From the recently liberated pages of The New York Times (no need to log in or have a subscription to read the stories), comes a piece on a Twitter user who tweeted his feelings of despair, and how his network of friends responded. Here’s a snippet:

[Nick] Starr, who was driving around near his hometown, wrote in Twitter’s characteristic staccato, stream-of-consciousness style about picking up some chicken wings and getting a new haircut. Then his postings took a darker turn.

At 6:02, he sent out a note about a nearby bridge: “Maybe I should jump from it?”

At 8:17, bemoaning his lack of close friends, he speculated about being the first “Twitter suicide.”

The lengthy piece goes on to discuss how when users at spots like Twitter and Tumblr miniblog the dramatic turns of their day—from the above thoughts of suicide to a breaking up with their partner–”they often take the network along in real time.” Nothing many SMITH readers don’t know, but the Times piece is a good overview of one way miniblogging has changed the way we tell the stories of our lives—one character at a time.

Ah, what a glorious creation the Internet is. Not just a series of tubes, it’s a medium through which everyone in the world can communicate with and learn from everyone else. And not just, you know, for the purpose of sending desperately needed money to free a multi-million dollar bank account from Nigeria or watching Eastern Europeans strip. Turns out there’s actual information available. Like, say, this video, which is both informative and awesome. And there’s singing!

What started as a serialized webcomic on SMITH, soon became an online sensation, and now says the likes of USA Today, Penthouse, and The Wall Street Journal, is the most anticipated graphic novel of the season. We’re talking about Shooting War, Anthony Lappé and Dan Goldman’s near-future story about a blogger in war-torn Iraq who wants to get the real war story, save the world—and party like it’s 2011.

Anthony and Dan are about to head to London to celebrate the release of the UK version of the book (check out the poster Dan created on the left), come back in time for a November 19 U.S. release party at NYC’s Sutra Lounge, then hit the road for a national book tour.

This week, New York Magazine is running three excerpts from the book, which you really should buy as it’s longer and in many ways different from what you first read on SMITH. Long story short: Shooting War rocks. Congrats to the authors!