Lewis Perdue's Blog, page 31
March 15, 2012
From Saint To Devil: A Path Carved By Head Injury
Phineas Gage woke up one day as a saint and went to bed a devil. All thanks to a brain injury.
The following comes from Chapter 32 of my fact-based, investigative thriller, Perfect Killer which deals, among other things, about how the ability to act morally and "do the right thing" can be altered by physical brain injuries and psychopharmacology. And that just because an injury can't be seen or detected by current scientific methods does not mean it's not there.
The man being discussed in this scene at the Pentagon — Phineas Gage — is a real man and everything said about him is scientifically verified.
For more about Gage, I would recommend starting with this article from Smithsonian Magazine and then the Wikipedia entry. Your journey from there can be a long, winding and rewarding one. Indeed, it was part of the inspiration for Perfect Killer. That and a secret psychopharmacology project at Walter Reed that aimed to create perfect killers through the magic of brain chemistry.
You can read about that secret project and read the FOIA documents obtained from Walter Reed at PerfectKiller.Com.
In the following chapter, they talk about Gage, his injuries, about the secret psychopharmacology program to engineer perfect killers (Enduring Valor) and, last, about the moral implications of altering free will and doing the right thing — whether by injury or by medication.There is a lot more about that topic in Perfect Killer
AND NOW THE PROMISED CHAPTER FROM PERFECT KILLER INTRODUCING PHINEAS GAGE
"Enduring Valor's genesis began in the late 1930s when Frank trained as a neurosurgeon. Back then, opening up the cranium led to death as often as not. Like many aspiring physicians interested in the nervous system, Frank learned about Phineas Gage in med school. But unlike most of them, the implications obsessed him."
"Gage? Who's that?"
"A twenty-five-year-old railroad construction foreman transformed by an industrial accident in 1848. Gage's employers, coworkers, friends, and family unanimously praised him as an intelligent, responsible, honest, polite, disciplined—moral—man. Then late one hot summer afternoon in Vermont, Gage made a near-fatal mistake using a four-foot steel pike to tamp explosives into a drilled rock hale. The powder exploded, driving the steel pike into his left cheek, through his eye socket, and the frontal lobes before shooting out the top of his head.
LaHaye sat down and sipped at her cup before continuing.
"After having the steel pike blasted through his head, Phineas Gage recovered, remarkable given the state of medical care at the time. After his recovery, doctors found his intelligence unaffected and no physical incapacitation other than losing his left eye. But the steel pike changed his entire personality. Instead of the former Sunday-school teacher, the physically healed body housed a profane, venal, violent brute with no self-control or sense of responsibility. Call it self-control or free will, Gage had become a victim of his new biological configuration. The 'bad' Gage had evicted the 'good' Gage."
She took another sip, then held the saucer and cup in her left hand.
"Gage fascinated Frank Harper, who had treated more than his share of head wounds, so he kept a notebook containing the names and serial numbers of the patients he treated along with fairly precise descriptions of the wounds and treatment. The War Department funded him to follow up on these men, to interview friends, family, and work associates on personalities before the war and after.
"He found many unchanged." She gazed out the window. "But he also found some startling differences in those who had specific wounds in the frontal lobes. Some had become violent like Gage and wound up in jail." LaHaye turned back toward Gabriel. "I know of at least two cases where Harper's notes and medical records and testimony kept men from being executed for murders they committed.
"'Harper's work prompted the Army to fund a major research effort and essentially gave Harper a recently vacated POW camp in Mississippi. From about 1947 and well into the 1960s, Harper's people brought in patients for study and sent out teams to prisons and mental hospitals to treat those who were confined and unable to travel."
"General Braxton was one of these?"
LaHaye nodded. "One of Frank's biggest successes."
"Thank God."
"Absolutely. Anyway, Harper's biggest successes came after he abandoned the surgical route and began experimenting with psychoactive drugs. Harper structured joint development ventures with private pharmaceutical companies—with some success, I might add.
"At any rate, Harper's public-private partnership evolved into the operation I now head. Harper's people and a core of researchers who founded Defense Therapeutics looked at the mechanisms of treating 'Bad Gage' injuries, and as they developed new formulas, they realized it might be possible to produce a nondepleting neurotrop which temporarily produces useful combat behavior modifications in warfighters to increase battle efficiency and performance. In addition to the focus and stamina, the ideal nondepleting neurotrop induces the warfighter to surrender a large portion of their free will to the command structure, allowing them to better function in a cohesive fighting unit rather than as an individual."
Gabriel frowned.
"Imagine the huge time and cost savings," LaHaye offered. "Instead of weeks and months to create units out of individuals, we can accomplish the same thing pharmaceutically almost overnight and at a tiny fraction of the cost. As long as they're in the zone, they're perfect killers."
Perfect killers. In the zone. Gabriel saw killing zombies in his mind and struggled to keep his horror from showing on his face.
"You talk about the ideal nondepleting neurotrop," Gabriel said. "That makes it sound like there are a lot of them."
LaHaye nodded. "There are. We thought we had the perfect one back during the first Gulf War."
"You mean you actually tested one?"
"Not officially. But just in a few units. We deployed buspirone II in a few units and it worked brilliantly for combat effectiveness." She hesitated.
"But?"
"Gulf War syndrome. I would think you'd know about that given the writings of your cousin."
"Rick Gabriel's a fairly distant cousin," Gabriel said. "I've not read much of his work. Should I?"
"He does strike a lot closer to the truth than I'd prefer." She paused, then changed the subject. "Anyway, we've built on the buspirone work and hit pay dirt."
"How do you know?"
"We've done tests with perfectly adjusted doses and formulations," she said vaguely. "We've had none of the long-term side effects from Iraq, unlike the Gulf War syndrome, which continues to plague us, or the rash of murders and assaults by special ops after returning from Afghanistan."
Gabriel worked to control the unease squirming in his belly and sensed this was not the time to ask further probing questions because he guessed she had already told him more than she should have.
"Have you been reading about that old murder case down in Mississippi? Talmadge, I believe."
"Who hasn't? It's been a running sore on the national news for months now."
"Does it have anything to do with your work? Or Harper's?"
"Not that I know."
"Right. That's good enough for me." Gabriel paused. "But, you know, it's truly amazing that we as a people and our justice system can look at two men who committed identically horrible crimes and send one to execution and spare the other because there is a physical scar we can see."
LaHaye frowned. "Maybe, but I fail to see how it matters."
"Well, it does raise some interesting philosophical implications about right and wrong and free will. The religious views of 'good' versus 'evil' take on new meanings if good or bad behaviors are controlled not by some sort of extrahuman spiritual realm, but by the physical world of neurons, brain physiology, and neurotransmitter molecules," Gabriel said. "Perhaps of relevance to your research?"
Her frown deepened as the lines in her face branched into a mask of annoyance.
"Really," Gabriel persisted. "Seeing the scar, knowing about the wound which turned a 'good' person into a 'bad' one, motivates us to treat that person differently than another person without the wound. Presumably we do that because we recognize the person with the visible wound has a physical impairment to their free will. So, for one we have treatment, and for the other we have punishment.
"But suppose the punished person actually has a physical wound in the brain we can't detect—perhaps genetic or from some sort of development problem in the brain," he continued. How can we tell? Suppose there are physical wounds resulting from DNA damage? Shouldn't society treat them the same as one who has a scar that can be touched? Do we have to touch the scars to believe? Don't you see? Your research has great philosophical implications for the military, and society as a whole."
She shook her head aggressively "It's not my table." LaHaye waved her right hand dismissively. "It has no operational significance."
"Of course you are right." He nodded sagely. "But that's precisely the sort of speculation obviously a book author would be interested in." He smiled as engagingly as he could muster.
Her face brightened. "Of course! It will make for some fascinating reading."
Gabriel stood up. "Thank you for your time and patience with me dropping in unannounced. I definitely see the beginning of a new book here."
LaHaye's face beamed. She stood up and walked him through the reception area to the door. They shook hands. Gabriel opened the door to the corridor, then suddenly stopped and turned back to LaHaye.
"Do you have Frank Harper's contact information? I think he would be a good place to begin the history."
"Of course." LaHaye said pleasantly. Gabriel let the door close as she turned to the chief warrant officer behind the reception desk.
"Jenna, please make General Gabriel a copy of all my contact information for Dr Frank Harper."
Free Die By Wire eThriller Download With Print Purchase
Marvel to Bundle Free Digital Download with Print Comics
"Starting in June 2012, Marvel Comics will bundle print copies of all Marvel super hero comics priced at $3.99 with special codes so the comic book buyer can download a free digital copy of the same comic."
Major book blog Galleycat posted that yesterday. Post author Jason Boog then asked,
"Do you think the book publishing industry could follow this bold experiment…?"
Well, actually I did that last year with Die By Wire. This is what is on the back cover:
The concept was made popular by music companies who were releasing new vinyl versions of current acts like The Fray and others. Buy the vinyl, get the digital.
I think it's a great idea. It's added value for my readers who like to have a physical copy even though they may prefer to read it on an ereader. It's also a plus for collectors who get to keep a "virgin" book and read it too.
I wanted a slightly more flexible way to redeem the ec0ntent, so I had to work out a different method. Head on over to the Die By Wire website to see how it works.
Do I think the traditional book industry will adopt this? Perhaps in a limited way for promotion where they can cut off the number of books given away. Remember, this is the industry that teamed up with Apple to drive up the cost of ebooks beyond all reason. For an industry that sometimes prices an ebook higher than the paperback, I don't see them rushing to give ebooks away.
March 4, 2012
California Poppies Popping In Our Backyard!
March 4 The first California poppies of 2012 blooming in the native plant garden in our back yard. 75 degrees and sunny!
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Wider view
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March 2, 2012
Sunny Sonoma Friday: Escape From Die By Wire
Sunny Sonoma Friday. Mostly clear and 64 degrees F. Had to get away from Die By Wire. And from Wine Industry Insight. But too much work to do to take a long hike. So I headed up the hill north of town. Boston Song and Biblical story of Lot say "Don't look back. But I did. And this is what I saw:
Sunny Sonoma Friday, March 2, 2012 - Click for larger image
San Francisco in far, far distance about 2/3 of the way from the left side, where the hills dip way low. About 36 miles as crow flies, 45 miles by car. Some days that's not nearly far enough when the town fills up with Turons (Creatures far more clueless than usual tourists).
Takes an hour to the GG Bridge in the best of traffic and some minor disregard for the speed limits.
How Learning Languages Turned Die By Wire's Heroine Into A Sniper
"Love tulips, puppies, long walks on the beach, fine wine, foreign travel and killing bad, evil mofos." — From Mira Longbow's profile at her Guardian Sniper blog
Without a gift for languages, Mira Longbow would never have become a Guardian Sniper, and would never have been the heroine and star of Die By Wire. When we look back, we can all see that the trajectories of our all lives have their arcs nudged and altered by actions and events beyond our control. We can turn these to our advantage only by recognizing them.
The following excerpts show the series of linguistic events that led Mira Longbow to the present day.
WHY SO MANY EXCERPTS FROM SO MANY CHAPTERS?
Too much explanatory material slows down the action. Plus, it would read like a resume, not a thriller.
The trick is to keep the explanations short and to work them into the action, in a context that makes sense.
Alas, favorite parts often run too long and have to be edited out. In the very last part on how Mira learns languages, I have followed the final text from the book with the full text in the previous draft. The objective in the edits is to cut in a way that retains the a sense of the character.
Finally, these excerpts are, obviously, without context. I have added some context by [putting words in italicized brackets.] One other bit of important context that has nothing to do with foreign languages: Mira grew up in the Finger Lakes region of Western New York State and learned deer hunting from her father. Mira had a reputation of being a dead shot even then. She graduated from Corning Community College with a degree in criminal justice and had been accepted to the New York State police academy. She enlisted in the U.S. Army on 9/12.
MIRA'S JOURNEY: EXCERPTS FROM
DIE BY WIRE
[Hero Jackson Day's terse assessment of Mira:] "Languages. A dead-on sniper. A philosophy degree. A military cop who could kick your butt up between your shoulder blades. WTF?"
WHAT GOT MIRA INTERESTED IN LANGUAGES? FROM THE PROLOGUE
Two years into her enlistment Mira had been buried with public affairs assignments — women's work — until the night she took down bad-ass Master Sergeant Dan Brown who'd been big, bad and disorderly. She single-handedly dropped him in a matter of seconds with her bare hands: no baton, no pepper spray, no sidearm.
Respect came immediately. Some joked about the Xena in their midst. But Mira was no Amazon, just an intensely motivated, highly fit, five-foot-nine redhead. She ran, worked out, fought smart and did her best to keep her generous curves out of the equation.
Shortly after taking down Master Sergeant Brown, company brass attached her to Day's squad. Not a member of the squad. Just attached, tolerated to handle the culturally explosive task of searching Iraqi women.
Day had quickly let her know that, given a choice, he'd certainly have nothing to do with women in the infantry. "Follow my orders to the letter. Try to keep up with us. Don't do stupid things that'll get people killed."
Mira quickly discovered an innate ability to pick up Arabic. That quick fluency connected her with the women she searched. They women confided in her, told her the locations of weapons caches, men, booby-traps. And that they hated al-Sadr and his jihadi perverts.
WHAT DID MIRA DO WITH LANGUAGES AFTER THE ARMY? FROM CHAPTER 1
Evil was a certainty she could believe in. And something worth further study. So she transferred her college credits [from Corning Community College] and uncanny language skills to Cornell and completed a bachelor's degree in Near Asian languages and a doctorate in philosophy.
WHAT ENABLED MIRA TO PROGRESS WITH LANGUAGES? FROM CHAPTER 7
Derek Stocker [A Dutch Army doctor, now an intelligence officer that Mira met in Iraq] quickly became her mentor, interested in Mira's ability to produce actionable combat intelligence and her proficiency with foreign languages and a rifle. After her discharge, he hired her to help train DSI snipers. That income had helped her keep body and soul together.
HOW MANY LANGUAGES DOES MIRE SPEAK? FROM CHAPTER 24
The owner greeted her [Mira] with a smile and her first name in some strange tongue.
They followed him toward a table.
"Indonesian?" He [Day] asked her.
"What does that make? Sixteen languages? Seventeen?"
"I never counted," she said. "And that was Bahasa, a form of Malay."
The owner seated them outside at a table near the door.
"There's actually no such language as Indonesian."
WHY HAD DAY BEEN SENT TO RECRUIT A RELUCTANT MIRA LONGBOW? FROM CHAPTER 26
[Jackson Day to Mira:] "The people pulling in a steady salary from Uncle Sugar have a certain basic competence, but lack your gift to think simultaneously in a lot of different languages, to cut through dialects, to make connections."
HOW DOES MIRA LEARN SO MANY LANGUAGES? FROM CHAPTER 19
Moments later, she picked her way across a confusion of tracks where two major tram lines intersected, then plunged into a sea of humanity jamming the Leidseplein. She opened her mind to the polyglot filling her ears. Mostly Dutch, but a lot of English right now along with some German, French, a dusting of Arabic.
Languages came to Mira like deconstructing a sweater: find a thread, pull it.
With Dutch, the alpha thread came through geography: straat meant street, gracht was canal, a plein was a plaza, steeg was alley. Put them together with another word — Prinsengracht: Prince's Canal — and the new word was easier to remember because it hung onto a familiar one.
Mira navigated the funky miasma in front of the Bulldog Cafe and skirted the crowd taking in a juggler in front of the Burger King. She checked the Droid again.
Nothing. She left the square behind and strode northwest.
FROM UNCUT DRAFT: HOW DOES MIRA LEARN SO MANY LANGUAGES?
Moments later, she made her way across a confusion of tracks where two major tram lines intersected, then plunged into a sea of humanity jamming the Leidseplein.
She opened her mind to the polyglot that filled her ears. Mostly Dutch, but a lot of English right now along with some German, French, a dusting of Arabic and the tonal sing-song of Chinese which eluded her completely. She was yet to find a thread to pull.
Languages came to Mira like deconstructing a sweater: find a thread, then pull it.
With Dutch, the alpha thread came with geography: -straat was "street," -gracht was "canal," -plein was "plaza," -steeg was "alley" and -kade meant "avenue." Put them together with another word — Prinsengracht: Prince's Canal — and the new word was easier to remember because it hung onto a familiar one. It helped that she had studied German at Cornell. To Mira, Dutch lay at the intersection of German and English just as Italian seemed, to her ears, a miscegenation between Spanish and French.
Dutch then.
Rather than translate back and forth to English, Mira slipped into the Dutch conversations around her as she pressed past a crowd that had gathered to watch a juggler performing in front of the Burger King. From the far right side of the square, the funky spice of marijuana drifted over from the Bulldog cafe.
As Mira reached the Leidsestraat, the crowd eased. She checked the Droid again, then picked up her pace, heading northwest. She walked faster, outpaced the heat of her anger.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
I really like this previous scene.
I've always been pretty good with languages (never as good as Mira, obviously.) At one time, I was fluent in French, near-fluent in Puerto Rican Spanish, conversational in German and struggled with Italian and Dutch. I even wrestled with Polish, but it kicked my butt. Not incidentally, the way Mira learns languages — the sweater — is how I do as well.
February 28, 2012
Kindle Publishing Works When It Works AND When It Breaks
I don't write many fan letters. But I emailed the following to Amazon today:
I'd like to congratulate the Kindle system and people for:
1. When it works, and,
2. When it breaks.
As an author who's had a number of bestselling thrillers via traditional publishers, I was hesitant to go the "indie" route.
Despite my trepidations (based on my experience founding a large wine trade publishing and Internet content company) I found the Kindle system a breeze.
And, the Kindle Select program was an equally big winner, elevating my newest thriller, Die By Wire to a #1 position in Action & Adventure in a matter of days. And it's remained a bestseller on the paid list.
Kudos to when the system works!
And more kudos for how quickly the Kindle folks fixed a foul-up that misplaced 40% of my 5-star reviews last night. My bestseller status dropped to 17 (a testament to the value of Amazon reviews).
I emailed the support team around 6:30 p.m. and the issue fixed by this morning. Nobody's perfect. But the excellence of a company lies in how they fix errors. By that measure, Amazon is outstanding!
But I'm still working to get my bestseller rank back where it was before the reviews got misplaced.
Along the way last night, I got more than a few emails and Direct Messages from folks in the physical bookstore world, basically saying "I told you so" for going the Indie Kindle route. More than a few of those came from readers of a hot and heavy Publisher's Weekly article thread in which I defended the indie Kindle system specifically and Amazon in general. The situation was embarrassing, but only until this morning. Most traditional publishers I have worked with have screwed up a lot worse than this … and never fixed the problem.
My hat is off (still) to the Kindle publishing system.
February 27, 2012
Author Over-Reacts, Part 2 – An Update On Literary Cluelessness
In my previous post (WTF! Amazon Loses Die By Wire Reviews – The Ugly Sequence) I noted the sudden disappearance of five of my 13 Die By Wire reviews.
Well after my blog posts and Tweets and emails, I got a large number of return emails, DMs and IMs (some of them from bookstores telling me "I warned you about Amazon" … but that's another story).
I did get an email from one of the reviewers that sheds some light: Not on reviews disappearing, but Amazon losing its senses.
DUMBER THAN A BAG OF ROCKS
Instead of having reviews of both print and Kindle versions available for potential readers, only the print reviews are displayed with print versions and Kindle reviews displayed for the Kindle.
5+8= a total ZERO in the logic department!
The words are the same. The book is the same.The cover is the same. Amazon includes hardback reviews with paperback because THEY ARE THE SAME!
To deprive potential Kindle buyers of opinions of paperback readers and vice versa is so stupid it makes the U.S. tax code seem logical!
Amazon Reviews: An Update On Literary Cluelessness
In my previous post (WTF! Amazon Loses Die By Wire Reviews – The Ugly Sequence) I noted the sudden disappearance of five of my 13 Die By Wire reviews.
Well after my blog posts and Tweets and emails, I got a large number of return emails, DMs and IMs (some of them from bookstores telling me "I warned you about Amazon" … but that's another story).
I did get an email from one of the reviewers that sheds some light: Not on reviews disappearing, but Amazon losing its senses.
DUMBER THAN A BAG OF ROCKS
Instead of having reviews of both print and Kindle versions available for potential readers, only the print reviews are displayed with print versions and Kindle reviews displayed for the Kindle.
5+8= a total ZERO in the logic department!
The words are the same. The book is the same.The cover is the same. Amazon includes hardback reviews with paperback because THEY ARE THE SAME!
To deprive potential Kindle buyers of opinions of paperback readers and vice versa is so stupid it makes the U.S. tax code seem logical!
Author Over-Reacts, Part 1 – Amazon Loses Die By Wire Reviews
So, earlier today and the past week: great reviews after the launch of Die By Wire. They're coming in from all over the world.
Around 5 p.m. Pacific time, I go to make dinner. At 6:30 or so, I come back and find that 8 of my 13 reviews are missing. Fortunately, one of my Firefox tabs was still open from before 5 p.m. I take a screen cap. Then a screen cap after dinner. And finally, the complaint I filed. The images are below.
Reviews are VERY important to authors. They mean a lot – even those of us with thick skins from decades of writing traditionally-published books. And especially when — after 20 published books — this is my first as an independent.
I've even gone the Amazon route: Die By Wire is in their "Select" program which pulls it off everyone else's shelves. I had misgivings. But went that way despite that. I was even ready not to complain when — somehow — Amazon enrolled ALL of my books in that program WITHOUT my consent. Programming error? Who knows?
But I have been so busy (and happy) with five days of Select promotion that I've never had time to complain.
I got really close to drinking the Amazon Kool-Aid, but now thankful I just took a sip.
AND NOW THIS BONEHEADED MANEUVER!
Where are my reviews? They came from all over the world. I have no way to get in touch with people to tell them that Amazon trashed their reviews.
Here are the relevant screen caps, in order. Yes, they are outrageously too large for the format, but can be read easily. Read and weep!
SOMETIME BEFORE 5 P.M. – 13 REVIEWS
AND JUST AFTER 6 P.M. – 8 REVIEWS
AND THE COMPLAINT I FILED
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE HAD YOUR REVIEWS TRASHED BY AMAZON
Please take the time to re-file them if it's convenient at this link. And, please email me (lperdue AT ideaworx.com) with your reviews so that I have proof … in case I have to fight this further.
Amazon Loses Die By Wire Reviews – The Ugly Sequence
So, earlier today and the past week: great reviews after the launch of Die By Wire. They're coming in from all over the world.
Around 5 p.m. Pacific time, I go to make dinner. At 6:30 or so, I come back and find that 8 of my 13 reviews are missing. Fortunately, one of my Firefox tabs was still open from before 5 p.m. I take a screen cap. Then a screen cap after dinner. And finally, the complaint I filed. The images are below.
Reviews are VERY important to authors. They mean a lot – even those of us with thick skins from decades of writing traditionally-published books. And especially when — after 20 published books — this is my first as an independent.
I've even gone the Amazon route: Die By Wire is in their "Select" program which pulls it off everyone else's shelves. I had misgivings. But went that way despite that. I was even ready not to complain when — somehow — Amazon enrolled ALL of my books in that program WITHOUT my consent. Programming error? Who knows?
But I have been so busy (and happy) with five days of Select promotion that I've never had time to complain.
I got really close to drinking the Amazon Kool-Aid, but now thankful I just took a sip.
AND NOW THISBONEHEADED MANEUVER!
Where are my reviews? They came from all over the world. I have no way to get in touch with people to tell them that Amazon trashed their reviews.
Here are the relevant screen caps, in order. Yes, they are outrageously too large for the format, but can be read easily. Read and weep!
SOMETIME BEFORE 5 P.M. – 13 REVIEWS
AND JUST AFTER 6 P.M. – 8 REVIEWS
AND THE COMPLAINT I FILED
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE HAD YOUR REVIEWS TRASHED BY AMAZON
Please take the time to re-file them if it's convenient at this link. And, please email me (lperdue AT ideaworx.com) with your reviews so that I have proof … in case I have to fight this further.
