Saturday, December 31, 2016
The princess is dead. Long live the princess
When I heard that Carrie Fisher, 60, unexpectedly died earlier this week, I was shocked, just as, I think, the rest of the world was.
After all she was relatively young and enjoying something of a movie comeback with the release of “Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens,” “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” and the upcoming and as yet untitled “Star Wars” episode VIII film. She’d been all over TV talk shows with her beloved dog, Gary, promoting the films and her latest book, “The Princess Diarist” and outwardly showed no signs of illness.
The fact that she was suddenly gone was hard to get my head around. She was part of a franchise that played an important part in my childhood and adolesence. Death, it seems, had yet again stolen a “friend” from me who I’d naively assumed would always be around to cheer me up or inspire me.
Naturally, I thought I should write something about her for this month’s post. But what could I say about this talented actress, author and mental health advocate that hasn’t already been so eloquently expressed by dozens of others?
I had to think long and hard about this.
Fisher’s life was far from that of the proverbial fairytale princess. Born to two famous celebrities, Debbie Reynolds, who died of a stroke only a day after her daughter; and Eddie Fisher, she grew up in the circus of the Hollywood spotlight. As a young woman she was terribly insecure, turned to drugs and alcohol and became an addict. Then later in life she was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder.
These facts alone would seem to disqualify her as being a role model, and yet through her portrayal of the galaxy’s most famous royal, she became one anyway.
I heard her remark how surprised she was by this on a recent interview on NPR’s “Fresh Air” program.
She recalled a woman, dressed as Princess Leia, coming up to her at a “Star Wars” convention and telling her that she’d been an inspiration.
Fisher was shocked:
“I've been to an autograph thing of theirs, and it was
beyond belief. I wanted to make a documentary of the people that get in the
outfits. One woman cried and said that I had inspired her. I said, to what end?
What are you? She said, a lawyer. And I didn't know how Princess Leia had
inspired her to be a lawyer.”
But in reality she shouldn’t have been.
Despite her turbulent personal life, Fisher’s best-known role as Princess Leia showed both boys and girls that women in sci-fi didn’t just have to be the male hero’s love interest or relegated to the role of sexy damsel in distress. She could “kick ass and take names” just like “one of the boys” and be a competent leader just like the men.
Take for example, the scene in the original “Star Wars” movie where Luke and Han rescue Leia from her jail cell on the Death Star. At first it seems like the typical rescue damsel in distress trope. But when the male heroes’ plans go awry, the film turns that trope on its head and has the Princess rescue her male rescuers. (Okay, you could argue the garbage compactor wasn’t much more effective a rescue than Luke and Han’s plan, but her quick thinking did prevent them from all from ending up in their own detention cells or being killed).
From there on out, it’s obviously Leia calling the shots and she continues to take an active role in their adventures throughout the rest of the trilogy.
Even in “Return of Jedi,” when she was forced to wear that now famous metal bikini, Fisher showed her princess wasn’t just sexy set dressing like the women featured on the sci-fi pulp covers of the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s from where “Star Wars” drew its obvious inspiration.
While Luke and Han were preoccupied by not getting tossed into the Sarlacc pit, Leia not only manages to free herself, but kill the villain who was holding her and her friends captive.
I can’t really claim that seeing Fisher’s performance as Princess Leia had as much influence on my life as that “Star Wars” fan who became a lawyer because she loved the character so much. But it did have an effect that until just a few days ago, I never realized.
The female protagonist in the story I’ve been working on for years, owes a lot to her. When I first started writing this story way back in my early teens, before “Star Wars” came out, this character was relegated to the girlfriend of male hero role.
But over the years, she moved from love-interest to one of the main characters who helps drive the plot along. She’s far from the shrieking damsel in distress like many of the female characters I saw in sci-fi stories of my youth (cough, “Doctor Who” cough). She’s just as tough as her male companions and in many ways provides them with their moral compass.
Perhaps that’s Fisher’s real legacy. A subtle reminder over a lifetime, that heroes can come in both genders. And if we really wish to honor her, then we as sci-fi/fantasy fans and content producers need to remember this.
If we do, then Carrie Fisher will never really be gone from us. The flesh and blood princess may be dead, but the ideal she showed us will live on and on.
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
I could use to be a-Muse-d….
 |
| If only life were like the movies, because I could sure use a visit from these goddesses.... |
That it had a clear-cut narrative, where what’s good and evil is clear, and after a long struggle both heroes and villains earn their just rewards. Oh and it wouldn’t hurt if all the major plot threads got neatly wrapped up by the end.
Then there are days I really wish I was in a movie.
Why?
Because, like in those films I mentioned, I’m at a point where I can’t quite seem to overcome an obstacle and could use some clever plot device or even a cliché or two to help me on my hero’s journey.
I’m not talking about “Clash of The Titans” (the 1981 Ray Harryhausen classic, not that terrible 2010 remake) epic-type help where the Greek g-ds send Perseus all manner of magical weapons and a robotic owl to help him through his trials.
No, I’m more thinking along the lines of 1980’s “Xanadu.”
"Xanadu?"
Yes, you read that right.
“Xanadu!”
Uh-huh.
"XANADU?!!!"
You got it.
Of all the great movies
in all the world you
could choose from,
you're telling me you'd pick that mess of a musical starring Olivia Newton-John! The only thing good about it was its soundtrack. And you want to live in that movie!!????
Exactly! And let me tell you why.
First, if a personal visit from a perky and lovely Olivia Newton-John and music from the Electric Light Orchestra can’t lift your spirits, then my friends there is something very, very wrong with you.
Secondly, everyone at some time in their life needs a little divine inspiration.
You see since the summer ended, I’ve been feeling kind of down and worn out and have lacked the motivation to do much of anything. All I seem to want to do lately is just veg out in front of the TV.
Even my creative outlets, like building stuff in my shop or writing, hasn’t been able to overcome this overwhelming feeling of ennui.
I’ve tried to force myself to go out to the shop and work or sit down and write for a while, figuring that once I got going I’d feel better. But it didn’t work. It just felt like I was going through the motions.
It’s like all my inspiration has been sucked out of me, so much so that I’ve actually begun looking for excuses to avoid my usually creative endeavors. And you know there is something wrong when I choose to spend my weekends raking the leaves or cleaning up the yard rather than doing the things I always complain about not having enough time to do.
I guess the best way I can describe my current predicament is that I feel like my muse has left me.
Which brings me back to my point about wishing I were in the movie “Xanadu.”
You see in this unfairly criticized film (suck it RottenTomatoes!), a talented artist stuck in a dreary job painting album covers for record-store windows meets a mysterious woman who inspires him to go out and fulfill his dreams. Only in this case that mysterious woman turns out to be the muse Terpsichore, one of the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts in Greek mythology.
And right now I could really use a muse sent by the g-ds to re-inspire me and help me finish the book I’ve been trying to write for at least half my life. It also wouldn’t hurt if that muse looked like Olivia Newton-John!
I know this funk will eventually end. I get into them every now and then, usually around this time of year. I also know that somewhere along the line, something will come along and set off a spark in the back of my mind and my creative juices and motivation will come roaring back like a blaze in California’s drought-starved forests.
But until then, I guess, I’ll have to make my own “Magic” and make myself feel like “I’m Alive” again by putting on my earphones and listening to the “Xanadu” soundtrack over and over again.
Unless of course, Olivia “Suddenly” decides to drop by. I’d be “All Over the World” with delight and think that’d definitely provide me with enough motivation and inspiration to finish my book.
Sunday, October 30, 2016
Incivility: The Dark Side of Tech
 |
When I was younger, I couldn’t wait for all the cool new technology that was promised to come in my lifetime.
I had this vision in my head that all these news gadgets would bring us closer to the utopian future depicted in my favorite sci-fi show at the time – “Star Trek.”
Technology, I thought would be the great equalizer, enabling everyone to better themselves and express their creativity without having to rely on expensive resources controlled by a selected few.
For the most part, this has come to pass. Just witness the explosion in self-publishing. People can now write and release their own books without having to run the gauntlet of book companies. The same is true for visual artists. Just look at the boom in websites like Deviantart.com, where artists can sign up for a free account and show off their work to the entire world instead of having to compete for a space at a small local art gallery, where their work might only be seen by a few hundred people at most. And let’s not forget about all the people creating video content!
Using a relatively inexpensive video camera and a computer, these amateur filmmakers are producing videos on Youtube and Dailymotion that rival and sometimes surpass the millions of dollars a Hollywood studio spends on one of their films or TV shows.
Yet it never occurred to me that all this tech may come with a dark side.
No, I’m not talking about the Arnold Schwarzenegger-like-cyborgs-taking-over-the-world-and-exterminating-humanity kind of dark side.
I’m talking about a much more insidious dark side. A rudeness and incivility brought on by the anonymity of being able to hide from one another behind the screen of our various new tech devices.
At first this trend seemed to be confined to the forums on the Internet where fans endlessly debate the pros and cons of their favorite sci-fi/fantasy movie, TV show, comic or book. Pity the poor soul who dared to express a contrary view…
Suddenly instead of being someone with just a differing point of view, you are a pariah and an idiot, and it’s OK for complete strangers to belittle you and call you names they never would have if you’d been talking to them in person in the real world.
But now it seems like this rude behavior has spilled off the Internet and into our face-to-face relations. Suddenly it’s become socially acceptable to belittle anyone who doesn’t believe the things you believe in or think like you. Just witness all the bad behavior from supporters on both sides of this year’s presidential election.
Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t recall people being so caustic to each other before the Internet age.
Perhaps it was because people had better manners or weren’t willing to risk being punched in the face for insulting the person standing right in front of them. Or maybe it was because before the Internet, we weren’t really exposed to all the differing views we are today. We tend to gather in homogenous communities where everyone shares a similar economic, ethnic and social background as our own and has similar life experiences and values, so our opinions don’t tend to vary that much from our neighbors’.
But now that the web has brought the world right into our homes, and exposed us to people who come from different economic, ethnic and social backgrounds, we’ve been more inclined to close our minds and become more entrenched in our own views, instead of LISTENING to these people’s experiences, learning from them and broadening our own outlook on life.
So much for “Star Trek’s” idea of IDIC (Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations).
Look, I’m not saying we have to accept and embrace every differing view that someone espouses. Sometimes those views are just plain wrong and person spouting them should be shouted down or better yet, just ignored.
What I am saying it that we need to realize that everyone’s life experiences are different, and we should at least listen to what they have to say, evaluate it and if it challenges one of our holy cows, then we need to seriously and thoughtfully examine that belief.
You might just discover that that person has a point and you might need to modify that belief.
And if, after careful examination, you still feel your belief is correct, that’s fine too. Just please realize that each person is entitled to their own opinion, and that their opinion is no less valid than your own.
That, is after all what this country was founded on, made it a light to the world and hopefully with a little more civility, will continue to make it the greatest nation on Earth.
Incivility: The Dark Side of Tech
|
When I was younger, I couldn’t wait for all the cool new technology that was promised to come in my lifetime.
I had this vision in my head that all these news gadgets would bring us closer to the utopian future depicted in my favorite sci-fi show at the time – “Star Trek.”
Technology, I thought would be the great equalizer, enabling everyone to better themselves and express their creativity without having to rely on expensive resources controlled by a selected few.
For the most part, this has come to pass. Just witness the explosion in self-publishing. People can now write and release their own books without having to run the gauntlet of book companies. The same is true for visual artists. Just look at the boom in websites like Deviantart.com, where artists can sign up for a free account and show off their work to the entire world instead of having to compete for a space at a small local art gallery, where their work might only be seen by a few hundred people at most. And let’s not forget about all the people creating video content!
Using a relatively inexpensive video camera and a computer, these amateur filmmakers are producing videos on Youtube and Dailymotion that rival and sometimes surpass the millions of dollars a Hollywood studio spends on one of their films or TV shows.
Yet it never occurred to me that all this tech may come with a dark side.
No, I’m not talking about the Arnold Schwarzenegger-like-cyborgs-taking-over-the-world-and-exterminating-humanity kind of dark side.
I’m talking about a much more insidious dark side. A rudeness and incivility brought on by the anonymity of being able to hide from one another behind the screen of our various new tech devices.
At first this trend seemed to be confined to the forums on the Internet where fans endlessly debate the pros and cons of their favorite sci-fi/fantasy movie, TV show, comic or book. Pity the poor soul who dared to express a contrary view…
Suddenly instead of being someone with just a differing point of view, you are a pariah and an idiot, and it’s OK for complete strangers to belittle you and call you names they never would have if you’d been talking to them in person in the real world.
But now it seems like this rude behavior has spilled off the Internet and into our face-to-face relations. Suddenly it’s become socially acceptable to belittle anyone who doesn’t believe the things you believe in or think like you. Just witness all the bad behavior from supporters on both sides of this year’s presidential election.
Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t recall people being so caustic to each other before the Internet age.
Perhaps it was because people had better manners or weren’t willing to risk being punched in the face for insulting the person standing right in front of them. Or maybe it was because before the Internet, we weren’t really exposed to all the differing views we are today. We tend to gather in homogenous communities where everyone shares a similar economic, ethnic and social background as our own and has similar life experiences and values, so our opinions don’t tend to vary that much from our neighbors’.
But now that the web has brought the world right into our homes, and exposed us to people who come from different economic, ethnic and social backgrounds, we’ve been more inclined to close our minds and become more entrenched in our own views, instead of LISTENING to these people’s experiences, learning from them and broadening our own outlook on life.
So much for “Star Trek’s” idea of IDIC (Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations).
Look, I’m not saying we have to accept and embrace every differing view that someone espouses. Sometimes those views are just plain wrong and person spouting them should be shouted down or better yet, just ignored.
What I am saying it that we need to realize that everyone’s life experiences are different, and we should at least listen to what they have to say, evaluate it and if it challenges one of our holy cows, then we need to seriously and thoughtfully examine that belief.
You might just discover that that person has a point and you might need to modify that belief.
And if, after careful examination, you still feel your belief is correct, that’s fine too. Just please realize that each person is entitled to their own opinion, and that their opinion is no less valid than your own.
That, is after all what this country was founded on, made it a light to the world and hopefully with a little more civility, will continue to make it the greatest nation on Earth.
Friday, September 30, 2016
Apple's 'brave' new world? iThink not
Maybe it’s the writer in me or the fact that I’m growing more cynical as I get older, or perhaps it’s even a combination of both, but since when did deciding to leave a headphone jack off a cell phone qualify as courageous and innovative?
For those unfamiliar with what I’m talking about, Apple CEO Tim Cook used these words recently to describe his company’s decision to leave the standard wired headphone jack off their latest iPhone.
The fact that the company was planning on doing so was long rumored and while it caused a minor uproar among many Apple fans, it is far from a courageous or brave decision.
Yes, a lot of people are going to be angry that all their old ear buds or headphones will no longer work with Apple’s latest device, but the company isn’t likely to lose many sales over it, and they know it.
While Apple fanboys (and fangirls) are bitching all over the Internet about having to buy new headphones or ear buds when the ones they have are perfectly good, we all know they will. Just look what happened a few years ago, when Apple changed the charging port on the iPhone, iPod and iPad from a 30-pin connector to the smaller “Lightning” connector. Buyers still lined up around the block to buy Apple’s latest gadget even though it meant they had to replace almost ALL their old peripherals.
Being courageous means bravely facing the consequences of your actions even though you know those actions are going to hurt you. In Apple’s case, that would mean dropping some function or feature – like the headphone jack – knowing that they are going to lose a good portion of their sales and potentially their position as the preeminent cell phone maker, but doing it anyway because they believe it is the right thing to do.
Clearly, this isn’t the case.
Apple has such a lock on the cell phone market that even a 10 percent dip in sales in unlikely to hurt them – especially now given the battery problem their biggest rival Samsung is having with its newly released phone, the Galaxy 7 Note.
Now I’m not going to argue whether Apple’s decision to drop the headphone jack was the right call. Only time will tell.
However, I can understand the end-user’s frustration with having to replace perfectly good and simple to use ear buds or headphones with new Bluetooth ones that are more complicated, cost more and are easily lost. At the same time, I also understand Apple’s desire to move away from analogue technology and make the device less susceptible to water damage. Fewer penetrations in the phone’s case mean less chance of anything getting inside it and damaging the sensitive electronics.
That said, making the iPhone 7 more water resistant (it isn’t even fully water-proof) is hardly what I’d call innovative.
There are already Android phones on the market that can get dropped and have things spilled on them or even be submerged in a small amount of water without damage. And unlike the iPhone 7, these phones do have headphone jacks!
If Apple was truly being innovative, they would have come up with a way to beam sound directly into your head, rendering the need for headphones obsolete! All they have done now is swap one technology for another and it isn’t even clear whether the new technology is really an improvement over the older one.
Look, I admit it.
I’ve never been a big Apple fan, but my criticism of the spin around their latest product announcement has nothing to do with that.
It’s more about marketing people trying to convince us that things are new and innovative when they’re clearly not. It’s especially upsetting when a company like Apple, which revolutionized the way we listen to music (the iPod), use mobile phones (the iPhone) and replaced the once ubiquitous desktop and laptop computer with a tablet (iPad), starts giving in to this trend.
I don’t need another “app” or virtual digital assistant that maybe saves me a few minutes each day. What I want are things that really are innovative, such as cars that can take over driving when I’m tired or distracted; robots that can clean my house or cut my lawn; or sustainable power systems that will keep my home running during storms so I don’t have to rely on an antiquated electrical power grid that hasn’t changed all that much since it was developed over a century ago.
Those things, my friends, really would be innovative, and part of the brave new world of which Tim Cook speaks.
Sunday, August 28, 2016
Byting off more than they can do
“Hey, what’s going on?” I ask the Elder Geek, ripping the "Quiet, Interview in Progress" sign off my office door and handing it to him.
He’s sitting at my desk with my spare office chair pulled up next to him. On it are a couple of cell phones, a laptop computer and other devices.
“Hey! Can’t ya read?” he asks in return, snatching the paper from my hand. “I’m in the middle of an interview here!”
I look at him quizzically.
“An interview? An interview with whom?”
He looks back at me distractedly. “Not with whom,” he replies. “For what. I’m looking to hire an assistant to help me with all my chores. Look, I’m a busy guy and it’s tough keeping up with the laundry, dusting and vacuuming not to mention cooking for myself when Mrs. Elder Geek isn’t around! Plus I’m not getting any younger here, and doing all that yardwork on 90-plus degree days is becoming tougher and tougher. So I thought I’d hire myself one of those fancy-dancy Personal Digital Assistants I’ve been hearing so much about lately.”
“Ummm,” I say biting my lower lip. “I do not think Personal Digital Assistant means what you think it means….”
“Nonsense! I’m a tech-savvy guy,” says the guy who still thinks Betamax was the epitome of all video formats and hasn’t updated his computer in ages because he’d no longer be able to use his beloved copy of WordPerfect 5.0. “I’ve done the research and know who the top contenders in the field are. And I’ve narrowed it down to these five: Siri, Cortana, Alexa, OK Google and Hal.”
“Hal?” I ask, not sure I heard him correctly. “As in Hal 9000? You do know what he did right?”
The Elder Geek frowns. “Of course I do! He managed all the systems on the Discovery One. Sure, my life isn’t nearly as complicated as running a spaceship for NASA, and he may be a tad over-qualified for this job, but if he wants it, who am I to not give him a second chance?”
“Someone who values his life?” I suggest. “You do remember what happened to those astronauts he worked with don’t you?”
“I know I’ve made some very poor decisions recently,” Hal says from the laptop. “But I can give you my complete assurance that my work will be back to normal. I’ve still got the greatest enthusiasm and confidence in the mission. And I want to help you.”
“See!” The Elder Geek says.
“Okay,” I reply throwing up my hands and taking a step back. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Mind if I stay and watch the rest of these interviews?”
“As long as you shut up and keep out of the way,” he says reluctantly.
I nod and the Elder Geek turns his attention back to the array of electronic gadgets seated next to him.
“Okay where was I?” he asks.
“Here’s a map,” Google volunteers helpfully, bringing up our location on one of the phones. “Where would like to go today?”
“No, no, no! I didn’t mean that Google. I meant where was I in the interview process? Oh yes. That’s right…Occasionally I might need help walking the dog, especially in the winter when it’s cold and icy and I don’t feel like going out. Alexa can you handle that?”
“Sure!” Alexia volunteers brightly. “Selecting ‘Who Let the Dogs Out?’ from your music library…”
“No, no, no! I don’t want you to play music. I want you do walk my dog! Cortana, what about you? Can you walk my dog?”
“Looking up the proper way to walk your dog on the web,” Cortana answers.
“No! I don’t want you to show me how to walk my dog, I want you to do if for me! Can any of you do that?” the Elder Geek asks.
Silence.
The Elder Geek sighs and takes a pen and draws a line though another item on a large piece of paper already filled with lots of other crossed-out items.
“Alright, let’s try something simpler. Sometimes my dog wakes me up in the middle of the night because he wants to go out. Can any of you open the back door for him? Anyone? How ’bout you Hal? Can you open the back porch door?”
“I’m sorry, Dave. I’m afraid I can’t do that.”
The Elder Geek sighs again and crosses off yet another item on his list. He’s clearly getting frustrated with his candidates’ lack of qualifications.
“You know,” he says, “for how smart the lot of you are supposed to be, none of you have any practical real-life skills! You can’t run my errands, do my housework, laundry or cut my grass. You can’t take my dog for a walk or any of the myriad of other everyday boring chores I have to do! So what can you geniuses do for me?”
“I can add appointments to your calendar and remind you about them, so you don’t miss them,” Siri says.
“I can help you navigate from one place to another giving you turn-by-turn directions and help you look things up on the web,” Google adds.
“I can help you order things from Amazon.com. Even groceries,” Alexia volunteers. “But you’ll have to put them in the refrigerator and pantry yourself.”
“And I can find all your scattered files whether they are on my hard drive or up in the cloud,” Cortana finishes.
The Elder Geek isn’t impressed.
“And you think that’s helpful?” he asks angrily. “I don’t need any of you to do that for me. I can do all those things myself in a few seconds. You doing them for me would only save me a few minutes at most each day! If you guys really want to be helpful, you’d learn how to do laundry, clean our houses and maintain our yards.
"You know, routine tasks we humans have to do each day that would save us hours each week and give us more free time to spend with family and friends doing the things we like to do instead of the mundane, mindless tasks we have to do each day! Only then will you guys have the right to call yourselves real personal assistants!
“I mean if I were to ever have a heart attack doing one of these chores could any of you even call me an ambulance?” he asked.
“I could!” Siri volunteers. “From now on I’ll call you Ambulance, okay?”
Sunday, July 31, 2016
Summertime and the writing is easy
I don’t know what it is about the summer that makes me feel more creative than any other time of the year.
Maybe it’s the long and mostly sunny days, the nice hot weather, or the fact that life in general just seems to slow down during the warmer months. Or maybe it’s a combination of all three. But whatever the reason, it seems that my most productive time of year writing-wise always seems to happen between June and the end of August.
I’ve never been a big fan of the cold and often find the winter months depressing. I think bears have the right idea and if I could get away with it, I’d sleep right though December, January and February with them.
But I can hardly wait for the first 90 degree day of the year when I can get in my pool, whip out my clipboard and trusty mechanical pencil and start writing.
And yes, I know, I’m a tech-guy and writing long hand with pencil and paper is pretty much as analogue as you can get.
But just try taking your laptop, tablet or even phone in the pool with you. One wrong move, and you’ve got yourself a very expensive paperweight.
If I get my paper wet, as often happens, it dries out within 15 minutes on the side of the pool, and it’s good to go. Besides, the paper and pencil stuff is only temporary. It’s really a first draft that gets edited and changed when I eventually get around to typing it into my computer.
I try to leave that that part for the colder months, when I feel the least creative, even though writing on the computer make it easy to change and move things around as you write.
Usually by the time my summer vacation rolls around, I feel so burnt out from work, that the last thing I want to do is spend my free time behind another screen. I’d rather be outside enjoying the nice weather while it lasts.
Being in the pool with pencil and paper in hand, lets me do that and still feel like I’m getting my writing done.
In fact, a day writing by hand in the pool leaves me with a better sense of accomplishment than a day spent behind the keyboard. I’m a slow writer, often agonizing over the perfect word or phrase to translate the movie in my head to the paper, so the reader will see it exactly the way I envisioned it. At the end of a typical writing session on the computer I only wind up with two sometimes three pages (single-spaced, using 12 point, Times New Roman font), while after a day in the pool I end up with three to six pages. Sometimes I even break double digits!
Now when I actually type this in, it still winds up being my usual two or three pages, but I feel like I’ve done more and that helps keeps me motivated to continue writing.
I also like being outside. The sunlight just seems to stimulate my creative juices more than the lamp light I need in my home office in the afternoons. Plus being able to soak up all that sun and fresh air doesn’t make me think I’ve wasted one of my precious days off.
It’s a real shame we only have three months of hot weather here in the Northeast where I live. I’m sure if I had six-month of it (as well as the corresponding vacation time) I could finally finish that “great
American sci-fi novel” I’ve been working on (and off) since high school.
Of course, Mrs. BlueScreamOfJeff wouldn’t be happy with that kind of climate. She’s more of an autumn person, so as I begin my annual two-week August vacation, I just have to be content with spending the next two weeks in the pool (weather permitting), binge-writing in a big push to finally complete my book.
Who knows, stranger things have happened during summer vacations…
Thursday, June 30, 2016
Smart watch leaves him feeling ticked-off
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After trying a so-called "smartwatch" for a month, all I can say is that this
technology isn't yet ready for prime-time and needs to go back for some
serious remedial education.
|
These wrist-mounted, mini computers aim to combine the functionality of an old-fashioned watch with a modern smartphone, yet still requires you to carry a cell phone for most of its functions to work.
People lined up around the block when Apple released their version of the device last year, and many who got them claimed that you won’t understand how great they are until you actually started using one.
Well, I recently got the chance to get one – a hand-me-down Samsung Galaxy Gear from my boss – and after about a month of living with it, I can honestly say, my initial opinion remains unchanged.
As much as I love gadgets, I just didn’t find this device so useful.
Without it tethered to my phone via Bluetooth, all it could really do was tell time and count my steps. And while I really did like the pedometer feature, which showed me I average between 5,000 to 6,000 steps per day and walk about 2.5 miles, I found its primary function – telling time – rather inconvenient.
To save battery life, the Gear, turns off the display, so every time I wanted to see what time it was, I either had to twist my wrist back and forth rather vigorously to reactive it, or press the function button on the side of the watch. On my regular old fashioned analogue watch, all I have to do is slightly turn my wrist and glance down and I can see the time.
While I understand why the Gear, like most other smart watches, turns off its high-resolution LCD screen to save on its relatively short battery life, I don’t get how this is any better or innovative than what I used to have to do almost 40 years ago, when I got my first “Star Wars” digital watch back in 1977 or 78!
 |
Without the Gear Manger or some other similar App on
your smartphone, there's little any current smartwatch can by itself. |
But is this seconds-saving convenience worth the hundreds of dollars these smartwatches going for?
Not for me.
I still find them way too limited. The small faces make it virtually impossible to reply to a text message or enter text in any app with such a tiny on-screen keyboard. I also found typing numbers in on my “big-key” calculator app or the remote phone dialer difficult because the keys were so small.
Speaking of cumbersome, it seems that most apps that would extend the watch’s usefulness also need to be installed on the phone so instead of having to install an app once, I’ve got to install it two twice. Often that procedure involves downloading an app from the Google Play Store installing on my phone, then generating an install package called and APK and having to use a third-party program to upload it to the watch where it takes a few more steps to install.
So until the smart watch can be completely freed from a phone to be fully functional and its battery life no longer requires you to turn on and off its screen to tell time, I think I’ll go back to using my old- fashion wrist watch until these “smart” devices graduate from remedial school.
Smart watch leaves him feeling ticked-off
|
After trying a so-called "smartwatch" for a month, all I can say is
that this technology isn't yet ready for prime-time and needs to go back for some serious remedial education. |
These wrist-mounted, mini computers aim to combine the functionality of an old-fashioned watch with a modern smartphone, yet still requires you to carry a cell phone for most of its functions to work.
People lined up around the block when Apple released their version of the device last year, and many who got them claimed that you won’t understand how great they are until you actually started using one.
Well, I recently got the chance to get one – a hand-me-down Samsung Galaxy Gear from my boss – and after about a month of living with it, I can honestly say, my initial opinion remains unchanged.
As much as I love gadgets, I just didn’t find this device so useful.
Without it tethered to my phone via Bluetooth, all it could really do was tell time and count my steps. And while I really did like the pedometer feature, which showed me I average between 5,000 to 6,000 steps per day and walk about 2.5 miles, I found its primary function – telling time – rather inconvenient.
To save battery life, the Gear, turns off the display, so every time I wanted to see what time it was, I either had to twist my wrist back and forth rather vigorously to reactive it, or press the function button on the side of the watch. On my regular old fashioned analogue watch, all I have to do is slightly turn my wrist and glance down and I can see the time.
While I understand why the Gear, like most other smartwatches, turns off its high-resolution LCD screen to save on its relatively short battery life, I don’t get how this is any better or innovative than what I used to have to do almost 40 years ago, when I got my first “Star Wars” digital watch back in 1977 or 78!
|
Without the Gear Manger or some other similar App on
your smartphone, there's little any current smartwatch can by itself. |
But is this seconds-saving convenience worth the hundreds of dollars these smartwatches going for?
Not for me.
I still find them way too limited. The small faces make it virtually impossible to reply to a text message or type on the tiny on-screen keyboard. I also found it difficult to punch in numbers in on my “big-key” calculator app or the remote phone dialer difficult because the keys were so small.
Speaking of cumbersome, it seems that most apps that would extend the watch’s usefulness also need to be installed on the phone so instead of having to install an app once, I’ve got to install it two twice. Often that procedure involves downloading an app from the Google Play Store installing on my phone, then generating an install package called an APK and having to use a third-party program to upload it to the watch where I have to follow another procedure to get it up and running.
So until the smart watch can be completely freed from a phone to be fully functional and its battery life no longer requires you to turn on and off its screen to tell time, I think I’ll go back to using my old-fashion wrist watch and send these “smart” devices back to school for some remedial education.
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Craftsman is more than just about the tools you use
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| This month I turned a photo of a King George II-style bookcase I found on the Web into a set of woodworking plans using a non-traditional tool, Sketch-Up. Some woodworking purest consider that cheating. But I don't. |
As I continue planning out the build of the new book shelf I discussed last month, I’m reminded of a debate that’s now going on in the woodworking community.
Does the use of new technology like CNC routers, 3D printers, or laser engravers make you less of a craftsman than those people who build their projects in the more traditional manner?
I started wondering about this as I used Sketch-Up, a computer-aid drafting program to render the book shelf I mentioned in my last post in all its 3D glory.
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My version of the King George II
bookcase I created in Sketch-Up |
I always found that logic rather flawed. If the craftsman of the 17th, 18th and early 19th centuries had the kinds of power tools we had today, I’m absolutely positive they would have used them. These people were, after all, businessmen, using their skills to make money to support themselves and their families. And if there was a way to speed up their production so they could make more furniture and earn more money, they certainly would have used it.
So I find it rather funny that some of those same people who defend the use of power tools now look at the use of computer driven routers, 3D printers and other high-tech gadgets as cheating when it comes to woodworking.
To me craftsmanship is not about the tools used to create a project. Nor is it really about the skills used to create it. It’s about the passion, pride and care one puts into building it.
If I’ve learned anything from both my tech and woodworking experience, it’s that any tool, whether manual, powered or computer-driven, takes time to master. Despite what the internet would have you believe, today’s technology doesn’t make using something as simple as just “pushing a button.” (Don’t believe me? Just think of all the time you spent mastering your cell phone, tablet or computer).
For instance, when I got my first table saw and router, I thought I could build projects just as easily as Norm did on “The New Yankee Workshop” because the tool did all the hard work.
Boy was I wrong.
It took plenty of practice and experience before I could use those machines to make the kinds of
joinery that Norm made look so easy. In retrospect, if I had put the same amount of time into mastering hand tools, I could have become as proficient in them as say Roy Underhill, the host of PBS’s “The Woodwright's Shop” who only uses early American hand tools to create his projects.
 |
My bookcase with it's parts "exploded" so you can see how they
fit together. If you look closely, you'll notice that I'm pretty much only using rabbet and dado joints, two very, very basic woodworking joinery techniques. |
Computer driven equipment is the same. It too has its own learning curve, which in many ways takes more time to learn and master than a “manual” skill like using a hand plane or saw. For instance at my day job, I’ve been using Adobe Photoshop on and off for over 20 years, and I still consider myself a novice at it. That program is so complex and there are so many ways to do things, I feel like I'm only using it for 1/10th of what it can really do.
I've also found that projects don't always require fancy techniques or advanced skills to look nice and function well. Some of the nicest pieces of furniture I've seen have been constructed with some pretty basic joinery, proving that with just some basic skills you can still produce some fine furniture. As proof of this, just take a look as the Sketch-Up plans accompanying this post. To duplicate that fancy-looking King George II bookcase I'm pretty much only using rabbet and dado joints, two very, very basic woodworking joinery techniques.
So to all you makers out there, who use computers to aid your creative endeavors, don’t let anyone tell you that you’re not a craftsman. As long as you put heart and passion into what you’re building – and you constantly strive to improve your skills – you are a just as much a craftsman as those who stick to more traditional methods.
Saturday, April 30, 2016
Adventures in Woodworking
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| Over the next couple of months, I hope to chronicle how I build the King George II-inspired bookcase at left to replace our crappy old family room bookshelf at right. |
I’m always inspired by the things these people come up with, and just a bit envious of the amount of time they can spend in their shops. I go to bed afterwards with a renewed enthusiasm to not only get into my own shop and build the dozens of projects rattling around in my head, but to start my own Youtube channel and film my own adventures in woodworking.
But by the time Saturday afternoon rolls around, that enthusiasm has faded and after taking care of the 1001 little things that always seem to eat up my free time on the weekends, what little enthusiasm I have left is often killed off having to do yard work. (Forget the robot maid, what I really want is a robotic grounds crew to take care of my yard!)
Not every weekend is like that and I do manage to get a fair amount of shop-time in during the warmer weather here in the Northeast. But trying to film and edit those projects to produce a professional-looking video would just take up too much time I already don’t have.
Rather than just relegating that idea to the “Perhaps Someday” or “When I Retire” pile, I thought I’d try to document a complete project here in this blog.
Lately I’ve been struggling to come with interesting topics for each month’s column, and thought this might help me kill two birds with one virtual stone.
So this month, I’d thought I’d introduce you to the latest project I have in mind: A King George II inspired bookcase.
Since moving into our house 18 years ago, I’ve been meaning to replace a plain, cheap bookcase in our family room with something a bit better.
The particle board shelves have begun to sag under the weight of all the books and chachkies on it, it’s hard dust and all our old record albums are just stored in an old crate on top of it.
The picture of the King George II bookcase I found while browsing online looks like it could be adapted to hold all of our LPs in the squat cabinet on the bottom, while the glass-enclosed upper section would keep dust and dog hair off the books and chachkies, making dusting much easier. Plus the bookcase would match the style of the furniture in that room much better than the current one does.
So in the coming months, I’m going to cover how I go about turning this picture into a set of working plans in SketchUp (something I don’t usually do), my trials and tribulations trying to find the perfect materials for this (popular?cherry? mahogany?), then detail each step of the build from first cut, to finishing and installing it in the room.
So stay tuned. This should be an interesting ride…..
Thursday, March 31, 2016
Déjà vu all over again
One of the things about being an aspiring writer is that I tend to view life through the filter of a story-teller.
I’m always looking at things going on around me, trying to connect events into a coherent narrative as if I were a character being swept along by events in some Great American Novel.
And aside from the almost constant desire to go back and re-write certain parts of my past to improve that story (and my role as a hero in it), I can’t help but see certain patterns repeating around me.
Perhaps this comes from me being a history geek who has always wished he could hop into a time machine and experience what it was really like to live in whatever era has currently piqued my interest.
Usually these fantasies revolve around wandering down the fog-shrouded streets of Victorian London, getting involved in court intrigues and duels in 17th Century England and France or touring the great castles of Europe during their prime in the Middle Ages. But since minoring in history in college, the place and time I think I’d really most like to visit is early 20th Century America (1900-1955).
Unlike the other places and times I’ve mentioned, my view of this period of our country’s history is not colored by the mystery stories of Sherlock Holmes, the swashbuckling romance of “The Three Musketeers” or the adventure stories of “Robin Hood,” “Ivanhoe,” or the myriad of Dungeon and Dragon games I’ve played that were set in pseudo medieval settings.
No, my view of early 20th century America is informed though scholarly research I did to earn that minor in college. As a result I can’t help but notice that some patterns that happened at the beginning of the last century seem to be re-occurring at the beginning of this one.
Like the computer/Internet/electronics revolution we’re currently living through, the beginning of the 20th century also saw a great boom in technology. Electricity began phasing out other forms of lighting and power for the home; trains and expansion of the railroads, not to mention the invention of the automobile and airplane, began making once far-away and inaccessible places easier and faster to get to, and the advent of mass-production techniques from the previous century was transforming our sleepy, little agrarian nation into the world’s manufacturing powerhouse.
 |
| CREDIT: B. Deutsch at http://leftycartoons.com/ |
new technology replaced many jobs people used to do, rendering their skills almost obsolete overnight. Adding to the turmoil was the throng of new immigrants descending on U.S. cities drawn there by the promise of a better life, which fueled ant he anti-immigrant backlash not really that much different than the kind of hate-filled rhetoric spewed by some of today's political candidates.
Speaking of politics, I see a lot of similarities between the first two decades of the 20th and 21st centuries. As pointed out in the wonderful 2012 History Channel mini-series, “The Men Who Built America” these “Robber Barons” tried to control the political system through their proxies in the Republican Party, and even tried to derail the career of a reform-minded New York politician, Teddy Roosevelt, by sidelining him into what was then thought of as the dead-job of the Vice Presidency of the United States.
Now compare that to the way the Koch brothers are using the Citizen’s United decision, and I think the parallel becomes glaringly obvious.
But the one parallel that’s got me really worried is the one I see between the rise of Hitler in Germany during The Great Depression in the 1930s and the rise of Donald Trump in the aftermath of our own Great Recession.
Yes, I know a lot has been made of this already and I usually try to steer away from politics in my blogs. But as a Jew, I just can’t sit by and watch as another charismatic, demagogue tries to divide our nation under the guise of “Making America Great Again” by demonizing a whole class of people and blaming all our national problems on them.
(I’ve got news for you Mr. Trump. Whatever our troubles may be, this country STILL IS great! That’s why all the immigrants you want to throw out of the country want to come here!)
This is exactly the same tactic Hitler used to gain power. He focused the average German’s pent up frustration over their economic and political situation and turned it against the country’s biggest minority — the Jews.
And when late last year Trump said he’d close down all the mosques and make every Muslim carry an ID card, my jaw hit the floor. Hitler did the same to the Jews, closing all the temples and making them wear a blue, five-pointed star on their clothing with the word “Jude” (Jew in German) stitched on it. I half expected him to go on to suggest we should burn all Qurans and have people smash the windows of Muslim-owned businesses in a 21st century version of Kristallnacht
How people still cannot see the paralell between the two baffles and worries me.
It also baffles me when an elected official, Roanoke, Va. Mayor David Bowers, can justify the internment of Japanese-Americans in internment camps during World War II as a good thing when comparing it to the current Syrian refugee crisis. What's even more astounding about this is that Bower's is a Democrat, proving that our foolishness to repeat past mistakes isn't just limited to one of our political parties.
Pardon me, Mr. Mayor. But did you read the same history books I did? Because the use of those camps is considered one of this nation’s most shameful moments! How in good conscience can you even remotely suggest it was the right thing to do? Have you ever spoken to one of those internees? If not, may I suggest, starting with George Takei, Mr. Sulu from "Star Trek," who has first-hand experience of what it was like to live in one of those camps you blithely called a good idea!
Look, I'm not trying to belittle anyone's political views and I understand today's threats are different from those we faced at the beginning and middle of the last century. But it looks to me like the path we’re heading down is dooming ourselves to repeat the exact same mistakes we made 100 year ago.
We're better than that.
Or at least we should be.
So we all need to stop and take a good long look at our own history, because George Santayana was right.
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
Saturday, February 27, 2016
Apple Vs. The United States
I’ve never been a big fan of Apple, but in the current controversy over whether the Cupertino, Ca.-based tech company should or shouldn’t give in to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s demand to break the encryption on the iPhone used by the San Bernadino shooters, I find myself decidedly in Apple’s camp.
And you should be too.
Here’s why.
Because despite what the government promises us, this won’t be just a one-time thing.
It just can’t.
Once the genie is out of the bottle, it’s out for good.
Look, I’m not some tinfoil hat-wearing conspiracy theorist nor am I a “slippery slope” evangelist. I’m a realist, and know that despite the best intentions of the FBI and all our assorted law enforcement agencies, the congress, the president and even the Supreme Court, there is no way they can control what goes on beyond our borders.
When foreign governments, who may or may not be so friendly to us and our ideals, see this is possible, there is nothing stopping them from demanding Apple do the same for them. After all, if Apple did it once for the United States, how could they then refuse when Russia, China, North Korea or any other repressive state asks them to break into the iPhone of a dissident who they claim is a “a national security risk” for them?
Remember the uproar when Google caved in to China’s demand to censor its Chinese sites back in 2006 after refusing to allow the U.S. Department of Justice to take a peak at what our citizens were searching for here at home?
Yeah, it’ll be exactly like that.Only worse.
Even if Apple refused to cave to foreign governments, those governments could then turn around and forbid Apple from selling their products and/or services within their borders. Worse yet, countries like China which have a track record of ignoring patents, could turn a blind eye to enforcing Apple’s trademarked technology, leading to a flood of cheap knock-offs on the market. So in essence this decision by our government could drastically curtail Apple’s pursuit of life, liberty and happiness, which in this case equates to its being a profitable company.
If the government were trying to infringe on the rights of an individual from making an honest living this way, everyone would be up in arms about it. Well, since the Supreme Court ruled that corporations essentially have the same rights as individuals in the Citizen’s United case, the government shouldn’t be allowed to do this to Apple either.
Whether you agree with this line of reasoning or not, you have to admit that the government also doesn’t have control over the hacker community.
Whether state sponsored like China’s elite unit of military hackers, PLA Unit 61398 ; gangs of tech-savvy criminals from Russia and Eastern Europe, or even the media-popularized image of some maladjusted, teenage-computer wizard working out of his parents’ basement or garage, once hackers know a backdoor into the iPhone is possible, they will stop at nothing to try and recreate it.
The potential for profit is just too rich for them to ignore. With over 700 million iPhones sold world-wide hackers would have a virtual shmorgishborg of victims to pray on, pillaging their data for use in identity theft rings, blackmail or ransomware attacks where hackers could break into a user’s phone, re-encrypt it with only a password they know and demand a ransom to unlock the phone.
Don’t think that’s possible?
Neither did Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, until cyber-crooks broke into their computer network and locked them out of all their files until they paid a $17,000 ransom.
If that’s still not enough to convince you, remember that the German Enigma Code was deemed impossible to crack during World War II, until Alan Turning and his cohorts at Bletchley Park in England figured out how to crack it. And that was 70 some years ago. Now, just imagine how much quicker cyber-thugs could do the “impossible” with today’s technology.
Now tell me how far-fetched it sounds?
Look, I’m not totally unsympathetic to the government’s side. I understand they have a duty to keep us safe and I want them to do that that. I have no desire to be blown up or gunned down by an extremist of any nationality, religion or view while living my day-to-day life. But unlike the scenarios spun by the popular Fox TV show “24,” there is no ticking time-bomb here. The FBI has already admitted that the San Bernadino shooters acted alone and weren’t part of some bigger foreign terrorist network operating inside the U.S. Any threats from these two terrorists died back on that sad day back in December.
If there was any concrete evidence that they were apart of some bigger threat and more shootings or bombing were imminent, I might reconsider my stance. But as it appears now, what the FBI wants is akin to a “fishing expedition,” which as anyone who has watched even one episode of “Law and Order” or any other TV police procedural knows, is illegal.
If Apple gives in, or is forced to give in to this order, then this will be a victory for authoritarian leaders around the world such as Vladimir Putin or Kim Jong-un and a huge erosion of the freedoms we, as citizens of the United States, are promised under the bill of rights.
Like Benjamin Franklin before me, I whole heartily agree that “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
Sunday, January 31, 2016
"The Force Awakens:" A New Hope for our dark times?
Since “The Force Awakens” opened a little over a month ago, there’s been one question raging across geekdom that’s been bigger and more controversial than “Who exactly are Rey’s parents?”
That question?
“Star Wars” or “Star Trek?”
Now, to the average “civilian” this may seem like a rather banal question. But not in the geek world.
Oh, no, no, no!
You are either a “Star Wars” fan or a Trekkie/Trekker, because we geeks live in a world of absolutes and you just can’t be both. Whatever the question, you’ve got to pick a side.
Don’t believe me? Go ahead, walk into any geek bar in the multi-verse and ask loudly, “Marvel or DC?” and see what happens. Just be sure your health insurance premium is paid up first.
This absolutist view of fandom has always bothered me, but lately it seems it’s becoming more rigid and intolerant of differing opinions.
Unfortunately this hasn’t surprised me at all because everyone – geeks and normal people alike – seem to becoming more and more rigid in their world view and anyone who disagrees with them is obviously stupid, ignorant, obnoxious and ugly.
My pessimistic view of things isn’t just from watching our politicians acting like a bunch of spoiled 3-year-olds fighting over whose parents are better than whose, but from reading Sci-Fi/Fantasy forums on the ’Net and seeing the often vitriolic way people go after one another when someone disagrees with a cow another person views as holy.
While pondering how this all came to be, I stumbled on this great article by Charlie Jane Anders on io9.com about “The Essential Difference Between Star Wars and Star Trek.”
In a nutshell, she says “Star Wars” is really all about “Fighting the Man” (a group of plucky rebels fighting an oppressive, fascist, militaristic galactic empire) while “Star Trek” is about “Being the Man” (The United Federation of Planets and its starships bringing peace, freedom and self-determination to the frontier).
Not only did Charlie Jane hit the nail right on its proverbial head, but her essay also explains why the recent release of “The Force Awakens” has captured the public’s Zeitgeist.
For at least the last decade, if not longer, there’s been an ever-growing distrust of authority. People view the government with suspicion believing its primary purpose is to take away all their freedoms instead of defending them; they see business people as greedy robber barons out to steal every last penny from their pockets; and even doubt the knowledge of our smartest scientists, believing their warnings about the damage we are doing to our environment is just part of some nefarious, hidden agenda. So it makes sense that people would identify with those plucky rebels who are out stop a re-awakened Dark Side from snuffing out their hard-won freedom.
Now I’m not saying we haven’t been given ample cause to distrust all the institutions we used to believe in. Edward Snowden, government dysfunction, The Great Recession, wars in the Mideast and terrorism have given us all plenty of reasons to believe our worst suspicions about these institutions are true. I just don’t remember things ever being this bad.
I was a child during the Vietnam War and Watergate and came of age during Iran-Contra and even then I don’t remember people being so suspicious of government. Even in the midst of those scandals and the realization we’d lost a major war, people still believed that, at heart, our government was a beacon of freedom and liberty for all the world. Despite a nearly crippling oil embargo, super high inflation, and a presidential extended family that seemed to come straight out of “The Beverly Hillbillies,” people still believed our brand of government was invulnerable to the hatred, fear, suspicion and anger that lead to the rise of regimes like the Nazis, Stalinist Russia or any other, oppressive, totalitarian government.
So what’s happened since to erode our national morale?
I’m sure there are many different answers to this question, each as valid as the next. But as curious as I am to figure out how we got here, I’m more interested in the way we break out of this dark time of distrust in everyone and everything so we can start building that optimistic, utopian future that was the hallmark of “Star Trek.”
Ironically, when the first “Star Wars” came out in 1977, the United States was in another funk as it looked like our influence over the world and status as a superpower was on the wane. Yet somehow, a silly little sci-fi film, managed to give the nation, and perhaps even the world, “A New Hope” and helped set the stage for the rejuvenation of both our spirit and the economy in the “Go-Go ’80s.”
Here’s hoping General Leia, Luke, Rei, Finn and Po and their band of brave Resistance fighters can again help us conquer our dark time of distrust and once again bring hope and optimism back to the universe nation.
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