Gang Warfare is Only a Few Pokémon Away
August 11, 2016
Mob mentality and team culture in Pokémon Go is growing, writes Rafael S. W.
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The Archives
Rafael S. W. is a graduate of creative writing and one of the founding members of Dead Poets’ Fight Club. He has been published in Voiceworks, Going Down Swinging and Dot Dot Dash. He also competes in poetry slams and giant-sized chess games.
Mob mentality and team culture in Pokémon Go is growing, writes Rafael S. W.
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A fan letter to Terry Pratchett, finally sent.
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What happens to language in wartime? Rafael S. W. looks at the implications of regulated speech.
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We’ve tried everything to talk with the animals – Rafael S. W. explores where we went wrong.
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Does this poem feel like it was written by a human or a computer?
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Languages die like people. Sometimes it’s a gentle goodnight; other times it’s sudden and violent.
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“Slang,” as the Bard once said, “is some wicked sick shit.”
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As with everything to do with humans, getting some kind of change to occur is a laborious process. So the first question you might be asking about bending language to your will is why would anyone want to try?
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‘What’s in a name?’ Voldemort might ask. ‘A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.’ But would it? Would a Blose™, with a smell to ‘blow you away’ and a price-tag of three hundred roses, smell just…
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Languages don’t just evolve: some are made up. Rafael S.W. looks at invented languages (or ‘conlangs’) and the people that make, learn, and teach them. Outside the room, d’Armond Speers was pacing. His knowledge, he knew, was useless here. He’d…
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In teh beginning, there was the word. It was misspelled, confusing or substituted for numerals, but it was, to a greater or lesser extent, gud.
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Rafael S. W. delivers the first in a series of monthly insights into the bewildering, fascinating and maddening evolution of language.
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Rafael S. W. tries Google Glass for the first time and considers the convenience and creepiness of digital specs.
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Rafael S. W. trials the latest upgrade in gaming – the Oculus Rift – and considers the future of gaming and the practical applications of virtual reality. It was late on a Tuesday evening and I was getting a glimpse…
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Rafael S. W. imagines a future where cities are bailed out by global corporations. Hmm, it seems like you’re using an older version of your city. Would you like to upgrade? Our engineers and civic scientists have worked tirelessly to…
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Prosthetics are giving amputees not just the ability to walk again, but the chance to damn well stride.
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Rafael S. W. on the mysteries surrounding phantom limbs and their potential for prosthetics.
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Rafael S. W. imagines how drones will change the future of warfare.
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Rafael S. W. on the collapsing cryogenics movement and how you can help.
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Bitcoin was a burgeoning currency, one that anyone could get into as long as they had a computer to generate the coins.
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The Meditations is a curated series of reflections on writing and storytelling from contributors to the thirty-third issue of Going Down Swinging. This reflection comes from Rafael SW on his story ‘Deep Throat Jesus’. I HAVE PROBLEMS DRAWING THE LINE BETWEEN LIFE…
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