Patti O'Shea's Blog, page 132
August 24, 2014
August 21, 2014
Maybe Not Too Picky
After blogging about The Power of Two on Tuesday and that I'm still finding formatting mistakes after going through it many, many times, I began to wonder if I was being to picky. Then Tuesday night I started reading an ebook of an old favorite from the 90s. The book had clearly been scanned in the way mine has been.
No, I decided as obvious error after obvious error jerked me out of the story, I'm not being too picky.
It was so annoying and I know most of the errors are attributable to OCR scanning. I've spotted some of the same errors in my scans and cleaned them up. This author must have done some work, but not enough. What kinds of things did I see?
*Instead of a closing quote mark ", there was a parenthesis )*Dialogue from two different characters that should have been in two different paragraphs mashed together into one paragraph.*Weird breaks in the middle of paragraphs.*There was one place with two capital letters MI that I never did figure out what it was supposed to be instead of that. And believe me, I wasted some time trying to come up with an answer.*And many more errors.
All of which jerked me out of the story. So again, I apologize for the time it's taking to get TPOT ready for ebook release, but there's no way I'm putting my work out there with mistakes like this. Yes, I'll miss some, but I want them to be few and far between. I want you to be able to enjoy Cai and Jake's story, not be cursing errors.
No, I decided as obvious error after obvious error jerked me out of the story, I'm not being too picky.
It was so annoying and I know most of the errors are attributable to OCR scanning. I've spotted some of the same errors in my scans and cleaned them up. This author must have done some work, but not enough. What kinds of things did I see?
*Instead of a closing quote mark ", there was a parenthesis )*Dialogue from two different characters that should have been in two different paragraphs mashed together into one paragraph.*Weird breaks in the middle of paragraphs.*There was one place with two capital letters MI that I never did figure out what it was supposed to be instead of that. And believe me, I wasted some time trying to come up with an answer.*And many more errors.
All of which jerked me out of the story. So again, I apologize for the time it's taking to get TPOT ready for ebook release, but there's no way I'm putting my work out there with mistakes like this. Yes, I'll miss some, but I want them to be few and far between. I want you to be able to enjoy Cai and Jake's story, not be cursing errors.
August 19, 2014
The Power of Two Update
I've been getting a lot of emails lately asking when The Power of Two will be released in ebook format, so I thought I'd do a quick update here for others who might want to know, but haven't taken the time to contact me.
The short answer is soon. It's in work.
The longer answer is that I meant to have it out already and I'm sorry that it's taking so long. Part of the reason is how busy I am. My day job was relocated from Minneapolis to Atlanta, and while I technically have the same position, the job duties have expanded hugely. I'm usually more tired now because my brain gets a work out and I get home two hours later than I did in Minnesota.
The other issue I'm running into with TPOT is that so much of the text is italicized. I had the book scanned in and the words were sorted out by an OCR program. The accuracy rate for italicized text is much lower than regular typeface, and every time I think I'm on my final read through, I find more errors. As a perfectionist, I want the book as error free as possible, but it's a time consuming process to fix them because I'm working in the coded document. This means there is formatting language and symbols everywhere and I've fixed one issue only to introduce a new problem.
Anyway, I'm pushing for soon-ish on this book, maybe within a couple of months. I'm trying to schedule time to work on it between my day job and writing new words. The cover is done, though.
So please bear with me as I struggle to squeeze error searching into my day. Again, I apologize for the time it's taking. I'm moving it up the priority list as we speak. :-) And thank you for wanting this book enough to contact me about it! That is very much appreciated.
The short answer is soon. It's in work.
The longer answer is that I meant to have it out already and I'm sorry that it's taking so long. Part of the reason is how busy I am. My day job was relocated from Minneapolis to Atlanta, and while I technically have the same position, the job duties have expanded hugely. I'm usually more tired now because my brain gets a work out and I get home two hours later than I did in Minnesota.
The other issue I'm running into with TPOT is that so much of the text is italicized. I had the book scanned in and the words were sorted out by an OCR program. The accuracy rate for italicized text is much lower than regular typeface, and every time I think I'm on my final read through, I find more errors. As a perfectionist, I want the book as error free as possible, but it's a time consuming process to fix them because I'm working in the coded document. This means there is formatting language and symbols everywhere and I've fixed one issue only to introduce a new problem.
Anyway, I'm pushing for soon-ish on this book, maybe within a couple of months. I'm trying to schedule time to work on it between my day job and writing new words. The cover is done, though.
So please bear with me as I struggle to squeeze error searching into my day. Again, I apologize for the time it's taking. I'm moving it up the priority list as we speak. :-) And thank you for wanting this book enough to contact me about it! That is very much appreciated.
August 17, 2014
Humans Need Not Apply
This is seriously scary for someone who needs to work and earn money. The video is longer than I usually post, but I think it's worth watching.
August 14, 2014
Why I Stopped Watching Shark Week
Once upon a time, I used to look forward to Discovery Channel's Shark Week like a kid looks forward to Christmas. I've always been fascinated by sharks and I actually have done quite a bit of study on them on my own. Maybe if I'd been born closer to an ocean, I would have become a marine biologist and studied sharks for real. It actually was one of the careers I was looking at when I was in high school.
So Shark Week was a treat--a whole week of great new shark shows.
The change happened slowly. Discovery started scheduling shark attack shows in with the educational programs. Then it seemed as if every show featured some kind of "human in peril" angle even though shark attacks are rare and deaths from attack even rarer. I started watching fewer shows every year, trying to pick out the ones that had information and not sensationalism.
But then the Discovery Channel (forgive the pun) jumped the shark. They presented fictional material as if it were real. They lied to marine biologists and creatively edited their interviews to make it appear as if these scientists were supporting the drama as fact. This is completely unacceptable to me.
If I wanted entertainment, I'd watch Jaws. I want fact-based documentaries on sharks when I watch Shark Week. Nothing else.
There's more fake science AKA entertainment shows presented as documentaries this year on Discovery. I'm so disappointed in what has happened to this once great channel. I'm done with Shark Week. I'm done with any show that is fictional, but presented as fact.
Sadly, people still trust Discovery Channel. One of the guys I work with was talking about the show he'd seen over the weekend. I hated to burst his bubble, but I had to tell him it wasn't true.
Discovery Channel, you fail and this makes me so sad.
So Shark Week was a treat--a whole week of great new shark shows.
The change happened slowly. Discovery started scheduling shark attack shows in with the educational programs. Then it seemed as if every show featured some kind of "human in peril" angle even though shark attacks are rare and deaths from attack even rarer. I started watching fewer shows every year, trying to pick out the ones that had information and not sensationalism.
But then the Discovery Channel (forgive the pun) jumped the shark. They presented fictional material as if it were real. They lied to marine biologists and creatively edited their interviews to make it appear as if these scientists were supporting the drama as fact. This is completely unacceptable to me.
If I wanted entertainment, I'd watch Jaws. I want fact-based documentaries on sharks when I watch Shark Week. Nothing else.
There's more fake science AKA entertainment shows presented as documentaries this year on Discovery. I'm so disappointed in what has happened to this once great channel. I'm done with Shark Week. I'm done with any show that is fictional, but presented as fact.
Sadly, people still trust Discovery Channel. One of the guys I work with was talking about the show he'd seen over the weekend. I hated to burst his bubble, but I had to tell him it wasn't true.
Discovery Channel, you fail and this makes me so sad.
August 12, 2014
Robin Williams
I was trying to think of what to talk about last night when Twitter erupted with the news that Robin Williams had died. My first reaction was that it must be a hoax. Robin Williams couldn't be dead. But then the respectable news services delivered the same news.
Robin Williams was 63 years old and as I'm writing this, authorities believe his death to be a suicide. That he'd battled depression.
This is a good place to mention that the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline phone number is: 1-800-273-8255.
Hours after hearing the news, I still can't quite believe it. Robin Williams' movies and comedy were something I grew up with, always there when I felt like paying attention. I never met him, never had any contact with him, but he still felt--well, if not quite like a family member, at least like an acquaintance. Maybe that was one of his gifts.
Rest in Peace, Mr. Williams. You will be missed.
Robin Williams was 63 years old and as I'm writing this, authorities believe his death to be a suicide. That he'd battled depression.
This is a good place to mention that the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline phone number is: 1-800-273-8255.
Hours after hearing the news, I still can't quite believe it. Robin Williams' movies and comedy were something I grew up with, always there when I felt like paying attention. I never met him, never had any contact with him, but he still felt--well, if not quite like a family member, at least like an acquaintance. Maybe that was one of his gifts.
Rest in Peace, Mr. Williams. You will be missed.
August 10, 2014
What You Need to Know About Ebola
The numbers in this video are already out of date although it was made fairly recently. Still, it has some good information for people who don't know much about the Ebola virus.
August 7, 2014
Television Commercials - A Small Rant
I'll preface my rant about TV commercials by saying that I don't generally watch network television, so most of what I'm seeing is on cable or during baseball games. This might make a difference in the type of advertising I'm exposed to because of demographics.
Television commercials are--by and large--horrible right now. Totally horrid. Beyond horrid. How many ads for different drugs do they need to run? Seriously? It's reached the point where there isn't an advertising break without at least one drug ad. Sometimes more. If it isn't a drug ad, it's an ad for a lawyer about suing drug manufacturers for side effects or bad consequences. Interesting juxtaposition there, especially when they run one right after the other.
There's also the fear-mongering ads for security companies and the I've Fallen and Can't Get Up people.
I've reached a point where I automatically mute all television advertising now. it's appallingly bad. I expect that with local ads like the ones for the tire guys in the Atlanta area. They're working with a much smaller budget, but national ads?
I stand by my opinion which was the FCC made an ENORMOUS error in judgment when they allowed drug companies and lawyers to advertise on television. Thanks a lot, FCC. You've made advertising unbearable.
Television commercials are--by and large--horrible right now. Totally horrid. Beyond horrid. How many ads for different drugs do they need to run? Seriously? It's reached the point where there isn't an advertising break without at least one drug ad. Sometimes more. If it isn't a drug ad, it's an ad for a lawyer about suing drug manufacturers for side effects or bad consequences. Interesting juxtaposition there, especially when they run one right after the other.
There's also the fear-mongering ads for security companies and the I've Fallen and Can't Get Up people.
I've reached a point where I automatically mute all television advertising now. it's appallingly bad. I expect that with local ads like the ones for the tire guys in the Atlanta area. They're working with a much smaller budget, but national ads?
I stand by my opinion which was the FCC made an ENORMOUS error in judgment when they allowed drug companies and lawyers to advertise on television. Thanks a lot, FCC. You've made advertising unbearable.
August 5, 2014
Fighting to Stop the Outbreak
Back in the 1990s, I read a book called The Hot Zone by Richard Preston about Ebola. In case you haven't heard of it before, Ebola is a hemorrhagic virus that is between 50% and 90% fatal depending on the strain involved, and everything I've read about it suggests it's a horrible way to die.
Right now there's an Ebola outbreak going on in West Africa, the worst outbreak of Ebola since it was named in the 1970s. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as of 04Aug14 there have been 1603 cases of Ebola leading to 887 deaths. That's a 55% mortality rate and it could be worse. Much worse. If you check out the Ebola link in the above paragraph, you'll see the death tolls from other, smaller outbreaks.
Despite all this, there are people--nurses and doctors and others--selflessly treating the sick. Many health care workers on the ground in Africa have sickened and died from the disease, including some high profile physicians in the countries dealing with the illness.
When I imagine doctors and nurses, I like to believe these are people who are called to help the sick, not for monetary gain, but for a higher good. Too often, I'm disappointed, but there are people who have been working in Africa to treat those infected with the illness.
I don't want to slight the health care professionals who live in African countries who've been helping and healing since the beginning. They deserve all the accolades they can get, especially since the American media didn't seem to give the plight much coverage until two Americans working there were infected.
But I did want to give a shout out to the doctors and nurses from around the world who have traveled to West Africa or who will be on their way shortly to help cure the ill.
Doctors Without Borders, the WHO, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and many, many other groups are ratcheting up the response, preparing to send more doctors and nurses to the front line in the war against Ebola. It's not an easy job. There's distrust of Western doctors, some of the countries involved have been through terrible wars in the recent past, and customs that have family members washing the dead all the contribute to a level of difficulty not faced in other places. Medical personnel have been attacked, family members are hiding the ill, and even one ill person can start the outbreak all over again.
I've seen estimates online that says a best-case scenario (I read that as highly unlikely) puts the time frame at 6 months to end the outbreak. Best case scenario.
These medical workers on the ground in Africa now--both local and from other parts of the world--and those about to head into the outbreak deserve to be lauded as heroes. This is what we hope our doctors and nurses will be--selfless, caring individuals who do want to help. Who do want to make a difference. Who stand and fight illness regardless of ability to pay.
And I'll close with this. Doctors in Africa are working (many times) in poor conditions without the basics we take for granted in the US and other Western nations. These physicians and nurses have been on the front lines of this Ebola outbreak since March 2014 when the first cases were identified in Guinea. It takes courage to stand and treat patients in these circumstances, especially when health care workers are very much at risk for contracting Ebola themselves.
Maybe there's something we can do to help them and the people who are ill. The Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders take donations. There are other worthy organizations working in Africa as well who could also use some help. Please consider making a donation to help these groups continue their good work.
***Opinions expressed are my own and I received no compensation from anyone, anywhere at any time for anything I wrote.***
Right now there's an Ebola outbreak going on in West Africa, the worst outbreak of Ebola since it was named in the 1970s. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as of 04Aug14 there have been 1603 cases of Ebola leading to 887 deaths. That's a 55% mortality rate and it could be worse. Much worse. If you check out the Ebola link in the above paragraph, you'll see the death tolls from other, smaller outbreaks.
Despite all this, there are people--nurses and doctors and others--selflessly treating the sick. Many health care workers on the ground in Africa have sickened and died from the disease, including some high profile physicians in the countries dealing with the illness.
When I imagine doctors and nurses, I like to believe these are people who are called to help the sick, not for monetary gain, but for a higher good. Too often, I'm disappointed, but there are people who have been working in Africa to treat those infected with the illness.
I don't want to slight the health care professionals who live in African countries who've been helping and healing since the beginning. They deserve all the accolades they can get, especially since the American media didn't seem to give the plight much coverage until two Americans working there were infected.
But I did want to give a shout out to the doctors and nurses from around the world who have traveled to West Africa or who will be on their way shortly to help cure the ill.
Doctors Without Borders, the WHO, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and many, many other groups are ratcheting up the response, preparing to send more doctors and nurses to the front line in the war against Ebola. It's not an easy job. There's distrust of Western doctors, some of the countries involved have been through terrible wars in the recent past, and customs that have family members washing the dead all the contribute to a level of difficulty not faced in other places. Medical personnel have been attacked, family members are hiding the ill, and even one ill person can start the outbreak all over again.
I've seen estimates online that says a best-case scenario (I read that as highly unlikely) puts the time frame at 6 months to end the outbreak. Best case scenario.
These medical workers on the ground in Africa now--both local and from other parts of the world--and those about to head into the outbreak deserve to be lauded as heroes. This is what we hope our doctors and nurses will be--selfless, caring individuals who do want to help. Who do want to make a difference. Who stand and fight illness regardless of ability to pay.
And I'll close with this. Doctors in Africa are working (many times) in poor conditions without the basics we take for granted in the US and other Western nations. These physicians and nurses have been on the front lines of this Ebola outbreak since March 2014 when the first cases were identified in Guinea. It takes courage to stand and treat patients in these circumstances, especially when health care workers are very much at risk for contracting Ebola themselves.
Maybe there's something we can do to help them and the people who are ill. The Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders take donations. There are other worthy organizations working in Africa as well who could also use some help. Please consider making a donation to help these groups continue their good work.
***Opinions expressed are my own and I received no compensation from anyone, anywhere at any time for anything I wrote.***
August 3, 2014
Mathematically Correct Breakfast
For all the bagel lovers out there. Even after watching this video twice, I don't think I could replicate this cut.
