literature » The Hawker Squawker

The ever evolving language

Aug 252011

I find it ironic that as i look for people discussing how to use ironic, nobody can quite agree on what it is. Wait – was that ironic or just coincidental? “Irony is one of the most misused words in the English language.” So say the scholars anyway. But i heard on a podcast a few days ago, and i completely agree – if the majority of the population is using a word in a certain way, isn’t that the “correct” usage, by definition? After all, language is just a construct to help facilitate communication between people, and if everyone uses a word to mean “x” (even if the dictionary says it really means “y”), who’s right – the dictionary, or the people using the word?

That’s one of the great things about the English language. It’s constantly evolving. We’d probably be hard-pressed to understand most of what someone was saying in “old english” a few hundred years ago. Many words have changed meanings, many more have gone out of day to day usage, and tons of new words have come into being. Not to mention local pop cultural references. Who can understand all those weird things in Shakespeare (unless you’re an English professor)?

Viva English … Woot!

Space wizards

Space ... The Final Frontier 4 Responses »

Jul 152011

I read an excellent article yesterday talking about “space wizards” in general, and Spock in particular. It got me to thinking about something that’s always seemed obvious to me: there is a fine line between science fiction and fantasy. They’re really two sides of the same coin. Magic and technology – they’re not so different, really. You can make amazing things happen either way. One is usually portrayed with shiny buttons, gadgets, and cool looking space toys. The other is portrayed with wands, natural forces and willpower. But the net effect is the same: things that are out of the norm occur.

The typical hero’s quest story always contains a wise wizard figure. Whether that’s Gandalf, Merlin, Dr. Who, Spock, Yoda, or Dumbledore, they’re always there. Whether they weild the force and a light saber, or wave their magic wand. Whether they cite magical incantations or blurt out technobabble, they serve the same purpose. To guide the young hero towards the big bad to save the world.

I imagine a universe where there are civilations that take both evolutionary paths. Some go down the road of science and technology. Some take up magic. You can travel around the universe in a shiny metal spaceship, a small blue box or just teleport yourself wherever your thoughts can take you. But just because some planets have wizards doesn’t mean that others can’t have spaceships.

Just imagine writing a series of novels where the two co-exist, and maybe even interact for the first time. What happens when the enterprise bumps into Sauron? Or when crashes on a planet and gets kidnapped by elves? There are some very interesting cross-overs that could occur.

Some wizards already blur the line.

Yoda. He lives in a very science-fiction universe. He uses a light saber and flies around in spaceships. Yet he also weilds a magical force that let’s him move things around with his mind, shoot energy fields and lightning bolts from his fingertips, see visions of the future, and commune with the dead.

Q. He (and the entire Q race) live in a very science-fiction universe. But they seem to have magical powers. They snap their fingers and can travel across the universe. They can manipulate time, create alternate realities, wisk things into and out of existince on a whim, and generally alter the fabric of reality all with their mind.

So what is Q, what is Yoda? A wizard? A space wizard? Spock and Dr. Who are more traditional space wizards. They use their extreme intelligence and combine it with technology to do amazing things. Gandalf and Dumbledore are more traditional fantasy wizards who cast spells and use their arcane knowledge to do amazing things.

But in the end, they all serve the same purpose and they’re all wonderful and amazing.

Oh, and here’s the article that kicked off my random thoughts for today.

Shaggy Dog sci-fi

Literature 1 Response »

Feb 182011

As i was packing up our basement recently (in prep for a remodel), i ran across the boxed sets of the first three seasons of Battlestar Galactica. This is the 2000′s remake (I also have the box set of the 1970′s original series). But there were four seasons of the show. Where is the season four box set? It’s not like i didn’t know that i didn’t have it. I knew it was missing. It’s not like i couldn’t afford it. Money isn’t the issue. And with my slight OCD nature, when i start into collecting something, i almost always get it all (which can sometimes be rather expensive and annoying). It’s also not that i didn’t like the series. It’s an amazing series. The story is compelling, the acting is good. But … for some reason i just feel reluctant whenever i think about getting season four.

Well, today i was listening to a podcast, and the discussion there hit the nail on the head. Battlestar Galactica is a “shaggy dog story” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaggy_dog_story). Which basically means that the story is long, it’s complex, it’s interesting. And it ends with a horrible fizzle that leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Many people view Lost the same way (although i never got into Lost – it “lost” my interest halfway through season 1). I would stick the Heroes series in this same camp. And the Matrix franchise. Loved it, hated the ending. Ruined the whole thing.

So yes – that’s it exactly. Everytime i think about Battlestar Galactica i think of the amazing story. And everytime i think about picking up that fourth season boxed set, i go “ehhhhhhh”, because it would mean i have to watch the ending again, and i just have no interest in ever doing that.

Of course, not every sci-fi tv series is a shaggy dog. Probably the very best example i can think of is Babylon 5. It has a five year story arc that’s completely planned out from beginning to end. There are scenes in the very first episode that only come to full fruition in the very last episode. There are story elements that span years. Characters make choices that actually matter and don’t ‘reset’ after the episode is over. If only more shows were like this.

What are some of your favorite (as in bad) shaggy dog shows?

eInk v tablet

Technology 4 Responses »

Apr 282010

I had a big old post written up, and was just tweaking it here and there before posting when my computer crashed. I thought macbook’s weren’t supposed to do that sort of thing. Oh well.

I’m too lazy to recreate the entire thing, but i’ll just outline some of the main topics i was discussing.

Which is better – an eInk device, or a tablet device? Or another way to say it would be “If you were to go shopping today, would you buy a kindle or an iPad”?

Kindle has several advantages:

Battery life lasts forever. I sometimes go weeks without charging. And i use my kindle almost every day for an hour or two at night before bed. Of course, this is with the wireless turned off. I only turn it on when i want to transfer a new book i’ve purchased via the “whispernet”. And to be honest, most of the books on my kindle are not from Amazon and so i just sync them via the cable.
You can view in direct sunlight. The brighter the better. Do you want to read outside on a warm sunny, summer day? I sometimes do. And this works perfectly for that.
It’s amazingly easy on the eyes and the device fades into the background. You quickly forget you’re reading on a device and are just focusing on the story.
You can read the same book on multiple devices (thanks to the Kindle app) and pick up wherever you left off (at least, assuming the book was purchased through Amazon).

Kindle has several disadvantages:

The eInk refresh rate is slow.
The display is greyscale.
It’s difficult to annotate and there’s not really a good way to search / share your annotations.
You can’t read it in the dark without a light. Do you like to read in bed at night with the lights off? I do. All the time.

iPad has several advantages:

Sleek interface
Fast
Has the Kindle app, as well as a native ebook reader
The screen looks beautiful (especially in the dark at night lying in bed)
Easy to add annotations
Would be easy to add sharing features, animation, colors, embedded media content, etc..

iPod has several disadvantages:

Apple
Apple
closed, ferrari device with a pinto engine
can’t view very well in the light at all. no reading on the beach or in the backyard unless you’re in the shade and the sun isn’t on the device

So which would i choose? I have a kindle. I love my kindle. I wouldn’t buy it again at this time because of up and coming alternatives. I also don’t plan to get an ipad. I’ve been playing with one now for a week or two and it’s nice, but there will be nicer devices (and probalby cheaper) coming out in a few months. I’ll probably get one of those.

Yes, eInk is better than some type of lcd display on a tablet, but bottom line? It’s not THAT much better that it really makes much of a difference. Maybe in a few years eInk will be faster and prettier, but for now … it’s had its day and it’s time to move on. Maybe a dual eInk screen/traditional screen “fold-up book-form tablet” is the way to go. Then you get the best of both worlds (except that it won’t be as thin or “sleek” as an iPad).

The unintentional homophone

General Information 4 Responses »

Mar 162010

Ok, i can’t keep quiet about this any longer. I’m also not going to post it on twitter or facebook, since that is primarily where i see such behavior. I’ll graciously assume that all my blog readers are a bit more educated. Plus i don’t want to make anyone feel bad. Maybe they really don’t know they’re doing anything wrong … I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt.

<rant>

It just grates on my nerves every time i see some status update where someone unintentionally uses a homophone. A what? “Words hat are spelled differently but sound the same.“ For example, you use the word “to” when you should have used “too”. Or Two. What about “knight”, or “night”. “There, their, they’re”. Break, brake. Piece, peace. Rain, reign, rein. You get the idea.

If someone does it intentionally now and then for artistic purposes, that’s one thing. But it’s crazy how many times a day i cringe reading some status update where someone put in the wrong word. And i can guarantee it wasn’t on purpose. Yay for spell checkers, but COME ON PEOPLE! Seriously … Do you honestly not know the difference between piece and peace?

It reminds me of a book i read many years ago where there was a “spelling bee” – a literal bee that would spell-check your papers for you. The only problem was that the spelling bee was mischievous and intentionally used as many homophone’s as possible. Sure, technically every single word was spelled correctly, but the entire paper was gibberish. And gibberish is all i get when i read these status updates. I don’t remember what the post was about. All i remember was that they used a homophone.

</rant>

I weep for the future!

I have dreamed a dream

Knowledge is Power 3 Responses »

Feb 032010

For some reason today a quote suddenly popped into my mind. Well, a vague recollection that there was a cool quote from a movie that i was pretty sure i would think would be cool if i could remember what it was. That’s not much to go on, to be sure, but i stuck it in the back of my mind and began a low-priority search algorithm, hoping that the old noggin would come up with a hit sooner or later.

As I was getting the kids ready for bed tonight, i remembered where i’d heard the quote. It was from Morpheus, during a dramatic scene in one of the Matrix movies. That’s all the info i needed. A few minutes later, Google had helped me narrow down the exact quote, the scene in the movie, and even a biblical reference of where the quote really came from.

Morpheus’ ship, the Nebuchadnezzar, had just been destroyed by some sentinels. As he looks on in helpless despair, he whispers: “I have dreamed a dream, and now that dream has gone from me.” It’s a very poignant moment. Right then, he believes there’s no possible way that mankind can win the war. I thought certainly that quote must be a reference to a poem.

Not quite. It’s actually a biblical reference to king Nebuchadnezzar, in the book of Daniel. He is having dreams which he can’t remember and they are troubling him. “And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled … I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream. … The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me.” – Daniel 2: 1-5.

I find it somewhat ironic that this is the quote that was troubling me all day and had gone from me. Fortunately, i got it back. Morpheus also got his hope back, and even king Nebuchadnezzar got his dream back (you know the one – with the head of gold, body of brass, feet of clay, …).

A few of my favorite … podcasts

General Information 1 Response »

Jan 202010

There’s a lot of great podcasts out there. For the last year or so i’ve been listening to podcasts every day on my commute to and from work. It’s been a nice change from always just listening to the radio.

I thought i might just list a few of the podcasts I enjoy most. You can find a podcast about any subject you can imagine. Some podcasts are short (1 minute or less), some are long (2+ hours). Some publish daily or weekly, others only irregularly when the author has something to say. But no matter what you’re after, you’ll find something.

I won’t tell you where to go to get a podcast. You can do a google search and find thousands of them. You can also get them from iTunes if that’s your poison.

Here, then, is the list of my top five podcasts.

this WEEK in TECH (TWiT)

This is the first thing i listen to as i drive into work every Monday. It airs live on Sunday evenings and usually lasts around an hour and a half. A great way to start the week. Leo Laporte has an engaging and ever changing set of guests on the show each week to talk about the latest tech news. It’s interesting, it’s funny, and it helps me get into my Monday groove.
Cranky Geeks

One of the main recurring (and most interesting) guests of the TWiT podcast is John C. Dvorak. It turns out he’s got his own show. It airs every Wednesday and is usually around a half hour long. He also covers tech news, but does so in a no-nonsense manner, adding an element of wry humor and ‘crankiness’ to all the ‘new crap’ out there in the world. I always get a good laugh on his interesting take of the tech world.
NPR: Science Friday

Every Friday afternoon, NPR does their Science Friday show. A few days later it shows up in podcast form. There are generally 5 or 6 stories each week, ranging from the latest astronomical discovery to a why the sky is blue or how many new species of worms were discovered last week. You never know what you’ll find, but it’s always interesting.
Writing Excuses

This one is excellent for anyone interested in writing a book of their own, or even who just is interested in the ‘art of writing’ in general. It airs once a week on Sunday night and is always around 15 minutes long (“because you’re in a hurry and we’re not that smart”). The podcast consists of three guys led by Brandon Sanderson and they discuss every aspect of writing. Plot, Heroism, Grammar, Pacing, Stereotypes, Genre-blending, etc..
DragonHearth

This podcast by Tracy Hickman comes out semi-regularly (it will sometimes go months without an update), and the length varies from 30 minutes to 2+ hours. At first you’ll be going “uhh, he’s really DRY to listen to”, but by the end you’ll be captivated and hanging on his every word, wishing the podcast wouldn’t end. A real treat for fantasy lovers.

Shatnerquake

Funny Stuff Comments Off

May 032009

Wow … must.resist.buing.this.book. … ok, i just can’t imagine how horribly crazy insane and probably really cool (in a trainwreck kind of way) this book has got to be: Shatnerquake.

after a failed terrorist attack by Campbellians, a crazy terrorist cult that worships Bruce Campbell, all of the characters ever played by William Shatner are suddenly sucked into our world. Their mission: hunt down and destroy the real William Shatner.

Shatnerquake

The Gathering Storm

Literature 2 Responses »

Mar 302009

I’ve been following Brandon Sanderson’s blog as he works away on the final chapter of the Wheel of Time series. After several years, there is finally official word on when we can expect to see the next volume. And although it’s supposed to be the last book, it looks like it’s going to be split into a trilogy. I find that i’m ok with this. I look forward to as much WoT as possible, and if it takes three more books to do the story justice, then so be it.

Tor Books is proud to announce the November 3rd, 2009 on-sale date for The Gathering Storm, Book Twelve of The Wheel of Time and the first of three volumes that will make up A Memory of Light, the stunning conclusion to Robert Jordan’s beloved and bestselling fantasy series. A Memory of Light, partially written by Jordan and completed by Brandon Sanderson, will be released over a two-year period.Universal Pictures acquired the movie rights to The Wheel of Time in August 2008, and currently plan to adapt The Eye of the World as the first movie.

Press Release

And a long but enlightening blog post by Mr. Sanderson on the decision to do three books.

Tag: We all have quirks

General Information 2 Responses »

Nov 142008

I got one of those self-perpetuating internet era chain letters today. But since it was my mom, i’ll go ahead and do it. However, i’m NOT going to pass it on to four other people. And hey – the message didn’t come with any warning saying i would die in 3 hours if i didn’t pass it on, so i think i’m safe.

Without further ado, here are six quirky things about me that you may or may not know:

I want to write a novel. Several of them actually. I’ve got lots of (what i think are) great ideas rattling around in my head. I was even going to do NANOWRIMO this year but apathy set in. Perhaps some day™ i’ll get around to it.
I love to paint miniatures (dragons, drawves, elves, etc..) and build miniature dioramas. Life always seems to get in the way, and i’m lucky to squeeze in 3-4 hours a month. Click here to view some of my work.
Annoying Habit: I often don’t give straight answers to questions. And usually it’s not that i’m trying to be obtuse. It’s just that there are many ways i could present the answer and i’m trying to figure out which is most precise. Ask my wife about this – she hates it.
Back in my senior year of high school i took AP English. We had an assignment to read a novel by Charles Dickens. We read “Little Dorrit”. Or … we were supposed to. I never actually did. But I still have the book, it’s still sitting on my nightstand, and 18 years later, i’m STILL reading it (i actually do pick it up and read a chapter now and again … i even have two pages dedicated to it: Page 1, Page 2)
I believe in the technological singularity. A few years ago people had no idea what i was talking about. Now, only most people don’t. Oh, and i even know when the end of the world (as we know it) is going to occur, but i won’t tell you. Muah ah ah hahaha!
There’s nothing better than a cheesy vampire and/or zombie and/or martial arts movie.

Older Entries

The Hawker Squawker

The ever evolving language

Space wizards

Shaggy Dog sci-fi

eInk v tablet

The unintentional homophone

I have dreamed a dream

A few of my favorite … podcasts

Shatnerquake

The Gathering Storm

Tag: We all have quirks

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