A couple of months back, Jason Fritz said this on Twitter:
To which Adam Elkus replied:
This led to a brief conversation among me, Jason, and Adam about the dearth of good strategic training tools for the playground set (however strong their tactical skills might be, and it sounds like the younger Mr. Fritz’s are pretty solid), and concluded with an agreement that a children’s book version of Clausewitz would be awesome.
It happened that I had just started reading On War when we had this conversation. This was the first time I had read Clausewitz through, front to back. I work three jobs, and don’t have nearly enough time to read, so I get most of my reading done on the train as I travel to and from and between works, meaning that I was carrying a 900+ page book in my bag for about two months, as I read closely, pausing frequently to re-read segments or to take notes. The weight of it on my shoulder made it more of a presence than the average book, and I began referring to it simply as Carl, as if it were a sentient being accompanying me on my commutes. (I was also inspired to get an e-reader). I like to think that Carl and I got pretty tight during this experience, and I hope that we will continue to get closer as we work together on this project (albeit through the much lighter-weight electronic version I purchased once I got that e-reader), but really Adam and Jason (as well as many, if not most, of the people with whom I interact on Twitter and whose blogs and such I read on a regular basis) are much more experienced scholars of Clausewitz and of strategy than I am.
What I bring to the table here is a lifelong commitment to being one of those people who actually does those silly things you talk about doing but never do.Read the whole post. (As a tease, the story that immediately follows this quoted excerpt is hilarious and awesome.) Monitor the blog. Enjoy the final product.
This is gonna be awesome.
Clever! What a good writer caidid is! This is good:
ReplyDeleteIt happened that I had just started reading On War when we had this conversation. This was the first time I had read Clausewitz through, front to back. I work three jobs, and don’t have nearly enough time to read, so I get most of my reading done on the train as I travel to and from and between works, meaning that I was carrying a 900+ page book in my bag for about two months, as I read closely, pausing frequently to re-read segments or to take notes. The weight of it on my shoulder made it more of a presence than the average book, and I began referring to it simply as Carl, as if it were a sentient being accompanying me on my commutes. (I was also inspired to get an e-reader). I like to think that Carl and I got pretty tight during this experience, and I hope that we will continue to get closer as we work together on this project (albeit through the much lighter-weight electronic version I purchased once I got that e-reader), but really Adam and Jason (as well as many, if not most, of the people with whom I interact on Twitter and whose blogs and such I read on a regular basis) are much more experienced scholars of Clausewitz and of strategy than I am.
I am always impressed at the vast amounts of talent I find in wide ranging corners of the internet.
So, this post goes into the set of links I've collected on graphic fiction and serious topics: a NYT article on a Marie Curie graphic novel, one on the Soviet Gulags taken from drawings of a survivor, a graphic novel on North Korea, and there is a recent graphic novel about medics (?) linked at SWJ.
This is going to be a new post at ChicagoBoyz as soon as I get around to it.
I still refuse to Twitter although I get the sense that I am being left behind in the online FP world! Twitter makes me feel like a stalker.
Tweet: Just had lunch!
Tweet: What do you think about the protests in Egypt!
Tweet: Just going to dinner with friends!
I dunno. I don't get it. I usually love all online gadgetry and tools. Perhaps I will have to stick to the Twitfic. I like the art and fiction part of it.
At any rate, Gulliver, won't you please submit something to zenpundit's call for a post on the 100th birthday of Ronald Reagan? It doesn't have to be much more than a quick anecdote about your time in Poland.
Karaka pend (where is she!) posted in our Afghanistan 2050 roundtable a while back.
Please do. It would be so awesome if you did. You write well.
Oh, that goes for the rest of the Ink Spots crew. Think about submitting something :)
ReplyDeleteMadhu -- I had a feeling you of all people would appreciate this effort. Glad I was right!
ReplyDelete