Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, health, public health, vaccines on November 20, 2024| Leave a Comment »
I’ll just leave this link here, with gratitude to all the scientists and health care workers who have helped protect me, my family, and my community over the years.
Battling Infectious Diseases in the 20th Century: The Impact of Vaccines
If you wonder why vaccines (and antibiotics, and other health fundamentals) are a big deal, ask your grandparents who they lost.
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Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, inspiration, persistence, Thoughts on November 19, 2024| Leave a Comment »
I like work for a number of reasons but some days, I just need a little break. And, apparently, 11,000 Post-Its animating a year in the life of illustrator Daren Jannace.
Goofy, yes. Fun, yes. But the most useful message in this project for me is that even small amounts of work add up over time.
And now, back to work!
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Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, even more work, more work, Thoughts, work on November 18, 2024| Leave a Comment »
“The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.”
— Vince Lombardi
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Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, moon, photography, science on November 17, 2024| Leave a Comment »
As we’re right around the full (super!) moon this weekend (and I’m knee-deep in tech and tax stuff, super fun), here’s a composite image of the moon with amazing detail.
An Enormous Photo of the Moon Zooms in on the Cratered Lunar Topography in Incredible Detail
The self-taught Kurdish astrophotographer amassed 81,000 images, which he stitched into a 708-gigabyte composite revealing the intricacies of the lunar topography in stunningly high resolution.
Scroll down through the images to be impressed by the work of this self-taught astrophotographer.
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, NASA, poetry, supermoon on November 16, 2024| 1 Comment »
This weekend marks the final supermoon in what has been a months-long fall cycle of supermoons. If you have a chance to look up, you can see the moon’s super hurrah for the year before its orbit takes it farther away from us.
Here’s NASA’s quick explanation for the supermoon, when the moon is closest to us, and its inverse, the micromoon.
The next full supermoon will be on November 5, 2025. Until then, a micropoem.
Night’s shadows await
the Moon’s sly smile, waxing bright
as She steals the stars.
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Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, creativity, failure, persistence, success, Thoughts, writing on November 15, 2024| Leave a Comment »
“In my experience, each failure contains the seeds of your next success—if you are willing to learn from it.”
— Paul Allen
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Posted in Funny, Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, Fiction, hope, humor, Thoughts on November 14, 2024| Leave a Comment »
Updates on the Arc of the Moral Universe – McSweeney’s Internet Tendency
The arc of the moral universe is running very late. It’s sitting in standstill traffic behind a fleet of Amazon delivery vans, a burning Tesla, and a stretch limousine with Truck Nuts.
The arc of the moral universe is leaning on the horn.
The arc of the moral universe shouldn’t have stopped for that latte.
The arc of the moral universe owes you an apology.
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Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, future, genre fiction, star trek, think positive, Thoughts on November 13, 2024| Leave a Comment »
You know how some days a question gets stuck in your mind? For me today, it’s the question of where the energy comes from for Star Trek’s matter replicators. (Reminder: I came to Star Trek much later than Star Wars, and I’m ok with that.) Does everything in the ST universe run on dilithium?
Sure, I could look it up, but instead I’m going to use the distraction to keep the part of my mind that focuses on the future happily entertained, instead of stressfully worried. Because that leaves me with more positive energy for action.
Whatever it takes, right?
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, #wotf, #wotf39, books, bundles, genre fiction, Writers, Writers of the Future, writing on November 12, 2024| Leave a Comment »
I just received word that my Writers of the Future book (volume 39 for those who are following along) is currently part of a great big story bundle from Arc Manor.
HOW DOES THIS WORK? You may select either the base bundle of five books or the enhanced bundle of 14 books (including a surprise title by a bestselling author).
For each choice, there is a suggested price and a minimum price. When you select either of the two options (base bundle or enhanced bundle), you will be taken to a checkout system that displays the suggested price. You may change this to any price you like as long as it meets the minimum price requirements.
The base bundle has big name authors like Joe Haldeman and Nancy Kress and Kevin J. Anderson. The enhanced bundle contains those authors and more, including Jody Lynn Nye, Robert J. Sawyer, my collection and more!
If that sounds like something of interest to you, scroll down the linked page to see what’s included, and enjoy!
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Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, commercial fiction, creativity, Thoughts, Writers, writing on November 11, 2024| Leave a Comment »
The other day, I started a book billed as a mystery for fans of Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club. Premise, fine I guess. Characters, meh to mediocre. Overall story, tone and execution? Not for me. It takes a lot for me to put down a book, particularly before the first body falls, but in this case, I did it.
I only share books I like here, so I won’t mention the title. I will say that it’s lovely to find a reliable author. The good news is that Osman has started up a new series and I am looking forward to it. Here’s an interview with Osman and Lee Child, author of the Jack Reacher books.
And while I think the idea that writing is a good job for those who have already had careers is a mite limiting, it certainly has worked out for these two authors.
To me, it’s never about what happens. It’s about: why do I care what happens? And that’s all character…
My default is to write commercial fiction, because that’s just how my brain is. I want to do something that the maximum amount of people love; I want to write something that’s good and then sits right in the heart of popular culture. You want the sort of book where, if you’re on a long-haul flight and you open the first page, it takes you through that entire flight – that sounds trite, but it’s not, because how do you keep someone through an entire flight? You keep them with story, and you keep them with character, and you keep them with wit and with a personality that people want to spend time with.
— Richard Osman
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