Let us pray

Oh Lord, if you're up there, it's me, Steve. Please, let it be Newt Gingrich. Because that would be fucking hilarious. And it would pretty well secure Obama's reelection. I mean, we'd just let the Newt talk all he wants. Not to mention the self written attack ads. Oh, wait, that would be the evening news repeating what he said that day. I mean, the opposition research wouldn't have to do more than have a TiVO fired up.

Abut the only thing better is to keep up the rope line conversations with the Mittster.

Scenes from a Morning Commute

Red morning, sailors warning. And now, it's snowing to beat the band. Those darn sailors.

Linkee-poo skates through hurdles and jumps fast over thin ice

Yesterday's linkee-poo didn't happen. Sorry about that. Seems that the Universe loves to make my life crazy just before I do anything for me (see earlier stories about Viable Paradise and note this weekend is Confusion). So busier than a one-legged man at an alligator farm. Or, something like that.

This is what the future of the web might bring with HTML5. While nice for a demo, it also has some interesting content. (Pointed to by Dan)

Patrick Nielsen Hayden expounds on SOPA/PIPA. Smart man he is.

25 things writers should start doing. From youknowwho.

The new American Family infographic of a Pew Poll."A new 'marriage gap'… is increasingly aligned with a growing income gap. Marriage, while declining among all groups, remains the norm for adults with a college education and good income but is now markedly less prevalent among those on the lower rungs of the socio-economic ladder. The survey finds that those in this less-advantaged group are as likely as others to want to marry, but they place a higher premium on economic security as a condition for marriage…" So, if you're a conservative who wants to "save marriage", I guess you need to line up with those who are for balancing out the income disparity, like OWS. You know, unless you're just blowing smoke about it and really don't care. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

In case you think we're all post-racism, think again. Having lived outside of Cincinnati (and worked inside) I can't say I'm surprised. (Pointed to by John)

Ah, the best health care system in the world at work. And just as a reminder, the ACA really won't change much of this. Except that instead of COBRA, you could get somewhat decent prices for individuals on state health care exchanges. While I haven't had the same problems to the same extent, I have dealt with the same problems with my own employer based health care (ie. not as a "former employee"). (Grokked from Jay Lake)

Romantic Comedies

Okay, one of the problems of some writing advice is it can lead to the story of the caterpillar who was asked how he walked with all those legs. And so. Now thinking about it, wasn't able to walk.

As you know, Bob, the next book is going to be a romatic comedy. So I've been going through that whole "Hollywood Formula" thing for the plot. I'm at the point of dissecting other successful romantic comedies. And here I have to admit that it's a genre I'm woefully under educated in, and what little I have is from the movies.

Now, I have "When Harry Met Sally" down pretty well, but what other romantic comedies should I be studying? Movie or book recommendations are welcome.

Linkee-poo squanders his youth for a pocket full of dreams

Susan MacGregor talks about writing violence. In her case, from the point of horror. There's plenty of violence outside of the horror genre. Heck, my book is filled with some pretty harsh stuff, and the body count gets pretty high. But I think what she's saying here, in a long about way, is the violence in our stories needs to mean something. It can't just be violence for violence sake (the shock of gore and spatter).

Fake movie posters for real movies and real actors but not the same people who worked on those movies. This is what designers do with their free time (mostly, some of us have other pursuits). (Pointed to by Dan)

Michael Gazzaaniga talks about the narrator in our heads. This is why we're drawn to story. Our brains are built to enjoy and process it. And here I'll note several studies on how much affects cognitive behavior as well, because we (most of us, anyway) are hardwired to process the musical rhythm and harmonic structures. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

And since we're talking about the brain. "According to research on expert performance by the psychologist Anders Ericsson, the best way to master a field is to work on the task that's most demanding for you personally. And often the best way to do this is alone. Only then, Mr. Ericsson told me, can you 'go directly to the part that’s challenging to you. If you want to improve, you have to be the one who generates the move. Imagine a group class — you’re the one generating the move only a small percentage of the time.'" And I'll concur that this is how I do my best studying. Which has led to some friction with my class mates who want me to joint their study group. Study groups don't work for me, in fact they often do my learning harm. So I'll help out when I can, but I don't normally go to the study groups. However, this article is making generalities from specific cases. And so, it's suffering form the same malaise it's decrying. Groups work for some people and some tasks, not so well for others and other tasks. Brainstorming, when done appropriately and moderated successfully, works magnificently for some tasks. It fails miserably at others. What the real problem here is attempting to fit an all or nothing solution to something that isn't one or the other. And considering the article calls the amygdala "a small organ in the brain" when it's part of your brain (which is an organ by itself) let's me know how in-depth this research has been. Of course the article isn't much more than a PR push for the author's new book. And now speaking of books, this is how a lot of writers write. At first, it's just them (individual in seclusion). Eventually they send it out for critical feedback (which starts the group phase of the project). (Grokked from Jay Lake)

Whenever the whole issue of women's rights comes up specifically in discussions of the treatment of women in islamic cultures, it's often misperceived that it's the religion that's at fault. If any of you have seen my argue on this topic, you should know by now that it's really society's mores that are the problem, not the actual religion. Case in point, the treatment of women by ultra-orthodox jews in Israel. You can also see the same things in social conservative evangelicals in this country ("Right to Life" isn't so much about abortion as it is about rolling back the sexual revolution and feminism). It's the cultural legacy of the dominance of patrilineal customs that rarely have any foundation in the actual dogma of a particular religion. (Grokked from Jay Lake, my interpretation is solely my own)

Here's an interesting article on a researcher being arrested for filming killer whales feeding. Only, she really wasn't arrested for filming (the writer chose this angle to make the charges seem even more silly), but for "feeding" the whales. Which, granted, is a felony, but I think they best case they could really make is that she "tampered" with their feeding (which might be a felony as well). The "tampering with evidence" charge (by giving the authorities an "edited" video of her normal activities) is an example of why you want a lawyer to help you when you're questioned by the authors, even if you feel you've done nothing wrong. But I will agree with the final premise of the article, most laws are written in a way that creates a lot of confusion for the average lay person (and being an actual marine biologist means she has at least a bachelors degree) and the law will use that ambiguity against you. This article also takes the position that you, the reader, won't really know how "research" is actually done. My guess is this scientist didn't have the proper permits to do this research, and that's what the charges stem from. You see, scientist don't just go wandering about, waiting for something to happen. There's a whole routine to set up research, acquire the proper permits and licensing (which can be just "yes, I'll let you gather things on my property" to the forms filled out in triplicate with stamps and ids), make sure all the authorities are notified, etc, blah blah blah. Veering off those permits, licensing, and timing even for "a once in a lifetime opportunity" can land you in hot water. (Grokked from Tobias Buckell)

Andrew Sullivan on Obama's long game. Not to be read by those who have problems with facts and actual history. It takes on the major criticisms of the Obama Presidency and puts truth to the fictions. As I said before, the conservative mind set seems ever more unhitched from reality these days. (Grokked from Eric)

"'Romney is not a moderate. He is a liberal. He is almost as far to the left as Barack Obama,' Phillips, who organized the first tea party convention in February 2010, said." Well, yeah, that kind of happens when you don't understand the words that are being used for rhetorical flourish. Obama is actually a moderate conservative (see earlier linkee-poo about how he's governing in that fashion, co-opting much of the conservative agenda). Now that he's been labeled a "liberal" all "moderate conservatives" are "radically liberal." (Grokked from Jay Lake)

Well, seems like there's more trouble for Project Veritas' latest "sting" video. One of the people they claimed was dead isn't. And not in a Monty Python "Bring Out Your Dead" way. Not to mention that going to the polls and requesting a ballot under a false name is a felony. Even if you don't actually cast a ballot.

Tweet of my heart
@fivethirtyeight: This is not the climactic week of the GOP nomination. It's the week when the show got canceled and all plot twists are hastily resolved.

Gulp!

Fortunately, not my gas total (this is what was on the pump when I got there).

Linkee-poo will climb in its own way

A short one for today.

Lego Saturn V. A friggin' 19 foot tall Saturn V rocket built of Legos.(Grokked form Tor.com)

Georgian conservative who sponsored bill requiring all welfare recipients be subject to drug test fails breathalyzer and field sobriety test after running a red light. Ah, the "all for me, none for thee" mindset emphasized by the real life examples of "do as I say, not as I do." (Grokked from Tobias Buckell)

Sacre bleu. We's all Europeans now? And "ZOMG, he speaks French!" (Grokked from Jay Lake)

Ah, that compassionate conservatism. That's a video of Romney being confronted by someone who has MS and for whom medical marijuana would help. And that's Romney saying he's against medical marijuana and walking away. (Grokked from Jim Wright)

White washing the US. Or, at least, Arizona. Tell me again how these conservative cultural progroms aren't racist. I keep forgetting. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

The Universe Strikes Back

The power adapter for my ancient laptop just failed. Fortunately I can still get a replacement, now on the cheap. So I bought two. Just in case.

I have a lot of things backed up, but not everything. So, the book and writings are backed up, but I don't have a copy of my submission files or synopsis. Sigh.

We'll do a complete backup once the adapters arrive. Also. Ight try to jerryrig something in the mean time.

Linkee-poo runs out of time

Spent most of yesterday at Al's funeral and catching up with relatives. Last night and today spent a lot of time trying to solve a neighbor's problem with their new iPad (can't seem to get out of the registration cycle - when they get back I'll try connecting it to iTunes and hold down the power and menu buttons - which seems to be the only solution I can find). So not much but some reiteration and commentary on links from Jay Lake.

This coming week will see the start of Spring Classes, which means my "free" time is over. and on the other side I haven't had time, yet, to do research on my panels for Confusion. And there's a big meeting on Wednesday for the day thing, with a "20 minute talk beforehand" by the boss. So another stressful week up front. And in case you haven't noticed with the story bones and other things, I'm also trying to get the next book moving.

And in the "let's find something even more crazy than Solyndra", I can't wait until this hits Fox News. Using dormant volcanoes as a source of geothermal heat by drilling injection wells and pumping them full of water. As Jay Lake says, "What could possibly go wrong." Just like deep frying a wet turkey. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

Just in case you're thinking that Mitt Romney would be a progressive's nightmare, you're right, but not for the reasons you think. Paul Krugman asks the legitimate question, "… (I)s there anything at all in Romney’s stump speech that’s true?" Pretty much not. G. W. Bush redux. More examples on how divorced from reality the conservative mindset has become. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

More Paul Krugman on Romney. Here he channels my thoughts about the Romney "I like to fire people" brouhaha. I understand what he was trying to say. I know that the quote will be used out of context. But, you know, most "normal" people don't think this way (see article). Also, when they do, they typically use the words "options" or the big conservative word, "choice." They don't reach for "fire" as their metaphor. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

Say, remember part of the conservative mantra of lower taxes = higher revenues that people will be less inclined to not report taxable income or attempt to get out of them all together. Well, if you remember the GE Tax Story, you'll know the later statement is false. Turns out the former statement is false too. People still don't report all their taxable income (and if I remember an NPR story correctly, the problem has grown since the Bush Tax Cuts).

Life is an object lesson

On the ombudsman article in the NYT asking if they should report the "truth," here's an example. The BBC is reporting processed meat 'linked to pancreatic cancer'." (Grokked from Jay Lake) Note the quotes in the headline. This is a way of saying, "well, 'some people' are saying there is a link." Now, if you read that full article there's a hell of a lot of dancing going on in there. Is it the processed meats, is it red meat itself, or is obesity? The article and the people interviewed go round and round. Why? Well, because they all have their interests to protect.

Now, here's the truth, all three of those are linked to increased cancer risks (high intake of red meat, processed meats, and obesity). But all at different levels and for different types of cancers. And the research the BBC is reporting on links increased cancer risk to "processed meats." That means they normalized the results to compensate for those other factors. So while you could say, "this is just one study, and a small one at that," saying it could be something else is obfuscating.

Because here is the truth. Now, obesity brings about it's own problems, and a well selected sample study would eliminate that variable as a problem. Processed meats would have the same occurrence of cancer as red meat consumption except for one thing, what we add to the meats when we process them.

Nitrates have already been linked to cancer. Nitrates are used in most processed meats as a preservative. Nitrates are cheap, and are used as more than just a preservative (they're also used as bulking agents, or fillers).

So, you could lose weight (sure, it's a "good idea"), eat less red meat (protein is good for you, and meats are a good source of proteins), eat fewer processed meats (also a good idea, but I love 'em), or find processed meats who don't use nitrates. Which means fewer profits for the meat processors, and the destruction of an industry that is rarely talked about, the industrial chemical industry (and in truth, lower nitrate sales would just mean lower profits, not destruction, but in their mind it's the same thing).

So, what's the truth here? Well, it isn't the finger pointing that is going on in the article. More than likely it's another example of nitrates causing cancer. But that would require a reporter to 1) have encyclepedic knowledge of the subject they're reporting on, 2) and editor with memory, 3) fact checking that could find linkages and 4) not reporting "every view point" as valid.

So, what at first blush looks like a well rounded article is actually meant to leave the reader with the impression that nobody really knows what is going on. And that way the organization keeps both their advertising (when it's advertising driven), keeps their legal department happy, keeps their "contacts" within industries, and doesn't burn any bridges. It's perfectly safe.

RIP Alvin Delau

Goodbye Uncle Al. I'll miss you.

One of my memories of Uncle Al is that he gave me my first digital watch. This was before the time of LCDs. You had to press a button to see the time. And it was a very expensive watch back then. Al saw me looking at it during a family get together and he took it off his wrist and gave it too me to take home. That was Uncle Al; generous, smart, with integrity to spare.

Linkee-poo goes like this, the 4th, the 5th, the minor fall, the major lift

Dear 16 year old me. A PSA about malignant melanoma. Having had a sarcoma removed earlier this year, yes, this (it wasn't big enough or old enough or the kind that the dermatologist thought it was necessary to do any other checking and just froze it off). Check your skin (I'm almost OCD about checking my ears now). If you're in an intimate relationship, check your partner's skin (also, check for breast and testicular cancers). If you do it right, it can be a good thing. Fuck cancer. (Grokked from Jay Lake) Interesting synchronicity with today's graphic design post highlighting a poster to increase prostate cancer screenings.

Related to a recent story bone, Joshua Palmatier (aka Benjamin Tate) talks about magic systems.

The 50 things every creative should know. Yes. Dealing with #5 right now. For young creatives, #14, Never Take an Unpaid Internship, I can't emphasize enough. And, for me in my career, #24 "A good intern will find their reputation precedes them. Jobs are nearly always offered on this word-of-mouth evidence," has been a solid piece of advice. Your reputation is your brand. Nurture it. Also, after 20_ years, #39, "Clients fear arbitrary decisions — they want problem solving. Have a reason for everything, even if this is 'post-rationalised'," is so very true. I don't often explain a project, but I will explain how I arrived at the solution and how it will work for the client (even if I have to BS one or the other of these). (Grokked from Catherine Schaff-Stump)

The Science Fiction Oral History Association. Doesn't look like they've updated in a while, but there's some good older stuff there. (Grokked from Jeff Beeler)

Jim Hines has a follow-up to his poses post where he answers the common questions and has links to others of a similar vein.

Tobias Buckell shares the surprising truth about motivation and creativity. I've seen those studies before, and there is a lot of truth to them. In the audio the speaker gives two very important clues (that, IIRC, weren't included in part of the animation). First of which is that money not being a motivator for high cognitive tasks only works when the subject is already making enough to support themselves (ie. the task and reward involve don't mean the difference between starving or shivering in the cold). And all the creative fulfilling work exampled at the end comes after the job that pays the bills. Well, maybe that's just one point. Or, as explained on the Drew Carey Show, "We'll pay you $645.30 to (do this act that compromises some ethics)," says Mrs. Lauder. "Why that amount?" asks Mimi. "Because we spent millions of dollars to figure out what poor people like you consider a lot of money," replies Mrs. Lauder.

Also, I'll state here that for some time I tried to work to get that right level of exhaustion so I could enter a fugue state that is supposedly the "most creative state" (ie. the waking mind, or right before you go to sleep). You're more creative when you have had plenty of sleep. What I think both of these things show are once the Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs base levels are taken care of, you can get to the higher functions.

An inside look at the legacy and stigma of Guantanamo. Because you can trust the government. Just as the closest Indian or whale. As part of the political process I find it hilarious that those who advocate most vociferously for GITMO and it's processes are the same people who also spout off at the drop of a hat how government can't do or get anything right. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

Lisa Bufano, the Spiderwoman. A multiple amputee who takes advantage of her situation to make unique art and performance. (Pointed to by John)

Jay Rosen give a longer and more thought out essay on the subject of yesterday's open letter. (Grokked from Ferrit Steinmetz)

I can personally attest to this, we in the US are eating less meat. For me, it's just a desire level. I really don't yearn for a big steak (although I do like a well prepared steak, but those are expensive). Plus, for me, there's the prevalence of making the meat fattier (like fatty chicken, sure chicken always had fat, especially right below the skin, but lately I've seen big chunks). I tend either towards leaner cuts (and here I'll note that "marbled" beef is an entirely marketed concept, before the advent of feed lots and cheap corn, getting "fatty" meat was an anathema, but then the meat industry sold us on marbled meats because they were cheaper) or processed meats (grounds, sausage, formed patties). If I do have a steak, I cut out all the major fat and marbling. (Grokked from Jay Lake)