Monday, December 22, 2008

ZINE SECRET: THE COVER WAS A CONTEST!

So, some explaining is in order. It's not a big deal to anyone, but it's time to reveal a minor secret. The cover to the first issue of Electric Ant had a little more to it than initially meets the eye. As noted in the Table of Contents:
QR is a 2D barcode format that's common in Japan but still hasn't caught on yet in backwardsville, America. They're used commonly to encode text, URLs and other secret messages.

If you have a snazzy Japanese or European cell phone, you've probably got a barcode reader built in to the applications. QR is also supported on the iPhone and gPhone. I decided early on to use QR to link to the websites of contributors, and also put a little secret embedded in the cover.



SO! The rub with the contest was that you had to decode the secret URL and then be i) one of the first people to respond, and ii) willing to dish about your first kiss. Here are the results and prizes!


1ST PRIZE: JAMES!
2ND PRIZE: ILYA!
3RD PRIZE: VIC!
4TH PRIZE: ERIC!

For those that haven't read the zine, the questions from the survey spread are:
1. Name
2. How old were you?
3. Who was it with?
4. Where did it happen?
5. Describe it in 3 words.
6. If you could kiss any historical figure, who would it be?


(THE PRIZE: 3 original hand-painted YOUR FIRST KISS scrolls used in the center spread!)
1. James
2. 12, I think
3. A girl called Octavia from my class
4. Her bedroom
5. Weird but nice
6. Melanie Safka (in her prime)



(THE PRIZE: Three free copies of Electric Ant #1 to hand out to friends!)
1. Ilya Atkin
2. 15
3. My first serious girlfriend
4. A park bench
5. She had braces.
6. Cleopatra



(THE PRIZE: A Suehiro Maruo postcard and pin, from Tacoche in Nakano Broadway Mall.)
1. Vic Wong
2. 19
3. A girl in my dorms, 2nd night there
4. On the 4th floor of Griffiths Hall in my room
5. College is amazing
6. Lorraine McFly circa 1955



(A packet of Same Hat goodies, including the 2007 booklet, a copy of my Your Seat Is My Behind zine, and an advance copy of the 2009 SAME HAT SAMPLER - featuring non-web content like new Hanakuma and Kikuni comics, outtakes from Electric Ant #1 and other surprises.)
1) Eric Nakamura
2) 15 (depends, first one with tongue?)
3) Some chick I don't talk to, never want to remember her again, disgusting
4) In a car, her piece of shit car
5) Smelled like smoke
6) Queen Lillioukulani


I'm mailing out prizes tomorrow! Thanks to the folks that responded, and for everyone that's bought a copy and supported the project. You can start playing with QR using the free, open-source Kaywa Reader. Copies are still very available via the site, and work on issue 2 preparations are underway!

2 comments:

alexmercado said...

i love this blog...
more zine, more submissions,
wink wink... more more.
it's funny cuz i've seen that sort
of cover elsewhere... now i'm paranoid.

Ryan S said...

Thanks Alex!!
I love it too, haha-- just wish I could force myself to post more often. I am working on being better about it (as always!).

You should be paranoid, QR is taking over. I just got a new phone with a built-in QR reader so now I'm always keeping my eyes peeled.