I’d hoped to carve out some writing time today but instead I’m dealing with a lot of weird tech issues, some of which are concrete problems and some just disappointments.
Here’s an example of the latter. Note the prompt.
No, AI. Just… no.
Posts Tagged ‘#365Ways2024’
Bright Colors, Happy Tone
Posted in Funny, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, #notwriting, AI, genre fiction, Thoughts, writing on January 17, 2024| 1 Comment »
L Marks the Spot
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, libraries, Thoughts on January 16, 2024| Leave a Comment »
I’ve often talked about the general excellence of libraries. Today I’d like to make a specific comment, and it’s not even about books.
Sad news: Mr Man is still not feeling great.
Good news: He was able to get a same-day appointment with our doctor.
But.
Our doctor will only see symptomatic patients if you have a negative Covid test in hand. Ok, fine, I guess. Our health care providers and system have been under massive pressure for years.
Except.
The holidays cooked up a stew of respiratory illnesses and a significant portion of Ottawa’s Capital Region is down for the count. Our wastewater numbers are right up there with the highest levels since tracking started in 2020. Finding cough medicine has become the equivalent of a treasure hunt. And finding a Covid rapid test? That’s more like the Holy Grail.
None of the pharmacies I called had any tests in stock. They’d be happy to schedule us for Covid boosters, but we already have those. Our local health unit should have tests but is halfway across the city.
Where to find a rapid test? The library came through for us. Not just a home for books and music, maker spaces and digital resources, the library is also bringing this now necessary resource into our neighborhoods.
I walked into our local branch to find a stack of rapid tests on a table by the door. The librarian couldn’t see my grin under my mask, but it was there.
And good news! Mr Man’s test is negative and now he can get the healthcare he needs.
Thanks, library. You saved the day.
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So Glad
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, academia, identity, Small Wonders, Thoughts on January 15, 2024| Leave a Comment »
It’s Monday and I’m back at work, thinking about work things. My day job isn’t perfect but it’s got a lot going for it, and I will say that I don’t miss the academic career track. Why? Check out this story by Courtney Floyd at Small Wonders for one reason.
CoverLetter_Version5: Small Wonders
Four other versions of me crowd around the kitchen table, waiting for version five to get done with the bathroom. Or for breakfast. Or for me to say something. Or for anything, really. All they do is wait, wait, wait.
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This Writer’s Life
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, creativity, genre fiction, on writing, Thoughts, Writers, writing on January 14, 2024| Leave a Comment »
One day in this writer’s life: reading, modifying a recipe for white chocolate and lemon truffles (thanks, Aunt C!), making notes on the inklings of an idea for a space saga, and a walk in the snow surrounded by tiny snowflakes drifting quietly down.
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Know Better, Do Better, Be Better
Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, activism, centenarians know better, inspiration, politics, quilting, Thoughts, Writers, writing on January 13, 2024| Leave a Comment »
How much do I love this?
101-Year-Old Grace Linn: ‘Banning Books and Burning Books Are the Same’
“Banning books and burning books are the same. Both are done for the same reason: fear of knowledge,” Linn said. “They’re afraid that people will know better than they did.”
But each generation should know better, do better, and be better, Linn said. Society can’t grow and evolve without the education and empathy-building that come from the free exchange of thoughts shared through books.
All the hearts, forever.
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Just Waiting
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, free fiction, genre fiction, Thoughts, Writers on January 12, 2024| Leave a Comment »
Bright sun, blue skies, and the sense of a storm looming just below the horizon. I’m working, watching and waiting, and maybe this latest unpredictable system will blow past us without much fuss. Or maybe, like many of you, we’ll find ourselves in the middle of an Arctic blast buried beneath many centimeters of snow.
While we wait to see how this latest example of Nature’s power manifests, here’s another dose of free fiction.
Download the Tor.com November/December 2023 Short Fiction Bundle
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Free to Read, This Week Only!
Posted in Entertainment, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, #wotf39, free fiction, genre fiction, inspiration, Writers, Writers of the Future, writing on January 11, 2024| Leave a Comment »
Good news, fellow seekers of good fiction, my fellow Writer of the Future David Hankins has made his award-winning story “Death and the Taxman” available free for this week only! If you haven’t already read it in Writers of the Future Volume 39, I highly recommend it.
The story is funny, well-written, and the springboard for his upcoming novel (I supported the highly-successful Kickstarter; the book will be widely released on Tax Day because David’s sense of timing is as on point as his humor!).
Enjoy!
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Hieroglyphs from Heaven
Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, science, snow, snowstorm, Thoughts, winter on January 10, 2024| Leave a Comment »
Winter has finally arrived in the Northeast, and it is making a serious splash.
We wanted a white Christmas, but that didn’t happen around here; Nature is making up for it now. We’ve had multiple storms this week complete with snow, sleet, ice and rain (sometimes all at once) and expect a significant snowstorm to hit this weekend.
That has me investigating weather reports, flexing my shoveling muscles, and generally catching up on all things snow. Here are a few of the interesting articles I found:
Science of Snow | National Snow and Ice Data Center
Snow forecasts are better than they used to be, and they continue to improve, but snow forecasting remains a difficult challenge for meteorologists. One reason is that during intense snows, the heaviest snowfall can occur in surprisingly narrow bands, and on a smaller scale than observing networks and forecast zones can see. Also, the extremely small temperature differences that define the boundary line between rain and snow make large differences in snow forecasts. This is part of the fun and frustration that makes snow forecasting so interesting.
Winter storm hits East Coast. What’s in a snowflake? (transcript)
“So a snowflake that was more than a foot across. Is that, like, even possible?”
How to Shovel Snow Safely – This Old House
Freezing temperatures often bring snow, sleet, and ice. And removing that messy wintry mix from your walkways and driveways is no easy feat. Here is the best way to shovel snow to prevent injury and lessen your workload.
What’s Wrong With This Snowflake? (transcript)
Koop thinks ice crystals are masterpieces of natural beauty. Unfortunately, he says, “This beauty is sometimes corrupted.”
Seeing Snowflakes As ‘Hieroglyphs from the Sky’ (transcript)
“It’s been said that snowflakes are like hieroglyphs from the sky…,” says Libbrecht, an astrophysicist and chairman of the physics department at the California Institute of Technology. “In the shape of the crystal is encoded the conditions under which it grew.”
And for when snow stops being fun and starts getting real: United States Power Outage Map.
Time to charge up our phones, laptops, power banks and car. Stay safe and warm!
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Want to Read
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, free fiction, genre fiction, Uncanny Magazine, Writers, writing on January 9, 2024| Leave a Comment »
An ode to the stories I want to read but haven’t quite managed, yet.
The Coffin Maker – Uncanny Magazine
Every so often, audio crackles through the room, too loud, and the crowd stills and quiets as one. Stephani knows that they are all like her, waiting, waiting, waiting to find out how this mission will fail, hoping it will be a small thing with no ripples, praying they won’t have to hear it, knowing they will listen if a surveyor’s last words are broadcast across the ship.
Have I read this? I have not, but Uncanny stories are always high quality and often hopeful (if sometimes disturbing; fair warning in case this story turns out to be one of those!). Perhaps you will have more time today than I do.
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Monday on Mars
Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, inspiration, Mars, MarsCuriosity, NASA, science, space, Thoughts on January 8, 2024| Leave a Comment »
It’s Monday, I’m back at work, and while things are moving along fine I’d be lying if I said I didn’t wonder what a day in space would be like instead.
Let’s take a little break and go to Mars, shall we?
NASA’s Curiosity Rover Captures a Martian Day, From Dawn to Dusk – NASA Mars Exploration
Rover drivers normally rely on Curiosity’s Hazcams to spot rocks, slopes, and other hazards that may be risky to traverse. But because the rover’s other activities were intentionally scaled back just prior to conjunction, the team decided to use the Hazcams to record 12 hours of snapshots for the first time, hoping to capture clouds or dust devils that could reveal more about the Red Planet’s weather.
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