Leon Stevens's Blog, page 53
March 8, 2024
Free Book Friday March 9th: AI. AI? Oh…
When did computers become intelligent? Trick question. Computers are not intelligent. They are just very good (and quick) at following directions. Whose directions? Not a trick question. The programmers.
We all know the saying “Garbage in, garbage out,” right? But did you know the origins of it? Well, you are about to find out, my friend.
At the dawn of civilization, between the rivers of the Tigris and Euphrates, people began to complain to their local government that refuse was piling up in the narrow streets. The government’s solution? Widen the streets.
With the flip of a clay tablet (blank on one side, cuneiform on the other), cuneiform won out and the left side of every street was razed to make room for more rubbish, which ironically was the remnants of the buildings that were just knocked down.
The citizens were outraged and demanded the government do something, and before one of the councilors suggested they widen the streets the other way, a humble traveler said, “I’m just a humble traveler, but wouldn’t it be better if we take all the debris and put it somewhere else, so it is someone else’s problem?”
Another person, Mrs. Adage spoke up. “Yeah, it’s like if we can see it, we will forget about it.”
Everyone stopped and wondered if there was a better way of phrasing this, but decided it was the best wording and would be repeated for all eternity. Plus, they figured that in a few thousand years, archeologists would need something to dig up. Anyway, nobody wanted to be a hauler of trash, so it was sub-contracted to an outfit four rivers over.
The job was explained as, “You take all the refuse from the streets, load it into the cart, take it to the municipal field behind the hill just past Mr. Johnson’s clay house, and empty it there.”
“So,” the new laborers said, “Garbage in, garbage out?”
True story.
Back to intelligence. Merriam-Webster defines intelligence as:
“the ability to learn or understand or to deal with new or trying situations“
Do computers learn or do they just follow the algorithms set in their programing? Do they “understand”? I don’t think they do, because if they did, they wouldn’t keep correcting my split infinitives (which they should know by now, I love) and they could figure out that I’m trying to spell the word “yacht”.
Do they deal with new situations? AI programs must have a ton of rules to go through in order to “deal withnew or trying situations”, so do they deal or just follow the rules set out for them?
There is a secondary definition:
“the ability to apply knowledge to manipulate one’s environment or to think abstractly as measured by objective criteria“
Environment. I suppose there is a digital environment because we’ve all seen Ready Player One and The Matrix. Computers are allowed to make changes if my constant Windows updates are any indication.
Think abstractly. That’s the kicker. AI copies its creative output. That’s it. Sure, there are given objective criteria, but it boils down to mimicking what’s already out there. But you’re thinking people just copy what’s already created, right? I’m looking at you Lee Child and the same Jack Reacher book with different titles.
I think Artificial Intelligence should be referred to as Quick Algorithmic Calculation Computational Assessor, or… (say it with me)
QACCA
Apt? I think so…
Read my latest newsletter:
Lines by Leon Magnificent Bi-Weekly Newsletter ExtravaganzaCan it be that good? Only one way to find out.
The story behind Free Book Friday:I’ve met many authors and readers during my time marketing, cross-promoting, and blogging. I think writers have a responsibility to inform readers about all the indie authors out there in the very crowded world of book publishing. You can’t do it alone, and why would you when you have a supportive group available?
Readers don’t just read one author – they stick with their favorite genres. Therein lies the power in cross-promotion. If one of my readers buys a book from an author I promote, then chances are there will be a reciprocal effect, or so is the hope. Do I want to boost sales? Of course I do. Do I want to boost other’s sales? Why not. It’s called karma.
Some free book offers require a newsletter sign-up, which is a small non-monetary price to pay to try out a new indie author.
Reads From StoryOrigin and BookFunnelStoryOrigin and BookFunnel allows authors to advertise their books to each other’s audience. I hope you have been able to discover a new favorite!
Last Chance!
Ending soon!
Free Books!
Sales/Purchase Links
Current promos: Discover New Authors
Review Copies (These are free!)Review copies: Like reviewing books? Try my two poetry collections: Lines by Leon and A Wonder of Words
Sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter and receive a free book (poetry or science fiction or both): Leon’s Newsletter
Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/
Sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter and receive a free book!
Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!
March 7, 2024
Thursday Thoughts: Moving Music
I don’t know what to say about this piece. Sometimes a piece of music can make you stop what you’re doing and just…listen.
So…just…listen.
Pianist and composer Ludovico Einaudi was born in Turin on November 23rd 1955. Perhaps it was his mother, an amateur pianist, who first introduced him to music, planting the seeds for what would become an illustrious career. He began to study music at the Conservatory of Turin and graduated under Azio Corghi at the Conservatory of Milan, and then studied with Luciano Berio, becoming his assistant, and with Karlheinz Stockhausen. In 1982 his talents won him a scholarship to the Tanglewood Music Festival, where he first came into contact with American minimalism.
-Leon
Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/
Sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter and receive a free book!
Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!
March 6, 2024
Weird Wednesday March 6: The US Electoral System
The Truth About the US Election Process
No one outside of the USA understands how the US electoral system works. If you ask any American to explain it to you, they’ll shrug and walk away. So in the interest and spirit of misinformation, here’s an outsider’s view of how it works:
You get to vote for the person who you want (or against the person you don’t) to run the country.This happens every four years, but there’s a twist.Two years after you elect the person who you want (or against the person you don’t) to run the country, you get to screw them by voting in the opposite party’s senate because you were not happy with the choice you made. You did believe everything they told you, but you know now that it was a mistake.Now, each party, one represented by a donkey and the other by an elephant gets to gear up for the next election in two years. You then realize you should have voted for your favorite animal.After a year of campaigning, some states gets to vote for the person to lead that favorite animal. This is called the Primary, but it’s really secondary to the big one coming up. Not all states get to participate, so they stomped of and made up their own system, coming up with the dirtiest name they could think of: caucuses. How do they work? [shrugs and walks away]But there’s a catch. Not all voters get to choose, only the ones who know the person running or have donated scads of money to the cause, or on very rare occasions, people named Jim. Once that’s decided, each candidate puts out scathing attack ads to persuade the public the other one is evil. So, on election day all eligible voters go out an cast their ballot for:U.S. PresidentU.S. SenatorU.S. RepresentativeState RepresentativeJudicial seatsSheriff Favorite Cola City OfficersSchool Board MembersTownship OfficersTeam MascotsLocal ballot questions Whether Jim should be allowed to vote in the next primarySo, there you go. Clear as mud. Don’t clean up that mud though, there’s some slingin’ to do.
-Leon
Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/
Sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter and receive a free book!
Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!
March 4, 2024
Music Monday 1987: Kind of…
There is a radio show on CBC here in Canada that occasionally does a feature called SYNTH: Songs You Need To Hear.
Now, I can’t say to someone, “You’ll like this song” (or book for that matter) because I can’t presume that others will share my taste in music (or books), so it is safer to say, “You might like this” and if they don’t like it, so be it.
Maybe you will find a new favorite.
CBC MUSIC, Central · Mornings with CBC Music
1987
Beastie Boys hit the scene. Whitesnake had a huge hit with their self titled album, and U2’s The Joshua Tree seemed to have hit after hit.
But things were changing. Grunge was on the horizon, Hip Hip and Rap was mainstream now but Def Leppard’s Hysteria was putting hard rock on the mainstream airwaves as well. And who could forget Guns ‘n Roses.
One of my classmates introduced me to Long John Baldry. Yes, he had been around since the 60s, but how does one listen to every musician that’s out there? You can’t, so some will inevitably slip through the cracks. So better late than never.
OK, back to 1987. Jane’s Addiction had this hit. probably the only rock song featuring steel drums, but not the only one to feature pole dancers:
Remember a year ago when I got into Led Zeppelin? Well, there was this other guy who had a few albums out already:
I found a Marillion album in a used record store. I have featured them before so I won’t do it a third time.
Music Monday: Songs you might want to hear – Marillion
Music Monday Dec 18: The Best Album
So, apparently Jane’s Addiction was the only band to put out a good song. Oh, I could have Rick Rolled you (is that still a thing?) or talked about the only song from the Grateful Dead most people now know…
But I won’t
-Leon
Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/
Sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter and receive a free book!
Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!
March 2, 2024
Weekend Wrap-up March 2: Social Media
Sometimes I post the same thing on my different social media channels. Depending on which one, I do have to make slight modifications. Here, I can type and ramble as much as I want and intersperse the post with various media formats.
On Twitter/X (sorry, Elon. People will always call it Twitter. Even on Mars), I’m limited to the 265 or so characters, and apparently hashtags and external links with throw your post to the bottom of the pile, never to be seen again.
With Instagram, I can make a post with up to 10 images in a slide show like this, which I posted yesterday:
I’ve linked Facebook to my blog, so the post automatically gets uploaded there when I publish, and my Goodreads author page does the same as well.
BlueSky, which hopes to be the better version of Twitter (see?), is new and still growing, but I get little engagement there.
Lets talk TikTok.
Naw, let’s not. OK, just a bit. I’ve uploaded a few poems, but it’s a not a platform I’m wanting to dedicate much time to.
How many books have I sold that can be directly attributed to a post on social media? A couple, only because the reader has told me so.
So, Is social media worth it? I don’t spend hours on it, and it does get my work out there, so, sure…why not. I just don’t calculate my hourly wage an indie author….
On my blog this week:Weekend Wrap-up March 2: Social MediaFree Book Friday March 1st: Beta/ARC explained (poorly)Thursday is Bookday (Reviews that is): MothtownWeird Wednesday Feb. 28: The Truth About Leap YearsMusic Monday: Madi DiazHope you enjoyed the recap! Feel free to share it with others.
Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/
Sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter and receive a free book!
Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!
March 1, 2024
Free Book Friday March 1st: Beta/ARC explained (poorly)
Most authors reset their expectations at the start of a new month. Good or bad, we leave the previous month with renewed optimism (which is frequently shattered by 0 (or few) sales in the first few days.
My February started slow, but picked up:
Writing Update: My current project, Euphrates Vanished, is going to be ready soon for beta reading. I will need a couple readers to scrutinize my plot, look for continuity errors, and pick apart my characters, before I send it to my editor.
I will then need some ARC (Advance Review Copy) readers to read and review—duh, obviously—and post the hopefully glowing review on several platforms before/on the day the book is released.
Beta Reading vs ARC readingLess fun because you have to do homeworkMore fun because you get the book before anyone elseYou don’t have to pay for itYou don’t have to pay for itYou don’t have to leave a review. You can, but you probably have to read the ARC version because you made me change a bunch of stuff (your fault, not mine).You do have to leave a reviewHave to?
Well, it is a review copy…so, yeah, it’s kinda expected. You are not an editorIf you do find an error, you can tell me. They slip through from time to time.
If you’re interested, please let me know!
Submit a form.Read my latest newsletter:
Lines by Leon Magnificent Bi-Weekly Newsletter ExtravaganzaCan it be that good? Only one way to find out.
New Promos Below!The story behind Free Book Friday:I’ve met many authors and readers during my time marketing, cross-promoting, and blogging. I think writers have a responsibility to inform readers about all the indie authors out there in the very crowded world of book publishing. You can’t do it alone, and why would you when you have a supportive group available?
Readers don’t just read one author – they stick with their favorite genres. Therein lies the power in cross-promotion. If one of my readers buys a book from an author I promote, then chances are there will be a reciprocal effect, or so is the hope. Do I want to boost sales? Of course I do. Do I want to boost other’s sales? Why not. It’s called karma.
Some free book offers require a newsletter sign-up, which is a small non-monetary price to pay to try out a new indie author.
Reads From StoryOrigin and BookFunnelStoryOrigin and BookFunnel allows authors to advertise their books to each other’s audience. I hope you have been able to discover a new favorite!
Last Chance!
Ending soon!
Free Books!
Sales/Purchase Links
Current promos: Discover New Authors
Review Copies (These are free!)Review copies: Like reviewing books? Try my two poetry collections: Lines by Leon and A Wonder of Words
Sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter and receive a free book (poetry or science fiction or both): Leon’s Newsletter
Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/
Sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter and receive a free book!
Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!
February 29, 2024
Thursday is Bookday (Reviews that is): Mothtown
DNF
Esoteric, Mysterious, Obtruse, Cryptic, Perplexing, Puzzling, Recondite. Thank you, Roget’s Thesaurus, I couldn’t think of how to describe this book.
Oh, you want more? It wasn’t a good book. Well, for me, that is. You might like it.
Two different storylines, Before, and (wait for it), After. Both confusing with more description than necessary. Maybe Caroline took the rule, “Show, don’t tell” a little to far.
Before: People are disappearing. Other people are just wandering, some looking for those people, others become those people? Townsfolk live in fear, but no one seems to be doing anything about it.
After: Someone is not where they are supposed to be. Or are they? But, yeah, they’re not on Kansas anymore, that’s for sure. Did they want to here?
Sorry, Caroline., I’m not sticking around to find out. Don’t care.
-Leon
Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/
Sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter and receive a free book!
Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!
February 28, 2024
Weird Wednesday Feb. 28: The Truth About Leap Years
The Truth About Leap Years
It is a little known fact that that in the year 1438, Johannes Gutenberg realized his calendar business was beginning to falter.
Customers had figured out that if they didn’t write their appointments on them, that they could use them year after year, thereby saving themselves $1.25, the equivalent of $1.25 in today’s dollars.
Johannes was furious, so he decided that each month should feature—wait for it—a picture of a cute kitten. Thinking that people would get tired of looking a the same cute kitten every year, they would choose to purchase a new calendar.
Now, as visionary as he was, Gutenberg underestimated the cuteness of these kittens, and as many other idea as he had (dogs, horses, all-inclusive resorts), no one was willing to give up the original.
“Wait!” Gutenberg said to himself. “I have an idea!”
“Is it kittens?” his wife asked?
Well, it was back to the drawing board. What if I take a day away from January, then all the other months will change every year, forcing people to purchase new ones year after year.
When he told the Pope his idea, Mr. Pope laughed and told him that it was a half-assed idea. Now, Johannes, wanting to be fully-assed, then decided that some months would have more days than others and on month (chosen randomly) would have even less.
After many years of this new calendar, chaos ensued. Farmers, who relied on the moon to tell them when to plant their crops, were now planting in the summer—which was now spring—demanded a better solution.
“How about I add a day every 3—wait, no 4 years to…umm, February? That will solve everything,” Johannes said.
Everybody discussed this proposal and agreed, on one condition:
“Will you still put cute kittens on them?”
And the rest is history. True story.
-Leon
Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/
Sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter and receive a free book!
Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!
February 26, 2024
Music Monday: Madi Diaz
There is a radio show on CBC here in Canada that occasionally does a feature called SYNTH: Songs You Need To Hear.
Now, I can’t say to someone, “You’ll like this song” (or book for that matter) because I can’t presume that others will share my taste in music (or books), so it is safer to say, “You might like this” and if they don’t like it, so be it.
Maybe you will find a new favorite.
CBC MUSIC, Central · Mornings with CBC Music
I’m spending a lot of blog space reminiscing about the evolution of my musical tastes, but I’m missing out on featuring some really good musicians.
You can do more than one post/day.
Exactly.
I don’t know how Madi Diaz has slipped under my radar for over 10 years. So her she is…finally.
Here’s a couple of older ones:
Leon
Want to read more music blogs? Here are some of the ones I follow: Mostly Music Covers, Take it Easy, Beetley Pete, A Sound Day, PowerPop… An Eclectic Collection of Pop Culture
Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/
Sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter and receive a free book!
Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!
Music Monday 1986: End of an Era
There is a radio show on CBC here in Canada that occasionally does a feature called SYNTH: Songs You Need To Hear.
Now, I can’t say to someone, “You’ll like this song” (or book for that matter) because I can’t presume that others will share my taste in music (or books), so it is safer to say, “You might like this” and if they don’t like it, so be it.
Maybe you will find a new favorite.
CBC MUSIC, Central · Mornings with CBC Music
I’ll confess that there is some overlap to the years at time here as I equate the year to when I was in school, and we all know school runs Sept-June be it high school, or college/university. At times I had to think about when a certain song came out, wondering where it fits in my musical memories.
I left home. Off to college with no real plan. My parents dropped me off at the dorm, met the RA who assured them I was in good hands. After they said their goodbyes and drove away, he turned to me and said, “Nice people. Want a beer?”
Remember these:
In the mid 80s, these were what we had in our high school. At the back of the typing room. Two of them. Thirty typewriters.
So, my college course in electronic engineering in 1986 involved making circuit boards and troubleshooting. In hindsight I should have taken the programming course. But let’s get back to the music.
I knew who Led Zeppelin was, but they were not a band I listened to in high school. It wasn’t until leaving home for college that I began to explore their music.
One evening, hanging out with a new found friend several years older than me, he popped in a VHS tape of Zeppelin’s, The Song Remains the Same, and lit up a joint. I was hooked. On Led Zeppelin, not the pot. But I don’t think the movie is the same without it though.
What was on the radio in 1986? I had completely forgot this U2 or UK-sounding Canadian band, Chalk Circle:
I’m going to go back a couple of years to (re)introduce you to Canadian singer Luba. This was one of her biggest hits and a good song to slow dance to. It’s in the running for one of the most beautiful songs, in my opinion.
Let’s get bAck to 1986 when she had another hit with How Many:
Top Gun came out that year and many of the songs on that soundtrack flew high (pun intended).
Cyndi Lauper was that one girl in class that no one could ever figure out. You know the one. She wore mismatched socks (“I go by thickness, not color“), never had anything trendy (“I’m my own trend.“), and sat at the back of the class with the other…well, we called them freaks, but in hindsight, weren’t they the ones who knew what was going on because they didn’t get all involved with the melodrama of high school.
Well, she wrote another of those beautiful songs:
The era ends…
Master of Puppets was the last heavy metal album I bought. Not a bad way to end a five year love affair with the genre. I’m not counting bands like Def Leppard and Guns n’ Roses because they were more rock/hard rock.
I forgot how f%#*ng good the title song is. I don’t think I’ve heard it in at least 30 years. No shit.
I’ll end the year with my second favorite Peter Gabriel song (ten points if you know the #1)
-Leon
Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/
Sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter and receive a free book!
Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!
