April 30, 2014 by J.R. Johnson
Writer and editor Eileen Gunn has a new piece out on science fiction writers and the art of possibility. For Smithsonian, no less.
How America’s Leading Science Fiction Authors Are Shaping Your Future
The literary genre isn’t meant to predict the future, but implausible ideas that fire inventors’ imaginations often, amazingly, come true
An instructor at MIT’s Media Lab “laments that researchers whose work deals with emerging technologies are often unfamiliar with science fiction. ‘With the development of new biotech and genetic engineering, you see authors like Margaret Atwood writing about dystopian worlds centered on those technologies,’ she says. ‘Authors have explored these exact topics in incredible depth for decades…'”
Check out the full article for more on the role of science fiction in imagining, and creating, potential futures.
Posted in Likes, Science!, Writing | Tagged Center for Science and the Imagination, creativity, design fiction, dystopias, Eileen Gunn, ethics, Fiction, genre fiction, inspiration, MIT, science, science fiction, sff, society, speculative fiction, Writers, writing | Leave a Comment »
April 29, 2014 by J.R. Johnson
‘Star Wars 7’ Cast Now Official: Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, Andy Serkis, Max Von Sydow, Harrison Ford & More
Yes, a lot of these names come up in previous discussion around the film, but there’s nothing like an official announcement to make things, erm, official. The core cast from the original trilogy is returning, which is terrific. And I’m particularly pleased to see John Boyega after his impressive turn in Attack the Block, and of course “stone cold veteran badass Max Von Sydow” (oh Ming the Merciless, you slay me!). And they start shooting in a couple of weeks. Better and better!
/fingers crossed
Posted in Entertainment, Likes | Tagged Andy Serkis, awesome, Brendan Gleeson, Carrie Fisher, entertainment, Episode VII, Harrison Ford, John Boyega, Mark Hamill, Max von Sydow, movies, Oscar Isaac, Peter Mayhew, science fiction, sff, star wars, yay | Leave a Comment »
April 28, 2014 by J.R. Johnson
I code sometimes. I also write. Occasionally the two come together.
As I’ve mentioned, coding helps me find new ways to think about my work. Here’s a new Applescript I whipped up to highlight instances of “to be” in my drafts, as well as certain filler words that don’t add much to the text. Open your document in MS Word, then run the following code. The selected words will be replaced with bold versions of themselves.
Alter the list as necessary, or use this as an example of how to do a list-based loop in Applescript (hint: the “repeat” line is key;). Enjoy!
set my_word_list to {"am", "are", "be", "been", "being", "felt", "had", "has", "have", "heard", "is", "looked", "was", "wasn't", "were", "weren't"}
repeat with each_word in my_word_list
set FindWordsToReplace to each_word as text
tell application "Microsoft Word"
set GetTxt to find object of selection
tell GetTxt
clear formatting
set its content to FindWordsToReplace
tell its replacement
clear formatting
set its content to FindWordsToReplace
tell its font object
set bold to true
end tell
end tell
execute find wrap find find continue replace replace all with match forward and match whole word without match case
end tell
end tell
end repeat
Posted in Writing | Tagged Applescript, code, creativity, Fiction, fun, macs, short stories, work, writing, yay | 1 Comment »
April 25, 2014 by J.R. Johnson
Some years ago my father (an avid birder) bought me a bird feeder from Droll Yankees. It’s fantastic, sturdy and big enough to hold a lot of seed. The Dipper is also designed to be squirrel proof, with perches that collapse under too much weight. Each metal bar will hold chickadees and goldfinches with no trouble, or even a very juvenile cardinal, but not a squirrel. With a metal cap capable of withstanding squirrel teeth (ask me how I know) it has been the perfect foil for the fluffy yet gluttonous neighborhood Sciuridae. It’s not that they haven’t tried, coming at the thing from all sides, but their best effort was to throw themselves at the feeder to make it swing enough to drop a few extra seeds.
Until now.
A black squirrel was the first to figure out a way to secure a hold using multiple perches. It grabs on using its back paws and chows down with the front. I had hoped it would keep the secret to itself but no, the new knowledge is spreading. (Information just wants to be free, I suppose:) A red squirrel, smug and fat, hung upside-down from the feeder this morning.
Chalk one up for the Animal Kingdom (and I don’t mean me).
I’d better go get some more bird seed.
Posted in Funny | Tagged all good things, birding, Droll Yankees, funny, home, squirrels, wishful thinking | Leave a Comment »
April 24, 2014 by J.R. Johnson
What’s that? You’d like to read an interview with George R.R. Martin with lunch? Well, I happen to have just the thing for you, via the good people at Longreads:
George R.R. Martin: The Rolling Stone Interview
In which GRRM discusses his history as a writer, the evolution of his epic (and as yet incomplete!) The Song of Ice and Fire cycle and how, despite the great swaths of death that characterize those books, his “worldview is anything but nihilistic.”
Posted in Entertainment | Tagged artists, books, creativity, entertainment, Fiction, Game of Thrones, genre fiction, George R.R. Martin, GoT, GRRM, HBO, interviews, Rolling Stone, Writers, writing | 1 Comment »
April 23, 2014 by J.R. Johnson
Sometime after Christmas I decided to leave our holiday wreath up until the snow melted. Not just road snow or even sidewalk snow, but the snow that lurks by the cedar hedge, sheltered in the shadows of the house.
How long could it take? I wondered. (Oh, the naiveté of one new to the North.).
This long:p The snow is finally gone, and the wreath is coming down:)
My next goal is to spot a flower. Outside. Growing!
Posted in Holidays | Tagged home, o canada, seasons, snow, Spring, yay | Leave a Comment »
April 18, 2014 by J.R. Johnson
I just ran across this healthy recipe finder at The New York Times. It’s a useful resource if you, like me, sometimes have a vague memory of an article with a recipe but no useful landmarks to help find it. After a quick browse here I’m ready for lunch. Even the Beet and Chia Pancakes look good.
On second thought, I’m going with the Beet Salad With Chèvre Frais and Caraway. Too healthy for you? Pair it with a (local, ethical, organic, free range) steak, nothing’s stopping you:)
Posted in Food and... | Tagged chia, food, inspiration, lunch, recipes, reference | Leave a Comment »
April 15, 2014 by J.R. Johnson
My holiday wreath remains on the door because there’s still a little pile of snow out in the front yard. Impressively, the snow survived yesterday’s 70F weather. The house shades that section of the yard from sun most of the day, and layers of traction control sand provide the snow with a bit of a buffer, a turtle-like defense against Spring. I’m almost rooting for the little guy, persistent as it is.
Almost:) Happy Spring!
^ Not my front yard, but oh so pretty all the same.
Posted in Other | Tagged cherry blossoms, DC, home, persistence, snow, Spring, weather, winter, yay | Leave a Comment »
April 11, 2014 by J.R. Johnson
Ah, that’s better! I’ve just finished switching over to a new computer, and it’s bigger better faster and all kinds of more awesome than the six-year old tower I had been using. This is it, still wrapped in the thoughtfully designed protective blankie covering in which it was delivered. Under all the styrofoam and cardboard, of course.
I find there are always transition issues with a new computer, even when that computer is a Mac. Take, for example, the soul-crushing realization that a favorite app, DockStar from Ecamm, is not compatible with the new Mavericks OS. Granted, Apple’s Mail has a tiny bit of DockStar’s functionality built in, but I do mean tiny. Ecamm, I hope you find a buyer for the program soon. Alternatively, Apple needs to incorporate that functionality into its system, stat!
The new machine is so fast. Henceforth, all writing will take place at the speed of light. Or 99.9% of same (see, Neil deGrasse Tyson, I was listening to you in episode 1.04 of Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, and not just because it included voice acting by SirPatStew;).
Posted in Likes, Writing | Tagged Apple, Cosmos, Dockstar, iMac, neil degrasse tyson, productive distractions, Sir Patrick Stewart, speed of light, technology, toys, work, yay | Leave a Comment »
April 8, 2014 by J.R. Johnson
Did you know? Not only did there used to be a student jail for curfew breakers and related miscreants in Uppsala, Sweden, but that very same collection of cold stone cells is now the character-filled restaurant Domtrappkällaren. Translation: [Dom=cathedral] + [trapp=steps] + [kalleren=cellar]. For a mind-blowing bit of temporal perspective (for North Americans, at least), the university punishing said miscreants was founded in 1477. (Still left to learn: how are modern-day malfeasants chastised now that the jail has been repurposed? Inquiring minds want to know!)
The restaurant serves a delectable selection of Northern cuisine, including items like Kalix Löjrom roe. That name is a Protected Designation of Origin similar to “Champagne,” and is the only such designation in Sweden. Kalix is in Northern Sweden, and the region’s fish eggs (or Kalixlöjrom) gain their unique flavor from a mix of fresh and salt waters along with a copious dose of minerals. (Apparently, strontium and barium are quite tasty, if you can persuade a fish to prepare it for you.)
I learned none of this first-hand, sadly, but my globe-trotting father enjoyed the heck out of his dinner. Makes me want to get back to Sweden…
Posted in Food and... | Tagged Domtrappkällaren, food, history, Learning@Dinner, restaurants, Sweden, travel, Uppsala University | Leave a Comment »
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