Shadows of Clouds

Ok, I'm Moving to Freshblogger.com

2006-09-02T16:59:00.000-04:00

After getting some sage advice from my friend Steve, I've decided to go ahead and move my blog over to Freshblogger.com. With everything going on in my life, it's definitely going to be easier to maintain just one blog.

Of course, that's not to say that I won't start more in the future. I'm just getting into blogging and I'm still pretty new to it. There's much more for me to learn. Hopefully, I'll have a lot more time to spend on blogging as time goes by.

I'll keep Shadows of Clouds here for now to help direct new traffic toward the new blog. Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out Freshblogger.com.

New blog: Freshblogger.com

2006-08-30T06:46:00.000-04:00

Those of you who read this blog fairly often will have noticed that over time, the content has changed somewhat. As I've gotten more into blogging, my interests have expanded into posting about things that weren't initially included in the focus of this blog.

When I started blogging at Shadows of Clouds, my primary interest was in posting about my fiction writing and networking with other bloggers and writers. I haven't lost interest in writing stories, but my interests have expanded a bit now that I'm not busy with school all the time.

I've been concerned lately about some aspects of my life that aren't the way I want them to be. Because of this, I've been searching out new ways of dealing with life, and new perspectives on the same issues everyone seems to be facing today. This is where Freshblogger.com comes in.

I decided to come up with a new blog that gives me more freedom and control to explore new ideas. These ideas are somewhat divergent from the original purpose of Shadows of Clouds, named after one of my short stories. On the new blog I intend to post about broader issues in life and what I'm discovering about how to deal with them.

The focus of Freshblogger.com will still be on writing, but that writing will be more geared toward productivity and self-improvement as well as the more practical aspects of writing and blogging for money.

So what happens to Shadows of Clouds? I thought about closing this blog, but I decided to keep it. I'd like to bring the focus here back around to fiction writing and reading. I'll continue to post about my writing experiences (and my rejection slips) and what's going on in the fiction writing world.

I hope you'll stick with me and continue reading. Please check out Freshblogger.com if you've enjoyed what I've been writing here.

Tags: blogs blogging writing freshblogger

Stay Tuned for the New Blog

2006-08-28T09:16:00.000-04:00

I'm currently working on getting my own domain and web hosting set up so posting may be a little sparse over the next few days. I've been planning on doing this for a while for several reasons. I wanted to have my own unique domain name rather than just a hosted subdomain (i.e., not something.blogspot.com). I also wanted to have more control over my web site than I could have with a free blog.

Another big reason has been underscored in the last few days with all of the trouble I've had connecting with blogger. I don't want to be at the mercy of a huge monster like blogger when it's necessary for me to update my account. I need more reliability than that.

I have to say, though, that for the most part my experience with blogger has been very positive. I've learned a lot about blogging in general. The service and reliability has been fairly good considering that the account is free. What they offer is something that's valuable for a large number of people. Bloggers who want more than the basics will eventually have to get their own hosted account. Stay tuned...

Blogging: Personal or Personality?

2006-08-26T08:09:00.000-04:00

Something that has always been a concern for me since I started blogging, is the question of how personal I should get. I could talk about the events of my life in great detail, using the blog as a journal to divulge my innermost thoughts. Is this a good thing to do? Probably not.

Leroy Brown at Blogging Blog has a post (that also refers to another post) asking this question about personal blogs. This is, however, a good question to ask about any blog or web page.

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you've gotten some of my personal thoughts and feelings. I've even posted a few pictures and thoughts on my family. Yet, I have to admit to hesitating before doing this. I asked myself, who's going to be reading this?

The truth is that it could be anyone. All of us who blog or have a web presence of any kind have to be aware of this fact. Once we let fly with that post button, we are giving away whatever information contained to potentially anyone, friend, enemy, or complete stranger.

So, what's an appropriate level of personal information to include in a blog or web page? One major factor is the purpose of the site. If your site is geared entirely toward revealing your own thoughts and feelings, go for it. Just be prepared for the consequences.

Those who read your blog, especially those close to you who may even be mentioned in the blog, might not care for how they have been characterized. Also, they may not want to be posted about at all, good or bad. Other people's privacy is something you should consider before posting.

On the other hand, if your blog is about business or some other niche, perhaps the personal information should be kept out of it. Your readers may not be interested in reading about your life. They may only be there for the information you're presenting. With the deluge of information available today and the typically hectic pace of people's lives, this is always a factor. If there's too much noise and too little signal, your readers will no longer be readers.

Of course, there is some information that is never appropriate to post on the web. This includes personally damaging details about another person or intimate information that you know will hurt someone or make them vulnerable to attack. This is a moral consideration that must necessarily be subjective.

Some of the consequences of revealing personal information have already been discussed in great detail. There are many references in the news recently about people who've gotten into trouble because of what they've posted on the web. Employers, for instance, are more and more googling the names of job candidates to find if there is anything out there on the web that might make them a liability for the company.

Although it's marketed more toward younger people, MySpace is a great example of personal blogging gone out of control. People of all ages post just about anything about themselves, including pictures, that they might not want an employer or their neighbors or pastor to read or see. They seem to forget that the internet is pretty much wide open to everyone. If you've posted something connected to yourself and someone wants information on you badly enough, they'll find it.

With all of this said, how much, then is the right amount of personal information? Consider this: human interaction is all about stories. Each of us has many to tell. It's what makes us human and real. This is what defines our personalities and what interests people and what, ultimately, keeps them within our circle of interaction.

To be truly engaging, anything that is written needs to have a personal touch. It doesn't have to be personal per se; it just has to have your own personal mark on it, your brand, if you will. If who you really are comes across in your communication, it has a much greater chance of success.

This isn't a guarantee, but, think about it: who likes reading a dry textbook? Info dumps are great for just getting information, but without a personality behind it, who's going to keep coming back? Your writing will be best received if it's honest and from the heart (although, those of us who write fiction might be quick to point out that all of it is lies).

When you click that button to post your thoughts or feelings or informative article, consider this: have you put a little bit of yourself into it?

Tags: blog blogging privacy personal personality writing

Free Software: Bryce 3D Landscaping and Animation

2006-08-25T10:55:00.001-04:00

For those of you interested in graphical art software or just interested in expanding your creative horizons, you may want to check out the free offer from DAZ Productions. They are offering free downloads of Bryce 5 for a limited time.

I don't have much experience in this area, but the graphics I've seen created by this software package are pretty impressive. I downloaded a copy of Bryce 5 for my iBook and it looks cool so far. I plan on spending some time in the near future playing with it. Hopefully, I'll be able to put together a nice header graphic for this page.

Tags: graphics bryce free software

How to Defeat Boredom

2006-08-25T06:03:00.000-04:00

I found a post by Noah at okdork.com regarding life and boredom. He puts this line in quotes:

Life is inherently boring so we spend it doing things to maximize enjoyment.

This is something I've thought about quite a bit over the years. In the context of wasted time, it's easy to see that many of us have spent a great deal of time being bored. The problem lies in the fact that we often don't know how to snap out of it, especially during our younger years.

How is it possible to be bored when there is so much information, so much stimulation, so much choice, everywhere around us? Today's world is full of so much. With the modern media and web, there's an unlimited amount of information to be absorbed at any given time. It's easy to be overwhelmed by it all. There's simply too much.

At the end of his post, Noah asks a few questions that he's been pondering:

1. Are you really doing what's the optimal thing right now?
2. What do you want to be accomplishing while you are here on Earth?
3. Are you living the life you want to be living?

These are good questions to ask yourself. There is an idea that's not mentioned, but I think is implied in this article. That is the concept of passion. I think the key to defeating boredom and finding fulfillment in life is following your passions. Boredom is the feeling of not wanting to do anything, of not having passion.

I've blogged before on the topic of doing what is expected by others rather than what we want. It's very difficult to find passion in doing something that you don't want to do. Were you passionate about cleaning your room as a teenager? Feel free to insert any menial or unpleasant task into that last question.

Certainly, when there is a larger goal in mind, it's easier to perform a task with gusto. If you're visualizing what you're going to do with that big fat allowance of $5 a week after you've raked the leaves, you're not too upset about the current chore. This makes it easier to see the connection between passion and goals.

The two are necessarily intertwined. I've also posted about setting goals. I believe this is a key to having passion in life. Each of us needs to decide what is important to us as individuals and set goals for achieving in those areas. Only then will we be able to defeat boredom and pursue our desires with passion.

Yes, we'll still have to unclog a toilet from time to time, but our larger goals in life will be pursued with passion. The smaller, less pleasant tasks will be much more easily overcome and boredom will be a thing of the past.

Tags: goals productivity boredom passion

How to Tell When Your Blog Post is Going Bad

2006-08-23T06:40:00.000-04:00

Brian at Copyblogger has posted an article entitled 5 Signs Your Blog Post is Going Horribly Wrong. Once again, this is good advice not only for bloggers, but for anyone who writes. It's a quick read and a short list, but it's good information to keep in mind when writing.

It mostly boils down to knowing the reason why you're writing. That is, have a goal in mind before you begin. It's a great help to have a more or less concrete idea of what you want to accomplish with what you're writing. What point do you want to get across? Then, try to maintain that focus throughout the posting.

This is more in line with essay writing skills rather than creative writing. When we're writing creatively, we may have very little idea of what we want to write about and this is just fine. Even creative writers make use of these skills on a regular basis, though. Check out the article as it never hurts to be reminded of the basics.

Tags: copyblogger blog blogging writing

Blogging List Turned into a Story

2006-08-20T07:46:00.000-04:00

I couldn't resist linking to this one. Liz at Successful Blog has written a story featuring posts from Darren's Group List Writing Project. This is both creative and funny and well worth taking the time to read. Check it out.

Tags: problogger blogs blogging lists story successful blog

List Writing Contest at Problogger

2006-08-19T06:32:00.000-04:00

The List Writing Contest at Problogger has wrapped up and the winners are posted here. There's also a link to the entire list of 301 entries. I've found a great deal of new and useful information and stumbled across some blogs that I may never have discovered on my own. I'm still going through the list and checking out more blogs. The lists (and blogs) run the gamut of topics from parenting tips to dating to finances, etc. It's well worth taking a look at.

Tags: problogger lists blogs blogging

You Can't Go Back, But You Can Go Forward

2006-08-18T07:13:00.000-04:00

Several commenters on my post Top 10 Things I'd Tell My Younger Self pointed out that they agreed with the tips, but didn't think their younger self would have listened. That's a point that I've often wondered about. Would I have listened to good advice at the time and avoided making some of the mistakes I've made?

Many of us go through our teen years and into our twenties convinced that we are right and that most of the others around us are wrong, especially those in authority over us. We believe this despite the fact that many of us also feel quite insecure about ourselves and our abilities, most especially in those vulnerable teen years. Why are we so certain that others are wrong when we're so uncertain about our own selves?

This is a good question. It seems to me to be a common form of projection as well as the influence of popular culture. It can be seen as projection, or projecting our own thoughts, feelings and motives on others around us, in the sense that we may think that everyone else is just as confused as we are. Or, we may simply doubt that anyone can be so certain they're right when we don't feel like we have a clue. This could just be human nature at that stage of development.

Popular culture has for some time portrayed adults as being uncool or lame. The idea of youthful rebellion has been entrenched in our culture since at least the sixties. Certainly it's not a new concept, but it has been enshrined and immortalized through music and other media in a very pervasive and indelible way. Movies and television shows are full of examples of young characters teaching their elders a lesson.

With the pressure of natural human behavior and popular culture, would I have listened to good advice? For me, and probably for a lot of people, I think the answer is both yes and no.

There have been times when something looked so appealing to me and I was convinced it was the right path, but there was no advice to make me think twice about it. An example I've used before is when I was told by my high school guidance counselor I'd have no problem in engineering college even though I was failing calculus and physics my senior year. If someone I'd respected had pointed out to me the obvious, that I was really struggling with math and science, but breezing through english and spanish (and really enjoying both), there is a chance I would have listened.

Had I known how difficult things would be for me in my first year of college, I probably would have changed my path right away. In retrospect, sometimes that sage advice that would have changed our lives just wasn't there when we needed it. Maybe we were unable to face reality and be honest with ourselves or others around us and so those who could have given us that worthwhile counsel never even knew it was necessary.

In all fairness, though, there are many other situations in which I'm convinced that I wouldn't have listened to good advice and didn't, when it was given. When poor choices were driven by high emotion, it would have been (and was) extremely difficult to overcome those internal forces. A good example would be relationships. How many of us have dated someone our parents and/or peers thought was completely wrong for us? Most of us heard the advice, but thought we knew better and went ahead with making our mistakes.

There may have been some times when we would have listened to some advice and probably many others when we would not have and indeed, didn't. Would our lives be different now if we had, and, most importantly, would our lives be better? There's no way to tell. The experiences we've had have created the people we are now. Ultimately, without those painful mistakes and misguided choices, we might not be the people we now are and some of the things we value most in life might never have been.

Tags: life advice growing up

Aristotle's Top 3 Tips for Effective Blogging from Copyblogger

2006-08-17T06:30:00.000-04:00

Brian at Copyblogger has a great post entitled Aristotle's Top 3 Tips for Effective Blogging. The blog is ostensibly targeted toward copywriting, but the writing and blogging tips offered are priceless.

This particular article is both well written and insightful. Apparently, much of the modern advice we see on writing comes originally from the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle. The tips presented here are great lessons to remember even if you've heard them before. They should prove a useful reminder to not just copywriters or bloggers, but to all writers. Read the whole thing.

Tags: copyblogger aristotle blog blogging

Great Response from Problogger.net

2006-08-17T06:20:00.000-04:00

I've gotten a great response from my Top 10 Things I'd Tell My Younger Self that was posted to Problogger yesterday. There were a lot of visitors to my blog and some good comments. Thanks to all for stopping by!

I'm still checking out some of the links that were posted in the Group Writing Project. There's a huge amount of great information out there and this contest has helped me discover some blogs that I might never have found. Thanks again to Darren at problogger for a cool idea!

Tags: Problogger lists blog blogging

Top 10 Things I'd Tell My Younger Self

2006-08-16T06:49:00.000-04:00

Darren over at Problogger has a contest going on for those of us who love making lists. Even if you don't, it's well worth checking out. His site is also full of great tips about blogging and making money online, whether you're a beginner or experienced.

So, without further ado, here's my own contribution:

Top 10 Things I'd Tell My Younger Self

1. Don't be afraid. Most of the things you're afraid of are either completely overblown or extremely unlikely to happen. There are no monsters under your bed, but later you'll find one in the next cubicle.

2. Live for now. Find things to enjoy about life right now that make it worth living. Things won't magically get better without your effort. Stop fantasizing about how great it's going to be in the future and smell the roses while you're there.

3. Don't waste time. You are NOT going to have more time to do things you want to do in the future. Get that idea out of your head. The next time you'll find yourself having all the time you need in a day, you'll be looking for your liver pills and complaining about your bursitis.

4. Chase your dreams. Don't dismiss your deepest desires as pipe dreams. Take a good look at them and think about what you want out of life. Just about everybody is telling you to take the safe path and get a safe, boring job. Don't. Safe, boring jobs suck.

5. Do what you want. Stop doing what everyone expects you to do and start doing the things you want. No, this doesn't mean you should be a jackass. Be smart and straightforward and don't be afraid to speak up about what you want.

6. Finish college now. It doesn't matter what you get your degree in. Trust me. Most of the time, no one cares. Besides, college is much more fun when you're young and single. Again, trust me on this.

7. If you spend money now assuming you'll have plenty later, you won't. Everybody thinks they're going to make a ton more money in just a few years. You might, but you'll have more than enough expenses to eat up every bit of it and more. See, there are these things called credit cards...

8. Set goals. Make plans for what you really want to accomplish. Write them down and stick with them. It's worth it to spend a bit of time hashing out the things you really want. Don't worry, you can always change them as your life changes, but they'll give you something concrete to shoot for.

9. Do something every day to work toward your goals. Don't let a day go by without having contributed in some way to the goals you have set. If you want to be a writer, write a sentence on a napkin with spaghetti sauce. If you want to run a marathon, at least get your lazy butt up and stretch.

10. Choose your battles. The world is NOT your enemy. Remember that when everything seems set against you. The world simply doesn't care. Don't view everything in terms of us against them. Don't argue when it does more harm than good. People won't think you're smart or funny, they'll just think you're a jackass.

Tags: Problogger Top 10 lists advice

Getting Things Done with Folders

2006-08-15T05:57:00.000-04:00

There's always good information to be found at 43 Folders for those of you interested in GTD or Getting Things Done. Merlin Mann has written an article about using and overusing folders in the GTD system.

He makes a good point about making too many folders to put stuff into. Namely, that things get even more disorganized through an overeager attempt at organizing. I've run into the same problem myself in my email program at work. I'm sure many of us have.

Another point he makes is also good to remember even if you are not yet a GTD proselyte: "Bottom line: ensure that all the folders, buckets, nets, and boxes in your life exist to support action above all else." What use is organizing all this stuff if you never do anything with it? Check out the whole article.

Tags: GTD Getting Things Done productivity organize

Lower Your Payments! Consolidate Student Loans Now!

2006-08-12T09:18:00.000-04:00

If you're like me and have a big student loan payment to make every month, that sounds pretty good at first. There are a million student loan consolidators out there screaming for your business. Why not take advantage of the opportunity and enjoy the benefits of lower payments? There are some good reasons why you should think carefully before consolidating your student loans.

First of all, in the interest of full disclosure, I'm personally against the whole idea of student loans. I think it's probably the biggest educational scam out there, possibly second only to the cost of school textbooks. Sure, there are some cases in which students may derive a longer term benefit by incurring student loan debt now. For medical or law students, this may make sense. For most students, however, it does not make sense to get into debt to go to college.

Unless you're expecting to be making a fairly large salary immediately after graduating from college, think twice before getting student loans. They may seem like the easy way out if you're just starting school, but it pays to remember that every penny of that money will have to be paid back, with interest.

Duh, you say? I know this is common sense, but we often fail to realize the longer term consequences of getting into debt now. Many students are enticed into thinking there is no other way for them to afford college if they don't get student loans.

In most cases, this is far from the truth. There are many forms of financial aid available that can ease the burden of college expenses. In addition, there are literally thousands of scholarships available if you only spend the time looking for them. It's also important to mention here that you should never pay someone to find scholarships or financial aid for you. It's not necessary. Talk to a financial aid advisor and spend some time googling and browsing federal financial aid sites.

It's also common belief that having a college degree automatically means that you'll be making much more money than you did before. This isn't necessarily true. Yes, having a college degree definitely can increase your earning potential, but it's up to you personally to make that happen. It won't fall in your lap. I can't tell you how many people I've known with college degrees and even graduate degrees who make ends meet by bussing tables or tending bar.

There's no guarantee that you'll make more money after completing college. In fact, probably too many people are going to school to get a four year degree when all they really want is to have a trade or a career to make a living. Some of them might do better going to a vocational school or a two year community college at a much reduced expense. The bottom line is that there are other options. Remember, the real world is very different from the rosy pictures presented by people trying to sell you something (And, yes, they're trying to sell you student loans; it's big business).

Now back to the question at hand: why should you reconsider before consolidating student loans? Several reasons. First of all, you are making a trade off between lower payments now and paying more in the long run. The reason why consolidated payments are lower is usually because they simply extend the term of the loan. This means that you'll end up paying more interest in the long run for the privilege of having a smaller payment now.

Another reason to avoid consolidation is that you may lose some of the benefits of subsidized loans and loan deferments after consolidating. Usually you don't have to make payments on student loans while you're in school at least half time. If you consolidate your loans with a spouse, however, usually only one of you will be the main account holder who will retain the ability to do this. I've experienced this myself and it's ended up costing much more money in the long run.

Multiple student loans may be a pain to deal with, but it can also be a good thing to have several smaller loans rather than one large one. Think divide and conquer. You can concentrate on paying off one at a time. You can't do this with a consolidated student loan. You have one payment to make each month. With multiple smaller loans, you can pay extra each month on the smallest one and pay if off way ahead of time. You'll end up paying much less in interest and having way more control over your debt.

Ultimately, student loan consolidation can make sense in some situations, but it's not the only way to lower your payments. If you're thinking about consolidation, examine your options. Be sure to check out the government programs available for student loan forgiveness in exchange for public service. No, you don't always have to join the military, though that is another option to consider. Some employers also offer help with student loan payments as an incentive.

So, take some time to search for creative ways of reducing the load before taking that leap into student loan consolidation. You can't take it back after you consolidate and the time you spend now can save you a lot of money and hardship in the future.

Tags: money college student loans financial aid

Attack of the Comment Spam Robots!

2006-08-11T06:37:00.000-04:00

Well, they have finally started to find me in force. The comment spam robots, that is. I've found several spam comments with links to commercial websites (or worse!), some of which I was afraid to click based on the url.

Unfortunately, what this means is that I'll be forced to turn back on that annoying word verification step to making a comment. Don't worry, you'll still be able to make comments if you so choose, you'll only have to copy the text from the graphic box in order to verify that you are, indeed, a human instead of a pesky spam robot. One just can't be too careful these days...

Tags: blog blogging spam bots

Are You Happy With Your Job?

2006-08-10T06:32:00.000-04:00

There's an article on msn's careerbuilder site entitled Nine Steps to a Perfect Career Fit that you may find interesting. I occasionally check this site out for tips on improving my own career and sometimes I find something that jumps out at me.

Half of all Americans are unhappy in their jobs, according to findings by the Conference Board, a New York-based business research group. In addition, most people can expect three to five career changes and 10 or more job changes in their working years, reports the U.S. Department of Labor.

This isn't exactly surprising news, is it? The article begins with the story of a man who has had more than 20 jobs already as well as several career changes. I think I've had more than 20 jobs myself and 3 or 4 career changes as an adult. Is it time for another? The article offers some good points to consider when asking this question.

It lists nine questions to ask in order to find the ideal career choice. I won't recap the entire list, but the first few questions are really important ones that I don't think are always included in our decision-making with regard to jobs. The article suggests you examine your own abilities and interests first and also what motivates you to succeed.

These are important things to consider that are often overlooked. Many people, myself included, start out life with the idea that they should get into a career that's in demand and that pays well. Little thought is given to whether that career is suitable or not.

I remember speaking to a high school guidance counselor before applying to college. He told me that I would do fine with my choice of majors, engineering, despite having had serious problems with both calculus and physics my senior year. Looking back, my interest in engineering stemmed mostly from the "cool" factor of "being" an engineer rather than a real passion for the math and science involved. I was also attracted by the starting salary of around $25,000 for engineering graduates, which at that time was darn good.

What's humorous about this whole thing is that I excelled in english and spanish courses in high school, getting straight A's in each for four years. During this entire time I'd also struggled a great deal with math and science. So why did I take that path?

The common wisdom in our culture is that jobs aren't supposed to be fun or enjoyable, by and large. Sure, we're expected to derive some satisfaction from our employment, but it's not expected to be something we're passionate about. In fact, jobs are expected to be mostly painful and tedious. We slave in our cubicles or factory station for 30 or 40 years, enjoying our annual two weeks of vacation, and then hobble around a golf course for a decade or so as a geriatric wreck. Is this how things should be?

Ironically, I've just finished up a degree in English Literature and Writing after years of working in engineering and computer software. What does this mean and where will it lead me? Time will tell.

This is a topic I'm keenly interested in and there are plenty of ideas to explore in future posts. For now, asking these questions can help us to determine if we are really happy with how we're spending our 40 or more hours a week, slaving away.

Tags: jobs careers career change happiness

Develop Your Listening Skills: Empathic Listening

2006-08-09T11:17:00.000-04:00

Lifehack.org has a list of 5 Tips for Empathic Listening posted today. It's a short posting, but contains some useful information. In The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey describes empathic listening this way:

When I say empathic listening, I mean listening with intent to understand. I mean seeking first to understand, to really understand. It's an entirely different paradigm.

Covey goes on to say:

Empathy is not sympathy. Sympathy is a form of agreement, a form of judgement ... The essence of empathic listening is not that you agree with someone; it's that you fully, deeply, understand that person, emotionally as well as intellectually. (p240)

My own listening skills aren't always what I'd like them to be. It's extremely easy to become overwhelmed with the day to day. Most people tend to respond to this by tuning out a great deal of what's going on around them in order to get the most urgent things done. Unfortunately, we also tend to tune out some of the most important things in our lives.

As an example, how many parents ahve gotten fed up with a nagging, whining child and told him or her to "go away" or "do it because I said so?" I think we've all done this from time to time without even thinking. Sure we feel bad about it later, but our parents reacted the same way with us, didn't they?

I've found that taking a moment to look my child in the eye and really listen can sometimes short circuit the nagging and whining almost immediately. Often, their discontent is based on a feeling that they aren't being heard. It's amazing how well children respond when an adult treats them like a person, not as another adult, but as a person, an individual with a unique perspective and his or her own needs and desires.

Children aren't the only ones who can benefit from this attention, either. Every interaction we have on a daily basis could be enhanced in some way by raising the level of our communication. This doesn't have to be a heart to heart chat with the bank teller, but more of an intention to really try to understand where the people we encounter every day are coming from.

The Lifehacks posting is a nice, quick guide to trying this out in your cmmunications. For a more in-depth discussion, I definitely recommend the The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

Tags: 7 Habits productivity lifehacks communication skills

New Hardware from Apple: Mac Pro

2006-08-08T07:03:00.000-04:00

Apple has officially released the new Mac Pro and it's available immediately from the Apple online store. For a summary of all the goodies Steve Jobs talked about yesterday, check it out at Macrumors. He also previewed the latest iteration of Mac OSX, codenamed "Leopard" and it looks pretty impressive. There will be lots of new features that sound like they will greatly improve the usefulness and efficiency of the operating system. Apple is providing a sneak peak of Leopard.

We're still waiting to hear about the rumored updates to the iPod line, but those may not come until later in the year. I'd like to see more price drops (wouldn't everybody), but expect to see increased capacities for several models before anything else.

Tags: wwdc apple mac ipod

Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) Today

2006-08-07T12:53:00.000-04:00

Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference opens today in San Francisco in just a few minutes. Of course, the rumors have been flying for some time about what exactly will be released today. Among the most likely to be true are updates to the PowerMac line of desktop machines. A roundup of the various rumors and an assessment of their validity can be found here. For live coverage updated every 60 seconds, tune in here.

Tags: wwdc apple mac

Blog Format Update

2006-08-04T15:59:00.000-04:00

I've updated the format of my blog again. I just added the nifty sidebar on the left hand side of the page. It seems to look fine and helps make better use of the available screen real estate. It's a little bit big for 800 x 600 resolutions, so I may have to tweak things a bit. It shouldn't be a problem for most users, though.

The whole process was a little tricky at times, but not too difficult for anyone who's a little web savvy. I found some great resources for bloggers who want to modify their pages. Here are links to a couple of them:

CSS No Crap Primer
Two sidebars in Blogger -Part 1 - Blog U

Tags: blog blogging blogger

Setting Goals

2006-08-03T10:24:00.000-04:00

Steve Pavlina has posted another interesting article about setting goals you will actually achieve. I'm interested in this topic because I believe that setting goals is an important part of success. Without having a target to shoot for, it's difficult to know where you are or where you're going.

Steve's take on the whole idea of setting goals is a bit different from what I've heard before, though. He discusses the concept of setting goals within the context of time and how your perception of the present and the future figures into successfully reaching goals.

Here's an interesting quote from the article that summarizes the main point:

The purpose of goal-setting isn’t to control the future. That would be senseless because the future only exists in your imagination. The only value in goal-setting is that it improves the quality of your present moment reality. Setting goals can give you greater clarity and focus right now. Whenever you set a goal, always ask yourself, “How does setting this goal improve my present reality?” If a goal does not improve your present reality, then the goal is pointless, and you may as well dump it. But if the goal brings greater clarity, focus, and motivation to your life whenever you think about it, it’s a keeper.

He's suggesting that you focus on the present rather than the future when setting goals. At first, this idea sounds kind of wacky. I mean, goals are about the future, right? Yes, and no.

One thing that I realized years ago after fantasizing so many times about things I'd like to do or be was that I would have to live every moment of time between now and then. Think about that. Of course it's completely obvious, but if you really think about it, this idea definitely changes the way you view setting goals.

As an example, lots of people think about how great it would be to be a doctor or a lawyer. It would be cool, huh? But then consider the amount of time and effort you'd have to put in order to get to that point of being a doctor or lawyer. Years and years of school and then more years of long, hard hours before the payoff. Is it worth it?

If you're completely focused on the end result and it's something that gets you pumped up on a daily basis, then maybe it is. However, if you're more interested in how you'll be living your life from day to day, it might not be. If not every day, then most of those days you will have to be able to get up and convince yourself that it is worth it. If you're not getting something valuable out of most of those days, you won't be able to do it.

The whole point of the article makes a lot of sense to me within this context. Human beings have a unique ability to imagine the future, but still we have to live in the here and now. How many precious moments are we willing to sacrifice to get to that imaginary future?

Tags: goals productivity success

Information Technology Jobs

2006-07-27T13:44:00.000-04:00

For many years it seems that everyone has been gushing about how great jobs in information technology are. On the surface this idea still has truth to it. If you want to always be able to find work, IT is the industry. Now, before everyone freaks out about that last statement, I have to say that you'll always be able to find work, but it might not be that great. Let me explain.

We've all heard about the high paying software engineer jobs. An experienced programmer with good credentials can potentially make into six figures. IT managers are also up there, especially CIO's (Chief Information Officers). There is definitely money to be made in this business.

The problem lies in the fact that there aren't that many of those high paying jobs to go around. The ones that are out there are not often advertised. The best jobs in any industry are typically filled by word of mouth and networking without even having been put into an advertisement. There is a huge amount of competition for fleeting opportunities.

There are other good jobs in IT that pay relatively well, but salaries (and raises) have taken a dive in the past few years in technical jobs due to outsourcing and downsizing and other economic factors. You can still make a decent living as a programmer, system administrator or in IT management if you find your niche.

There is an abundance of IT jobs that are relatively thankless and menial, though. I know this is another controversial statement, but if you're a lab tech or work at a helpdesk, I'm sorry. The truth of the matter is that these jobs DO tend to be stressful, low-paying and lacking in any sort of gratitude on the part of many of the users you serve.

Be assured that that may be a problem no matter how high up the tech ladder climb. Believe it or not, in many companies technology is still not fully understood or appreciated. Upper management may have a difficult time understanding how their technology staff adds real dollars and cents value to their organization. Their awareness of the value of their technical people is kind of like that of the clueless car owner who realizes the need to change the engine oil only after the engine seizes up.

Another thing to consider about technology jobs is that most people employed in this sector are always playing catch up. That is, technology is always advancing and you have to keep up with it or get left behind. At the pace of today's changes, this is a difficult task. Tech types have to be willing and even eager to absorb new knowledge as it becomes available.

With all of this in mind, is it all worth it? Declining matriculation rates in Computer Science programs at US colleges seem to be telling us that many are now saying no. Still, there will be many opportunities for those who do choose this field. If you want to get into information technology or move up the ladder in the field, knowledge is the key.

Having impressive credentials certainly helps get you in the door, but knowing your way around current technology and being able to hit the ground running is key. Be prepared to know your stuff and above all, have a lust for learning new technology and you'll do well.

Tags: jobs education success technology

The Biggest Waste of Time

2006-07-24T06:42:00.000-04:00

I regularly teach a study skills course to new college students. One of the topics that we always cover is time management. We usually do an exercise in which we calculate how much time we spend during the week on different activities.

Many students are surprised at how much time they spend on certain things in their lives. Some find that they study much less than they thought or sleep or work more than they were aware of. Some are simply shocked to find out how much time they spend watching television in a week.

For me, it was a rude awakening when I realized that I spend something like ten hours a week just commuting back and forth to work. That's about an hour each way, five days a week.

When I put that in perspective, it's more than a full work day that is lost to me. Sure, I can spend some of that time thinking and planning my day or week, but for the most part that time is wasted.

This is another opportunity cost of working outside the home. For those who are able to telecommute or otherwise work out of their home or even nearby, this isn't a factor. They are able to make much more efficient use of their time. For those of us who do have to spend time traveling to get to work, we are investing a significant amount of time and effort every day just to get there.

What do we do on this commute? Most people probably listen to the radio. The morning FM shows are typically full of unintelligent, adolescent banter with each program competing for the prize of most crude and banal. How entertaining are the constant dirty jokes and interviews with strippers? Don't you get tired of all the cleverly worded and thinly veiled references to sex and deviancy designed to just barely escape the notice of the FCC?

If you're not listening to that brainless chatter, is it the news? How enlightened are we after hearing the latest tally of shootings, apartment fires, drug busts and car crashes? Does anybody profit from absorbing this information? Or how about the ridiculously detailed weather forecasts? Does it matter to anyone what the wind speed is or whether a cold front is due to come in? Just tell me if it's going to rain!

What could we do with the time that is essentially wasted this way? Read more, write more, work more, relax more? More of something other than wasting time? Though this isn't a call for everyone to run right out and quit his or her job, it's definitely food for thought.

Tags: time management commuting jobs

Jobs Are For Suckers!

2006-07-22T10:41:00.000-04:00

I came across an article the other day that has really made me think. The author is Steve Pavlina, a reformed shareware game developer who now runs a personal development website offering ideas for self-improvement. He has hundreds of articles on his page and, even though some of it is pretty new agey, I found much to consider.

This article stuck out in particular, though, possibly due to my own dissatisfaction with my current employment situation. The title says it all: "10 Reasons You Should Never Get a Job." Although there's quite a bit of sarcasm here and the tone is at times fairly harsh, the point is interesting.

Steve Pavlina maintains that it's much better to work for yourself than to work for someone else. I won't recap the entire article as it's worth it to go read the whole thing for yourself, but a couple of his reasons really resonated with me.

I find the idea that my livelihood is entirely dependent on the whims of a few people to be scary. Factors completely out of my control can shut off my only source of income like the flick of a switch. Also, it's true that I don't get to realize much of the fruits of my labor. Most of the work that I put into my job benefits others much more than myself.

Having a job does seem to provide a sense of security, but is it really a false sense of security? I think he's got a good point here. Those of us who rely entirely on a job for our income do serve at the pleasure of others. Once they decide that our services are no longer needed, we become a liability rather than an asset.

It's clear that having this threat hanging over our heads can lead us to make decisions that we otherwise might not. We are conditioned to protect our jobs and to stay safely inside the box of other's expectations. We make choices in life that are channeled down a certain path by external factors rather than our own needs, desires, and internal values. In the end, we can become thoroughly compromised. Can this possibly be a good thing?

Tags: self improvement income jobs

Krohn Conservatory Pictures

2006-07-14T16:55:00.000-04:00

I was just looking at some pictures from my cell phone and thought I'd post a few. A few weeks ago we took a family day trip to Cincinnati's Krohn Conservatory for their annual butterfly festival. This place is small, but has some amazing displays of plants from around the world as well as some incredible butterflies. The kids loved it and I managed to snap some beautiful pictures with my cell phone.

Tags: pictures family cincinnati

Google Ads

2006-07-14T08:42:00.000-04:00

I'm experimenting with what I can do with Google Ads, so you may see more advertising showing up on this page. Hopefully, it's not too distracting or intrusive. I think Google's text ads tend to be pretty unobtrusive in general.

I'm actually toying with the idea of starting another website. Advertising may be a way of helping to pay hosting fees. I'll post more about my ideas here as they develop.

Tags: google ads adsense blog blogging

Re-evaluating

2006-07-13T06:53:00.000-04:00

I've had to take some time off from running again due to soreness in the knees coming back. It took a few weeks of running, but I'm having the pain and inflammation again. I'm going to have to try to work on stretching out and strengthening the muscles in my legs and see if that helps.

I've also been taking a break from my story writing. I'm not giving up, but re-evaluating where I want to go with it. Actually, I'm taking a fresh look at everything I'm doing to get a sense of where I am in my life and where I want to go. It seems like it's been a very long time since I've been able to step back for a moment and really consider what I want to do.

I've been entirely caught up in achieving goals that I set long ago as well as just making ends meet on a daily basis. It struck me that I've been spending much of my life in crisis mode. I've been focusing mostly on survival rather than actually getting somewhere. It's time to get out of crisis mode and rethink my purpose and the goals that flow from that.

Tags: blog blogging writing life survival

I'm still alive!

2006-06-30T07:10:00.000-04:00

Yes, I'm still out here somewhere. I've been finishing up my writing project for my final class and now it's done, turned in and I'm just waiting for my grade. I can't believe it's over!

I found out recently that I'll be teaching a developmental writing course this fall at the college where I work. I'll be putting that English degree to some use right away, it seems. I'm excited about the opportunity and I think it could lead to more and better things.

I'm continuing to run three days a week and it's gotten much easier than the first couple of weeks. There's no more soreness in my legs and only a little minor burning sensation above my knee. I'm hoping that goes away eventually, but I'm taking it pretty easy before I increase my mileage much.

Online Calendars

2006-06-13T06:35:00.000-04:00

Toby Buckell gives a brief review of a calendar web application. It's not something that I've looked into much, but it sounds like it might actually be pretty useful as an additional tool for organizing your life. It might prove useful to have a calendar with meetings, appointments, etc listed on it that's available from any computer with internet access.

Tags: productivity organizing calendars

I saw a band over the weekend...

2006-06-06T06:18:00.000-04:00

They were my nephew's band, young guys with a lot of talent and energy who are into the classic punk sound. Unfortunately, my nephew didn't get to play because the show was cut short by the lead singer and guitarist. This fellow has quite a bit of talent and stage presence. He was dressed like the punks I remember from when I was a kid, the plaid pants with chains and sleeveless denim jacket with all the band patches and logos.

This young man, all of sixteen years old, was the lifeforce behind this band. The night of the show, though, all he projected was hatred and contempt. The show started off okay, but soon degenerated into an anti-police (yes, the 'f' the police song), anti-government, anti-America and anti-everything else he could think of. Oddly, this message didn't play well in Lawrenceburg, Indiana.

The show ended with an incensed crowd and some band members being held apart by a police officer so as to avoid a fight. I don't have any problem with people expressing their opinions, but the sad thing is that this show became all about hatred and anger instead of the music. Protest is fine, but when you hate everything, no one is going to hear your message. Most people, whatever their political persuasion, stop listening after hearing 'f' America.

Tags: music bands politics

I'm Damn Sore Today

2006-06-01T06:29:00.000-04:00

Okay, before the day was even out yesterday I was getting sore. My quadriceps are aching pretty good today. I didn't realize how out of shape my leg muscles were. I haven't worked out much in the last month, but I have been using an exercise bike off and on for the last couple of years. Apparently there's a big difference in effort or in the muscle's you use between the bike and actually running.

As for the knees, so far, so good. I had been getting a burning pain at the top of both knees as well as a kind of deep throbbing ache just a little lower. This was accompanied by a strange kind of looseness in the knee joint that was causing them to crackle and pop like Rice Krispies. I forget the exact name he used, but the doctor said it might have all been caused by the quads and the hamstrings being out of balance, maybe from running up and down hills every day like I used to at my old house. I don't know if that was it, but I hope it's gone for good.

The Lazy Man Runs!

2006-05-31T06:49:00.000-04:00

I went running today for the first time in probably a year. My legs feel like rubber, but the cardio feels great. I would have liked to have run for 30-40 minutes, but didn't have the time this morning. I'll have to build up to that again.

I used to run just about every day up until almost three years ago. That's when I started having a lot of trouble with my knees. The doctor never was able to completely explain the pain I was having. It's mostly gone now, but I'm going to ease back into running.

eMusic and DRM (or the Lack Thereof)

2006-05-23T13:10:00.000-04:00

ArsTechnica has an interesting article on eMusic. This is a company that sells DRM-less MP3 music files based on a monthly subscription. They cater to a slightly different crowd than iTunes and apparently don't directly compete with Apple's service. For $10 per month you can download up to 40 songs, mostly from independent labels rather than the majors (that is, you won't find 50 cent or U2 there) . It sounds like something that might be worth checking out.

Independent Writing Project is a Go

2006-05-23T06:13:00.000-04:00

I received word last week that I would be accepted for the independent writing project. This will be my final class for my BA. I'm already knee deep in stories that need to be revised, it seems, and several of these may be able to be used for this class. The requirement is that I produce about 60 pages of as yet ungraded fiction. This shouldn't be a problem, but I'll only have about five weeks after may 30th, when the summer session begins. Time to get back to writing and revising!

The New MacBook Arrives!

2006-05-17T06:22:00.000-04:00

I've yet to read any sort of analysis on the new MacBook Apple released yesterday. At first glance, it looks pretty awesome. Apple is so far claiming performance improvements of up to 5x when compared to the old iBook and PowerBook G4's. Of course, the actual performance will be debated endlessly and numerous hairs will be attempted to be split. The bottom line is that clearly this new laptop is a much more powerful and capable box.

A few things of note: It does have integrated graphics with shared RAM, the bane of all lower end laptops. I've given this some thought, though. I don't like it, but I'm guessing it still offers substantial performance improvements over the old setup. The amount of memory available to the graphics processor has doubled to 64MB. This is coupled with the fact that each MacBook is equipped with a Core Duo Intel processor starting at 1.83MHz. Not too shabby.

I'm still a bit disappointed that we haven't yet seen a more budget-minded model, but I definitely believe that it's possible and that we might even see one in time for Christmas. The new MacBook is priced a hundred dollars above the old one ($1099) for the entry level model and will probably sell pretty well with the new brighter 13.3" widescreen and speedy processor.

The footprint will be a little wider and the unit slightly heavier, but around a quarter inch thinner. As with the Pro versions, there is no modem inside this unit. A USB modem is available separately. I don't believe this will be much of an issue for most users.

All in all, this seems to be a pretty good machine and Apple seems to know what it's doing. Steve Jobs is definitely not an idiot and will continue to aggressively pursue innovation and market share, but on his own timeline.

Muddy Creek

2006-05-16T07:06:00.000-04:00

Here's another snippet of a story I'm working on revising:

The street lamps’ sickly yellow light slid greasily over the sky blue Monte Carlo as the long shape prowled the asphalt. With the windows down, the humidity of the night seemed to pour inside, sticking thickly to the stained and cigarette burned cloth seats. The smell of Muddy Creek filled the air on nights like this, spreading an invisible musty and rotten cloud over the whole area. The smell felt oddly cool, though, from the subterranean air issuing from enormous culverts hiding half of the festering storm runoff and sewage overflow.

The radio blared the latest heavy metal crunch with a tinny, far-away sound, as if coming through a thick fog. Cars slipped past him in both directions, snatches of music escaping through open windows with each passing. Everything seemed far away tonight. The lights of the shopping center blinked from way down the strip. He slowed down a little, dreading their approach. He wanted to drive away, as far as he could, instead. He fixed his eyes to the road in front of him and pushed the accelerator down.

Naming Stories

2006-05-15T06:57:00.000-04:00

I was working on a revision of a story this morning and a new title just hit me out of nowhere. A lot of times I use a working title just to get things going and then brainstorm for a new one later if it doesn't just hit me during the writing process.

I had initially chosen a name that didn't quite fit, but helped me to focus a little bit more on the details of the story. The story is based on some events from my own life, with modifications and embellishments, of course, to actually make it interesting.

I wonder how other writers come up with titles for their work? It seems to me that the title can be extremely important in drawing the reader's eye from that crucial first glance. If it doesn't have a compelling title to begin with, how many are just going to skip right over it and not give it another chance?

Another Day Goes by Without the New iBook

2006-05-10T06:47:00.000-04:00

Yesterday passed us by without an announcement from Apple regarding the new iBook replacement, probably to be named simply MacBook. This newest version of the famous low end of the Macintosh laptop lineup is supposed to have a 13 inch or so widescreen, a new speedy Intel processor and several other features all ready found on the MacBook Pro.

There is some discussion that there may be more than one color available, probably just black and white, and that the price point may actually be raised somewhat. My guess would be that there will be at least one model that will be priced below current levels in order to compete more closely with some of the entry level Windows laptops. It would be an aggressive marketing move from Apple. We should find out in the next couple of weeks...

The Semester is Finally Over!

2006-05-06T10:53:00.000-04:00

I'm so glad this term is done. It's been a trial for a number of reasons. Here I am on Saturday morning, though, and I'm feeling strange because I don't have to read any books or write any papers. I still have to work out something for taking that one final class, but it is a huge relief to be finished with this term.

Final Exam Today

2006-05-03T06:29:00.000-04:00

I have one more final to take for this term and then the semester is over! Let me tell ya, this one has been a long one. Just one more course to take this summer and I'm done.

I'm still trying to work something out with an instructor so I don't have to attend a class. I'd like to do an independent writing project that will give me the elective credit I need and also allow me to focus on what I'd like to be doing, that is, writing. Hopefully, I'll get some good news soon. Stay tuned...

Blogging Hiatus -Not!

2006-04-27T06:50:00.000-04:00

Did ya miss me? I've been extremely busy trying to knock out all of the papers that I've been procrastinating on for several weeks. My life has been in crazy mode for a bit, too. I have one more paper and one more exam to go to finish this semester and then one more class to finish my degree. Woo hoo! Right now I'm trying to talk to some professors to see if they'll let me do some sort of creative writing project for the last class instead of having to go sit in a classroom. Wish me luck!

To My Beautiful Wife on our 9th Anniversary

2006-04-19T06:31:00.000-04:00

From the first moment I saw you across the lobby of the Omni Netherland Hotel, we both knew we had something special together. Since then we've become friends, lovers, husband and wife, and mom and dad together. I'm glad I married you and I don't regret it for a moment. You're still my best friend and I look forward to many more years of love and friendship. Happy Anniversary Terri!

Schoolwork and Life Get in the Way

2006-04-17T06:55:00.000-04:00

I haven't had much time over the last week to blog. I've been working on papers for school and then on Friday I found out my dad was in the hospital. I left work to go to the hospital, which is just up the hill from the college, and found my mother and brother there with my dad.

He wasn't in very good shape. I can only describe it as terrifying to see him like that. I've always known him to be big and strong, a solid presence in my life. Friday he was confused and weak and it scared the hell out of me.

After a couple days of rest and some strong antibiotics to deal with a serious infection, he seems much more like himself. I still feel somewhat shaken, though. I'm not ready to lose my parents. I don't think anyone is no matter how old he or she is.

I'm having a little trouble growing older myself right now, so maybe that's having an effect on my reaction to this situation. I can't stop to think about it much right now, but maybe acceptance of all the things in life, good and bad, just comes with time.

Diseases of the Spirit

2006-04-12T06:49:00.000-04:00

This week I've been suffering from a bad cold, lack of sleep and senioritis. I have several papers to do for school and several pressing projects at work and I don't want to do any of them.

After five years of night school, I'm just done. With the press of all the responsibilities of life, I just want to take a break. I know there're only a few more weeks of this term to complete and then one more class to take (I think, but more on that later), but I have so much resistence built up inside that it's hard to get anything done.

I can understand completely why so many people get almost all the way to the end and then give it up. I've put so much time and effort into finishing college that I've excluded so many things of value. I find myself questioning why I ever attempted this, why I kept going, desperately clinging to the hope that having a degree will make things better, will miraculously pave the way to bigger and better things.

I'm going to finish, but after all this time, I can't help but wonder if it was worth it.

Saturday Morning Writing

2006-04-08T07:57:00.000-04:00

Unfortunately, today I'm going to have to be writing papers for school instead of writing stories. I must have a hundred ideas, but they'll have to wait until I have more time for them. I do try to write them down when they come to me so I won't forget important details, though.

I realized last week that I'd come right up against the deadline for submitting the paperwork required for graduating. The deadline was yesterday, but I spoke to my program chair and he said he could probably get it submitted still if I get it to him by Monday or Tuesday.

I'm relieved, but I still have a couple of hoops to jump through before I can relax. I'm really looking forward to not having to worry about school anymore. There are way too many other things I have to turn my attention to.

More on Apple's Boot Camp Software

2006-04-07T11:12:00.000-04:00

Wired News has an article explaining in more detail some of the aspects of virtualization versus a dual boot setup. The case for using some sort of virtualization, which allows the user to simultaneously run applications on both operating systems at the same time, is made by some vendors who sell virtualization software.

While not invalidating the information they present, the virtualization vendors do seem to be a little too dismissive of the dual boot approach. Personally, I can see uses for each method. One use that is pointed out in the linked article is for gaming.

It's long been a complaint of Mac users that gaming software is limited and the best games are for Windows. It seems like Apple's Boot Camp would be the ideal solution for these users.

Technorati Tags: Apple Boot Camp Mac

Another Story Submitted

2006-04-07T06:53:00.000-04:00

I posted an excerpt from a story I'd been working on a while back. The story was then called "Hate," but I decided to change the title because it just didn't sound right to me anymore. Today I submitted it to Glimmer Train Stories as "Love in the Cool Dark." Wish me luck!

Technorati Tags: writing fiction

Another Birthday Picture

2006-04-06T06:16:00.000-04:00

I know I'm goofy, but here's another picture of Benjamin. This was taken at his birthday party. His sister Sienna is hiding behind him.

Happy Birthday Benjamin!

2006-04-05T12:37:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was the birthday of my youngest son, Benjamin. He was born on April 4th, 2005 and despite having to spend a few days at Cincinnati Children's Hospital due to fluid in his lungs, he's been a healthy and happy little guy.

I'm not the most religious person, but I thank God every day for Benjamin and his brother and sisters. He's a true blessing for me and my family. Here he is with his big sister Cora on Christmas day. I'll try to put up a picture from his birthday party later.

Apple's Boot Camp Public Beta

2006-04-05T12:21:00.000-04:00

Apple announced today the availablity of a software patch that will allow the new Intel Macs to boot and natively run Windows XP. It's only in beta now, but it's going to be part of the next version of OS X, codenamed 'Leopard.'

This is something users have been clamoring for since the news broke of Apple's move to the Intel processor. It's going to be a big deal in that it will finally allow Apple owners to have their cake and eat it, too. Many Mac users, myself included, have some need to use Windows for some tasks that may not be done on a Mac. This will enable us to finally ditch the imperfect emulation solutions and go with one computer for most tasks. This is good news.

Technorati Tags: Apple Boot Camp

Attracting More Readers To Your Blog

2006-04-05T06:43:00.000-04:00

Writer and poet Rose DesRochers has a great post on Todays-Woman.net about attracting a larger readership to your blog. There a lot of great suggestions there that go further than what can be found in the blogger help. Check it out.

Technorati Tags: writing blogging

Healthacker.com

2006-04-05T06:38:00.000-04:00

Be sure to check out the new site Toby Buckell's blogging for, Healthacker.com. Under the title it says, "Helping Geeks Get Healthy" and there are relevant articles and links to new health information geared primarily toward those of us immersed in the marvels of modern technology, that is, geeks. They're just getting started and have a lot to offer already.

Technorati Tags: health

Story: All About Billy

2006-04-03T10:10:00.000-04:00

Here's the beginning of a story I wrote a while ago. I just submitted it to Glimmer Train Stories. Feel free to comment.

He opened the door and she was standing there with her hand held up in mid-knock. She looked ridiculous in her big cut-off jeans and her dirty, faded tank top. The pink flip-flops completed the look. Maybe that had always been her look. Her eyes were tired. He realized he’d never seen her before without Billy.

"Hi," he said.

"Hi."

He stood out of the way and she shuffled into the apartment. It was sparsely furnished, but it had recently begun to take on some life, as he had himself. He had some furniture now, a couple of pictures on the white plaster walls and even a lava lamp on the countertop that sometimes reminded him of times with Billy.

He looked her over carefully as she plopped down on the sofa. She smelled like cigarettes and incense and everything about her seemed used and worn. Had she always looked like this? Funny how he struggled to remember after trying so hard to forget.

Technorati Tags: writing fiction

Networking

2006-03-29T08:58:00.000-05:00

A good post from writer Heidi Kneale about networking in the writing/publishing field. The gist of the article is that it's a great idea to get yourself out there and meet people in the field. Don't just stand on the sidelines and be a lurker. If you're really interested in this field or any other, get involved.

Of course, there are some rules to follow, but they are mostly matters of decorum that should be common sense if you've been on the web before. Above all, be polite. People will most likely respond in kind if you're nice to them. One more point: before commenting on another blog or discussion forum, check out the site or read the FAQ. This can help you to avoid those stupid questions (yes, there ARE stupid questions).

Update: Fixed bad link.

Technorati Tags: writing blogging networking

Where the Ideas Come From

2006-03-27T06:47:00.000-05:00

More from Jay Lake, but this time about where the ideas come from. This discussion is fascinating to me because everybody has a different way of coming up with ideas.

Personally, I work from images that just come to me. Something will strike me during the course of the day or it might be a lingering picture or scene from a dream. These form the seeds of my stories.

A lot of times I'll be thinking about something that happened to me a long time ago. This may be in an attempt to deal with it. I'm not sure. Sometimes it occurs to me that a pretty simple event actually had some deeper significance.

After reading Hemingway I realized that the simplest things could be very meaningful and that stories can be found in the most mundane happenings.

Technorati Tags: writing fiction

Busy Work

2006-03-26T19:53:00.000-05:00

Right now I'm finishing up a paper that was due Friday. I did get permission to turn it in tomorrow night, though. On top of me not being all that interested in the topic (Arthurian Literature), the professor described the assignment as just 'busy work' when we discussed it last week. That kind of pissed me off.

I've been teaching college courses part time for two years now and I've had to redesign every new course the first time I taught it. For some classes, I've modified what I teach every term. In each class, though, whenever I've found something that didn't fit with the central goal of the class, i.e. 'busy work,' I've dumped it. I don't see any point in assigning something that doesn't reinforce what the students are supposed to be learning.

This makes me feel a lot less interested in graduate school. If this is any indication of what I'll encounter when I get there, I'm not feelin' it. Going to school at night with a family and full time job is hard work. I'm glad I'm almost finished.

Procrastination and Laziness

2006-03-26T19:43:00.000-05:00

I know it's been a while since I posted anything. My goal is actually to post something every day, but it's sometimes hard to make myself do it.

As I've said before, I have plenty to say. It's just that leap past procrastination or laziness that defeats me. So, to my regular readers (there might even be two of you), I apologize.

It's kind of ironic that I teach a college course covering study skills and time management and one of the main topics is how to defeat procrastination. Do as I say, not as I do!

Anyway, I've been busy and lazy at the same time. Consumed by worry over mundanities to the point of letting things like the blog slip. I'll try to do better. Honest.

More from Jay Lake on Writing

2006-03-21T07:50:00.000-05:00

Jay Lake has an excellent post about writing speed. It's a must read for anyone seriously interested in writing. The numbers he quotes are impressive to say the least. Oddly enough, I find that I work best at a similar pace, but I lack his consistency. This is definately something for me to work on.

Mondays

2006-03-20T06:40:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it's Monday again. The weekends are way too short and seem to be getting shorter. Time does seem to go by more quickly as I get older. Hmmm...

It was another good weekend and I got to cook out for the first time in a while. We marinated a couple of big, fat steaks in something off the shelf from Kroger's and I sliced potatoes and onions for foil packs. We also had asparagus. If you haven't tried it grilled before, you're really missing out. Olive oil, salt and pepper and just throw it on the grill. Awesome.

Now back to the grind. No word count for today (beats self up), but I did start a new story over the weekend. Must. Finish. School.

Word Counts

2006-03-17T06:53:00.000-05:00

I've been thinking about posting word counts every day. A lot of other writers include them on their blogs and it might help to motivate me a bit, too. I've been so inconsistent lately with my writing that I'm still not sure I want to post about it. So, tentatively, I'll say that I've added around a hundred words to a story this morning.

It's a spec fic story that I started writing a while ago, maybe last summer. It's been sitting there on my hard drive collecting dust while I've worked on other things or just been too busy to write (at least that's my excuse).

When I opened up the file recently and read the first paragraph I got this terrible sinking feeling that it was just crap. Honestly, the first few lines were awful. They were stilted and pretentious, reminding me way too much of some of the highbrow literature that I've been assigned in my English classes.

The opening scene is pretty good, but the prose needs a lot of work. Well, that's my new project. I'm going to whip this story into shape and get it out there. I have some ideas for a couple more stories having some connection to this one that I'd like to write next. So, for today, my word count is about 100 words plus a bunch of revisions.

Instead of Writing

2006-03-16T06:37:00.000-05:00

Steve Leigh has a post about Ten Things To Do Other Than Writing. I think I could make a list of hundreds of things. This morning, besides checking out a few blogs and posting to my own, I'm grading papers (if I get to it). I'm definitely going to have to be more disciplined. But, the blogs, the blogs are calling me!

New Story Written

2006-03-15T06:37:00.000-05:00

I wrote another story yesterday. I just had an urge to get something out of my head and down on paper. It's a speculative fiction story based on some scenes out of a dream I had a long time ago, maybe more than once. This dream left an impression on me for some reason.

I don't have time right now to describe it in more detail, but I may in the future. On the most basic level it's about a man trapped in a maze. I've had a lot of dreams about wandering around in different kinds of mazes, or structures that were like mazes. This story sprung out of a vivid picture from one particular dream that stuck in my head.

The first draft of the story is about 2500 words and I wrote it in one sitting in a little over an hour. I'd actually intended to write it as a flash fiction piece, i.e. less than 1000 words, but it took more to tell the story. We'll see what happens once it gets through another revision.

Survival and Rejection

2006-03-14T06:11:00.000-05:00

Yes, I survived the weekend. I know I didn't post yesterday, but it was Monday and Mondays suck, right? The girls returned home after a successful trip and found us all reasonably intact. It was actually a pretty nice weekend.

And then I went back to work. Ugh.

On a brighter note, I got a nice rejection email today from Chris East at Futurismic. I expected as much since they can only buy about 12 stories a year, so there's stiff competition. The thing that sucks right now is that I don't have another story ready to shoot over to them. I have to be able to keep at least a couple out there circulating at any given time. Back to work, then...

Authorial Perspective

2006-03-11T11:36:00.000-05:00

I ran across some interesting ideas and comments regarding writer's thoughts on themselves and their work. It's part of a serious of posts on the topic from writer Jay Lake. I came across his page and his work relatively recently and have to say that I'm fascinated by his writing career and work ethic. In the last five years he's had a novel and more than a hundred short stories published. Simply incredible.

Babysitting and Submissions

2006-03-10T10:31:00.000-05:00

Today I'm home watching the kids while the wife is away with our oldest daughter at a speech competition. This is probably the first time I've had to watch the five youngest kids all by myself overnight. I've had to watch them before while she was in the hospital, but that was usually with the help of our teenager and before our youngest was born. I think I'll do okay, though. They'll be back tomorrow and things will be back to the normal level of chaos.

I submitted a story to Futurismic this week. I don't know if they'll like it, but I have a few more science fiction ideas that I'd like to pursue. Hopefully, I can knock out a couple quickly and get them in the mail (or electronically submitted) soon.

I have two or three mainstream fiction stories that are just about ready to submit, too. I've been doing a lot of market research lately to get familiar with the kind of publications that print this stuff. I'm debating where to submit first. There are so many markets out there to choose from. I want to start with those that pay the most and have a more reasonable response time.

What's reasonable for response times? For most short fiction markets it seems like around three months. Some can be much shorter than that, but most can take a while to get back to you. If you're interested in checking out some reports of response times from writers, go to Critter's Submitting to the Black Hole.

Another MacBook Pro Review

2006-03-09T13:42:00.000-05:00

Here's a non-technical review of Apple's new MacBook Pro laptop. The consensus seems to be that it's fast, powerful and expensive. I doubt that it's much more expensive than similarly equipped windows machines, though. How much do you have to pay to get a windows laptop with a dedicated video card (versus integrated video with shared RAM)? My sub $1000 iBook has one, too.

The new Intel Mac Mini was less than overwhelming (sorry, the shared RAM just about ruins it for me), but I still expect good things when the new iBooks are unveiled. Hopefully, this will be soon (June?) and will include some aggressive pricing of the low end models (and NO shared RAM!).

Reading: Paper versus Electronic

2006-03-06T15:37:00.000-05:00

All right, I'm being lazy again! I just got through a grueling (for me) week of school work and work work and I didn't feel like writing over the weekend. I just hung out at home and watched the kids while trying to catch up on a few months worth of magazines I had laying around.

I wonder why I bother with the magazines. They are out of date as soon as I get them in the mail or buy them off the newsstand. I guess I'm still old-fashioned enough that I like to read physical copies. I've never really liked reading books and stories online nearly as much as paper ones. I don't have any problem with news and blogs, though. Maybe it has something to do with the length...

I'd like to take more advantage of what's out there, though, as there really is a good variety of high-quality fiction available on the web. Check out Futurismic and Strange Horizons for speculative fiction stories (and other articles). If you're into mainstream fiction, take a look at The New Yorker Magazine. I'll try to add more links as I come across them.

Truth in the Age of Uncertainty

2006-02-28T06:59:00.000-05:00

I'm reading White Noise by Don DeLillo for a class called The Contemporary American Novel. The book is essentially a parody of modern American life circa 1984. What's so interesting to me about the story is the mutability, the uncertainty of truth as depicted in the text.

There's an undercurrent of rampant consumerism that practically floods the story. This is an intentional device that serves as a sort of backdrop for everything that happens. The characters are flighty, self-absorbed and obsessed with minutia. It's John Updike mixed with Kurt Vonnegut.

But what sticks out the most is that the main characters are never certain what's going on in the world around them or what's really going on within themselves. This does seem to be almost an anthem of the modern age. How many times a day do you question things you see or hear?

Our truth does in large part seem to be flexible. It depends, we say. Depends on what? That's what's hard to define. There are always gray areas, complications, ameliorating factors. Relativism. Is this the Age of Uncertainty?

Nine Inch Nails Show in Cincinnati

2006-02-27T15:42:00.000-05:00

Saturday night I went to see Nine Inch Nails at US Bank Arena in Cincinnati. It was a fun night despite muddy sound (possibly due to where we were sitting) and what I thought was a bit too short of a performance from Trent Reznor and company.

The opening act was a band called Moving Units, which I'd never heard of. I came away with a couple of observations of the band: they have an eighties retro sound that was kind of cool and they also need to work on the show part.

It might have just been a bad day for them, but the singer looked like he was really drunk (or something) and almost fell off the stage in the first 10 minutes or so of their set. After he picked up a guitar to play in the second or third song, he seemed to get his balance back. All in all, they weren't that bad, but could have been better.

Nine Inch Nails gave a great performance. They were both energetic and polished. I don't remember Trent talking at all; he just came out and did his thing and then left. It felt short. The guitar player was all over the place, though. He was jumping off of stuff and at the end, jammed his guitar through an amp and then threw it into the crowd. Pretty crazy, but cool.

The people around us were a trip, too. We had a lot of time to chat before the bands started and between shows. The guy in front of us had me cracking up; he would talk to us for a bit and then stop to make out with his girlfriend. A couple of times he turned his head away right after kissing her and belched loudly. This guy knows how to treat his ladies.

We had a great time, but I think I'd like to be down on the floor next time. I definitely prefer the shows where I've been closer to the bands.

Saturday Mornings and Being There

2006-02-25T09:12:00.000-05:00

It's Saturday morning again and I'm surrounded by what must be a hundred children. The funny thing is that there are only five of them here! The oldest had a friend sleep over and they're both still sleeping upstairs.

I know better by now than to try to get anything useful done at times like these. Of course I have plenty of things to do, more than I could possibly get done anyway, but what I've learned is that it's better to not even try when there's little chance of accomplishing anything.

This isn't a lament about my lack of time; what I'm getting at here is that I've realized in the last year or two that I've spent so much of my life, so many moments, wishing to be somewhere else or wanting to be doing something else.

This is a a great way to be perpetually unhappy. I think you'll be much happier if you try to live each moment by being there, really being there, wherever you are, one hundred percent. Now I'm going back to being here. See ya.

As Long As They're Talking About You

2006-02-24T06:30:00.000-05:00

A post I made over on Tobias Buckell's blog has elicited quite a bit of response. What I posted had to do with the need for a writer, especially a beginning writer, to write every day, or, at the least, frequently and regularly.

The problem appears to be that I came across to some people as being rather arrogant in suggesting that there is only one way to write successfully. I'm not going to contest this point as I think I actually do come across this way sometimes.

I don't want to beat a dead horse, either, so I will concede that there are many ways to write, each of them valid in some way. Admittedly, my choice of words in that post could also have been better.

Since it seems that the response wasn't entirely negative, or even if it was, is that a good thing anyway? Hasn't it been said that all press is good press, just as long as they're talking about you? Regardless, I'm hoping commenters and readers alike come to check out my blog to see what I'm really all about.

More Mad Mac Speculation

2006-02-23T16:45:00.000-05:00

Who knows what's true? Another Apple unveiling of new goodies has been announced for Tuesday the 28th. Speculation always runs wild before these events and pictures like this one appear all over the web (hat tip to Josh Smith, guest blogging today at Toby Buckell's like I was yesterday).

I'm hoping to see something like a new Intel-powered iBook with a dramatically lowered price. If Apple could sell a laptop at around $500 or so, I would bet that they could increase their market share quite a bit.

I Just Passed the US Citizenship Test!

2006-02-22T12:52:00.000-05:00

You Passed the US Citizenship Test

Congratulations - you got 10 out of 10 correct!

Could You Pass the US Citizenship Test?

First Guest Blog Post Is Up

2006-02-22T06:51:00.000-05:00

I've posted my first guest blog article at Toby Buckell's blog. If you're stopping by here today, make sure to go check it out and also read some of the other great posts available there. I will hopefully be posting some more there throughout the day.

Guest Blogging for Tobias Buckell

2006-02-20T22:01:00.000-05:00

I'll be guest blogging at Tobias Buckell's blog on Wednesday of this week. Make sure to go and check it out. I'll try to get some fresh posts up here as well. Don't worry; I have a lot more to say!

Days in June

2006-02-19T22:11:00.000-05:00

Tobias Buckell's post about his grandfather's recent death reminded me of my own experience. I'm thankful that I don't have the same conflicted memories.

My grandpa died a few years ago on a warm June day. I'm sorry, but I can't recall the exact date anymore. I do remember that it was a beautiful day. Grass and leaves were every shade of green and flowers were in full bloom already.

He had been in and out of the hospital in Cincinnati (in the 'city,' as he and the rest of the family out there in Indiana called it) for several years with emphysema and other problems. It was Thursday the night we went to see him at the hospital.

My mother (his oldest daughter) had called me and said that it didn't look good and that we should go and see him as soon as possible. I hated getting these calls. We, my sisters and brother and I, had gotten them with a sort of regularity over the last decade and things generally were never as bad as they sounded.

I went to the hospital that Thursday evening, taking along my wife of two years and my oldest son who had been born on Leap Day that year. I didn't know what to expect. When you get a call like that, you don't know. It could be very bad, or reassuringly normal in most ways.

This time was oddly normal. Grandpa seemed tired, pale, but he was himself. He had spent his whole life working hard, never complaining about the hand he'd been dealt in life. He was happy. He had built all that he had with his own hands.

He greeted us by name and was excited to see the son of his oldest grandson. I have a picture of him sitting there in a wheelchair, his hair white and his body thin and frail, holding my son who looked huge in his lap (he was huge). On Grandpa's face is a look of pure joy. It's that look that I remember.

A week later, I got another call from my mother. It was Thursday morning and I was at work. She told me that I should come out to Grandma and Grandpa's house right away. I stopped home to pick up my family and we went out there as quickly as we could.

When we got there, most of my mother's family was there. They talked nervously and tried to smile and laugh in that sad way that conveys clearly that they don't feel like smiling or laughing. There was a nun there who would lead them in a prayer every once in a while, a quick Our Father or Hail Mary that left me feeling rather empty.

They explained to me that Grandpa had been released from the hospital the night before and they'd brought him home. They'd had a late supper and he had sat at his table and eaten with Grandma and my aunt and uncle, but had been so tired he could barely finish and had to be helped to bed. He never woke up.

I remember sitting alone with Grandpa, watching him breathing so hard, every bit of air that he took in cost him the effort of his whole body. His eyes were closed. I sat there and didn't know what to say. I stroked his arm and held his hand and thought about our conversation in the hospital one week before.

He'd told me that the doctors said there was more that could be done, but that the decision had to be his. At his age there was only so much time left.

"What do you think, Ray?" He asked me. I remember telling him that it was about the quality of his life and he nodded. He knew the answer. He told me that his mother had lived to 88 and his father to 86. He was 87.

"That's a good age," he'd said. I nodded.

Before we left, I hugged him and he put his arm around me and kissed me on the cheek, scraping my cheek with his rough whiskers that I remembered so well from my earliest childhood.

"I love you, Grandpa," I said.

"I love you, too, Ray."

That next Thursday, he died while I sat beside his bed. My uncle had come in and my aunts, too, and we sat or stood around the bed as Grandpa stopped breathing. He died in his own bed in the house that he and his brothers had built with their own hands.

I walked outside a little later as we waited for the men from the funeral home to come pick Grandpa up. I sat outside with my uncle, my godfather, who had been up all night at his father's bedside. We said a few words about the weather and he closed his eyes and leaned his head back.

I stood on the front porch and looked at the farm around me, at the step right there where I'd sat so many times with Grandpa as he smoked his pipe and taught me things about life. I'd followed him around as a child and helped with anything I could and Grandpa always waited patiently for me and explained every little thing in his quiet voice.

What I remember the most from that day is how all the colors of the world seemed less bright, like they'd faded after too many washings. Inside, I felt emptied of something. I was sad, but I couldn't help but be proud of my Grandpa. He'd lived his life the way he wanted to. He'd raised his family the way he wanted to and worked hard to provide for them. In the sadness there was a sense of things being right.

I knew that in the end he'd died the way he wanted to. He had made up his mind, maybe that night a week before when we'd spoken at the hospital, alone after everyone else had left the room. In that quiet moment, I knew him better than ever before and finally knew him as a man. And that's how I'll remember him, as a man who worked hard and honestly, the way he saw fit, and died the same way.

Some Writing Tips from a Writer

2006-02-17T15:16:00.000-05:00

John Scalzi, author of Old Man's War and The Ghost Brigades among other novels and non-fiction works, has a few tips on writing. These ideas are geared toward non-writers who want the straight dope on writing without having to read a book or take a class, but they are pretty good ideas for anybody.

(Did you think I was referring to myself in the title? LOL. Maybe someday...)

Hate

2006-02-14T10:36:00.000-05:00

Here's a sample of the story that I'm currently revising. I'm about halfway through my second draft and I think I'll end up going through it one more time. Feel free to let me know what you think (if anybody's out there reading this; I think I hear crickets chirping. Nope, not even crickets. Sigh.)

Brad sat staring at his ragged high-tops dangling over the worn pavement. The dark shadows they cast flicked back and forth under the hot sun until he realized he was kicking his feet like a little kid. He stopped abruptly and let them drop back against the crumbly orange-red brick. He looked up at Jessie. She leaned against the low wall beside him, long, tan legs stretched out. Her painted thumbnails darted like tiny purple-headed cobras, striking the buttons in quick succession.

The bright heat of the day glared down on the dusty street. Cars slid by with low growls and swishing of air, hot streaks of light sliding along their glossy sides. The smell of sun-cooked pavement and car exhaust washed over the two on the sidewalk.

Brad squinted against the white sunlight and guessed that it might be almost three o’clock. He looked up sideways at Jessie, one eye squeezed shut and the other barely open. He opened his mouth to speak and then shut it, shaking his head as she started to talk to her phone.

“Yo girl, what’s up?”

Jessie’s face lit up and her intent expression changed into a wide-eyed smile. She kept talking into the tiny pink phone as she settled her shapely backside onto the cracked and dirty concrete ledge on top of the wall. Her quick fingers pushed her long hair behind an ear and then worked a small earpiece on as she leaned back.

“Oh, you know it.”

Brad sighed loudly and put his head down again, kicking the wall hard with both feet. He shifted his butt from one side to the other, pulling the cloth of his shorts away from his sweaty skin. They had spent the whole day in front of the tan brick townhouse where Jessie and her mother lived. He looked back at the building behind them. Her mother had left a couple of hours ago and still they sat out here in the heat while she talked on her phone.

She laughed loudly, throwing back her shiny dark hair and showing her smooth face to the blue sky. Brad looked up at her again. He couldn’t help staring at the delicate curve of her chin as she shook her head at the high wispy clouds, brows beetled in a severe, but stunning, look. His heart beat faster for a moment and he bit his lip.

“Oh yeah,” she answered sagely.

Brad didn’t even try to imagine what words of wisdom she so solemnly agreed with. In a moment she confirmed it or something like it, whatever it mattered.

“She is a total B.”

Priorities and revision

2006-02-13T10:26:00.000-05:00

There's something to be said for front-loading the things in your life that you want to be priorities. One way of accomplishing this goal is to schedule those things for the time of day when you have the most energy and focus. For me, that's usually the early morning (as long as I have coffee).

Today, I began trying once again to get back on schedule with both exercising and writing. I got off to a pretty good start with some time spent on the exercise bike while reading a book for class tonight. Then I got a cup of coffee and started back to revising a story that I wrote last summer.

I know, I'm pretty bad with the revisions, but I did complete the first draft. That's been my goal with writing for a while. First, I wanted to write with consistent frequency. That meant every day, if possible, and it usually is possible for me to spend at least half an hour writing each week day.

Next, I wanted to finish what I started. I had to get over the common feeling that it had to be good or even better, great, right out of the chute. For a lot of writers, that's hard to overcome. We all want what we write to be perfect and each of us also tends to be our own harshest critic.

But the fact of the matter is that you don't have to get it perfect the first time. That's what revision is for. For those of you reading this who do some writing, this probably isn't a new idea at all, but if you don't write, it may come as a surprise.

There aren't too many Mozarts out there who can create something perfectly the first time. Most people have to get it out of their head first, onto paper or canvas, into the clay or marble and then refine as they work until it's something approaching the shape of those initial ideas.

Steve Leigh has an interesting blog entry on his own approach to revision. It's a bit different from my own in that I like to get a complete first draft as quickly as I can before I do much revising, but every writer has his or her own approach and Steve's obviously works for him.

Jumping into the fray: Mac vs. PC

2006-02-09T18:47:00.000-05:00

After reading another discussion of the perennial Mac vs. PC argument, I was reminded of why I switched over to a Mac for my own personal computer.

I found the discussion in the comments of another blog. The owner of the blog had just posted about deciding to buy a Mac instead of a PC for his next computer. As you can imagine, all hell broke loose.

The camps were as divided as the Jets and the Sharks, Crips and Bloods, Democrats and Republicans. It was a bloody fight, but reasonably friendly, unlike in the examples above.

Over and over again, the same arguments and then counter arguments were made: Macs are cooler, PC's are virus-ridden, Macs are for posers, PC's are for geeks, etc, etc, etc. Everyone's heard this over and over again.

Of course, it made me think of my own reasons for switching. I'm a guy with lots of experience in the PC world, including an associates degree in computer engineering. I've been in the IT business for going on 10 years now and most of this time has been spent in using PC's running some version of Windows.

First, let me say that the Windows operating system is certainly not junk. In fact, XP is a very good operating system and worlds better than any of the previous versions. It more or less does the job and does it fairly well. Like every other OS out there, it does some things very well and others not so well. On to my reasons.

One of the points that is always brought up in any such discussion is that there is so much malware out there targeting Windows computers. This is a fact. Since I spend a great deal of time on computers every day, I've likewise spent a great deal of time dealing with problems caused by viruses and spyware. This is pretty common across the PC world.

When confronted with the fact of the malware problem, there are always numerous protests bringing up Apple's rather miniscule market share and studies showing the myriad vulnerabilities present in OS X and the underlying BSD system. I'm willing to concede that these may also be facts. Here's where the argument ends for me.

So, there are vulnerabilities in OS X. Some consider it to be just as unsecure as Windows (I tend to disagree, but let's give them that for the sake of argument). Who gives a shit? Really, who gives a shit?

The fact of the matter is that there are very few instances of viruses or spyware affecting Mac systems. Can you think of one offhand? I know I can't. What I do know is that I have spent many hours fighting to rid my Windows systems of infestations of malware, but not one second dealing with it on my iBook. That's enough for me.

Yes, there is a coolness factor to Macs that is appealing. The bottom line, though, is that I can get to work on my Mac just about as well as I can on a Windows machine, but without having to worry about dealing with malware or being bogged down by anti-virus or -spyware software that is constantly prompting me about something wanting to change the registry or something trying to run a process or virus definitions being out of date. On and on.

I don't care so much about the reasons for the way things are. They simply are the way they are. Computers are all about making life easier and getting things done. In the end, though, a carpenter can't get much done if he has to stop and fix his hammer after driving every 10 nails or, worse yet, pay a fee for someone to fix it for him.

More sick kids and busy, busy

2006-02-09T06:06:00.000-05:00

I've been too busy taking care of sick kids and doing school work to post lately. I had to take two of my little ones to the doctor on Monday due to hacking coughs and rapid breathing. It turns out that both of them have pneumonia. It wasn't entirely unexpected as we've seen it before in our twins last year. It is scary, though. It's a good thing we have caught it early when it's easy to treat. Both are them are doing much better now after a couple of days of antibiotics.

On the school front, I had to spend a lot of time over the last couple of days knocking out an essay for class. It was a typical literary analysis type deal. If you are or were an English major at one time, you'll be very familiar with the concept. I had to include some common themes from The Book of Daniel by E. L. Doctorow and Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison. Both books were interesting, although I probably wouldn't have picked them up on my own. I don't think I would read them again, either.

I wonder if I should start posting book reviews? Unfortunately, all of the books I'm reading right now aren't new and so any comment on them wouldn't be very timely. It's an interesting thought, though, and might generate a little more interest in this blog.

The dreaded anonymous post!

2006-02-06T18:43:00.000-05:00

I'm honored that someone has taken the trouble to post anonymously to my new blog. They cared enough to take the time to click the comment link and then decipher the word picture so that I could get their insightful opinion.

I'm enlightened. Now I know there is at least one person out there in the world who apparently does not give a shit what I think. What an amazing notion.

I'm picturing either a clove-smoking Dieter from Sprockets wannabe or some balding 40ish guy who lives in his mom's basement and looks at porn all night after getting home from his Quickie Mart job. Thanks, man! I'm truly humbled.

(Hey, but it's my first comment. Woo hoo!)

Update: The anonymous culprit has been identified. Unfortunately, I didn't get the inside joke... It was funny, though, right? Right?

First Impressions of Firefox

2006-02-05T12:17:00.000-05:00

After about a year of never being completely happy with Safari, I decided to give Mozilla Firefox a shot. I'm a relatively new Mac user, having purchased an iBook about a year ago. That wasn't my first Mac, but pretty close.

I tried to use the software that came on it as much as possible in order to save money and also to make things less complex. I wanted to spend more time actually using the computer to do some writing rather than playing around with new software all the time. Besides having to install Microsoft Office (sorry, I'm used to using Word), I've used almost exclusively what came with the computer. That includes Safari.

To be honest, Safari isn't a bad browser. It's been fairly reliable once I worked out some of the kinks with the wireless network. The problem is that it is pretty basic. It doesn't seem to have a whole lot of features.

I don't require a ton of bells and whistles in the software that I use most often, though. In fact, I prefer a more utilitarian approach, like Gmail, for instance. The lack of features in Safari isn't that bad. It just makes it boring. Also, there are pages out there that just won't work well with Safari. So after all this time of using Safari, I went ahead and downloaded Firefox.

My first impression of the browser is that it has a much more polished feel to it than Safari. It's obvious that a great deal of work has gone into creating it. It does feel a bit snappier than Safari, as claimed by the creators. I don't know if this is just a feeling or if it actually is measurably quicker. Regardless, it has a pleasingly responsive interface and is nice looking without having any nasty surprises. By nasty surprises, I mean anything that you would expect to be there, but discover to be missing.

For the most part, it's very simple and intuitive. It did take me a little while to figure out the RSS feeds, though. It turns out that all you have to do is click on the little Livefeed icon in the right hand corner of the location or address bar at the top of the window. Once you do that, the bookmark window comes up and you can place the bookmark on a link bar that appears below the location bar. When you click on the new bookmark, a list drops down showing recent posts. Pretty cool, huh?

I'm sure there are plenty of other features, like being able to use plug-ins and extensions, that make Firefox worth checking out, but the Livefeeds, tabbed browsing and active development of the software (unlike Safari, which almost seems like an afterthought) have sold me. I plan on using Firefox as my default browser for now, at least until something better comes along!

Wasting time again and dealing with sick kids

2006-02-03T14:19:00.000-05:00

Here I am again wasting time when I should be working. I was thinking that I should clarify the name of this blog since it probably makes no sense. I named it after a story I recently completed. Actually, I have to revise the story yet, but it's one that I really like for various reasons.

I'm still having a lot of trouble finding time to write. This week has been bad due to having a bunch of sick kids in the house. I haven't had anything like a full night's rest all week. I'm going to get back to it soon, though. I promise. No, I'm not crossing my fingers behind my back!

A bit more about me

2006-02-02T11:09:00.000-05:00

I probably haven't posted enough info about myself yet. Be gentle, I'm new to this!

I'm 35, married and I have six kids. Yes, for real. I live in the suburbs of Northern Kentucky and I work at a local community college in the IT department doing programming and systems analysis. I also teach classes from time to time to bring in some extra cash and also to do something a little different.

I'm currently taking classes at night to finish up my BA in English. When I tell people that, they usually look at me like I'm crazy and ask why. If they have to ask, it's usually not worth the trouble to explain it because they either don't know enough about me or they just don't get it. I'll have to go into more detail on that whole issue in another post. I should be done with my degree this summer anyway.

I've always had an interest in stories and writing, but it's only been in the past couple of years that I've gotten (relatively) serious about it. I took a few classes at NKU (that's Northern Kentucky University) in creative writing and loved them. If you're interested, one of my instructors was Stephen Leigh, writer of more than 20 science fiction and fantasy books and many short stories. I'll try to post a link to his site here if I can figure it out.

Since last summer, I've tried to get up early (like 5 or 5:30) every week day morning to work out and then spend half an hour to an hour writing. I started off well, but lately I've been slacking. I have around 30 some stories in various stages of development. I think 3 or 4 of them are finished and maybe 4 more need to be revised before they can be sent out. I have 2 novels that are started. One of them has about 3 and a half chapters done and the other almost 2.

Last year I made 4 submissions and recieved 4 rejections. I hope to top that this year, but so far I haven't done a damn thing. I have started in on the revisions and done a little planning on markets to submit to.

I guess I should say what it is that I write, huh?

Most of what I've written is main stream stuff. I have a few science fiction stories that I'm working on and maybe one fantasy, but mostly what seems to come out of me is mainstream. This came as a surprise to me when I started writing more. I thought I'd be a science fiction writer since that's what I grew up reading mostly. When I started writing more, though, a lot of it came from my own life experiences. It seems to be almost a cathartic process of getting things out of my system. I know what readers may be thinking at this point: this guy's stuff probably sucks! Maybe so, but hopefully some editor out there will give me a shot and people will get a chance to decide for themselves.

I think that's enough for now.

The first post: what should I say?

2006-01-31T16:06:00.000-05:00

So, this is my first post. I've wanted to have a blog for a while now and I'm finally getting around to it. Here, if you should stumble across it, you'll find (hopefully) regular postings about me, my life and my attempts at writing fiction and getting it published.