Tuesday April 29, 2014 From a work in progress:
"The past is a foreign country. They do things differently there." L. P. Hartley, _The Go-Between_.
The future is also a foreign country; and the guidebooks are so wrong, you can't even rely on the opposite of what they say.
Look at old nonfiction predictions -- political, technological, social, and artistic.
Read old science fiction. Human cities on Mars by 1970. The Soviet Union flourishing for centuries to come. Beatniks in space, exactly like 1960s bohemians.
Being wrong about the future might not hurt a writer's sales. Nonfiction books predicting Barry Goldwater and George McGovern winning the US Presidency sold reasonably well. Fiction writers who have 1970s rock dominating popular music centuries from now are published regularly.
But if you're like me, being wrong can hurt your pride. If so, here are some ways of being less wrong about the future....
***My local coffeehouse is open again: Black Waffles and Coffee, formerly Muddsuckers.
They do serve non-black coffee. And as far as I know, their waffles aren't black.
***Weather forecasts still say "Rain, possibly mixed with snow."
***Online, looked up the Star Tribune's story on the DFL City Convention. It included The Important Information, and omitted the unimportant things which mattered more to me.
***From Twitter:
Retweeted by Simon Bisson
silvie9000 @silvie9000 are you a writer specializing in horror but out of fresh ideas for offing people? just cruise IKEA's product recalls http://www.ikea.com/us/en/about_ikea/newsroom/product_recalls …
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
DFl Minneapolis City Convention
Saturday April 26, 2014 "Performed an operation on a twin while still in the womb." On a wall plaque at Roosevelt High School, where the DFL City Convention was being held. (DFL: Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party.)
There was a Somali interpreter.
Sidenote: Somali immigrants have been doing well in Minneapolis politics. Which may seem odd considering Somalia is a political mess. Then again, Irish immigrants in the US, Canada, Latin America, and Australia and their descendants have shown more political competence than politicians in Ireland (both the Republic and Northern Ireland.)
Transcription on screen. Wonky. "Awed torl um" for auditorium at one point. "A claymation" for acclamation several times. "Tell gate" a couple of times.
Candidate forum. Changed one School Board At-Large choice. There was only one candidate for my district (District 1); and she impressed me favorably enough that I didn't decide to go for No Endorsement.
(School Board elections are nonpartisan, but parties make endorsements.)
Credentials given out. There was a long, long line. This was scheduled to take an hour; took almost twice as long.
A bunch of formal stuff at the beginning, most of it routine. More formal bumpf at intervals.
School Board candidate speeches.
Several candidates brought supporters on stage. I found this annoying. I wanted to see and hear the candidates themselves. ( I was favorably impressed by the candidate who had a few of his students speak in support, though. But he wasn't running for my district or at-large.)
Followed by balloting. One set of ballots for each district which had a vacancy to fill; another set for districts which had only the At-Large election.
Minneapolis party officers elected. Two candidates for Chair. The incumbent won.
Other offices mostly had only one candidate nominated. Two Fundraising Director candidates, but one declined the nomination.
There was one resolution with enough signatures to be voted on. Someone proposed an amendment; then someone moved to amend that amendment.
The School Board results were announced. Of the four candidates, one got enough votes (over the 60% minimum) for endorsement. Another was one vote short.
A large number of ballots were spoiled -- not signed on the back. "Sign your ballot on the back" had been announced several times, but not everyone had listened.
Second ballot. After my ballot was gathered up, I decided to leave. I had been there about nine hours, and nothing else I did was likely to influence anything.
Will I attend again? Whenever School Board endorsements are being considered, yes.
There was a Somali interpreter.
Sidenote: Somali immigrants have been doing well in Minneapolis politics. Which may seem odd considering Somalia is a political mess. Then again, Irish immigrants in the US, Canada, Latin America, and Australia and their descendants have shown more political competence than politicians in Ireland (both the Republic and Northern Ireland.)
Transcription on screen. Wonky. "Awed torl um" for auditorium at one point. "A claymation" for acclamation several times. "Tell gate" a couple of times.
Candidate forum. Changed one School Board At-Large choice. There was only one candidate for my district (District 1); and she impressed me favorably enough that I didn't decide to go for No Endorsement.
(School Board elections are nonpartisan, but parties make endorsements.)
Credentials given out. There was a long, long line. This was scheduled to take an hour; took almost twice as long.
A bunch of formal stuff at the beginning, most of it routine. More formal bumpf at intervals.
School Board candidate speeches.
Several candidates brought supporters on stage. I found this annoying. I wanted to see and hear the candidates themselves. ( I was favorably impressed by the candidate who had a few of his students speak in support, though. But he wasn't running for my district or at-large.)
Followed by balloting. One set of ballots for each district which had a vacancy to fill; another set for districts which had only the At-Large election.
Minneapolis party officers elected. Two candidates for Chair. The incumbent won.
Other offices mostly had only one candidate nominated. Two Fundraising Director candidates, but one declined the nomination.
There was one resolution with enough signatures to be voted on. Someone proposed an amendment; then someone moved to amend that amendment.
The School Board results were announced. Of the four candidates, one got enough votes (over the 60% minimum) for endorsement. Another was one vote short.
A large number of ballots were spoiled -- not signed on the back. "Sign your ballot on the back" had been announced several times, but not everyone had listened.
Second ballot. After my ballot was gathered up, I decided to leave. I had been there about nine hours, and nothing else I did was likely to influence anything.
Will I attend again? Whenever School Board endorsements are being considered, yes.
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Saturday April 5, 2014 Mnstf hosted by David Dyer-Bennett, Pamela Dean, and Lydia Nickerson.
***From Twitter:
R.L. Ripples @TweetsofOld A suffragette umpired a game of baseball in California the other day. Thus the last sacred precinct of man's work has been invaded. KY1912
Tuesday April 8, 2014 Minneapolis is melting. No more snow piles taller than my head.
***An unusual fashion column in the Minnesota Daily; it recommended clothes which people might want to wear. (I'm unlikely to wear a plaid skirt, though.)
***An atheist discussing her mystical experiences, in a public radio interview: Barbara Ehrenreich, who has a book coming out (Living with a Wild God.)
***From Twitter:
Andrew Kaczynski @BuzzFeedAndrew Most Vice story ever. RT @vicenews: PETA’s dream of turning Jeffrey Dahmer's home into a vega[n] restaurant is not going to happen
Thursday April 10, 2014 I was optimistic enough about weather to buy sandals at Steeple People Thrift Store.
***Adult Children Anonymous meeting.
***From Twitter:
Retweeted by Zerlina Maxwell
Caitlin Mac Neal @caitlinmacneal This Arkansas free clinic is closing, citing more insured through Obamacare — they only saw 3 patients in March: http://bit.ly/1hmIL62
pourmecoffee @pourmecoffee Stop marketing, marketing people. Just stop it. "Sewage treatment plant advertises as wedding venue" http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/sewage-treatment-plant-advertises-wedding-venue/nfW7K/ …
Guy Kawasaki @GuyKawasaki The all-goat cover of "Game of Thrones" theme song [video] http://is.gd/mgB8ic
***From Twitter:
R.L. Ripples @TweetsofOld A suffragette umpired a game of baseball in California the other day. Thus the last sacred precinct of man's work has been invaded. KY1912
Tuesday April 8, 2014 Minneapolis is melting. No more snow piles taller than my head.
***An unusual fashion column in the Minnesota Daily; it recommended clothes which people might want to wear. (I'm unlikely to wear a plaid skirt, though.)
***An atheist discussing her mystical experiences, in a public radio interview: Barbara Ehrenreich, who has a book coming out (Living with a Wild God.)
***From Twitter:
Andrew Kaczynski @BuzzFeedAndrew Most Vice story ever. RT @vicenews: PETA’s dream of turning Jeffrey Dahmer's home into a vega[n] restaurant is not going to happen
Thursday April 10, 2014 I was optimistic enough about weather to buy sandals at Steeple People Thrift Store.
***Adult Children Anonymous meeting.
***From Twitter:
Retweeted by Zerlina Maxwell
Caitlin Mac Neal @caitlinmacneal This Arkansas free clinic is closing, citing more insured through Obamacare — they only saw 3 patients in March: http://bit.ly/1hmIL62
pourmecoffee @pourmecoffee Stop marketing, marketing people. Just stop it. "Sewage treatment plant advertises as wedding venue" http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/sewage-treatment-plant-advertises-wedding-venue/nfW7K/ …
Guy Kawasaki @GuyKawasaki The all-goat cover of "Game of Thrones" theme song [video] http://is.gd/mgB8ic
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Previous Technological Civilizations? Creative Criminal Activity
Wednesday April 2, 2014 "Creative Criminal Activity Contest," said a poster on the U of Minnesota campus.
It was a contest for creative ways of reducing crime on campus. Not for creative ways of being criminal.
***Found a backpack I liked better than any I owned at Steeple People Thrift Store. Thought about the reasons why I shouldn't buy it. Bought it.
Thursday April 3, 2014 Spiderweb, in a cup I'd used a few hours earlier. A sign of Spring.
On the other hand, a winter storm warning.
***Comments of Comment:
Keith Lynch, 3/31/14: "Dan Goodman <dsgood@iphouse.com> wrote: 'Summary: Scientists suggest that the fossil impact humans have made on the planet is vast and unprecedented in nature -- and that there's been nothing remotely like it since the Earth formed, over four and half billion years ago.'
[Quoted from sciencedaily.com]
"I've often wondered whether it's possible that there was another technological species on our planet in the distant past. What signs should we look for?
"I'm skeptical that one can be ruled out more than one billion years ago, however. There just isn't much left from those times.
"On the other hand, there is the nuclear waste found in Africa dated to one and a half billion years ago, usually attributed to a natural nuclear reactor. Well, maybe."
My guess: If there was a previous technological civilization, any relics it left would be interpreted as having other causes.
It was a contest for creative ways of reducing crime on campus. Not for creative ways of being criminal.
***Found a backpack I liked better than any I owned at Steeple People Thrift Store. Thought about the reasons why I shouldn't buy it. Bought it.
Thursday April 3, 2014 Spiderweb, in a cup I'd used a few hours earlier. A sign of Spring.
On the other hand, a winter storm warning.
***Comments of Comment:
Keith Lynch, 3/31/14: "Dan Goodman <dsgood@iphouse.com> wrote: 'Summary: Scientists suggest that the fossil impact humans have made on the planet is vast and unprecedented in nature -- and that there's been nothing remotely like it since the Earth formed, over four and half billion years ago.'
[Quoted from sciencedaily.com]
"I've often wondered whether it's possible that there was another technological species on our planet in the distant past. What signs should we look for?
"I'm skeptical that one can be ruled out more than one billion years ago, however. There just isn't much left from those times.
"On the other hand, there is the nuclear waste found in Africa dated to one and a half billion years ago, usually attributed to a natural nuclear reactor. Well, maybe."
My guess: If there was a previous technological civilization, any relics it left would be interpreted as having other causes.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Daylight Savings & Your Heart, Extinction, Dorothy Must Die
Monday March 31, 2014 Comments of Comment:
Keith Lynch, 3/29/14:
"Adult Children Anonymous meeting. Learned something I needed.
"The topic was making amends. In discussion, someone brought up making amends to one's body."
Amends for what?
For misuse.
***From sciencedaily.com:
Daylight saving impacts timing of heart attacks
Date: March 29, 2014
Source: American College of Cardiology
Summary: Still feeling the residual effects of springing ahead for daylight saving time? The hour of
sleep lost -- or gained -- may play a bigger, perhaps more dangerous role in our body's natural rhythm than we think. It seems moving the clock forward or backward may alter the timing of when heart attacks occur in the week following these time changes, according to research.
http://tinyurl.com/kcta8dx
***From Twitter:
Scientific American @sciam Methane-spewing Microbe Blamed in Earth's Worst Mass Extinction http://bit.ly/1kk6imI
***From a Publishers Lunch newsletter:
This week on Booktalk Nation:
DANIELLE PAIGE, Dorothy Must Die, Mon. Mar. 31st, 7 p.m. ET/ 4 p.m. PT. Danielle Paige joins BTN for a video chat with Marissa Meyer about Paige's debut novel Dorothy Must Die, a fast-paced reimagining of the land of Oz where Dorothy is in charge and the power has gone to her head.
Keith Lynch, 3/29/14:
"Adult Children Anonymous meeting. Learned something I needed.
"The topic was making amends. In discussion, someone brought up making amends to one's body."
Amends for what?
For misuse.
***From sciencedaily.com:
Daylight saving impacts timing of heart attacks
Date: March 29, 2014
Source: American College of Cardiology
Summary: Still feeling the residual effects of springing ahead for daylight saving time? The hour of
sleep lost -- or gained -- may play a bigger, perhaps more dangerous role in our body's natural rhythm than we think. It seems moving the clock forward or backward may alter the timing of when heart attacks occur in the week following these time changes, according to research.
http://tinyurl.com/kcta8dx
***From Twitter:
Scientific American @sciam Methane-spewing Microbe Blamed in Earth's Worst Mass Extinction http://bit.ly/1kk6imI
***From a Publishers Lunch newsletter:
This week on Booktalk Nation:
DANIELLE PAIGE, Dorothy Must Die, Mon. Mar. 31st, 7 p.m. ET/ 4 p.m. PT. Danielle Paige joins BTN for a video chat with Marissa Meyer about Paige's debut novel Dorothy Must Die, a fast-paced reimagining of the land of Oz where Dorothy is in charge and the power has gone to her head.
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