Stories
  • Author
  • The Cult of Zero
  • Contact

Free Writing Tool – Zenpen.io Simplifies Writing

June 20, 2016 By Conrad Zero

It doesn’t get much easier than zenpen.io. If you figured out how to view this blog post, then you’re qualified to write text and save it using the wonderfully minimalist and completely free writing tool.

You type in the big open area. You hit Save when you’re done. If that’s too complicated for you, then you’d probably have trouble figuring out a ball-point pen without an instruction manual. In which case, you might wanna consider another medium, like maybe yell your stories out loud at the Mall of America courtyard. Good luck.

Zenpen’s features are accessed through four buttons (maximize screen, light/dark, target word count and save text) and there’s a question mark (about) at the bottom of the page.

Setting the target word count activates a thin meter on the right side of the page. It goes up the page as you type, turning green when it hits the top of the page and you hit your target word count.

Aptly named, beautifully minimalist, and completely free, zenpen is a great way to minimize distractions including those of the writing software which promises to make writing easier, but just clutters up your life. (You heard me, Scrivener.)

If you’re looking for something similar to zenpen, but with online storage and features like stats tracking, google docs sync, and export directly to ebook formats, check out novlr.org. (Monthly fee required)

Zenpen was created by Tim Holman @twholman There’s a whole list of his code antics on his website. (Check out The Finger for an LOL.) BTW, the code for zenpen is open source on github.

Official Website: Zenpen.io

Filed Under: Cool Website, Free, Great Software for Great Authors, Software, Tech Stuff, Uncategorized, Writing

Dark Fiction Review – Blade of the Destroyer (The Last Bucelarii Book 1) by Andy Peloquin

August 21, 2015 By Conrad Zero

[easyazon_image align=”right” height=”500″ identifier=”B012EI9M4A” locale=”US” src=”https://conradzero.com/wp-content/uploads/41YjDU7S1AL.jpg” tag=”zero00b-20″ width=”337″]Blade of the Destroyer by Andy Peloquin is an exciting new novel in the Grimdark genre. Spectacular fight scenes, wonderful world-building, and an interesting plot all add up to a dark fantasy story you won’t want to miss!

From the Publisher:

The Hunter of Voramis is the perfect assassin: ruthless, unrelenting, immortal. Yet he is haunted by lost memories, bonded to a cursed dagger that feeds him power yet denies him peace of mind. Within him rages an unquenchable need for blood and death.

When he accepts a contract to avenge the stolen innocence of a girl, the Hunter becomes the prey. The death of a seemingly random target sends him hurtling toward destruction, yet could his path also lead to the truth of his buried past?

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Books, Dark, Fiction, Gothic, Review, Uncategorized Tagged With: This Post Contains Affiliate Links

Marvel’s Ant-Man Makes Interesting Promises (and Apologies?) Regarding Female Superheroes

July 29, 2015 By Conrad Zero

Ant Man Movie PosterFor such a small movie, Ant-Man carries a lot of weight.

As someone who grew up on a steady diet of Marvel comics, it’s hard not to be a fan of the Marvel series of movies. The latest entry, Ant-Man, did not disappoint. In fact, it had all the light-hearted, actiony fun of Guardians of the Galaxy. Disney would be proud.

But as someone who enjoys (and writes) kick-ass heroines in my fiction, it’s hard not to be ticked off at Marvel (and DC, and Hollywood in general) for leaving the ladies on the back burner. Sure, Black Widow, Rogue, Storm, Gamora, Scarlet Witch, et al. are definitely included, and they do kick ass, but by now it’s blatantly obvious they are in supporting-roles-only, and they don’t get their own movies.

Fans have been begging DC for a Wonder Woman movie for over a decade now. Instead Warner Bros coughed up Catwoman. And Marvel isn’t helping.

Hey Marvel, where’s Dazzler?

Hey Marvel, where’s Zatanna? [Read more…]

Filed Under: Culture, Etiquette, Movies, Review, Uncategorized

Reflections on 4th Street Fantasy Convention 2015

July 6, 2015 By Conrad Zero

Fourth Street Fantasy Convention 2015

Photo by Sean Berry

I’ve attended the 4th Street Fantasy Convention several times over the last five years, and I have to say, this year was the best year yet.

Topping the list of what makes 4th Street awesome is Janet Grouchy, (who actually only gets grouchy if you don’t pick up after yourself.) With several hundred people attending 4th Street, I don’t know how she manages to make me feel special every time I go, but she does. 4th Street is lucky to have such an awesome dose of Southern Hospitality in human form.

But there are many other things which make the 4th Street Fantasy Convention a must-go for writers of all types. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Cool Events, How to Write More Betterly, Local (Minneapolis), Uncategorized, Writing

Dark Fiction Review – A Circus Of Brass And Bone

June 16, 2015 By Conrad Zero

[easyazon_image align=”right” height=”160″ identifier=”0986377503″ locale=”US” src=”https://conradzero.com/wp-content/uploads/51JhwaVGHQL.SL160.jpg” tag=”zero00b-20″ width=”107″]Calamity! Adventure! Steampunk! Apocalypse!

Full Disclosure: Abra Staffin-Wiebe is a fellow member of the Minnesota Speculative Fiction Writers’ Group, and I made a contribution to her mothers treatment (see below for details) and in return Abra wrote a bit-character appearance of me into the story. Some links in this article are affiliate links. Thanks for your support!

A Circus Of Brass And Bone is the first novel by author Abra Staffin-Wiebe, publishing under Abra SW. The story takes place in post-Civil War America, in a world without electricity. Rather, Fire Aether powers anything that isn’t run by the low tech of steam. This alternate reality is filled with strange and wonderful inventions like Bone aether (for healing wounds), and aether-powered-mechanical war elephants.

The Loyale Travelling Circus and Menagerie is at sea when they discover their ringmaster murdered, (by one of their own) which is the least of their problems. An apocalyptic aether storm rolls across the world, and the story begins with Chapter One: Everyone Dies. 

When the circus docks in Boston, they discover a third of the population has been wiped out, crops are tainted and most aether technology devices are ruined or unstable at best. People are showing symptoms of exposure to the aether storm and what exactly is making all that noise in the woods?

Crossing a steampunk (aetherpunk?) version of The Stand with Carnivàle, A Circus Of Brass And Bone is a rag-tag exploration and adventure by a cast of colorful circus characters in an alternate reality turned upside-down by calamity and devastation. 

“In such desperate times, what use is a circus?” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Books, Dark, Fiction, MNSpec - Speculative Fiction Author's Group, Review, Ubercool, Uncategorized Tagged With: This Post Contains Affiliate Links

5 Frustrations with Google HOA (Hangouts On Air)

November 19, 2013 By Conrad Zero

From Audio Podcast to Video Bliss (Almost)

For a few years, I recorded and edited the podcast for the Minnesota Speculative Fiction Writers’ Group. I would record our monthly writers’ discussions on a Zoom H4n, then dump the sound file into Sonar, add a voiceover intro/outro (some intros were provided by fellow MNSpec authoress, Abra Staffin-Wiebe) then export to wav, import to Adobe Audition, trim the ends, convert to mp3, tag and upload.

Check out the results for yourself here: Listing of all the MNSpec Writers Group Podcasts.

Now even someone who sucks at math could tell you this process was high-maintenance. It took two to three hours of post-production for each hour of finished audio. For all of the TENS of fans who listened to the podcast.

Google_Hangouts_On_Air

Then I discovered Google’s “Hangouts On Air” (or #HOA ) HOA is a feature that allows you to stream a Google Hangout video chat LIVE on google plus, and auto-post to youtube.com when the chat is completed. So instead of hours of audio post-production, I figured I could switch to HOA, stream the meetup in a video hangout, which not only added the freakin’ video, but also gave our group the ability to remote-in to the writers’ group meetup, plus the presto-uploaded youtube video with all it’s sharing/commenting/analytic-tracking glory, and all with NO post-production.

Sheer. Genius.  Or so I thought. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Audio, Blogging, MNSpec - Speculative Fiction Author's Group, Podcast, Review, Uncategorized, Videos

Frightmares at Buck Hill

October 8, 2012 By Conrad Zero

In the winter, Buck Hill is a good place for skiing/snowboarding that’s not far from Minneapolis. But during October, it’s transformed into a community of horrific fun.

Frightmares at Buck Hill is not a haunted house. It is more like a haunted village.  One admission fee ($20 Wed-Sat and $18 on Sundays) gets you a wristband that lets you stay as long as you like and you can keep going through the different attractions as many times as you want till they close at midnight. they stop selling tickets at 11, but you really will want to get there early so you have a chance to see everything. Lines for the attractions are all outdoors and can get quite long, so dress warm and give yourself plenty of time.

The chalet/bar has live music, dancing, food, and drinks. As we were told by our host “A Haunted House without alcohol is just a Museum.” There’s an outdoor stage where Kevin Hall runs down a series of fast-paced magic tricks. Bonfires and spooky lighting enhance the mood of the central courtyard area connecting all the events, and there are monsters that WILL try to sneak up on you. They love the screamers, so if you’re a screamer, be ever-watchful.

There are four primary attractions:

Haunted Hollow

The only outdoor attraction, and my personal favorite. The Haunted Hollow starts with a ride on the “magic carpet” if you are familiar with skiing/snowboarding, the magic carpet is simply a conveyor belt that carries you up to the top of the hill. There were no scares on the way up, but once at the top, you are in for an anything-but-leisurely walk down to the bottom.

Lights, smoke, a corn maze and disturbing characters lie between you and the exit.

We were advised to hit this attraction first, to take advantage of the last bit of sunlight, and to avoid the chill of night. But then again, darkness would ramp up the intensity of this attraction.

Orchard Manor Dead and Breakfast

This is your classic haunted house, and I mean that as a good thing. A quality scare, although I don’t remember anything specific about it except the end which I won’t give away, but you won’t want to miss it.

Inferno (Formerly Bellharm Lovejoy Asylum)

Asylum fireThis attraction was originally created as an insane asylum, but unfortunately it burned down a mere three weeks ago. The organizers have done a marvelous job of rebuilding it, turning it into a series of dungeon laboratories and now called Inferno.

Come and explore  THE INFERNO, where the gates of hell have been unleashed and the tortured souls of the past yearn to share their pain and fear with all who enter.

Doctors, laboratories and inmates behind bars – all the scariness of an insane asylum moved underground. Best part was trying to get through the operating room, where the doctor was persistent that I get on the table for some kind of transplant. I didn’t wait around to see exactly what he wanted to transplant…

Fright Factory

This was a fun surprise, you get a pair of 3-D glasses when you enter. Once you are inside, the neon oranges, greens and pinks really turn the place into a cross between a 3-D movie and a Duran Duran video. There was a spinning tunnel I’d challenge anyone to try walking through it without using the handrails. Those who get motion sickness can simply close their eyes and use the handrails to get through.

Overall a cool effect, but it may not work as well for everyone. If 3-D movies give you a headache, you could certainly go through this without the glasses and still enjoy it.

SUMMARY

Overall I give Frightmares at Buck Hill an A. They really have done a great job with the whole event. The entire event is PG-13, and overall scariness  was around 7 out of 10.  And it’s a great dollar value. Keep in mind that you can go through the attractions as many times as you want, so give yourself some extra time to stop off at the chalet for some pub grub and a glass of Mold, then go back and revisit your favorite scare.

I recommend groups of 2-4 people. If your group is larger, break it down into smaller groups and stay close together for a better experience  as you go through the attractions. There is a group discount for groups over 20.

Keep the weather in mind. Although three of the four attractions are inside, the lines are all outside, and you could be standing there for a while.

Get there early. It wasn’t very busy when we first arrived around 8PM and there were hardly any lines at all. By the time we left at 10:30 the lines had grown to a reasonable size, and I’ll bet you could wait for an hour to get into some of the attractions at the peak times. I’d expect it to get more busy as word gets out and as we get closer to Halloween.

Frightmares at Buck Hill
15400 Buck Hill Rd
Burnsville, MN 55306
frightmares.com

Filed Under: Cool Events, Gothic, Horror, Local (Minneapolis), Review, Ubercool, Uncategorized

New Book Release! Sky-Tinted Waters UNBOXED!

April 24, 2012 By Conrad Zero

[easyazon_image align=”right” height=”500″ identifier=”B0091ZYNO4″ locale=”US” src=”https://conradzero.com/wp-content/uploads/51POfYIJvUL-1.jpg” tag=”zero00b-20″ width=”333″]A hefty package showed up today from Sam’s Dot Publishing. It was no surprise that my preordered copies of Sky-Tinted Waters had arrived.

The second MNSpec compilation was supposed to be completed in time for this year’s MiniCON, but the printing was delayed. Just as well, because I wasn’t able to make it to MiniCON this year. But the book is out NOW, and I’m told the release party will happen at CONvergence 2012.

The cover art for Sky-Tinted Waters looks great. It was a rush to open the box and see the lush, multi-colored landscape, Ethereal Beach II by Mitchell Davidson Bentley. Nice work.

Opening to the table of contents, I had to laugh.The title of my story, Pinky the Invisible Flying Pony vs the Giant, Carnivorous, Poisonous, Exploding Spider-Leeches took up three whole lines of the Table of Contents! And I was pleased to see “…an invisible flying pony” get special mention on the back cover.

Little did I realize, those extra lines would be taken back…plus interest! As I read through Pinky…etc, I was disappointed to find that seven of the eight section breaks were missing from the story. The text just ran together, which affected the pacing and obscured the location changes, making the story confusing. I’ve noticed this same problem in several other stories in the anthology, so I’m guessing it’s some kind of conversion error and not an editing decision.

Unfortunately, there was no ARC (advance release copy) to proofread for typos or errors like this. I’ve hand-written the section breaks into the books that I’m personally handing out. Oh well, it’s a small price to pay for taking up so much space in the table of contents!

If you pre-ordered a copy of Sky-Tinted Waters from me, I’ll get you a signed copy next time I see you. And stay tuned for updates about the upcoming book release party at this year’s CONvergence.

  • [easyazon_link identifier=”B0091ZYNO4″ locale=”US” tag=”zero00b-20″]Sky-Tinted Waters[/easyazon_link] at Amazon (Affilitate Link – thanks for your support!)

Filed Under: Awesome Books For Awesome Authors, Books, Cool Product, Dark, Fiction, Horror, MNSpec - Speculative Fiction Author's Group, Publishing, Ubercool, Uncategorized Tagged With: This Post Contains Affiliate Links

World IPV6 Day – 8 June 2011

April 6, 2011 By Conrad Zero

One more step towards SkyNet taking over the world?

Not exactly.

When the creators of the IPV4 protocol got together and decided to assign every internet-connected device a unique number, they figured 4.2 BILLION numbers would be plenty. They never thought we would hook microwaves, mobile devices and pets up to the interwebs.

Because we’re all such IP hogs, the existing system is predicted to run out of numbers sometime in 2011. Thankfully, someone more clever than you or I decided to tack a few more numbers onto the existing schema:

While IPv4 allows 32 bits for an Internet Protocol address, and can therefore support 232 (4,294,967,296) addresses, IPv6 uses 128-bit addresses, so the new address space supports 2128 (approximately 340 undecillion or 3.4×1038
) addresses

From https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/IPv6

I’ve never heard of an undecillion before, but it sounds like we have enough IP numbers that we can start putting RFID tags on EVERYTHING. Imagine never losing anything again? Where did all your black socks go? Just look them up on Google Maps!

Can. Not. Wait.

The only thing that disturbs me is that anyone smart enough to improve this system should be able to count from 4 to 5 without much trouble. What the hell happened to IPV5?

Test your IPV6 compatibility

If you’re the kind of person who worries about large-scale changes, there is a handy online test to check your compatibility to the new system:

Go here to test IPV6 and see if you’re ready for the change

 

Filed Under: Tech Stuff, Uncategorized

Decomposing Pumpkin by Brainkrieg

November 20, 2009 By Conrad Zero

In honor of the decomposing pumpkin that I shoveled off our front step this evening, I give you… Decomposing Pumpkin by Brainkrieg.

Thanks to Jess for the link…

BTW: An Apple is not Candy.

Filed Under: Music, Ubercool, Uncategorized, Videos

Next Page »

New Releases!

Hard Science-Fiction meets True Darkness in my new short story, "Homeward Through Darkness" now available in the By Polaris Bright anthology!

By Polaris Bright Book Cover

Stories of Dark Fiction and Horror by Conrad Zero:

  • Homeward Through Darkness
  • Big Game
  • My Boss Is Evil
  • Forevermore
  • A Violent Passion

Copyright © 2023 · Conrad Zero · Site By: J. Stuart J. Creative