Roundbottom Clocks In On Web

SF author Jeremiah Tolbert told SCI FI Wire that his new Web project, Dr. Roundbottom, combines several of his creative passions--writing, Web design, photography and photomanipulation--all into one endeavor. "I launched the Roundbottom site when I was feeling creatively stymied," Tolbert said in an interview. "[I] wanted a project to work out that felt like it would stretch all of my skills. I'm a professional Web designer by day, so Roundbottom is an attempt to combine my Web and graphic design, photography and writing skills all into a single project, both for the entertainment of others and for [the sake of] learning new techniques and experimenting." The site features the philosophical and scientific musings and "photonic captures" (photos) of the fictional scientist and naturalist Dr. Julius T. Roundbottom. "He lives in a mysterious place referred only to as 'The City,' on the edge of some vast and wild park, where he observes and documents the native wildlife," Tolbert said. The wildlife includes what seem like ordinary animals, but also faeries and other supernatural creatures--such as the common maned pixie, which stole some tools from Roundbottom when he encountered it. "[The pixie started with] a really nice photograph of some flowers in a local park," Tolbert said. "Then, to create the 'capture,' I manipulated some photos I took at the Denver Zoo and a local butterfly pavilion." The Roundbottom site is located at Clockpunk.com--"clockpunk" because the doctor has found himself dealing with, among other things, clockwork insects, Tolbert said. "And it appears there are giant gears and clockwork machinery beneath his city as well," he said. Tolbert said that one of the most gratifying aspects of the site is that many people actually leave comments "in-character" in response to Dr. Roundbottom's posts. And since Roundbottom interacts with the readers by responding to comments, readers can influence where the storyline goes. "In this sense, I think I'm using the Web to explore some new-ish storytelling methods," Tolbert said. "It's not quite a game--there are no explicit rules. But the readers are able to insert themselves into the story as if it were a game." The Dr. Roundbottom site is updated every Monday with new photos and posts, as well as short podcasts featuring "field recordings" of Dr. Roundbottom's adventures. -John Joseph Adams