The Declaration of Independence
And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.
Stanza
If there is one application that I did not expect but I have totally fallen in love with it is Stanza on the iPhone. My goal when purchasing an iPhone almost two years ago was to eliminate carrying an iPod and a cell phone. These were two devices that I used daily that were requiring me not only to grab them in the morning but also to charge. The elimination of carrying two devices was the lone reason why the iPhone was for me. I was somewhat interested in the applications, but most of them I did not see being extremely useful. In particular one area that I never imagined using the iPhone for was for ebooks. Mainly because I never enjoyed ebooks on my personal computer, I felt a hand held device I would like even less. It turns out that I not only enjoy reading books on my iPhone but that the application I chose is also a free application.
Since discovering Stanza not only have I been impressed with how amazing the free application is, but even more impressed with the applications ability to easily supply all the free content available directly through the application. Stanza allows you to download free ebooks from the Random House free library and Project Gutenberg to name just a few. I have not even purchased an ebook yet, there is so many great classics that I have wanted to read or read again that I have quite a library built up on my iPhone. Even better, I do not have to carry yet another device, such as a Kindle.
Over the past year I have certainly read many more books than I would have if not for the convenience of having a complete library right at my disposal when I am standing in line or on vacation. While I have found other quality applications for my iPhone, Stanza is easily one I consider to be one of the best iPhone applications period. If you have an iPod Touch or an iPhone, you are absolutely crazy if you do not have Stanza installed. There is even a desktop application that can be used to import various other ebook formats and other texts into Stanza.
NaNoWriMo Round 5
As November approaches I am again considering participating in NaNoWriMo. I last gave National Novel Writing Month a tenth hearted attempt in 2007. By far the 2007 effort was my worst and I attributed it to having scratched the itch of wanting to write a novel. I successfully finished novels in both 2004 and 2006, even going so far as to have my 2006 novel, Danger is Awesome printed and bound. The renewed interest stems from my recent educational pursuits and a feeling that I can do better, perhaps not much better, but better never the less.
Media Overload and Print Media Revisited
I noticed for quite some time that it is not uncommon for me to completely miss major news, sometimes for several days. Perhaps I am going about my every day practices in the wrong way, most certainly I am. Sure I am busy, but there are people who are much busier than I and certainly they are more informed on current events. While I enjoy technology and consider myself to be very well informed on current technology, when it comes to current events, local and worldwide I am at times very uninformed. I have come to the conclusion that XML feeds are not the answer alone to keeping me informed. How can this be?
The problem with my feed subscriptions is that I choose them, and I subscribe to more than I can ingest in any one day. Unlike some of the so called "professional" bloggers I have a family and a life and a real job. My feeds many times show me the same news 15 times over and I am cut off from other news that while I would be interested I cannot subscribe to news on every subject. I enjoy staying connected to the technology world, but in my current situation I am cut off from the rest of the world. I have to imagine others find themselves in this same situation.
What does this have to do with print media? Well, when I read the newspaper everyday and I did this in the 1980's and through much of the 1990's I was exposed to articles that if given the choice I might have left out of the newspaper. I consumed a variety of news, because it was there for me to at least glance at as I turned the pages. Using the Internet it is difficult to consume the same variety as quickly as I could with a newspaper. Does that make sense? Think about it, when you glance at a typical newspaper you commonly take in a wide variety of news and a lot at once. I do not feel I do that same thing quickly perusing Google news or any news website. I also do not watch the news on TV anymore, which I do not intend to change. I spend the majority of my day in-front of a computer screen, whatever time I eliminate from the TV I consider to be good. I still think I watch too much TV.
What about the readers, how do you keep from getting media overload and do you subscribe to print media, aka newspapers or magazines? I am going to eliminate some of my feed subscriptions and adding a newspaper subscription to my home. Do not take this wrong, I love feeds! I really do, but my method for consuming news is currently in a box that I built all wrong. Sure I will mostly still consume more technology news than other news, but perhaps I will try to stop consuming the same technology news many times over. Email and feed subscriptions are beginning to kill my free time. I would really love to hear what methods others use to stay informed without information overload.
NaNoWriMo 2007
I was thinking of doing a sequel to Danger is Awesome but I am unsure if I can come up with enough new content for a complete novel. I am kind of attached to the lead character, Ryan "Danger" Awesome and even some of the minor characters I created. In 2005 I kind of attempted a story similar to last years, but not as well thought out. I quickly lost interest and fizzled out after the first week. Last year I had a lot of notes jotted down and a lot of other ideas came flowing as I continued through the story.
If you have ever even thought of writing a novel, I encourage you to take part in NaNoWriMo. What else are you going to do during the month of November? Plus it is fun when others I know take part, that way we can share progress reports and help cheer each other on.
Danger is Awesome - Published
I finally did it, I published one of my NaNoWriMo Novels. I decided to publish my latest work, mostly because I never reached the end of my story for my first NaNoWriMo Novel. My first novel was based on the 2004 season of the BDFL (complete with a murder mystery thrown in), I wrote the novel in November 2004 and passed 50,000 words around a week before the NaNoWriMo Deadline, but the BDFL season was not over yet. So to officially end the novel, which I was basing on the season, I had to wait. Well, I never really got around to wrapping it up officially, so Brutal Deluxe, Season Tickets sits unfinished. However my 2006 novel, Danger is Awesome, is complete with an ending intact and some possible openings for sequels, or at least the furthering adventures of our hero.
Earlier this year I discovered LuLu and I liked what I read about their publishing service. What really pushed me toward publishing is that I could choose from a gallery of covers, so I did not have to try to design my own. My graphic skills are just not up to my own standards, so choosing from a gallery is a much better option.
Unpacking Danger is Awesome from it's shipping box was very exciting for me, and seeing the cover with my name printed across the bottom was a cool experience. Even though I self published the novel, my tinkering with writing has already eclipsed my original goal. My original goal? I just wanted to be able to interrupt boring braggarts at parties by saying something like, "When I wrote my novel (insert something more here)". Not only can I interject this kind of comment now, but I can point to the bookshelf as well.
I am surprised it took me so long to finally publish something in book form. Going back nearly three years ago, Mark published his blog in written form. I remember being quite excited after reading about his experience, so why so long? It all goes back to my lack of being satisfied with a book cover. In my limited time, I have been unable to devote enough effort into becoming little more than a frustrated artist when it comes to graphics software and actually creating something I am remotely happy with.
My lack of being satisfied with anything I do graphically is kind of strange, since I am very aware that the writing that makes up my novel is horrible. Still, I guess the fact that the front and back cover does indeed contain a story and actual words makes it okay in my mind.
Since receiving the book, I can now say with certainty that I will indeed be doing NaNoWriMo again. Having your writing in book form is somehow more real and inspiring, knowing that many years from now I can pick this up again and see what I created. Having a digital text file on a hard drive or flash drive sitting around just dangles the potential loss of all your work right in-front of your face. But having a book in the book case lessens the risk of loss and I think it will be quite interesting to look back on some of my past writing.
Earlier this year I discovered LuLu and I liked what I read about their publishing service. What really pushed me toward publishing is that I could choose from a gallery of covers, so I did not have to try to design my own. My graphic skills are just not up to my own standards, so choosing from a gallery is a much better option.
Unpacking Danger is Awesome from it's shipping box was very exciting for me, and seeing the cover with my name printed across the bottom was a cool experience. Even though I self published the novel, my tinkering with writing has already eclipsed my original goal. My original goal? I just wanted to be able to interrupt boring braggarts at parties by saying something like, "When I wrote my novel (insert something more here)". Not only can I interject this kind of comment now, but I can point to the bookshelf as well.
I am surprised it took me so long to finally publish something in book form. Going back nearly three years ago, Mark published his blog in written form. I remember being quite excited after reading about his experience, so why so long? It all goes back to my lack of being satisfied with a book cover. In my limited time, I have been unable to devote enough effort into becoming little more than a frustrated artist when it comes to graphics software and actually creating something I am remotely happy with.
My lack of being satisfied with anything I do graphically is kind of strange, since I am very aware that the writing that makes up my novel is horrible. Still, I guess the fact that the front and back cover does indeed contain a story and actual words makes it okay in my mind.
Since receiving the book, I can now say with certainty that I will indeed be doing NaNoWriMo again. Having your writing in book form is somehow more real and inspiring, knowing that many years from now I can pick this up again and see what I created. Having a digital text file on a hard drive or flash drive sitting around just dangles the potential loss of all your work right in-front of your face. But having a book in the book case lessens the risk of loss and I think it will be quite interesting to look back on some of my past writing.
Danger is Awesome So Far
Here are some of the highlights so far, our main hero is a guy named Ryan "Danger" Awesome, hence the title of my novel. My title and character are sort of a play on the Bourne Supremacy movies. So if my hero survives, perhaps there will be a sequel, "Danger is Still Awesome". Some other highlights of the novel are, a talking pet crow named Daemon, Undead Marine Sysadmins and Beer Ninjas. I do not know about you, but all this sounds like a great movie to me!
NaNoWriMo Week One So Far
Although I will be the first to tell you that my novel sucks, yeah it sucks but I am writing it in 30 days for crying out loud. I must say though that I think it is better than my 2004 novel, the experience of the past two years is a big reason for that. First I realize that a weak idea will only get you about a quarter of the way toward your goal and secondly because I realized no preparation will only get you 1/10th of the way toward your goal. This year I based my main character on a real person and I took notes. I also used subjects that I find entertaining and have thought about before. For more details, I might tell you if you email me, though talking about the full plot prior to completing the goal is kind of a no, no.
Using my own text editor has added a new dimension to the challenge. I am finally giving BuffEdit a real workout and what I am finding is that it has some issues. I have not found anything that I would classify as major, just minor items that can be fixed and/or improved after November.
I am starting my new job tomorrow so that was another reason I wanted to get a good start. I am not sure what demands as far as after hours work, if any, that the new job will entail. If I finish this years NaNoWriMo challenge, does finishing two novels officially make me a novelist? I think so, it at least solidifies my ability to spew words down on paper for 30 days straight. How are the rest of you doing NaNoWriMo making out?
NaNoWriMo Again
The first time I participated in NaNoWriMo, in 2004, I completed the challenge. Last year I planned very little about my novel and I failed miserably. I have a few notes jotted down for this years novel and if I get a good start, I can probably make a good run of it. The start is the key, and also getting around the first real roadblock when you realize all your ideas barely get you a quarter of the way to 50,000 words. I managed to slay those demons during the 2004 NaNoWriMo and I actually finished the novel early. Last year the start was horrible, and by the middle of week 2 I gave up.
If any of you are going to take the NaNoWriMo challenge this year, I would love to hear from you. At least keep me updated on your status and I will do the same. I will most certainly know by the end of the first week whether I have a real shot at completing this years novel.
Declaration of Independence
So well written a document, I still get chills during certain passages as I read them. Thanks to our forefathers and to all veterans for making this Country a free place where we are permitted to agree and disagree as we see fit. There are still many places in the World that are not afforded such a luxury.
Why Blogging Is Really A Good Thing
Have you ever just surfed random blogs? It is amazing to me the amount of folks out there that blog, and I often feel that when mainstream media reports on blogs that they miss the most amazing part of blogging and websites in general.
While doing some general web searching I will often be tempted to click on links, not unlike the LXG&L to your right. Often I discover blogs that I would have never discovered otherwise and though sometimes the content is of no interest to me, I realize that to others the content being published is good or even great. Now mind you I am not saying that they are well written, who am I kidding I realize my writing is probably atrocious to some. At the same time judging by the comments and mentions of others in the writing the blogs mean something to some people. In my opinion, this is fantastic and I love hearing statistics about the huge amount of blogs that start everyday. Sure many fade away, but many others do not.
Pretty much any self help book or English teacher (mine all did) will tell you to keep a journal. Seriously, I can almost guarantee you that any self help book ranging from Deepak Chopra to Tony Robbins have probably mentioned the value of keeping a journal and I would bet that they each really do keep a journal. Many great minds of human history have kept journals and written things down, think Albert Einstein or Benjamin Franklin.
Where am I going with all this? Has there ever been a time in human history where more people just write, and I do not mean their signatures, but truly write and even more so continue to write into adulthood? I would bet I could accumulate a list of millions who's only writing would be when applying for loans, writing your signature or jotting down phone numbers if not for blogs. For most of us, when our school slash college days are over, and we are not faced with Sociology papers we simply no longer just write. Our days of writing current events and book reports stating our opinions of the latest book we have read simply end. Mine most certainly would have and I know they would have.
How can I be so certain? Because I tried keeping journals prior to my website days and I simply lost interest in them. I am not certain if the realization that I am actually publishing my writing or if it is because my webpage is sitting there staring me in the face keeps me coming back, but something does. Notice I said publishing, because on the web your writing has a better chance of reaching a broader and bigger audience than in any newspaper, magazine or book.
Speaking of books, even more impressive than just writing blog entries, the Internet and blogging has seen more people, including myself write a novel in a single month. Something myself and just about everyone involved would have NEVER done. Greater yet, some of the aforementioned writers actually saw their novels published in the traditional sense.
Yes, these are indeed golden times for writing. You have at your disposal the most vast amount of creative writing that this World has ever seen and I believe this is a very, very good thing.
While doing some general web searching I will often be tempted to click on links, not unlike the LXG&L to your right. Often I discover blogs that I would have never discovered otherwise and though sometimes the content is of no interest to me, I realize that to others the content being published is good or even great. Now mind you I am not saying that they are well written, who am I kidding I realize my writing is probably atrocious to some. At the same time judging by the comments and mentions of others in the writing the blogs mean something to some people. In my opinion, this is fantastic and I love hearing statistics about the huge amount of blogs that start everyday. Sure many fade away, but many others do not.
Pretty much any self help book or English teacher (mine all did) will tell you to keep a journal. Seriously, I can almost guarantee you that any self help book ranging from Deepak Chopra to Tony Robbins have probably mentioned the value of keeping a journal and I would bet that they each really do keep a journal. Many great minds of human history have kept journals and written things down, think Albert Einstein or Benjamin Franklin.
Where am I going with all this? Has there ever been a time in human history where more people just write, and I do not mean their signatures, but truly write and even more so continue to write into adulthood? I would bet I could accumulate a list of millions who's only writing would be when applying for loans, writing your signature or jotting down phone numbers if not for blogs. For most of us, when our school slash college days are over, and we are not faced with Sociology papers we simply no longer just write. Our days of writing current events and book reports stating our opinions of the latest book we have read simply end. Mine most certainly would have and I know they would have.
How can I be so certain? Because I tried keeping journals prior to my website days and I simply lost interest in them. I am not certain if the realization that I am actually publishing my writing or if it is because my webpage is sitting there staring me in the face keeps me coming back, but something does. Notice I said publishing, because on the web your writing has a better chance of reaching a broader and bigger audience than in any newspaper, magazine or book.
Speaking of books, even more impressive than just writing blog entries, the Internet and blogging has seen more people, including myself write a novel in a single month. Something myself and just about everyone involved would have NEVER done. Greater yet, some of the aforementioned writers actually saw their novels published in the traditional sense.
Yes, these are indeed golden times for writing. You have at your disposal the most vast amount of creative writing that this World has ever seen and I believe this is a very, very good thing.
Halloween Tale
They break it up with fiendish glee
Ghosts are bad, but the one that's cursed
It's the Headless Horseman, he's the worst
That's right, he's a fright, on Halloween night
But when he goes a-joggin' 'cross the land
Holdin' his noggin in his hand
Demons take one look and groan
And hit the road for parts unknown
Beware, take care, he rides alone
And there's no spook, like a spook who's spurned
They don't like him, and he's really burned
He swears to the longest day he's dead
He'll show them that he can get a head
They say he's tired of his flamin' top
He's got a yen to make a swap
So he rides one night each year
To find a head in the hollow here
Now he likes them little, he likes them big
Part in the middle, or a wig
Black or white or even red
The Headless Horseman needs a head
With a hip-hip and a clippity-clop
He's out lookin' for a top to chop
So don't stop to figure out a plan
You can't reason with a headless man
Now if you doubt this tale is so
I met that spook just a year ago
No, I didn't stop for a second look
For once you cross that bridge, my brook friends
The ghost is through, his power ends
So when you're riding home tonight
Make for the bridge with all your might
He'll be down in the hollow there
He needs your head, look out, beware
With a hip-hip and a clippity-clop
He's out looking for a head to swap
So don't try to figure out a plan
You can't reason with a headless man
(C) DISNEY
NaNoWriMo - 2005
If you have ever wanted to write a novel, for whatever the reason, this is your chance. Besides it is just nice to be able to say you wrote a novel. I need to stop saying how bad my novel was and get the thing printed over at CafePress, just so I have it for my bookshelf. Let's get signed up for NaNoWriMo people, then we can all talk about our writing stumbling blocks as November rolls along.
I have decided that I am going to use October to finish last years novel. That should be a good warm-up for this years run. Before you ask, I have no idea what my novel will be about this year. None, zip, zilch, so I am taking any and all suggestions.
The Ballad of the Kingsmen
I am getting a kick out of Todd Snider, thanks Streeter! I am not really a country music fan, if that is what this is. Though I confess to have listened to hours and hours of Johnny Cash in my lifetime. But this guys songs make me laugh and I cannot say that I cannot relate to all the subjects Todd Snider touches on in his songs. Throughout my life I have felt I do not fit in any group and Todd does a good job at blasting every side of every group. The Ballad of the Kingsmen is cool!
The Kingsmen came together in a garage,
They could hardly even play
But they practiced night
And day pretty soon they got to where they could really play that song Louie,
Louie
So, they saved up all the money from the shows,
Went in to one of them studios and gave their version of the song a try
Now, I don't know the words to that song Louie,
Louie and I'm pretty sure the singer for the
Kingsmen didn't know ‘em either,
If he did know ‘em he didn't get ‘em right on the record
Cause on the record they sound jumbled in his jaw? It says,
Me think of me girl oh so constantly
Ahmayaaah makaaaah aahh ooohoooh aaaaah
Well, that last part scared everybody from the PTA to the FBI
You see, the kids had been going kind of crazy lately
And it seemed like nobody could figure out why,
So they decided to form a coalition,
Launch an investigation, you know for the children, they at least had to try
To figure out the words to Louie, Louie
Chorus
It's the feel good hit of this endless summer
It gets these kids out of control
Singin along to that star spangled bummer,
Hail, hail rock and roll
Marilyn Manson's real name isn't even Marilyn Manson,
He's a skinny public high school Kid from Florida,
Not some monster from out of this world and like of a lot other skinny long hair public
High school kids he was sick of getting
Beaten up by the pulling guard all week only to go out on the weekend,
And watch the Quarterback get all the girls so,
He formed a band man
Now' he gets all the girls,
A few years later a couple of latchkey kids go tragically
Mad and everybody's standing around the television store at the mall trying to figure out what went wrong,
This guy says,
You think the life of a kid going to high school could've gotten so bad this other guy says nah,
It's just the words to one of them goddamn Marilyn Manson songs,
You know the one
Chorus
You know, every ten years or so our country and some other little country,
We start firing all of our newest weapons
At each other for some reason or another, right or wrong,
Like it or not, it happens, and when it happens
People get shot and when people get shot,
They show it on tv a lot every night at six o clock
And you don't even have to be eighteen to see it you don't even have to be in first grade,
First grade where they teach the kid pride
They tell him he'll need to thrive,
In a world where only the strong will survive,
So he's taught the art of more
To compare to and to keep score Monday thru Friday while
He stares at the floor til' Sunday they make him go to
School once more only this time they make him wear a suit and a tie
And listen to some guy who claims to know Where people go
When they die tell him that only the meek are gonna inherit the earth Well shit,
By this time the kid doesn't know what anything
Is worth, now brothers and sisters I am only one guy
And I don't even know the words to that song Louie,
Louie but I can tell you right now without batting an eye
That the next time some latchkey kid goes wrong
It aint gonna be cause that Eminem gets to say the word Fag in his song
And I'm not trying to preach to ya either,
I'm just trying to sing to ya too, you know string a few words together
Hey kids...
Lets get it on,
Lets get it on
Two Best Sellers
In a few years when we are listed on the best seller list, you can say you knew us when, well, when we were not on the best seller list. The writing process was a rewarding one and my only complaint would be the girlie winner's badges. I chose the one that was the most masculine in my opinion and quite frankly, it just is not that manly. I wrote a fictional football novel, I expected something that looked a little more grizzled than some animal badges with little cartoon animals.
I suggest NaNoWriMo go with a theme or genre badge design. You know, horror, mystery, comedy and all the other numerous genres. Seriously, where am I supposed to brandish that squirrel badge? Certainly not as an instant messenger or forum icon. My other choices were, a flower person thing, a cutesy crazy bunny and a dainty yellow bird. As you can see, I had little choice.
50,023 and Counting
All of this being said, I plan to do a little more writing through the end of the month and I will have to wait until the finish of the 2004 Brutal Deluxe season to complete the story. After that, I am unsure what I will do. Originally I planned to someday post the novel and I think I may still do that but I have a lot of editing to do and I have to attempt to tie up the lose ends and improve some pieces. However I have to tell you, do not get any misconceptions, this novel is so bad I actually feel more like hiding it. I began to lose motivation as I neared the 50,000 word mark, realizing just how bad the novel really is. Correction, I realized the novel was bad before 20,000 words, but I continued anyway, I had a goal, which was finishing.
I would describe my novel as satire, meets the sports page with a mystery thrown in. This was my first ever attempt at writing a story of this length and I can say that I did it, I wrote a novel, a very bad novel but I did it. I may even use CafePress.com to self publish the novel. Not hoping to sell, just so that I can get a copy for myself in print to put on my bookshelf. How cool would that be? Plus, designing the cover will be a whole lot more fun than writing the novel in one month was. If I do get the novel cleaned up enough to self publish, I will also publish the story on the web too, just incase anyone is curious. I would estimate that it will take me several months to edit the lump of words into something that I would not be entirely embarrassed to have someone read.
All of this being said, I do think I will do NaNoWriMo again next year. I want to write something different, hopefully something better. Brutal Deluxe, Season Tickets is a combination of newspaper clippings noting the goings on around the league. This changed as the story progressed to include a mystery in the middle. I realized I was running short on words and also that I needed to reach my goal before the Brutal Deluxe season ended. So, I murdered somebody, well I did not, but someone in my story did. This move away from the newspaper like chapters toward writing about the interaction of characters made me not like my novel very much. I figure I probably broke just about every rule to story writing that one could break. I may have even invented a few. Give me a break, I wrote the damn thing in a month. Before next year I will research some general rules (grammar included) and hopefully produce a better product.
NaNoWriMo 20,000 and Counting
Week two of NaNoWriMo has been quite a bit more productive for me than week one. I was out of the gates quickly but very busy at work and I put everything on hold for three days. I then resumed writing last Sunday and pumped out some serious numbers. Then I took another couple days off putting my story together in my mind. This week has actually been a double challenge, I have my son and have found myself needing to wait until he lays down for the night to do the bulk of my writing.
Last night I passed 20,000 words and I have yet to drop the sub-plot bombshell that is going to carry me through. I must say, that during the past couple weeks I find myself chuckling to myself. This is partially because I have become slightly mad by this point. But also because I have really let myself go and am amazed at the items I have come up with to write about. The story turn I am about to execute and have been playing out in my head all day long I did not even see coming when I first started my novel. I had no idea how I would have to grasp and search through the history of my story to come up with 50,000 words.
Before anyone starts wondering about the novel, rest assured, it is bad. But I have come to the realization that you simply have to learn not to take yourself too seriously. When this is all over and I start editing the novel, I really need to find a grammar reference. Never-the-less, I have already written more in the past two weeks than I probably have at any one time during my lifetime. I will be taking pre-orders in December. ;)
Last night I passed 20,000 words and I have yet to drop the sub-plot bombshell that is going to carry me through. I must say, that during the past couple weeks I find myself chuckling to myself. This is partially because I have become slightly mad by this point. But also because I have really let myself go and am amazed at the items I have come up with to write about. The story turn I am about to execute and have been playing out in my head all day long I did not even see coming when I first started my novel. I had no idea how I would have to grasp and search through the history of my story to come up with 50,000 words.
Before anyone starts wondering about the novel, rest assured, it is bad. But I have come to the realization that you simply have to learn not to take yourself too seriously. When this is all over and I start editing the novel, I really need to find a grammar reference. Never-the-less, I have already written more in the past two weeks than I probably have at any one time during my lifetime. I will be taking pre-orders in December. ;)
Week Two / NaNoWriMo
When I came up with the idea of writing "Brutal Deluxe, Season Tickets" I felt I could easily make it through the NaNoWriMo experience writing weekly roundups of fictional games. I of course am using all the teams and owners as characters in my story and when or if my novel ever sees the light of day, rest assured that my novel is very much fiction. In true Brutal Deluxe spirit I poke fun at all the fictional owners, who carry the name only of the real owners. I of course include myself and poke equal fun at myself in the story. From previous years I had some side stories that I am trying to alter and include to fit this particular season. The problem is, most of the side stories are based on my own team. I am going to need to tap into my imagination to come up with some additional rivalries and explore somewhat deeper the fictional quirks I have given each owner. If any of the owners are at all curious, I can give you some background on what I am doing to the imaginary you.
I only hope some further inspiration comes to me in the coming week. I can see me either falling far short and giving up or I can see this coming right down to the wire with me striving to find that last eight thousand words. Also, if any of the owners have a problem with me using their names, tough. No really if you have an issue with it let me know and I will change the name to something like TD Wilson. Though you have little to worry about as I will most likely be the only person ever seeing anything I write. But... If I actually finish this thing I may publish it in some fashion.
The Monster is Coming
Of course the monster I am referring to is the NaNoWriMo writing that I will begin at Midnight November 1st. Each day I will need to find time to write roughly 1700 words a day. All in hope of completing my own Frankenstein monster, my own 50,000 word novel, by November 30th.
Since this will be my first attempt at NaNoWriMo, I have no idea what to expect. Well, other than running out of writing ideas, I have no idea what to expect. One thing is certain, this novel is gonna be bad.
Scramble For Scrambled Word Hero Status
I am posting to hopefully lure a few random visitors to begin taking part in the Scrambled Word of the Day located to the right of the page. We finally reached the point where 20 individuals have taken part at least once. Now we just need 20 more folks to give it a whirl more than once. I know it is not that exciting of a contest. But hey, where else besides Jaboobie's blog will you get to read the word persnickety and actually care what it means?
Now for those new to the contest, all you need to do in order for stats to be kept on your word unscrambling ability is to start guessing. I use the email address you include on your guess to keep statistics. I need something to tie your statistics to and email addresses are about the easiest and most unique thing to use.
I might as well mention also that I still have a lot of Gmail invitations to distribute. Notify me in whichever manner you feel most comfortable should you want to try Gmail.
More Scrambled Changes
More Scrambled Word Fun
Update: The forum mentioned in this post is no longer active and not necessary for stat keeping.
Well, at the spurring of Alex I have made the Scrambled Word of the Day keep a running record of how everyone does with guessing the word. For your stats to be recorded, you will need to be logged into the forum. If you are greeted with your username by the Word of the Day feature, you are logged in. If not, register or login and your stats will be kept. I am recording both tries and correct guesses.
I am well aware of various ways you can cheat. Well, if you choose to do that, that is your loss. This is strictly for fun and in a few days I will start publishing the stats/rankings. Right now it is pretty boring because only two or three people are listed with one try and one correct guess.
Again, if anyone has any word ideas or ideas in general to make this little word puzzle more fun. Feel free to contact me and let me know your thoughts.
Scrambled Word of the Day
Having the past few nights relatively free, I was messing around with some code and came up with a nifty little script. I have been looking for something interesting to code and after stumbling upon this factoid I decided upon a "Word of the Day" feature, with a twist.
Originally the message of the day feature I wrote was going to be a word of the day. But I decided to go more along the lines of the UNIX fortune. I mean that is certainly more entertaining than a random word from the dictionary.
I also recently bought Wicked Cool Shell Scripts by Dave Taylor and at the back of the book he actually included a little scrambled word shell script. Great book with tons of useful scripts for Mac OS X, Linux or UNIX(AIX in my case). By the way, just incase you were wondering, yes I got a lot more out of the book than a scrambled word script idea. I read Dave Taylor's other book, Sams Teach Yourself UNIX in 24 Hours about 4 years ago or so when I was just starting to administer AIX Servers and loved Dave's approach for making what would seem boring entertaining.
Anyway, all of the above kind of started me thinking and I threw together a PHP script that provides a word of the day, scrambled. But fear not, a clue is given for each word. If you are unable to guess the word, comeback the following day and the previous days word is revealed. All guessed words or revealed words are linked to their definition.
So what do you think? A good way to fire up the brain cells each day as well as add to your vocabulary. Also if anyone would like to ever submit an idea for a message of the day or a scrambled word of the day, just use the Contact Scott button and let me hear your ideas.
Weird Word Stuff
While doing some research I stumbled upon this very interesting fact. Perhaps this is old news for some but I never knew this.
Aoccdrnig to a rscheeachr at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is that frist and lsat ltteer is at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by itslef but the wrod as a wlohe.
Aoccdrnig to a rscheeachr at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is that frist and lsat ltteer is at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by itslef but the wrod as a wlohe.
A Little Song
This song is sung in a favorite movie of mine. I think you will all recognize it.
Show me the way to go home,
I'm tired and wanna go to bed,
I had a little drink about an hour ago,
And it went right to my head.
No matter where I roam,
O'r land or sea or foam,
You'll always hear me singin' this song,
Show me the way to go home.
Show me the way to go home,
I'm tired and wanna go to bed,
I had a little drink about an hour ago,
And it went right to my head.
No matter where I roam,
O'r land or sea or foam,
You'll always hear me singin' this song,
Show me the way to go home.
Internet and/or internet
An internet (short for internetwork) is any network comprised of multiple, interconnected networks, normally within one company (also referred to as an intranet). The Internet is the global internetwork that traces its lineage back to the ARPAnet.
The Mind
Read the following sentence 5 or 6 times.
A bird in the hand
is worth two in the
the bush
I have always been interested in how the mind works. Intrigued by the theory that we only use a relatively small percentage of our brain power. What does the above sentence have to do with that interest? Well, just how we perceive things, and how some people can perceive things that others cannot.
Movies like the Phenomenon and Rain Man have always made me long to have the abilities without the repercussions of the characters in the movie. I certainly would not want Autism, and only a very few Autistics have some savant ability. Not at all a fair trade-off. Never-the-less to be able to absorb knowledge like John Travolta's character in Phenomenon would just be awesome.
So what am I getting at? How long did it take you to recognize the extra "the" in the sentence I asked you to read? I guess what I am thinking is that we do not always look at things as closely as we should. It just amazes me that spacing and wording can make incorrect things seem correct. We convince ourselves nothing is wrong.
A bird in the hand
is worth two in the
the bush
I have always been interested in how the mind works. Intrigued by the theory that we only use a relatively small percentage of our brain power. What does the above sentence have to do with that interest? Well, just how we perceive things, and how some people can perceive things that others cannot.
Movies like the Phenomenon and Rain Man have always made me long to have the abilities without the repercussions of the characters in the movie. I certainly would not want Autism, and only a very few Autistics have some savant ability. Not at all a fair trade-off. Never-the-less to be able to absorb knowledge like John Travolta's character in Phenomenon would just be awesome.
So what am I getting at? How long did it take you to recognize the extra "the" in the sentence I asked you to read? I guess what I am thinking is that we do not always look at things as closely as we should. It just amazes me that spacing and wording can make incorrect things seem correct. We convince ourselves nothing is wrong.
Why Do We Say 'Er' and 'Um?
This question can actually be split into two: why do people say anything at all while hesitating and why do they say "er" and "um" instead of other possible sounds?
To answer the first question, linguists known as conversation analysts have observed that people vocalise in a conversation when they think it is their turn to talk, and there are several ways of negotiating the taking of those turns. One of them is the relinquishing of a turn by the current speaker and another speaker taking the floor. Therefore, silence is often construed as a signal that the current speaker is ready to give up his or her turn.
So, if we wish to continue our speaking turn, we often need to fill the silences with a sound to show that we intend to carry on speaking. If we always thought out thoroughly everything we were going to say in a conversation, or memorized our lines perfectly there would be no hesitation at all. But, as it is, we do a improv during conversation. In order to keep the floor while we hesitate, we place dummy words in the empty spaces between our words.
The second question, as to why "er" and "um" are used instead of say, "ee" or "choo" is not as easy to answer. "Er", in British English, is a transcription of the phonetic schwa sound found in unstressed syllables of English words (such as the vowel sound in the first syllable of "potato"). In traditional phonetics this was called the neutral sound because it is the vowel sound produced when the mouth is not in gear, that is, not tensed to say any of the other formed vowels such as "e". The "um" sound is more difficult to explain unless it is just a bad translation of the same neutral sound with a consonant that closes the mouth in preparation for another real word.
By the way, these sounds are not universal. Many speakers of other languages hesitate in other ways. In Latin languages, for example, the pure sound of the vowel "e" is often used and Mandarin Chinese speakers often say "zhege zhege zhege" (this this this).
To answer the first question, linguists known as conversation analysts have observed that people vocalise in a conversation when they think it is their turn to talk, and there are several ways of negotiating the taking of those turns. One of them is the relinquishing of a turn by the current speaker and another speaker taking the floor. Therefore, silence is often construed as a signal that the current speaker is ready to give up his or her turn.
So, if we wish to continue our speaking turn, we often need to fill the silences with a sound to show that we intend to carry on speaking. If we always thought out thoroughly everything we were going to say in a conversation, or memorized our lines perfectly there would be no hesitation at all. But, as it is, we do a improv during conversation. In order to keep the floor while we hesitate, we place dummy words in the empty spaces between our words.
The second question, as to why "er" and "um" are used instead of say, "ee" or "choo" is not as easy to answer. "Er", in British English, is a transcription of the phonetic schwa sound found in unstressed syllables of English words (such as the vowel sound in the first syllable of "potato"). In traditional phonetics this was called the neutral sound because it is the vowel sound produced when the mouth is not in gear, that is, not tensed to say any of the other formed vowels such as "e". The "um" sound is more difficult to explain unless it is just a bad translation of the same neutral sound with a consonant that closes the mouth in preparation for another real word.
By the way, these sounds are not universal. Many speakers of other languages hesitate in other ways. In Latin languages, for example, the pure sound of the vowel "e" is often used and Mandarin Chinese speakers often say "zhege zhege zhege" (this this this).
