Mutterings – Page 21 – Into the West

Stoplight Karma

After spending an enjoyable evening discussing the Victorian Era classic Jane Eyre, I looked forward to a leisurely drive home from the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, Missouri. Fortune smiled upon the Firebird and I as we moved northward on Broadway through a dozen or so stoplights, all green, with little traffic to impede our progress. Not surprising, since the sun had set over an hour prior and most folks were home enjoying after dinner entertainment or a walk outside on this mild early spring evening.

The interstates (I-35, I-670 and I-70) proved nearly empty, at least until I approached the Legends and the I-435 intersection in western Wyandotte County, Kansas. I-70 narrows from three to two lanes between I-435 and the last free exit for K-7/US-73/US-40/US-24. I slowed to second gear for the right turn acceleration lane onto northbound K-7, barely making fourth gear before stopping at the first stoplight next to Quik Trip near the Sandstone Amphitheater.

Fortune frowned another three times upon me, forcing me to stop at Parrellel, Leavenworth Road and the new stoplight halfway between Leavenworth Road and 4-H Road in Lansing. I skirted past the final stoplight (at the aforesaid 4-H Road intersection) and zig-zagged home a couple of blocks.

New Stoplight on K7 Midway Between Lansing and Bonner Springs

Explain to me how it is that I can travel through mid-town Kansas City, Missouri on a major street with nary a single stoplight and a 35 mph speed zone, but when I get within ten minutes of home, on a four-lane highway with a 65 mph speed zone, I get stopped four times! How does this help us (drivers) conserve gasoline and improve our MPG?

Thank goodness I’m riding in the van tomorrow! So much less stressful to snooze in the backseat or read a book for an hour and not pay any attention whatsoever to the latest ‘improvements’ made by KDOT.

Diary of a Crazy Cubemate

Day Two (Today, Wed 23 Mar 2011): My ‘maddened’ cube-mate of nearly fifteen years continues her distracting tantrums.

Day One (Yesterday, Tue 22 Mar 2011): I returned from a sick day off Monday to a different cube-mate than I said farewell to last Friday. By lunch time, I was asking the Department Administrative Assistant to find me a conference room for the rest of the afternoon so I could work in piece and not be embarrassed to answer my phone (for fear of a Turrets-like outburst coming loudly from the next cube).

Outbursts heard over the cube wall on Wednesday ‘Day Two’:

This program is going to give me a nervous breakdown.

Who uses FoxPro as a back-end database anymore?

Crap! Dammit! (followed by multiple heavy sighs)

Mid-day Update: I was on a long conference call for about an hour or ninety minutes this morning. The cube next to me became eerily silent. I just got up from my desk and realized her body and laptop were missing … hence the blessed quietness. Sadly, as I’m typing this update, she has returned so my blissful silence will soon shatter. Thankfully, lunch beckons me to abandon my desk in a few minutes.

Mid-afternoon Update: Cube hallway conference between our boss and my cube-mate. Not disruptive, but distracting and hard to ignore and concentrate. Actually, the light at the end of the tunnel may be in sight, as I just heard her say she may have this project finished by the end of the day today. Hallelujah!

Mid to Late Afternoon Update: She’s quiet, but now she’s running her space heater (and probably wearing a throw blanket to boot).

As I was leaving, she elatedly reported completion of her frustrating project, so tomorrow should be smooth sailing (or at least less stormy than the past two days).

As the Stargate Spins Counter-Universally

Last week’s episode of Stargate Universe, Twin Destinies, left me with some hope for progress towards a more scientific storyline. Thanks to last night’s episode, Alliances, that brief sparkle came crashing down in a soap-opera-like bombshell.

The IOC (or whatever world governing body currently attempts to control Earth’s Stargates) paid a visit to Destiny through a Senator and a scientist (the one who turned down heading the Icharus project before Rush came on board) who switch with Camile Wray and Greer (kick and screaming and griping about being ordered to take R&R). Basically, Camille needs a ‘fix’ for her political intrigue addiction and the Senator needs to assess Destiny’s mission and the progress on returning the crew to Earth.

Camile and Greer haven’t had thirty seconds to acclimate themselve to an increased terrorist threat level (Leutian Alliance) on Earth before the facility is attacked. We spend the rest of that storyline on Earth with Camile and Wray an an airman trapped in an unstable building trying to get out and eventually seeking the bomb left by the Leutian Alliance kamikaze pilot. Ample opportunity for Wray and Greer to endear themselves of each other through an unproductive but oh-so-dramatic shouting match.

On board Destiny, the Senator is stirring the pot and questioning everyone’s fitness to lead and their ability to survive. The scientist is appropriately awed by Destiny but not convince of Rush’s ‘discovery’ of an intelligent being(s) existing before the birth of the Universe. He also attempts to stir the pot among Rush’s underlings.

My biggest disappointment became the introduction of yet another cowardly scientist. Once he learns his body back on Earth has been exposed to lethal doses of radiation, he sabatoges the signal of the Ancient communication stones device so he can remain in Greer’s body rather than return to certain death. At least the Senator stepped up and accepted her sacrifice for the greater good and returned willingly to her body to complete the diffusion.

And the real icing on the cake, we end the episode with Camile and Greer on the observation deck, where his emotional armor cracks and he talks about his mommy with Camille. Yes, it had emotional impact. But spare me the psychobabble and get back to the mission … any mission. We can cry about characters’ flaws and humanity on a hundred other ‘normal’ television shows about ‘normal’ Earth scenarios. This is supposed to be science fiction.

No questions were answered about last week’s time travel mysteries. We basically spun some emotional wheels in “Alliances” and stirred up the nearly dead threat of the Leutian Alliance. For a Stargate episode, I’d give this somewhere between a two or a three on a five star scale. I think I would have been less disappointed had I watched Hawaii Five-O instead.

Update from Gateworld: Lowest Ratings Yet for SGU

Update on Librarian Boycott of HC

Publishers Weekly Soapbox tweeted an update this morning on the Librarian Boycott of HarperCollins, which I blogged about last week in a couple of posts.

Some highlights from the article include:

Libraries are one of the last true commons in modern life, celebrating and championing the right to read and freedom of access to information. Stewardship of the written record is integral to our mission. Libraries don’t have a financial stake in the publishing business so much as society has a cultural stake in the future of libraries.

Currently, librarians rely on the First Sale doctrine—which makes it legal to circulate materials we purchase and manage—along with our trustworthiness. We enforce copyright laws as much as we can, teaching our patrons about fair use and piracy.

Another troubling aspect of the HarperCollins message is the attempt to prevent resource sharing, which is a core value for librarians.

Where, oh, Where Has the Old Rush Gone?

Monday evening, at least in the States courtesy of the Syfy Channel, marked the return of Stargate Universe. The first of the last ten episodes, Deliverance, aired at nine o’clock Central, which means I don’t get to watch it until Tuesday (because, as you must already know, I turn into a pumpkin most work nights shortly after 9:15 pm).

I’m relieved I did not stay up late to watch the episode ‘live’ even though not doing so probably contributed to SGU’s less than stellar ratings upon the return of the second season. I felt let down, similar to what I felt with the Season Two opening episode, Intervention, especially since Season One‘s cliffhanger Incursion (parts I & II) really got my blood pumping. Again, all the hype of the cliffhanger (Incursion to Intervention and Resurgence to Deliverance) resolved itself too quickly and patly. You spend nearly ten episodes building up these galactic expectations and then spend five or ten minutes sweeping them under the rug, then take a tangential turn in plot and character development leaving me scratching my head and wondering why I bother watching.

Case in point: I’ve spent this entire series loving to hate Nicholas Rush (portrayed by Robert Carlyle). Cowardly, self-serving, manipulative, obsessive (genius on the event horizon of insanity). I cheered out loud and replayed the scene from The Greater Good a half dozen times, when Col. Young took down Rush with a fantastic choke hold. I screamed at my television (and DVR) for Young to finish the job. Very rarely have I so strongly wanted a character to stop breathing.

So, here we are, four months later (at least in Earth time outside the Stargate Universe) and Rush ends this episode consoling and comforting Chloe with a slight smile on his face. Heh? Is he prepping himself for his next gig, transforming himself into a kindler, gentler guy? I’m all for character growth that includes forgiveness and redemption, but this attempt (if that was what the writers and director were aiming for) failed. The switch in Rush jolts and rings hollow. Of course, that would be true-to-form if Rush has something hidden up his sleeve … again.

And are we to believe that Chloe is cured by their old alien nemesis from the other galaxy and returned ‘unharmed’ to Destiny’s shuttle while a battle rages around them? And that the newly allied/quickly betraying/renewly allied aliens (the last handful of their kind in existence) willingly sacrificed themselves (and an Ancient seed ship) as a diversion for Destiny and it’s crew during said battle? And that Destiny, once Ely managed to ‘save the day’ again and temporarily fuzz the drones, could so easily destroy the drone command ship (probably in less than five seconds of screen/battle time)? And the attempt at comedy between Brody (holding flashlights distractedly while texting, or so it appeared), Volker (complaining about said flashlight’s lack of focus) and the shield generator repair closets seemed strained at best, and out-of-place otherwise.

I’d rate this episode maybe at three stars out of five and I sincerely hope the renaming nine raise the bar.

Beyond Planned Obsolescence

Brief blog followup to yesterday’s post about publisher HarperCollins decision to force public libraries to re-license ebooks after just 26 checkouts. A fellow GoodReader posted a link to this open letter from the Pioneer Library System of Norman, Oklahoma to HarperCollins in our discussion topic ‘Ashes of eBooks for Libraries‘ .

Excerpts from the open letter:

Because the publisher assumes digital resources never deteriorate, they have set an arbitrary limit to the number of times an electronic resource can be accessed. Not planned obsolescence. Forced obsolescence. (emphasis added)

Despite statements to the New York Times that HarperCollins hopes this move will, “ensure a presence in public libraries and the communities they serve for years to come,” it may, in fact, do just the opposite. (emphasis added)

If you would like to contact HarperCollins directly they have set up an email address at Library.eBook@HARPERCOLLINS.com

Another link posted by a different GoodReader offered some background as to why the publishing industry executives are reacting so poorly to change: Twelve Common Misconceptions about Book Publishing.

And what’s the next step beyond forced obsolescence at public libraries? How many times will you be allowed to read your ebook before it is removed or held hostage on your virtual bookshelf until you negotiate a ransom by re-buying the content?

21st Century Book Burning aka Control of Knowledge by Conglomerates

A dark day … Tuesday, March 8th … Mardi Gras … the day before Lent begins … Ash Wednesday … the ashes of our electronic books on the shelves of our libraries. Just a few of my grim thoughts after reading this article tweeted by Publishers Weekly this morning:

Librarian’s Launch Boycott in Battle Over eBooks

He died and made HarperCollins the “god” who decided how many times I can checkout a library ebook? Without my local library, and the interlibrary loan system, I would never have read some classic publications, long out of print. As a young adult and later as a harried young parent, my local library saved my sanity by providing endless diversions. Now, decades later, and more secure financially, I happily support my favorite authors by purchasing the expensive first edition hardcovers. I buy books as gifts for friends and family. Those same authors came to be loved by me through … my local library.

Wednesday Whine

I woke up to the second day of March with significantly more sleep than I got for the first day. And, a stunning sunrise evolved over the course of my commute from home to Kansas City, Missouri:

Sunrise Wed 2 Mar 2011 over Kansas City, Missouri skyline

I enjoyed my cran-raspberry white chocolate scone (baked Sunday morning) with two cups of average tea (just Lipton for easy prep) while cleaning up log files before monitoring MOSS 2007 crawl a large content source. At least I have no meetings scheduled for today.

I’m looking forward to a short walk at lunch to take advantage of Planet Sub‘s double punch day. This evening, I’ll take a long walk with Roxy during Wolfguard‘s practice.

Ah, the joys of tax preparation season and gathering all the necessary documentation for filing an itemized return, especially when some of your offspring don’t answer their cell phones and may never check or respond to their voice-mail messages.

And the things my husband says when I gather the appropriate information and return his call to relate said information:

“Would there happen to be a pen up here?” meaning the kitchen table.

“I have no idea. I was a secretary for years and have no desire to be one again. I keep mine in my purse.” my reply.

“Well, I only have two places to keep a pen on me, and neither one of them pleasant.” his reply which sparked images that may scar me for the rest of my life.

While speaking to one of my offspring’s significant others, I learned all of them (my offspring and their better halves) are involved in indoor soccer leagues. I feel so left out of the loop. I adamantly requested photos and updates at the first opportunity.

I despair of ever catching up on my group reads. I have at least two left over from February, bleeding over into March. I may drop everything so I can read the newly released (yesterday and in the mail to me right now via pre-order from Barnes & Nobel) The Wise Man’s Fear. The rest of my current reads pile can be found here.

And I’ve been asked to lead the discussion in two different groups, the first on Willis’ Doomsday Book and the second on Jemisin’s The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. As if I needed anything else to do.

SciFi and Fantasy Book Club’s currently-reading book montage

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Welcome to the SciFi and Fantasy Book Club!SciFi Czar: Brad
Fantasy Czar: Cindy

Books we’re currently reading

Gardens of the Moon
by Steven Erikson
Start date: March 1, 2011

Doomsday Book
by Connie Willis
Start date: March 1, 2011

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Fantasy Book Club’s currently-reading book montage

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For lovers of Fantasy, monthly book discussions
February
– The Hundred Tho…

Books we’re currently reading

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms
by N.K. Jemisin
Start date: March 1, 2011

View this group on Goodreads »

Share book reviews and ratings with Fantasy Book Club, and even join a book club on Goodreads.

Mixed Media Meltdown

I’ve been following a debate which crops up quite frequently in reading circles: Why can’t I resell my ebook? Both readers and authors have joined in the discussion threads at these GoodReads SciFi & Fantasy Book Club topics: e-Book Piracy and Do you care if you own a work?

One of the best links posted happened to refer to Scalzi’s Whatever blog post a year ago entitled Why in Fact Publishing Will Not Go Away Anytime Soon: A Deeply Slanted Play in Three Acts. Well worth the time and will definitely have you smiling, if not laughing out loud before you reach the stunning conclusion.

All of this got me thinking about the media used over the centuries to store our content.

Pictograms, Horseshoe Canyon, Canyonlands National Park, Utah

Cuneiform script by an expert scribe 26th century BC

Papyrus

Edison Home Phonograph, Suitcase-Model

19th century studio camera, with bellows for focusing

Size comparison between a Betamax cassette (top) and a VHS cassette (bottom). — Beta v. VHS

Six hard disk drives with cases opened showing platters and heads; 8, 5.25, 3.5, 2.5, 1.8 and 1 inch disk diameters are represented.

Out of all of the media types (and obviously many that I’ve left out like the ever popular 8-track tape), which ones can you read without the benefit of proprietary equipment or electricity?

Imagine yourself a visitor to Earth in the far future, to an Earth either abandoned (because we migrated to other planets or galaxies by discovering FTL) or lifeless (because we didn’t see the writing on the wall and continued our parasitic existence to extinction). What format has the best chance of being understood and surviving to be reviewed? In our mad dash to digitize everything, for convenience and experience, what do we leave for posterity?

I have boxes of albums from the 70s and 80s in my basement I can no longer listen to because I don’t own a turntable. I even have a few 8-tracks and Beta tapes holding content hostage. I have crates of recorded VHS tapes of movies, television shows and family gatherings, which I could possibly view, if my ancient VCR still functions and the magnetic tape hasn’t degraded or been demagnetized. I have a project back-burnered for the moment to review several thousand slides taken by my father, his brother, his father and my aunt in the hopes of converting them to a digital photograph format.

I fear there will be no Rosetta Stone to help our alien visitors nor a still functioning DVD reader or Internet to Google the translation. Our binary epitaph of bits and bytes may languish forever locked in silence and darkness while the humble book shines forth as a beacon of historical hope.

Midweek Mull

Perhaps I’m in a funk because at least one of the four books I’m currently reading is a dystopian classic by Sinclair Lewis entitled It Can’t Happen Here (1936), part of my journey into various warped zones. Perhaps it’s just hormonal, pre-menopausal doldrums. Not enough fruit, vegetables and exercise?

I did purchase a new battery for my pedometer, hoping the predicted snow for later this week leaves only a dusting so I and my Rotts can get back in shape. We could all benefit from a brisk walk and fresh air to invigorate our outlook on life.

My outlook dimmed after reading L.E. Modesitt’s recent blog post about the problem of proving truth. I attempted to comment, probably not very eloquently, nor diplomatically, but again, my fug lens needs cleansing.

I do have my daughter’s first concert of the spring semester to look forward to tomorrow evening. One of the choirs she’s a member of (Chamber Choir) performs a short concert at 6:30 pm, streamed live over the Internet. She’s listed in the program under the Altos as Rachelle Moss, mostly because the color of her voice lands her in that section nine times out of ten. I do miss hearing her rehearsing at home.

I’ll get little rest, peace or quite tonight (so I might as well walk the dogs) since it’s practice night for my husband’s rock band. I just wish it wasn’t dark so early, because I could take my camera with me while walking and probably snap a few interesting photos. I don’t want to start yet another book (on audio via my phone) nor do I want to re-hash all the old MP3s I’ve let languish there. Guess I’ll just talk to Roxy or Apollo until they howl me silent.

I did finish my third crochet project of the year, but haven’t had a chance to photograph Terry modeling his new scarf. He did wear it yesterday when he was out and about, but said it was so warm he had to remove it. At least he won’t be cold the next time we have a frigid blizzard in February.

Today I wish my mom a very Happy Birthday. Here’s a photo of her from 1965 helping me celebrate my first birthday: