Apart from my professional activity as a PM, I write about subjects I'm interested in. So far two books I authored or co-authored have been published. I work on some more and will be adding them in this section.
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Cyberpunk 1982-2020 | Znak, 2020
It is year 2020 and millions of players around the world are waiting for Cyberpunk 2077, the new game by the Polish company behind the success of The Witcher trilogy. This new game is set in the world brought to life in the early 80's by a group of writers aiming to renew science fiction, and, since then, depicted in thousands of novels, comics, movies and computer games. They employed the typical cyberpunk motifs: a dark and sprawling metropolis of the future, the world interconnected by electronic networks, ruled by omnipotent corporations fighting against each other, genetic engineering and cyborgization changing the meaning of what it is to be a human. This imagery will no doubt be used by the new game which may once again invigorate the genre.
My book tells the story of cyberpunk from its beginnings marked by Ridley Scott's Blade Runner and William Gibson's Neuromancer until now, when it is distributed mainly by computer games and Netflix series. I delve into the work of the artists crucial to the development of the genre like Katsuhiro Otomo, Jean "Moebius" Giraud, Bruce Sterling, Mike Pondsmith and flagship titles from Ghost in the Shell to The Matrix. I follow the interconnections between the spreading of cyberpunk aesthetics and globalization and expansion of the Internet, and how the latter has become merely a source of income for multinational corporations and source of data for governmental agencies spying on us every day. The book also depicts the story of CD Projekt, from its humble beginnings to a global player.
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Cały ten Rock | Znak, 2017
This book is about Remigiusz Maciaszek (a.k.a. Rock), one of Poland's most famous youtubers, whose gaming channel is subscribed by 1.5 million users. It tells a story of him growing up in communist Poland, then playing his first arcade games, buying Commodore 64 and Amiga 500 computers, a common experiences for the generation of today's 30- and 40 years-old gamers.
The story follows Remigiusz' life until now and is is mostly based on several interviews I've done with him but also tracks the development of then-humble and now mighty industries: gaming and Internet broadcasting. Our book merges a biography and interview with an essay and a "how-to" guide for YouTube users willing to start a successful channel.
I have so far been able to work my PM day job and concentrate on my writing projects in the evenings and on weekends. In fact I like it and feel that these two areas complement each other and one feeds the other. I possibly can merge them and write about project management or lead a web project related with books. I can cooperate on external projects part-time, especially if they involve my favourite topics.
Subjects I am interested in:
- History. It was already my favourite subject in primary school. I am especially enthusiastic about the Bronze Age civilisations in the Middle East, ancient Rome and the European Middle Ages. I like reading about the Second World War and the Cold War too. But I also appreciate the relative peace in most of Europe now.
- Medieval art and architecture. Two types of artifacts that interest me the most are romanesque and gothic cathedrals and medieval illuminated manuscripts. Old churches and museums are usually on my list whenever I travel around Europe. It is quite often that they actually are my main goal when going to a specific city.
- Military technology and strategy. Like it or not, humanity won't bid farewell to arms. What D. Eisenhower called the military-industrial complex needs to sell and countries feel safer spending. The most interesting aspects of it are that military technology tends to find applications in civilian life and sometimes changes history.
- Linguistics. I have been learning languages most of my life and I still do. What fascinates me are similarities and differences between languages and how they influnce the way people think. I hope the linguistic diversity in Europe will not disappear. I blog about Polish idioms in English.
- Music. It has been an important part of my life: listening to it while walking, working, playing. Also sharing new finds with my friends and following the trail to discover new bands on the Internet. I listen to most genres, from ambient to black metal. I am a bit disconnected from what is - or is not - currently going on.
- Football. First of all, I am a fan and follow the usual stuff: tactics, transfers and players' skills. At the same time, I find interesting how clubs work as companies, the financial and organisational aspects, and the role they play in people's and societies' lifes. A long time ago, I used to spend weeks playing Football Manager.
- Gaming. I have been a PC gamer since I was 13. I have gone through multiple stages and still keep track of the industry, even though I don't fancy battle royales and my leisure time is limited. I still enjoy 40 or 80 hours with a nice gime once or twice a year even though at this point I'm almost sure nothing will beat my "Fallout 2".
- Travel. When not travelling, I usually prepare for a shorter or longer journey. I have got used to travelling around Europe every couple of monts and leaving it at least once a year. I travel for monuments, cities, food, wildlife and hiking in the mountains. Travel limitations make me sad and interrupt my healhy routine.