And Curiouser

One plus one

2008-11-18T00:12:00Z

"Lindsay":http://runlindsayrun.blogspot.com had her baby -- Briony -- yesterday morning. It feels like I'm officially an uncle now, almost like there was only half a baby before (that is, Jessie's baby, Chloe). It makes sense, I guess; the two events were so similar and intertwined that it almost feels like a single instance. Caitlin couldn't see Briony, unfortunately. She came down with a bad case of laryngitis this week, which means she can't be around the babies (or my mom for that matter, who just started radiation this last week). She stayed back at my apartment while I went to the hospital, which felt pretty weird. She's been such an important part of everything for quite a while now, and it felt weird not having her there. But that's a good sign, right? I took some pictures for her. I know it's not as good as being there in person, but at least it was something. Anyway, if all goes well we'll have a good seventy years to heckle Chloe and Briony. It had never occurred to me before this very moment that at some point I'm going to be sixty-five and Briony and Chloe will be forty. They're potentially going to be around for three-quarters of my life. Suddenly, it's become a lot easier to think of them as family. I like it when thoughts like that catch me off guard. Note to self: get off lazy butt and finish writing "After the End". I think the only thing holding me back from spitting out the last page is fear that everyone will hate it. That's a fear I need to get over, though -- this was written for me, and I, as the audience, love it immensely. I know it's weird. Oh, and this weekend I was hit by a bus. That is, my car was hit by a bus, while I was in it. Good times. Randoms: * "Why I Copyfight":http://www.locusmag.com/Features/2008/11/cory-doctorow-why-i-copyfight.html, by Cory Doctorow. A fantastic piece on why we should care about the copyright battle, written by the figurehead for the movement. This is an issue that I've become really passionate about over the last few years (and how could I not, as someone who works in creative media?). * As part of my continued rediscovery of music I loved in high school: "Gorecki":http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-f8PDZvPYs, by the group Lamb (Like it? You can "download it here":http://www.zshare.net/audio/500687355db9d351/). Trip-hop is the one music genre that I'd be more than happy to see make a comeback. * "XKCD":http://www.xkcd.com/505/ contemplates eternity with awesome results. * It came out that Focus on the Family is about to see major layoffs. Apparently, painting Obama as a child pornographer and homosexuals as the children of Satan doesn't bring in as much money as it used to.

A rant on semantic web development

2008-11-12T22:59:01Z

I wrote this on another site in response to people advocating the use of table-based layouts on the web. I think that semantic web development is an important aspiration, regardless of W3C recommendations, and using table-based layouts is in direct conflict with that goal. CSS is necessary for separating content from presentation, and separating content from presentation is important for accessibility, SEO, aggregation, copy editing... the list goes on. The internet is no longer about presenting a single piece of content a single way. It's about mobile browsers, feeds and aggregators, embeded information -- it's about the content. For years we tied the content directly to the presentation, and table-based layouts grew out of that. But the content is separate now. It stands on its own. And we should be approaching layout design as crafting one way in which that content is presented, rather than being part of the content itself. I know a lot of people are staring at this comment with wide eyes, saying "... But it's just a little site that I was paid $50 by my uncle for. Why should I care about semantic design?" It's simple. It's not that people should care about semantic design. It's that shoehorning presentation into content isn't something that we should be doing, at all. Mashing them together shouldn't be an option. Semantic design is just how things should be done. We're not there, yet. HTML and CSS still haven't quite come of age, and inevitably presentation will still leak into content. But we shouldn't be advocating it. We shouldn't tell people to mash their content and presentation together because it's "easier", because it's really not. It's just different. And, in my opinion, wrong.

Important internet theories

2008-11-07T23:21:00Z

*Godwin's Law* (Mike Godwin, 1990) "As a Usenet discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one." The Greater Internet F**kwad Theory (John Gabriel, 2004)
"Normal person + Anonymity + Audience = Total f**kwad."

Unabated

2008-11-05T18:45:02Z

"Obama just won the US election":http://www.barackobama.com/. People decided to vote for hope over fear, freedom over constraint, tolerance over hate. The most despised President in US history is no more. California's "Proposition 8":http://www.votenoonproposition8.com/arguments.html just passed, which _removes_ the rights given to homosexual couples. Two steps forward, one step back. "Michael Crichton died today":http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27557143/. Regardless of your opinion of him as an author, he was one of the reasons I started writing. It's a tremendous loss. "My younger sister":http://blackoutphotography.blogspot.com/ has been in various stages of labour for the last thirty hours. "Anxious" doesn't begin to describe it. "My older sister":http://runlindsayrun.blogspot.com/ was due a couple days ago, now. And life continues unabated.

Johnny Awesome is Awesome: Introduction

2008-10-31T16:37:01Z

You know this book is going to be awesome. You knew that before you even read the back of the book. How did you know? Because of the cover. We didn't hide anything -- you know that there's a guy named Johnny, and that he's awesome. Also, there are going to be dinosaurs. And explosions? Almost guaranteed. 'There is no way this book could suck,' you're telling yourself, and you're right. The worst-case scenario is that this is going to be some story about an average teen who ends up saving the world. Cliché to be sure, but still awesome. But guess what? We're not going to bore you with a story about some everyman overcoming the odds. In most stories, heroes are made - not born. Johnny Awesome was not such a hero. Johnny Awesome was awesome from the start. Even so, I'd be lying if I told you that awesomeness radiated from him at birth. In fact, it took a while for those around Johnny to discover how noteworthy he really was. The reason for this was simple: Johnny found the world around him so trivial that he shied away from the normal pursuits of children. It was years before he spoke his first words (a point we'll come back to shortly). His kindergarten teacher was actually convinced that Johnny was a fairly daft child. She would hold up two cards, one red and one blue, and ask Johnny to point at the red card. He would sit there quietly, starting intently at the cards. The question posed seemed simple enough, but Johnny saw the trick within: a red card only appeared red because of the reflected light. In short, the red card wasn't red at all -- it was a rejection of red. Of course, if he pointed at the blue card, his teacher would simply pass it off as an incorrect answer without giving Johnny a chance to explain his logic. So, he simply sat in silence, his eyes locked on the cards. But back to the awesome cover. Just look at that. Rocket launchers, dinosaurs, sunglasses... 'That's going to make an awesome climax,' I bet you're thinking. And you're right, that would make an awesome climax to an awesome book. This book, however, is so much more than that. This books _starts_ with the rocket launchers and dinosaurs, and goes up from there. That's right -- at this very moment, Johnny is staring down a T-Rex, rocket launcher in hand, sunglasses glinting in the light of the volcano.

Murakami, on intentional dreaming

2008-10-29T21:06:00Z

bq. I know how fiction matters to me, because if I want to express myself, I have to make up a story. Some people call it imagination. To me, it's not imagination. It's just a way of watching. Sometimes it's not easy. You have to dream intentionally. Most people dream a dream when they are asleep. But to be a writer, you have to dream while you are awake, intentionally. So I get up early in the morning, 4 o'clock, and I sit at my desk and what I do is just dream. After three or four hours, that's enough. In the afternoon, I run. The next day, the dream will continue. You cannot do that while you are asleep. When the dream stops, it stops forever. You cannot continue to dream that same dream. But if you are a writer, you can do that. That is a great thing, to keep on dreaming while you are awake.

Why I still like Vista more

2008-10-22T19:20:00Z

*Open the list of applications* bq. *OSX:* Command-Tab to Finder, Apple-Shift-A *Vista:* Windows key *Open an application's menu* bq. *OSX:* Control-F1 (to turn on keyboard access), Control-F2 *Vista:* Alt *Open a file* bq. *OSX:* Apple-Down *Vista:* Enter *Browse to parent directory* bq. *OSX:* Option-Command-Up *Vista:* Backspace *Change a file's icon* bq. *OSX:* Select the file with the icon you would like to use. Command-I to open Info window. Click on the icon. Command-C to copy. Select the file you would like to apply the icon to. Command-I to open the Info window. Click on the icon. Command-V to replace the icon. *Vista:* Right-click (or Application key), select Properties. Click "Change icon". *Refresh a list of files on a network drive* bq. *OSX:* Pray. *Vista:* F5. My point is, as shiny as OSX is, it's still keyboard hell. Keyboard use is an absolute afterthought -- in some case, even disabled by default. As a result, everything is just slower in OSX. Every little thing you want to do, you need to reach for your mouse. This might not seem like a big deal; in fact, it might even seem like a good thing, a movement away from the keyboard as a primary input source. But as someone who primarily types on his computer -- writing, e-mailing, programming -- this constant need to reach for a mouse is maddening. Oh, there are other reasons, too, such the little bits of the OSX interface that just refuse to make any sense. For example, take a couple second to think about the contextual zoom button in the corner of every window that changes function depending on the window size and the size of the window content, but gives you no indication of what state it's currently in.

Inner clockwork

2008-10-21T23:20:01Z

"It seems priggish or pollyannaish to deny that my indention in writing the work was to titillate the nastier propensities of my readers. My own healthy inheritance of original sin comes out in the book and I enjoyed raping and ripping by proxy. It is the novelist’s innate cowardice that makes him depute to imaginary personalities the sins that he is too cautious to commit for himself." - Anthony Burgess, in the 1986 introduction to his novel _A Clockwork Orange_

Saying goodbye

2008-10-16T18:20:00Z

Anne and Dustin left on Tuesday. I almost felt guilty for not mentioning it on my blog -- I'm just not sure what I really have to say about it. Anne and Cait have been extremely close friends for a long time, as have Dustin and I, so when Anne starting dating Dustin, and I started dating Cait, we all became pretty inseparable. Cait and I were the Maid of Honour and Best Man, respectively, at their wedding. They probably would have been the same for Cait and I. But alas, Africa called, and they're currently being whisked away to live with a small tribe in southern Sudan for the next two years. Saying goodbye was predictably hard, but at the same time, I have a feeling the next two years will go by pretty quickly. And they're definitely coming back after two years -- Dustin and I have only three or four missions left in Rainbow Six: Vegas, which we've been playing through co-op. He's promised me he'll be back to finish. On another note, here's today's Palindrone*: *"Palindrone" is the best word I've invented today

And the winner is…

2008-10-14T19:21:00Z

The result of my election poll? A perfect 50/50 split between the Conservatives and NDP, with the other parties barely registering. The poor Liberals didn't even manage to take home a single vote. The remaining votes were split -- again, perfectly evenly -- between the Green, Bloc, "Undecided":http://www.elections.ca/content.asp?section=faq&document=faqvoting&lang=e&textonly=false#voting20, and Obama. Now that your voting reflex is all warmed up, let's see how grossly out of tune our microcosm is with society at large. The real polls close at 8:30 this evening.

Voting poll

2008-10-10T15:57:01Z

After my rant about the Canadian election, I'm curious: bq. Loading... (Don't worry, this is completely anonymous.)

The And Curiouser guide to the 2008 Canadian Federal Election

2008-10-08T18:55:00Z

*The Conservative Party* bq. *Summary* The Libral Party's identical twin brother -- they look the same, sound the same, and are next to impossible to tell apart. bq. *Why you should vote for them* The economy's held strong under their leadership, and they're probably the best equipped to see us through the economic collapse of the US. Also, vows to have more issues openly debated and voted upon. bq. *Why you should most definitely not vote for them* They seem to have a vendetta against society, the freedom of information, and freedom of speech. Will try their darndest to starve artists, as well as arrest you for even thinking about putting that CD you bought on your iPod. Doesn't actually have more issues openly debated and voted upon. *The Liberal Party* bq. *Summary* See "Conservative Party" bq. *Why you should vote for them* They'll restore a token percentage of the arts budget, but only because it will make them look like the "good" guys (and the keyword is "token"). Also, if for any reason you like the Conservatives but are to embarassed to vote for them, a Liberal vote is essentially the same thing, but lets you claim that you "didn't vote Conservative". bq. *Why you should most definitely not vote for them* Stéphane Dion. *The NDP* bq. *Summary* Canada's socialist party. bq. *Why you should vote for them* Taxes will likely go up, but in exchange we'll see more arts funding, the freedom of information and freedom of speech protected, and quite possibly a small boost to healthcare. Also, a greater focus on the environment. bq. *Why you should most definitely not vote for them* Honestly believes that the best way to deal with the economy is to immediately and completely shut down Canada's largest economic asset, the Alberta Tar Sands. Not to say they shouldn't be shut down, but hastily pulling the plug would be economic suicide. *Bloc Québécois* bq. *Summary* Viva la Quebec! bq. *Why you should vote for them* Unknown bq. *Why you should most definitely not vote for them* If you honestly think it's a good idea to have a party that only displays interest in a single provience running the whole country, you can feel free to let yourself out. *The Green Party* bq. *Summary* They want to save the environment. Also, they have some other policies, somewhere. bq. *Why you should vote for them* Given the lack of options, it's a safely spoiled ballot. bq. *Why you should most definitely not vote for them* Elizabeth May. She's not so much a leader as she is an screaming activist. Doesn't actually have a strong platform apart from screaming "we're not the Liberals or Conservatives" at the top of their lungs.

I personally believe that US Americans

2008-10-01T21:57:01Z

"Sarah Palin on Foreign Policy":http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nokTjEdaUGg "Sarah Palin on the Bailout Proposal":http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txfqWzGMgmY "Sarah Palin on the Press":http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyoafptEm5c "Sarah Palin on the Bush Doctrine":http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z75QSExE0jU "Sarah Palin on McCain's Regulations":http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RM72M62jAUc "Sarah Palin on Banning Books":http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVAXaJ-SHo8 "Sarah Palin on Abortion":http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v77WekmM8F8 I'll refrain from comment for now. But if anyone needs me, I'll be in the corner, weeping.

Awesome things I did this weekend that you did not

2008-09-30T14:57:00Z

* Saw Sigur Rós, live. Easily the most surreal concert experience I've ever had. I mean, Nine Inch Nails was very, very good, but Sigur Rós operates on a completely different level. I'd love to tell you how amazing "Popplagið is like live":http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8jmLec_wEc, but... "it would be hard":http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=scrumtrilescent. Do yourself a favour and pick up "Heima":http://www.heima.co.uk/, their fairly eccentric tour DVD. I promise it's worth your time. * Parked in the most ghetto parking lot I've ever seen in my life. To pay for parking, there was a giant board with two hundred little boxes with little slots -- one for each parking spot. You had to fold your bills and stick them into the slots, then use a little piece of metal to shove the bill in further so nobody would steal it. Also, the fee was six dollars, so you always had to try to shove multiple bills in there (this was in the States, where they still haven't reached the enlightenment of loonies and toonies). * Went for supper with Cait at very nice Italian restaurant, where the food was excellent, staff extremely professional, and music so loud and blaring that we couldn't actually hear each other talk without turning our table so we could sit at close as humanly possible. Even then, we had to speak very loudly and words were occasionally lost. * Ate custom-made ice cream from Cold Stone Creamery, something Cait had been looking forward to ever since returning from Hawaii. My creation? Coffee ice cream, peanut butter, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and almonds. * Had an employee at a camera store rant to us for an entire hour about US politics, the Vietnam draft, surviving a horrific injury on a mountaineering expedition (which he read about in a book), people refusing to buy cameras because they don't let them bring guns into the store, and yes, a little bit about camera lenses. * Found the special edition of The Office Season 4. It was a super-limited edition, and Best Buy Canada had screwed up my order and "accidentally sold [my] copy", at which point it was entirely sold out across Canada. Well, Cait and I spotted one sitting on the bottom shelf at a Best Buy in Minneapolis. * Bought two bookcases, a coffee table, two end tables, a complete set of new coffee mugs and a new blanket for a total of $110. Ikea, you spoil me. * Played _LittleBigPlanet_. Yeah, that's right. _LittleBigPlanet_. One of the biggest game releases of the year, still a month away from release? The beta is sitting happily on my PS3, and has been since last Tuesday, making me the envy of every gamer in existence (people are offering up to $90 to get their hands on the beta). * All in all, had a really, exceedingly wonderful time with Cait. It was a much-overdue vacation (as much as a trip to Minneapolis could be considered a vacation).

The brilliance of necessity

2008-09-19T20:46:00Z

In my spare time, I've been plotting things out for my story _Stories About the End of the World_. The story is set in what I refer to as the "perpetual near-future", a fantastic cop-out that lets you set something more or less in the present while simultaneously being able to explain away inconsistencies with a simple "it's the future!". The problem is, when you're writing perpetual near-future stuff, technology can sometimes catch up with you and wreck everything. Part of the book centers around Izzy's ingenious rift detector, something I've "mused about before on this blog":http://www.andcuriouser.com/current/article/izzys_explanation. Her invention relies on using current technology in unusual ways, mashing together cellular triangulation, SMS messages, Google Maps and mobile Java apps. Here lies the problem -- it's brilliant, but it's already been surpassed. Half of the solution can be done by loading a custom app to a cracked iPhone. Not only that, but the iPhone would be way more accurate than Izzy's contraption, since it has native GPS and cullular triangulation support. It's the perfect solution, but it's just not as fun. I loved how she used existing technology in strange ways to solve her problem. A solution didn't exist, so it was necessary to create one. People always say that constraints force creativity, and I think this permiates everything we do. Suddenly, Izzy's mapping problem has an obvious, easy, and uncreative solution. It's just no fun anymore. The joy of creation has been taken away, and manic cries of "it's alive!" have been replaced with a simple button-push. So please, stop coming up with solutions to my problems. Problems are fun. Problems force you to think completely outside the box and piece together your own solution. Problems are an opportunity for triumph. In the mean time, Izzy's still going to have her crazy cell-phone rig. I'll just have to set the story in 2006 instead.