Just watching/trying to ignore King Kong. Amazing graphics, yes; but what they have done by making the graphics... well, graphic, is make it also absurd. KK in full swing snatchies up a guy... not hurting him at all - come on, he weighs like 10-12 tons vs 12 stone, full sweeping snatch - broken bones everywhere, not least the neck. The bugs... a guy blasting away with a machine-gun at 15 feet - aiming at a guy covered in bugs... yeah, right, not hitting him once. It's full of such "No Physics Involved Here" stupidity that I find it just ludicrous.
Maybe it's just me.
Doubt it.
Tuesday 22 December 2009
Friday 18 December 2009
Politicians are like artists.
Honest, and here's how. Before the advent of the camera artists were commissioned to paint whatever the person paying them wanted painting; a horse, landscape, self, wife, whatever. He painted it, got paid, everyone happy. Then the commissions stopped. The artist had to decide what to do... so modern art evolved as artists started painting whatever they wanted - “I'm fascinated by brush strokes so I'll do a canvas showing all the possible brush strokes. It can be black, because it's not the picture that matters.” Like that. An unmade bed. Whatever. Garbage. But here's the thing. If you don't tell artists what to do you can't blame them for doing whatever they want.
Politicians are like artists. If you don't tell them what to do...
Honest, and here's how. Before the advent of the camera artists were commissioned to paint whatever the person paying them wanted painting; a horse, landscape, self, wife, whatever. He painted it, got paid, everyone happy. Then the commissions stopped. The artist had to decide what to do... so modern art evolved as artists started painting whatever they wanted - “I'm fascinated by brush strokes so I'll do a canvas showing all the possible brush strokes. It can be black, because it's not the picture that matters.” Like that. An unmade bed. Whatever. Garbage. But here's the thing. If you don't tell artists what to do you can't blame them for doing whatever they want.
Politicians are like artists. If you don't tell them what to do...
Living in close proximity to my two young nephews, who are just 5 and 20 months or so, is proving an interesting experience in many ways. I have delved back into memory to try and recapture not just the events but the attitudes, the way I thought at that age – five, that is, I don't think I have much hope of recapturing much from one (though I do have a memory from that age I suspect that's about as good as it's going to get). Anyway, youth one seems to think it is ok to piss anywhere he likes. Now, I know I didn't do that but can't quite remember when I stopped (potty training memories don't abound but I have a few – it seemed straightforward enough). I remember being three and pissing in a puddle in the car-park, and being shouted at for it by a random occupant of the flats – not that I cared. And that's about it. So, I guess I'm wondering if this is a failure of memory, which I doubt (I mean, 5, I remember pretty much everything from that age), or if this is just one kids poor attitude to the task at hand. I don't doubt I would have gotten a fairly solid clump around the ear for pissing in a draw or wardrobe at his age. Maybe that happened a little earlier and I got the idea (at three and four memories are not complete) but it can't have been a big deal or I would remember.
Maybe I'll ask mum. Soooo, mum, did I ever piss in a wardrobe? If so, when and what did you do to dissuade me from repetition?
Maybe I'll ask mum. Soooo, mum, did I ever piss in a wardrobe? If so, when and what did you do to dissuade me from repetition?
Thursday 26 November 2009
If writing in the third person you can change POV as often as you like, though it's better to keep to one character most of the time (the character you want the reader to identify with). If you are wondering which character' POV to use in a scene, just ask yourself, 'who has the most at stake, who has the most to lose?' and you will have your answer.
Simple, really.
Simple, really.
I just turned 48 – for younger people this may seem old, but it is extraordinary how your perceptions change with age. I still feel 28ish, wouldn't be surprised to check and find I am in fact only 38. Forty-eight sounds old, and in a decade it will be old. But I bet when I am 58 I'll feel little different. Apart from being even more impatient with younger people who think that they know more than I do. Here's a tip; you don't! Experience comes with age, the less you have of one the less you have of the other. Maturity comes with age. Yes, you can fit loads of experiences into a short time, but that doesn't give you context, it just gives you a bunch of data. And there are things that take time to do – like live with someone for a decade, for example.
Looking forward (so far so good on this score) I'm anticipating finding it a bit unfair that physical decrepitude is a necessary part of ageing. It's about the only drawback. That and the tendency to feel like you can't be bothered to re-visit a previous experience. For example, starting another relationship. Having been pretty thoroughly married twice, I really don't feel like I care to go through the same experiences again. How can I pretend it's all new to me? How can I pretend that I care about this one person more than anything else in the world? It would be a lie, and I'm not much into lying.
Looking forward (so far so good on this score) I'm anticipating finding it a bit unfair that physical decrepitude is a necessary part of ageing. It's about the only drawback. That and the tendency to feel like you can't be bothered to re-visit a previous experience. For example, starting another relationship. Having been pretty thoroughly married twice, I really don't feel like I care to go through the same experiences again. How can I pretend it's all new to me? How can I pretend that I care about this one person more than anything else in the world? It would be a lie, and I'm not much into lying.
Let's examine the concept of the sequel. When writing there are two main building blocks, the scene (where things happen) and the sequel (the thing that comes next in the sequence). This is the place where you control the pace of your story. A sequel can be short or long. It is the place where you examine what is going on, what just happened, where your character reacts internally, where he reviews facts, ponders choices, where he makes a decision that will become the goal for the action in the next scene.
See how simple that is? But if you didn't know it, understand it, it would make writing so much harder. Thing about it – you just finish a big scene, lot's happens, loads of action, events that fill the page, and then it ends... - Now what?
A sequel. A scene where the protagonist reacts to what just happened, puts it in order, makes sense of it, picks the facts out and puts together with other information he already has, draws conclusions, comes to a decision and acts again. Sequels are also the place where you get inside the head of the character and examine his motives. A place where you can explore his nature.
Sequels can be long or short, and this is how they control pace. Story moving too fast? Longer sequel, follow it by a shorter action piece and another longish sequel. Story too slow? Cur back the length of the sequel and get into the next action shot.
There. Hopefully, if you need a little help with your writing, that helped.
See how simple that is? But if you didn't know it, understand it, it would make writing so much harder. Thing about it – you just finish a big scene, lot's happens, loads of action, events that fill the page, and then it ends... - Now what?
A sequel. A scene where the protagonist reacts to what just happened, puts it in order, makes sense of it, picks the facts out and puts together with other information he already has, draws conclusions, comes to a decision and acts again. Sequels are also the place where you get inside the head of the character and examine his motives. A place where you can explore his nature.
Sequels can be long or short, and this is how they control pace. Story moving too fast? Longer sequel, follow it by a shorter action piece and another longish sequel. Story too slow? Cur back the length of the sequel and get into the next action shot.
There. Hopefully, if you need a little help with your writing, that helped.
Here's another one from years ago. I was broke – my god, was I broke – and it was raining, winter, proper rain. I walked through an underpass in town (I shan't say which town) and there was a busker playing a guitar, all alone. People were passing busily by, but I had nothing better to do, so I stopped and placed myself opposite him to be an audience. Over the period of a few minutes a crowd gathered to listen. People do that, if there is someone already there. A mother and young daughter skipped up and down in front of the busker. And I walked away, smiling. Job done.
Every now and again I'll take that small memory out and dust it off and smile.
Every now and again I'll take that small memory out and dust it off and smile.
Obama was in India the other day. He saluted the bonds between the two countries as fighters against British Imperial rule.
I must admit I'm getting a bit tired of this kind of thing. OK, can't argue that there were some nasty incidents in India under 'our' (and I put our in inverted commas deliberately, after all it wasn't anything to do with me, I hadn't been born then and refuse to apologize for something for which I bear no responsibility) rule. But, it wasn't the Indian PM saying this, it was Obama, so I'll put my remarks in context to the USA.
What is Obama's beef with British Imperial rule? Let's remember that there were no recorded cases of British war crimes in the war of independence or atrocities beforehand. The beef at the time was was 'crushing' taxation and nothing more (apart from personal beefs, like certain individuals not getting the knighthoods and so on they thought they'd earned).
It ould be interesting to see a direct comparison betwee the tax burden then and now. Considering that the main aim of the brits was to recover war casts, a few tens of thousands of pounds (though that's probobly a few million now) I don't doubt that the current crushing tax burden is far higher as a percentage of GDP and to the average individual.
Hmmmm. Interesting, don't you think? Maybe he was unwise to draw attention to the reasons America became independent, as those reasons are a better fit for him than they ever were for King George III and his governement.
Reminds me of something an American said when the Iraq constitution was being thrashed out. He said “Why don't we give them ours? After all, we're not using it.” It's the kind of thing that strikes me as funny and sad at the same time.
I must admit I'm getting a bit tired of this kind of thing. OK, can't argue that there were some nasty incidents in India under 'our' (and I put our in inverted commas deliberately, after all it wasn't anything to do with me, I hadn't been born then and refuse to apologize for something for which I bear no responsibility) rule. But, it wasn't the Indian PM saying this, it was Obama, so I'll put my remarks in context to the USA.
What is Obama's beef with British Imperial rule? Let's remember that there were no recorded cases of British war crimes in the war of independence or atrocities beforehand. The beef at the time was was 'crushing' taxation and nothing more (apart from personal beefs, like certain individuals not getting the knighthoods and so on they thought they'd earned).
It ould be interesting to see a direct comparison betwee the tax burden then and now. Considering that the main aim of the brits was to recover war casts, a few tens of thousands of pounds (though that's probobly a few million now) I don't doubt that the current crushing tax burden is far higher as a percentage of GDP and to the average individual.
Hmmmm. Interesting, don't you think? Maybe he was unwise to draw attention to the reasons America became independent, as those reasons are a better fit for him than they ever were for King George III and his governement.
Reminds me of something an American said when the Iraq constitution was being thrashed out. He said “Why don't we give them ours? After all, we're not using it.” It's the kind of thing that strikes me as funny and sad at the same time.
It is winter and cold and wet. I don't know how cold, but seem to recall that last winter (which I spent in Southampton) it was minus six – but dry (there was snow) and therefore it was not too horrible. In north Devon it's wet. And I don't like it. It's not just the cold and wet, after all the coldest winter I ever spent anywhere was my first winter in Spain. The apartment was on the third floor and had been cunningly contrived so that there were 5 outside walls. It was near the Atlantic, near Gibralter, and the wind howled. The floors were marble; no carpets. There was no heating. The windows fit so poorly that when the wind was in the right direction it drove the rain into the apartment so that there was a small river running though it.
It was freezing.
Still, there were sunny days. On new-years day, for example, it was warm enough to sit out on the front and soak up the sun. Nice. Happy making.
I have seen people sit outside coffee shops here in the UK, but they don't seem very happy about it.
It was freezing.
Still, there were sunny days. On new-years day, for example, it was warm enough to sit out on the front and soak up the sun. Nice. Happy making.
I have seen people sit outside coffee shops here in the UK, but they don't seem very happy about it.
Did I mention that The Last King's Amulet and Prison of Power will soon be available on Amazon? Gosh, I'm pleased about that. OK, you can already buy through smashwords for $2 and yes, I will get a bigger percentage of that money, but Amazon... well, that's as much of a sales outlet as I need, isn't it? Now all I need to do is invent a new way of marketing books....
What? I hear you cry (maybe). What do you mean?
Well, books don't get advertised, at least no much and not usually. The publisher has a sales team, yes, but their job is to go to bookstores (chains and independants) and push books – the store owner takes a number of copies and puts them on the shelf for two weeks. Those that don't sell get sent back (just the front cover actually) along with a check for those that do sell. If they all sell, then the bookstore will order more. And that's it. Usually. If a book sells well, then there is some advertising.
Usually the publisher makes guess at the number of copies they will shift and print that many. Usually this isn't enough to make a profit, but they figure they have to experiment. As much as they figure anything. With no advertising this is pretty much a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Anyway. What I am doing (and anyone else who embraces change) is different. In effect I have “printed” as many copies as anyone will ever need – there are no end of copies available. What I need to do, then, is make people aware of the fact. Like fantasy? Like a good read? Prefer to spend $2 on a book instead of $10 or more? Go look, read upto 40% for free, see what you think. Buy if you like. These are the things I need to say, to as many people as possible.
Now, without spending any money (yet – like publishers I'll budget advertising based on what I earn from the books, which isn't much yet) how do I do this?
Good question, isn't it?
What? I hear you cry (maybe). What do you mean?
Well, books don't get advertised, at least no much and not usually. The publisher has a sales team, yes, but their job is to go to bookstores (chains and independants) and push books – the store owner takes a number of copies and puts them on the shelf for two weeks. Those that don't sell get sent back (just the front cover actually) along with a check for those that do sell. If they all sell, then the bookstore will order more. And that's it. Usually. If a book sells well, then there is some advertising.
Usually the publisher makes guess at the number of copies they will shift and print that many. Usually this isn't enough to make a profit, but they figure they have to experiment. As much as they figure anything. With no advertising this is pretty much a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Anyway. What I am doing (and anyone else who embraces change) is different. In effect I have “printed” as many copies as anyone will ever need – there are no end of copies available. What I need to do, then, is make people aware of the fact. Like fantasy? Like a good read? Prefer to spend $2 on a book instead of $10 or more? Go look, read upto 40% for free, see what you think. Buy if you like. These are the things I need to say, to as many people as possible.
Now, without spending any money (yet – like publishers I'll budget advertising based on what I earn from the books, which isn't much yet) how do I do this?
Good question, isn't it?
I bought a coffee-making thing. You know, a pot, coffee here, water there, flick a switch and in a while you have a pot of coffee. Then I poured it into my cup. Or, more accurately, all over the counter because the spout didn't pour cleanly. Amazing.
Here we are, a tool making species who have been making pots with spouts for … what? Tenty thousand years? … and there are people who design and manufacture pots with spouts that don't pour. Welcome to the 21st century.
Here we are, a tool making species who have been making pots with spouts for … what? Tenty thousand years? … and there are people who design and manufacture pots with spouts that don't pour. Welcome to the 21st century.
It's the contrasts between Spain and the UK that constantly niggle. People smile. Seems like such a simple thing, doesn't it? But try it out as an experiment if you live in the UK. Walk down the street smiling at people, and see what kind of looks you get in response. I bet cash it won't be a smile.
Here's a thing that happened; I was driving down a short one-way street the wrong way (Everyone did it, more or less; it was a short cut) and came nose to nose with the Guardia Civil (that's the proper police, just in case you don't know). Guess what happened? Play the scene out in your mind, as though you were in the UK. Did that happen? No. The Guardia backed up onto the pavement so that I could get buy.
Here's a thing that happened; I was driving down a short one-way street the wrong way (Everyone did it, more or less; it was a short cut) and came nose to nose with the Guardia Civil (that's the proper police, just in case you don't know). Guess what happened? Play the scene out in your mind, as though you were in the UK. Did that happen? No. The Guardia backed up onto the pavement so that I could get buy.
Another time, another Guardia story. Again, I'll outline the scene and let you play it out as though it were in the UK (or wherever) and see what you think happened. Compare and contrast...
I was speeding – everyone does – and I had had a drink or two, probably over the limit (this was out of town, no one... and I mean no one... speeds in towns), and I had no ITV (the MOT equivalent – this was obvious, it's a sticker you put in the windscreen), and I was wearing no seatbelt (this law had just come into force. So, I was stopped because they happened to be doing speeding that day. Now, what happened?
They fined me for speeding. And I didn't have quite enough cash on me so they waived the total. No further action, no booze test, no fine for the seatbelt, no fine for not having a current ITV, not a word about anything else.
They are not out to get you. You are not a criminal. Hell, I got stopped with no insurance and no papers for the car – I was moving it because I had to, and they get that. You are not a criminal, you are a citizen going about your life. I am a civil servant, here to help you, not make your life difficult. Get the car moved, and don't make a habit of it.
And people wonder why I like Spain.
I was speeding – everyone does – and I had had a drink or two, probably over the limit (this was out of town, no one... and I mean no one... speeds in towns), and I had no ITV (the MOT equivalent – this was obvious, it's a sticker you put in the windscreen), and I was wearing no seatbelt (this law had just come into force. So, I was stopped because they happened to be doing speeding that day. Now, what happened?
They fined me for speeding. And I didn't have quite enough cash on me so they waived the total. No further action, no booze test, no fine for the seatbelt, no fine for not having a current ITV, not a word about anything else.
They are not out to get you. You are not a criminal. Hell, I got stopped with no insurance and no papers for the car – I was moving it because I had to, and they get that. You are not a criminal, you are a citizen going about your life. I am a civil servant, here to help you, not make your life difficult. Get the car moved, and don't make a habit of it.
And people wonder why I like Spain.
My nephew has a keyboard, a toy piano, which I would think was a good thing if it didn't have lots of buttons that play tunes for you. Predictably, he has learned nothing about the keyboard. Using the keyboard takes effort, and thought, and practice. Flicking a switch takes no effort, no thought, and no practice. Human nature dictates the consequences.
Just re-read Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. I had forgotten what a good book it is. Pity that Douglas Adams produced such a small body of work; it amounts to the Hitch hiker books, this one, The Long Dark Teatime of the Soul (also very good), and the Meaning of Liff in collaboration with John Lloyd.
3 Billion pounds a week. That is how much money that Brown's government is borrowing a week. Its 23rd Nov '09, just in case you are reading this later. I should restate the above in more accurate terms; 3 Billion pounds a week is the amount Brown is borrowing on your behalf, money that you are going to have to pay back later, with interest. Usually, when you borrow money you get to see some benefit – in debt but have a nice car, have a house to live in, new bathroom suit, something. From Brown you get some new laws restricting your lawful activities.
Don't forget to say thank you. Thank you politicians everywhere.
Don't forget to say thank you. Thank you politicians everywhere.
The most amazing thing about the expenses scandal is that even though there were clear cases of fraud and misappropriation of public funds and so forth, no one was indicted. No charges brought. No case to answer. They steal your money and walk free. Of course they do. They are politicians. Thank you politicians everywhere.
I am predicting a messy election. Not sure what is going to happen. It seems that the mood of the people is such that they will not support the top two contenders. Lib' Dem' did a party broadcast recently, telling us that it's ok because the top earners will be more heavily taxed to pay for everything, because that's fair. Only it isn't fair, is it? If we all paid a blanket 20% tax the top earners would already be paying more. To be successful and pay a higher percentage is not fair, and never was. The conservatives don't seem radical enough, either.
What I would like to see is a new party, call them rationalists, who would undertake sweeping change of the underlying attitudes that form policy and law. Cut the red tape, eliminate taxes, cut back all government departments so that government is small and cheap.
Just as an example, let's take tax. There are some that cost as much to administer as they raise, whose only purpose is to take money off the people and put it in the pockets of the civil servants who take it. Madness. Income Tax is the cheapest to administer, so everything should be handled through that, including benefits. Positive or minus income, above a certain amount taxed at a flat rate for all, below a certain amount paid from the pot. Cheap, simple, easy.
Real change, change you can believe in, we have been promised before. But it never happens.
Forced to predict, I would guess at a weak conservative government and a lot of new MP's from all other parties APART from labour, it would be fine to believe that we will see NO labour MP's at all but I doubt it. Still, I do believe there will be very few.
What I would like to see is a new party, call them rationalists, who would undertake sweeping change of the underlying attitudes that form policy and law. Cut the red tape, eliminate taxes, cut back all government departments so that government is small and cheap.
Just as an example, let's take tax. There are some that cost as much to administer as they raise, whose only purpose is to take money off the people and put it in the pockets of the civil servants who take it. Madness. Income Tax is the cheapest to administer, so everything should be handled through that, including benefits. Positive or minus income, above a certain amount taxed at a flat rate for all, below a certain amount paid from the pot. Cheap, simple, easy.
Real change, change you can believe in, we have been promised before. But it never happens.
Forced to predict, I would guess at a weak conservative government and a lot of new MP's from all other parties APART from labour, it would be fine to believe that we will see NO labour MP's at all but I doubt it. Still, I do believe there will be very few.
Wednesday 25 November 2009
Monday 23 November 2009
It has happened to me several times in the past. I will be half way through a book and just lose my way. I had no idea why this was happening. Then I finished one book and maybe I learned something because the next one I also finished. Then I really learned something and realised that I had been an idiot. There was something I didn't understand consciously and then I suddenly did understand it. And it was the answer. And it is this...
You get lost in the middle of the book because you don't know where you are heading. You are heading for the end of the set-up of the problems that the main character must solve, the end of the middle is where the last bit of the problem and the first bit of the solution come together. That is what you are aiming for, and if you are not aiming for that then you are unlikely to hit it.
If you put a lesser climax at that point it helps (that point being the end of the middle of the book). A sub-plot problem, or a secondary characters problem set can be solved or resolved here, and at the same time give the main character something that sets him on the path to the resolution to his own problem set.
I know I will never get lost in the middle of a book again; at least not permanently. Even if I have to go back a bit, pick a secondary character and create a new problem for him and the main character to deal with that then gives a step to the solution for the main story problem.
I will never get lost in the middle of a book again. I just can't tell you how good it feels to say that and know it's true.
You get lost in the middle of the book because you don't know where you are heading. You are heading for the end of the set-up of the problems that the main character must solve, the end of the middle is where the last bit of the problem and the first bit of the solution come together. That is what you are aiming for, and if you are not aiming for that then you are unlikely to hit it.
If you put a lesser climax at that point it helps (that point being the end of the middle of the book). A sub-plot problem, or a secondary characters problem set can be solved or resolved here, and at the same time give the main character something that sets him on the path to the resolution to his own problem set.
I know I will never get lost in the middle of a book again; at least not permanently. Even if I have to go back a bit, pick a secondary character and create a new problem for him and the main character to deal with that then gives a step to the solution for the main story problem.
I will never get lost in the middle of a book again. I just can't tell you how good it feels to say that and know it's true.
The first Harry Potter book was rejected by eight (8!) publishers before it was accepted and went into print.
Publishers can't tell the difference between marketable work and trash. Why should we allow them to decide for us what we can and can't read? Think about it – if Rawling had become discouraged, decided her work was no good and given up we would never have been able to read it. Ever.
Thank you publishers everywhere.
Publishers can't tell the difference between marketable work and trash. Why should we allow them to decide for us what we can and can't read? Think about it – if Rawling had become discouraged, decided her work was no good and given up we would never have been able to read it. Ever.
Thank you publishers everywhere.
I'm as guilty as the next person. I read a great deal and every now and again, if I like a book particularly well, I go find their site or blog or whatever and have a read. How disappointed am I? In most cases they are well laid out sites that promote the writers works and do nothing else. I am determined not to do that here. I am going to tell you stuff, real stuff about the real me. Not just talk about my own work.
Having said that, take a look at smashwords and look up the books (there are two but there will be more soon enough). Go ahead and read the free 40% and then, if you like and want to finish, buy the book for $2 and read it all. Hope you enjoy.
With your two dollars you are paying the production costs only to a small degree – maintaining a site isn't free – but mostly (70%) you are paying for the content. This is the future. You are seeing it here, right now, as I do work to promote my own work that I chose to publish as it is, which is my responsibility.
The writers are going to take back control of their work over the next few years. I would bet cash on it. Soon there will be no publishers, or only very few printing limited editions and special editions. It's the only way they will be able to survive. Change is happening now.
Personally, I'm thrilled.
Having said that, take a look at smashwords and look up the books (there are two but there will be more soon enough). Go ahead and read the free 40% and then, if you like and want to finish, buy the book for $2 and read it all. Hope you enjoy.
With your two dollars you are paying the production costs only to a small degree – maintaining a site isn't free – but mostly (70%) you are paying for the content. This is the future. You are seeing it here, right now, as I do work to promote my own work that I chose to publish as it is, which is my responsibility.
The writers are going to take back control of their work over the next few years. I would bet cash on it. Soon there will be no publishers, or only very few printing limited editions and special editions. It's the only way they will be able to survive. Change is happening now.
Personally, I'm thrilled.
I'm sitting up in bed in 'my' room, listening to the street outside. It is a narrow way in a small town and there are shops, and at night bars. It reminds me a great deal of Calle De La Cruz in Fuengirola, where I had a flat for eleven months. The constant buzz of voices in the day and the loud music at night. There it was warm or hot, depending, and the beer was cheap and I had money anyway, so I would be out in the day more often than not; here I am skint and it's cold and frankly there is nowhere I want to go much. So, it's the same but different. But isn't that an apt description of any stage of life? The same but different?
X Factor again.
Well, the twins are gone, and I can only sigh in relief even as I gnash my teeth that they managed to knock out the best singer in the competition – Jamie. Amazing. In some ways I shall be sad no longer to see them prancing about on stage like two halves of an accident as they murder songs with their impoverished voices, yet truly I am glad to see them go.
Well, the twins are gone, and I can only sigh in relief even as I gnash my teeth that they managed to knock out the best singer in the competition – Jamie. Amazing. In some ways I shall be sad no longer to see them prancing about on stage like two halves of an accident as they murder songs with their impoverished voices, yet truly I am glad to see them go.
Sunday 22 November 2009
Saturday 21 November 2009
This is interesting. http://www.electric-cosmos.org/sun.htm Suns are not fusion powered, seems almost certain to me… take a look.
And this. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/
11/16/cern_cloud_experiment/ cosmic rays and cloud formation/ temperature
I bet they are related; or rather, if they are related there is a higher chance of radical temperature changes that we cannot possibly control – think it through. Pity no one in the field seems to be thinking about it.
I was talking to a dropout physics student who said he left the field because each time he achieved a 'degree' (and he listed them up to masters) and started for the next level up he was told, forget everything you were taught before this as it is all wrong.
I wonder how many people working in the field really believe the sun is a fusion reactor even though they know that it must be wrong (fusion creates only 4 isotopes etc).
And this. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/
11/16/cern_cloud_experiment/ cosmic rays and cloud formation/ temperature
I bet they are related; or rather, if they are related there is a higher chance of radical temperature changes that we cannot possibly control – think it through. Pity no one in the field seems to be thinking about it.
I was talking to a dropout physics student who said he left the field because each time he achieved a 'degree' (and he listed them up to masters) and started for the next level up he was told, forget everything you were taught before this as it is all wrong.
I wonder how many people working in the field really believe the sun is a fusion reactor even though they know that it must be wrong (fusion creates only 4 isotopes etc).
I just thought of something really interesting that I'm not going to share with you.
Some people are going to find that very frustrating. But it happens, especially to writers. Because we think about everything, even if it isn't in our field of expertise or experience, sometimes we think of new things or make connections that no one else has been motivated to make. This is one of those times. And the implications are profound and frankly, very scary. Normally I would tuck it away as a story idea until I had something else to go with it to make a story. This time... well, I think I will try and get the idea to someone better qualified to think about it.
I hate it when that happens. Waste of a good story.
Some people are going to find that very frustrating. But it happens, especially to writers. Because we think about everything, even if it isn't in our field of expertise or experience, sometimes we think of new things or make connections that no one else has been motivated to make. This is one of those times. And the implications are profound and frankly, very scary. Normally I would tuck it away as a story idea until I had something else to go with it to make a story. This time... well, I think I will try and get the idea to someone better qualified to think about it.
I hate it when that happens. Waste of a good story.
If we proceed to structure society based on the premise that we are not human beings (basically murderous killer apes who care for nothing but procreation and personal comfort unless society generates internal restraints), and that men and women are not different (chemistry effects brain development and we have different chemistries), we are basing society on a false premise. How stupid would we have to be as a species to do that? Sometimes I wonder.
Why do we take peoples word for it?
This has to be the single stupidest thing we tend to do as a species. Some piece of 'information' comes into our heads from some source or another and we just accept it. What? I mean WHAT?!
That we have a tendency to do this is our biggest failing as a species. Are we really too damn lazy to check other sources? Are we really such sheep that we will blindly accept the prevailing point-of-view when we must know that facts don't attend to consensus.
The global warming/climate change fiasco is the one that drives me nutsest in this regard. It's Not True. All the actual science done in this area tells us clearly – I mean Very Clearly – that we are not effecting the temperature of the planet one iota. Yet the western world is attempting to bankrupt itself and strip us of civilization as though the myth were reality.
And aside from that, “..uk the polar bears. Do I look like a ...ing polar bear? Have you ever seen a ...ing polar bear wearing a Save The Children T-shirt? Why would I care about ...ing polar bears? If we met on the ice the ...ing polar bear would only be thinking about what a useful source of calories I was! Why the ...ing hell would I care about ...ing polar bears?!”
This has to be the single stupidest thing we tend to do as a species. Some piece of 'information' comes into our heads from some source or another and we just accept it. What? I mean WHAT?!
That we have a tendency to do this is our biggest failing as a species. Are we really too damn lazy to check other sources? Are we really such sheep that we will blindly accept the prevailing point-of-view when we must know that facts don't attend to consensus.
The global warming/climate change fiasco is the one that drives me nutsest in this regard. It's Not True. All the actual science done in this area tells us clearly – I mean Very Clearly – that we are not effecting the temperature of the planet one iota. Yet the western world is attempting to bankrupt itself and strip us of civilization as though the myth were reality.
And aside from that, “..uk the polar bears. Do I look like a ...ing polar bear? Have you ever seen a ...ing polar bear wearing a Save The Children T-shirt? Why would I care about ...ing polar bears? If we met on the ice the ...ing polar bear would only be thinking about what a useful source of calories I was! Why the ...ing hell would I care about ...ing polar bears?!”
Conflict I
Let's talk about conflict. In the sense of constructing a story. It's commonly held that conflict is essential to a story, and if you read conflict as opposition then it's hard to argue that it isn't necessary. Your main characters are deal with a problem and if there is no opposition to the characters actions that would tend to indicate that the problem is easy to deal with, and how much of an intense interesting story would that make? Opposition, by the way, can be supplied by friends who think the character is wrong just as easily as by bad guys who want him to fail. There is a good range of opposition available and each should be used as appropriate to the story – Boromier was misguided, not evil, and repented just in time to save... well, you know the story.
Conflict is not necessary if the story is only about the nature of the character. The events highlight the failing inherent in their thinking and the story is about how they grow to overcome the internal problem. There is no need for conflict.
I may talk more about this later, but I just got sidetracked, so I'll call this Conflict I and put that on top of this bit.
Let's talk about conflict. In the sense of constructing a story. It's commonly held that conflict is essential to a story, and if you read conflict as opposition then it's hard to argue that it isn't necessary. Your main characters are deal with a problem and if there is no opposition to the characters actions that would tend to indicate that the problem is easy to deal with, and how much of an intense interesting story would that make? Opposition, by the way, can be supplied by friends who think the character is wrong just as easily as by bad guys who want him to fail. There is a good range of opposition available and each should be used as appropriate to the story – Boromier was misguided, not evil, and repented just in time to save... well, you know the story.
Conflict is not necessary if the story is only about the nature of the character. The events highlight the failing inherent in their thinking and the story is about how they grow to overcome the internal problem. There is no need for conflict.
I may talk more about this later, but I just got sidetracked, so I'll call this Conflict I and put that on top of this bit.
I was just reading an article in The Times magazine, called Solutions and sub-headed Fifteen scientists are tackling the world's most pressing problems. So what are the answers?
(Pedantry demands that I point out the 'the world' has no problems, only people do).
What are these problems? Number one is 'How can nuclear waste be made safer?' Dr Kenji Nishihara, a theoretical nuclear physicist, is trying to reduce the time that radioactive waste from nuclear power stations needs to be stored before it is safe.
Why?
No, really. Why? You pack it up and chuck it into a subduction zone, it'll be sucked under the mantle and emerge a few million years later no more radioactive than anything else that comes out of the core. Really. Job done. Problem not 'solved' but 'non-existent'. There is no problem.
What a stupid waste of time, money and resources.
There were one or two that were interesting and useful things being developed, but not really problems – just technical issues with making something cool happen. Like star trek style 'replicators' without star trk style voodoo science. Cool.
Another was a 'problem' with carbon trading. Well, I have a ...ing problem with carbon trading all right, but it doesn't concern how to make cap and trade work!!
(Pedantry demands that I point out the 'the world' has no problems, only people do).
What are these problems? Number one is 'How can nuclear waste be made safer?' Dr Kenji Nishihara, a theoretical nuclear physicist, is trying to reduce the time that radioactive waste from nuclear power stations needs to be stored before it is safe.
Why?
No, really. Why? You pack it up and chuck it into a subduction zone, it'll be sucked under the mantle and emerge a few million years later no more radioactive than anything else that comes out of the core. Really. Job done. Problem not 'solved' but 'non-existent'. There is no problem.
What a stupid waste of time, money and resources.
There were one or two that were interesting and useful things being developed, but not really problems – just technical issues with making something cool happen. Like star trek style 'replicators' without star trk style voodoo science. Cool.
Another was a 'problem' with carbon trading. Well, I have a ...ing problem with carbon trading all right, but it doesn't concern how to make cap and trade work!!
Good Dialogue.
Dialogue is people talking. Write it that way. Like people talk. Why do people talk? Because they want something. Even if it's only not to be lonely for five minutes, they still want something. If you write dialogue with this in mind, or better still in the back of your mind, you will write good dialogue.
It is, in essence, as simple as that, and this: Dialogue is action.
Get the motives of the people talking, starting with the initiator of the conversation, clear in your head. He wants something; what, and how is he going to try and get it? Then, how is the other person going to react - if he clicks the motive of the other and if he doesn't? And how respond?
Dialogue is people talking. Write it that way. Like people talk. Why do people talk? Because they want something. Even if it's only not to be lonely for five minutes, they still want something. If you write dialogue with this in mind, or better still in the back of your mind, you will write good dialogue.
It is, in essence, as simple as that, and this: Dialogue is action.
Get the motives of the people talking, starting with the initiator of the conversation, clear in your head. He wants something; what, and how is he going to try and get it? Then, how is the other person going to react - if he clicks the motive of the other and if he doesn't? And how respond?
As TV goes – and bear in mind I think like a Rock Star here – I quite like one or two programs. QI with Stephen Fry and Alan Bennet (hope I remembered his name right) is pretty funny and often interesting. I mean, did you know that female kangaroo's have 3 vaginas? As useless information goes, this is stunningly useless, but also just quite simply amazing. I had, I guess like most people, basically thought of marsupials as mammals with pouches, if I thought of them at all, which I didn't. They are not. Isolated from all other continents, Australia evolved a completely different breed of critter entirely. Probably, from a mammals point of view, as close to aliens as we can encounter. Yet man go there too, and doubtless that was it for any chance of intelligent marsupials – sorry, we own that slot, best you not attempt to usurp us.
I am now going to have to do lots of reading on Australia and it's indigenous population, history, natural history etc. - Which reminds me of a pet hate... cultures who did not invent coherent writing and use it extensively... (and people who burned libraries).
I am now going to have to do lots of reading on Australia and it's indigenous population, history, natural history etc. - Which reminds me of a pet hate... cultures who did not invent coherent writing and use it extensively... (and people who burned libraries).
Since I was a kid, when the first moon landings occurred, barely aware of it going on under my nose, I have since paid scant attention to the fact that radio signals have been moving away from us at speed for a long time. They have travelled something like 85 light years, further than Aldebaran, as far as Regulus.
So it is now possible, though probably statistically unlikely, that aliens are sitting in front of their TV's watching our broadcasts, not yet having broadcast for long enough for us to watch theirs.
That would be cool. Can't wait to see what kind of programs they make... and will their programming be influenced by ours?
So it is now possible, though probably statistically unlikely, that aliens are sitting in front of their TV's watching our broadcasts, not yet having broadcast for long enough for us to watch theirs.
That would be cool. Can't wait to see what kind of programs they make... and will their programming be influenced by ours?
Evolution. Why do people still talk about evolution in wildly inappropriate terms? Using words like designed, breed for, etc. It's all tosh.
Evolution breaks down to the simplest computer-program style flow chart structure possible. One question and two answers to 'if yes goto' and 'if no goto'.
The question is: 'Does it reproduce?'. If yes goto 'does it reproduce?' If no goto 'end.'
And that's all. Nothing more is required to understand evolution. Nothing. Mutations occur. Things reproduce or they don't. All the rest is consequences.
Evolution breaks down to the simplest computer-program style flow chart structure possible. One question and two answers to 'if yes goto' and 'if no goto'.
The question is: 'Does it reproduce?'. If yes goto 'does it reproduce?' If no goto 'end.'
And that's all. Nothing more is required to understand evolution. Nothing. Mutations occur. Things reproduce or they don't. All the rest is consequences.
Cerubus the Aardvark. Also highly recommended but not available in a mainstream store. In fact you may have to track it down. It is a graphic novel by Dave Sim, and his work is excellent. Funny, astute, intelligent, and well worth the effort.
Personally I lost interest part way through Jaka's Story, which was book (six?) but that is something I intend to correct when time/finances allow. I will get copies and read them all, not just for the funnies in the first few books but to find out where he eventually went with it. I do know that he used to be a feminist but then swung radically to the opposite pole and is now a confirmed misogynist. I, myself, do not hate women, but I do recognise some of the facts that he uses in his own arguments. Women are not men. Men are not women. Women (generally – do not think I am talking about 'you' specifically, please – like consensus so well that they are willing to believe that consensus effects reality, ie the facts. Men, generally (and there are increasing exceptions – especially in government for some reason... ) suffer no such illusion.
Different ways of thinking, and different approaches to problems, are useful but should be applied correctly. After 50 years of 'equality (and I freely admit it isn't as equal as it should be – in either direction!) there are still very few female engineers doing engineering work. This is not an accident, or repression, or anything other than the fact that men's brains have more appropriate architecture to deal with those problems.
Personally I lost interest part way through Jaka's Story, which was book (six?) but that is something I intend to correct when time/finances allow. I will get copies and read them all, not just for the funnies in the first few books but to find out where he eventually went with it. I do know that he used to be a feminist but then swung radically to the opposite pole and is now a confirmed misogynist. I, myself, do not hate women, but I do recognise some of the facts that he uses in his own arguments. Women are not men. Men are not women. Women (generally – do not think I am talking about 'you' specifically, please – like consensus so well that they are willing to believe that consensus effects reality, ie the facts. Men, generally (and there are increasing exceptions – especially in government for some reason... ) suffer no such illusion.
Different ways of thinking, and different approaches to problems, are useful but should be applied correctly. After 50 years of 'equality (and I freely admit it isn't as equal as it should be – in either direction!) there are still very few female engineers doing engineering work. This is not an accident, or repression, or anything other than the fact that men's brains have more appropriate architecture to deal with those problems.
Friday 20 November 2009
Sorry, my last post was political again. No politics. Must try harder.
Back to writing. Characterization.
Well characters are just people and as you are the only person you really know, characters are mostly you colored by your experience of other peoples actions and guesses about their motives. Mostly characters are what they do and you don't need to worry much about them.
Look at Sumto; he is a man of his class, brought up to believe certain things and taught what his society and class believe he should know. He is selfish; we now this because he has ignored the duties that come with the privilege of his class and is in danger of losing those privileges at the opening of the book. He is lazy. He is a gambler. We learn that he is impetuous and reckless as time goes by. That's about all you need to know about him. And most of these things you learn by seeing what he does in the situations that arise in the book. He is what he does.
In many ways the character (at least the way round I write things) determines the story. I imagined Sumto, then his situation, then things happened and he reacted to them and was changed by them, and that was the story.
Back to writing. Characterization.
Well characters are just people and as you are the only person you really know, characters are mostly you colored by your experience of other peoples actions and guesses about their motives. Mostly characters are what they do and you don't need to worry much about them.
Look at Sumto; he is a man of his class, brought up to believe certain things and taught what his society and class believe he should know. He is selfish; we now this because he has ignored the duties that come with the privilege of his class and is in danger of losing those privileges at the opening of the book. He is lazy. He is a gambler. We learn that he is impetuous and reckless as time goes by. That's about all you need to know about him. And most of these things you learn by seeing what he does in the situations that arise in the book. He is what he does.
In many ways the character (at least the way round I write things) determines the story. I imagined Sumto, then his situation, then things happened and he reacted to them and was changed by them, and that was the story.
So here we all are, us Europeans, with a new leader of Europe and a new foreign Minister to represent us to the world. The Lisbon Treaty ratified by all member nations. The task is complete. The job is done. Europe exists as one nation. Some of us didn't get a say in the matter (I am a UK citizen made a European citizen without being offered any choice in the matter). Too late to worry about that now, now only to consider the consequences and plan accordingly.
For example, Europe will want it's own armed forces... more accurately it will want control of the armed forces of all member nations, and it will get that in time. How? Sneakily, of course. Perhaps the creation of a new military force drawn from all nations to perform police actions similar to the situation within the UN; then a small war (probably in Africa, somewhere innocuous but with significance on the world stage) which, while successful, will point out the flaws in that system, thus necessitation further centralisation of Europes combined military.
France and the UK have nuclear weapons, and Europe will want control of those, too. How long before it gets what it wants? Some years. How long before Europe becomes a fully democratic entity? Never. Of course. Once you have power without accountability you don't give it up. Why would you?
For example, Europe will want it's own armed forces... more accurately it will want control of the armed forces of all member nations, and it will get that in time. How? Sneakily, of course. Perhaps the creation of a new military force drawn from all nations to perform police actions similar to the situation within the UN; then a small war (probably in Africa, somewhere innocuous but with significance on the world stage) which, while successful, will point out the flaws in that system, thus necessitation further centralisation of Europes combined military.
France and the UK have nuclear weapons, and Europe will want control of those, too. How long before it gets what it wants? Some years. How long before Europe becomes a fully democratic entity? Never. Of course. Once you have power without accountability you don't give it up. Why would you?
What is the future of publishing? Well, I look at it this way... if I can buy a good book for download at a third to a quarter of the price of a paperback and read it on a nice Sony or Kindle then I would be dumb not to. And that seems to be what is happening. Paperback sales are down again, except for the bestsellers. I am guessing every publisher will create it's own download site and most printed books will be special editions only, ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand copies with a smaller number signed by the author. This will become more expensive as demand for them will be high amongst those who feel they must have a hardcopy. In short, books will be for collectors, the rest of us will save a tree and just download it for a couple of bucks. It happened with CD's and it will happen with books. I am betting cash on it.
My nephew – I mentioned I live with my brother and my best favorite sister-in-law and their two fine sons – keeps bringing colds home from school.
I spent years in hot climates and never had a single damn cold once. They are called colds because your body 'knows' that viruses don't survive well in a cold environment, and it shuts down huge parts of your immune system so as not to waste energy needed to keep warm, and you get a cold and die. Your own body hasn't learned the law of unintended consequences. Honestly, what hope is there? One day I am going to live in a warm climate again. I will. Every damn day I nearly get on a plane – by the way, did you know that 20% of people would leave the UK if the could? That's like tabloid readers, so personally, I think it's more.
I spent years in hot climates and never had a single damn cold once. They are called colds because your body 'knows' that viruses don't survive well in a cold environment, and it shuts down huge parts of your immune system so as not to waste energy needed to keep warm, and you get a cold and die. Your own body hasn't learned the law of unintended consequences. Honestly, what hope is there? One day I am going to live in a warm climate again. I will. Every damn day I nearly get on a plane – by the way, did you know that 20% of people would leave the UK if the could? That's like tabloid readers, so personally, I think it's more.
I said no politics. Sorry. Will try to do better.
Let's talk about writing for a while. Ever wonder what a story was? It's a valid question. What is it? Well, a story is a situation that drives a person to act to solve a problem vs opposition which causes change in the fundamental nature of the protagonist as he solves the problem.
Watch something, read something, apply the above as a kind of test, asking yourself who changes? What relationship, what fundamental thing about a person changes?
Look at the movie I, Robot – gooood story.
I used to finish writing and throw novels away because they didn't do what I wanted them to do. They didn't tell a story. Many movies, and a surprising number of books that see print, don't.
Let's talk about writing for a while. Ever wonder what a story was? It's a valid question. What is it? Well, a story is a situation that drives a person to act to solve a problem vs opposition which causes change in the fundamental nature of the protagonist as he solves the problem.
Watch something, read something, apply the above as a kind of test, asking yourself who changes? What relationship, what fundamental thing about a person changes?
Look at the movie I, Robot – gooood story.
I used to finish writing and throw novels away because they didn't do what I wanted them to do. They didn't tell a story. Many movies, and a surprising number of books that see print, don't.
You think the climate change error is impossible? Cant happen? Remember cloroflorocarbons (so hope I spelled that correctly)? Ozone layer? Big hole caused by CFC's? Some twenty years ago a worldwide ban was implemented on CFC's and the ozone layer.... is now exactly the same as it was before the ban. Cost a fortune, replacement gasses had to be found, the old fridges etc had to be disposed of “safely” and all that wasted money achieved nothing.
And it's not just wasted money. It's wasted oil, coal, gas... you know, the limited resource that makes civilization possible.
Thank you governments everywhere.
And it's not just wasted money. It's wasted oil, coal, gas... you know, the limited resource that makes civilization possible.
Thank you governments everywhere.
Talking of governments spending your money, how is it possibly correct for a government to spend your money to persuade you to a particular point of view? It's called propaganda, and always was. My main issue with this at the moment is the whole “carbon tax” thing. There is no evidence whatsoever that carbon effects temperature. The hard data tends to support the view that it gets hot and “then” the carbon increases. Still, Al Gore is doing ok out of this particular piece of nonsense (read voodoo science at jerrypournelle.com) and from his earnings from a movie in which he warned that sea levels would rise twenty meters imminently he bought.... a beach front mansion for $4,000,000
No one is that stupid. No one. So he knew he was … exaggerating, shall we say. It is also worth noting that he has investments in companies who stand to make vast sums of money if the carbon footprint legislation comes into effect. He will make billions of dollars.
But governments have taken on board his message and are set to implement energy taxes making energy more expensive, making civilization more expensive (and more likely to fail) and achieving nothing.
Thank you governments everywhere.
No one is that stupid. No one. So he knew he was … exaggerating, shall we say. It is also worth noting that he has investments in companies who stand to make vast sums of money if the carbon footprint legislation comes into effect. He will make billions of dollars.
But governments have taken on board his message and are set to implement energy taxes making energy more expensive, making civilization more expensive (and more likely to fail) and achieving nothing.
Thank you governments everywhere.
I am a fan of Ayn Rand and ploughed my way slowly through Atlas Shrugged. I think she would have had better luck spreading the word if she had founded a religion... but she was Russian and presumably raised an atheist.
Government should be small, government should be cheap, government should get its damn nose out of my business. If you are a success and make loads of money and employ loads of people, how is it fair that you get taxed a higher percentage than others? The true answer is that it isn't fair.
Still, the government wants to spend your money for you and use it to tell you how to live. God bless governments everywhere.
Government should be small, government should be cheap, government should get its damn nose out of my business. If you are a success and make loads of money and employ loads of people, how is it fair that you get taxed a higher percentage than others? The true answer is that it isn't fair.
Still, the government wants to spend your money for you and use it to tell you how to live. God bless governments everywhere.
The Last King's Amulet raises the subject of slavery. Now, if your neighbouring people kidnap you, track you through the forest to a trading post and sell you to people who ship you across the ocean and put you to manual labour because they believe you are good for nothing else and your children and their children etc. well, I don't think any sane, rational person can justify that (though some did try). Oh, just off subject the history written by the victors is slightly scewed; the civil war was fought over state rights, the idea that individual states could make their own laws regardless and the federal government who wanted the states to adopt their laws. It was a power struggle, pure and simple, and slavery was the emotive topic chosen. Another law, no war.
OK, I'm drifting. Slavery. If you volunteer to sell yourself and keep the money and get paid (in the case of a doctor saving a life) lots of money, and if you are freed or can buy your freedom with earnings, and if you are then given the Roman citizenship (for you and your children) with all rights and privileges that entails (which was lots)... well, that's a different thing entirely.
Hope that clears up Somto's views on slavery – they will change as he gains in experience and maturity.
OK, I'm drifting. Slavery. If you volunteer to sell yourself and keep the money and get paid (in the case of a doctor saving a life) lots of money, and if you are freed or can buy your freedom with earnings, and if you are then given the Roman citizenship (for you and your children) with all rights and privileges that entails (which was lots)... well, that's a different thing entirely.
Hope that clears up Somto's views on slavery – they will change as he gains in experience and maturity.
Things that drive me nuts
People who think it is ok to take my money from me and spend it on things I don't want. Basically that category of people are called politicians. I don't think it's ok. It's as simple as that. So stop it.
Not a reasoned argument? True enough. So let's ask some basic questions, like what is the legitimate business of government? Everything you do or say or think seems to be the answer in the western world at the moment, particularly in the UK. I think differently: maintaining armed forces to protect your citizens from external aggression, a police force to protect citizens from aggression from their fellows, law courts to settle disputes and to prosecute criminals, (see ayn rand etc)
People who think it is ok to take my money from me and spend it on things I don't want. Basically that category of people are called politicians. I don't think it's ok. It's as simple as that. So stop it.
Not a reasoned argument? True enough. So let's ask some basic questions, like what is the legitimate business of government? Everything you do or say or think seems to be the answer in the western world at the moment, particularly in the UK. I think differently: maintaining armed forces to protect your citizens from external aggression, a police force to protect citizens from aggression from their fellows, law courts to settle disputes and to prosecute criminals, (see ayn rand etc)
Wednesday 18 November 2009
Solar Power
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0-0iBjLK7iaTqxPjy2dPCLTnUajzBvzyDd_nmdegw4NgeBiIYA-1n9iwfRNIcBCRh-gOusqJhxKFTGkIrz8h0Mnv3076nk9krHYZ7aEEReAA2GQy_ig5Mzc9uGxMtdZ6s3M2R5eCdeUY/s320/solar+power+area+on+globe.png
See that little black square in the middle of Saudi Arabia? It's 231 kilometres on a side, covering some fifty-three thousand square kilometres. The total area of solar panels needed to supply global electricity needs at its current rate of consumption, some 2 trillion Watts. Calculated by Professor Raymond Pierrehumbert of Chicago University, in an open letter that corrects global-warming denying innumeracy in Superfreakonomics.
http://unlikelyworlds.blogspot.com/2009/10/solar-power-footprint.html
The above is erroneous, a lie in other words. At noon you can generate loads of power usually, yes, but how do you store it? So you would need one of these in every other time zone. Also, solar panals don't work well when dusty (so maybe desert environment not so good). Also, they ware out - I read somewhere that the amount of energy needed to produce and transport and locate a solar panal was roughly equal to the amount of energy it produced in it's usfal lifetime - net gain zero - making it basically a battery used to transport energy produced elsewhere. Nuclear and burning stuff (oil, gas, coal) works, nothing else does... except maybe solar in orbit microwaved to surface where needed.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0-0iBjLK7iaTqxPjy2dPCLTnUajzBvzyDd_nmdegw4NgeBiIYA-1n9iwfRNIcBCRh-gOusqJhxKFTGkIrz8h0Mnv3076nk9krHYZ7aEEReAA2GQy_ig5Mzc9uGxMtdZ6s3M2R5eCdeUY/s320/solar+power+area+on+globe.png
See that little black square in the middle of Saudi Arabia? It's 231 kilometres on a side, covering some fifty-three thousand square kilometres. The total area of solar panels needed to supply global electricity needs at its current rate of consumption, some 2 trillion Watts. Calculated by Professor Raymond Pierrehumbert of Chicago University, in an open letter
http://unlikelyworlds.blogspot.com/2009/10/solar-power-footprint.html
The above is erroneous, a lie in other words. At noon you can generate loads of power usually, yes, but how do you store it? So you would need one of these in every other time zone. Also, solar panals don't work well when dusty (so maybe desert environment not so good). Also, they ware out - I read somewhere that the amount of energy needed to produce and transport and locate a solar panal was roughly equal to the amount of energy it produced in it's usfal lifetime - net gain zero - making it basically a battery used to transport energy produced elsewhere. Nuclear and burning stuff (oil, gas, coal) works, nothing else does... except maybe solar in orbit microwaved to surface where needed.
Random Stuff
The difference between theory and practice is that, in theory, there is no difference between theory and practice, but in practice, there is.
Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.
Read this (link below)- people who believe in global warming/climate change are no respectors of the facts. Odd, really, when the facts are the only things that matter, ever.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/
2009/10/26/jacobson_sciam_globo_renewables_bit/
The difference between theory and practice is that, in theory, there is no difference between theory and practice, but in practice, there is.
Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.
Read this (link below)- people who believe in global warming/climate change are no respectors of the facts. Odd, really, when the facts are the only things that matter, ever.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/
2009/10/26/jacobson_sciam_globo_renewables_bit/
Tuesday 17 November 2009
I guess I had better talk about the books.
The Last King's Amulet
The background to the book is from an idea that has been kicking around in the back of my head for a long time. A city that has access to the only known source of magic in the world. A simple enough base premiss but there are consequences socially and politically. The stones that are the source of magic are mined only here, so control of them will naturally become organised. The nobles use stone as a badge of rank. Stone is traded but there are laws about who can buy and sell it and to whom. I knew that I wanted a political situation similar to the Republic of Rome, which lends itself very well to this situation. The ruling class based on wealth and monitored by a sensor who determines those citizens who have sufficient to be admitted to the Council of Patrons (senate) where the real power lies, and from which the magistrates (including the sensor) are drawn. The political scene is simplified from the complex Roman model but is clearly recognizable. The Patrons are much more autonomous than the senators of Rome and all have the power to raise armies and prosecute wars in their own right. I imagined the city sitting at the heart of a network of Provinces, Client Kingdoms, and states with Friend and Ally status, very similar to Rome but where the Patrons are directly in control of those areas they and their ancestors took for themselves rather than a situation where the senate appointed governors annually. Were a family looses interest in a region or is ousted by a revolution, the Council of Patrons would not necessarily act in concert to re-gain control. Having said that, another Patron might take the place back at his own expense and increase his client base thereby. The influence of the city is far-reaching but grows and shrinks depending upon the nature of the individual Patrons of the time.
For the rest of the world I decided that some form of balance for magic should exist and created spirit magic for them. With this a shaman or priest summons a spirit dedicated to the shaman or religion of the priest and uses spirit magic to generate a specific effect. In this way the magic of the city is balanced, but in no way eclipsed, especially as the city takes a dim view of religion generally and some Patrons were assiduous in destroying temples, repressing religions and eliminating priests in times past.
Sumto Cerulian is the son of Patron of the city. He may have been born into a position of privileged but the city is in large degree a meritocracy; with wealth and power come duties and a Course of Honors that the privileged follow to greater power and influence within the city, culminating in the high offices drawn from the Council of Patrons themselves. The first step is military service, ten years by law before any political office can be held. But Sumto is lazy and has a healthy respect for the integrity of his own skin; he would rather drink wine, gamble, and idly read a good book than go to war. Still, he is the kind of man who naturally picks the path of least resistance and when his sister marries a man who will not tolerate being associated with such a wastrel relative he is forced to begin his career and join up. It is here were we pick up his story. How will an overweight, indolent, drunken, bookish layabout fare and where will this sudden change of direction take him?
The Last King's Amulet
The background to the book is from an idea that has been kicking around in the back of my head for a long time. A city that has access to the only known source of magic in the world. A simple enough base premiss but there are consequences socially and politically. The stones that are the source of magic are mined only here, so control of them will naturally become organised. The nobles use stone as a badge of rank. Stone is traded but there are laws about who can buy and sell it and to whom. I knew that I wanted a political situation similar to the Republic of Rome, which lends itself very well to this situation. The ruling class based on wealth and monitored by a sensor who determines those citizens who have sufficient to be admitted to the Council of Patrons (senate) where the real power lies, and from which the magistrates (including the sensor) are drawn. The political scene is simplified from the complex Roman model but is clearly recognizable. The Patrons are much more autonomous than the senators of Rome and all have the power to raise armies and prosecute wars in their own right. I imagined the city sitting at the heart of a network of Provinces, Client Kingdoms, and states with Friend and Ally status, very similar to Rome but where the Patrons are directly in control of those areas they and their ancestors took for themselves rather than a situation where the senate appointed governors annually. Were a family looses interest in a region or is ousted by a revolution, the Council of Patrons would not necessarily act in concert to re-gain control. Having said that, another Patron might take the place back at his own expense and increase his client base thereby. The influence of the city is far-reaching but grows and shrinks depending upon the nature of the individual Patrons of the time.
For the rest of the world I decided that some form of balance for magic should exist and created spirit magic for them. With this a shaman or priest summons a spirit dedicated to the shaman or religion of the priest and uses spirit magic to generate a specific effect. In this way the magic of the city is balanced, but in no way eclipsed, especially as the city takes a dim view of religion generally and some Patrons were assiduous in destroying temples, repressing religions and eliminating priests in times past.
Sumto Cerulian is the son of Patron of the city. He may have been born into a position of privileged but the city is in large degree a meritocracy; with wealth and power come duties and a Course of Honors that the privileged follow to greater power and influence within the city, culminating in the high offices drawn from the Council of Patrons themselves. The first step is military service, ten years by law before any political office can be held. But Sumto is lazy and has a healthy respect for the integrity of his own skin; he would rather drink wine, gamble, and idly read a good book than go to war. Still, he is the kind of man who naturally picks the path of least resistance and when his sister marries a man who will not tolerate being associated with such a wastrel relative he is forced to begin his career and join up. It is here were we pick up his story. How will an overweight, indolent, drunken, bookish layabout fare and where will this sudden change of direction take him?
Things my wife and I have argued about is a book and site by mil-millington, and is very very funny. You can find it here http://www.mil-millington.com/ and I thoroughly recommend it.
On the subject of sites I like, there is jerrypournelle.com – I read it frequently and find that the people who contribute to the site are smart and insightful. Subjects covered are mostly politics and technology, subjects that interest me. So, when I said no politics I guess I meant that I myself wont rant about the subject, I'll just direct you here and you will swiftly get an idea of how I feel about things – look to the facts first and base your thinking on that firm ground. Now that just has to be good advice, right? I am in favour of cheap government that keeps it's nose out of our business, and anti expensive sprawling beurocrocy that soaks up vast amounts of money to no effect. Who could argue against that?
Now, seriously, no more politics.
On the subject of sites I like, there is jerrypournelle.com – I read it frequently and find that the people who contribute to the site are smart and insightful. Subjects covered are mostly politics and technology, subjects that interest me. So, when I said no politics I guess I meant that I myself wont rant about the subject, I'll just direct you here and you will swiftly get an idea of how I feel about things – look to the facts first and base your thinking on that firm ground. Now that just has to be good advice, right? I am in favour of cheap government that keeps it's nose out of our business, and anti expensive sprawling beurocrocy that soaks up vast amounts of money to no effect. Who could argue against that?
Now, seriously, no more politics.
Operation e-book drop is an organization that provides free books to serving troops and I am very glad to participate. It's one of the subjects I feels strongly about – our people put in harms way on our behalf deserve all the support we can give them. That I think Iraq and Afganistan were politically huge errors of judgement in no way effects this – the men and women on the ground get no choice in the matter and can sure as hell have my books for free.
Why do I think these two conflicts were a mistake? Simple – if you stir up an ants nest you get ants everywhere. The thing to do is kill the few ants that are blazing a trail and then clean up the trail so no more can find it to follow it. Job done.
I did promise myself I would avoid straying into politics here and just erased one sentence to replace it with this one. No politics.
Why do I think these two conflicts were a mistake? Simple – if you stir up an ants nest you get ants everywhere. The thing to do is kill the few ants that are blazing a trail and then clean up the trail so no more can find it to follow it. Job done.
I did promise myself I would avoid straying into politics here and just erased one sentence to replace it with this one. No politics.
Context: the present, the past and all things related
Right at this moment I am sitting in the living room of my brother and his wife, in a large flat situated in a small north Devon town in the UK; next door is my bedroom, and this is my home for the foreseeable future. There are also two small children in the house, one just at school age the the other a toddler. Now, my experience of small children is severely limited, by a combination of choice and the luck of the draw. I should say, was severely limited. I now know plenty about children, including the unexpected fact that I quite like them. I'm going to drift off subject just a little more before I pull it back in the next paragraph. Another thing I expected to dislike and don't is the X Factor – no one could be more surprised than me: last night Jamie was lost to the program and I was horrified – one of the two best voices and performers on the show gone, and yet the twins remain. I console myself (and I need consoling which to me is the amazing part – I mean, I don't know these people, why should I care?) with the certainty that Jamie has a career ahead of him now, whereas before he did not.
I guess the reason I empathise with Jamie is that we have something in common: he is getting a bit long in the tooth for the industry he is now seriously a part of, having dicked around on the edge of things for decades before coming to light on X Factor. I have been writing for decades and only recently begin to believe it is possible to make a living doing what I am best at. The internet, waning resistance to e-books, increasing sales of Sony e-readers and other methods of downloading novels, the slow decline of the nefarious publishing industry, the creation of smashwords.com ... all these things conspire to make it possible for me to take my products directly to the marketplace and let the market determine my worth. Before this I would spend chunks of my life writing a book, get work while I sent the book out to agents and publishers who invariably responded with comments such as these... “interesting as this looks we have decided it is not for us.” or “I really enjoyed reading X but we feel it is not sufficiently marketable at this time.” or “We regret to inform you that your book failed to make the final cut (after two damn years being considered, I might add).” After a time I would destroy the work, deciding it clearly wasn't good enough, and begin something else and repeat the process. Not very satisfactory. Of course, the future is not written; Jamie could disappear amongst the vast number of singers out there... and I could fail to sell enough books to make it financially viable to continue writing. But I believe Jamie will have a future so bright that he has to wear shades... for myself, I can only hope and work toward a financially viable future.
Marketing is the current bugbear – books are sold by publishers... well, actually they are given to bookstores on a sale-or-return basis... and if you want to buy a book that is where you go. Or to amazon.com and get the books sent through the post. If the publisher decides the book will sell well it prints a larger number of copies and spends some money on advertising. This last is a self-fulfilling prophesy in many ways. This is the standard pattern, or was. It's a pattern that is breaking under the strain created by burgeoning e-book sales. There are now writers who will not be seeking to renew publishing contracts for books in print because their e-book sales are higher. Sales driven by publishers and bookstores putting books on the shelves. Clearly e-books are different – my books are available through smashwords.com at $2 and anyone can go to the site and buy my books. That's the good part. Here's the bad part... how do you know to look? If you don't know it exists, how can you possibly buy it? Here is where Jamie has the advantage over me, the exposure on X Factor has given him a huge boost... people know he exists, will be keeping an eye out for his first works and when he releases a single or album people will remember the name and buy. Somehow I have to make people aware that I exist, that my work exists, that they can go to smashwords.com and read 40% of it for free before they buy. Marketing and advertising are foreign fields for most writers – we go to book signings set up by publishers, we attend conventions, and that's about it. Something has to replace that process – but as yet I have no idea what. Needless to say, I think about it a lot and am doing research into the subject.
Right at this moment I am sitting in the living room of my brother and his wife, in a large flat situated in a small north Devon town in the UK; next door is my bedroom, and this is my home for the foreseeable future. There are also two small children in the house, one just at school age the the other a toddler. Now, my experience of small children is severely limited, by a combination of choice and the luck of the draw. I should say, was severely limited. I now know plenty about children, including the unexpected fact that I quite like them. I'm going to drift off subject just a little more before I pull it back in the next paragraph. Another thing I expected to dislike and don't is the X Factor – no one could be more surprised than me: last night Jamie was lost to the program and I was horrified – one of the two best voices and performers on the show gone, and yet the twins remain. I console myself (and I need consoling which to me is the amazing part – I mean, I don't know these people, why should I care?) with the certainty that Jamie has a career ahead of him now, whereas before he did not.
I guess the reason I empathise with Jamie is that we have something in common: he is getting a bit long in the tooth for the industry he is now seriously a part of, having dicked around on the edge of things for decades before coming to light on X Factor. I have been writing for decades and only recently begin to believe it is possible to make a living doing what I am best at. The internet, waning resistance to e-books, increasing sales of Sony e-readers and other methods of downloading novels, the slow decline of the nefarious publishing industry, the creation of smashwords.com ... all these things conspire to make it possible for me to take my products directly to the marketplace and let the market determine my worth. Before this I would spend chunks of my life writing a book, get work while I sent the book out to agents and publishers who invariably responded with comments such as these... “interesting as this looks we have decided it is not for us.” or “I really enjoyed reading X but we feel it is not sufficiently marketable at this time.” or “We regret to inform you that your book failed to make the final cut (after two damn years being considered, I might add).” After a time I would destroy the work, deciding it clearly wasn't good enough, and begin something else and repeat the process. Not very satisfactory. Of course, the future is not written; Jamie could disappear amongst the vast number of singers out there... and I could fail to sell enough books to make it financially viable to continue writing. But I believe Jamie will have a future so bright that he has to wear shades... for myself, I can only hope and work toward a financially viable future.
Marketing is the current bugbear – books are sold by publishers... well, actually they are given to bookstores on a sale-or-return basis... and if you want to buy a book that is where you go. Or to amazon.com and get the books sent through the post. If the publisher decides the book will sell well it prints a larger number of copies and spends some money on advertising. This last is a self-fulfilling prophesy in many ways. This is the standard pattern, or was. It's a pattern that is breaking under the strain created by burgeoning e-book sales. There are now writers who will not be seeking to renew publishing contracts for books in print because their e-book sales are higher. Sales driven by publishers and bookstores putting books on the shelves. Clearly e-books are different – my books are available through smashwords.com at $2 and anyone can go to the site and buy my books. That's the good part. Here's the bad part... how do you know to look? If you don't know it exists, how can you possibly buy it? Here is where Jamie has the advantage over me, the exposure on X Factor has given him a huge boost... people know he exists, will be keeping an eye out for his first works and when he releases a single or album people will remember the name and buy. Somehow I have to make people aware that I exist, that my work exists, that they can go to smashwords.com and read 40% of it for free before they buy. Marketing and advertising are foreign fields for most writers – we go to book signings set up by publishers, we attend conventions, and that's about it. Something has to replace that process – but as yet I have no idea what. Needless to say, I think about it a lot and am doing research into the subject.
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