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Saturday, December 26, 2009

Probable Title for NaNoWriMo Novel

After much thought on the subject, I think I may have a very good and descriptively accurate title for my NaNoWriMo book: "Into the Glow Aborning." My general idea behind it is mankind transcending to become 'superhuman' with the help (and sometimes force) of nanobe-like aliens.

There has been great controversy in the fields of microbiology and astrobiology about certain agents that have been discovered (nanobes) and whether they are living or not. I'd like to explore that concept, then exploit it--that's what writers do. Here is a link to some of my research so far: Nanobes: A New Form of Life?

I'm very excited and have thousands of juicy thoughts erupting violently in my brain. They are all very delicious indeed, but only some of them are digestible. I must wait until I start writing (and then editing) to ferret out the tenderest and most tasty bits.

I am considering doing one of the most difficult of writing styles for this novel: the multiple P.O.V. Meaning that the novel will switch back and forth between the points of view of different characters. This style does not work in short stories, but when applied to a novel, and crafted with thoroughness (without slipping in characterization) it can be a very effective means of telling a story. I can't wait to idealize which characters I'm going to have witness the unfolding drama.

I know one of my characters already. He will be the main protagonist, the one we will sympathize with the most. His name is Nether Stowey.

If you think you've heard the name before, it's because you might have. Nether Stowey is the name of a town in Southwest England. It was home for a brief time to the English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

Friday, December 25, 2009

Cat Writer Comic by Inky Girl

Inky Girl: Daily Diversions for Writers

Virtual Christmas Card

Here is a Virtual Christmas Card for all of you:

Mass at 8 a.m. this morning was beautiful. They moved the crèche from the back of the church in the old baptismal area to the sanctuary. What a wonderful change that was.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Memories of Christmas

It's Christmas eve, and my thoughts are taking me down memory lane. Back to the Christmases I spent growing up in Ohio.

I grew up on a tenanted farm and my family was very poor. We were in good company. Nearly all of the other rural renters in the area were at or below the poverty line. Such was the norm in a state that has always suffered from economic instability.

It wasn't until I was an adult that I realized just how rich we really were in our lack of material wealth.

I saw glimpses of it at Christmas. In both receiving and giving.

I can remember with wide-eyed wonder waking up on Christmas morning, and while not getting exactly what I asked Santa for, it was a source of ceaseless wonder to me just how intimately that jolly fat old man knew me. I would get books for Christmas. Mostly, they were used books, but that didn't matter to me. What mattered were the authors and the subjects. Stephen King. Edgar Allen Poe. Tolkien. Science fiction, fantasy and horror. To me, these were the best presents ever. They were gifts that kept on giving to an overactive childhood imagination that I hope I never outgrow.

The best part of all was the giving. Every year I would get an allowance to spend on buying some little trinkets for the children in my family. One year, I accidentally bought too many gifts and had some leftover presents that would be for a boy, but I had no one to give them to. One week before Christmas, someone from town told my uncle about a family whose father lost his job. They had no Christmas tree, no food and no toys for their two young sons. Everyone in our family came together to bring Christmas to this family, who were worse off than we were. And the two boys had presents from Santa to open on Christmas morning.

We did that a lot. I'm not bragging about it. It's just something that we did.

My uncle had a Santa costume given to him and he enjoyed playing Santa for the children around our country neighborhood. Nowadays, he has gone from playing Santa for the kids to dressing up as Elvis and playing music for the elderly in nursing homes. My uncle likes to make people happy. I am grateful to have been brought up in such compassionate surroundings. It has increased my appreciation for what I have and has instilled in me a desire to share with those who are less fortunate than myself. It is put into practice most efficiently when I am able to give of myself all throughout the year.

This is what Christmas is really all about: A King was born into poverty so that he could eventually ransom himself for all of us poor, miserable souls. God gives us this most precious of all Gifts.

So let us celebrate the joy of giving through all of 2010.

My prayer for you this Christmas and New Year is not original. And it is not new. In fact, it's very, very old:

The LORD bless you and keep you! The LORD let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! The LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace!  ~ Numbers 6:24-26

This prayer is most specifically dedicated to my friend (and CRHP sister) Debbie, who has taught me much about the Jewish heritage and tradition that Our Savior lived.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Basic Training for NaNoWriMo

As of last night, I began to exercise my brain and fingers for NaNoWriMo.

Although the Great American Novel Writing Adventure isn't until November, I have decided that I need lots of practice in getting used to sitting my butt in front of the computer writing more than 500 words at time, which is what I had my StoryMill progress meter set on. StoryMill is kick ass writing software, peeps!

For short stories, 500 words in one sitting is fine, and I would often go over the goal line. But, for NaNoWriMo, it simply will not do. In order to have the minimum of 50,000 words in 30 days for NaNoWriMo,  I need to write at least 1667 words per day. So, last night I reset my progress meter to 1667 and went to work on my novel "The Coffee Wars." I started about 9:30 p.m. and worked until 11:00 and at the end I had written 1673 words. I was very happy. It was a little strange, because I did not go back and edit too much as I went along (which absolutely drove me bonkers) but that's the way I've got to get used to writing, if I'm going to have any luck with completing a novel. Just have to let the words flow, and take care of the clean-up later.

As a result of this, I finished Chapter 2 and got a pretty good start on Chapter 3. I'm going to do it again tonight. I will work on this novel a couple of nights a week and increase the number of nights I can do it, hopefully without letting my ongoing work on "Tiny Dragon" suffer, as I'm anxious to wrap that story up.

I'm considering this my boot camp for NaNoWriMo.

Wish me luck on my efforts to try an establish a pace in these months leading up to my first attempt at a 30-day novel. I will need your prayers, well-wishing and support.

Saturday, December 19, 2009

How Do You Like Your Science Fiction: Hard or Soft?

My high school Earth Science class did not do much for me, except showcase how monumentally inept I was at science. After the first few weeks of struggling with it, I transferred to the General Science class and performed much better there.

I did learn a valuable lesson in those first torturous weeks of Earth Science. It would have a far greater impact on my writing than it would on anything else. It caused me to begin an exercise in thought that I now utilize on a regular basis, both when looking for story ideas or just for sheer enjoyment.

Microcosmic worlds. Neat little panoramas that reveal themselves in my brain that I like to try and sort out. My Earth Science teacher was the first to introduce this concept. A few years later, I read a classic short story by Theodore Sturgeon called "Microcosmic God" that established it beautifully for me and planted the way of thought firmly in my mind, so that I'm always looking for microcosms to speculate on.

What if there are microscopic life forms existing in their own engaging little world on the head of a match? And they experience Apocalypse whenever we strike it?

Most of these ideas are in the realm of fantasy and this is where I primarily live. There may be elements of science in my writing. And there most certainly may be horror. I like to mix it up a bit. I like that term "speculative fiction." It covers so much wonderful landscape.

I've often heard that some people are vehemently opposed to what is labeled "soft science fiction." My guess is that would be a story that doesn't sport some astrophysics or chemistry lesson every other page. "Here, Mr. Spock, is why we can not travel past the speed of light: blah...blah...blah." I'm not saying there's no room for hard science fiction in my life. A great deal of what I read is hard science fiction. But I do not write hard sci-fi. I write fantasy sautéed with science fiction, with a side dish of horror. I write "Baskin-Robbins 31 Flavors of Weird." For me, it's about plot and characterization. I like my speculative fiction like my ice cream: sometimes hard, sometimes soft-serve.

I don't have a degree in physics, astronomy, chemistry or even writing. I've learned a few things over the years about the sciences that interest me: sociology, psychology and meteorology (meteorology actually applies some physics principles such as thermodynamics, the Bernoulli and Coriolis effects). I've found that structuring a good story out of these elements brings me the greatest satisfaction. And most folks seem to like it. I also believe that there is no more alien or horrifying a landscape than that of the human mind. That is something I love to explore.

Whatever hard science I use is employed like a sugary waffle cone, wrapping all that delectably sweet, gooey fantasy/horror weirdness down inside. I do lots of research and hope that I'm writing my science as factual as possible; breaking as few rules as possible, and if rules are slightly bent then I do my best to provide plausible scientific excuses for it without making it become a college physics lecture.

It's hard to do, but well worth it if the result is a satisfied reader.

Friday, December 18, 2009

Breakfast, Coffee, Project Planning and a Library Run

I'm getting up early tomorrow. I'm going to make a stab at it, anyway.

I want to rise about seven-ish, take my shower and eat some semi-homemade cheesy corned-beef hash for breakfast. Then hop in the car and head on over to check out the Sonoma Coffee Cafe for some strong "writer's fuel" and get some story planning in on one of my NaNoWriMo novel concepts (which I do not have a title for as yet).

Afterwards, I need to go pick up a book from the library that I have reserved that is geared toward helping me in formatting manuscripts for submission to publishers. I have a flash fiction story (a smidgen over 1000 words) that I feel is ready to get out there in somebody's slush pile. (I may submit it to Critters or SFF workshop for critiquing before I start mailing it out to Asimov's or The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.)

The story is called "World Wide Web" and the narrator is an alien shape-shifting arachnoid.

As for NaNoWriMo, I signed up a few days ago to take part in this November's exercise in mass insanity. My NaNoWriMo author name is 'Waning Gibbous' (another reference to my love of H.P. Lovecraft).

The idea behind NaNoWriMo (or National Novel Writing Month) is that you write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days, starting on November 1st and ending at midnight on November 30th.

Winning NaNoWrimo is having the minimum number of 50,000 words uploaded by the November 30th deadline. The concentration is on quantity, not quality, so they advise you just to write, write, write and not give a whit how crappy it is, because, it will be crappy. At least for those of us writing our first novels. Nearly all first novels suck. The point of it is the experience. They tell you absolutely no editing during writing, which will be extremely hard for me. I'm used to revising most of my stuff as I go, especially my short stories. They've advised me that my inner editor is a jerk and I should pay her no mind. If you've got any kind of story at all, say the wonderful people at the Office of Letters and Light, you can begin editing it in December. November is for writing only, with wild abandon. Okay. I've got ten months to get used to that idea and to learn how to tell my inner editor to "piss off!"

So what do I win when I complete my NaNo novel, you ask? Well, I win the right to say to people, "Hey, did I tell you about the book I've written?" That's all. Oh, I get special codes to have Amazon's self-publishing affiliate (called CreateSpace) send me a special printed copy of my manuscript for free. And I can buy a winner's tee-shirt.

So, I'm going to write a novel.

What about?

I don't know yet. I have two ideas running through my head at present. I mentioned one of them above. I don't have a title for it yet, but I have a vision of Earth being visited by nano-aliens, creatures so infinitesimal that we can't stop them. They can invade our bodies where they attempt to direct our lives. At first, we don't know if they are demons, viruses or memes (which are still viruses, but more on a cultural level). There is an upside and a downside to their existence. Some of them are good and only want to share their special gifts with us in a symbiotic relationship. Through their incredible powers of healing and superior intelligence, those who accept the alien intrusion transcend and become 'superhuman'. Some of the nano-aliens, however, are evil (these are referred to by the good aliens as 'variants'). They want to destroy.

That's the idea I'm going to try and work on tomorrow morning at Sonoma's.

The other idea is one I already have a head start on. I've mentioned in earlier posts that I want to write a novel called "Mages of Morrow" based on my short story (still in progress) called "Hold Me Closer, Tiny Dragon." It will be set in the same realm, although in a slightly later time period. I could use all of the notes and research that I have accumulated in writing the short story. However, I don't know if I want "MoM" to be my first novel. I feel that my dragon (and prehistoric beast) creations have become so close to me that I need to give that book more than just ten months of planning in order to do it justice.

So, I have a weighty decision to make before November.

Aliens or dragons.

I welcome any thoughts on the subject from anyone reading this post.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Coffee: Now That's What I'm Talking About!

Ah, coffee shops! The favorite haunts of writers the world over.

And why not? They do have incredible intellectual ambiance: writers (and readers) sitting at counters and tables everywhere, typing on their laptops or writing in their notebooks. And they do serve up the elixir of life. Ah...yes, coffee. Hot, wonderful, energizing coffee!

It's a question of long-standing debate: if you slice open a writer's vein, would he or she bleed ink or cappuccino? I'm not sure about the answer. In my own case, maybe a little of both.

I do know that there is a brand-spanking new little coffee shop that moved in just down the street from me and I can't wait to check it out.

It's called Sonoma Coffee Cafe and they are located right here in good old Pinellas Park, a suburb of St. Petersburg that used to be notorious more for saloons than for coffee. We still have plenty of those, too.

This Saturday morning, God willing, and the muse inspires me to go somewhere to write (other than the library), I am going to go patronize said establishment and see if both inspiration and the fine art of people watching conjures up any literary nuggets or causes any plot bunnies to put in an appearance. I'll take my pretty new notebook (for my NaNoWriMo ideas), order a cup of house drip and let the voices in my head do the rest.

I'll do a review of the place in an upcoming post.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

What's Going On with My Widget?

What's going on with my weather widget at the bottom of the page?

It would have you think there is going to be no sunshine here in Florida for the next four days. Every day shows overcast. That's unheard of.

I like clouds, so I'm not complaining.

Saturday, December 12, 2009

The Shadow of Creativity: Inspired by H.P. Lovecraft, Mostly

In an effort to improve my writing prowess, I recently began to think of creative springboards: exercises to fuel my creativity which I could write about and post on this blog, which is, in itself an attempt to become better at my beloved craft.

One of the subjects that came to mind was a "Why I Write What I Write" exercise, but to author it in the style of a writer whose work I admire. This is not an exercise that I intend to employ as a means of imitating or copying the style of another writer, but one that will hopefully teach me to look for, find and use my own voice, even when I am engaged in writing a Cthulhu Mythos piece in the Lovecraftian vein (which I have planned to do in the near future).

Someone once gave me a book of Lovecraft stories. I no longer remember who presented me with that awesome gift of reading pleasure or what the title of the book was. That information no longer matters. Keys are small things by themselves. But when you turn them, you can open doors into fascinating hidden rooms or ignite engines of great power and complexity.

All I know is, the opening paragraph of one of the first stories I encountered grabbed me and held me spellbound and it does so still to this day. It sealed my fate in an overpowering desire to write. It is from a story called "Dagon":

I am writing this under an appreciable mental strain, since by tonight I shall be no more. Penniless, and at the end of my supply of the drug which alone makes life endurable, I can bear the torture no longer; and shall cast myself from this garret window into the squalid street below. Do not think from my slavery to morphine that I am a weakling or a degenerate. When you have read these hastily scrawled pages you may guess, though never fully realise, why it is that I must have forgetfulness or death...

H.P. Lovecraft was born on August 20, 1890 in Providence, Rhode Island. His first published story was called "The Alchemist" and it was published in 1916 in a magazine called "The United Amateur."

Without further explanations, here is my Lovecraft inspired look into my inner madwoman, an apologia of why I write, and why I write what I write:

The Shadow of Creativity: Inspired by H.P. Lovecraft, Mostly

My friends are convinced that I am insane. They are probably right.

Mental balance and I achieved a stubborn stalemate many years ago after decades of ceaseless turmoil and foul warfare. Any measure of normal psychological stability now keeps a well-defined and uneasy, if not peaceful distance from me.

I’m a writer of speculative fiction and I know of no better habitation than the dark recesses of my own fetid imagination. My vistas are oblique, non-Euclidean and terrifying realms of stark raving chaos where strange and often horrifying things dwell in Fortean splendor.

The faces I prefer do not have striking jaw-lines or piercing blue eyes. Instead, I am drawn in a state of near catatonia to visages sporting tentacled chins and piercing fore-claws. Eyes? Just a singular, Cyclopean horror of unblinking, hypnotic skill is enough to send me into a frenzy of terrible shuddering and provoke uncountable sleepless nights. Whenever I do manage to heed the call of Morpheus to "Come, come" my sleep is troubled and oppressed by these maddening visions. I must then get up and write.

My tormented brain chants a continual mantra: sci-fi, fantasy, horror, steam-punk, alternate history, future history, cyberpunk, space opera, scientific romance…mmmm…zombies…alien shape-shifting serial killer spider…Cthulhu mythos….

Like a trapped mink, I'm stuck in the cruelly sharp steel jaws of my own design. Writing is a sweet, albeit temporary, release from the madness, the equivalent of chewing off a foot and limp-running headlong, blindly into the arms of reckless abandon. The Trapper's name is Sanity and I am determined he shall not have my skin!

There are (no doubt) writers whose works are sunshiny blossoms of spring days, all romance and straightforwardness, where there's no mistaking the authors intentions regarding character, setting or plot.

Comparing writing with painting, these writers would rack up with Claude Monet and his Water Lilies. Edgar Degas and his Ballerinas.

My writing is none of that easily definable stuff.

My work is Van Gogh, who, though he painted some pretty sunflowers, he also painted swirling cosmos skies and cut off part of his own ear to embrace his inner madness.

My writing is Jackson Pollock. I desire to chuck many of those elements of my mental mantra onto the page, grab a palette knife and start cutting in, the ink flowing from my fingertips to the keyboard to the blank screen, the chaos taking on form and finally, meaning.

In comparing my work with other speculative fiction authors, my earliest recollections find me contemplating the experiences of being absorbed in the macabre murkiness of H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe and a starkly surreal and sometimes hellish poem that I often still to this very day find myself reciting snippets of without being cognizant of it called "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

Then, I found my uncle's sci-fi collection and visited Niven's "Ringworld," became too confused at too early an age by Heinlein's "Stranger In a Strange Land" (but not in too bad a way) and discovered even more treasures at my school and local library.

All of these inspirations are what have fueled my intense longing to create strange phenomena, alien landscapes and slimy vistas of darkness so foul and inhabited by denizens so terrifyingly bizarre as to induce nightmares just by reading about them.

That's what I'm hoping for, anyway.

Yes, my friends, I am insane. But it's okay.

I am a writer. I can live no other way.

Dedicated to H.P. and to the author who is the source of my writer's "Quote of the Week" for this blog this week, E.L. Doctorow, who said: "Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia."

To listen to a truly creepy audio version of "Dagon" visit "The Drabblecast."  Clicking this link will take you directly to the site. "The Drabblecast" is a weekly short fiction podcast. The stories there are mostly narrated by the extremely talented and creepy voice of Norm Sherman.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

What Every Mac User Knows

The help desk people didn't inform me that when I zapped my PRAM, it might zap me back. Now my brain is stuck in 'safe mode.'

People Without Pets

We'll be sad if dogs and cats transcend sapience and leave Earth. What will we do with their squeaky toys and catnip mice?

Sunday, December 6, 2009

A Frog's Tale

Well, I've been inspired by frogs again.

Quite possibly, my muse was a frog that was transformed and lived a very unhappy life as a muse. Thus I am tormented with crazy but brilliant (IMHO) ideas concerning frogs. Or an equally plausible reason is that the frogs living in the tree outside my bedroom window are actually brainwashing me as I sleep with their incessant chirping.

Whatever the motivating factor is, I have been thinking about the whole Frog Prince story lately. You know, the fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm? It inspired me to do a twitfic (for those of you who don't know, a twitfic--or twabble--is a one hundred character story, not including spaces) about it. See "Pop Culture Fairy Tale" in an older post.

That failed to calm my muse on the subject.

I started getting the notion that perhaps there was another side to the story. One that needed to be told. And maybe, just maybe, the Grimm's got the story from a rather biased, and therefore unreliable source. The princess. Did anyone even bother to discover how the frog really felt? Was he happy about being a prince and marrying the princess? What if he wasn't?

Now, with thoughts like these, an ordinary person might think: "Who cares?"

Writers are not ordinary people.

So, I've started writing the a new take on the classic tale from the frogs perspective.  I'm calling it "The Reluctant Prince." I'm not intending it to be very long, or to take too much time in the telling. But tell it, I must.

Maybe then my frog prince muse will let me sleep at night.

Until the next inspiration, anyway.

Friday, December 4, 2009

Research, Research and More Research...

I love the library.

I've been accused of being a closet librarian, I love books so much and spend so much time in Dewey Decimal World.

I am on my local library's website searching for books more than I check my damn email.

So, I go to pick up some books today that I have requested from other libraries in the area, since my library didn't have them. I approach the desk and hand the librarian my card and say, "I believe you're holding some books for me."

She looks at me and laughs, "So what else is new, Miss Kelly?"

If they'd let me, I'd put up a cot in the science fiction and fantasy section, being the speculative fiction reader version of the "The Self-Taught Man" character in the Jean-Paul Sartre novel "Nausea" that works his way through the library from A-to-Z.

Today I picked up a fabulously cool book called "Dragonology" by Ernest Drake and Dugald Steer. It looks like an ancient book. It's large (like, coffee-table book sized, but not very many pages) and it had tons of stuff in it, like samples of dragon scales and wing membranes. It looks sort of like a book you'd expect to find at Hogwarts, in Harry Potter's world. I am going to get a lot out of it for research on my dragon story (and possible future novel).

I also found a pretty good article online from the NY Times Science section from 2003 on dragons and where we, as humans, may have gotten the idea of them. It's called "From Many Imaginations, One Fearful Creature," and if you want to, you can click on that title and read the article.

I've been filling the "Hold Me Closer, Tiny Dragon" section of my story notebook with all kinds of great ideas and information, and hope this book and article will be the fuel providing me with more energetic thoughts on the matter.

I've also got to start researching psychological information for my novel "The Coffee Wars." This story is about humanity becoming enslaved to an alien race through hypnosis and addiction to a powerful drug and how we struggle to break the bonds and fight our enemy. Our biggest enemy in this story is not our alien oppressors, but our own weaknesses. No surprises there.

This novel concept grew out of a short story I wrote called "We Hardly Ever Cry Anymore."  It's a very short, flash fiction piece that is first person narrative of an unnamed protagonist who relates his experiences of being a "worker" on a farm that grows and processes the alien plant Waithyll into the drug that desensitizes and enslaves humanity through a detached euphoria. I've been told by too many of my friends that this piece needed to be part of something bigger, and so, the idea for "The Coffee Wars" was born.

I am going to be doing NaNoWriMo next year, God willing and the muse doesn't go on strike. I am seriously considering doing "The Coffee Wars" as my NaNoWriMo novel.  I'll have to think about it.
I wonder, does it count if you've already started?

So. There you have it. I am keeping very busy with research. I plan on doing some writing on "Tiny Dragon" this weekend.

I also have a huge pile of books to read.


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Monday, March 5, 2012

They mate for life - L

Since my sewing machine is in the shop, I've been working on peripheral stuff.  Things like handwork for the pending renaissance dress, flea furs for both of us, renaissance buttons, and cutting and hemming chiffon. All need to be done by hand.  It's sort of odd to be shifting projects from moment to moment, but I'm getting used to it, and making some progress.  It's become glaringly obvious that Robin and I each have different talents so we are starting to parse some things to the 'expert'.  She is doing all the blackwork embroidery on her machine.  I don't have the ability or the patience to do that.  She is doing hats.  I have some sort of aversion to it.  I am doing renaissance buttons, flea furs, and research on new techniques like hand rolled chiffon hems.  (ugh).  She doesn't have the urge to make papier mache weasel heads...though I can't understand why not...??
Here is a matched pair of headless weasel bodies, including their gilded paws.  More pictures below.

What follows is a string of pictures including my first ever hand rolled hem.  The second edge was smoother.  Clearly this is a learned skill.  We'd heard that chiffon was a bitch to work with.  We heard true.  Ultimately, I found myself singing:
'I Fought Chiffon and Chiffon Won''

This edge is a center front panel.  I had planned to do the bottom hem, but I can't do it until I get it level.  Possibly in the next century?

Also, 4 different renaissance button samples.  Since Robin is doing my blackwork, I said I would make buttons for both her and her beau.  Lucky for me he has chosen one of the easiest to make because it turns out to take a lot longer than I'd anticipated and makes my fingers cramp and he needs 36 buttons!!!   I'm already rethinking my personal choice.

Finally, I tried paper clay for the first time.
Regular clay make the 'heads' for the flea furs too heavy.
I spread the goop over heavy paper cones and made little 'lumps' with wire toenails for paws.

Then I cut some of Robin's faux fur into creature bits.
I decided to make them have a little character.  Then I had to make little legs.  Once I had sewn on the legs and added a little stuffing to create shaping, I gilded the paw pieces and glued them into the legs.  While I was sewing I was baking the paper clay at very low heat to speed the drying.
The heads will need to be sanded quite a bit and then gilded.  I will glue some fake jewels into the eye sockets and for general decoration.  Here they are!

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Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Floreio Workout Number 3

Today, no new movements. (But tomorrow... mmmmm... Lets just say - come back...)
We are going to do a lot of Prehab this time, making sure we prepare our bodies and joints the best that we can for future workloads.

Floreio Workout Number 3 - Beginners, Intermidiates and Advanced

A1 Jump Rope 3 Min
A2 Ido's Squat Clinic Routine X 1 set
A3 Shoulder ROM and Stabilization routine X 1 set
A4 Wrists Routine X 1 set (For info - read Preparations For Our Daily Training post)

Repeat for a total of 3 subsequent sets - no rest

Dont neglect your hips, wrists and shoulders preparation, they will be heavily used tomorrow.

Floreio News:
We have a new forum setup - go register at: http://forum.idoportal.com Looking forward to hear your opinions, questions, observations.

Justin said...

I have noticed that we do hip and shoulder mobility as well as wrists. Yesterday there was an total body requirement as well. My question is (after two workouts) one of my elbows is a little sore. My guess is it has to do with the bending in and out of the rotations as well as all the other bent arm stuff. Should we be doing any prehab for our elbows? I do elbow circles almost daily already and never really had trouble before. Should I be adding different elbow joint work for Floreio or was this first thing just a fluke?

Ido said...

I have only shared limited amounts of knowledge about prehab work. I will go into Elbow prep in the future.
In the meantime, make sure you manage the soreness, let it rest, ice it after workouts and do a lot of joint mobility. Also, maximal strength work should support Floreio practice and we will go into that in the future. Not doing the Strength work and concentrating on Floreio or another Metcon or skill oriented work by itself will lead to stagnation and injuries. My best athletes are the ones with the best base strength.

Justin said...

Elbow circles and ice it is. I come from a weight training background. I did crossfit for about year before moving to gymnasticsbodies. I tried to do Oly lifts and gymnastics but found I was always tired and had trouble recovering.

cnye94 said...

Take Ice Cold shower for 5-10 minutes after your work outs. You will feel much better the next day and it will help you recover.

Ido said...

Another good tip:
I have been experimenting with a chinese ointment called 'San Huan San' - Herbal Ice. It is a substitute for traditional cryotherapy as the chinese believe 'Ice is for dead people'. If you have a good chinese herbalist around your area, you can try and get some and put it on your elbows after trainings, wrapped in something. It has produced good results for me and some of my students.

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Home » » Script Manager-SManager(NoAds) v2.5.3.1 Apk App

Script Manager-SManager(NoAds) v2.5.3.1 Apk App

Written By Bain adam on Wednesday, September 12, 2012 | 9:00 AM

Requirements: 2.1

Overview: Powerful application to execute scripts and executables, root explorer and browser and multi terminal emulator.

 Execution Functions:

 Manage and execute shell scripts and programs in file system.

 All executions run over vt100 terminal accepting user input and esc codes (colors, bel, cursor movement ..)

 Run them at boot-up and on network status change possibility.

 Schedule at selected time. (cron jobs)

 Show graphical dialogs from running process.

 Create widgets at desktop.

 Edit and create scripts, also create them from url.

 Insert code in your scripts using QR codes.

 Share execution output.

 Bookmark your scripts.

 Test SM_VERSION and/or SM_VERSIONCODE to know if is running inside SManager.

 With root privileges you can also execute them with superuser privileges.

 File explorer Functions:

 Browse all phone's file and network files.

 Open multiple directories with one screen.(3 directories for Ads version)

 Open and edit all files associated to an application.

 Click to execute scripts, and long tap to edit, move,copy and rename files and directories. Also Create links and show files properties

 Multiselect function from different directories. (Ads version only support 7 selections from different directories. No limit if selections are in the same directory)

 With root privileges you can also:

 Root explorer

 Modify RO (Read Only) partitions easily.

 Root editor (Allow edit files with root privileges also usable by other applications. Configure "Browse as root" to use it with script manager or other application)

 Open and edit ALL files regardless the permissions they have with selected application. Use CAREFULLY(Configure "Browse as root" in order to get this feature)

 Console screen:

 Volume Up: Mapped to Esc key.

 Volume Down: Mapped to Enter key.

 DPad press: Mapped to Control key. (Press and then press other key. Not simultaneous pressing required)

 Enable "extra gestures" in config screen in order to send Home/End,del/tab,left/right,pgup/pgdown keys. This is very useful to execute shell and ssh connections.

 WEIRD CHARACTERS: If you get a lot of [[^ characters, is due you have "extra gestures" enabled and script/program doesn't process them. Use most right side of screen to send standard scroll event, or disable "extra gestures"

 External Storage SD Notes:

 You can install SManager on external Storage SDcard, but you must be know:

 - If you are using boot scripts or scheduled script, you will need SMExternalSD app.

 - All events like network status change and scheduled scripts while external storage is shared or unmounted will not be processed. Although you have SMExternalSD installed

 SManager does not launch executions until external storage is mounted.

 Detected some programs/daemons (like dropbear) fails if has stdin closed. Try put "exec 0>&1" to reopen stdin in background executions.

 No ads version features:

 No ads.

 Execute scripts from widgets without opening console.

 No limits in multiselect.

 No limits opening multiple directories.

 Alias keys in SMConsole.

 Hide/show SMConsole status bar with up/down gesture at top of SMConsole screen.

Download Instructions:

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Tuesday, February 7, 2012

hunt.gather.style spring pop up shop

If you're in or near Austin, mark March 10th in your calendar!  We'll be setting up shop at an awesome local boutique with fun vintage pieces and great contemporary items from our own closets (I did my spring cleaning early!).  More details to come soon!

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Post a Comment


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Difference Between Visa and Status

It is common to confuse the terms visa and I-94/non-immigrant status. Yet you will need to clearly know the difference in order to understand your rights and responsibilities while in the United States.

Remember, both visa and status is specific to the primary purpose of your application for admission to the U.S. and the duration of your visit. Your non-immigrant status determines which rules you will need to follow once in the U.S.

I-94/Non-immigrant status

The I-94 status, also known as a non-immigrant status, defines the terms under which non-citizen visitors can temporarily reside in the U.S. Your I-94 can be accessed through the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website.

Each I-94 status has a set of regulations that govern the activities of international visitors. I-94 status imposes both rights and responsibilities.

Your rights include:

  • The right to be in the U.S. as long as you continue to pursue your primary purpose.
  • Various rights in support of your primary purpose.
  • The right to all federal, state, and local legal protections.

Also, an I-94 status requires you to fulfill certain responsibilities.

Your responsibilities include:

  • Fully complying with the general laws of the U.S.
  • Focusing on your primary purpose by complying with regulations that govern activities in your particular I-94 status.
  • After completing your primary purpose, leaving the U.S. or applying for a Change of Status to reflect a new primary purpose.

All internationals are issued an I-94 status upon entry into the U.S. An I-94 Arrival/Departure Record, a small white card, will be stapled into your passport (see image below). This is most commonly called the "I-94 card." The I-94 card is documentary evidence for non-immigrant status.

Because the U.S. government has no jurisdiction outside of the country, you cannot have an I-94 status anywhere else but in the United States. So when you leave, an immigration officer (or airline representative) will open your passport and take back the I-94 card; thereby taking back your I-94 status (if you plan to return soon to resume your primary purpose, your non-immigrant status usually can be activated again upon reentry).

I-94 arrival/departure record card, which will be stabled into your passport.

A U.S. visa is an official authorization affixed to a valid passport, granting permission to request entry into the U.S. in that particular non-immigrant classification.

See a list of I-94/ non-immigrant visa status categories commonly found at UC San Diego.

A visa must be shown at the port of entry to the U.S. to gain admission with I-94 status. Once in the U.S., you will not need a visa until the next time you wish to enter the U.S.

Think of your visa as a key. Like a key, you will only use your visa to "open the door" and enter. Once in, you do not use your key until you leave and need to re-enter.

Only a U.S. Consulate can issue visas to enter the country. Consulates may have offices in a U.S. Embassy or they may have their own stand-alone offices; they are always located outside of the U.S. Therefore, you can only apply for a visa if you are outside of the U.S.

At a U.S. port of entry (such as an airport) you must show your visa to an officer from the Department of Homeland Security. By presenting your visa, you are applying for the related I-94 status.

Image of common visa and its different elements

Contact Us

International Faculty & Scholar Office (IFSO)
(858) 246-1448

Monday through Friday
9 a.m. – 4 p.m.


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Search Engine Optimization

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process in which your Website undergoes redevelopment to properly communicate website’s keywords to search engines. The aim of Internet Promotion Campaign is to increase the level of website popularity in the Internet among defined target audience by generating more traffic.

It is very important to understand how search engines rank websites. Search engines rank websites based on the following criteria’s:
  • Off site SEO techniques Like making links from other sites.
  • Identify a few keywords for your website that will be indexed highly by Search Engines.
  • Avoid Flash, Frames or Java Script, and dead links in your site.
  • Create a Site Map for your site that means every page on your site is just a link or two away from every other one.
  • Update things like new articles regularly.
  • Link to reputable and relevant sites from your own page.
  • Select a proper domain name.
  • Get your domain registered for longer period of time.
  • Create more focused pages then one big web page.
  • Don’t use copied content.
  • Try to use RSS feed on your site and submit it to My Yahoo for getting indexed with Yahoo.
  • Use ping services like Pingomatic which will ping websites for you to notify them that you’ve updated.
  • Have a lot of content on your website.
  • Pay special attention to meta-tags and title on your web site.
  • Create Link Tags and Image Tags on all the web pages.
  • Incorporate keywords in you web pages.

We have the experts who can bring your site on the top. Successful Internet Promotion Campaign will increase number of leads to the client.

We study the latest techniques being used by major search engines. Our SEO engineers will work on ever site personally to show results. Other marketing techniques include Sponsored Advertisement and Pay Per Click/Cost Per click marketing.


text:
IJOART Volume 4, Issue 12, December 2015 Edition

Pages [1]

Improve speed of Logo Detection and Recognition from the images Using SURF[]

Logo matching and recognition is important for brand advertising and surveillance applications and it discovers either improper or non-authorized use of logos. An effective logo matching and recognition method for detect logos in a high motion videos. The central issues of this technology are fast localization and accurate matching and unveil the malicious use of logos that have small variation with respect to the original.

In the present investigation attempts have been made to develop nutrient rich noodles by the addition of optimized proportions of wheat and malted kodomillet flour with other ingredients. Combinations of wheat and malted kodo millet flour (90:10, 80:20, 70:30, 60:40 and 50:50) and other ingredients like spinach paste (for green color), eggs, salt and water are kept constant for all formulations to get good results. Results revealed thatamong all the formulations tried, noodle sample prepared from 70:30 flour combination had same sensory scoreas that of control and higher values of protein, fibre and minerals (i.e. calcium, iron and phosphorous) than thecontrol sample. Thus, this nutrient rich noodle will be a good source of instant food for children, teenagers, sport persons, pregnant and lactating women.

Aggregate shape, size and grading can influence concrete workability. The volumes of water and cementations materials are commonly increased to accommodate poorly shaped or poorly graded aggregates. In this work the properties of concrete in fresh and hardened stage using different aggregate sizes and mix design was investigated. This was done using coarse aggregate of sizes 25mm, 20mm, 12mm and 6mm with mix ratios 1:2:4, 1:1.5:3 and 1:3:6. The experiments were conducted and it was found that concrete with coarse aggregate size 20mm had the highest compressive strength for any mix ratio. But the mix ratio 1:1.5:3 produced the highest compressive strength and density.

On Baer Elements In Multiplicative Lattices[]

In this paper we described the exact nature of compact elements of B, the family of Baer elements of multiplicative lattice L with re-spect to a radical element u. It is shown that u : (u : x) is compact element in B for every compact element x in L.

Collaborative Sensing Scheme for CR in XG Networks[]

Cognitive Radio (CR) technology, the building block of next generation (xG) network help mitigate spectrum scarcity in the paradigm shift to dynamic spectrum access (DSA) approach of wireless communication. Reliable communication is guaranteed when licensed (primary) and unlicensed (secondary) spectrum users co-operatively utilize the spectrum. Though, radio spectrum is statically allocated to different services, applications and users, observations showed spectrum usage is low despite increase in wireless communication needs. Required effective spectral utilization is hinged on secondary user's (SU) ability to detect primary user's (PU) signals accurately and make use of any time the frequency is unoccupied. Major task of PU detection relied on SU sensing technique. Analysis of existing schemes showed SNR computable in advance for available channels. Improved technique of collaborative spectrum sensing (CSS) for energy detection in CR-super-layer and correct detection rate (CDR) algorithm on logical (PHY + MAC + Network) structure is formulated for reliable channel sensing results. CSS algorithm is equipped to track all changing environment condition in terms of each SNR obtainable to be used for CDR probability schemes. Remarkable improvement in spectrum usage efficiency is achieved with suggested sensing scheme and the inclusive algorithm because collaborative SU's SNR computation in AWGN channels enabled suggested algorithm track changing environment parameters effectively for optimized spectrum hole detection and usage.

Assessment of Sampling Pattern Variation & its Effect on Variability of Spatial Prediction[]

Agriculture is a backbone in Indian Economy. Crop production improvement is very important in agriculture management. To improve crop production microlevel planning of crop growth parameters is very much essential. Soil is an important parameter for crop growth. The soil quality has to be monitored by regular soil testing. For effective soil quality management soil sampling pattern plays an important role. Current study is an attempt to assess effect of soil sampling pattern on spa-tial prediction.

Pages [1]

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© 2011 - 2012 International Journal of Advancements in Research & Technology
Managed By IJOART Foundation

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Authorized dealer Carrier Daikin Thermoking     e-Faktur FAQ Search Early Booking
    About Us   Services   Member Area   Contact Us
Container Stacking Yard
Reefer Facilities
Repair and Cleaning Station
Commercial Warehouse
Bonded Warehouse
Inland Clearance Depo
Buy and Sell
Click here to view VR

Increase effectiveness in commodity handling

Having such a complete and modern facility, IJS has been confided by The Directorate General of Customs and Excise to run an Inland Clearance Depot. The facility, which is under The Directorate General of Customs and Excise, is offering services for handling and temporary storing imported/exported laden containers.

Temporary admission for onward transit and outright export is also provided by IJS Inland Clearance Depot to allow importer/exporter to arrange schedule and increase effectiveness in commodity handling.

  ©2008 PT. Indra Jaya Swastika


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High Noon Fantasy Hockey: Obligatory Kessel Run Joke, No-Vechkin, The Foppa Factor, Good/Bad/Ugly, Young Guns, Showdown

Posted by Daniel in High Noon Fantasy Hockey on November 9, 2009 — 10 Comments

Another week of fantasy hockey with plenty of news:

Obligatory Kessel Run Joke:

Perhaps the biggest story this past week was the debut of Phil Kessel with his new team, the Toronto Maple Leafs.  A lot of pressure is on young Kessel to bring some much needed scoring the Leafs.  How’s he doing so far?  Kessel has 3 points in 3 games.  Not bad at all, and is on a two game point streak in that span.  He was pointless in his first game of the season, but he had ten shots on goal.  Yes, ten shots.  Mattias Ohlund of the Lightning made sure to give his buddy Phil a warm welcome back.

Due to high expectations, it is unlikely Kessel went undrafted in most leagues, unless you’re in a league with only a handful of teams.  If he was ignored, he’s worth picking up.  Decent scoring RW’s are hard to come by, leaving those in deeper leagues longing for the day Jared Boll turns into a 50-goal scorer.  Or even a 10-goal scorer.

Kessel will certainly help the Leafs generate more offense, and combined with Jonas “The Monster” Gustavsson starting to win games, things could be turning around in T.O.  If Gustavsson is sitting in the bargain basement of your league, snap him up.  He’s doing pretty great so far in November, 2-0-1 with 99 saves.

Last week I mentioned Alex Ovechkin leaving a game against the Blue Jackets early.  Since then, the news has gone from bad to worse.  First he was “day to day” then he was “week to week.”  This has got to hurt anyone who drafted AO first overall, which is probably everyone with their league’s first pick—except for those that thought this is finally going to be Brendan Witt’s big breakout year (more on that later).  The silver lining to AO’s mysterious injury is that he’s only missed four games in his past four seasons, so he should be back sooner than later.

Losing Ovechkin from your fantasy line-up is a bitter pill and like losing Malkin (which hit the High Noon team) leaves a big scoring gap.

What to do?  Grab Capitals winger Tomas “the Red Wings traded me for Robert Lang” Fleischmann—he just came back into the Caps’ lineup after missing 10 games with a blood clot, and is reaping the benefit of an injured AO.  Fleischmann has 5 goals in 6 games, with 7 points total and a pair of 2-goal games. Fleischmann may not be as useful once Ovechkin starts playing again, but ride him while he’s hot (he’s the latest addition to the High Noon team).  Likewise, if Mike Knuble is available, grab ‘im.  He’s also benefiting from Ovechkin’s absence.

 Other AO Fill-in’s:

Mason Raymond (LW, Vancouver) is on a 5 game point streak (4 goals in that stretch.  Keep in mind that Raymond only had 3 goals in the previous 13 games.

Raffi Torres (LW, Columbus) has a pair of 2 goal games in November, 8 goals on the season and gets unlimited night minutes on his Banana Phone.

The Foppa Factor:

Peter “Foppa” Forsberg might be coming to a NHL team near you very soon (or maybe a KHL team).  What does this mean in terms of fantasy?  Quite a bit.  Also, it if does happen, it means we may get to see commercials like this again.

Nothing is certain yet, as most of this is the stuff of rumors, but it is making for some interesting reading.  If he does come back to the NHL, he’ll improve pretty much everyone around him.  In his last NHL season (2007-2008), Forsberg had 14 points in 9 games.  But, if it looks like Foppa’s coming back again—grab him the second he’s available, just be prepared for him to get injured sooner than later.

Fantasy News Around the NHL:

The Good:

Jakub Voracek (RW, Columbus) has a quartet of two-point games so far this season. Radim Vrbata (RW, Phoenix) matched his output of last season (6 points) in 13 games, beating the 18 it took to do so with Tampa Bay last year.  Mike Modano (C) and Jere Lehtinen (LW) are back for the Dallas Stars—and in the parallel universe where it is always 2002, there was much rejoicing.  Andrew Raycroft (G, Vancouver) is kicking butt and chewing gum while filling in for the injured Roberto Luongo, and he’s all out of gum (4-1, .936 SV% and 1.60 GAA).  Brendan Witt (D, NYI) had a 2-goal game vs. the Oilers.

The Bad:

Brendan Witt had only 2 goals in the two previous seasons (0 last season and he was –34).  Jason Spezza is injured again.  As mentioned above, Roberto Luongo is also out, with a rib injury.

Rob Blake (D, San Jose) was placed in Injured Reserve.  Surprise, surprise, oft-injured goalie Kari Lehtonen (Atlanta) is out for another 6 to 8 weeks after more back surgery.

The Ugly:

Cam Ward (G, Carolina) is out a minimum of 3-4 weeks after having his leg cut by Rick Nash’s skate.  Ouch.

Matthieu Schneider (D, Vancouver) was used as a forward in a 7-2 loss against the Ducks.  He was –3.  Schneider was back in his normal place in the next game.

Young Guns:

Let’s see how the top four picks of this summer’s draft class are doing so far this season.

John Tavares (1st overall) – C, NYI

GP: 17 G: 5 A: 8 P: 13

Victor Hedman (2nd overall) – D, Tampa Bay

GP: 14 G: 0 A: 4 P: 4

Matt Duchene (3rd overall) – C, Colorado

GP: 17 G: 2 A: 5 P: 7

Evander Kane (4th overall) – C, Atlanta

GP: 14 G: 3 A: 3 P: 6

Scoring-wise, Tavares is performing the best out of the bunch (he’s third in rookie scoring overall).  But it is hard to compare his output to that of Hedman, who is a defenseman.  Hedman is getting a lot of minutes though, averaging around 24 a game, while Tavares is getting just under 19—which is still a lot for a first year player.

High Noon Showdown:

Last week the players picked for the Showdown were Montreal Canadiens goalie Jaroslav Halak and New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist. (from 11.02 to 11.08)

Uh, well Halak hasn’t played since Halloween.  I thought he’d get a couple games this past week, but apparently not.  It doesn’t help there is a bit of a goalie controversy in Montreal.

Games Played: 2 (1-1)

Saves: 55

Goals Allowed: 3

Shut Outs: 1

Lundqvist wins by default since Halak did not play.  OK, we’ll have to do a rematch at some point.  Or next time I’ll make sure to pick two goalies that start regularly.

Next Week:  Clash of the wingers as Rick Nash dukes it out with Marian Gaborik.  Come back next week to find out who wins.

10 responses to “High Noon Fantasy Hockey: Obligatory Kessel Run Joke, No-Vechkin, The Foppa Factor, Good/Bad/Ugly, Young Guns, Showdown”

  1. Bob Roberts says:

    “If [Kessel] was ignored, he’s worth picking up…If Gustavsson is sitting in the bargain basement of your league, snap him up.”

    Blake and maybe Mitchell as well.

    Perrault as well.

    “Mike Modano (C) and Jere Lehtinen (LW) are back for the Dallas Stars…”

    And it looked like a completely different team with them in the lineup. Not in a positive way. Maybe with time…first game back and all…

    “Jason Spezza is injured again.”

    In the NJ game? What’s the problem? Damn – even though they lost he played 21 minutes and was a plus 2.

    “Clash of the wingers as Rick Nash dukes it out with Marian Gaborik.”

    What are the categories?

  2. dave says:

    Interesting that Caps GM George McPhee says AO could be back this weekend.

  3. Richard says:

    Like the Gustavsson suggestion. Just picked him up this morning. Could be a huge bargain.

  4. Daniel says:

    @Bob – I’ll look at goals, assists, points and probably +/- . Still figuring it all out. Nice suggestions by the way.

    @Dave – yeah, there has been a lot of back and forth on AO. Puck Daddy had that interview with him where he said 4 to 5 weeks. Who knows?

    @Richard – I got him as a late steal in my league’s draft. He went through some growing pains in October, but he looked solid against the Wings on Saturday.

  5. dave says:

    Dan – looks like AO was kidding. Said to be back this weekend.

  6. Bob Roberts says:

    And then there’s Rick DiPietro…still a couple weeks away at least…a really big IF…but even so…

  7. Daniel says:

    @dave – yeah, I did see that–crazy. I liked how the Caps had to issue a statement. That is one thing I like about AO, he has made the NHL a lot more fun.

    @Bob – I have given up on DiPietro. He was on my Don’t Draft List when I set up my auto-draft for my league (wanted a live draft, but we couldn’t all of us together at the same time).

  8. Bob Roberts says:

    Yeah, I hear you, but with more than two slots for G in most leagues and IR slots as well, I figure stash him away. There’s no doubt he can play. If he can come back and play anywhere near like he’s capable of playing with that team…I picked him up on the IF/MAYBE. It’s come back big for me before.

  9. […] week’s High Noon Fantasy Hockey, IllegalCurve.com (11.09.09) Share This Blog […]

  10. […] had a bit last week about Ovechkin saying in an interview that he was going to be out for longer than expected.  Turns […]

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Metro Chicago
Concord Music Hall
Lovers Lane

Cover Story: Into It. Over It.

| April 1, 2016 | 0 Comments

Evan Weiss (photo by by Cameron Wittig)

If you’re Evan Weiss, there are a few associations that fans and listeners might have about you. Emo affiliated music blogs love to drop the dreaded e-word when talking about his music. The same e-word he’s famously opposed to. Then there’s a certain sonic and thematic approach to his primary musical outlet, Into It. Over It, that’s recognized and celebrated by a devoted army of fans and critics. Known for heart-on-his-sleeve lyrics and vulnerable melodicism, Weiss broke out with 2011’s Proper full-length, followed by 2013’s Intersections, which landed more discreetly than it’s predecessor.

So if you’re Evan Weiss, looking to switch things up, looking to deliver a different type of record, and looking to discount lazy critic labels and associations for your music, what do you do? Well, for starters, a change of scenery is key.

“The last couple records we’ve made pretty much the same way,” Weiss explains when we connect on the phone about a month out from the release of this year’s Standards LP. “We’d write them in our dark and dreary practice space and spend a couple months working on it and then go and record it.” Wash-rinse, repeat. “When (drummer) Josh (Sparks) joined the band, I started writing with Josh and we would work in the practice space, and it never seemed to click creatively. It just seemed like kind of the wrong vibe or just maybe it’s like the — ‘we couldn’t get our heads in the same head space,’ and it just wasn’t working out. And we had never written music together before, so we hadn’t figured our language yet.”

“And so, we did like a little fall tour where we went to Florida punk festival Fest and we did some dates with American Football and Mineral and on that tour we were kind of deciding how we were going to write the new record, after kind of trying to write in the space and failing a couple of times.  And we were like ‘Maybe we should think about getting out of here and going somewhere else and working on it.’ ‘Well let’s talk about getting a cabin.’ And we mentioned all these different locations. And then, after playing a show in Vermont, [we] fell in love with Vermont. We kind of decided that that would be the place where we should work on our record. And so we played a show at this place in Burlington, and the owner actually owned a cabin space and worked it out with him. And that completely changed our dynamic.

Being in that kind of space, that really inspiring space – and only being forced to work really helped the two of us find our rhythm as creative forces with each other. And now, Josh and I can write easily anywhere. We know each other’s language, and we know how to work off each other a little bit. But going to that cabin really inspired being the entire process.”

It was a creative decision that sparked the process for Standards, Into It. Over It’s most mature and fully realized record to date. The creative victory is apparent on moments like “No EQ,” the first single from the record that’s as energized as anything the group has ever produced. It’s indicative of a record that’s charged-up and unabashed, perhaps most notably on “Adult Contempt,” which features blistering and mystifying percussive work from Sparks. “It’s fucked up, right?” Weiss laughs, when asked about Sparks’ percussive prowess. “It’s like actually fucked up.”

“Having Josh in the band really, really leveled (us) up,” he continues. “He’s a great drummer, he’s like my best friend and…when we were writing, we were just completely able to continue to challenge each other through the whole process. Like ‘How fast can you play it? How fast can you go? Can you play it faster? Can you play it slower? How slow can you play that part?’ Just constantly pushing off each other, trying to test each other’s abilities, and test what each other can do. And we are totally the two types of people that if you challenge one of us, we’re going to want to get it right. So, we’re going to sit, and we’re going to practice it until it’s perfect. Or at least practice it until we really feel confident in it. Those drums on (“Adult Contempt”) are a single take. That’s him just playing it. And when we play it live, he plays it. So, yeah, he’s drummer of the year. 2016.”

It’s not just musically where Weiss and co. are taking risks. For the first time, the singer is approaching his songwriting narrative from a perspective other than his own. A change brought on, in part, by finding little to regret in his own life. “I’d never written lyrics that way before, and there were definitely a couple stories that I could see through friends, through the eyes of friends, that were inspiring to me,” the singer reveals. “(I’m) not saying that I’m running out of things to sing about but, it’s definitely hard when you’re living in a happy relationship (in) an apartment that you really like, and…I don’t have a ton to complain about.

Let’s put it that way. So, when I come across these stories – or like one of the songs “Old Lace & Ivory” is written through the eyes of my grandfather in World War II, “Anesthetic” is written through the eyes of a friend. And so is ‘Bible Black.’ And it’s like, these songs seemed like these really interesting stories, and I kind of felt like they anonymously needed to be told.

And I think the vibes of the stories kind of suited the vibes of the songs. So, yeah. I just did it because I thought it’d be interesting and new for me. And yeah, it was. I’m really pleased with the result,” Weiss continues. “I don’t know if I will necessarily really keep writing songs that way and I don’t know if I won’t, either. I don’t think I’ve found like a new ways to write lyrics. But, it was definitely fun to do for this record.”

Shacking up in the cabin was the right location to unlock Standards‘ creative risks, is evident from the record’s musical and lyrical achievements. Yet it’s easy imagine the remote setting and lack of distractions being a challenge in and of itself. It’s an assumption Weiss dismisses, revealing the hyperconnected digital lifestyle is something he plugs in largely out of necessity. “I think if I could play music every day I would,” he states. “I think that the stuff that I have to do involving my life and my career, is what keeps me on things like social media and watching TV. But when like your only thing you have to do is work on music, it’s really easy to only work on music. At least for Josh and I. We are just completely driven in anything that we  jump into. And so, for that, it was just like, ‘Well, this is my why we’re here. This is what we’ve got to do.’ So, it really kept us focused and kept us inspired.”

The inspiration is evident throughout the album, with moments like the wistful and longing of “Your Lasting Image” and the soft-spoken and scratchy “Bible Black” both demonstrating Standards’ use of space and atmosphere. It’s an element that elevates the record, offering a stark, quiet beauty and vulnerability in the music. The softer moments of the album also might not have happened, if Weiss had originally gotten his way. “I fell into this problem when I’d begin to hide behind the riffs a little bit,” the songwriter admits. “Where I would write something and then just want to put up a bunch of layers on top of it, and kind of shadow what is really excellent about what’s going on. Like not trusting my own parts enough or my own songwriting enough. For (producer) John (Vanderslice), I’d show up with these songs and all they’d be is…’usually.’

When I worked with (Intersections producer Brian) Deck, or when I worked with (Proper producer) Ed (Rose), I’d show up and it’d be one guitar line and a vocal line, and that was it. And it’d be like, ‘Okay, now let’s build the song off of these things. Let’s add in the little like sprinkles of stuff that like make it really cool.’ And with John, I’d be like, ‘Cool.’ We’d record the guitar, and I’d be like, ‘Cool, let’s add stuff to it.’ And John would say, ‘Nope. No, no, no. You can’t. Listen how nice this sounds, you can’t put stuff on top of this.’ And I’d say, ‘Well, come on! What do you mean? Like, it needs drums! It needs stuff! It needs like, things on it!’ And, be like insistent that it needed extra stuff. And John would say ‘No no no, no no. Just relax. Just relax. It’s okay. The space is good. Don’t worry. Trust it. Trust what you wrote.’ And so, that was a huge hurdle for me, and he really helped me overcome it. I think if I’d been left to my own devices, I’d probably would have put, well, fucking 15 more instruments all over this shit.”

While Standards isn’t overloaded with unnecessary instrumentation, it does feature elements that were new to Weiss’ catalogue. Hypnotic and graceful, the album’s penultimate track “Anesthetic” marks the first Into It. Over It song to feature string instrumentation. An inclusion it uses to great effect. “I told John that I wanted to have strings on the song,” Weiss explains. “And they’re in the same office as the Magik*Magik Orchestra, a couple of the engineers are also string arrangers or string players. There’s a lot of music going on in that studio at all times. And so, I asked John about having strings. He said, ‘My guy James, he’s one of the other engineers here, he writes great arrangements.’ He’s like, ‘Just let him know.’ So we sent him the song and we asked him to write an arrangement. And I think it was the second to last day, he shows up with an arrangement.

And John was like, ‘I have the right cello player. His name’s Nate.’ So, this guy Nate came in who I’ve never met. And basically the string arrangement was written for cello, only cello, and it was eight cello parts. And Nate just played all the cello parts. And then, we bounced, we like mixed the eight cellos down to one tape machine, and then, spit the cellos back into the song. ‘Cause we only have 24 tracks, we only have so much we can work with. And yeah, it was just a really positive experience. It was one of the the first times I’d ever gotten that kind of emotional listening back to something that I’ve made in the studio before, and just being like, ‘Wow, this just really came out exactly the way I wanted it to. This really brought the whole thing together.’ And I’d never had that happen before. Even before the mixing process began. So, yeah it was awesome. It was definitely difficult to coordinate. At least, difficult to coordinate for someone who likes to work so quickly. But it came together better than I could’ve ever imagined.”

It’s representative of Standards as a whole. A record that brought new weapons into the Into It. Over It arsenal. From blistering drum work to more airy, open compositions to tales told from outside of Weiss’ own experiences. To hear Weiss tell it, his days in the cabin were a learning experience. “I learned that sometimes you just have to let the song do its thing and not think about it too hard,” he reflects on the entire experience.”And I learned to trust the things that I write, instead of second guessing what would maybe be – natural instinct. Which I used to do and then, kind of stopped. And then, (I) realized that I should just go back to the formula one.”

– Jaime Black

Appearing 4/28 and 4/29 at Lincoln Hall, Chicago.

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Friday, November 20, 2009

How many people did apartheid kill?

George Annandale who guest writes for News24 usually produces good stuff and the piece below is no exception - save for one small but vital detail. He claims apartheid killed 30 000 people which is factually incorrect. If one is going to accuse a people of mass murder, facts would be apt would it not George? Since this tired old canard keeps cropping up to hit white South Africans over the nose like a rolled up newspaper, I thought it perhaps time to separate fact from fiction once and for all. Let those who object say so now or forever hold their peace. While we're at it, let's put apartheid as a system into perspective.

Do we know how many blacks were killed under apartheid?

We do, and the source is none other than the Human Right Commission submitted as evidence to the TRC in 1997.

The statistics they proffered relate to the number of blacks killed
between the years 1948 up to the election in 1994. The total number of blacks killed were 21 000. That falls quite a bit short of 30 000 but wait, it gets more interesting. It's not the full story.

The HRC report also makes a distinction between two periods. One from 1948 till 1989 and the next from 1990 to the election in 1994. The number killed for the period from 1948 until 1989 is
7 000. A helluva lot less than 30 000 wouldn't you think?

That means the number killed from 1990 to 1994 which is AFTER the unbanning of the ANC and for all intents and purposes apartheid had ended is a whopping 14 000, involving mostly black on black violence between the ANC and the IFP and various other factions! Not whitey's fault.

Of the 14 000 killed during those 4 years,
92% of deaths were caused by blacks killing blacks. Only 5.6% were attributed to the Security Forces at the time and usually in retaliation to attacks initiated by the ANC/UDF that had been unbanned. Remember Ciskei? The difference in % is due to unknown causes.

What this means is that during the apartheid reign of 41 years, 7 000 blacks died compared to double the amount of dead in just 4 years! Let me break it down yet further, 170 blacks were killed as a result of apartheid ANNUALLY. That's 170 people per year! That's the HRC figures people! Sounds like an insignificant number now doesn't it? Contrast that with over 200 white farmers dying annually since 1994.

More blacks then were killed under De Klerk's 'new' anti-apartheid government of 4 years than in 41 years of government under full blown apartheid! How good was the propaganda of the anti-apartheid movement eh?!

Let me summarise, this needs to sink in:
1948 - 1989: 7 000
1990 - 1994: 14 000 (of which 92% as a result of 'black-on-black' violence)

Really, is this the death toll of the "heinous" apartheid system the world grew to hate? Just 7000 deaths? And was it the worst thing to happen in the 20th century? Um, let's look at the Left's favourite socialist/ communist/ marxist/ dictators leaders to name but a few:

  • Jozef Stalin (USSR, 1932-39) : 23 million (the purges plus Ukraine's famine)
  • Mao Ze-Dong (China, 1958-61 and 1966-69, Tibet 1949-50) : 78 million
  • Pol Pot (Cambodia, 1975-79): 1,7 million
  • Menghistu (Ethiopia, 1975-78): 1,5 million
Apartheid: 7 000.
The list of far worse political systems is quite extensive and apartheid wouldn't even feature. But such was the venom against it that the result is a country destroyed. Apartheid was far from the monster it continues to be portrayed. I agree though that it was unjustifiable and unsustainable and just plain wrong and given a do-over, whites would rather leave blacks to find their way than provide jobs and healthcare and other services which caused their population to balloon from 500 000 when Van Riebeeck landed to the almost 40 million in 1994. Facts people, inconvenient little things that keep getting in the way.
No retribution for Mbeki
In 1994 we, the people of South Africa – after a long period of struggle against an unjust, oppressive and cruel Apartheid which resulted in around 30 000 people who opposing the evil system being killed and hundreds of thousands more being displaced – voted for a new dispensation and consequently put the ANC in charge of our new and better South Africa.

The perpetrators and those who were deemed to be complicit or supportive of Apartheid and its evils were expected to apologise and walk around with bowed heads, considered not moral enough to look normal human beings in the eye. Even those claiming to be innocent had to, and still have to, slunk around like a scolded puppies.

Some took the guilt thing so seriously they resorted to the washing of feet to seek absolution. Others showed submission by denying – yes, denialism existed even then – ever supporting the evil system and to justify absolution they embrace the new masters by disclosing imaginary suffering and recruiting converts willing to testify to eager audiences their evil intent at the time, not that they ever had anything remotely assembling evil or intent, but only because it is in or cool.

Fifteen years later we sit with a situation where the ruling party has caused the deaths, through gross negligence and disregard, of over three hundred thousand people. The ANC government, under the leadership of Thabo Mbeki and his trusted lieutenant Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, and with the full support of cabinet and the NEC, committed genocide that makes the Apartheid look like a walk in the park.

After years of denialism the ANC has now decided to dump the responsibility on the shoulders of Mbeki in the same manner as many Nationalists passed Apartheid off as an abomination created a perpetuated by a few mad leaders.

The ANC today refuse to acknowledge their collective accountability; they seem so enamoured by the benefits they derive from power they continue to deny that they could have changed the course of history by tackling the biggest ever enemy of the people of this country, HIV/Aids, head on.

Today ANC leaders accept Mbeki made a mistake, but nothing so bad as to justify retribution. Leaders of the time, strong men of today, people who have proved their power over Mbeki by recalling him for being divisive, could not change his actions with regards to his HIV/Aids denialism. Does this mean Alliance unity is more important than the lives of millions of HIV/Aids sufferers?

During a discussion of the issue, Dr Goqwana, Chairman of Parliamentary Portfolio Committee, stated that as a loyal ANC cadre he does not feel ashamed or embarrassed. He said he had his own ideas with regards to the HIV/Aids pandemic but taking the party line was more important; his party conscience would never allow his moral conscience to determine his actions. He acknowledged there actions was not as a result of fear for Mbeki but could not offer a reasonable explanation for their inexplicable lack of action.

In the same way in which it is expected for every white person, who did not violently oppose the National Party government, to carry his/her loads of shame and guilt, so should every person who voted for the ANC in the last three elections carry their guilt for the HIV/Aids is genocide.

I’m afraid this may mean some, like Kortbroek van Schalkwyk, will carry a double load of guilt. They were complicit in the Apartheid atrocities and the HIV/Aids genocide.
H/T: Brian

Also see:

7 Opinion(s):

Vanilla Ice said...

We have mentioned the numbers countless times before. On a previous occasion we were attacked for being delusional.

But it is good to display these figures often.

Just one point; of the 7,000 victims from 1948 to 1990, these are not all security force victims.

Quite the contrary. These consist of black-on-black violence, as well as the victims of ANC terrorist attacks. I think the numbers directly attributed to security force action, including known assassinations, are around 550.

Viking said...

I noticed that error too, I imagined they were including border wars etc, throughout the period.
It's shocking, though. And hardly compares to events in other African nations at the time.

Vanilla Ice said...

Well, border conflicts are considered external. The stats are as follows:

SADF casualties 1,804 (1966 - 1989)
Enemy combatants 19,844

Koevoet casualties 154
Enemy combatants 3,861.

Viking said...

Don't worry, the Marxist historians will write how those 1990-94 victims were really caused by whities ....

awaroneverycorner said...

Two things here: (1)Most of the Holomodor and Purges deaths cannot be blamed on Stalin. The Holomodor was a reaction to the Kulaks (a class of rich/landowning peasants) withholding and slaughtering food rather than handing it over, which would be transported over to the starving cities. This cannot be blamed on Stalin because the Soviets made it clear what they were trying to do. The Kulaks resisted giving over their food and it lead to starvation and disease.

As for the Purges, most, if not all cases came from the bottom. By that I mean, people reported Party members who were doing illegal things or were suspicious of consulting with people who were conspiring to overthrow the government or people who were involved with communication with the Nazis. Yes, innocent people were given time in labour camps. But also, some people confessed to be in talking with those groups.

(2) Pol Pot was supported by the US. The Khmer Rouge was given food and military aid because they were seen as an opposition force to Vietnam. He was not a Communist nor a Socialist, regardless of what his views were. He did absolutely nothing for his people except work them to death, feed them a little bit, and then work them again.

Anonymous said...

It would be interesting to know, how many whites have been murdered in the new South African from 1990 to 2010? Does anyone have these statistics?

marek said...

Appreciate your figures and comparisons - my parents escaped the oppressive communist block and settled in pretoria. I grew up constantly being reminded of the stalinist horrors and atrocities suffered under forceful Russian occupation of the Eastern Block. How so many in my family were murdered and tossed into shallow graves for being educated or resistant. just one incident like Stalin's order of March 1940 carried a body count of 25,700 Poles executed by shooting.

I've felt done in by this bullshit apartheid legacy and ANC propoganda about their suffering during 'the struggle'.

Such glorification of a movement that did nothing more than moan and complain about their suffering while living in their luxuriant exile, and then were given the nation for nothing more than a song n dance to impress the majority.

The struggle against apartheid was the biggest scam of the 20th century - the sanctions against ZA, te marches, the donations, thew support...even rock shows were staged in USA glorifying the fight against evil apartheid - while the ANC bigwigs filled up their coffers rallying up pity from the west, while studying mass population control in the soviet union - learning the stalinist tricks to suppress and control..

and now as anyone not-black or not-anc or not-xhosa, we must carry the price of that propoganda and pay for the neglected masses spurned by the anc's "breed breed breed and take them by numbers" to get a chance to ride in style..

and all this for 7000 dead?

we got ripped off badly - all of us


text:
Principe di Piemonte Cocktail

Based on the Pendennis Club cocktail, this drink takes its Italian twist both in name (a tip of the hat to the 1920s-built grand hotel in Viareggio) and with a pour of Barolo chinato.

2 oz. dry gin
1/2 oz. Barolo chinato
1/2 oz. apricot eau de vie
1/2 oz. fresh lime juice
1/2 oz. simple syrup (1:1)
Tools: shaker, strainer
Glass: cocktail or coupe

Combine all ingredients with ice and shake to chill. Strain into a chilled glass.

Craig Lane, Bar Agricole, San Francisco


text:
so16-cover-high res

No. 63: Sep/Oct 2016

Welcome to Imbibe's Beer Issue! In this issue, we explore how local breweries are bettering their communities by the pint, how to distinguish craft spirit makers from fakers, and booze-free recipes using fall's fresh produce. Plus, you'll find a recipe for boozy apple butter, suggestions for making cocktails with Pineau des Charentes, and the drink offerings of Healdsburg.

In stock

Category: .

Additional Information

Weight 0.6 lbs
Dimensions 11.00 x 8.50 x 0.25 in


text:
Thursday, February 28, 2008

Carlos Ruano, IMM 2007-2008, Sheridan

Director of Technology and CNMA(1) 2006 Programmer of the Year James Eberhardt came to Sheridan and showed the class the basics and trends about Developing for Mobile Platforms.

Ten years of developing experience have put Eberhardt in the understanding that different technologies and program structures should be applied to the different types and brands of cell phones in the market instead of just having one master program for all of them. This makes mobile development a tricky field to work with specially for Flash Developers because Flash Lite(2) is not available for a big range of models.

Applications like Flickr Upload, and the use of QR Codes(3) using a Wi-Fi enabled mobile phone were demonstrated by the developer who talked about the importance of creating enhancing programs for people to be able to send and receive information in a practical and compressed way in order to reduce costs and time.

When all the bubbling technologies at the moment are turning their faces to mobile devices another challenging fact are the elevated costs of the Internet service trough the different mobile companies which appears as another obstacle for Web based mobile applications.

Developing for a mobile platform is a challenging labor that involves creativity and knowledge of the different technologies that are available to use at the moment. While Java based applications have the major impact right now, Adobe seems to be taking it easy while only supporting AS2 in their Flash Lite platform. Good challenge in here!

(1).- Canadian New Media Awards recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of individuals and companies in the Canadian new media industry.

(2).- Adobe® Flash® Lite™ software is a runtime engine for mobile and consumer electronics devices that used by both device manufacturers and content developers.

(3).- A QR Code is a matrix code (or two-dimensional bar code) created by Japanese corporation Denso-Wave in 1994. The "QR" is derived from "Quick Response", as the creator intended the code to allow its contents to be decoded at high speed. QR Codes are common in Japan where they are currently the most popular type of two dimensional code.

Related Links

James Eberhardt Homesite

QRcode Homesite

Nokia – Flash Lite Discussion Board

Highlights of Adobe at Mobile World Congress 2008

Adobe Showcase Mobile Devices Apps

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Social Media Reflections

Carlos Ruano, IMM 2007-2008, Sheridan

“Social Media wants to be free” are the words of Emerging Media Consultant Wayne MacPhail(1) who based his lecture in the concept of the Web 2.0 referring to the social aspect of the Web content where the authorative is replaced by the user created.

The creation of collaborative content trough the Web is what MacPhail punctualized as the best way to achieve Social Media that encourages conversation, community and society.

Concepts like tagging, bookmarking and sharing are the basics of the new interaction trough the Web, the one that is creating successful companies and concepts from the basic blogging; sharing pictures and video; RSS feeds, to the complex Mogulus ( video chat and others.

The well referred transition of the Internet from an “Ad Space” to the new “Global Village” can depend strongly on how much we the human decide to share about our lives and how much we want to have a presence inside the Web Universe, opium of the new generation but still far from the “real thing” Social Media appears in the horizon like one of the best business and research fields of our age.

Whilst talking about the future of New Media, MacPhail pointed at Mobile Technology as the next step for the Social Network when the iPhone SDK with Adobe Flash Air allowed can be a new opportunity for developers to explode the new fields of interaction.

(1).-After over a decade in the online business, Wayne MacPhail is currently the Web coordinator for Centennial College. He’s been a print and online journalist for over 25 years. After experimenting with hypertext systems as a reporter in the ‘80s, He founded and directed Southam InfoLab in 1991. InfoLab was a national research and development facility for future information products. InfoLab created some of the first educational CD-ROMs in Canada including True North — Arrivals and Understanding McLuhan. InfoLab also developed an SGML-based content management system for Southam in 1995.

In 1997 Wayne co-created Beavers — Canadian Content with Bite for AOL Canada. He went on to develop content for MSN, @Home Canada, Bell Emergis, CANOE, and Sympatico-Lycos. At Sympatico-Lycos, he was Director of Content. In 2000 he co-wrote one of the first pieces of online-only investigative reporting in Canada, Spin Doctors,, for Wayne has also been the Chief Knowledge Officer for Cyberplex. He has taught online writing and computer/human interface design at Centennial College, Sheridan College, Ryerson University, McMaster University and the Summer Institute for Film and Television. Wayne has consulted on emerging media for Hollinger, the Ontario Science Centre, @Home Canada, the Metro Toronto Archives, Omega Performance and Canadian Geographic. He’s also a published and produced playwright, a champion of usability, and the president of Online Writing Coach.

Related Links

Article: Content. No thanks! By Wayne MacPhail

Article: Missing the Medium. By Wayne MacPhail

Wayne MacPhail’s Portfolio

Blog: Curiosity Cast

Wayne MacPhail in Second Life

The two sides of the Media Development

Carlos Ruano, IMM 2007-2008, Sheridan

One big day downtown Toronto. First, visiting the Royal Ontario Museum* where Senior Director of New Media Resources, Brian Porter, showed us his work, and after that, breaking into the lab of who they call “The Cyborg”, inventor Steve Mann himself.

Digital Media Developer and journalist Brian Porter talked about his experience trough the challenging task of introducing the ROM to the digital world (with a weak low budget) using audio, video, touch and video basic interaction to enhance the experience of the visitors.

“Have as much different experiences as you can into the different fields of media” were the words of this experienced developer that also recommended to “Mix powerful media with good contents in order to reach the goals of your projects”.

Talking to Brian Porter was a good learning passage on how to adapt yourself to the resources you get and experiment with different kinds of media in order to improve the experience of the public.

Standing in front of Mister Steve Mann, Inventor and University of Toronto Professor, is enough to call that day a “big day”. “We live in the cyborg era. Everyone is tied to the social network” Mann says. “My new wave is to return to the primary media, take a break and go to the fundamentals” he stops.

With a deep way to comprehend technology, the inventor explained his creative processes initiating in dreams and ending into new objects, applications, and ideas that provide a new manner to face the world. One case of that approaching is the “Hydraulophone”, Steve Mann’s waterflute oriented to provide entertainment to different groups of people among with an educational frame for kids and music production.

After visiting the ROM and Steve Mann’s laboratory I can say I faced the two sides of the Multimedia Development: the rough “real” work field where budgets and timelines rule the construction of a digital face for the ROM, and the visionary but certainly fragile world of creation where Steve Mann can write his name in golden letters in a lucky day or walk by as a computer freak in a messy lab when trying to solve the mystery of the human-machine interaction.

Digital Media at the ROM

“New Media is the Message” ArticleMcLuhan Lectures 2005 July 13 Tony Hushion and Brian Porter

Steve Mann Homesite

Wereable Computer

The Cyborg logs by Steve Mann