Staying the Course!
Last night, I attended my next-to-last Technical Communications 1 class. We had a workshop, peer-review process, where the class broke down into small groups. My group had a scientist and a teacher, as well as me. Bonni rotated among the groups, sitting in on ours for the first and most difficult paper--the scientific one.
The problem with most science writing is that, if you're not an initiate into the domain, you really can't understand much of the work. The words are there, in English, but they signify little to the "layman." This signification problem is compounded by any flaws in the writer's technique, such as excessive density and poor formatting. One feels akin to a medieval monk, who can read the Latin words of Virgil but cannot grasp the imagery.
My own project is straightforward and relatively simple. I'm doing an FAQ for new ventilator patients. Since I'm not working with a high-tech company anymore, I saw little use in doing anything related to MT or computer science.
Next quarter, I'll be taking "Critical Thinking for Technical Communicators." I think I can handle that!
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Friday, November 25, 2005
Reasons to Be Thankful
Reasons to Be Thankful
Yesterday was Thanksgiving, and I went to my parents' house for dinner. Before heading to my parents', my dad and I drove down to Linda Vista and picked up my uncle Dave. The four of us had a really pleasant evening, with turkey, stuffing, cole slaw, biscuits, Tuscan veggies, and two different kinds of pie--apple and pumpkin--for desert.
Earlier in the week (on Sunday evening), I went with my old high-school chum Phil and his wife to a concert at the Escondido Performing Arts Center. The concert was by a new-age banjo/jazz musician named Béla Fleck. The concert was good, if low key. If you look up "mellow" in your American Heritage, you'll probably see a picture of Béla Fleck. He had a bassist accompany him on a lot of the music, and the bassist also played the piano. If you like banjo Bach, then this concert would be for you.
I keep putting off finishing up work for my Tech Comm. Class. Got to get it done this weekend, and figure out which other class I'm going to take.
Meanwhile, my parents took off for Tucson today, where they will be vacationing this week for their anniversary. They will also be visiting friends and looking at retirement properties. I, for one, will never live in Arizona.
Yesterday was Thanksgiving, and I went to my parents' house for dinner. Before heading to my parents', my dad and I drove down to Linda Vista and picked up my uncle Dave. The four of us had a really pleasant evening, with turkey, stuffing, cole slaw, biscuits, Tuscan veggies, and two different kinds of pie--apple and pumpkin--for desert.
Earlier in the week (on Sunday evening), I went with my old high-school chum Phil and his wife to a concert at the Escondido Performing Arts Center. The concert was by a new-age banjo/jazz musician named Béla Fleck. The concert was good, if low key. If you look up "mellow" in your American Heritage, you'll probably see a picture of Béla Fleck. He had a bassist accompany him on a lot of the music, and the bassist also played the piano. If you like banjo Bach, then this concert would be for you.
I keep putting off finishing up work for my Tech Comm. Class. Got to get it done this weekend, and figure out which other class I'm going to take.
Meanwhile, my parents took off for Tucson today, where they will be vacationing this week for their anniversary. They will also be visiting friends and looking at retirement properties. I, for one, will never live in Arizona.
Friday, November 18, 2005
The Worst Legislation, Ever!
The Worst Legislation, Ever
Today I called my pharmacist to find out what Medicare drug plan he recommended. Exasperated, he told me that he's not even sure if he'll participate. The paperwork is tremendous, the reimbursement rate "almost zero." According to him, it's the "worst legislation in the history of the United States."
Way to go, Bushies! They are breaking the bank on a program the country doesn't need, while attempting today to reduce Medicaid and food stamps for the poor and disabled. We need a comprehensive solution to the healthcare crisis, not more corporate welfare! This was nothing but a sop thrown to Bush's supporters in Big Pharma, just like his energy bill was a favor for Big Oil and the Iraq War a quid pro quo for Halliburton.
People like me, who had comprehensive drug coverage through Medi-Cal, will see an erosion in service due to this legislation. There are 64 plans in the San Diego area alone! The elderly will be confused and many will not pick any plan because of it.
Government no longer serves the people. It serves a globalized corporate cabal that cares not one whit for workers, cultures, or freedom. At least the Neo-Fascist government of China is honest about the mingling of government and corporation; would that ours were so.
Today I called my pharmacist to find out what Medicare drug plan he recommended. Exasperated, he told me that he's not even sure if he'll participate. The paperwork is tremendous, the reimbursement rate "almost zero." According to him, it's the "worst legislation in the history of the United States."
Way to go, Bushies! They are breaking the bank on a program the country doesn't need, while attempting today to reduce Medicaid and food stamps for the poor and disabled. We need a comprehensive solution to the healthcare crisis, not more corporate welfare! This was nothing but a sop thrown to Bush's supporters in Big Pharma, just like his energy bill was a favor for Big Oil and the Iraq War a quid pro quo for Halliburton.
People like me, who had comprehensive drug coverage through Medi-Cal, will see an erosion in service due to this legislation. There are 64 plans in the San Diego area alone! The elderly will be confused and many will not pick any plan because of it.
Government no longer serves the people. It serves a globalized corporate cabal that cares not one whit for workers, cultures, or freedom. At least the Neo-Fascist government of China is honest about the mingling of government and corporation; would that ours were so.
Monday, November 14, 2005
Fun with Movies
Fun with Movies
Last evening I caught the second half of the TV movie, Category 7: The End of the World. Whew! What a pre-Thanksgiving turkey! I can't believe the writers of that crap collect paychecks!
The movie was about a series of devastating hurricanes ravaging the world. Paris and Hong Kong got destroyed, but that did not qualify for "end-of-world" status. Rather, when Washington DC was threatened, truly that was the "end of days" in American fashion.
The film was full of forgettable, wooden characters and unbelievable dialog. The action stank too. The only redeemable part was when the evil Vice President, a look-alike of Dick Chaney, got sucked out the top of the White House in a whirling vortex. It shouldn't happen to a nicer guy....
Meanwhile, I went to Barnes & Noble on Saturday and purchased Kingdom of Heaven on DVD. It was a great Ridley Scott romp through history--excellent characters and action, great sets. Scott really makes the viewers feel present in the setting.
I really couldn't fathom the criticisms of the right-wingnuts about the movie's portrayal of Saladin. Scott showed Saladin as a real man and great leader of his people. Truthfully, no one would want to see a dramatic version of the First Crusade, when the Christians took Jerusalem and the streets ran knee deep in the blood of innocent men, women and children.
The moral of the story was that the "Kingdom of Heaven" is in the heart--it's not a place. Too bad more people can't remember that.
Last evening I caught the second half of the TV movie, Category 7: The End of the World. Whew! What a pre-Thanksgiving turkey! I can't believe the writers of that crap collect paychecks!
The movie was about a series of devastating hurricanes ravaging the world. Paris and Hong Kong got destroyed, but that did not qualify for "end-of-world" status. Rather, when Washington DC was threatened, truly that was the "end of days" in American fashion.
The film was full of forgettable, wooden characters and unbelievable dialog. The action stank too. The only redeemable part was when the evil Vice President, a look-alike of Dick Chaney, got sucked out the top of the White House in a whirling vortex. It shouldn't happen to a nicer guy....
Meanwhile, I went to Barnes & Noble on Saturday and purchased Kingdom of Heaven on DVD. It was a great Ridley Scott romp through history--excellent characters and action, great sets. Scott really makes the viewers feel present in the setting.
I really couldn't fathom the criticisms of the right-wingnuts about the movie's portrayal of Saladin. Scott showed Saladin as a real man and great leader of his people. Truthfully, no one would want to see a dramatic version of the First Crusade, when the Christians took Jerusalem and the streets ran knee deep in the blood of innocent men, women and children.
The moral of the story was that the "Kingdom of Heaven" is in the heart--it's not a place. Too bad more people can't remember that.
Saturday, November 12, 2005
Whats the Half Life of Democracy?
What's the Half-Life of Democracy?
As usual, the candidate I voted for in Tuesday's election lost. Donna Frye was shellacked by Jerry Sanders's well-oiled pro-establishment campaign. Donna had the gall to admit that taxes might have to be raised to help bail the city out of its fiscal disaster, but the good Republican citizens of this town don't want to hear about any pain that might affect them!
Sanders sold the public on the usual snake oil: we can solve government problems through "cuts" and "efficiency." NO NEW TAXES!
In other words... "Bankruptcy, here we come!" But that's cool--Sanders can swallow the enchilada picante of financial ruin, while Frye looks on. With the new strong-mayor form of government in San Diego, the disaster will be all Sanders's. At least we have Mike Aguirre to stand up to Sanders and the big-business Tammany Hall that moves this city in the wrong direction.
Meanwhile, my Technical Communication course sails right along. It's mildly challenging, in that I have to overcome boredom in order to complete the work. I do want an "A," however!
Last night I went to the Winter Pops at Symphony Hall with my parents. It was the first time I'd been in the building since it was the old Fox Theater. The restoration work on the building was excellent, revealing the Art Deco and Spanish Baroque gem in all its glory.
The concert was entertaining, if not outstanding. Lou Rawls was the guest performer. He is a remnant of 70s make-out quasi-disco music. I think of him as a gravelly-voiced cross between Barry White and Barry Manilow. Unfortunately, his voice was extra gravelly last evening, as he was suffering from a cold. Singing while wiping one's nose with a handkerchief is not attractive. Still, he did a yeoman's job of sticking to it, and the overall evening's entertainment rated a B-.
As usual, the candidate I voted for in Tuesday's election lost. Donna Frye was shellacked by Jerry Sanders's well-oiled pro-establishment campaign. Donna had the gall to admit that taxes might have to be raised to help bail the city out of its fiscal disaster, but the good Republican citizens of this town don't want to hear about any pain that might affect them!
Sanders sold the public on the usual snake oil: we can solve government problems through "cuts" and "efficiency." NO NEW TAXES!
In other words... "Bankruptcy, here we come!" But that's cool--Sanders can swallow the enchilada picante of financial ruin, while Frye looks on. With the new strong-mayor form of government in San Diego, the disaster will be all Sanders's. At least we have Mike Aguirre to stand up to Sanders and the big-business Tammany Hall that moves this city in the wrong direction.
Meanwhile, my Technical Communication course sails right along. It's mildly challenging, in that I have to overcome boredom in order to complete the work. I do want an "A," however!
Last night I went to the Winter Pops at Symphony Hall with my parents. It was the first time I'd been in the building since it was the old Fox Theater. The restoration work on the building was excellent, revealing the Art Deco and Spanish Baroque gem in all its glory.
The concert was entertaining, if not outstanding. Lou Rawls was the guest performer. He is a remnant of 70s make-out quasi-disco music. I think of him as a gravelly-voiced cross between Barry White and Barry Manilow. Unfortunately, his voice was extra gravelly last evening, as he was suffering from a cold. Singing while wiping one's nose with a handkerchief is not attractive. Still, he did a yeoman's job of sticking to it, and the overall evening's entertainment rated a B-.
Monday, November 07, 2005
David Turns Fifty
David Turns Fifty
Saturday evening, the party at my parents' home was a success. Monica and my parents did a great job of organizing it. I brought my Olympic torch over, along with the photo of Steve Garvey and myself from 1984.
We had Italian food--lasagna, spaghetti, Pat and Oscar's breadsticks, antipasto salad, and of course, chocolate cake. Among those attending were:
Brigitte
Monica
My parents
Jan
Marina and her daughter
Phil and Paula
Bill and Vicki
Bob and Cathy
The Marlins
Harold
Katie
Jacque
Some other people from my parents' Bible study class
Among those missing:
Donna
Thomas
Kathryn
Jim and Jill
Christine
Doug
Orly
Karen
Camelia
See you all at my 60th!
Saturday evening, the party at my parents' home was a success. Monica and my parents did a great job of organizing it. I brought my Olympic torch over, along with the photo of Steve Garvey and myself from 1984.
We had Italian food--lasagna, spaghetti, Pat and Oscar's breadsticks, antipasto salad, and of course, chocolate cake. Among those attending were:
Brigitte
Monica
My parents
Jan
Marina and her daughter
Phil and Paula
Bill and Vicki
Bob and Cathy
The Marlins
Harold
Katie
Jacque
Some other people from my parents' Bible study class
Among those missing:
Donna
Thomas
Kathryn
Jim and Jill
Christine
Doug
Orly
Karen
Camelia
See you all at my 60th!
Friday, November 04, 2005
La Grande Journée
La Grande Journée
Tomorrow at 4:00, my parents will be hosting a party for my 50th birthday. It seems hard to believe, but I will turn 50 on Sunday! So far, 27 people have committed to attending; I'm looking forward to the festivities.
I'm very grateful to Monica and my parents for putting it together for me.
Tomorrow at 4:00, my parents will be hosting a party for my 50th birthday. It seems hard to believe, but I will turn 50 on Sunday! So far, 27 people have committed to attending; I'm looking forward to the festivities.
I'm very grateful to Monica and my parents for putting it together for me.
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
A Comparison of Two Political Websites
A Comparison of Two Political Websites:
A User-Oriented Perspective
The current state of the Worldwide Web supports a grand number of politics-oriented sites. Some are so-called "blogs," while others pretend to a professional, journalistic look. As an assignment for Technical Communications 1, I chose to look at two sites with contrasting political philosophies, examining what the style, organization and tone can tell interested readers about the owners' attitudes toward their audiences. The two sites I examined are The Huffington Post www.huffingtonpost.com and World Net Daily http://www.wnd.com/ .
The Huffington Post is a well-known "progressive" Web site, operated by liberal gadfly Arianna Huffington. It is organized along the blog format, made popular by the Drudge Report www.drudgereport.com. This format consists of a series of photographs, graphics and links, interspersed with small headlines and grabby text. The layout is in three-column mode, for easy scanning by Western readers. The headline at the top of the page marks the topic of the day, giving the reader an idea of what most of the articles are about. Snappy headers like "Just In" in bright orange lead the readers through the text. There are enough graphics and photographs to keep the text from morphing into inscrutable chunks of verbiage.
One thing to note about the Huffington site is that it relies heavily on celebrities and mainstream news writers for the op-ed pieces it features so often. If the reader believes that Alec Baldwin has an opinion worth reading, then the reader can discover some satisfaction there. Sensationalistic headlines like "Why Are Contemporary Republicans So Full of Shit?" seem designed to pull in what some Republicans might call "the angry Left." Leftists are apparently the kind of people who don't mind the word, "shit" in headlines. The Huffington Post, while aimed at the general public, is not a "go do something" type of site. Rather, it presents enough material to lead the politically aware reader into making his or her own choices. Literally and figuratively, Huffington's site aims itself at the pro-choice crowd.
In contrast, World Net Daily appeals to the troglodyte rightists who also find Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter worthy of personality-cult status. Its organization, unlike Huffington's, seems blocky and hard-to-scan. World Net forces its readers to scroll down the page through an infinite number of headlines. There are no graphics--no pictures. It's blocky and geometrically stodgy. One could speculate World Net's readers find unusually high comfort in regular, yet boring geometrical formulas. Like Huffington, the site screams sensationalism: "How homosexuals hoodwinked Supremes" and "Satanism flourishing in Russia." A reader would be hard-pressed to find the word, "shit" anywhere; rather the buzzwords "illegals," [sic] "Christians" and the ever-present "dead babies." Unlike Huffington, World Net knows what it wants its readers to think and isn't embarrassed to tell them what to think. World Net is "anti-choice."
The two sites have different advertising demographics, as one can see by looking at the sidebar advertisements on the pages. Huffington displays ads for banks (Wells Fargo) and health insurance (PacifiCare). Poor World Net, however, must make do with ads for political tracts and publications by like-thinkers (e.g., The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam and Terry's Story). To those who fear the onrushing supremacy of the Christian Right, perhaps there is some comfort in World Net's evident inability to secure major corporate funding.
Monday, October 31, 2005
All Hallows Eve
All Hallows Eve
Tonight is Halloween--the ancient Celtic rituals subsumed in commercial form. Kids have been ringing my doorbell since about 6:00 PM, but I play the cranky old man and don't answer. I don't mind Halloween, but I do mind opening the door a thousand times a night.
The Toothless Old Hag, a.k.a. "Granny," has been answering the door to her apartment across the sidewalk from mine. She seems quite happy to see the children dressed up like ghouls and superheroes. After chatting up the little tykes and their parents, she tells them, "I'm sorry, but I'll have to take a rain check on that." Now it's pretty quiet. Perhaps Granny has an oven full of little Hansels and Gretels already. Gingerbread anyone?
Yesterday, Granny was dressed in a revealingly short, baby-blue sundress. Her bleached-blonde follicles were topped by a pointy witch's hat. This sight was rendered all the more enjoyable by the cigarette dangling from the corner of her mouth in the kind of snarl worthy of Dead Elvis on the can.
Horror movies are the staple on cable for the week. Last night I watched Rob Zombie's House of 1000 Corpses. I was surprised that I found it entertaining. The film was set in 1977, the era of classic slasher-dismemberer films like 10,000 Maniacs. What is it about country bumpkins, evil clowns, dark woods and bloody axes that enthralls the public so? "You think we country folk are just stupid, dontcha?" yells the crazed clown at the beginning of the movie.
Further evidence of the link between horror and the extreme right can be found in the following recent article:
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article323450.ece
An interesting quotation:
Things started getting particularly gruesome, in a Hammer horror sort of way, in the abortion scene, when cold, heartless doctor characters used an outsize pair of tweezers to pull unidentified bloody animal parts out from between a teenage girl's legs. (This trick, incidentally, is straight out of Keenan Roberts' outreach kit.) Having extracted the foetus - "America's version of the Holocaust," the devil narrators tell us - the doctors then manage to let the girl die too, through inattention. They act like it's just another day at the office.
I believe it's Red State angst, the paranoia of the damned, that haunts these shows. The gothic, guilty, weeping heart of Reverend Dimmsdale still beats in the breast of every Pat Robertson and James Dobson. When you look at them practically foaming at the mouth on the daily cable news programs, you realize they are only one moment of enlightened insanity away from sodomizing Burt Reynolds and a boatful of kayakers in the back woods of Deliverance.
Tonight, the new version of Dawn of the Dead is on cable. Zombies, Rob or otherwise, are always a heap-big pile of undead fun-o-rama.
Tonight is Halloween--the ancient Celtic rituals subsumed in commercial form. Kids have been ringing my doorbell since about 6:00 PM, but I play the cranky old man and don't answer. I don't mind Halloween, but I do mind opening the door a thousand times a night.
The Toothless Old Hag, a.k.a. "Granny," has been answering the door to her apartment across the sidewalk from mine. She seems quite happy to see the children dressed up like ghouls and superheroes. After chatting up the little tykes and their parents, she tells them, "I'm sorry, but I'll have to take a rain check on that." Now it's pretty quiet. Perhaps Granny has an oven full of little Hansels and Gretels already. Gingerbread anyone?
Yesterday, Granny was dressed in a revealingly short, baby-blue sundress. Her bleached-blonde follicles were topped by a pointy witch's hat. This sight was rendered all the more enjoyable by the cigarette dangling from the corner of her mouth in the kind of snarl worthy of Dead Elvis on the can.
Horror movies are the staple on cable for the week. Last night I watched Rob Zombie's House of 1000 Corpses. I was surprised that I found it entertaining. The film was set in 1977, the era of classic slasher-dismemberer films like 10,000 Maniacs. What is it about country bumpkins, evil clowns, dark woods and bloody axes that enthralls the public so? "You think we country folk are just stupid, dontcha?" yells the crazed clown at the beginning of the movie.
Further evidence of the link between horror and the extreme right can be found in the following recent article:
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article323450.ece
An interesting quotation:
Things started getting particularly gruesome, in a Hammer horror sort of way, in the abortion scene, when cold, heartless doctor characters used an outsize pair of tweezers to pull unidentified bloody animal parts out from between a teenage girl's legs. (This trick, incidentally, is straight out of Keenan Roberts' outreach kit.) Having extracted the foetus - "America's version of the Holocaust," the devil narrators tell us - the doctors then manage to let the girl die too, through inattention. They act like it's just another day at the office.
I believe it's Red State angst, the paranoia of the damned, that haunts these shows. The gothic, guilty, weeping heart of Reverend Dimmsdale still beats in the breast of every Pat Robertson and James Dobson. When you look at them practically foaming at the mouth on the daily cable news programs, you realize they are only one moment of enlightened insanity away from sodomizing Burt Reynolds and a boatful of kayakers in the back woods of Deliverance.
Tonight, the new version of Dawn of the Dead is on cable. Zombies, Rob or otherwise, are always a heap-big pile of undead fun-o-rama.
Monday, October 24, 2005
Horror for Christ
Horror for Christ
"The horror! The horror!" -- Colonel Kurtz
The other day on the Web I came across the following Newsweek story:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9785289/site/newsweek/
It seems Anne Rice has found--gasp--GOD! As she states in the article: "I promised that from now on I would write only for the Lord." Now, I'm all in favor of people pursuing and finding their own deity. If Ms. Rice is happy with her choice--great. But what's next? Stephen King the televangelist? Will the next conference of the Horror Writers Association have to open with a prayer breakfast?
Life is starting to seem like Night of the Living Dead, with Jesus Freaks as zombies. "They're coming to get you, Barbara!"
Remember the Simpsons?
Bart: "Dad, you shot the zombie Flanders!"
Homer: "He was a zombie?"
"The horror! The horror!" -- Colonel Kurtz
The other day on the Web I came across the following Newsweek story:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9785289/site/newsweek/
It seems Anne Rice has found--gasp--GOD! As she states in the article: "I promised that from now on I would write only for the Lord." Now, I'm all in favor of people pursuing and finding their own deity. If Ms. Rice is happy with her choice--great. But what's next? Stephen King the televangelist? Will the next conference of the Horror Writers Association have to open with a prayer breakfast?
Life is starting to seem like Night of the Living Dead, with Jesus Freaks as zombies. "They're coming to get you, Barbara!"
Remember the Simpsons?
Bart: "Dad, you shot the zombie Flanders!"
Homer: "He was a zombie?"
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Some Thoughts on Writing
Some Thoughts on Writing
I attended the third class of the nine-week technical communications class on Tuesday night. I had a pretty good time with it. Bonni is an excellent lecturer. We discussed our VARK scores, and mine came out leaning towards read/write and visual. You can take the test yourself at www.vark-learn.com.
The lesson was on the writing process, and Bonni introduced us to the concept of personas. Personas are personalities the writer invents that, in the case of tech writing, should be representative of the target audience or users.
It's been fun to see the congruence between tech writing and fiction writing. The personas are a type of character. I won some points in the class by bringing up Judy's technique of "interviewing" your personas to get to know them. That's a novelist's technique, but it certainly can be used in the non-fiction realm.
Another characteristic of writing that Nancy used to bring up is that "People like to read about people." As Bonni says, "Everyone is the hero in his or her own story." Even some form as bland as technical writing still is about people--people act on things, not the other way around.
Tomorrow, I'm going to the zoo in the morning and then Jan will come visit in the afternoon. My parents will be visiting that night. Harold will be over, as usual.
By the way, I got my van back! It looks great--I just need to get it Teflon-coated before winter hits. We had a fair amount of rain this week, which I enjoyed immensely, but it does mess a car up!
I attended the third class of the nine-week technical communications class on Tuesday night. I had a pretty good time with it. Bonni is an excellent lecturer. We discussed our VARK scores, and mine came out leaning towards read/write and visual. You can take the test yourself at www.vark-learn.com.
The lesson was on the writing process, and Bonni introduced us to the concept of personas. Personas are personalities the writer invents that, in the case of tech writing, should be representative of the target audience or users.
It's been fun to see the congruence between tech writing and fiction writing. The personas are a type of character. I won some points in the class by bringing up Judy's technique of "interviewing" your personas to get to know them. That's a novelist's technique, but it certainly can be used in the non-fiction realm.
Another characteristic of writing that Nancy used to bring up is that "People like to read about people." As Bonni says, "Everyone is the hero in his or her own story." Even some form as bland as technical writing still is about people--people act on things, not the other way around.
Tomorrow, I'm going to the zoo in the morning and then Jan will come visit in the afternoon. My parents will be visiting that night. Harold will be over, as usual.
By the way, I got my van back! It looks great--I just need to get it Teflon-coated before winter hits. We had a fair amount of rain this week, which I enjoyed immensely, but it does mess a car up!
Friday, October 14, 2005
A Conspiracy of Dunces
A Conspiracy of Dunces
It looks like I was not the only one to notice the correlation between terror alerts and crises within the administration. Just check out this article by Keith Olbermann of MSNBC: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6210240/ .
On Tuesday night I went to my second Technical Communications class. I had a good time, even though the topic--basic grammar--was a little (OK a lot!) beneath my educational level and disposition. I congratulated Bonni on making it interesting enough that I didn't walk out at the half. Now I need to force myself to do the homework and find a topic and genre for my final project.
Today the weather continues the Santa Ana season. It's 94 at Miramar right now. And the damn Air Show ("America's favorite waste of taxpayer money" according to the Simpsons) will rock the house this weekend.
My parents will not be over tonight; they are attending a play at the La Jolla Playhouse.
It looks like I was not the only one to notice the correlation between terror alerts and crises within the administration. Just check out this article by Keith Olbermann of MSNBC: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6210240/ .
On Tuesday night I went to my second Technical Communications class. I had a good time, even though the topic--basic grammar--was a little (OK a lot!) beneath my educational level and disposition. I congratulated Bonni on making it interesting enough that I didn't walk out at the half. Now I need to force myself to do the homework and find a topic and genre for my final project.
Today the weather continues the Santa Ana season. It's 94 at Miramar right now. And the damn Air Show ("America's favorite waste of taxpayer money" according to the Simpsons) will rock the house this weekend.
My parents will not be over tonight; they are attending a play at the La Jolla Playhouse.
Friday, October 07, 2005
A Series of Unfortunate Coincidences
Doesn't it seem strange that, just about the time Karl Rove's fecal matter is about to splatter against rotating blades, there come a series of suspicious "terror attack" warnings? First, the New York subway scare, then the Washington Monument, and a Coke can in another city's subway station. Could the bomb threats be emanating from Rove's office, like the outing of Valerie Plame?
Rove's the master of dirty tricks in the most corrupt, secretive and paranoid administration in history. They are arguably the most incompetent as well, but that's another subject. If Rove could make up lies to assassinate the character of John McCain, it's not a great leap of the imagination to envision him stirring up trouble to keep his name off Page 1. Last night, for example, the Rove story had descended to third place in the CBS Evening News.
How convenient!
Rove's the master of dirty tricks in the most corrupt, secretive and paranoid administration in history. They are arguably the most incompetent as well, but that's another subject. If Rove could make up lies to assassinate the character of John McCain, it's not a great leap of the imagination to envision him stirring up trouble to keep his name off Page 1. Last night, for example, the Rove story had descended to third place in the CBS Evening News.
How convenient!
Thursday, October 06, 2005
The Hatch, the Button and the Cage
This week's episode of LOST continued the plot developments of the first two weeks. The main premise seems to be the metaphysical connection to the outside world. Locke expects Jack to make a "leap of faith" and press the button. Desmond has been stuck on the island for years, afraid the whole thing is a mind game, but also afraid to abandon his post and not "save the world." Like all of us, the LOST characters must decide for themselves if the universe has reason--if our lives have reason--or if it's all a random sequence of numbers (or worse yet, the arbitrary machinations of a perverse and manipulative deity).
What is the island? Is it even an island? Again, the references to The Prisoner abound. The whole concept of subjecting people to mind games was a major theme of The Prisoner, in which Number 6 was tested on a weekly basis.
Many fans theorize the island could be a Dyson sphere. The geodesic dome also hints at that. However, if that's the case, how did the Black Rock come ashore? Plus, the guy in Australia, Toomey, along with the crazy patient in the asylum, had heard the numbers broadcast while they were at a Navy listening post in the South Pacific. It doesn't seem likely they were receiving radio waves from space.
What is the island? Is it even an island? Again, the references to The Prisoner abound. The whole concept of subjecting people to mind games was a major theme of The Prisoner, in which Number 6 was tested on a weekly basis.
Many fans theorize the island could be a Dyson sphere. The geodesic dome also hints at that. However, if that's the case, how did the Black Rock come ashore? Plus, the guy in Australia, Toomey, along with the crazy patient in the asylum, had heard the numbers broadcast while they were at a Navy listening post in the South Pacific. It doesn't seem likely they were receiving radio waves from space.
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
About Last Night...
Last night I went to my first class for Technical Communication I. It's taught on Tuesday nights at UCSD Extension from 6:30-9:30. I must admit I attended the class with a degree of trepidation, as the previous course I took, Document Design, finished by being rather a washout.
To my pleasant surprise, the class was actually fun! Bonnie Graham, the instructor, is clearly a writer--she has an ironic sense of humor and talks a mile a minute. She doesn't waste time, and keeps things on track. In fact, she kept the beats of the session rolling so efficiently we wrapped up the night at 8:45. I didn't even have time to open my snack! (Coffee was still vital, however.)
Quite a bit of the class is available online, including quizzes. Assignments can also be turned in via the Internet. It seems UCSD is moving more in the direction of online learning, which makes sense especially for professional-development classes, which are frequently attended by folks who work during the day and don't have a lot of time to spare. Plus, with today's gas prices, who wants to spend more time in traffic?
The textbook, I have to say, is a yawner. It's pleasantly enough written, but why does this subject have to be rendered in lifeless hues? And I think the author put it at about 10th grade reading level, which might be great for engineers, but appears condescending to the literati among us.
It was good to see a few people from the document design course in the class, also. So, we shall all suffer, or succeed, together. And there were only 12 students in the class, which made it nice and congenial. The document design course, by contrast, was way overcrowded.
To my pleasant surprise, the class was actually fun! Bonnie Graham, the instructor, is clearly a writer--she has an ironic sense of humor and talks a mile a minute. She doesn't waste time, and keeps things on track. In fact, she kept the beats of the session rolling so efficiently we wrapped up the night at 8:45. I didn't even have time to open my snack! (Coffee was still vital, however.)
Quite a bit of the class is available online, including quizzes. Assignments can also be turned in via the Internet. It seems UCSD is moving more in the direction of online learning, which makes sense especially for professional-development classes, which are frequently attended by folks who work during the day and don't have a lot of time to spare. Plus, with today's gas prices, who wants to spend more time in traffic?
The textbook, I have to say, is a yawner. It's pleasantly enough written, but why does this subject have to be rendered in lifeless hues? And I think the author put it at about 10th grade reading level, which might be great for engineers, but appears condescending to the literati among us.
It was good to see a few people from the document design course in the class, also. So, we shall all suffer, or succeed, together. And there were only 12 students in the class, which made it nice and congenial. The document design course, by contrast, was way overcrowded.
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Even the Dead Shall Marry
Even the Dead Shall Marry
Last Saturday night I went to see Tim Burton's Corpse Bride at the local Regal Entertainment Theater. I thoroughly enjoyed the film, which was whimsical, satirical and fun. Not often can one place those adjectives in conjunction with the words "corpse" and "bride." I suspect those working in statistical NLP wouldn’t know what to do with such an unlikely set of n-grams.
Friday evening, I went to Dead Lobster with my friends, Donna, Marina and Thomas. We had a great time, ate lots of "shrimps" and I managed to get a buzz off of ½ a Long Island Iced Tea.
Monday night from 8:30 till about midnight I spent my time at the UCSD Library looking up references in the LA Times indexes for the 1970s for the so-called "Trash-Bag Murders." I did this work for a writer who lives in Oregon who is a friend of Nancy. The research will go into a Court TV episode. I normally don't care for the sensationalistic Court TV programming, but I will make an exception when that episode is aired. I hope to do more work for the same author on future projects. It feels good to make $20 an hour!
Friday cometh my hearing downtown. I have still gotten dunning notices from Dr. T. and Gentiva Scarecentrix, so I am sending them certified mail, return receipt requested, with my official notice (they should have already received notice from the court). If they persist in billing me, I can take THEM to court and recover attorney's fees and damages.
Last Saturday night I went to see Tim Burton's Corpse Bride at the local Regal Entertainment Theater. I thoroughly enjoyed the film, which was whimsical, satirical and fun. Not often can one place those adjectives in conjunction with the words "corpse" and "bride." I suspect those working in statistical NLP wouldn’t know what to do with such an unlikely set of n-grams.
Friday evening, I went to Dead Lobster with my friends, Donna, Marina and Thomas. We had a great time, ate lots of "shrimps" and I managed to get a buzz off of ½ a Long Island Iced Tea.
Monday night from 8:30 till about midnight I spent my time at the UCSD Library looking up references in the LA Times indexes for the 1970s for the so-called "Trash-Bag Murders." I did this work for a writer who lives in Oregon who is a friend of Nancy. The research will go into a Court TV episode. I normally don't care for the sensationalistic Court TV programming, but I will make an exception when that episode is aired. I hope to do more work for the same author on future projects. It feels good to make $20 an hour!
Friday cometh my hearing downtown. I have still gotten dunning notices from Dr. T. and Gentiva Scarecentrix, so I am sending them certified mail, return receipt requested, with my official notice (they should have already received notice from the court). If they persist in billing me, I can take THEM to court and recover attorney's fees and damages.
Saturday, September 17, 2005
The Supremacy of the Banal
Last night my parents came over and we watched "The Pacifier," a formulaic Disney comedy starring Vin Diesel. It wasn't as bad as I might have expected--there's a certain warm, fuzzy comfort to mediocrity. Banality is what makes the world go 'round. Those who pop up too high get smashed; those who sink too low get run over. In the boring middle is where a person can be safe, at least for a while. Artistically, too.
Today, I got up late and didn't really accomplish anything, unless paying bills online is an accomplishment. Tomorrow evening I'll go to Mass with my parents, and maybe dinner. It'll be the last time I see them till they return from their Fall Foliage Cruise up the Eastern Seabord.
I saw Dr. Landers last Thursday. Nothing new in the visit, except he promised to look into some medications to help me retain what bone density I still have.
Working on my novel has its ups and downs. Earlier in the week, I wrote a really solid new first chapter, which starts off in medias res, yet gives a clear overview of what's at stake. Now, I need to get a-plottin'. I can no longer avoid the endless void into which my characters leap off around the end of Chapter 6. I'm at just under 20,000 words right now (around 85 pages)--my goal is to have some reasonable draft finished by the time the San Diego State Writing Conference starts in January.
I'm considering purchasing Power Structure to give me a boost in the productivity department. The $140 cost, however, giveth me pause.
Weatherwise, it's perfect these days. Autumn is in the air. It's crisper, and the nights are cooler and more comfortable than they were during the summer. Yay!
Today, I got up late and didn't really accomplish anything, unless paying bills online is an accomplishment. Tomorrow evening I'll go to Mass with my parents, and maybe dinner. It'll be the last time I see them till they return from their Fall Foliage Cruise up the Eastern Seabord.
I saw Dr. Landers last Thursday. Nothing new in the visit, except he promised to look into some medications to help me retain what bone density I still have.
Working on my novel has its ups and downs. Earlier in the week, I wrote a really solid new first chapter, which starts off in medias res, yet gives a clear overview of what's at stake. Now, I need to get a-plottin'. I can no longer avoid the endless void into which my characters leap off around the end of Chapter 6. I'm at just under 20,000 words right now (around 85 pages)--my goal is to have some reasonable draft finished by the time the San Diego State Writing Conference starts in January.
I'm considering purchasing Power Structure to give me a boost in the productivity department. The $140 cost, however, giveth me pause.
Weatherwise, it's perfect these days. Autumn is in the air. It's crisper, and the nights are cooler and more comfortable than they were during the summer. Yay!
Thursday, September 08, 2005
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
The End of Summer
This past weekend, I spent more than the usual amount of time with my parents. Friday evening, they came over and we watched an entertaining little comedy, "Good Company." It started Dennis Quaid as a middle-aged ad executive who gets a boss have his age when his company is acquired by a Rupert Murdoch-like media mogul. Entertaining--not profound--yet it kept me laughing.
Saturday evening we attended the 5:00 PM mass at Saint Gregory. This was the parish's 20th anniversary, so there was due attention paid to the saint himself. The deacon read an excerpt from a homily of the St. Gregory, which extolled the virtues of not being owned by the things we own. A point still relevant today.
Sunday night we attended the final concert of the Summer Pops. They moved the location from where it used to be: it's now down by the embarcadero park between the Convention Center and the bay. They used to hold the concerts at Navy Pier, which is now home to the Midway Museum.
The nice thing about the new venue is that it's all on the grass. Un concert sur l'herbe. And the view of downtown was spectacular, as the sun set and the skyscrapers lit up. Seeing that view truly reminded me of the blessings of living in this city. Yes, it's obscenely expensive to dwell here--but the finest things in life are expensive (one way or another, not necessarily monetarily) and well worth the price. I felt a tug of remorse, enjoying myself on the balmy September evening, listening to Tchaikovsky's "Variations on a Rococo Theme" while the citizens of New Orleans fled their ruined city.
Then I snapped out of it!
Saturday evening we attended the 5:00 PM mass at Saint Gregory. This was the parish's 20th anniversary, so there was due attention paid to the saint himself. The deacon read an excerpt from a homily of the St. Gregory, which extolled the virtues of not being owned by the things we own. A point still relevant today.
Sunday night we attended the final concert of the Summer Pops. They moved the location from where it used to be: it's now down by the embarcadero park between the Convention Center and the bay. They used to hold the concerts at Navy Pier, which is now home to the Midway Museum.
The nice thing about the new venue is that it's all on the grass. Un concert sur l'herbe. And the view of downtown was spectacular, as the sun set and the skyscrapers lit up. Seeing that view truly reminded me of the blessings of living in this city. Yes, it's obscenely expensive to dwell here--but the finest things in life are expensive (one way or another, not necessarily monetarily) and well worth the price. I felt a tug of remorse, enjoying myself on the balmy September evening, listening to Tchaikovsky's "Variations on a Rococo Theme" while the citizens of New Orleans fled their ruined city.
Then I snapped out of it!
Thursday, September 01, 2005
Not All Gloom and Doom!
Not All Gloom and Doom!
I just installed the new Blogger for Word toolbar and am trying it out. At last, an answer to my prayers for something less clunky than the Blogger interface! And, I hope, no more lost posts due to Internet connection problems.
On to my news. Went and saw Ray Schimmel yesterday and got my case rolling. The 5,000 fingers of Dr. T will no longer be able to reach out and grab me! Also Cigna, Gentiva Carecentrix, CIO Collections, Tia Marie Hollowood and a few others.
The weather here has cooled a bit. Ray's office is by the beach near Morena Blvd. Wonderful ocean breeze wafts through the open corridors and courtyards of his building.
OK, let's see if this thing's a-workin'!
I just installed the new Blogger for Word toolbar and am trying it out. At last, an answer to my prayers for something less clunky than the Blogger interface! And, I hope, no more lost posts due to Internet connection problems.
On to my news. Went and saw Ray Schimmel yesterday and got my case rolling. The 5,000 fingers of Dr. T will no longer be able to reach out and grab me! Also Cigna, Gentiva Carecentrix, CIO Collections, Tia Marie Hollowood and a few others.
The weather here has cooled a bit. Ray's office is by the beach near Morena Blvd. Wonderful ocean breeze wafts through the open corridors and courtyards of his building.
OK, let's see if this thing's a-workin'!
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