Jo S. Wun's Blog, page 23
February 25, 2010
Ants in my Pants
Today I discovered ants in my pants.
Fortunately, I wasn't wearing them. They were part of a neat pile of sundry items of freshly washed and dried underwear, which had been placed upon a small table in readiness for the attentions of a smoothing iron*.
Arguments are currently raging regarding the identity of the miscreant who neglected to remove the empty crisps packet from said table.
'Empty' it may have been, to the mind of a fully grown human, but to the mind of an ant, out scouting for sources of food, it was still full of nutritious goodness, a fact which hindsight, in its usual irritating manner, suggests was obvious.
First Forager (the title I imagined bestowed upon the discoverer) had dutifully brought the path to this miniature El Dorado to the attention of its (I've always had trouble sexing ants) fellow marauders, a path which happened to traverse the aforementioned neatly folded pants.
The empty packet has been removed and the ants are no more (although you can be sure I will double-check to make sure before donning any underwear which I suspect might have been a constituent part of 'the pile'). I wonder should I mourn their passing or congratulate myself for having given the ants the opportunity to consider the deleterious effects of junk food?
* How to Iron Underwear
Fortunately, I wasn't wearing them. They were part of a neat pile of sundry items of freshly washed and dried underwear, which had been placed upon a small table in readiness for the attentions of a smoothing iron*.
Arguments are currently raging regarding the identity of the miscreant who neglected to remove the empty crisps packet from said table.
'Empty' it may have been, to the mind of a fully grown human, but to the mind of an ant, out scouting for sources of food, it was still full of nutritious goodness, a fact which hindsight, in its usual irritating manner, suggests was obvious.
First Forager (the title I imagined bestowed upon the discoverer) had dutifully brought the path to this miniature El Dorado to the attention of its (I've always had trouble sexing ants) fellow marauders, a path which happened to traverse the aforementioned neatly folded pants.
The empty packet has been removed and the ants are no more (although you can be sure I will double-check to make sure before donning any underwear which I suspect might have been a constituent part of 'the pile'). I wonder should I mourn their passing or congratulate myself for having given the ants the opportunity to consider the deleterious effects of junk food?
* How to Iron Underwear
Little things
Curiosity may have killed the cat and it certainly has got me into trouble a few times, but nevertheless, I'm wondering what motivates people to enter book giveaways.
Just curious.
Just curious.
The Jeremy - Giveaway Results
Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway for The Jeremy - Snaps Of The Dragon. The results are now in, courtesy of goodreads' algorithms, and viewable on the Giveaway page.
Congratulations to the winners, arrangements are currently under way for the despatch of the books.
Congratulations to the winners, arrangements are currently under way for the despatch of the books.
February 24, 2010
The Countdown nears zero hour
Dateline: London at 12:00
Only 20 hours left to Enter to Win a copy of The Jeremy - Snaps Of The Dragon
Only 20 hours left to Enter to Win a copy of The Jeremy - Snaps Of The Dragon
February 21, 2010
Done and dusted
I'm currently in southeast Asia, where the temperature is, I'd guess, somewhere around 30 degrees Celcius (that's about 85 in old money). Blue skies and not much breeze.
The sun shining through the window directs my attention to the layer of dust on top of the chest of drawers which contains, amongst other things, numerous pairs of socks made redundant by this unremitting climate. Flip-flops rule! True, but it seems I've been spending too much time in the imaginary world of writing and neglected to do my chores, a failing made doubly despicable because the writing has, all too often, been entirely imaginary. Aka non-existent.
I blame the internet.
I'm not entirely happy with a word? Use the on-line thesaurus. And while I'm at it I'll just check my email, and my rss reader, and...oh! Look at that! They've discovered a new galaxy. What beautiful pictures!
Mmmmm..I really fancy some chocolate but there's none in the house and, even if there was, it'd have to be in the fridge. I don't much like chocolate straight from the fridge. It's too hard and brittle. I always end up chewing it instead of letting it melt in my mouth, and that seems such a waste of all that chocolaty flavour.
Oh..right..where was I? What was that word I was looking for? Maybe my protagonist should be looking for another world in a galaxy far, far away? No..no..that's been done before, or something very like it. Come on! Focus! I'm not even writing science fiction! Maybe there's a bit of fantasy in there but... But what? Well, could it be called fantasy? Are there fantasy purists with a big F 'n' P who would deride and ridicule the idea? Probably.
Maybe I need to take a break? Yeah, good idea. I'll just make a cup of coffee and then I'll get down to it. The caffeine will do the trick...
...Right! Sip, sip. Let's get at it! Errrm...
I really should do that dusting. A tidy whatsit is a tidy mind. Or something. I know, I'll use my new super quantum magic duster with easily adjustable twist-fix telescopic handle, a technological marvel that will do the job in minutes.
I think I was ripped off. The dust that was on top of the chest is now dancing in the stream of sunlight piercing through the window pane. Dancing? Is 'dancing' something that fits with 'stream'? 'Paddling'. That goes with 'stream', but dust paddling? No. There must be a word. I know, I'll use the on-line thesaurus. And while I'm at it...
The sun shining through the window directs my attention to the layer of dust on top of the chest of drawers which contains, amongst other things, numerous pairs of socks made redundant by this unremitting climate. Flip-flops rule! True, but it seems I've been spending too much time in the imaginary world of writing and neglected to do my chores, a failing made doubly despicable because the writing has, all too often, been entirely imaginary. Aka non-existent.
I blame the internet.
I'm not entirely happy with a word? Use the on-line thesaurus. And while I'm at it I'll just check my email, and my rss reader, and...oh! Look at that! They've discovered a new galaxy. What beautiful pictures!
Mmmmm..I really fancy some chocolate but there's none in the house and, even if there was, it'd have to be in the fridge. I don't much like chocolate straight from the fridge. It's too hard and brittle. I always end up chewing it instead of letting it melt in my mouth, and that seems such a waste of all that chocolaty flavour.
Oh..right..where was I? What was that word I was looking for? Maybe my protagonist should be looking for another world in a galaxy far, far away? No..no..that's been done before, or something very like it. Come on! Focus! I'm not even writing science fiction! Maybe there's a bit of fantasy in there but... But what? Well, could it be called fantasy? Are there fantasy purists with a big F 'n' P who would deride and ridicule the idea? Probably.
Maybe I need to take a break? Yeah, good idea. I'll just make a cup of coffee and then I'll get down to it. The caffeine will do the trick...
...Right! Sip, sip. Let's get at it! Errrm...
I really should do that dusting. A tidy whatsit is a tidy mind. Or something. I know, I'll use my new super quantum magic duster with easily adjustable twist-fix telescopic handle, a technological marvel that will do the job in minutes.
I think I was ripped off. The dust that was on top of the chest is now dancing in the stream of sunlight piercing through the window pane. Dancing? Is 'dancing' something that fits with 'stream'? 'Paddling'. That goes with 'stream', but dust paddling? No. There must be a word. I know, I'll use the on-line thesaurus. And while I'm at it...
February 18, 2010
Moron statistics
On being asked for his response to the sensational news that views of his goodreads blog post had increased by an astounding 300% in a single day, in a rush of cliches to the head, he gushed, "At the end of the day, when all's said and done, I'm over the moon about it!"
Pressed for further comment, choking back the emotion which threatened to spill at any moment, he added, "It can only be a matter of time before someone leaves a comment..."
When asked how he would feel if someone clicked like, it became clear the thought was too much for him to contemplate. He could do no more than nod, lips pressed tightly together as he turned away, apparently unable to risk eye contact.
It seemed an appropriate moment to leave him to his own devices. More on that later.
For the time being, you could do worse than Enter to Win a copy of The Jeremy - Snaps Of The Dragon. Right now there's a about an 18% chance you'll win.
Pressed for further comment, choking back the emotion which threatened to spill at any moment, he added, "It can only be a matter of time before someone leaves a comment..."
When asked how he would feel if someone clicked like, it became clear the thought was too much for him to contemplate. He could do no more than nod, lips pressed tightly together as he turned away, apparently unable to risk eye contact.
It seemed an appropriate moment to leave him to his own devices. More on that later.
For the time being, you could do worse than Enter to Win a copy of The Jeremy - Snaps Of The Dragon. Right now there's a about an 18% chance you'll win.
February 16, 2010
Off my trolley
Here's a variation of Philippa Foot's moral dilemma known as the trolley problem. If you are unfamiliar with the trolley problem, click the link before asking yourself the following questions.
Does it alter how you feel if you replace the man in front of the sandpit with:
I can honestly say that these variations would not alter my moral choices. My upbringing would allow me to divert the trolley but not push the man (or woman, child, etc). But if I'm really honest with myself, I have to accept that variations of the sort mentioned above would affect how quickly I reacted in the first case, and how long I left the option open in the second.
Maybe I am off my trolley to admit it (doing so being a dilemma in itself), but I suspect it applies to others as well. Does it?
Does it alter how you feel if you replace the man in front of the sandpit with:
i) a womanAnd how about if you replace the fat man standing next to the track with an attractive, slim man carrying a large sack of potatoes (which will be just as effective in stopping the trolley). How about if the person (fat or slim) was dressed in clothing which identified them as having a different ethnicity, or gender, or as a foreigner, or someone of different political or religious beliefs?
ii) a child
iii) a baby
I can honestly say that these variations would not alter my moral choices. My upbringing would allow me to divert the trolley but not push the man (or woman, child, etc). But if I'm really honest with myself, I have to accept that variations of the sort mentioned above would affect how quickly I reacted in the first case, and how long I left the option open in the second.
Maybe I am off my trolley to admit it (doing so being a dilemma in itself), but I suspect it applies to others as well. Does it?
Statistically speaking...
79.5 percent was an underestimate.
For some reason, totally unconnected with writer's block, I took a look at the author blogs page and was struck by the apparent imbalance between male and female authored blogs. My inner geek systematically analysed the list, the one sorted by followers, and found that 72 of the top 100 were female.
Unable to draw any serious conclusion, I noted that the 72 females had made a total of 5,465 posts whereas the 28 men had made 2,225; that's an average of about 76 posts per female and 79 per male. Does that mean the claim that women are more talkative than men* is nonsense?
Sorting the list by author popularity seems to confirm the hypothesis. Only 56 of the top 100 are female. They made a total of 3,196 posts whereas the 44 men made 7,002. That's 57 posts per female and an astounding 159 per male.
Of course, the male posts could have been very short posts, snappy little one-liners as opposed to the meandering ramblings of the females. But then, if this post is anything to go by, it seems unlikely.
One more statistic.
At the time of writing, you will have a 23.8 percent chance of winning a copy of The Jeremy if you enter the Giveaway.
* Edited when I noticed a typo. I originally wrote 'mean' instead of 'men'. Perhaps I should make an appointment to see a shrink?
For some reason, totally unconnected with writer's block, I took a look at the author blogs page and was struck by the apparent imbalance between male and female authored blogs. My inner geek systematically analysed the list, the one sorted by followers, and found that 72 of the top 100 were female.
Unable to draw any serious conclusion, I noted that the 72 females had made a total of 5,465 posts whereas the 28 men had made 2,225; that's an average of about 76 posts per female and 79 per male. Does that mean the claim that women are more talkative than men* is nonsense?
Sorting the list by author popularity seems to confirm the hypothesis. Only 56 of the top 100 are female. They made a total of 3,196 posts whereas the 44 men made 7,002. That's 57 posts per female and an astounding 159 per male.
Of course, the male posts could have been very short posts, snappy little one-liners as opposed to the meandering ramblings of the females. But then, if this post is anything to go by, it seems unlikely.
One more statistic.
At the time of writing, you will have a 23.8 percent chance of winning a copy of The Jeremy if you enter the Giveaway.
* Edited when I noticed a typo. I originally wrote 'mean' instead of 'men'. Perhaps I should make an appointment to see a shrink?
February 14, 2010
Talking to myself
I do it quite a lot. Rarely out loud, other than to chastise myself, perhaps for a stupid error, but the internal conversation goes on constantly, barely interrupted even by sleep, although it can get a bit surreal in the land of REM.
I mention it because I am acutely aware that I am talking to myself with these blog posts, at least it seems I am at the moment. Goodreads kindly provides stats on a number of things, including the number of views of individual blog posts. "1 view," it says. Well that'd be me, I suspect.
Why am I writing? It's what I like to do. But I have to get back to the conversation now. What's it about? There's a 79.5 percent chance it'll be about statistics.
I mention it because I am acutely aware that I am talking to myself with these blog posts, at least it seems I am at the moment. Goodreads kindly provides stats on a number of things, including the number of views of individual blog posts. "1 view," it says. Well that'd be me, I suspect.
Why am I writing? It's what I like to do. But I have to get back to the conversation now. What's it about? There's a 79.5 percent chance it'll be about statistics.
February 13, 2010
Whoa! You mean you'd let 'em fry!?
Moral dilemmas. The stuff of life. As difficult as it sometimes is to figure out the best course of action, such decisions help us learn who we really are. 'Best' and 'morally acceptable' don't always fit as snugly together as we'd like. Once in a while, how we react to a moral dilemma shows us we are not the person we thought we were.
Perhaps you won't learn anything you didn't already know, but over at the Cognitive Evolution Laboratory, at Harvard University, they're running an on-line Moral Sense Test for research purposes. I'm not sure of the morality of deciding the fate of human beings 'just for fun', but if you enjoy probing to see who you really are, then click here to take the test.
If you are in the UK, there are still eleven days remaining to Enter to Win a free copy of The Jeremy - Snaps Of The Dragon
Perhaps you won't learn anything you didn't already know, but over at the Cognitive Evolution Laboratory, at Harvard University, they're running an on-line Moral Sense Test for research purposes. I'm not sure of the morality of deciding the fate of human beings 'just for fun', but if you enjoy probing to see who you really are, then click here to take the test.
If you are in the UK, there are still eleven days remaining to Enter to Win a free copy of The Jeremy - Snaps Of The Dragon
