I watch the ripples change their size
But never leave the stream
Of warm impermanence
And so the days float through my eyes
But still the days seem the same
And these children that you spit on
As they try to change their worlds
Are immune to your consultations
They're quite aware of what they're goin' through

Friday, February 3, 2012

Linkee-poo feels like dirty laundry, sending sickness on down the line

Miranda Suri talks about going from a panster to an outliner. So far, she likes it. My experience, not exactly the same (but I think that's because of other issues).

While I normally point to Eric's posts for political insight (and chicanery), this time it's because of his excellent commentary on Jonathan Franzen's take on ebooks.

Russians are about to dive into Lake Vostok. What will they find there. I expect it'll be the gate to other world's that Charlie Stoss predicted. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

We're now selling naming rights to storm systems? Okay, it's actually the European Weather Service, but I think this is one of those examples of advertising going too far. (Grokked from John Scalzi)

A five-year old analyzes some corporate logos. Interesting social commentary on where we are and the penetration factor of corporate ID.

The end of health insurance? Working for a company that is now self-insured, yeah, I could see that. But that would also tie your health care to your job even tighter. Good thing we don't have universal health care and can watch the private sector collapse under the private health insurance weight. Not to mention with ACO's, don't think about moving or living in the semi-rural to rural areas of the country. 'Cause you'll be fucked. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

A 2002 article on the Komen Foundation, their political ties, corporate political allegiances, investments, and conflicts of interest. It's a long article, but there's lots in there about the long road to the ACA (for those who said, "Where did this come from" when Obama took office) by recognizing the problems in health insurance back then, political machinations in the health care industry, marketing's evils, the lives of the very wealthy, how groups created for specific social causes can actually redirect the conversation from the real problems, exploitation for gain, and quid pro quoing all over the map. (Grokked from ChiaLynn)

In other Komen news, the pink Walther P22 (I wonder if 007 will have that in the next movie? - Grokked from Carol Elaine). And the Komen Foundation does the facepalm (Grokked from VInce) all while saying, "No, that really wasn't why we stopped funding Planned Parenthood." I guess watching $0.5 million in donations walk from your foundation over to PP in three days was a shocker for them. If your "… only goal for our granting process is to support women and families in the fight against breast cancer," then you don't fucking pull funding from an organization that is actually the only option some women have because some dickhead congresscritter is abusing their power. I hope for your sake that many people forgive that lapse of judgement. At least for the next year or two, it won't be me. Given that your Waco operations quickly made sure their local PP had funding, which, again, is the only option for breast health for poor and lower-middle class women in the Waco area, tells me that not everyone in your organization is as schweenzy as your board of directors. Sometimes corporate culture should flow from the bottom up.

So, after spending $20 million on the first "Atlas Shrugged" installment to only make $4.6 million back, they're going to make the second movie. Principal photography is to start in April, and they're looking for a release right before the election. Um, yeah Bob. One, I don't think these people understand economics. And two, with that short a time frame, I don't expect anyone will think it's any better than the first.

Juan Cole with I Don't Care About Your Invisible Jeebus. "(T)hese days, the only thing I see religion doing in the public sector is gay bashing and telling women… what to do with their bodies. I see busybodies deciding what drugs they can dispense to which customers, or deciding that they don’t have to issue a marriage license because of some petty deity… told them to hate their fellow citizens and ignore the law." Yes, that. One of the reasons why theocracies are a bad thing, no matter which God they bend knee to. Plus I agree with his argument about "Obama forcing religions to buy insurance that goes against their creeds" argument. Including his response. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

4 comments:

vince said...

There is a lot of push-back by many Christians against the right-wing, loudmouth, gay-bashing, sign-carrying, legislation-pushing Christians that seem to get all the publicity. But they don't draw ratings or readership, so most large media institutions don't know they exist and don't want to know they exist.

I really need to do a post that responds to and refutes the objections I've seen (no, not the screaming right-wing yelling, but actually cogent objections) being made against the administrations position. But work and family come first, so it may be a bit before I do so.

Dr. Phil (Physics) said...

I will point out the pink gun was not official. The rest of the pink mess, they own that.

Dr. Phil

Michelle Sagara said...

I’m half a pantser in that I world-build before I start, because I want the knowledge my characters will have before I start writing those characters.

I’m not a pantser in that outlines of the novel kill the book, for me. I’ve tried outlining before. When the outline is amorphous and just-for-me, it doesn’t actually kill the book, because no one but me sees it -- but the first two novels I wrote were outlined, sort of, and I spent *as much* time revising the outline after every writing session as I did writing the book.

So: I think world building beforehand -- for me, and with the understanding that no two writers work the same way and that there is no One True Way -- is essential, but outlining the novel is, again for me, restrictive.

Steve Buchheit said...

Vince, I know. I wish they would regain the mantle. I don't have a problem with religious people, it's only those who believe in conversion by force done by enforcing their belief structure on those who don't share their precepts. Religion can be a wonderful thing. Religion mixed with politics subverts both.

Dr. Phil, I hadn't checked that link thoroughly. I have a feeling that people will forget about this quickly. Which is a shame.

Michelle, the more I do this writing thing the more I realize that even writers don't do things the same way every time. Whenever I hear advice to created phrase in the "you should" or "you must" do this that or the other, I try to change that to "have you tried" this that or the other.