Notes

0 comments on "Transhuman; Jupiter Ascending: post-dystopian consumerism"

“Transhuman or trans-human is the concept of an intermediary form between human and posthuman. In other words, a transhuman is a being that resembles a human in most respects but who has powers and abilities beyond those of standard humans. These abilities might include improved intelligence, awareness, strength, or durability. Transhumans sometimes appear in science-fiction as cyborgs or genetically-enhanced humans.” – Wikipedia.

I was looking up “Jupiter Ascending” to remind myself of a particular scene and was taken to the Wikipedia page. There I saw that the people out in the galaxy–the Exalted–were described as being transhuman. And it got me thinking. And writing.

NOTE: I realize that many have found fault with the movie “Jupiter Ascending”, but I don’t care. That was space opera crack at its most over-indulgent and I could happily do with another dose. Plus the fanfic it has produced … Mwah! Divine. How could I hate on source material that has inspired so many great stories to read?

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I read that the rise of post-apocalyptic fiction is a sign of dissatisfaction in the general population. By choosing the books and media they do, the younger generation is expressing cynicism and fear of the future.

From a naively hopeful view of the future where humans are zooming amongst the stars and colonizing new planets, stories have taken on a grim view of intergalactic battles and the forced extinction of the human race. And back home on Earth, instead of the vaulted spires of a utopian society, everything has turned to disaster having overfallen the world and a struggling society attempting to rebuild something amongst the ruins of our modern cities.

No longer do protagonists and antagonists banter and bumble their way through the apocalypse. Now it is a foregone conclusion that our world will end.

There is nothing to stop. Nothing to struggle against. Disaster has already happened.

To the people of those future visions, we are nothing less than rumors. Everything that we’ve built has already faded away.

And even then, with the world ruined and humanity struggling to stay alive, there is always a group of people with all of the resources and technology, lording it over like gods above the rest.

These stories present no real answers. Because in the end, the message is that there’s nothing you can do to stop the terrible future to come.

You should huddle down and close your eyes. Go quiet and small and survive. Because there’s nothing you can do to make the world a better place. It’s going to be your grandchild’s responsibility to scream defiance at the ultra-modern nobility.

Presented with such a pessimestic outlook, is it no wonder that people are beginning to feel hopeless about the future? Children are growing up with the belief that no matter what they do, it means nothing. Because the end is nigh and their story isn’t the important one. They should set aside their personal goals and focus on the creation of some grand Ubermensch.

Meanwhile, right now is when people should show their defiance. Right now is when people need to stand up, point out the injustices, and ROAR “That’s not right!”

And instead, I hear people say “I should buy some guns”, as though that’s the answer to every problem.

Don’t write petitions. Don’t chastise government officials into doing a better job.

Buy guns. Stockpile food. Be ready to flee into the wilds.

Somehow we’ve gotten the idea that everything is destined to fall apart. And the problem with “destiny” is that it cannot be changed. It can only be endured.

Destiny is a surrender to helplessness. It is someone brushing their hands off and leaving the problem solving to somebody else.

And when you feel helpless, you close your eyes and ears to the plights of people around you. Because their problems are their own and you don’t want to get involved.

But that’s all we need to do to save the environment and the human species: get involved.

Learn how to roar when it’s needed, and talk when it’s not. Research sustainability and environmental protection. Learn the reasons why people are so unhappy and what they need to succeed.

Because if we help each other, we help ourselves.

0 comments on "Thursday, March 6th: Locks of Love; exercise; Arunachalam Muruganantham"

Locks of Love –

It’s that time of year again. My hair is getting long and once I have 12-inches I will be chopping 10-inches off and sending it away to Locks of Love.

What is Locks of Love?

Locks of Love is a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the United States and Canada under age 21 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis. We meet a unique need for children by using donated hair to create the highest quality hair prosthetics. Most of the children helped by Locks of Love have lost their hair due to a medical condition called alopecia areata, which has no known cause or cure. The prostheses we provide help to restore their self-esteem and their confidence, enabling them to face the world and their peers.

How to donate:

  • 10 inches measured tip to tip is the minimum length needed for a hairpiece.
  • Hair must be in a ponytail or braid before it is cut.
  • Hair must be clean and completely dry before it is mailed in.
  • Place the ponytail or braid inside of a plastic bag, and then inside of a padded envelope.
  • If you wish to receive an acknowledgment for your hair donation, please fill out the hair donation form, or write your name and e-mail address or mailing address on a full size separate sheet of paper and include inside the envelope. We cannot acknowledge donors who do not send their name and address according to these instructions.
  • All hair donations must be mailed to Locks of Love at:
    234 Southern Blvd.
    West Palm Beach, FL 33405-2701
  • **IMPORTANT** When mailing your donation, please make sure that you are sending it with adequate postage. The U.S. Postal Service has notified Locks of Love that many donations are being sent without enough postage, and these packages will be returned to sender! To ensure adequate postage, please take your donation to your local post office.

Go check out Locks of Love: http://www.locksoflove.org.

It’s a great organization that helps kids, and if you’re giving a hair donation it doesn’t cost anything more than postage. So why not help someone out?

Exercise –

I spend a lot of time on my computer, and as everyone knows, that’s a good way to become flabby around the middle and thighs. Type, type, typing for hours at a time doesn’t exactly build the muscles and get your heart pumping.

I run around the yard with my dog and I walk a lot, which goes well with my calorie counting to keep my weight in check. It’s unfortunate, but while my sister was gifted with the body of a sylph, I got a healthy dose of my grandmothers’ genes — both sides of my family had a tendency for heavyset ladies — so I know I have to keep an eye on myself or I could be looking at diabetes and heart problems in the future.

Exercise is something I need to fit into my schedule, but I’m lazy. All the walking and running are great for the legs, but I want to tone my arm muscles. So whenever I make tea I’ve started doing jumping jacks until the water boils, then I do push-ups against the kitchen counter while my tea steeps.

I can see the benefits in my arms already, which are losing the hanging flab, and I’m very pleased with my decision to start working out a little. Not too much (as I’m still very lazy) but enough that I can known I’m doing something beneficial for my health above cutting back on sweets and eating more veggies.

* For jumping jacks I alternate between the regular slap my hands over my head kind, and the kind where my arms go straight out, up, straight out, and back to my sides while my feet go out, back together, out, and back together in four jumps.

* For push-ups I do table presses against the kitchen counter, as I don’t relish my dog jumping on my back when he gets too excited. A table push-up involves pushing away from a table or chair that’s secure against the floor.

Arunachalam Muruganantham –

This guy is an amazing man. Seriously. I heard about him from Dear Author, who gave this link to the BBC article.

A school dropout from a poor family in southern India has revolutionised menstrual health for rural women in developing countries by inventing a simple machine they can use to make cheap sanitary pads.

and …

There are still many taboos around menstruation in India. Women can’t visit temples or public places, they’re not allowed to cook or touch the water supply – essentially they are considered untouchable.

TL;DR, this man loved his wife so much that he wanted to make her life better once he discovered how terrible conditions are for ladies on the rag in India. They’re not allowed in a lot of places and a lot of women have died due to the unhygienic way they have to deal with their periods since sanitary napkins are so expensive.

Being a cool guy, he came up with a framework machine that is being used in over 1300 villages in 23 different states. And instead of using his machines to make a bunch of money for himself, he teaches women how to use the machine and make their own sanitary napkins — which has led to them creating their own businesses and brands.

He keeps to a humble life and doesn’t believe in being wealthy, while at the same time he makes the lives of others better.

This man is a hero. Go read the article: http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-26260978

Muruganantham seemed set for fame and fortune, but he was not interested in profit. “Imagine, I got patent rights to the only machine in the world to make low-cost sanitary napkins – a hot-cake product,” he says. “Anyone with an MBA would immediately accumulate the maximum money. But I did not want to. Why? Because from childhood I know no human being died because of poverty – everything happens because of ignorance.”

He believes that big business is parasitic, like a mosquito, whereas he prefers the lighter touch, like that of a butterfly. “A butterfly can suck honey from the flower without damaging it,” he says.

I wish more people dreamed of being butterflies, versus settling on being mosquitoes.

3 comments on "I am writing. I promise."

editing The Panic Pure
Editing The Panic Pure while watching The Venture Bros.

I write in Scrivener, edit in OpenOffice with Changes on, update my Scrivener file, then create a mobi to read on my Kindle where I can note minor changes still to make. In all, I read through each section 3-4 times before I do the final read through.

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I have plans for The Panic Pure in the near future, which is why I need to clean it up and get it ready. As a result, I’m reading through it again and doing some editing work. As you can see, there’s a lot that goes in to making a manuscript truly readable.

By the time I’m done, every single paragraph will be coated in red and blue. There’s something oddly satisfying about seeing how much has been made different from one stage to the next.

0 comments on "Friday, February 20th: The End Times whiteboard; excerpt f/m; season 5 of The Venture Bros"

I’ve been writing on the whiteboard and I’ve taken lots of pics.

My New Year’s resolution was to share more and be more open to people. So I’ll be sharing my whiteboard pics. It seems a lot friendlier than dropping a chapter every now and again with no accompanying explanation.

Here’s from The End Times:
The End Times

The Armada of the Zerlking. I kind of picture an Invader Zim-type claw ship and that same attitude of “Mine!” The baddies claim everything in the universe in the name of the Zerlking.

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For the hop, most people asked for f/m story, so I’m getting that one ready first. Here’s an excerpt:

Driven by the beat-heavy music, Tara was panicking. She stared at her reflection in the broad bathroom mirror. She’d screwed up her makeup, and the stuff she’d used didn’t want to be washed off. Her skin had a definite orange hue even after facial scrubbing three times.

“My god, I’m hideous!” She patted her skin dry with a washcloth and smoothed on some lotion.

There was a tug against her pant leg and she looked down at Scrappy-Doo, her sister’s chihuahua-terrier mixed breed. He barked at her, a single demand. She glared back at him. “Mind yourself, little dog. Go eat your food. And stop pouting. It makes you look pathetic.”

He whined a little, but spun around three times before lying on the floor, his chin resting on her slipper. He was so small she couldn’t even feel him on her foot.

“Stupid dog,” she muttered fondly. Looking at him had given her something else to focus on and she could feel some of the tension releasing from her shoulders. She’d have to remember to give him a snack before she left.

Tara drew in a deep breath and leaned forward to use the smaller, round beautician’s mirror she’d set up next to her makeup box. She had a lot of work to do and not much time to do it in.

Tonight was her anniversary with Edgar. They’d been going out for a year and he’d promised her a night of romance. They had reservations at the best restaurant in town and tickets to a musical theater show. She’d been excited for weeks.

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Season 5 of The Venture Bros is coming out March 4, 2014 on DVD and Blu-Ray. I’ve gotta scrape up some bones to buy my copy. I love this show.