Warner Music Is On CRACK

Because when the Monty Python guys possess MORE sense than you regarding YouTube videos and copyright, then, I’m sorry Warner Music but you fail at life! How utterly delusional do you have to be to think you’re losing money because people are posting home-made dance videos using your songs! Again, when the Monty Python guys are out-thinking you all the way to the bank, besides functioning as a warning to others, what exactly is your value-added to the corporate world?

Do you have any idea how many songs I’ve purchased because I first heard them on video on YouTube?! Here’s three real-life examples:

Fanvid – Women of Firefly (using Wicked’s “Defying Gravity”)

Loved Firefly but, in addition to the craftsmanship of the fanvid, I really enjoyed the lyrics to this song. Snatched this one from the Amazon MP3 store the second I found a version by Idina Menzel.

Bollywood Video (Dar-de-disco)

Spent a weekend a couple months back just watching semi-random clips of Bollywood dance numbers on YouTube. I wrote down several songs but not all were available in the Amazon MP3 store..This one and a couple others were.

HP-Firefly Mash-up Video

Really enjoyable combo of fandoms but this video is how I discovered the awesomeness of Jonathon Coulton. Total songs bought after this vid: 5 that day.

Now, the next bit requires a bit of a leap but work with me: Imagine I’m not the only one who bought these songs after seeing these videos. Each video has a relatively large number of viewings....Let’s assume approximately 1% of those total view(er)s actually did what I did and bought the song, just the song, in the video. The below table shows that in each case, whoever owned these songs MADE MONEY because of these YouTube videos.

Other notes of importance:
(1) The videos themselves were all “unofficial” content, no one affiliated with the content owners had anything to do with creating or posting these videos.
(2) Even if my estimate of which % of viewers actually bought the songs is in question, I know that I bought every song cited (and then some) resulting total actual verifiable gross (spread to all content owners) of $8.91 MIN.
(3) While I cannot speak for any other viewers, for all of these songs, this money is a clear gain because until I watched these videos either did not know these bands or singers existed, much less that these particular songs existed, much less that I liked these songs. What these YouTube videos provided to me wasn’t a source of illegal content; what they provided was a previously missing desire to purchase these songs. If these YouTube videos did not exist, the content owners of these songs would have made $0.

Please also note, this same logic applies to books, television shows and movies for any fan-created or posted work. Again, some real-world-actually-happened-to-me examples are:

Purchasing “North & South” DVDs and Book because of clips of the BBC miniseries on YouTube
Purchasing “Leverage” Episodes via Video On Demand because of clips and trailers on YouTube
Purchasing “Life” DVDs because of clips on YouTube

In conclusion, Warner Music = MORONS because while they may be “numbers people”, like most Big Content companies and industry groups, they also don’t possess the sense (numerical or otherwise) that God gave a bag full of hammers. Please fix.

Link to full post.

Poem Of The Week #3

Ok, this is slightly late...But here goes:

The cadence of another's tongue
Frozen in between the lines
Of coldly reproduced type.
My shelves buckle with the weight.
And yet, each strange collection
I stand before holds me still
With awe and eagerness more.
The card slides as my arms reach.

Opinions?

Link to full post.

Journals A Million! (Really Four)

While waiting in the checkout line at my local "Books A Million" I noticed several awesome patterns in the journals & diary section.....Four in particular were note-worthy.

First, the terror of the group:
My eyes will be forwarding the bookstore their therapy bills. I could feel my vision degrading as I stared....

We have two nominees for best patterns that I did not expect to like but still, find appealing:
Although I'm no fan of orange in general, here it works. Strikes me as vaguely medieval perhaps because of the patterned flowers (not the super-curly leaves, those always creep me out....it's too "Seymour, feed me!" for my tastes). Again, the components aren't something I ordinarily favor but how they assemble together here, works...

Very calming pattern. The paleness of the turquoise and the yellow, damn, it's relaxing just looking at it. Perhaps that is a good thing. Whoever buys this journal will be writing a lot less angst-filled poetry than whoever buys the pink & green monstrosity above.

The winner by an overwhelming margin:
Absolutely stunning pattern. I bought this journal for it alone even though I have absolutely nothing to use it for (well, maybe my ideas for "Poem of the week", but I didn't think of that until later).

Link to full post.

Poem of the Week #1 & #2

As promised, here's the first entry in my "Poem of the Week" personal enrichment goal for 2009. In the future, I’ll try to post these on the weekends after the week in question.

Week #1: I actually did write the first entry during the first week of 2009 as I knew I wanted that on my PE Goals list. For the first one, I decided to do a sonnet as, well, when we were required to for English class, I really enjoyed writing sonnets. As for the topic, well, I think you can guess what I was doing my first week back at work.....

Design Analysis Blues

Siren numbers dance and trill tunelessly.
With silent motion, I fumble on while
My damp hands grasp, forcing each quantity
To meet its measure well, ending the trial.

Alas, the rhythm of scratching symbols dies,
Leaving poorly constructed gibberish
For me to sift through, discarding the lies.
My ego weeps red, making me squeamish.

A force this way; An angle not obtuse.
Enough? The numerals taunt me sing-song
As Aunt Sally orders me to let loose.
Buttons click, numbers crunch, righting the wrong.

But will these digits do the work I need?
Do I trust them with life and limb? Take heed.


Week #2: I actually wrote more than one poem but I'm not happy with a vast majority of them. They're....OK, I guess. But they are ultimately lacking whatever it is that makes me enjoy my own writing. So, unfortunately, I'm defaulting to post haiku as the official entry. There are three which are unrelated topic-wise....

Haiku #1

Black boxes lined up.
Arrows cross but do not link.
Dear me, what a waste!

Haiku #2

Wood balls arc in rings.
Lights and song, ringing victory.
I need more tokens.

Haiku #3

The clock ticks late/early.
Words bubble up, Grey spaces.
My nightclothes don't fit.

Either week, any opinions?

Link to full post.

2009 Personal Enrichment Goals

When after last year’s dismal showing, I am hoping 2009 will be much better in terms of self-improvement. There’s a great deal of carry over here but I’ve done some tweaking of those tasks to ensure they actually get done this time around. I’m nicknaming 2009, “The Year Of Versatility”. This is going to be all about doing things in a way that I can adapt to any changes in my schedule.

Total Goals for 2009: 20
Computer / Technology Related: 6
Education: 4
Financial/Home: 4
Leisure: 4
Fitness/Self-Defense: 2

You can certainly tell where my priorities are....See full post for details.

Expanded Exercise Program: Instead of requiring I hit a KM level (which needs an amount of time I may not have to spare thanks to work), I’ve created an exercise program which does require I attend 1-2 KM classes a week, exercise in the morning 2x a week and do 1 “Other” bit of exercise a month. This gives me a good deal of flexibility while also requiring that I get out there and work. The morning exercise routine is something I used to do before I signed up with the Krav Maga Gym but in the last couple of years, I’ve started sleeping later (ie – staying up later) instead of exercising which really isn’t a smart move on my part. Also included on my checklist is to take a multi-vitamin a couple times a week just to ensure my body has what it needs to benefit from the exercise.

Adult Education Classes (NISD): Instead of separate requirements for specific classes, I’m just going with a general adult education category. I hope to take several classes but my requirement is at least 3. The topics of interest to me are HTML/web page programming, archery, pottery, cooking, First Aid/CPR and welding. The specific classes I take will depend on price, scheduling and availability. Hopefully, this way of structuring the requirement will be more successful than previous requirements for specific classes.

Must read 20 Non-Fiction Books: I’m probably going to include this one from now on. I can do reading on potential topics for future goals and generally, I notice I’m a bit more on-the-ball with other things when I keep up with my reading. The requirement is still 20 because I got close to it in 2008 and frankly, I went a couple months without reading a non-fiction book. So, I still consider 20 books a completely feasible goal if I stick with it.

Research Self-Employment: Since I work in the automotive industry, things are a bit uncertain right now. I have no desire to switch jobs as I actually do like where I work. However, it may not be up to me. So, instead of waiting for the ax to fall, I’m going to do a little research on how to get-by if I have to search for a job in the current economic environment. As far as self-employment goes, in the current economic climate I’d like to have the most versatility possible and self-employment is the one option I’ve never done any looking into before. I consider this to be more learning about where the info I will need is and preparing myself to be ready to go if the worst happens.

Blogging Tweaks & Improvement: First things first, I really need to improve my blogroll. The list of actual blogs I read is much, much longer. Using the X/HTML references I collected last year, I’m also going to be looking into either major tweaks or a full-on rebuild of my blog template. It’s looking old to me for some reason. I’m not going to set a post/month goal like I did last year. However, I do want to keep up with posting a bit better. I’ve got some ideas about how to do that and thankfully, one of the goals this year will require I post regularly (see “Poem Of The Week” below).

Clean Apt More Often: I am a terrible housekeeper. I know this. Everybody (including, unfortunately, my mom) knows this. So, this year I’m going to dedicate myself to keeping my apartment cleaner. I’ve added several reoccurring tasks into my Thunderbird Calendar specifically to remind me to keep up with certain things. Also, in the past, one of the reasons I put off cleaning is that I tried to do too much at one time (ie – do everything on a Saturday and whatever doesn’t get done, doesn’t get done). This is a wildly ineffective system. No more. Now, I will purposely do 3-4 things every 2 weeks and spread them out through the week. If I only have to do 1 thing, I’m more likely to get it done after work or before I start playing on the computer on weekends. I hope....

Charitable Education: I’ve long desired to help improve K-12 education either through charitable foundations or my own work. Last year, I discovered DonorsChoose which is a good charity for targeted educational improvement. This year, I’ll continue my donations there as long as I’m financially able but I will also begin research into private or charter schools in the San Antonio area. At some point, I would like to create scholarships for kids at one or more of these schools. This year will be about researching those schools and developing the financial tools necessary to do such a thing. Right now I just have a broad goal of eventually doing this, after 2009 I’d like to have a specific plan of HOW I plan to get this done.

Take Up Shooting: There is a shooting class that I want to take but it isn’t through NISD (although they do have a disarming class). Also, I may attend “open” days at local shooting ranges and / or buy some kind of gun. What I really want is a small rifle. I remember as a kid that I enjoyed shooting a rifle a good deal more than handguns (no idea why). Anyway, this is just one more step in improving my ability to defend myself. I’ll probably start with a rifle and work my way into handguns.

Use Skydiving Voucher: I paid for it, might as well use it. I think I’ll probably wait until Spring. For some reason the idea of jumping out of a plane when it’s really, really cold just makes it more nerve-wracking for me. Still, I do look forward to this. While waiting for the weather to clear when I originally went, they showed videos of other people jumping and it looked insanely fun. Probably not something I’ll do more than once, but definitely something I've always wanted to try.

Teach Myself: Controls Engineering: I got through about ¼ of my book last year. I’m hoping to do at least the same in 2009. The first couple chapters took me a while because I had to do a great deal of reviewing. I’m hoping some of these middle chapters go by quicker now that the groundwork is laid. For the most recent work, I do feel like the material is easier for me because of the review work. I also look forward to making more use of the Octave computer application as that is the closest readily available substitute for some kind of Controls laboratory work.

Ubuntu/OSS Advocacy: In the last 1-2 months, I’ve been advising a coworker who was interested in switching his kids’ computers to Ubuntu. He completed the switch over the holidays. I greatly enjoyed the experience of answering his questions both because it helped remind me of some of the things about Linux which intimidated me at first (the Command Line) and because he asked some really interesting questions. So, I’m adding some kind of open-source or Ubuntu advocacy goal to this year’s list. I’m going to look for a local Ubuntu group to work with and I plan to do (even more) blogging about different aspects of the system from the perspective of somebody who isn’t a programmer. But I really do believe that the open-source model of development results in a far superior product so I’m going to be much more conscious about doing my part to ensure more people know about it. This strikes me as especially necessary after my experiences trying to buy a computer without Windows Vista on it back in September (I don’t see why I had to pay a premium for Vista when I’m going to wipe the HD & install Ubuntu without ever booting into Windows).

Update/Reintegrate Financial Goals: While last year I took steps to improve tracking my finances, my short-and long term goals have languished for a couple years. This is not to say I haven't been completing my financial goals. Only, my financial goals haven’t really been updated in a couple years and when looking at the list, I realize they are a bit dated. Some of them no longer apply, while there are other things I’d like to do that I need to start planning for. So, I will be updating these goals and my 5-10 year financial plans.

Start Using Media Management Software: Last weekend I counted my books. I have 743 (not including magazines and electronic copies, .pdfs). And in the last week, I have bought even more. Needless to say, managing and sorting all those works in a 1-bedroom apartment requires a great deal of shelving and alphabetizing. But I would like to have some way of tracking what I own and what I don’t. This is especially important for some of my sci-fi series where I have trouble remembering what I own and what I still need to buy. And for non-fiction books, I’ve been a little bit haphazard in how I divide them by subject so maybe using a Media Management application will force me to pay better attention there.

Improve PuppyLinux Install: I set this up on a flash drive right before my trip to Japan last year. While for the most part it was a positive experience, they released an update to Puppy shortly thereafter and I never took the time to really tweak the applications. Since the main purpose of having Puppy on a flash drive is to access certain linux applications that my borrowed-work-WindowsONLY laptop does not have, I need to get the drive fully set-up to have all those applications and any useful add-ons. Frankly, I don’t see this taking any more than a weekend or two but it does need doing. Now is the perfect time too because I don’t have any travel for work on my schedule.

Patio Garden – Food: Needless to say my garden revamp of 2008 was a disastrous failure. This year, I’m going to focus on edible plants. I’ve noticed I tend to take better care of plants that are doing something for me. The whole care for nature because it is an inherently worthwhile act isn’t really a motivator for me. In order to be successful this time around, I need to plant earlier (late Feb) and plant things that I will want to succeed (flowers, who cares? Give me a good jalapeño plant any day). I’ve already got some ideas but I need to sort through my seeds to see what’s still good and what I’ll need to buy.

Write 1 Poem A Week: One of the reasons I started blogging was to improve and maintain my writing skills. The more I work in engineering, the more I see the value in being able to communicate properly and clearly . As a teenager, I went through the typical angst-filled poetry phase. However, I actually still like some of the poems I wrote back then. I'm not referring to the depressing self-pitying crap. However, some of the more thoughtful pieces still resonate. In an effort to contrast the dry engineering writing I do every day, I will write 1 Poem a week for the entire year. There are additional restrictions. Over half (26+) must be form poems (sonnets,haikus,etc) as sometimes I work best when restricted. And of the form poems, if I do a haiku I have to do at least two or three as they are so short. Since we’re in the end of the second week of 2009, I’m already behind. But I’ll catch up. The goal is to post the poem on Saturday or Sunday.

Investigate Green Home Design: I do not like how most modern housing is built. I get that it is a business and they have an obligation to drive costs down, but it seems like if you want a certain level of quality, you’re only option is to custom build. This is a prohibitively expensive jump for most people. At some point, I would like to build my own home. In preparation for this, I have been developing some very specific ideas about what I’d want from that home. Green design appeals to me not for its environmental street-cred but from an efficiency standpoint. Green builders are really the only ones thinking outside-the-box in homebuilding today. So, I’m going to do some studying of what’s cutting edge here in anticipation that sometime in the future, I’ll be able to use that knowledge to build myself a nice, quality, energy-efficient home.

Teach Myself: Applications of Interest (MIN 2): I’ve added several applications to my Ubuntu install but haven’t taken the time to really learn them. Even after finally getting why GIMP is so cool, there’s a lot to that program I simply don’t know how to use. So I will make more of an effort to learn some open-source applications involving skills that are important to my future plans. These applications include photo/video editing, CAD programs, programming tools and productivity-enhancing tools. Initially, I plan to focus on GIMP and the FreeCad program as I feel they would be the most immediately applicable.

Improve Language Skills (Spanish & Japanese): I work in a multilingual environment. While I can follow conversations with differing levels of competence, I’m terrible about using the language skills I have and making an effort to improve them further. Part of it is a confidence issue, I don’t want to say the wrong thing but I really need to get the hell over that. So, I’ll be using more Spanish (especially in emails where there’s plenty of opportunity to check your phrasing) and trying to learn some additional Japanese. I think at the very least, I should learn the romanji alphabet as that’s how Japanese renders as lot of words they got from other languages like English. I don’t know that I’ll ever be fluent in any language other than English but I’m certain I have the capability to be functionally conversant.

Rent Larger Apt/Duplex/Townhome: I need more space! In addition to room for all my books, I would like a guest room for my parents and relatives to visit (yes, I actually like hanging out with some of my relatives, crazy but true). I did some looking around in 2008 but didn’t find anything that justified moving. There were a couple of places that appealed but unfortunately, they didn’t have anything available. I’m be keeping my ear to the ground for something better and saving money for a move & some new furniture. I may also be doing some preemptive cleaning to get rid of stuff I don’t want to bother packing up and carrying someplace new. This goal is tentative pending any abrupt changes in the financial situation or a lack of anything available. We’ll see.

Link to full post.

That Which Is Unquestionably Awesome

I haven’t done a single book review post in a long while, and even then, it is usually reserved for non-fiction books. That changes now, because “Vorpol Blade” was the single best piece of military sci-fi I have read in a long, long time. Which given the authors are the same team which wrote the completely brilliant “Von Neumann’s War”, is no real surprise. I bought this book expecting a good solid read. What I got was a brilliantly hilarious rip-roaring read that I could not put down for a second until I finished it. Seriously, I took this with me to read while waiting at “Discount Tire” and I swear to God, I death-glared the kid who interrupted me to tell me my car was ready.

How could I possibly not love a book whose characters use Firefly slang, where Marines debate the merits of country versus goth rock and which has a major plot point involving gargalizing? Oh, and the ex-Navy SEAL who loves flower arranging so much he brings dried flowers on the mission just so he has something relaxing to do in his free time!

*runs off to buy “Manxome Foe” ASAP*

Link to full post.

2008 Personal Enrichment Update

Aka, “Diary Of My Year Of Abysmal Slacking” Seriously, I got almost nothing DONE. Lots of things started but no follow through at all! And most of it is just my own damn fault. There were a several of goals that upon closer examination weren’t really good ideas so I nixed them for scheduling, financial, or other reasons. However, the vast majority of this list was completely feasible if I had only applied myself more. Here’s the depressing breakdown:

Actual Completed Tasks: 2
Eliminated/Postponed Tasks: 3
More Than 50% Complete Tasks: 4
Less Than 50% Tasks: 4
Never Did Anything Category: 3

In the “Actual!Completed!Tasks!” Category:
Both are lame, small things.
Support WGA Strike – Did that until it was over in FEB-2008. DONE.

Keep Ubuntu Install Updated – DONE but then when my computer crashes and I have to buy a new one, it’s pretty much guaranteed my install will be the latest & greatest. I do feel good that I did 2 fresh Ubuntu installs & customizations, install a router in my apartment and added several applications to improve productivity.

In the “Eliminated/Postponed” Category:
Laser Eye Surgery – Due to restrictions on nighttime driving after, this had to happen in the summer & didn’t. It was a scheduling issue. I already had a dental surgery planned this summer and didn’t want to miss that much work within such a short time. Of course, the dental surgery got pushed back. It will be on next year’s list.

Buy & Test Google Phone – Due to certain other financial to-dos that frankly are more important, this got placed on-hold. While I could order one right now, I’ve decided that the money that I’d have to spend would be better used elsewhere. This one isn’t opportunity/time related so much as a change in priorities.

Linux Professional Certification Test – The more I’ve studied the CLI & scripting this year, the more I realize I’m not ready for this test. Per my other goals, I have been focusing on using the command line and I have bought several books on improving my skills here. But I’m nowhere near “certification-worthy”. This will however remain on my list for next year simply because I do believe that further progress is possible and desirable. Just I haven’t had the time to made enough of that progress in 2008.

In the “More Than 50% Complete” Category:
Teach Myself: Controls Engineering – While I’ve made pretty consistent progress here, I’ve going to fall far short of my goal of completing the work for half of my textbook. The main delay here was due to my taking the time to review several Differential Equations concepts that I hadn’t really used since college. While this delayed me, it also ensured that I’m actually learning (and will remember) the material far better. In this particular instance, I believe retaining the information is much more important than merely covering it. I have so far completed about ¼ of the textbook (besides the review stuff) so I consider this goal half complete.

Disaster Kits – Kits are set-up and my email calendar has dates input for re-stocking supplies. However, the at-home stuff is scattered in several storage places instead in one easy-to-assess/access location. Also, due to the new car, I had to reorganize the auto kit and, thanks to some new compartments, will likely expand that kit. I’ve already bought a trunk organizer. Once decide what additional items I want to include, I’ll do my last bit of shopping for “Auto-Disaster-Kit version 2.0”. I consider this task approx 75% DONE.

Read 20 Nonfiction Books – I breezed through the first half of this goal but have since faltered. Thankfully, I did a bit of reading toward the end of the year so while I didn’t get 20 books read, I did get 18 finished. So, 90% DONE.

Better Track Finances – After a disastrous computer crash and an unimpressive test-run of GnuCash, I thought I had finally found a Ubuntu-compatible money management program that I like: KmyMoney. I did begin teaching myself this program which is for the most part fairly intuitive. However, it does a lot of things for you that I’m used to being able to do my way in a spreadsheet program. So, it’s been slow-going converting to the new system. Also, I’m still not sure this program by itself will be enough so there may be a few additional spreadsheets that kinda piece together certain things. I’d say this one is about 60-70% DONE.

In the “Less Than 50% Complete” Category:
Study Command Line – While I didn’t set any specific targets for this one, I have kept up with it better by both using the command line and acquiring both online & offline references. What I have not done is really write scripts. Part of that is I haven’t felt the need to automate processes which appears to be the #1 reason for writing a script. For programming stuff, I usually move at a glacial pace. Part of this is my own insecurity regarding programming (which this is supposed to help with) and part of it is my belief that most tasks are made easier by thinking them through before you try to do them. Unfortunately, the whole point of learning CLI is to automate tasks using scripts and since I haven’t done that, I cannot claim more than 20-30% DONE on this one.

Be Sociable – In general, I’ve most improved in terms of commenting on websites. No longer am I strictly a lurker. While I’m no social butterfly of a commenter, I have made an effort here and by commenting on different types of sites from fan to political. At first I had attending a sci-fi convention of some sort but that got scratched off fairly quickly when I discovered how expensive they were! In a year when I’m buying a car (and maybe doing some other things), I cannot drop $300-$400 dollars (MIN) on one weekend. I hope to continue commenting such that it becomes more habitual. Since I did break my lurking habit, I would say this is 25% DONE.

Patio Garden – I planted new stuff but thanks to the heat and lack of rain, this did not turn out too well for me. Thankfully, one of the shade plants survived. There’s one area of my patio that hasn’t had anything ever because it’s too dark. At least for my shady corner, it doesn’t look so desolate now. Still, most everything else died. Great = Planting new things. Not-so-great = They all died. Also, 25% DONE.

Maintain / Improve Weblog – While I missed my 20 posts/month goal for much of the year, I did tweak the layout a bit by creating a better header image, adding feeds and improving the sidebar. One reason for posting decline, aside from work, is that I have been trying (with mixed results) to better define my blog “voice”. One of the reasons I started this blog was to develop that voice and for 6-9 months or so, it just wasn’t there. Now, I’m starting to feel like the posts have a more targeted feel (not in terms of subject matter but that they sound like ME). I have some ideas for further developments but that is next year’s list.

In the “Never Did Anything” Category:
Krav Maga Level 1 – While I’ve been OK about going to the yoga class, making it to other classes hasn’t been occurring with any respectable frequency. Part of it is that on weekdays, I don’t really have time in the evenings and on weekends, well, no excuses I just haven’t gone. Needless to say, I’ve really not applied myself here. Part of it is time constraints but the large majority of this is just me not trying hard enough. FAIL.

HTML class – Hasn’t actually been offered by NISD all year! It was especially frustrating this fall because, even though “Intro to HTML” is listed as a prequisite for two classes, they don’t actually offer “Intro to HTML”. I’ve attempted instead to build a little bit of a library of HTML/XMTL references. So officially, FAIL but I worked around it.

Skydiving – I almost went through with this. I found a place in San Marcos that offers tandem jumps with DVDs (this doesn’t count without photographic proof….no matter how embarrassing). On Saturday November 22nd, I drove out there but the weather wasn’t good so there were no flights that day. I got a voucher good for a year that I can “cash-in” at any time. I had hoped to do so before the new year but either the weather was bad or I had previous engagements on the weekends (the skydiving place is only open Fri, Sat & Sun in the winter). So, once again, FAIL. No excuses for scheduling either because if I’d tried it earlier, I’d have had plenty of time to get it done.

OVERALL:
For all my excitement about an ambitious list at the beginning of the year, that feeling did not carry over to actually completing my goals. Several items will be carried over with modification onto the 2009 list (coming soon!). Seriously, this performance is pretty embarrassing especially since it is only the second year of doing Personal Enrichment Goals so it’s not like I got lazy after so many years of working. One thing that I do is get too specific in the goal. I need to keep the goals general but have a specific plan for fulfilling that goal separate from the goal itself. This way, fewer goals are eliminated or left incomplete after further investigation reveals they may not be what I had in mind (Linux Certification) or due to lack of availability (NISD not offering any HTML classes). Also, I need to focus more on feasibility both in selection and execution. While part this year’s slacking here was due to work getting busier at certain points, I should be taking that opportunity to hone my multi-tasking skills instead of eliminating non-work stuff altogether. In conclusion, I’m quite disappointed in myself and improvement must occur in 2009!

Link to full post.

Bibliophilia - Holiday Edition!

While I was too busy to blog for the entire holiday season, I was of course not too busy to read. Full post has my opinions and links. Note: Some reviews include spoilers....

Summary:
Comic Books - 8
Young Adult - 1
(Historical) Romance - 3
Historical Adventure - 2
Sci-Fi - 9
Fantasy / Satire / Pratchettesque - 1
History - 1
Psychology - 1
Memoir - 1
Education / Politics - 1

"Steampunk" by Ann & Jeff VanderMeer. (Anthology) This is creepy unsettling science fiction. The only problem is that ALL the stories involved some really dismal alternative possibilities. Why is it that people equal dismal dystopian pointless surreallism with literary quality story-telling? Because if you don’t get that, you will NOT enjoy this book a bit. The depressing & macabre tone made it really hard to keep coming back to read another story. Also, I did NOT appreciate the story regarding what happened to the guy from the HG Wells “The Time Machine”. That was perverted, gross and pretty damn useless. So, a lot of potential here but ultimately, I couldn’t finish this and it’s going straight into my sell-back pile. Steampunk gone wildly astray.

“Girl Genius volumes 1 through 6” by Kaja & Phil Foglio. (comic books) Great neoVictorian technological fun. No that’s not right. More like: OMG THIS IS AWESOME!!!! Female heroine with a strange past, steampunk universe on crack, lots of awesome supporting characters and an artistic aesthetic to die for. Not to mention the whole idea that super-geniuses/heroes might be a profound danger to society and therefore are usually regulated, contained, controlled or killed is a really intriguing idea, especially when the universe makes very clear that these people have caused untold death and destruction in the past even when they were “good” guys. For such a depressing premise, the authors create a wonderfully amusing, thought-provoking and (for a comic book) logically consistent story. That alone makes LXG (see below) look like total amateur hour by comparison. Steampunk done right in every way imaginable.

“Me & Mr. Darcy” by Alexandra Potter. Ok, you know what’s going to happen here. The art is in the “How” not the “What”. This modern retelling is surprisingly good considering it’s predictable as hell. Plus, I have to love a book where the main character is a bookstore-managing bibliophile. I think I prefer the “Darcy” novels by Elizabeth Aston to this one but, if you’re in an airport and see this, it’s definitely worth picking up to pass the time.

"The Time Axis" by Henry Kuttner. Yet another download find. An excellent, mind-bending read. The premise is straightforward but what sells it is the author’s presentation. Told from a single perspective, the main characters journalistic style combined with his confusion about what is actually happening makes for a wonderfully enjoyable tale.

“1215: The Year Of The Magna Carta” by Danny Danziger & John Gillingham. Rather intriguing summary of life in England the year of the signing of the Magna Carta. It includes some information on the historical significance and actual intent of the Magna Carta as well as background on the conflict between King John and the barons that lead to Runnymeade. Quite a nice weekend read.

“Odyssey”, “Cauldron” & “Polaris” by Jack McDevitt. All three solid sci-fi stories. The first two are continuations of the “Priscilla Hutchins” series. And they are both compelling additions to a fantastic future history. "Cauldron" is especially good. I love the super-villian character introduced in the end - creepy, amusing and effective. Lastly, we have a novel in the “Alex Benedict” series which although good was my least favorite of the three. For reasons I can’t quite pin down the Alex Benedict novels are less satisfactory for me than McDevitt’s other works; there’s an underlying cynicism to those stories that puts me off. "Polaris" especially was ultimately about a bunch of scientists screwing everyone over because people weren't ready for "the truth". YAWN of an ending.

“True Darcy Spirit” & “The Second Mrs. Darcy” by Elizabeth Aston. Thank God Austen is in the public domain. So we can get authors like Aston writing such wonderful continuations of the story. Two wonderful historical romances involving Anne de Bourgh's daughter and a Darcy widow. Very enjoyable and left me craving for more (so much so that I asked for yet two more P&P continuations for Christmas).

“Genius Squad” by Catherine Jinks. Sequel to “Evil Genius” (which was brilliant). This book covers the aftermath of the fall of the Axis Institute and how Cadel Piggot deals with being outed as the child of an evil genius. The rag-tag band of maybe-not-quite-good super-genius kids who may-or-may-not fight evil was exceptionally well written. At no time do you forget that for the most part, these are children or teenagers with some severe emotional problems. Great kids adventure that never forgets even geniuses kids are ultimately kids.

“A Slave Is A Slave” By H. Bean Piper. (short story) Got this little gem off ManyBooks.net after realizing one of my favorite sci-fi quotes originates from the work. An excellent (if somewhat depressing) story on human nature, slavery and the dangers of “fixing” other people’s societies.

“Rebels of the Red Planet” by Charles Louis Fontenay. (novella/short story/I don’t know) From the golden age of sci-fi comes what would be a really good novella, if it wasn’t so horribly dated in places. The heroine is cool as a super-spy underestimated even by Martian government officials (one in particular who is very keen on marrying her). However, the second she interacts with the hero character, she throws all that out the window and turns into the typical 50's sci-fi damsel in distress. Lots of good twists and plot beats about evil manipulations of settling Mars but overall underwhelming because if you’re going to have a female character that cool, you need to have a equally cool male character to pair her off with and the “hero” didn’t cut it. It’s never a good sign when you’re rooting more for the crazy old guy in the secret government hydroponics facility than the supposed hero.

“The Laughing Cavalier” & “The First Sir Percy” by Baroness Orczy. Two great novellas about the equally audacious ancestor of “The Scarlet Pimpernel”. Just lovely, old-fashioned swashbuckling reads. Great fun, good suspense and surprisingly packed with great one-liners.

“Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir In Books” by Azar Nafisi. A simultaneously depressing & uplifting book. In addition to the women’s pov on living in The Islamic Republic of Iran, the author’s background as someone who had previously supported revolution made for very interesting reading. I wouldn’t say I enjoyed it; this isn’t a book anybody enjoys (in some respects I get the feeling the author didn’t enjoy writing it so much as needed the release). But definitely a thought provoking work.

“Omega, The Man” by Lowell Howard Morrow (short story) BLAH & YUCK. A completely unnecessary and depressing story about the end of the human race in some far, very dismal future. Not to ruin the end for you, but we don’t come out too well. I’m good with dystopian futures but this one didn’t have any purpose to it at all!

“The League of Extraordinary Gentleman (vol 1 & 2)” by Alan Moore (& Kevin O'Neill, vol.2) (comic book) It’s very rare that I have such wildly variable responses to two different books in a series but that’s exactly what happened here. Volume One was excellent. Volume Two was complete & utter dreck. So I’m dividing up the review:
Volume 1 - Solid and enjoyable but not a story for kids. I especially loved all the little details like the incorporation of the Sherlock Holmes mythos, nod to ‘Mysterious Island’ and my favorite, hints that a previous league existed earlier in British history including (SPOILER) The Scarlet Pimpernel himself! My only negative is how they keep hitting you over the head with the Mina/Quartermain relationship. Given Mina’s past, I can understand why she would be attracted to an older man but the way they are going about it is very, very junior high school. Aside from that, definitely good stuff.
Volume 2 – UGH. A comic book involving a “War Of The Worlds” scenario should be excellent. The premise is yours to screw up. And boy, did they! Let’s just say that after reading this comic, I’m remembering the LXG movie a LOT more fondly than I did previously. The actual invasion parts were cool. The actions and thought processes of the League characters were a DISASTER. For one thing, there were 2 sex scenes that (I thought) were totally out of character for the Mina Murrary of Volume One. Also, the Invisible Man’s betrayal was so predictable, its aftermath didn’t engage me at all. And while Dr. Hyde died well, he didn’t really have much to do but avenge the Invisible Man’s betrayal in a completely disgusting manner and die well. Also, while I agree that the British Empire had its bad points, the constant harping on how terrible it was really annoys me. We are talking about the only empire in history to outlaw slavery, right? The same one that managed to leave behind more productive, relatively stable societies when it collapsed than most, right? The same one that exported the Industrial Revolution and all of its technological wonders around the world, right? Sure it wasn’t all roses but dude, the downside of the Victorian/Empire Period has been so DONE that the clicheness of those plot twists took an already mediocre story and made it terrible. Needless to say, I'm skipping volume 3.

“Ivory Towers On Sand: The Failure of Middle Eastern Studies In America” by Martin Kramer. Got this as a .pdf from the author’s website A little bit of a dry read (but if you really like reading tales of academic infighting, this is for you!) but an interesting summary of both why Middle Eastern Studies in the US is so incredibly biased and how it got that way. Seriously, even knowing the book has its biases, Edward Said sounds like a complete tool!

“Kris Longknife: Audacious” by Mike Shephard. Yet another awesome addition to the equally awesome Kris Longknife series. This is how you write a sci-fi heroine. Plus, I’ve got to love a book that opens in the middle of an assassination attempt on the main character, is focused on causing/preventing/it-depends-on-the-chapter a coup, and has some of the best wacky space politics & how they got that way future history I’ve read in a long while. Seriously, New Eden politics was wonderfully complicated and believable.

“Making Money” by SIR Terry Pratchett. Of course this doesn’t suck! There are very few surer bets in modern fiction than a DiscWorld novel. Still, this was really good even for Terry Pratchett. Several Laugh-out-loud moments, excellent wry commentary on fiscal policy and just a wonderful plot. Also, Lord Vetinari is one of those characters who started out awesome and continues to out-awesome everyone around him on every single page. Pratchett deserved to be knighted just for creating HIM.

“Games People Play: The Basic Handbook Transactional Analysis” by Eric Berne. An interesting if difficult read. I think it says something about the state of modern psychology that they take such a cool topic and then spend 100+ pages sucking the cool from it one dry academic pronouncement at a time. If the topic weren’t something that deeply interested me, I’d have stopped after the first chapter. Also after reading, I am left with a lingering but distinct desire to play “Now I’ve Got You, You Son Of A Bitch” (which will forever be on my list of Best Game Names EVAH).

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Flashbacks of the Not-So-Pleasant Kind

Hattip this person on LJ whom I've never heard of before, from this AP article:

A construction official falsely billed $1.2 million for supplies not delivered to clean up a toxic ground zero skyscraper in exchange for cash, clothes and trips to the Caribbean, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Robert Chiarappa was the purchasing agent for the John Galt Corp., which was hired to clean up the former Deutsche Bank tower after it was heavily damaged in the 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center across the street.

On a sidenote, Wikipedia links people READING GALT'S GODFORSAKEN 3-HOUR-BUT-IT-FEELS-MUCH-MUCH-LONGER-RADIO-SPEECH-ALOUD!

I actually read that speech aloud once in college just to see if it really was three hours.....It took me five hours to get through. I lost my voice for two days after. It cured me of Objectivism for life!* Why are you people putting me through that again?! Why are you putting anyone through that? I thought Objectivists considered masochism immoral or something?

*Not that I actually disagree with most of Rand's philosophy. It's just John Galt, like most devout Objectivists, is kinda an asshole. Don't you always hate it when the sanctimonious jerk who everyone ignores at parties espouses your long-held beliefs for the single dumbest reasons evah and in general, causes you to seriously re-consider any world-view which includes them on your side? Me too.

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How To Destroy Civilization With Bad Science

Somewhere in the afterlife, the ghost of King Arthur weeps.....From the Telegraph:

...the residents of Glastonbury, which has long been a favoured destination for pilgrims, are at the centre of a bitter row in which many blame the town's new wireless computer network - known as wi-fi - for a spate of health problems.

Amid incredibly vague descriptions about the "dangers" of wi-fi, there's this entrepreneurial spirit:

Matt Todd, who campaigns against EMFs, said that residents had complained that chakras and ley lines are being disrupted. "They believe positive energy flows are being disturbed," he said.

Mr Todd has started building small generators which he believes can neutralise the allegedly-harmful radiation using the principles of orgone science. The pyramid-like machines use quartz crystals, selenite (a clear form of the mineral gypsum), semi-precious lapis lazuli stones, gold leaf and copper coil to absorb and recycle the supposedly-negative energy.

I would weep for the home of the Industrial Revolution but I think that was centered in the North and Glastonbury is in the South. Still how can a modern country expect to survive when at least a town full of its people lack any and all critical thinking skills or understanding of basic science?

*Is going off to defiantly read a book on wireless routers, you ignorant peons*

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Backlog of Interesting Patterns....

Between comforter shopping over Thanksgiving & my travels for Christmas, I've actually made some really good pattern discoveries lately. There's really only one dud in the bunch (but what a dud!).

Teaser: Gorgeous blue sofa upholstery!
Click "full post" for more...

Seriously, whoever picks the scrapbook paper prints out for Michael's stores does know their business. Here's a really pretty purple & cream pattern:


While looking for a new comforter, my Mom & I also browsed the shower curtain, most of which were blessedly forgettable. The exception:
A dismal 70's flashback. It really is gross.

In addition to the usual papers & upholstery, I also spotted some wonderful antique cups. Here's a lovely Asian pattern:

And, I'm quite surprised I liked this one given the pink but the color isn't so bad with the gray:


This last one isn't a pattern I found but rather one I made. I got this poster for Christmas and since it's an odd size, there were no ready-made mattes in the stores. So a couple of packages of origami paper later....
*is feeling very crafty*

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Dereliction of Blogging Duties

So, I disappeared for a month (and a half). Between work, the holidays and planning for dental surgery (and actual dental surgery), I've been just a teensy bit busy. To make up for it, the next couple of days will b e a posting frenzy including:

1) My holiday pattern discoveries
2) Recent reading
3) My absolutely dismal update on 2008 Personal Enrichment goals
4) My entirely more upbeat 2009 Personal Enrichment goals
5) Whatever else I think of....

Link to full post.