Jim’s Brain Online

Posted by Jim at September 16th, 2007

I’ve been reading stories online lately.

I’m thinking specifically of Banter Latte, but I’ve noticed other* places** that are doing the same sort of thing.

By the “same sort of thing,” I mean putting original fiction online–not fan-fiction or slash.

Sometimes I think it would be fun to post some stories myself. It would certainly be easier than starting a web comic. For one thing, I wouldn’t be limited by either a) the fact that I can’t draw or b) finding an artist that would be willing to draw what I write without pay.

There would, of course, be some things to consider. For example, the fact that I’d have zero chance of publishing whatever I post. Publishers want the right to publish things for the first time and web sites count.

Thus I’d have to come up with a concept that is simultaneously cool enough to want to spend time on but also unpublishable. That way I only gain in that whatever I write has the potential to create interest in my writing while not losing whatever (small?) chance it had of appearing in a book or magazine.

Another thing to think about though, is that the speed at which I write is pretty slow. Thus, writing much of anything and publishing it on my blog would probably take time away from my novel–something I’m not enthusiastic about.

Another possibility? Just serializing my novel and password protecting it. That way friends of mine who want to read and comment on it can and it wouldn’t officially be published. Plus I’d get feedback on what works for people and what doesn’t.

On the other hand, I’d also lose the benefit of posting online in the first place in that people couldn’t randomly come upon a story of mine, like it, and stick around.

Of course, I could do both…

So anyway, there’s something for me to think about. With any luck, I actually will.

* Star Harbor Nights is superhero fiction and partly responsible for my current urge to play superhero games. Banter Latte can be blamed for the other half of that urge.

** Tales of MU, though interesting and well-written, includes more sex than I’m really comfortable with. I guess that makes me a prude.

Posted by Jim at September 11th, 2007

At the risk of making this blog a repository of obituaries for artists whose work I’ve enjoyed, I thought I’d mention that Joe Zawinul died today.

Joe Zawinul was one of the innovators in jazz’s fusion movement, bringing elements of rock into jazz. Among his many contributions, he played with Miles Davis and Cannonball Adderley and founded his own band, Weather Report.

While leading Weather Report, he hired Jaco Pastorius, an innovative bass player whose ideas still influence bass players today.

I guess what I’m trying to say here is that Zawinul was significant. Check out his music.

Posted by Jim at September 9th, 2007

Before you read what follows, you might want to read the following article:
Will Guns Make Schools Safer?

If it disappears on you (and it likely will after a few days), here’s the gist of it. Michigan State Representative David Agema (R-Grandville) introduced a bill last week that would allow teachers to have
a gun in school.

As an added bonus, it would also allow parents to carry concealed weapons while transporting their children to and from school.

Interestingly, all the school officials and school security guards interviewed are against the bill.

Agema’s reasoning (according to the Grand Rapids Press) appears to be that it will make terrorists and potential school shooters think twice before targeting Michigan schools.

In all honesty, it seems like a horrible idea to me and not just slightly horrible, but actually horrible in a way that tempts me to make hyperbolic statements about Representative Agema.

Rude hyperbolic statements.

I’m not going to do that, however, because from what I understand he’s a decent guy. In this case, however, he’s a decent guy who’s come up with a really bad idea.

If you’ll forgive me, I’ll run through the reasons I think it’s a bad idea:

Teachers are Teachers and Not SWAT Teams: Changing That Will Be Expensive
1. While the article mentions that teachers will receive special weapons training, I can’t help but be curious about the details of that. Simply knowing how to fire a weapon at a target would not be enough.

Off the top of my head, I’d want them to know the following: small unit tactics so that they can coordinate with other gun carrying teachers, enough knowledge of police techniques that they don’t interfere with police efforts, weapons knowledge (of course), and regular refresher courses so that they don’t forget what they’ve learned.

I can’t help but think that this might be expensive. If so, I wonder if the money might be better spent on educating children as opposed to, you know, shooting them.

Mind you, they might not go with anything near as extensive as the sort of training that I’d argue for. In that case, my other objections come out in full force…

Putting More Guns Into the Mix Doesn’t Automatically Improve the Situation
2. Teachers that aren’t coordinating with the police might accidentally get into firefights with the police.

3. Also teachers that aren’t coordinating with each other might get into firefights with each other.

4. Teachers that miss their intended targets might hit students that aren’t involved.

5. The parents who might be carrying concealed weapons to school aren’t required to take any additional training at all. As such, the previous points apply to them as well.

6. Instead of making it harder for students to commit crimes, it might make it easier for them to obtain guns–if they know which of their teachers are carrying them.

Can We Solve an Improbable Situation By Sprinkling Our Schools Randomly With Guns?
7. By encouraging teachers and parents to bring guns to school, it seems that we’re replacing something improbable with a more concrete problem.

Specifically what I mean by that is that terrorist attacks and school shootings (though well publicized when they happen) are uncommon.

By contrast, people do shoot themselves (or others) accidentally while cleaning a gun or even by pulling the trigger too early. During deer season, it seems that someone almost always gets shot instead of a deer.

People also sometimes misinterpret people’s intentions. To put it another way, the more nervous people you have carrying guns and looking for school shooters (or terrorists), the more likely that someone is going to mistake an innocent occurrence for something more sinister.

Police are trained in procedures to follow to determine whether it’s wise to shoot or not (and how to avoid shooting).

The general public is not.

Do you know what? The police still make mistakes despite their training. I’m not excited about finding out whether the general public will do better without it.

Posted by Jim at September 7th, 2007

Madeleine L’Engle died yesterday.

I’d write about her significance but I’m sure others have done it better. Still, I remember reading her books as a child and teenager, and, even as an adult. Despite being mostly categorized as books for children and “young adults,” her books are simply good books.

My personal favorites are “The Arm of the Starfish” and “The Young Unicorns.”

Interestingly, she attended my church on at least one occasion. I didn’t meet her at the time. I only know this because someone took a picture and they kept it up in the church for years.

The New York Times Obituary
NPR’s Obituary

Posted by Jim at August 19th, 2007

I’ve had a few things on my mind lately, none of which have made it into blog entries. To list a few: the use of race in science fiction/fantasy, observations about life as a web developer, meditations on the fact that my kids started school last week, and maybe a couple other things that escape me right now.

Of the many things I could write about, I thought I might mention going to Triponds a couple weeks ago.

Triponds is a “family” campground. By family, I mean “oriented towards children.” The basic attraction of the place is that kids can have fun there.

They can go swimming, fishing, catch frogs, do crafts, listen to stories and go on hayrides. It is not so much a place for camping in an exotic location–unless you find southwestern Michigan exotic. It is near the Allegan State Game Area so there is plenty of hiking, canoing and presumably hunting (though it’s not like I checked for that) available.

For adults who don’t want to leave the campground? Um… Well, there’s free wi-fi for 30 minutes a day. After that you have to pay. To be honest though, I brought my laptop and was on around an hour a day and never got cut off.

I went to Triponds with my parents every Fourth of July for much of middle school and high school.

We went with five or six other families, renting out several campsites that were next to each other. From what I remember, I would spend the next few days playing, swimming, and reading. In the meantime, the parents would either watch kids and talk, play golf (they had a two hole “course”), or take care of the many details of camping (like washing dishes and so on).

I also remember singing together at the campfire, group meals, and of course roasting marshmallows.

It’s a little different as an adult. Kristen and I took care of all the details of camping (meals, carting kids to and from the bathroom, watching them to make sure they didn’t drown in the swimming pond). We also didn’t stay in the campground the entire time. We took a trip to Saugatuck because we didn’t really feel like watching kids swim for the second day in a row.

We’ll probably go back next year. Our kids had a good time.

That being said, we’re tempted to try to get a group of people interested. It would be more fun for us for a number of reasons. For one thing, it turns out that camping as a group seems to be how things get done at Triponds. My family wasn’t alone in that. We met a number of people doing the same thing.

Most of our friends aren’t particularly interested in camping, but Triponds does rent a few cabins. It’s something to think about, anyway.

Posted by Jim at August 8th, 2007

Once or twice a year I get the urge to link to a post from the blog “Worse Than Failure,” formerly known as “The Daily WTF.”

This is one of those times.

It’s a blog about bizarre occurrences in the jobs of computer professionals. Sometimes the humor is related to bad programming practices and isn’t very accessible.

This isn’t one of those times.

There’s nothing that I can add in my attempt to entice you to read it that wouldn’t blow the funniest bit in it. Just go there. The piece is entitled:

The Pie T Department

Posted by Jim at August 6th, 2007

One night during college I was sitting in a friend’s car and talking. As I was talking I would occasionally make a gesture with my hands. At one point, I raised my index finger as I explained something.

As I did this a campus police car came around the corner, drove past the car (which was parallel parked) and stopped.

The policeman (who I can only assume had stopped one too many parties that weekend) got out of the car, knocked on the window and then proceeded to lecture me on how I had no right to flip him off.

I wasn’t able to persuade him that I’d raised a different finger. Fortunately, he didn’t bother (or didn’t have the ability) to charge me with anything.

Oddly enough, to judge from the following article, it appears that I might have been paid thousands of dollars if he had.

Motorist who made obscene gesture to cop awarded $3,000

It makes me start to reconsider my tendency toward being respectful of authority.

Posted by Jim at August 1st, 2007

When I was a kid, I remember reading about “the boy in the bubble.”

You may remember that? A boy with some sort of immune deficiency disorder was put in a plastic bubble practically from the moment he was born.

I never remember hearing whether he’d died or eventually left the bubble. It turns out that he did die and that his story was sadder than I remember the press reporting it.

The Boy in the Bubble article…

Posted by Jim at July 21st, 2007

Started: Just after noon when the UPS truck arrived.
Finished: Around midnight–read close to straight through–with interruptions like making meals, going to the grocery store a couple times, and putting kids to bed.

Worth it? Yes.

More later.

Posted by Jim at July 20th, 2007

There’s already a summary of the plot of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows up on Wikipedia.

I haven’t read it. I’m mostly immune to being bothered by spoilers, but the plot summary is so long that I’m afraid that it will blow every surprise in the book.

Thus, I’m skipping it for the moment.