Ray Bradbury, your writing mentor.
Philip Pullam on the importance to telling children fairy tales. (Grokked from Tor.com)
Mary Robinette Kowal give some "past neo-pro" advice on how to handle being a GoH.
John Scalzi gets to the point of it. Although he kinda speeds right through it. Those dudebros who have a problem with "feminists" or "fake geek girls" or whatever are mostly just so insecure in their own sexuality that they can't allow any challenge to it. At all. Even if that challenge isn't aimed at them or involves them at all. Be comfortable in your own skin and life gets so much easier as a lot of the bullshit falls by the wayside.
Okay, I think I found my new career path. "A new program is working to bring this same level of knowledge to the world of malt and hops by turning out batches of certified beer experts known as Cicerones." Life is too short to drink bad beer.
"Put briefly, an idea is not a story. In fact, a single idea is generally insufficient to make a story with. You need at least two, and then you need, you know, a story." Ann Leckie on how to take an "idea" and turn it into a "story" that won't annoy the "slush reader". (Grokked from Ferrett Steinmetz)
Forty maps that will help you make sense of the world. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Vince lets us know of the phenomenon of Christian Swingers. My brain hurts.
I wonder if it comes in Green. The Artstechnica people are going to try eating "Soylent" (a nutritional "substitute" for food) for a week. (Pointed to by John)
The new gargoyles of Paisley Abbey. I don't think that's weird at all. After all, depending on how you view the function of gargoyles (downspouts, from which they get their name, or from their theological function), the xenomorph works perfectly.
Can't sleep, clown will eat me. A little on the history of clowns and why some people find them down right creepy. Also noted for the slight reference to the sacred clown. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Direct brain to brain communications. Haven't these people seen Brainstorm? Sigh. Don't they know SF has been working hard to tell people to not try and do this? (Pointed to by Dan)
"Coupled with a spacesuit, X1 could provide additional force when needed during surface exploration, improving the ability to walk in a reduced gravity environment, providing even more bang for its small bulk." Anyone else spot the problem with that? (Grokked from Tor.com)
The first rule of gun safety? Safety the gun. You know, that way it won't accidentally go off if you accidentally forget to remove all the rounds when you're giving your firearm safety/concealed carry course. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Apparently being the conservative Speaker of the House in a very conservative state is no guarantee for popularity. Note here that this really doesn't mean his seat is in any jeopardy thanks to the incredibly gerrymandered political map (also note, the state actually isn't 50%+ conservative, but that gerrymandering keeps them in power).
Oh noes, it's the anti-gay movement's biggest nightmare. Apparently if you're a photographer in NM, and a gay couple tries to commission you to shot their wedding, you can't say "No." Instead all you can do is say you're already booked that day. Another symptom of the death of professionalism.
"Who loses? Thousands of people every year. People of all ages who have run out of options to treat terrible diseases like mantle cell lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia and multiple myeloma. Men, women and children who wait for a drug on the verge of approval that could allow them to live months or years longer." For anybody who wants to tell you the Sequester isn't hurting anyone. Not to mention reduced food delivery for shut-ins, Head Start, SNAP, and the other programs that help the other disenfranchised. Take programs that were already struggling with limited funds and then cut them back even further. Compassionate Conservatism my ass. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
"'We're stuck with him,'" Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) told attendees at a town hall event this week. Thanks for the ringing endorsement. Not like it'll go over well with your constituents.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Monday, August 26, 2013
For Humor, Context Is Everything
Maybe I just read too much of Doonesbury, but when I saw this in my facebook feed I fell off the chair laughing.
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Weekend Linkee-poo like the seasons, the wind, the sun or the rain doesn't fear the Reaper
When in doubt, shoot the protagonist and other oblique strategies for writers.
A lot of writing links here. I haven't had a chance to read them all, but maybe you can find information you need.
Six easy tips for self-editing your stories.
When it comes to grammar, lighten up, Francis. (Grokked from Dr. Doyle)
David B Coe with some good advice on attending big conventions.
The eight things Star Wars can teach us about writing. It's not what you may think. (Grokked from Vince)
Building a light bridge to the stars, wherein Geoffrey Landis is name dropped. As with most things, when Geoff starts talking about some technology I'm quickly out of my depth, but I could get enough that this is a pretty cool idea (and now I know why he knew so much about solar sails right off the top of his head when I asked him about them).
A lightning farm to help purify ground water and soils. Pointed to because 1) kewl! and 2) slightly related to a short story I wrote, A History of Lightning. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Remember the astronaut that has water in his helmet? Now you can read the story from his perspective.
The ten quotes losing holdem players say. I know just enough about poker to understand what he's talking about here. Learning Texas Holdem has always been one of those things I've wanted to do (note, I know how to play, but getting into the strategy that he talks about is a level above, from what I hear there's a manual written in the early 20th century that is a must read). (Grokked from Steven Brust)
"'Solar is growing so fast it is going to overtake everything,' (Jon Wellinghoff, chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) said." Actually I've always wanted to set up a 2 kW wind turbine, solar would require me to clear too many trees, or place it too far from the house. (Grokked from Morgan J Locke)
The wisdom of the dying. As the story went when I was young, no one goes to their death bed wishing they had spent more time working. Carpe Diem and don't be a dick about it. Of course, until you're reminded of the eventual destination, sometimes you miss n the forest for the individual trees.
Sic semper VW Microbus. Frankly many kids dream about driving Vetts or a Lamborghini, for me it's always been an original VW Beatle Convertible. (Grokked from Vince)
If we can change the way we think of disease and death we can be more happy. "Disease and death are not shameful." That. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Fred Clark with a little on how I read Revelations. Which is why dispensationalism seems so incredibly strange to me.
Jim Wright answers his email. 'Nough said.
Tweet of my heart: @josswhedon If you see a play about a reunion and someone says they're in AA you will NEVER GUESS what that person is going to do later in the play.
A lot of writing links here. I haven't had a chance to read them all, but maybe you can find information you need.
Six easy tips for self-editing your stories.
When it comes to grammar, lighten up, Francis. (Grokked from Dr. Doyle)
David B Coe with some good advice on attending big conventions.
The eight things Star Wars can teach us about writing. It's not what you may think. (Grokked from Vince)
Building a light bridge to the stars, wherein Geoffrey Landis is name dropped. As with most things, when Geoff starts talking about some technology I'm quickly out of my depth, but I could get enough that this is a pretty cool idea (and now I know why he knew so much about solar sails right off the top of his head when I asked him about them).
A lightning farm to help purify ground water and soils. Pointed to because 1) kewl! and 2) slightly related to a short story I wrote, A History of Lightning. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Remember the astronaut that has water in his helmet? Now you can read the story from his perspective.
The ten quotes losing holdem players say. I know just enough about poker to understand what he's talking about here. Learning Texas Holdem has always been one of those things I've wanted to do (note, I know how to play, but getting into the strategy that he talks about is a level above, from what I hear there's a manual written in the early 20th century that is a must read). (Grokked from Steven Brust)
"'Solar is growing so fast it is going to overtake everything,' (Jon Wellinghoff, chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) said." Actually I've always wanted to set up a 2 kW wind turbine, solar would require me to clear too many trees, or place it too far from the house. (Grokked from Morgan J Locke)
The wisdom of the dying. As the story went when I was young, no one goes to their death bed wishing they had spent more time working. Carpe Diem and don't be a dick about it. Of course, until you're reminded of the eventual destination, sometimes you miss n the forest for the individual trees.
Sic semper VW Microbus. Frankly many kids dream about driving Vetts or a Lamborghini, for me it's always been an original VW Beatle Convertible. (Grokked from Vince)
If we can change the way we think of disease and death we can be more happy. "Disease and death are not shameful." That. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Fred Clark with a little on how I read Revelations. Which is why dispensationalism seems so incredibly strange to me.
Jim Wright answers his email. 'Nough said.
Tweet of my heart: @josswhedon If you see a play about a reunion and someone says they're in AA you will NEVER GUESS what that person is going to do later in the play.
Saturday, August 24, 2013
Weekend Linkee-poo is too dumb to give up, to stubborn to change
The end of competence porn in SF. (Grokked from someone, sorry, lost the link)
Dr. Doyle with the mad-libs version of the elevator pitch. As she says, it's crazy, but it works.
Catherine Schaff-Stump interviews Will Alexander. Catherine does some great author interviews, I'm pointing this one out because they cover some interesting topics.
Okay, so you've gone beyond the standing desk and made a treadmill desk. Bully for you. How about connecting the treadmill into a feedback loop that determines your internet bandwidth? Ah, you didn't think about THAT, did you Grasshopper. (Pointed to by Dan)
Photos of the human drama at county fairs.
"Noting that he must at least own a computer, know how to use it, and possess the basic skills required to publish his thoughts on numerous websites and forums, internet users said DaemonX—the username of a person who posts dozens of inane and delusional comments online every day—is presumably a stable member of society." Oh, Onion, how I love you. (Grokked from Tor.com)
A short history of hacking and the Hacker's Ethic. Not sure I agree in totality with this article, but interesting none the less. (Grokked from Tor.com)
"There's nothing quite like the… taste of Maine lobster. And fishermen off the state's rocky coastline have been catching more and more of the tasty crustacean over the past five years… But that surging supply has overwhelmed Maine's limited marketing and processing capabilities and driven down the prices paid to lobstermen." Having been there last year, I can tell you the oversupply hasn't affected the price the end-user is paying (so someone is making money).
Can an AI pass the entrance exam to Tokyo University? Some interesting things on how far AIs actually are. Note, still just trying to get answering questions correct. (Grokked from Tor.com)
"Microsoft’s stock is surging, up 8% in pre-market on the news that Steve Ballmer will be vacating the CEO role within the next year." That's gonna leave a mark. (Pointed to by John)
In case the line about how the NSA "only" collects metadata and that's not offensive at all still rings true to you, this is what you can learn from the metadata. And that's just a reporter and a college professor. Real "spooks" know how to glean a lot more.
Where the wild things (whale sharks) are.
You know how some people (mostly conservatives of the paranoid type) claim that Pres. Obama is using all these dirty tricks and spying to try and shut down dissent? This is what that actually looks like. Note: reality not valid for those who think Ronnie Reagan's shit don't stink. I suggest listening to the interview.
"While the National Rifle Association publicly fights against a national gun registry, the organization has gone to incredible lengths to compile information on 'tens of millions' of gun owners — without their consent." Well, I'm sure it's okay then, because nobody's databases have ever been hacked. And, the NRA is only using it for recruitment and fund raising, ya know. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
"In fact, since 1979, while productivity has grown 75 percent, average wages are up just five percent." Five percent doesn't keep up with inflation. Well, someone is benefiting from those growths (hint, it's probably not anyone you know personally). Also note the starting conversation about how having a college degree doesn't guarantee higher pay like it used to. Many jobs in Design that I've seen where they've asked for at least 5 years experience are paying roughly what I made in 1995.
"A significant chunk of Louisiana Republicans evidently believe that President Barack Obama is to blame for the poor response to the hurricane that ravaged their state more than three years before he took office." Although the differences look like they're within the margin of error, however the percentage who are sure if it was Bush or Obama leads both by a wide margin, and that's almost as discouraging. This is what is known as "low-information" voters. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Jim Hines on the Chelsea Manning thing. Look, I get it. One of the things our main stream society fears is a loss of identity. It fears anything that challenges that sense of identity (a lot of bullying falls into this category). But this really isn't that hard (well, except for where to house Manning, and then you have a whole can of worms). If someone asks you to refer to them as the Christ Reborn, of Napoleon Returned, that's one thing. It's another thing if someone says, "I'm not as I appear to you". Also, form a biological standpoint, if you think sex is as easy as who has an XX and who has an XY in the 23rd chromosome, understand that knowing that and thinking you're an expert is like knowing your ABCs and thinking your Shakespeare. There's a big gap in there even before we get to the psychology of sexual identity.
"From one end of their educational trajectory to the other, our society told these kids science was important. How confusing is it for them now, when scientists receive death threats for simply doing honest research on our planet’s climate history?" Creationism, climate denial, anti-vaxers and all the other anti-science movements are mostly for short-term monetary gain and protecting embedded interests and aren't concerned with helping us afterward. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Tweet of my heart: @ChuckWendig For every so-called rule of writing and storytelling is a bad-ass author breaking the shit out of that rule and making that violation work.
Dr. Doyle with the mad-libs version of the elevator pitch. As she says, it's crazy, but it works.
Catherine Schaff-Stump interviews Will Alexander. Catherine does some great author interviews, I'm pointing this one out because they cover some interesting topics.
Okay, so you've gone beyond the standing desk and made a treadmill desk. Bully for you. How about connecting the treadmill into a feedback loop that determines your internet bandwidth? Ah, you didn't think about THAT, did you Grasshopper. (Pointed to by Dan)
Photos of the human drama at county fairs.
"Noting that he must at least own a computer, know how to use it, and possess the basic skills required to publish his thoughts on numerous websites and forums, internet users said DaemonX—the username of a person who posts dozens of inane and delusional comments online every day—is presumably a stable member of society." Oh, Onion, how I love you. (Grokked from Tor.com)
A short history of hacking and the Hacker's Ethic. Not sure I agree in totality with this article, but interesting none the less. (Grokked from Tor.com)
"There's nothing quite like the… taste of Maine lobster. And fishermen off the state's rocky coastline have been catching more and more of the tasty crustacean over the past five years… But that surging supply has overwhelmed Maine's limited marketing and processing capabilities and driven down the prices paid to lobstermen." Having been there last year, I can tell you the oversupply hasn't affected the price the end-user is paying (so someone is making money).
Can an AI pass the entrance exam to Tokyo University? Some interesting things on how far AIs actually are. Note, still just trying to get answering questions correct. (Grokked from Tor.com)
"Microsoft’s stock is surging, up 8% in pre-market on the news that Steve Ballmer will be vacating the CEO role within the next year." That's gonna leave a mark. (Pointed to by John)
In case the line about how the NSA "only" collects metadata and that's not offensive at all still rings true to you, this is what you can learn from the metadata. And that's just a reporter and a college professor. Real "spooks" know how to glean a lot more.
Where the wild things (whale sharks) are.
You know how some people (mostly conservatives of the paranoid type) claim that Pres. Obama is using all these dirty tricks and spying to try and shut down dissent? This is what that actually looks like. Note: reality not valid for those who think Ronnie Reagan's shit don't stink. I suggest listening to the interview.
"While the National Rifle Association publicly fights against a national gun registry, the organization has gone to incredible lengths to compile information on 'tens of millions' of gun owners — without their consent." Well, I'm sure it's okay then, because nobody's databases have ever been hacked. And, the NRA is only using it for recruitment and fund raising, ya know. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
"In fact, since 1979, while productivity has grown 75 percent, average wages are up just five percent." Five percent doesn't keep up with inflation. Well, someone is benefiting from those growths (hint, it's probably not anyone you know personally). Also note the starting conversation about how having a college degree doesn't guarantee higher pay like it used to. Many jobs in Design that I've seen where they've asked for at least 5 years experience are paying roughly what I made in 1995.
"A significant chunk of Louisiana Republicans evidently believe that President Barack Obama is to blame for the poor response to the hurricane that ravaged their state more than three years before he took office." Although the differences look like they're within the margin of error, however the percentage who are sure if it was Bush or Obama leads both by a wide margin, and that's almost as discouraging. This is what is known as "low-information" voters. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Jim Hines on the Chelsea Manning thing. Look, I get it. One of the things our main stream society fears is a loss of identity. It fears anything that challenges that sense of identity (a lot of bullying falls into this category). But this really isn't that hard (well, except for where to house Manning, and then you have a whole can of worms). If someone asks you to refer to them as the Christ Reborn, of Napoleon Returned, that's one thing. It's another thing if someone says, "I'm not as I appear to you". Also, form a biological standpoint, if you think sex is as easy as who has an XX and who has an XY in the 23rd chromosome, understand that knowing that and thinking you're an expert is like knowing your ABCs and thinking your Shakespeare. There's a big gap in there even before we get to the psychology of sexual identity.
"From one end of their educational trajectory to the other, our society told these kids science was important. How confusing is it for them now, when scientists receive death threats for simply doing honest research on our planet’s climate history?" Creationism, climate denial, anti-vaxers and all the other anti-science movements are mostly for short-term monetary gain and protecting embedded interests and aren't concerned with helping us afterward. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Tweet of my heart: @ChuckWendig For every so-called rule of writing and storytelling is a bad-ass author breaking the shit out of that rule and making that violation work.
Friday, August 23, 2013
Here comes a candle to light you to bed
So, there was this idea for a novel that came to me yesterday. It's a mashup of several things, but it'll end up being a very dark urban fantasy (toeing the line to horror). And here's where I need you're help.
Oh Great Internet Brain,
I need twisted nursery rhymes or children songs about murders or murders. Particularly songs used to tell children to behave or the killers will come for them.
The main inspiration for this is the song, The Shankhill Butchers by the Decemberists (although I like Sarah Jarosz's voice a little better). Although something along the lines of Lizzy Borden (Lizzy Borden took an axe…) works as well. I've run into the more common ones, "Oranges and Lemons", "Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater", "Ring-a-round-the-rosy", "Four and twenty blackbirds", like that. So probably something regional, or if there is a genre of murder ballads for children (if there's a specific name for it). Something that can be for a recurring horror, something to put the kiddies into therapy and having a need for their woobie.
Any thoughts?
As a reward, as a part of my search I turned this up. "What (the murderer) probably was not aware of was that a chunk of his skin would eventually be flayed (after he was executed), tanned and used to cover an 1852 copy of The Poetical Works of John Milton."
Sleep tight.
Oh Great Internet Brain,
I need twisted nursery rhymes or children songs about murders or murders. Particularly songs used to tell children to behave or the killers will come for them.
The main inspiration for this is the song, The Shankhill Butchers by the Decemberists (although I like Sarah Jarosz's voice a little better). Although something along the lines of Lizzy Borden (Lizzy Borden took an axe…) works as well. I've run into the more common ones, "Oranges and Lemons", "Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater", "Ring-a-round-the-rosy", "Four and twenty blackbirds", like that. So probably something regional, or if there is a genre of murder ballads for children (if there's a specific name for it). Something that can be for a recurring horror, something to put the kiddies into therapy and having a need for their woobie.
Any thoughts?
As a reward, as a part of my search I turned this up. "What (the murderer) probably was not aware of was that a chunk of his skin would eventually be flayed (after he was executed), tanned and used to cover an 1852 copy of The Poetical Works of John Milton."
Sleep tight.
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Linkee-poo knows it was a pleasure to burn
Dr Doyle on what to send to an agent. Follow the guidelines.
Elmore Leonard's rules for writers, the verbose edition. (Grokked from Tor.com)
Elizabeth Bear on why we still are writing in the world that Lovecraft created. Just because HP was a racist and sexist SOB, doesn't mean we need be when we write in his world.
Nine common movie mistakes. And while we're talking about scabbard noises, let's talk about sword and knife fighting. Clashing swords like they're rapiers is completely insane. With rapiers it works because they're all point and no fuckin' blade. Clash blades like you're fencing? You're going to ding up some pretty expensive steel and make the blade worthless (this is why samurai prized the single-draw and strike). Also endlessly taking a stone to the blade. Um, you know you're 1) not sharpening it and 2) just wasting steel, right? I guess if you're beating your blade to hell and back you're going to need a stone to put the edge back on, but you're losing a heck-of-a-lot-a steel doing it. Know how to set an edge (after you get an edge to begin with)? Clay embedded in leather. A strop just like granddaddy used to use on his cut-throat razor. Also, yea, don't touch the blade. Bad skin oils and you don't want to disrupt the oil you have on the blade.
When retelling fairy tales, how to keep them fresh? Ziplock bags help, I'm told. (Grokked form Tor.com)
Failing to get a passing grade in the Bechdel Test, are we lowering the bar with the Mako Mori test, just because geeks happened to love a certain movie? And while I agree that passing the Bechdel Test is not necessarily a hallmark of feminism progression, it is admittedly a low bar to pass (he said, quickly avoiding the topic that my own first book does not in fact pass). (Grokked from Tor.com)
Like we all need this, but 23 signs you may be an introvert. "22. You’re a writer." Hahahaha. Hey, wait a sec… (Grokked from Jer)
So, what would happen if you stuck your head into a running particle accelerator? This is one of those stories like Phineas Gage's. Basically they're both very, very lucky. (Pointed to by Dan)
Using augmented reality on an iPad to assist in liver surgery. Warning about the surgery photos now given. This is what many health care givers now do anyways (if you think we're all the same on the inside, I've got news for you), but this is a way to both help that visualization and codify it. Right now, when I take an x-ray, I'm using standard landmarks, but then adjusting for what I perceive is your body's differences, but sometimes you get surprised when you see the final x-ray. So, yea, this tech is very, very useful. (Pointed to by John)
A vintage video guide to the internet (including the obligatory, "Adjust tracking" screen). It's totally serious, and so totally wrong. Well, not so much wrong, but painful. This is what videos were like back in the day, including the horrible soundtrack, obvious reading of cue cards and periodic summary conversations. Think public health movies only without the charm. Plus boys (rolls eyes at the overriding inherent sexism). And now you can understand the culture that gave us a Star Wars Christmas Special. (Pointed to by Dan)
"In the most recent bit of Russian bizarreness, a 550-ton military hovercraft carrying sophisticated weaponry casually pulled up onto a crowded, seemingly public beach." Well, that's something you don't see every day. (Grokked from Warren Ellis)
How not to win a photo contest (link is a google translation). Yep, stealing a photo and doing basic manipulation won't save you. Good information for those who think, "well, of course it's free to use, it's on the internet." Nope, copyright still exists. (Pointed to by Dan)
As with many civilizations, Vikings sailed out into the northern oceans west of Briton only to find the Celts had been there first. (Grokked from Matt Staggs)
"Until now, Hubble always produced the best visible light images, since even large ground-based telescope with complex adaptive optics imaging cameras could only make blurry images in visible light. The core of the new optics system, the so-called Adaptive Secondary Mirror (ASM) that can change its shape at 585 points on its surface 1,000 times each second, counteracts the blurring effects of the atmosphere." SCIENCE! Wow. (Pointed to by Dan)
"Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst (R) reportedly called 911 when a relative was in jail and tried to use his influence to convince officials to release her. According to CBS Dallas-Ft. Worth, Dewhurst made the call on August 3, four hours after his niece was arrested…" Even having been a councilman of a small village I've had to deal with this crap (including the backlash when I wouldn't use any influence to intervene - which I was chairman of the Safety Committee at the time and if I had heard that my police chief had bowed to such pressure he would have been in serious trouble, so why would I do that). "'What do I need to do to not circumvent anything, follow the law, because this is ridiculous,' Dewhurst insisted… A spokesperson for the Allen Police Department… said that neither his department nor the lieutenant governor did anything wrong…" Au contraire, if he did call 911 that's a violation (although the recording of the call doesn't sound like it's 911). Still, dude, very dumb. (Grokked from Matt Staggs)
"The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun." The clerk at the Atlanta school that talked the gunman out of killing kids. Well, that pretty much shows what a complete load of BS that line from Wayne LaPierre is. (Grokked from Morgan J. Locke)
Fred Clark sums up pre- and post-millenial eschatology and how it affects people's outlook on society and politics.
"Many young women use the 'pull-out method' for birth control, and they tend to have more unintended pregnancies than other women, a new study suggests." I'm just being handed a note… turns out water is wet. Wait, condoms have a failure rate of 15-24%? Um, someone is doing this wrong (last I remember, it was more like 4%). (Grokked from the Slactivist)
"Yes. Any person of any identity can be an asshole to any person of any other identity. But that doesn’t make it oppression. It doesn’t even make it racism or sexism or heterosexim or any other -ism." A pretty good blog post on the whining of the privileged class (of which I am a nominal member being a straight, white male). Look, there's inequality to spare (even if you're in the 1%, there's always someone with more money than you). But just because "other people" want the same rights and opportunities you have doesn't put you under attack. I could probably write a book about this, but go read the blog post, it's a good one. (Grokked from Mary Robinette Kowal, who has her own excellent post on the issue)
"That was the day I realized that God help me I hate rightwing Republicans. Hate them. Not what they do, but them personally. I know it’s wrong. But, if you’re willing to sacrifice a man and little children on the altar of morality and judgement then I chose to freakin’ hate you." I guess it could have been worse, they could have refused to say anything to save a football program any embarrassment.
Tweet of my heart: @LIFECOACHERS First and foremost, forgive yourself. Someone has to. Asshole.
Elmore Leonard's rules for writers, the verbose edition. (Grokked from Tor.com)
Elizabeth Bear on why we still are writing in the world that Lovecraft created. Just because HP was a racist and sexist SOB, doesn't mean we need be when we write in his world.
Nine common movie mistakes. And while we're talking about scabbard noises, let's talk about sword and knife fighting. Clashing swords like they're rapiers is completely insane. With rapiers it works because they're all point and no fuckin' blade. Clash blades like you're fencing? You're going to ding up some pretty expensive steel and make the blade worthless (this is why samurai prized the single-draw and strike). Also endlessly taking a stone to the blade. Um, you know you're 1) not sharpening it and 2) just wasting steel, right? I guess if you're beating your blade to hell and back you're going to need a stone to put the edge back on, but you're losing a heck-of-a-lot-a steel doing it. Know how to set an edge (after you get an edge to begin with)? Clay embedded in leather. A strop just like granddaddy used to use on his cut-throat razor. Also, yea, don't touch the blade. Bad skin oils and you don't want to disrupt the oil you have on the blade.
When retelling fairy tales, how to keep them fresh? Ziplock bags help, I'm told. (Grokked form Tor.com)
Failing to get a passing grade in the Bechdel Test, are we lowering the bar with the Mako Mori test, just because geeks happened to love a certain movie? And while I agree that passing the Bechdel Test is not necessarily a hallmark of feminism progression, it is admittedly a low bar to pass (he said, quickly avoiding the topic that my own first book does not in fact pass). (Grokked from Tor.com)
Like we all need this, but 23 signs you may be an introvert. "22. You’re a writer." Hahahaha. Hey, wait a sec… (Grokked from Jer)
So, what would happen if you stuck your head into a running particle accelerator? This is one of those stories like Phineas Gage's. Basically they're both very, very lucky. (Pointed to by Dan)
Using augmented reality on an iPad to assist in liver surgery. Warning about the surgery photos now given. This is what many health care givers now do anyways (if you think we're all the same on the inside, I've got news for you), but this is a way to both help that visualization and codify it. Right now, when I take an x-ray, I'm using standard landmarks, but then adjusting for what I perceive is your body's differences, but sometimes you get surprised when you see the final x-ray. So, yea, this tech is very, very useful. (Pointed to by John)
A vintage video guide to the internet (including the obligatory, "Adjust tracking" screen). It's totally serious, and so totally wrong. Well, not so much wrong, but painful. This is what videos were like back in the day, including the horrible soundtrack, obvious reading of cue cards and periodic summary conversations. Think public health movies only without the charm. Plus boys (rolls eyes at the overriding inherent sexism). And now you can understand the culture that gave us a Star Wars Christmas Special. (Pointed to by Dan)
"In the most recent bit of Russian bizarreness, a 550-ton military hovercraft carrying sophisticated weaponry casually pulled up onto a crowded, seemingly public beach." Well, that's something you don't see every day. (Grokked from Warren Ellis)
How not to win a photo contest (link is a google translation). Yep, stealing a photo and doing basic manipulation won't save you. Good information for those who think, "well, of course it's free to use, it's on the internet." Nope, copyright still exists. (Pointed to by Dan)
As with many civilizations, Vikings sailed out into the northern oceans west of Briton only to find the Celts had been there first. (Grokked from Matt Staggs)
"Until now, Hubble always produced the best visible light images, since even large ground-based telescope with complex adaptive optics imaging cameras could only make blurry images in visible light. The core of the new optics system, the so-called Adaptive Secondary Mirror (ASM) that can change its shape at 585 points on its surface 1,000 times each second, counteracts the blurring effects of the atmosphere." SCIENCE! Wow. (Pointed to by Dan)
"Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst (R) reportedly called 911 when a relative was in jail and tried to use his influence to convince officials to release her. According to CBS Dallas-Ft. Worth, Dewhurst made the call on August 3, four hours after his niece was arrested…" Even having been a councilman of a small village I've had to deal with this crap (including the backlash when I wouldn't use any influence to intervene - which I was chairman of the Safety Committee at the time and if I had heard that my police chief had bowed to such pressure he would have been in serious trouble, so why would I do that). "'What do I need to do to not circumvent anything, follow the law, because this is ridiculous,' Dewhurst insisted… A spokesperson for the Allen Police Department… said that neither his department nor the lieutenant governor did anything wrong…" Au contraire, if he did call 911 that's a violation (although the recording of the call doesn't sound like it's 911). Still, dude, very dumb. (Grokked from Matt Staggs)
"The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun." The clerk at the Atlanta school that talked the gunman out of killing kids. Well, that pretty much shows what a complete load of BS that line from Wayne LaPierre is. (Grokked from Morgan J. Locke)
Fred Clark sums up pre- and post-millenial eschatology and how it affects people's outlook on society and politics.
"Many young women use the 'pull-out method' for birth control, and they tend to have more unintended pregnancies than other women, a new study suggests." I'm just being handed a note… turns out water is wet. Wait, condoms have a failure rate of 15-24%? Um, someone is doing this wrong (last I remember, it was more like 4%). (Grokked from the Slactivist)
"Yes. Any person of any identity can be an asshole to any person of any other identity. But that doesn’t make it oppression. It doesn’t even make it racism or sexism or heterosexim or any other -ism." A pretty good blog post on the whining of the privileged class (of which I am a nominal member being a straight, white male). Look, there's inequality to spare (even if you're in the 1%, there's always someone with more money than you). But just because "other people" want the same rights and opportunities you have doesn't put you under attack. I could probably write a book about this, but go read the blog post, it's a good one. (Grokked from Mary Robinette Kowal, who has her own excellent post on the issue)
"That was the day I realized that God help me I hate rightwing Republicans. Hate them. Not what they do, but them personally. I know it’s wrong. But, if you’re willing to sacrifice a man and little children on the altar of morality and judgement then I chose to freakin’ hate you." I guess it could have been worse, they could have refused to say anything to save a football program any embarrassment.
Tweet of my heart: @LIFECOACHERS First and foremost, forgive yourself. Someone has to. Asshole.
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Linkee-poo is feeling his old, eldritch, squamous self
Rapture Palooza in IMDB. :: Wanders off cussing and kicking small animals :: (Pointed to by Dan)
An NPR story on how libraries are funded.
Butterick's Practical Typography. I haven't read all of it (yet), but so far I don't have too many quibbles with it (although Times New Roman is an acceptable face, not ideal, but good for some uses, and I agree Arial is right out). The site dispenses with a lot of what probably wouldn't be germane to most readers (history, font structure, the names of parts, cold slug vs hot slug, tech that is out of date, etc) and gets to how to use type properly. For those of you who have been around me, you've probably heard me say a lot of these things out loud. Well, in case you thought I was just blowharding, here's proof that it is important. (Pointed to by Dan)
Three times as many Samsung users switch to iPhones than the other way around. Well, that's gonna leave a mark. Apple is the company people love to complain about (too over priced, not an "open" system, blah, blah, typical tourist stuff), but when given a choice, people like to use Apple's product. This is bourn out by the cycle here in my office. (Pointed to by Dan)
"How To Suppress Women's Writing, Russ's satirical text on sexism in art, is 30 years old this year but its lessons are still largely unlearned. Women's writing is dismissed as fantasy, while the fantasies of men are granted some higher status as science fiction." A Guardian article (not the most favorable places to SF/F people even on a good day) on SF invisible women authors. "There's a huge audience of people who love science fiction, but do not see themselves reflected in white male faces that dominate it today." Better get on that. (Grokked from Mrs. Tadd)
the upper atmospheric discharges called sprites. More proof our world is weirder (and more beautiful) than we think. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
"A common assumption has been that if such herbicide resistance genes (from GMO rice) manage to make it into weedy or wild relatives, they would be disadvantageous and plants containing them would die out. But the new study… challenges that view: it shows that a weedy form of the common rice crop… gets a significant fitness boost from glyphosate resistance, even when glyphosate is not applied." Oops. (Pointed to by Dan)
An new study ups the chance that global climate change is caused by humans from 90 to 95%. Getting to the point where the difference between what we can measure and figure and 100% is within the margin of error. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
"The ISS moves so quickly that if you fired a rifle bullet from one end of a football field,[7] the International Space Station could cross the length of the field before the bullet traveled 10 yards." Because keeping in orbit isn't so much about staying up there as it is about moving laterally really, really fast (basically falling, but you keep missing the Earth). (Pointed to by Dan)
"Global sea level has been rising as a result of global warming, but in 2010 and 2011, sea level actually fell by about a quarter of an inch." But don't worry, 2012 and 2013 have made up for it. Science!
Has Voyager 1 left the solar system?
Why most people die from cancer, it isn't really about the cancer. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
In case you think that the Snowden revelations (I won't say whistle blowing, because, really, we already knew this was going on, didn't we?) doesn't have a chilling effect, various sites that require anonymity and security to function are shutting down because they can't guarantee either. (Pointed to by Dan)
"But groups that would like to see changes to (Obamacare) are finding themselves frustrated by the GOP’s posture, which is that full repeal is the only acceptable stance. The most recent example of this that Republicans are blocking Dem efforts to fix a glitch in the law that could harm small churches." Business groups that helped create, fund, and spur the Tea Party "Revolution" are finding the beast they created a little difficult to control. I guess in their zeal to be anything Anti-Obama, they missed that the TP said they wanted members who wouldn't be responsible to anybody. Say, you would think then these groups (like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Federation of Independent Business) would then stop filling their campaign coffers, but that's a little too much rationality to expect. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
In California, they have a team of police that go out to confiscate the firearms of those people who have lost the right to own them (felons, those found to be mentally ill, etc). I wonder how the whackaloons feel about this because 1) they're enforcing the law (and they've been all about the "enforce the laws we have") but 2) confiscation of guns (see how little protection you have with all the safeguards the whackaloons like to talk about keeping the guberment from knowing you have guns). "Thus far, no other state has adopted California's gun seizure law. However, there is a bill in Congress to provide funds for other states to follow this model." But since "The NRA initially supported California's program, but it's since become disenchanted," I don't think it's going to go anywhere.
An NPR story on how libraries are funded.
Butterick's Practical Typography. I haven't read all of it (yet), but so far I don't have too many quibbles with it (although Times New Roman is an acceptable face, not ideal, but good for some uses, and I agree Arial is right out). The site dispenses with a lot of what probably wouldn't be germane to most readers (history, font structure, the names of parts, cold slug vs hot slug, tech that is out of date, etc) and gets to how to use type properly. For those of you who have been around me, you've probably heard me say a lot of these things out loud. Well, in case you thought I was just blowharding, here's proof that it is important. (Pointed to by Dan)
Three times as many Samsung users switch to iPhones than the other way around. Well, that's gonna leave a mark. Apple is the company people love to complain about (too over priced, not an "open" system, blah, blah, typical tourist stuff), but when given a choice, people like to use Apple's product. This is bourn out by the cycle here in my office. (Pointed to by Dan)
"How To Suppress Women's Writing, Russ's satirical text on sexism in art, is 30 years old this year but its lessons are still largely unlearned. Women's writing is dismissed as fantasy, while the fantasies of men are granted some higher status as science fiction." A Guardian article (not the most favorable places to SF/F people even on a good day) on SF invisible women authors. "There's a huge audience of people who love science fiction, but do not see themselves reflected in white male faces that dominate it today." Better get on that. (Grokked from Mrs. Tadd)
the upper atmospheric discharges called sprites. More proof our world is weirder (and more beautiful) than we think. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
"A common assumption has been that if such herbicide resistance genes (from GMO rice) manage to make it into weedy or wild relatives, they would be disadvantageous and plants containing them would die out. But the new study… challenges that view: it shows that a weedy form of the common rice crop… gets a significant fitness boost from glyphosate resistance, even when glyphosate is not applied." Oops. (Pointed to by Dan)
An new study ups the chance that global climate change is caused by humans from 90 to 95%. Getting to the point where the difference between what we can measure and figure and 100% is within the margin of error. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
"The ISS moves so quickly that if you fired a rifle bullet from one end of a football field,[7] the International Space Station could cross the length of the field before the bullet traveled 10 yards." Because keeping in orbit isn't so much about staying up there as it is about moving laterally really, really fast (basically falling, but you keep missing the Earth). (Pointed to by Dan)
"Global sea level has been rising as a result of global warming, but in 2010 and 2011, sea level actually fell by about a quarter of an inch." But don't worry, 2012 and 2013 have made up for it. Science!
Has Voyager 1 left the solar system?
Why most people die from cancer, it isn't really about the cancer. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
In case you think that the Snowden revelations (I won't say whistle blowing, because, really, we already knew this was going on, didn't we?) doesn't have a chilling effect, various sites that require anonymity and security to function are shutting down because they can't guarantee either. (Pointed to by Dan)
"But groups that would like to see changes to (Obamacare) are finding themselves frustrated by the GOP’s posture, which is that full repeal is the only acceptable stance. The most recent example of this that Republicans are blocking Dem efforts to fix a glitch in the law that could harm small churches." Business groups that helped create, fund, and spur the Tea Party "Revolution" are finding the beast they created a little difficult to control. I guess in their zeal to be anything Anti-Obama, they missed that the TP said they wanted members who wouldn't be responsible to anybody. Say, you would think then these groups (like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Federation of Independent Business) would then stop filling their campaign coffers, but that's a little too much rationality to expect. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
In California, they have a team of police that go out to confiscate the firearms of those people who have lost the right to own them (felons, those found to be mentally ill, etc). I wonder how the whackaloons feel about this because 1) they're enforcing the law (and they've been all about the "enforce the laws we have") but 2) confiscation of guns (see how little protection you have with all the safeguards the whackaloons like to talk about keeping the guberment from knowing you have guns). "Thus far, no other state has adopted California's gun seizure law. However, there is a bill in Congress to provide funds for other states to follow this model." But since "The NRA initially supported California's program, but it's since become disenchanted," I don't think it's going to go anywhere.
Story bone
Just a title this time (or maybe a plot). From one of my many Mondegreens, "Werewolf of Plunder". Whenever I think about this, I get a vision of half-transformed werewolves jumping over the side of a tall ship.
Monday, August 19, 2013
Linkee-poo has a 5 o'clock girl who waits for me
Some tips for writers on recognizing your brand and building your brand.
Twelve fictional libraries. Wait, they don't have the library on Sarpeidon or Memory Alpha? WTF? (Grokked from Tor.com)
Chuck Wendig has been crowd sourcing genre recommendations for a while now. Carol McKenzie went through the Urban Fantasy list to glean the top ten. Hmm, fancy that. Fifty percent of the recommendations are by writers who are female (actually more as Neil Gaiman appears twice). I wonder if all those anthology editors who created "best of" series that include 0-10% female writers will take notice? Eh, probably not.
Saul Bass and his design contribution to the movie poster. As a designer professor once told me, "Back in the day, when movies were concerned with beauty, Saul Bass created posters and title sequences that defined the genre." (Grokked from Tor.com)
Coyotes in NE Ohio. A documentary showing how these animals have returned and what their roll in the ecosystem is.
A smarter way to control TV. Except for the sign above that sign which shows that you might want to rethink that strategy. Time to reboot the store. (Pointed to by Dan)
An oil company lie about an oil spill and the potential side effects? Shocked, shocked I am… (Grokked from Matt Staggs)
"The problem there is that (Gary) Bauer would be, himself, contradicting most of the book of Genesis." Mr. Bauer recently gave a speech were he said the US was really close to "outlawing" the book of Genesis. Uh, yeah, Bob.
Jim Wright on the rise of simpletondom.
You may remember that link I had the other day to Fred Clarks post on how those that have actually resent those who don't have, he's not the only one who has come to that thought. "You can see it when tabloids whip up resentment against tube workers for paralysing London during contract disputes: the very fact that tube workers can paralyse London shows that their work is actually necessary, but this seems to be precisely what annoys people."
"A former Republican operative in Georgia who was diagnosed with cancer revealed last week that his medical struggles have made him a supporter of the new federal health care law known as 'Obamacare.'" This became pretty clear during the Obaamcare debates, people who don't use their insurance have a high level of satisfaction with it and don't understand any need to change. Those people who've actually had to use their insurance don't think the reforms go far enough. In this case, this GOP operative is going to be happy for the state exchanges and the removal of the "pre-existing condition" prohibition. Again, most conservatives don't like conservative policies when they're applied to them.
Wow, Ricky Santorum continues to dive into the deep end of whackaloon. "The likely presidential candidate said progressives focus on politics 'in everything they do and in every aspect of their life…. They live it, they are passionate, they are willing to do and say uncomfortable things in mixed company, they are willing to make the sacrifice with their business because they care enough.'" That would be so hilariously funny if I didn't think he meant it. Gee, Ricky, project much? At this point in my life I think I can count on one hand the number of times someone has just offered up to me that they're a liberal/Democrat/progressive. I've lost count on how many have told me their conservative/Republican/"right" without preamble.
More on how crazy the Cold War was, seven close calls during that time. Those weren't the only ones. (Grokked from Matt Staggs)
I guess Whitehall has never heard of off-site or off-line backups. Seriously? UK Government destroys Guardian's hard-drives in an attempt to stop leaks from Snowden. (Grokked from Tobias Buckell)
Twelve fictional libraries. Wait, they don't have the library on Sarpeidon or Memory Alpha? WTF? (Grokked from Tor.com)
Chuck Wendig has been crowd sourcing genre recommendations for a while now. Carol McKenzie went through the Urban Fantasy list to glean the top ten. Hmm, fancy that. Fifty percent of the recommendations are by writers who are female (actually more as Neil Gaiman appears twice). I wonder if all those anthology editors who created "best of" series that include 0-10% female writers will take notice? Eh, probably not.
Saul Bass and his design contribution to the movie poster. As a designer professor once told me, "Back in the day, when movies were concerned with beauty, Saul Bass created posters and title sequences that defined the genre." (Grokked from Tor.com)
Coyotes in NE Ohio. A documentary showing how these animals have returned and what their roll in the ecosystem is.
A smarter way to control TV. Except for the sign above that sign which shows that you might want to rethink that strategy. Time to reboot the store. (Pointed to by Dan)
An oil company lie about an oil spill and the potential side effects? Shocked, shocked I am… (Grokked from Matt Staggs)
"The problem there is that (Gary) Bauer would be, himself, contradicting most of the book of Genesis." Mr. Bauer recently gave a speech were he said the US was really close to "outlawing" the book of Genesis. Uh, yeah, Bob.
Jim Wright on the rise of simpletondom.
You may remember that link I had the other day to Fred Clarks post on how those that have actually resent those who don't have, he's not the only one who has come to that thought. "You can see it when tabloids whip up resentment against tube workers for paralysing London during contract disputes: the very fact that tube workers can paralyse London shows that their work is actually necessary, but this seems to be precisely what annoys people."
"A former Republican operative in Georgia who was diagnosed with cancer revealed last week that his medical struggles have made him a supporter of the new federal health care law known as 'Obamacare.'" This became pretty clear during the Obaamcare debates, people who don't use their insurance have a high level of satisfaction with it and don't understand any need to change. Those people who've actually had to use their insurance don't think the reforms go far enough. In this case, this GOP operative is going to be happy for the state exchanges and the removal of the "pre-existing condition" prohibition. Again, most conservatives don't like conservative policies when they're applied to them.
Wow, Ricky Santorum continues to dive into the deep end of whackaloon. "The likely presidential candidate said progressives focus on politics 'in everything they do and in every aspect of their life…. They live it, they are passionate, they are willing to do and say uncomfortable things in mixed company, they are willing to make the sacrifice with their business because they care enough.'" That would be so hilariously funny if I didn't think he meant it. Gee, Ricky, project much? At this point in my life I think I can count on one hand the number of times someone has just offered up to me that they're a liberal/Democrat/progressive. I've lost count on how many have told me their conservative/Republican/"right" without preamble.
More on how crazy the Cold War was, seven close calls during that time. Those weren't the only ones. (Grokked from Matt Staggs)
I guess Whitehall has never heard of off-site or off-line backups. Seriously? UK Government destroys Guardian's hard-drives in an attempt to stop leaks from Snowden. (Grokked from Tobias Buckell)
The things my friends say
First up, I just want to post this warning that after next week I'm back in school. From now until next mid-July unless I fail, drop-out, fall-over dead, or break, my schedule will be very much like this past Summer. That said, posting will become erratic. I also reserve the right to not read the posts in my RSS feed fully. It's going to be interesting. Not sure if it'll be from the windshield's perspective or the bug's eye view.
I've been blessed by having very smart friends, both of the "meat-space" and online variety. And they often say things that I take to heart, both in the direct sense and the lateral thinking sense. And lately several of my friends comments made years apart have been banging around my head (there's enough room in their for a roller-rink). And all those comments focus on one aspect of my life, the amount of time I spend online reading and posting.
I do a lot of that, in case you didn't notice.
And in my life it's now becoming the "TV" everyone who offers writing advice tells you to unplug and throw out the window. The time spent online has distracted me from what is important. And in reflection it has made me a worse employee, student, friend, son, and husband. I know I should do "things", tell myself I'll do them, and then 2 hours later I realize I haven't done any of them and it's time to go to bed. And it has sucked time away from writing.
There's also the thought in my head that this blog really isn't about Story Bones anymore and I should probably rename it to Links-R-Us. Don't get me wrong, I love sharing all the links I point to. I love that my blog readership has continued to expand (and saw a significant bump when Jay Lake was in New Zealand, which I expect to decrease now that he's back and doing his own Link Salad). And I especially love it when the people who I look to for quality links and commentary mention that I gave them some good links back or I see something I linked to being discussed somewhere else. And I really love reading to find quality links. The writing posts I love because, well, that's what I'm interested in. The science, medicine, and tech posts are fun because I love those things as well. The political links because, well, in case you can't tell I'm pretty opinionated and I want to share the reasoning that goes behind my positions.
You know there's a but coming in here, don't you. But I find myself not reading Locus Online very much anymore. I used to be a regular commenter on Scalzi's Whatever and the Nielsen Hayden's Making Light. I used to read TPM on a regular basis. I used to read fiction online. I kept up to date on the various media trends (even if I didn't see shows or movies, I would know plot lines and concepts). I get nervous and anxious when my RSS feed gets over 100 unread articles and it stresses me out.
And I look at friends who post less often and see the quality of their posts. And I look at friends who post less often and see them advancing in their writing careers. And I look at friends who post less often and still remain relevant.
Now I am a creature of habit. Like I said, I really do enjoy finding links and posting the strange thoughts that come to me. But I used to use blogging as the fire-starter and now it seems to be the whole fire. I used to post linkee-poos that you could read through in less than 10 minutes (maybe not the links, but my post on the links). And I used to actually write blog posts that weren't linkee-poos.
And I think all this talk and reading about the 2016 election is turning me off to the whole politics thing for the moment (it's okay, I go through these phases, it's mostly because of over saturation, it'll pass). One side has either no idea how to govern, having become a party of know-nothings, or simply wants to watch the world burn. And the other side has crossed that cynical line from "let's show we can compromise and be reasonable" to "let's look like we can compromise and be reasonable".
So this is my long winded way of saying that even if I weren't about to start classes, I've been thinking that I need to cut back the time here and spend that time being a better friend, son and husband not to mention giving more time to fiction writing. This isn't the first time I've had these thoughts, and you see how that much has changed my habits. So nothing may change, something may change, I don't really know. But I do have to achieve those goals I outline in the first sentence in this paragraph.
I've been blessed by having very smart friends, both of the "meat-space" and online variety. And they often say things that I take to heart, both in the direct sense and the lateral thinking sense. And lately several of my friends comments made years apart have been banging around my head (there's enough room in their for a roller-rink). And all those comments focus on one aspect of my life, the amount of time I spend online reading and posting.
I do a lot of that, in case you didn't notice.
And in my life it's now becoming the "TV" everyone who offers writing advice tells you to unplug and throw out the window. The time spent online has distracted me from what is important. And in reflection it has made me a worse employee, student, friend, son, and husband. I know I should do "things", tell myself I'll do them, and then 2 hours later I realize I haven't done any of them and it's time to go to bed. And it has sucked time away from writing.
There's also the thought in my head that this blog really isn't about Story Bones anymore and I should probably rename it to Links-R-Us. Don't get me wrong, I love sharing all the links I point to. I love that my blog readership has continued to expand (and saw a significant bump when Jay Lake was in New Zealand, which I expect to decrease now that he's back and doing his own Link Salad). And I especially love it when the people who I look to for quality links and commentary mention that I gave them some good links back or I see something I linked to being discussed somewhere else. And I really love reading to find quality links. The writing posts I love because, well, that's what I'm interested in. The science, medicine, and tech posts are fun because I love those things as well. The political links because, well, in case you can't tell I'm pretty opinionated and I want to share the reasoning that goes behind my positions.
You know there's a but coming in here, don't you. But I find myself not reading Locus Online very much anymore. I used to be a regular commenter on Scalzi's Whatever and the Nielsen Hayden's Making Light. I used to read TPM on a regular basis. I used to read fiction online. I kept up to date on the various media trends (even if I didn't see shows or movies, I would know plot lines and concepts). I get nervous and anxious when my RSS feed gets over 100 unread articles and it stresses me out.
And I look at friends who post less often and see the quality of their posts. And I look at friends who post less often and see them advancing in their writing careers. And I look at friends who post less often and still remain relevant.
Now I am a creature of habit. Like I said, I really do enjoy finding links and posting the strange thoughts that come to me. But I used to use blogging as the fire-starter and now it seems to be the whole fire. I used to post linkee-poos that you could read through in less than 10 minutes (maybe not the links, but my post on the links). And I used to actually write blog posts that weren't linkee-poos.
And I think all this talk and reading about the 2016 election is turning me off to the whole politics thing for the moment (it's okay, I go through these phases, it's mostly because of over saturation, it'll pass). One side has either no idea how to govern, having become a party of know-nothings, or simply wants to watch the world burn. And the other side has crossed that cynical line from "let's show we can compromise and be reasonable" to "let's look like we can compromise and be reasonable".
So this is my long winded way of saying that even if I weren't about to start classes, I've been thinking that I need to cut back the time here and spend that time being a better friend, son and husband not to mention giving more time to fiction writing. This isn't the first time I've had these thoughts, and you see how that much has changed my habits. So nothing may change, something may change, I don't really know. But I do have to achieve those goals I outline in the first sentence in this paragraph.
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Weekend Linkee-poo late edition
Art for art's sake. Yeah, that. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
A primer on how to create the perfect pen name. Isn't that: take the name of your first pet and the street you grew up on… oh wait, that's something else.
The Choosetron "self-directed story printer" Kickstarter. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Advice for keeping safe and social online for writers.
Mary Robinette Kowal tries a different form of author promotion.
California's hanging trees. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
The groups that fund global climate change denialism. (Grokked from Morgan J Locke)
And the infographic on "So you wanna solve climate change."
Money for nothin' college for free.
"Fusobacteria, commonly found in the mouth, cause overactive immune responses and turn on cancer growth genes, two US studies reveal." Well, that kinda sucks. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
"'A fear of suffering which, in some, goes as far as an aversion for the suffering' diagnoses the disease now afflicting American politics." Well, there's an explanation.
So, conservatives, confused by liberals who label your party as a bunch o' whackaloons when you think you all are perfectly reasonable? How's this for an example. That't he new Oregonian GOP Chairman. Someone who claims he had advanced scientific training. And he's making dumb ass comments like "spraying nuclear waste so we become more resistant to genetic disease" and basically becoming an AIDS/HIV denier. Now, if you happen to think these are good ideas, well then it's a hopeless cause. If you realize that our "immune systems" (actually with radiation we're talking about enzymes that could correct the damage to DNA before replication) doesn't work that way and that the connection between HIV and AIDS is pretty conclusively established, then maybe there is hope to bring conservatives back from the edge. But probably not. (Grokked from Jay Lake) The problem with the NYT assigning a reporter to cover Hillary Clinton full time, 3 years before the next election. Just is case you're still suffering from the delusion that the Grey Lady was in the pocket of the liberal left. (Grokked from Morgan J Locke)
A primer on how to create the perfect pen name. Isn't that: take the name of your first pet and the street you grew up on… oh wait, that's something else.
The Choosetron "self-directed story printer" Kickstarter. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Advice for keeping safe and social online for writers.
Mary Robinette Kowal tries a different form of author promotion.
California's hanging trees. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
The groups that fund global climate change denialism. (Grokked from Morgan J Locke)
And the infographic on "So you wanna solve climate change."
Money for nothin' college for free.
"Fusobacteria, commonly found in the mouth, cause overactive immune responses and turn on cancer growth genes, two US studies reveal." Well, that kinda sucks. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
"'A fear of suffering which, in some, goes as far as an aversion for the suffering' diagnoses the disease now afflicting American politics." Well, there's an explanation.
So, conservatives, confused by liberals who label your party as a bunch o' whackaloons when you think you all are perfectly reasonable? How's this for an example. That't he new Oregonian GOP Chairman. Someone who claims he had advanced scientific training. And he's making dumb ass comments like "spraying nuclear waste so we become more resistant to genetic disease" and basically becoming an AIDS/HIV denier. Now, if you happen to think these are good ideas, well then it's a hopeless cause. If you realize that our "immune systems" (actually with radiation we're talking about enzymes that could correct the damage to DNA before replication) doesn't work that way and that the connection between HIV and AIDS is pretty conclusively established, then maybe there is hope to bring conservatives back from the edge. But probably not. (Grokked from Jay Lake) The problem with the NYT assigning a reporter to cover Hillary Clinton full time, 3 years before the next election. Just is case you're still suffering from the delusion that the Grey Lady was in the pocket of the liberal left. (Grokked from Morgan J Locke)
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Weekend Linkee-poo takes a little trip, takes a little trip with me
If you're ever wondering why agents and publishers have guidelines, Mer Haskell has a good answer for you. It's all about the process. When I was doing programing, one of the things we used to do was vet the data. That meant before processing, you would check to see if the data was actually good and in the format you needed it. If it wasn't, Bad Things™, Dude. So you toss that bad data out and go get another piece of data. If you don't follow the guidelines you're relying on one of two things, the reader is feeling exceptionally generous that day, or your first line is a killer and stops the hand dumping your manuscript in the waste bin.
Star Trek Into Darkness voted as worst ST film, evar. Well, keep in mind these are also the people who dissed Next Generation and all the other iterations. I didn't think it was a great film, and it subverted expectations by not making Khan the villain. (Grokked from Tor.com)
Elizabeth Bear cuts to the heart of the "fake fangirl" controversy.
An art exhibit of tensioned suspension. Or to quote Douglas Adams, "They hung in the air exactly the way bricks don't." (Grokked from Jay Lake)
One of our earliest mammalian ancestors is found. And just as you suspected, it's rat like. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
"May be difficult to continue to portray an energy approach as “job killing” when the jobs are right down the road." A great article on some green energy projects (one here in Ohio) and how they contribute to the local economy, produce actual jobs that pay well, and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. Also a little on the entrenched interests in fossil fuels fighting these projects tooth and nail. (Grokked from the Slactivist)
"Rick Santorum says the term 'middle class' is 'Marxism talk' since America doesn’t have any classes. 'Since when in America do we have classes?' Santorum asked a Republican gathering in Lyon County, Iowa, 'There’s no class in America.' He added that the GOP, unlike Democrats,'values the dignity of every human life,' and therefore shouldn’t use the term—which he has actually used repeatedly." We'll ignore the ready-made joke in "There's no class in America" (the Europeans will have to do their own heavy lifting on that one). I guess Ricky's history book doesn't cover… like everything since colonists landed on these shores. But then he spring form the party that also birthed (no jokes) Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA). "(A) constituent asked McClintock for his 'stance on Wall Street criminal practices.' The congressman responded, 'Well first of all, for a criminal practice there has to be a gun. It’s pretty simple.'" It's just as simple as Rep. Tom is. So I wonder if I held him up at knife point or at the end of a bat if he would report it to police? But then ,conservatives always hate it when their own ideologies come hiome to roost. Yep, after voting no for Sandy relief, Sen. Flake and McCain are upset that FEMA won't declare that 134 destroyed homes is a federal case. Of course, after yelling that relief should be offset by cuts in other areas, both didn't offer any cuts to balance their requests. The whackaloon quotient continues to rise. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
With "two thirds of the highest food-stamp receiving counties represented by Republicans, the Bloomberg study should make the GOP 'rethink that whole food stamp moocher thing.' It’s nice to think that Republican voters might notice that their party’s policies are causing pain in their own communities, but that strikes us as a tad optimistic. After all, when a Republican voter gets food stamps, it’s a temporary necessity that is only fair because they’ve paid their taxes. It’s always those other people that are lazy moochers." Not to mention "Among the 254 counties where food stamp recipients doubled between 2007 and 2011, Republican Mitt Romney won 213 of them in last year’s presidential election…" (Grokked from the Slactivist)
When it comes to climate change, we're boned. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
"That joke about rising sea levels at the Republican National Convention last year looks even less funny as time goes on."
Tweet of my heart: @jessicafreely yurstrulyceleste: on a scale of one to invade russia in the winter how bad is your idea
Star Trek Into Darkness voted as worst ST film, evar. Well, keep in mind these are also the people who dissed Next Generation and all the other iterations. I didn't think it was a great film, and it subverted expectations by not making Khan the villain. (Grokked from Tor.com)
Elizabeth Bear cuts to the heart of the "fake fangirl" controversy.
An art exhibit of tensioned suspension. Or to quote Douglas Adams, "They hung in the air exactly the way bricks don't." (Grokked from Jay Lake)
One of our earliest mammalian ancestors is found. And just as you suspected, it's rat like. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
"May be difficult to continue to portray an energy approach as “job killing” when the jobs are right down the road." A great article on some green energy projects (one here in Ohio) and how they contribute to the local economy, produce actual jobs that pay well, and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. Also a little on the entrenched interests in fossil fuels fighting these projects tooth and nail. (Grokked from the Slactivist)
"Rick Santorum says the term 'middle class' is 'Marxism talk' since America doesn’t have any classes. 'Since when in America do we have classes?' Santorum asked a Republican gathering in Lyon County, Iowa, 'There’s no class in America.' He added that the GOP, unlike Democrats,'values the dignity of every human life,' and therefore shouldn’t use the term—which he has actually used repeatedly." We'll ignore the ready-made joke in "There's no class in America" (the Europeans will have to do their own heavy lifting on that one). I guess Ricky's history book doesn't cover… like everything since colonists landed on these shores. But then he spring form the party that also birthed (no jokes) Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA). "(A) constituent asked McClintock for his 'stance on Wall Street criminal practices.' The congressman responded, 'Well first of all, for a criminal practice there has to be a gun. It’s pretty simple.'" It's just as simple as Rep. Tom is. So I wonder if I held him up at knife point or at the end of a bat if he would report it to police? But then ,conservatives always hate it when their own ideologies come hiome to roost. Yep, after voting no for Sandy relief, Sen. Flake and McCain are upset that FEMA won't declare that 134 destroyed homes is a federal case. Of course, after yelling that relief should be offset by cuts in other areas, both didn't offer any cuts to balance their requests. The whackaloon quotient continues to rise. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
With "two thirds of the highest food-stamp receiving counties represented by Republicans, the Bloomberg study should make the GOP 'rethink that whole food stamp moocher thing.' It’s nice to think that Republican voters might notice that their party’s policies are causing pain in their own communities, but that strikes us as a tad optimistic. After all, when a Republican voter gets food stamps, it’s a temporary necessity that is only fair because they’ve paid their taxes. It’s always those other people that are lazy moochers." Not to mention "Among the 254 counties where food stamp recipients doubled between 2007 and 2011, Republican Mitt Romney won 213 of them in last year’s presidential election…" (Grokked from the Slactivist)
When it comes to climate change, we're boned. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
"That joke about rising sea levels at the Republican National Convention last year looks even less funny as time goes on."
Tweet of my heart: @jessicafreely yurstrulyceleste: on a scale of one to invade russia in the winter how bad is your idea
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