M. Thomas Apple's Blog, page 8

I’m not the “doubting one,” but…

Daily writing promptWhat is your middle name? Does it carry any special meaning/significance?View all responses

My middle name is actually Thomas. I chose to use “M Thomas” as a pen name out of respect for my father, who taught me how to write. As a professional communications writer, he was responsible for lots of public documents for the NYS DMV, including traffic safety reports, driver manuals, press releases from the Governor, all sorts of “my boss will feel the need to edit this, so I will deliberately leave behind something for him to do so as he doesn’t screw up the entire thing” document.

I may or may not have adopted this strategy in my own professional work (I certainly adopted the attitude…)

Another reason is because I had a baby brother named Thomas. He passed away before reaching five months old when I was not quite 11. It had a major impact on me as a child (and indeed as the adult and as the father I am).

I have no sons. It bothers me that I may be the last Thomas in our family. For a while, anyway.

Introducing the Bringer of Light!

Hello, everyone, and thank you for reading!

This is a short (~8 minute) video I made to introduce the story Bringer of Light.

I’ll be posting a couple more videos in the near future about the characters, location, and science behind the story.

Check it out, and share freely!

Dear Diary – November 3, 1997

There is nothing quite like the feeling sitting in a busy place produces, when it is quiet. The sense of empty vacancy seems more restrictive than if one were crowded, surrounded by should to shoulder hip-grinders.

There is no vibe. There are no walls of personality off which to bounce your own. How else can one tell one is alive?

What I am still not used to is…

What is one question you hate to be asked? Explain.

“Where are you from?”

I never understood why this question might rankle some people…until I moved to Japan.

I’ve been in Japan since 1999. “Where are you from?” was one of the first questions people asked me at the time, when I was teaching in junior and senior high schools.

No problem, I thought. I’m from Upstate.

“I’m from New York.”

Nods of understanding. “Ohhh, the Big Apple.”

Uh, no. Upstate.

“New York is a state?”

Sometimes people would ask me “Where did you come from?” (Literally “doko kara kimashita ka?” どこから来ましたか？)

I later learned that that phrase was basically invented for foreigners. The native phrase is “go-shusshinnchi ha dochira desu ka?” Literally “from what area do you come” I.e. “what’s your hometown?”

I actually had a problem answering that.

I was born in Troy, NY. But my family moved to a small hamlet west of Albany when I was not quite 8. Then moved again to the Adirondack Mountains when I was 12. Then I went to a different small town an hour south of Albany for college and barely went home after that (I more or less left permanently after the age of 20).

I spent one more year in Michigan. Two in Indiana. Two more in Bahstin (sorry, Boston).

Then Japan.

So where is my “hometown”? Where do I “come from”?

Even now, after nearly 25 years in Japan (most of my adult life), I still get asked this question. I’ve lived 12 years in our house now, in the Kansai area of western Japan. The longest I’ve ever spent in one physical location my entire life.

So I’ve taken to responding to the “where are you from?” question cheekily:

“Japan, of course.” (mochiron Nihon desu wa もちろん日本ですワ)

Asking AI to be more like Spock is only, well…

For one of the models, asking the AI to start its response with the phrases “Captain’s Log, Stardate [insert date here]:.” yielded the most accurate answers.

“Surprisingly, it appears that the model’s proficiency in mathematical reasoning can be enhanced by the expression of an affinity for Star Trek,” the researchers wrote.

https://qz.com/ai-chatbots-math-study-star-trek-1851301719

Today’s quote

Show me a completely smooth operation and I’ll show you someone who’s covering mistakes. Real boats rock.

Frank Herbert, Chapterhouse: Dune

Another…uh, milestone, I guess?

I’m not sure why 1,337 is a magical number, but if my readers are happy, then I’m happy.

Thank you, all! I hope to continue to like your posts as well, and hope I can continue to write more

Aristotle had something to say about this…

Do you believe in fate/destiny?

Every choice closes off one path and opens another…

Today’s quote

Philosophy is always dangerous because it promotes the creation of new ideas.

Frank Herbert, Heretics of Dune

Read an ebook Week! (March 3rd to 9th)

I’m excited to announce my books Approaching Twi-Night and Adam’s Stepsons will be promoted as part of a special sale on @Smashwords to celebrate 2024 Read an Ebook Week from March 3 – March 9. Be sure to follow me for more updates and links to the promotion for my books and many more! #ebookweek24 #Smashwords