Thought Patterns

In my buzz to get prepared for the GCLS Con as well as Real Life events, I've been neglecting some websites lately. There's several I've not visited nor commented about here.

Bad news first. My good on-line friend, Winston Rand, died unexpectedly. I have a long list of RSS feeds and I at the least scan over the subject lines at least once every two days. So when I saw the same subject line had been there for much longer than usual, I went to visit his blog, Nobody Asked…. The title of the post was "Voice, Stilled".

(snip)
Winston…he was a “pretty good guy.” This is how he wanted everyone to remember him.

Actually, Winston was a damn good guy. He was the most honest and caring and giving man I have ever known. I am so fortunate and blessed to have known Winston Rand, to have been married to him for 14 years.

Winston passed away Saturday, June 28, after a 38-hour illness and 3 surgeries totaling 12 hours in an attempt to save his life. His memorial service will be Tuesday, July 1, and will include things you may have seen on his blog, such as his recent post about the styrofoam cup that got tossed about in the traffic of life and found its resting place. His favorite song will be played — “The Rainbow Connection,” by Kermit the Frog, as well as a bluegrass version of Rocky Top.
(snip)

Roomie, what Winston called his wife on his blog, wrote the post. It is a beautiful post and you must go read it (link to full post and all the comments). Roomie is a writer and a damn good one, too.

I was struck numb by the news. Winston was so full of life, so full of crap, that it just didn't seem possible for him to be gone. But he is. Or, he was. Winston posted another blog entry today titled Bring It On.

(snip)
Now I — and mind you, I am ashes sitting on the end table in the living room — am getting a $360 bill from AT&T for contract termination fees. Too bad, they say. No such thing as extenuating circumstances. They’re sorry I am dead. But they don’t care. I’ve got to pay that fee. It’s a contract, after all. A contract is a legal document. Legal documents go with you to the grave and beyond. They wish they could help, but they can’t. AT&T is a big boy and they aim to keep their side of the bargain.

So folks, I’m back! At least according to AT&T. I’ve got to pay my phone bill till January of 2010. Now I’ve just got to figure out how to get my ass, uh, ashes up and together and get out and earn some money to pay that damn bill because, well, it’s a contract and AT&T really needs that $360!
(snip)

Sheesh. So even though you freakin' die, you are still stuck with the phone bill?

***

Next up is some other bad news. Lew Scott is battling cancer. Three kinds, actually. Lucky him is one of those people with this "cancer gene" thingamabob. At any rate, Lew was doing good there for a while, but it seems he is losing the battle he was not going to win anyway. But he is giving it the good fight. His wife, Elena, is a good friend of mine. I hate that she has to go through this. I hate that any one does. You can read the latest over at her blog, The Scott Times. Please keep both of them in your prayers, whatever format they take.

***

On some good news, Sam Andersen is dong great! There's a recent scare but it came down to a bad reaction to Sudafed, of all things! Sam is the son of another friend of mine, Jean. A little over two years ago, Sam was moving a car and somehow had a bad accident that resulted in major brain injury. Sam is in there but it is difficult to communicate with him due to a long list of reasons. At any rate, check out Sam's story and Journal over at the Caring Bridge site.

On the afternoon of Saturday, April 8, 2006 after a great day with his Dad, and friend Jim from CA at the car swap meet, Sam was involved in an accident within a half mile of our home. He was moving the car to work on a project in the garage..wasn't going anywhere, and we were shocked to find him missing when the EMT and sheriff came to the door with the news. Sam was wearing a seatbelt..there are no marks on the road..or off..to help us understand what happened. It really doesn't matter at this point. All we care about is is his returning to us..Sam is 19, the youngest of 6 brothers and one sister..and uncle to Rosie 5, Amelie 6mos, and Lily 4wks. We're all waiting, Sam, especially Rose.

***

On a non-RSS feed-slash-subscription note, I am writing TWO Butch Girl novels. I can't decide which one I want to write so I am doing them both. I know, I know, I'm bonkers. But knowing me, and trust me, I know me weller than you know me, I will settle on just one within the week. Or two. Hopefully by my January deadline.

I was checking the area webcams and came across this lovely view:

It is from Cold Springs Ranch near Max Patch.

webcam | weather station

This is what the clouds look like from downtown Asheville, looking north.

downtown webcam, north

I was cruising my fave crip site, WheelchairJunkie.com, when I found a post about a new magazine. The link lead to an article in The Daily News from Longview, WA.

Spokane 21-year-old starts mag for disabled young people
By The Spokesman-Review
Nov 20, 2006 - 07:16:56 am PST

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Look out O, Elle and Jane. Logan the magazine is here.

From her wheelchair, 21-year-old Logan Olson smiles back from the glossy pages of the first issue of the new fashion and lifestyle magazine for young people with disabilities, aptly named after her.

After all, the Spokane woman is the inspiration and driving force behind the publication. More than two years in the making, the premier issue is set to hit newsstands this month, full of savvy advice, tools for independence, and stories of inspiration.

The words "Because Life is Always Beautiful" leap off the pink cover.

link to article

The article didn't have any links to the magazine's website but I easily found it via Google. Logan Magazine is definitely geared to a young female audience. The "Tools for Living" has a large handled eyelash curler. (do women really curl their eyelashes??) Since I am way out of the demographic, I'm not getting a subscription. But I will be keeping track of the website. I'd like to see what the hip crip youth of today are up to.

This is a book meme my friend Sophia did so I decided it was worthy of my attention as well.

This is the Science Fiction Book Club's list of the fifty most significant science fiction/fantasy novels published between 1953 and 2002. Bold the ones you've read, strike-out the ones you hated, italicize those you started but never finished and put an asterisk beside the ones you loved.

1. The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien *
2. The Foundation Trilogy, Isaac Asimov
3. Dune, Frank Herbert
4. Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert A. Heinlein
5. A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. Le Guin
6. Neuromancer, William Gibson
7. Childhood's End, Arthur C. Clarke
8. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Philip K. Dick
9. The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley
10. Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
11. The Book of the New Sun, Gene Wolfe
12. A Canticle for Leibowitz, Walter M. Miller, Jr.
13. The Caves of Steel, Isaac Asimov
14. Children of the Atom, Wilmar Shiras
15. Cities in Flight, James Blish
16. The Colour of Magic, Terry Pratchett
17. Dangerous Visions, edited by Harlan Ellison
18. Deathbird Stories, Harlan Ellison
19. The Demolished Man, Alfred Bester
20. Dhalgren, Samuel R. Delany
21. Dragonflight, Anne McCaffrey
22. Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card
23. The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Stephen R. Donaldson *
24. The Forever War, Joe Haldeman
25. Gateway, Frederik Pohl
26. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, J.K. Rowling
27. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams*
28. I Am Legend, Richard Matheson
29. Interview with the Vampire, Anne Rice
30. The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. Le Guin
31. Little, Big, John Crowley
32. Lord of Light, Roger Zelazny
33. The Man in the High Castle, Philip K. Dick
34. Mission of Gravity, Hal Clement
35. More Than Human, Theodore Sturgeon
36. The Rediscovery of Man, Cordwainer Smith
37. On the Beach, Nevil Shute
38. Rendezvous with Rama, Arthur C. Clarke
39. Ringworld, Larry Niven
40. Rogue Moon, Algis Budrys
41. The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien
42. Slaughterhouse-5, Kurt Vonnegut
43. Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson
44. Stand on Zanzibar, John Brunner
45. The Stars My Destination, Alfred Bester
46. Starship Troopers, Robert A. Heinlein
47. Stormbringer, Michael Moorcock
48. The Sword of Shannara, Terry Brooks *
49. Timescape, Gregory Benford
50. To Your Scattered Bodies Go, Philip Jose Farmer

My responses are…strange. Seems as though I start a lot but don't finish them. What I do read, I rarely hate. And, many of those on this list I've never heard of. And, there are others that I think should have been on the list. Such as "The Ship Who…" books, The Crystal Singer, and Mote in God's Eye. No Darkover or Valdemar books either. I'm pleased to see Ringworld and the Thomas Covenant books, but where are The Bio of a Space Tyrant books?

Oh, and I think there should be a "Heard of and always wanted to read but haven't", "Never heard of", "by WHO?" and "Dislike the author and wouldn't read their books if someone paid me" categories.

From The Emergency Email and Wireless Network:

United States Department of Homeland Security raises airline threat level to Orange High

NewsEmergency.com
Aug 10, 2006

Raised to ORANGE (High) for All U. S. airline flights
Raised to RED (Critical) UK to U. S. airline flights

INCREASE SECURITY MAY CAUSE AIRPORT DELAYS

The U.S. government has raised its security threat level in response to a reported terrorist plot in Britain. British officials said Thursday they have arrested more than 18 people planning to blow up planes flying from Britain to the United States.

The U.S. government raised its threat level early Thursday to "severe or red," the highest level for commercial flights from Britain to the United States. It also stepped up the general level of security for all flights within the United States to Orange.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said arrests made in London have significantly disrupted the terrorist threat, but that it is as yet uncertain that the threat has been entirely eliminated.

The statement said there is no indication of a plot within the United States.

The U.S. measure came after British officials said they had thwarted a plot to blow up passenger aircraft in flight, using explosives hidden in hand luggage.

British Home Secretary John Reid said those involved in the terror plot intended to bring down several aircraft bound for the United States.

full article

Personally, I dislike the advertising on blogs that I visit. Google ads aren't too bad, because they typically are geared toward whatever the site, or that post, is about. But still…I dunno. Folks make money when someone simply clicks on one of the ads. You don't have to buy anything for the owner to earn.

I have no intention of using Google's AdSense on any of my sites. I can't really explain why, I just don't want to. However, I am an "affiliate" with several software companies. I have bought their software and liked it so much I became a kind of virtual saleswoman for them.

What happens is this: you click a link on this site which takes you to a product page. That link contains my i.d. number. If you decide to purchase anything while you are on that site, then I get a small percentage of that sale. I get nothing if you simply visit.

Why am I telling you this? Simple. I don't like stealth. I am not comfortable with the idea that if I click a link on a site, that person earns a bit of change (pennies, probably). If I like and know the person, I am more comfortable with it (such as Georganna over at Writer's Edge). Why? I don't know that either. I'm weird that way. Besides, I am there to read their content, not find their content amongst all the text ads, or worse, damn banner ads. So by telling you up front, you know what you are doing when you click a link. If the link ever leads to some way that I will earn money from it, you will know. Like I said, I don't like stealth.

Below are the companies and their software I support.

From Iconico:

| Right click here to download trial version (732 KB)

| Right click here to download trial version (1.01 MB)

| Right click here to download trial version (799 KB)

| Right click here to download trial version (608 KB)

| Right click here to download trial version (868 KB)

| Right click here to download trial version (607 KB)

Color Pop (there is no trial version)

ProFantasy Software:

• Campaign Cartographer 2 Pro
• Fractal Terrains Pro

Gecko Tribe, LLC

In the sidebar, down near the bottom, is a section called "Affiliations". Those links have my i.d. attached to them. On another page, Iconica (where I moved all the graphics that were in the sidebar), are graphics and links with my i.d. attached to them. Again, they are under the heading of "Affiliations". Also on that page, as well as the footer of each page, is a little icon for Dreamhost, the company that hosts all my sites. One button will allow you to donate to the cost of hosting this and the other sites. Another button takes you to where you can find out more about Dreamhost. If you choose to sign up with them, I get a percentage of that too.

Oh, and if you see anything on a link that says no clicks or 3 clicks or some other number of clicks, that's a plug-in, not a sales thingywhatsit. It tells me how many people have clicked on any link within a post. I can tell rather quickly which post was read and utilized the most and which must've been a yawner.

There. That's all of them. Now, how about a group hug?

Latest Advisory from the National Hurricane Center:

000
WTNT65 KNHC 180658
TCUAT5
HURRICANE EMILY TROPICAL CYCLONE UPDATE
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
300 AM EDT MON JUL 18 2005

SATELLITE AND RADAR IMAGES INDICATE THAT THE CENTER OF HURRICANE
EMILY MADE LANDFALL JUST NORTH OF TULUM MEXICO NEAR 0630Z…230 AM
EDT THIS MORNING. THE ESTIMATED INTENSITY AT LANDFALL WAS 135
MPH…CATEGORY FOUR ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. THE NORTHERN
EYEWALL…WHERE THE WORST WEATHER WOULD BE EXPECTED…PASSED
DIRECTLY OVER COZUMEL.

May God watch over them.

Satellite Imagery:
Color Infrared (0645UTC) | B/W Infrared (0545UTC)