View Full Version : UPDATED: "Meston by Design"
digitalpress
11-16-2003, 05:09 PM
Joining our feature column "dream team" of Bill Kunkel, Laura "Atar1g1rl" Tisdale, Jess "manekineko" Ragan, Jessen "tetsu" Jurado and Greg "geelw" Wilcox is Zach "zmweasel" Meston. Zach's column "Meston by Design" is updated online today.
Zach has a ton of industry-insider stories, and it's high time we started capturing them. After all, I don't think he has long to live! He lives an extremely dangerous lifestyle.
So check it out, before he dies.
http://www.digitpress.com/columns/meston.htm
Feedback is always welcome, and I'm sure Zach will see it right here as well. This column will be updated on an almost-monthly basis (we commit to nothing)!
digitalpress
11-16-2003, 05:09 PM
Joining our feature column "dream team" of Bill Kunkel, Laura "Atar1g1rl" Tisdale, Jess "manekineko" Ragan, Jessen "tetsu" Jurado and Greg "geelw" Wilcox is Zach "zmweasel" Meston. Zach's column "Meston by Design" is updated online today.
Zach has a ton of industry-insider stories, and it's high time we started capturing them. After all, I don't think he has long to live! He lives an extremely dangerous lifestyle.
So check it out, before he dies.
http://www.digitpress.com/columns/meston.htm
Feedback is always welcome, and I'm sure Zach will see it right here as well. This column will be updated on an almost-monthly basis (we commit to nothing)!
Bratwurst
11-16-2003, 05:19 PM
*seizure*
YUS
Bratwurst
11-16-2003, 05:19 PM
*seizure*
YUS
Half Japanese
11-16-2003, 06:09 PM
Awesome! I just bought a WD game today: Raycrisis! I haven't read the entire article yet, but I'm looking forward to it and the future installments! I was also wondering where WD is these days, as I haven't seen anything put out by them since first-gen ps2....
Half Japanese
11-16-2003, 06:09 PM
Awesome! I just bought a WD game today: Raycrisis! I haven't read the entire article yet, but I'm looking forward to it and the future installments! I was also wondering where WD is these days, as I haven't seen anything put out by them since first-gen ps2....
VACRMH
11-16-2003, 08:05 PM
I'm a huge WD fan, i'd love to hear more :)
VACRMH
11-16-2003, 08:05 PM
I'm a huge WD fan, i'd love to hear more :)
neotokeo2001
11-16-2003, 08:29 PM
Awesome! I just bought a WD game today: Raycrisis! I haven't read the entire article yet, but I'm looking forward to it and the future installments! I was also wondering where WD is these days, as I haven't seen anything put out by them since first-gen ps2....
Their working on a couple Growlancer (right spelling?) games for PS2 to be released together sort of like Arc The Lad. They are turn based startegy games.
Can't wait for them to be released...Whenever that will be..
neotokeo2001
11-16-2003, 08:29 PM
Awesome! I just bought a WD game today: Raycrisis! I haven't read the entire article yet, but I'm looking forward to it and the future installments! I was also wondering where WD is these days, as I haven't seen anything put out by them since first-gen ps2....
Their working on a couple Growlancer (right spelling?) games for PS2 to be released together sort of like Arc The Lad. They are turn based startegy games.
Can't wait for them to be released...Whenever that will be..
omnedon
11-16-2003, 08:36 PM
Great read Zach.... I love this business stuff.
:)
omnedon
11-16-2003, 08:36 PM
Great read Zach.... I love this business stuff.
:)
All I have to say is "Buh-wuh?" I post a message on the Working Designs message board about Zach Meston's great article, I come back to my favorite sites today, and not only is the message erased from the WDMB, but the article and all mentions of it are gone from Digital Press. On the original URL of the article all I get is a 404 error. Did Working Designs demand the column be removed? Is there any way to still be able to read it? If any fellow collectors have the article in his/her Web browser cache, would you mind posting it or e-mail it to me?
Thanks y'all.
digitalpress
11-18-2003, 08:00 AM
Long story short: "cease and desist".
ghsqb
11-18-2003, 08:58 AM
All I have to say is "Buh-wuh?" I post a message on the Working Designs message board about Zach Meston's great article, I come back to my favorite sites today, and not only is the message erased from the WDMB, but the article and all mentions of it are gone from Digital Press. On the original URL of the article all I get is a 404 error. Did Working Designs demand the column be removed? Is there any way to still be able to read it? If any fellow collectors have the article in his/her Web browser cache, would you mind posting it or e-mail it to me?
Thanks y'all.
Long story short: "cease and desist".
You don't think that maybe someone going over to the WD message board and pimping an article that wasn't necessarily flattering to WD had anything to do with the C&D order do you?
:roll:
BTW, welocme to the DP boards.
Might want to head over here (http://www.digitpress.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11&start=400&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=) and introduce yourself.
Half Japanese
11-18-2003, 10:50 AM
All I have to say is: "goddamnit." I had the thing bookmarked for a future read too. Does anyone happen to have this on file so I can at least read it, before it disappears into the depths of history?
SoulBlazer
11-18-2003, 10:52 AM
Say WHAT? :hmm:
DP, please, some more detail here.
How can WD demand the removal of something that, if I recall correctly, was just a early life story of Zach?
The only person who would have CAUSE for removing it was Zach himself.
This does'nt make ANY sence. x_x
chadtower
11-18-2003, 11:05 AM
This does'nt make ANY sence. x_x
It doesn't have to make sense. An initial cease and desist is kind of like when the cops show up at your door for having a loud party. You're probably not breaking any laws but when they tell you to end it you're likely going to end it. It's just not worth fighting unless there's something in it for you.
SoulBlazer
11-18-2003, 11:12 AM
But there was nothing there that they COULD demand the removal off. It was just a EDITORAL, the same thing that all of the 'Featured Columns' on the side are. All Zach said in the article was how his early editoral and reviewer life went, up to the time that he was hired full time by WD. There's nothing THERE that WD could demand removed.
Trust me, I did some law school before I ended up working on my library masters, and I'm 99 percent sure of this.
Unless Zach had a change of heart and asked for it to be removed himself. That he's perfectly entitled to do.
Besides, as maxlords pointed out in another thread, WD seems to be going under right about now and I doubt they would care about one small editoral with ONE bad comment about the company.
zmweasel
11-18-2003, 11:48 AM
Besides, as maxlords pointed out in another thread, WD seems to be going under right about now and I doubt they would care about one small editoral with ONE bad comment about the company.
ghsqb hit the nail on the head. I also note that nz17's well-meaning thread (though he was the only one who cared for the piece; a bevy of WD fanboys, and at least one shill, jumped in to defend their hero) seems to have been deleted from the WD forums.
-- Z.
chadtower
11-18-2003, 11:56 AM
But there was nothing there that they COULD demand the removal off. It was just a EDITORAL, the same thing that all of the 'Featured Columns' on the side are. All Zach said in the article was how his early editoral and reviewer life went, up to the time that he was hired full time by WD. There's nothing THERE that WD could demand removed.
If they want, they can demand Joe remove his pants. They can demand ANYTHING. Whether or not they can enforce that demand, and whether or not Joe feels like defending himself from the attorneys, is a different issue. A cease and desist doesn't have to have law behind it. Most of the time the cost of defense is enough to bully people into compliance.
omnedon
11-18-2003, 01:23 PM
Ha Ha on WD!! I already read it! HA! Just try to cease and desist my mind!!!
The above stated opinion is omnedon's personal opinion alone, and in no way represents the intents or opinions of Digital press, Atari Age, or the CGCC. Any mention or hinting at mind control or memory wiping attempts by WD are purely fictitious, facetious, and fanatastical. Any similarities to persons living or dead are purely intentional. Do not take this post internally. Not to be viewed by children under the age of 5 or the lawyers of WD. Batteries not included. Some assembly required. A very small percentage of people may experience a seizure when exposed to certain editorial comments, including flashing lights or patterns that may appear in editorial comments. Even people who have no history of seizures or epilepsy may have an undiagnosed condition that can cause these "photosensitive epileptic seizures" while reading editorial comments. These seizures may have a variety of symptoms, including lightheadedness, altered vision, eye or face twitching, jerking or shaking of arms or legs, disorientation, confusion, or momentary loss of awareness. Seizures may also cause loss of consciousness or convulsions that can lead to injury from falling down or striking nearby objects, or extreme litigiousness. Immediately stop reading and consult a doctor if you experience any of these symptoms. Parents should watch for or ask their children about the above symptoms - lawyers and CEO's of WD are more likely than adults to experience these seizures. Do not fold, bend or mutilate.
Thank You.
http://access.ncsa.uiuc.edu/Stories/SCIRun/img/head.gif
If this is your brain, go to the hospital immediately.
Captain Wrong
11-18-2003, 01:37 PM
If they want, they can demand Joe remove his pants.
PLEASE GOD NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
maxlords
11-18-2003, 01:48 PM
I already folded, bent, and mutilated. Crap.
SoulBlazer
11-18-2003, 02:24 PM
Pfft. I understand what happened, but you don't see Sony or Nintendo coming over here demanding that all the unfavorable threads about THEM be removed, do you? :P
Tough luck, Zach. I hope we see your column again in the future. You have a lot you could share with the rest of us mere mortals. ;)
chadtower
11-18-2003, 02:27 PM
Pfft. I understand what happened, but you don't see Sony or Nintendo coming over here demanding that all the unfavorable threads about THEM be removed, do you?
You would if Sony or Nintendo were struggling financially, likely seeking capital, and had former employees talking about internal communications and developments.
Oobgarm
11-18-2003, 02:27 PM
I really liked Zach's column and it sucks that it was brought down.
I too hope to see some more of his musings, as he is a very knowledgable and intelligent individual.
tynstar
11-18-2003, 02:37 PM
Damnit I missed the article. Maybe one day I will see it. :(
zmweasel
11-18-2003, 03:03 PM
Damnit I missed the article. Maybe one day I will see it. :(
You didn't miss much, as the one and only column was a blessedly brief prologue leading up to my stint at WD. I hadn't even started sharing genuine anecdotes yet! Ah, well. As long as WD is in business, I won't be able to share my stories -- so if you wanna hear 'em someday, don't buy Growlanser Generations. Heh.
-- Z.
lendelin
11-18-2003, 07:31 PM
I read the column before it was removed, and it was a very interesting read.
To be honest, I can't even remember which passage could have prompted WD to threaten with legal consequences; and this tells me that it was an overreaction by WD and/or a preemptive strike in order to prevent potential reputation damage in following columns by a former employee.
Probably it was a warning shot.
...and the legal threat probably couldn't stand on a legal toe, either; but justice is expensive, and since people have different amounts of money and very different interests, there is injustice. Yep, the world isn't fair at all.
(btw, I experienced three much more serious cases like this of colleagues who wrote something about very well-known German polticians; in two cases the book publishers/authors gave in, in one case they didn't; BUT all the legal work was handled by the legal departments of major book publishers, and not merely by an individual; and this makes all the difference in the world.)
Half Japanese
11-18-2003, 07:48 PM
No one's said it yet, so I may as well: I don't think WD could financially handle a lawsuit. I may be underestimating their resources, but they don't seem to be doing so hot lately.
Nick Goracke
11-18-2003, 07:52 PM
Brutal... I don't check the board for a couple days and end up missing what could've/should've/would've been an interesting read.
Seriously, if anyone still has it cached and can hook me up, the email is gora0035@tc.umn.edu
Please? ;)
ubersaurus
11-18-2003, 07:55 PM
Repost it in the pub ;)
Needle
11-19-2003, 01:33 AM
Too bad about the column. It's hard to pick a side on the matter, since I enjoy reading Zach's stuff although I'm still a WD fanboy from back in the day.
Anyways, I'm really just posting because I was one of the lucky few who managed to snag a copy of it from the temporary cache. SUCCESS! 8-)
VACRMH
11-19-2003, 02:18 AM
:(
I had even written him an email with stuff to talk about. Too bad...
zmweasel
11-19-2003, 02:54 AM
Too bad about the column. It's hard to pick a side on the matter, since I enjoy reading Zach's stuff although I'm still a WD fanboy from back in the day.
As a great sage once said, "There are three sides to every story: my side, their side, and the truth." I hope to have the opportunity to tell my side someday.
-- Z.