| firefly |
[19 May 2008|12:14pm] |
Finished watching the last episode on the DVD series last night. Enjoyed it well enough, but still don't get the rabid fannishness over it. Will borrow Serenity from the library next.
I do like Jayne's character, I've got admit that. More so than Mal even. And Gina Torres. I can't even think of her character's name right now. I just adore her. Otherwise, I'm still left with the "meh." But this is pretty much how I felt about Buffy when it first came out. It's too bad the series got cancelled early on. If it'd been given time to grow on me, like Buffy did, I might have liked it more.
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| A Thought. Comments? (SF and F Discussion) |
[19 May 2008|08:46am] |
So this was a random thought I had a week or so ago on my hour long drive to work and I thought I'd throw it out there to see what people thought. In the SF and F industry, there has recently been much discussion about the "decline" in SF being written and published, and that Fantasy has been taking over. Now, I'm NOT going to talk about the "different" between SF and F here, that's not the point of the discussion or the thought. Rather, I had a thought about WHY there seems to be this shift between the two.
I wonder if the shift has to do with society. Specifically, with how the society feels about where we are as a group. "Back then", when SF seemed a little more prevalent (I'm not sure when this "back then" would be, which is why I'm not being more specific here), I get the impression that perhaps we weren't as happy with ourselves and our society. I wasn't around then, or if I was, I was more concerned about my tree fort I'd built in the woods, called the Igloo. But from what I've heard about life then, there were . . . issues. Society itself was in turmoil. We didn't know where everything was headed, where WE were headed, and we looked to the future. Thus we produced more SF themed stories and novels. Our current lives weren't as good or as settled as we would have liked, so we looked forward to a time when things MIGHT be better, where the world might be more simple. MADE more simply by technology. So we were in a bad place and wanted to imagine a better place, but not just ANY better place (fantasy can always produce "better" places as easily as SF). A better place where we could imagine we may be headed. You can't do that with fantasy. SF gives you the hope, or leaves you with the hope, that the world and society may end up in that imaginary place. Perhaps this is why we were so interested in space and NASA and getting to the moon, and now most people could care less what NASA is doing. (Not the fandom of course; I read practically everything that NASA does . . . when it shows up in the news.)
Now, the world did become a "better" place, and by this I mean some of those issues that produced our disillusionment with the world were resolved or were settled in some way. At this point, we didn't need that elusive hope of a better future, because we were more or less content with the world we already had. So we weren't looking forward so much any more. Because of this, the effort to produce SF declined, and we saw an upsurge in the fantasy market instead. Why? Because if you're content with the world you have, you start looking at other worlds. And you aren't looking FORWARD any more for that world, you're content to look at the past (medieval-style worlds) or just something different. There's no need to look forward because everything around you is mostly OK.
Before anyone starts jumping on me about saying the world at the moment is OK and that's why we have a prevalence of fantasy, I'm not saying the current world is perfect by any means. But when we compare our situation now to some of the situations in the past . . . well, we're better off than we've been before. And besides, this is just a thought. It's certainly not a scientific study.
So what do you guys think? Do we produce more SF when we aren't happy with our current situation and want or NEED to see a better future for ourselves? Do we write more fantasy when we're generally settled or our problems don't seem as overwhelming and hopeless? Or am I just totally off my rocker?
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| tick, tick, tick |
[19 May 2008|01:59pm] |
Looked at Earth Mother query - tick (not that I've come up with anything brilliant, but never mind)
Edited Metal Dragon - tick
Picked up sick daughter from school athletics carnival - tick
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| Books |
[18 May 2008|11:00pm] |
15. The Art of Fiction by Ayn Rand
This book (not to be confused with The Art of Fiction by John Gardner) is a slim volume based on some living room lectures which Ayn Rand gave to her circle of disciples in 1958. In it, she lays out her philosophy of fiction and plenty of advice on craft. This being Ayn Rand, the consummate egoist and egotist, her primary example of good writing is...Ayn Rand. Most of the examples she provides of other writers are meant as warnings about what not to do, though Victor Hugo and a few select others are permitted occasional compliments.
All snideness aside, there's some great advice on craft here, though it's inextricably linked in with a dose of Objectivism because for Rand, Objectivism was the essence of everything she thought and did. (I once read a quote--"She was right about what was wrong and wrong about what was right"--that sums up my feelings on Objectivism perfectly.) I've always admired her as a writer--she can get more plot, characterization, and theme across in a single paragraph than almost any writer I can think of, not counting Shakespeare. And the fact that I agree with about half of her philosophy while not buying the other half doesn't concern me--everyone reading this who knows me knows how much I adore a good argument. But in the entire book there's only one occasion I can remember when, looking back at a passage she wrote, she finds a small flaw in it she would do differently now. And ironically enough, I don't even agree that it was a flaw. :-)
Rand views literature as she views all things, as a binary dichotomy (in this case, between Romanticism and Naturalism. I've always found it interesting how strongly she identifies as a Romantic, considering that the actual 19th century Romantics--both English and German--would have hated her and everything she stands for. From her point of view, however, it makes sense--she defines Romanticism as writing about the world as it should be, and Naturalism as writing about the world as it is. Every Romantic just defines their own values differently.)
As far as craft advice, she's at her strongest when she's describing what she does best--making every element in a scene and story fit together and self-reinforce, whether that's choosing description, weaving in exposition, or displaying characterization and action.
I always enjoy reading Rand--it's like arguing with an old debate partner.
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| Books |
[18 May 2008|10:39pm] |
14. The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham and Jason Zweig
Not too much to say about this one; it's a thick 2003 update of what's apparently an investment classic written in the early 1970s by a mutual fund manager named Benjamin Graham. (Graham's teachings went on to inspire Warren Buffet, who, having become one of the richest men in the world, seems to have done pretty well for himself. :-) )
Graham's an advocate of the school of value investing. There are two broad schools of thought to playing the markets: growth investors look for stocks that they believe will have increasing earnings in the future, and hence will go up in share price. Value investors try to find good companies and buy their stock if they determine the market is selling them more cheaply than they deserve based on their valuation--something that can be calculated by careful analysis of financial statements. If it later becomes overvalued using the same metrics, that might mean it's time to sell.
Jason Zweig, the financial reporter who updated the book to comment on more current events, obviously takes great glee in saying "I told you so" over and over (and over) to the excesses of the dot-com boom and bust, which showed the worst aspects of pursuing growth for growth's sake. A more balanced approach would have been nice. The material's quite dry, but often interesting, though at a more technical level than I plan to use. Probably the most useful to me was the chapter on mutual funds, which helped me do an 401k rollover from a previous job that I'd been putting off for months.
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| wiscon |
[18 May 2008|09:37pm] |
I've got a tentative itinerary for panels and events I plan to attend for Wiscon. I hope to have Little Miss with me for some of these panels and events, for others she will either be at home or participating in the Kids' Programming. This is all subject to change based on any number of factors, but currently, these are my plans:
( Cut for brevity )
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| Sodden |
[18 May 2008|07:37pm] |
My day began with a series of squawks--Pif was bringing me a present, a live gray catbird. I was able to catch it and release it before it could flutter around inside the house. Scared, it grabbed one of my fingers in its beak and didn't want to let go.
Then I worked on my program, Xox, and felt that I was making some progress, though I didn't test it again. After the delivery of some planting soil and cedar chips ordered by Louise, I did some gardening until I was chased inside by the rain.
Then I read Mark Twain's Joan of Arc. If this story was not historical, it would surely be fantasy--the story of a young woman destined to free her people from their oppressors. But I think readers would find Joan's accomplishment hard to believe, if they weren't historical. And the tragic ending would be hard to sell, I think. I also seem to recall reading (Wikipedia corroborates) that this was the work Twain himself thought most highly of, even though it's not the public's favorite. All in all, the book leaves me with many things to ponder.
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| Pabst Blue Ribbon |
[18 May 2008|10:50pm] |
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http://mindlesspalaver.blogspot.com/2008/05/pabst-blue-ribbon.html When I was growing up, "Pabst Blue Ribbon" was the beer that people from the trailer park drank. When did it become popular with young people? Now when I go to a bar, I see perfectly respectable young people who seem to have no criminal records drinking it. Next thing you know, they'll be serving Old English at Mortenson's.
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| Crappy Seventies Restaurants |
[18 May 2008|10:35pm] |
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http://mindlesspalaver.blogspot.com/2008/05/crappy-seventies-restaurants.html I just got back from visiting a place in Denver called the Funky Buddha. Its supposed to be a really happening joint, and they're were a lot of young people there. I guess that says something about me if I comment on the amount of young people.
But I don't get the fascination with 70's restaurants like this one -- bad decor, bad food, bad beer, and uncomfortable seats. I mean, there's a reason that the seventies are part of the past: everything was bad.
Of course things might have been better if the foot and drinks were at seventies prices, but sorry, the tab was all 2008.
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| Save Me From The Avocado |
[18 May 2008|10:09pm] |
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http://mindlesspalaver.blogspot.com/2008/05/save-me-from-avocado.html Is there a more overrated fruit/vegetable/thing than an avocado? I mean, it doesn't even taste. It's got its own dip (guacamole). It seems to be in every food. But what does it really do? Nothing if you ask me. Don't get me wrong. I know they're plentiful in California. So they have a huge profit margin. And to me it tastes like it. Can't we come up with anything more flavorful then this thing?
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| Book review: The Black Ship |
[18 May 2008|03:27pm] |
The Black Ship, by Dudley Pope
This is the very well researched nonfiction account of the mutiny on board the HMS Hermione, in which the ship's company murdered their abusive Captain Pigot and most of his officers, and the followup episode, in which Captain Edward Hamilton and the crew of the HMS Surprise recovered the Hermione in a brilliant cutting-out expedition.
This book was just terrific. I found it riveting--in fact, I'm several days behind on my crosswords because I skipped doing them in favor of reading more of this book. If you're interested in ships--or even more, interested in people and what conditions lead to violent rebellion--this is the book for you.
I was curious to know what about Captain Pigot's command incited the mutiny. I was also interested in the details of the cutting-out expedition, since Captain Hamilton was considered a harsh captain, like Pigot, yet his men were intensely loyal to him, whereas Pigot's were not. I've written an accounting on Pigot behind the cut, if anyone's interested, and tomorrow I'll tackle Hamilton.
( Read more--Why Captain Pigot's crew hated him )
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| WORD COUNT FOR SUNDAY, MAY 18th |
[18 May 2008|02:24pm] |
We artists and dancers move from inspiration and we will move the world."
Tama J. Kieves, This Time I Dance!
Will the world be moved by what you have written today?
Did you at least hit your daily goal?
Sound off!
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| I've hit 100K. Looks like another 15-20K to go. Oops |
[19 May 2008|12:04am] |
| [ |
mood |
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 determined |
] |
| [ |
music |
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"everything burns" by Anastacia (seriously!) |
] |
I've hit my target and the serious poo has only just hit the fan. Dali just discovered who the serious bad guys are and it's time for the redshirt count to start to click over...
bwahaha!
Ahem.
Onward and upward...
(I still think it will end up around 100K. The novel has a bit of a flabby middle.... erm, rather like the author right now. We both need to do a bit of flab reduction. Next draft for sure!)
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| oh dear |
[18 May 2008|09:13pm] |
This may not be the only case of this kind of slip in grammar in TV advertising, but yeah - we don't have TV, so my TV-watching is limited to whenever I am at the gym...
In any case...
A big-brand shampoo is having an advertising campaign where they 'grant a wish', which is essentially a competition to win $10,000. After the ad has completed the spiel on the competition, it shows a picture of a bottle of shampoo, claiming: 'less split ends'. Excuse me? That'd be FEWER split ends methinks.
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| finished reading... |
[18 May 2008|05:34pm] |
The first discworld novel by Terry Pratchett.
Let me first explain that I have a huge gap in my fiction reading experience, and I am trying as many different types of novels as I can, ones that have been relatively recently published, even if it doesn't look they would be my preferred reading.
There were parts of this I really enjoyed. The story is just so full of interesting ideas. I loved the perpetually-reappearing, indestructible 'Luggage' and the portrayal of the two main characters. The book is just brimming with ideas that could almost each carry a novel.
It was very fast-paced, so I didn't have much time to become bored.
Will I be reading the next volume...
Hmmm... maybe, maybe not.
This isn't really my style of novel.
When I read SFF, I want to believe, for that moment, that the world described could actually be real. I want the author to take their own worldbuilding seriously. Pratchett does not do that. He takes the Mickey out on his world, his characters, himself and his readers. The text is full of smart-arsey one-liners. Heck, some are even funny, but to me, it makes the book feel like told by a stand-up comedian. OK, that's a style. He does it well. I'm not sure I enjoy too much of that. Just me, methinks.
I realise I am starting to sound like I don't enjoy anything. That's not quite true. I did finish this book in one day. If I hadn't enjoyed it at all, I wouldn't have finished it. And I *did* say that I'm trying out many different (sub)genres.
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| A couple of awesome videos |
[17 May 2008|08:52pm] |
Gacked from ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) hominysnark: "Party Like It's 1985!" A surprisingly catchy video of a tune made up entirely of well-known lyrics from 80's songs.
And Zero Punctuation's "Mailbag Showdown." Zero Punctuation is a British guy living in Australia who makes videos that review video games. I link his stuff often because he's consistently hilarious (though Not Safe For Work). In this video, he answers the flame mail he got after giving a negative review to Smash Bros. Brawl.
Part of what's so effective about these videos is he's got audio and he's got visuals, and most of the time they complement each other, but sometimes they go off on different tracks. A bit I found particularly funny in this one is when he's reading/responding to the hate mail in the audio track, and in the visuals he's simultaneously correcting everyone's grammar. The notoriously bad grammar in gamer circles has always been a peeve of mine.
Zero Punctuation's Mailbag Showdown (you have to click the link, and then the video, to start it) [not safe for work!]
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[17 May 2008|08:11pm] |
13. Empire of Ivory
Finished this a few weeks back but never got around to blogging about it.
( Read more... )
Empire of Ivory's not the strongest book in the Temeraire series, but nor is it the weakest. I'm very much looking forward to Victory of Eagles--to see how Laurence and Temeraire get out of this one!
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| Only in the Pacific Northwest... |
[17 May 2008|05:27pm] |
Only in the Pacific Northwest can a radio personality say, "Wow, it's a scorcher today! EIGHTY DEGREES!" without a trace of irony.
"Soldier, Sage & Vagabond" progress:
8400 / 100000 words. 8% done!
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| Reminders |
[17 May 2008|04:27pm] |
| [ |
mood |
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 hopeful |
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| [ |
music |
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Dengue Fever - Tiger Phone Card |
] |
As I was sorting slush today, something came up that I mention here in the hope that it will prove useful to a few of you.
Don't post stories online, unless it's behind password protection. Otherwise it starts looking already published. Jed Hartman's posted about that here. Allow me to repeat that again: posting a story publicly counts as publishing it. Things like private critique groups, which are password protected, are fine and dandy. Public forums? No no no!
Along the same line: we do not take multiple submissions or simultaneous submissions, and I will bounce things back to you quickly if they fall into either of those two categories.
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| Word Count for Saturday 17th May |
[17 May 2008|11:26pm] |
| [ |
music |
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Radio Operator by Roseanne Cash |
] |
'If you try to please audiences, uncritically accepting their tastes, it can only mean that you have no respect for them: that you simply want to collect their money.'
Andrei Tarkovsky
So, he was a film director and a painter. To me, he's a god.
Okay, its confession time. Numbers, people, numbers.
Sound off!
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