Christopher McKitterick's Blog, page 11
November 6, 2013
On "Ender's Game" and the boycott thereof
I went to see the movie a few days ago, and loved it. Like many people, I, too, harbored qualms about supporting a project that might profit a hate-mongering, sexist homophobe, but I loved the story (and book), and the previews looked good. So I went, and was really pleased I did. Though I admit to having used a free pass to the theater that I'd been saving, on ethical grounds, I'd not feel bad if I had paid actual cash money.
Ender's Game (book or movie) is not Orson Scott Card; in many ways, it feels strange thinking that such a foul person could have written such a beautiful and painful story (which was brilliantly acted by young people in the movie). But he wrote it some two decades ago, when he was (presumably) not such an ass-hat as he comes across lately.
Do you have a problem with the movie? Consider Sturgeon's Law: "90% of everything is crud." I know a lot of people who would say the same thing about other human beings, that 90% of them aren't people you'd want to befriend. But if you deny yourself enjoying the 10% of stuff that's worthy of your attention because 90% of that was written by someone you find despicable (what's that leave, 1% or something?), you're in for a desolate life.
For more fantastic discussion about this, check out Tessa Gratton's powerfully personal post about this here. Also Bart Calendar's commentary on the issue of artist vs. art here.
Ender's Game (book or movie) is not Orson Scott Card; in many ways, it feels strange thinking that such a foul person could have written such a beautiful and painful story (which was brilliantly acted by young people in the movie). But he wrote it some two decades ago, when he was (presumably) not such an ass-hat as he comes across lately.
Do you have a problem with the movie? Consider Sturgeon's Law: "90% of everything is crud." I know a lot of people who would say the same thing about other human beings, that 90% of them aren't people you'd want to befriend. But if you deny yourself enjoying the 10% of stuff that's worthy of your attention because 90% of that was written by someone you find despicable (what's that leave, 1% or something?), you're in for a desolate life.
For more fantastic discussion about this, check out Tessa Gratton's powerfully personal post about this here. Also Bart Calendar's commentary on the issue of artist vs. art here.
October 28, 2013
Astro-Porn of the Day: Springtime for Saturn, when amazing things abound.
With the coming of spring in the Saturn system, the skies are clearing over the moon Titan, giving NASA's Cassini spacecraft a great view of the hydrocarbon seas and vast salt flats normally hidden in organic-molecule smog:
Click the image to see NASA's page with lots of photos and info.
One of the biggest seas is called Kraken Mare, I kid you not:
Click the image to see more about Titan's salt flats.
As cool as that is, though, you have to check out what spring lighting has uncovered about Saturn's amazing, hexagon-shaped polar hurricane:
Chris
Click the image to see NASA's page with lots of photos and info.
One of the biggest seas is called Kraken Mare, I kid you not:
Click the image to see more about Titan's salt flats.
As cool as that is, though, you have to check out what spring lighting has uncovered about Saturn's amazing, hexagon-shaped polar hurricane:
Chris
October 10, 2013
Why the Tear Party Congresscritters are HAPPY with a 5% approval rate.
Senator Michael Bennet (on today's Morning Edition NPR show), about the House Shutdown of the government: "People should be upset. The government is closed. It's an outrage. It's ridiculous. It's an embarrassment. There's a reason we have a [5%] approval rate.
"I used to spend a lot of time wondering why anyone would want to work in a place with a [5%] approval rate... if your ideology is about dismantling the federal government, having a [5%] approval rate suits you just find, because you get to go home and say, 'See how horrible these people are?'
"The more degraded they can make the government seem, the more it suits their ideological purposes."
Hear, freakin' hear. It's all so clear to me now.
He also points out that "The divide between Democrats and Republicans is less than the divide that exists in the Republican Party."
"I used to spend a lot of time wondering why anyone would want to work in a place with a [5%] approval rate... if your ideology is about dismantling the federal government, having a [5%] approval rate suits you just find, because you get to go home and say, 'See how horrible these people are?'
"The more degraded they can make the government seem, the more it suits their ideological purposes."
Hear, freakin' hear. It's all so clear to me now.
He also points out that "The divide between Democrats and Republicans is less than the divide that exists in the Republican Party."
October 9, 2013
James Gunn reading at KU today!
James Gunn will read from and sign his new novel Transcendental this afternoon (Wednesday, Oct. 9), in the Jayhawk Ink Bookstore from 4:00pm-5:30pm. Transcendental is an alien Canterbury Tales-Origin of Species-New Space Opera mashup, full of ideas and wonder.
Come get a copy of his wonderful new novel that Frederik Pohl called, "his best yet, and in it he demonstrates his possession of one of the most finely developed skills at world-building (and at aliens-creating to populate those worlds) in science fiction today. Read it!"
James Gunn's newest novel, out now
from Tor Books. Click for full-size slipcover art (.pdf).
James Gunn, photographed in 2013 by Jason Dailey.
September 26, 2013
Hot-Rod Newport not so hot...
Unfortunate news for getting the Newport ready by Saturday's "Rev It Up" car show: This morning I tore into the valvetrain on the affected side (where I had discovered the bent pushrod), and got some news:
Turns out not one but two pushrods were bent (both on the affected cylinder) - not surprising, what with nowhere for the expanding gases to go when the exhaust valve wasn't opening. (This would explain why I was getting low temperature readings on that part of the exhaust header, as well... more on that in a moment.) But it is surprising when assuming the bending happened while trying to get the new digital MSD setup to fire. My oh my am I glad that I purchased a full set of new pushrods instead of just one. The intake pushrod on the #7 cylinder was bent into such a curve that I had to use a Vice Grip to straighten it enough to remove. Yowza. And as soon as I pulled it out, the ball-end that sits in the lifter just dropped out onto the floor. Thank the Gods of Internal Combustion that it didn't fall off inside the engine when it was running, or this would be a tragic post.I removed the full rocker-arm assembly, so I could check the other cylinders' valvetrain, as well. Thanks again that they're all fine.The little balls on the ends of the roller-rocker arms (where the cup-ends of the pushrods fit) were pretty galled up, so I had to grind them smooth. The underside of the aluminum rocker for the exhaust valve was really marred, too, but the bearings appear unharmed. Clearly, now, evidence pointed to the engine having run with bent pushrods for a good long time. Eep. (On the plus side, I can't wait to see what kind of power it puts down with 8/8 of the engine running instead of 7/8.)I put everything back together, properly assembly-lubed and anti-seize-lubed as appropriate, then torqued as appropriate. Then I went through each rocker-arm assembly and individually set the lash at "pushrod just barely spins when tightened down," as directed for a hydraulic lifter setup.With everything buttoned up, I manually rotated the engine through a full 360°, so I could double-check the valve lash before sealing up that valve cover - never assume everything is correctly adjusted after just one set of tests.Surprise! The exhaust pushrod on our friendly #7 cylinder? It was sitting loose in the head. How could this be, as I had carefully adjusted it? Well, I loosened the lock-nut, then turned the ball-stud bolt where the pushrod rests on the rocker-arm... and discovered that it wanted another half-inch of adjustment. Now, I may not be perfect at adjusting everything the first time, but a half-inch off? It had just the right amount of rotation when I locked down the nut just a few minutes prior. So I checked the pushrod length, and it's not a half-inch shorter than the others.What does that leave? Collapsed lifter is what.I sincerely doubt I could have destroyed a lifter with a couple of backfires while trying to start the car in my driveway. The (new!) lifter must have been collapsed all along. That would explain why:
The rocker-arm could be so badly chewed up.Early tests with a temperature-gun showed #7 to be running cool: Non-firing cylinders don't get hot.The engine always ran a little ragged - I had assumed it was just the semi-radical cam.The timing was so hard to get right.
The first sign something was wrong....
So the car will not be ready for Saturday's car show. Sadness. On the plus side, the broken lifter won't cost much to replace, just a huge amount of time: This task requires pulling off the AC unit, the intake manifold, the valley pan, plus all associated hoses, wires, throttle cables, and so forth. Not a one-day job. On the other plus side, forecasters tell of guaranteed rain on Saturday, so the show might be a bust, anyhow.
Now, off to class. More later -
Chris
Turns out not one but two pushrods were bent (both on the affected cylinder) - not surprising, what with nowhere for the expanding gases to go when the exhaust valve wasn't opening. (This would explain why I was getting low temperature readings on that part of the exhaust header, as well... more on that in a moment.) But it is surprising when assuming the bending happened while trying to get the new digital MSD setup to fire. My oh my am I glad that I purchased a full set of new pushrods instead of just one. The intake pushrod on the #7 cylinder was bent into such a curve that I had to use a Vice Grip to straighten it enough to remove. Yowza. And as soon as I pulled it out, the ball-end that sits in the lifter just dropped out onto the floor. Thank the Gods of Internal Combustion that it didn't fall off inside the engine when it was running, or this would be a tragic post.I removed the full rocker-arm assembly, so I could check the other cylinders' valvetrain, as well. Thanks again that they're all fine.The little balls on the ends of the roller-rocker arms (where the cup-ends of the pushrods fit) were pretty galled up, so I had to grind them smooth. The underside of the aluminum rocker for the exhaust valve was really marred, too, but the bearings appear unharmed. Clearly, now, evidence pointed to the engine having run with bent pushrods for a good long time. Eep. (On the plus side, I can't wait to see what kind of power it puts down with 8/8 of the engine running instead of 7/8.)I put everything back together, properly assembly-lubed and anti-seize-lubed as appropriate, then torqued as appropriate. Then I went through each rocker-arm assembly and individually set the lash at "pushrod just barely spins when tightened down," as directed for a hydraulic lifter setup.With everything buttoned up, I manually rotated the engine through a full 360°, so I could double-check the valve lash before sealing up that valve cover - never assume everything is correctly adjusted after just one set of tests.Surprise! The exhaust pushrod on our friendly #7 cylinder? It was sitting loose in the head. How could this be, as I had carefully adjusted it? Well, I loosened the lock-nut, then turned the ball-stud bolt where the pushrod rests on the rocker-arm... and discovered that it wanted another half-inch of adjustment. Now, I may not be perfect at adjusting everything the first time, but a half-inch off? It had just the right amount of rotation when I locked down the nut just a few minutes prior. So I checked the pushrod length, and it's not a half-inch shorter than the others.What does that leave? Collapsed lifter is what.I sincerely doubt I could have destroyed a lifter with a couple of backfires while trying to start the car in my driveway. The (new!) lifter must have been collapsed all along. That would explain why:
The rocker-arm could be so badly chewed up.Early tests with a temperature-gun showed #7 to be running cool: Non-firing cylinders don't get hot.The engine always ran a little ragged - I had assumed it was just the semi-radical cam.The timing was so hard to get right.
The first sign something was wrong....
So the car will not be ready for Saturday's car show. Sadness. On the plus side, the broken lifter won't cost much to replace, just a huge amount of time: This task requires pulling off the AC unit, the intake manifold, the valley pan, plus all associated hoses, wires, throttle cables, and so forth. Not a one-day job. On the other plus side, forecasters tell of guaranteed rain on Saturday, so the show might be a bust, anyhow.
Now, off to class. More later -
Chris
September 12, 2013
Mechs and Monsters! Building the visualizations for Pacific Rim.
Man, now I want to see this movie again. Here's some of the special-effects wizardry:
Loved it. Must own the blu-ray... which, it appears, comes on on October 15. I know what I'm ordering that morning.
Chris
Loved it. Must own the blu-ray... which, it appears, comes on on October 15. I know what I'm ordering that morning.
Chris
September 11, 2013
Fitness update: Need goals
I started seriously working out a few years ago, after the motorcycle accident that detached my acromioclavicular joint: The choice was hardcore physical therapy that transitions into a lifetime of keeping my shoulders and back strong, or surgery with a 33% chance of resulting in reduced mobility after three months of immobilization.
That was an easy choice.
So I worked on developing all the muscles across my back and shoulders necessary to keeping everything aligned and healthy, which in time resulted in the pleasant side-effect of getting stronger and more fit overall. So I've continued working out ever since, including CrossFit training at the Lawrence box plus setting up my home for daily workouts: heavy bag, pull-up bar, TRX device, free weights, weight vest, and so on. Except for when I'm buried in the CSSF Science Fiction Summer or otherwise on deadline, I've maintained a regular workout schedule, at least doing what I call "maintenance workouts" several times per week (single sets, basically).
But I find I lack motivation to go beyond maintenance! I want to continue to develop my body, continue to grow stronger and more muscular, and for me to achieve that requires that I set goals.
But what goals?
Aiming for a certain weight or reps does nothing for me, and I'm not shooting for any record. I can already lift anything I need to, such as heavy car parts. I can already do more push-ups or pull-ups or so forth than most of my buddies (those are always fun challenges). I'm not going to go back to martial-arts tournaments, because the really good participants are often much more ego-invested than is healthy (for their opponents). I've done a good job keeping off excess fat, and eating well is reward in itself. I like that the older I get, the fitter I get.
Suggestions? What motivates you that I might try to keep improving my body?
Thanks,
Chris
That was an easy choice.
So I worked on developing all the muscles across my back and shoulders necessary to keeping everything aligned and healthy, which in time resulted in the pleasant side-effect of getting stronger and more fit overall. So I've continued working out ever since, including CrossFit training at the Lawrence box plus setting up my home for daily workouts: heavy bag, pull-up bar, TRX device, free weights, weight vest, and so on. Except for when I'm buried in the CSSF Science Fiction Summer or otherwise on deadline, I've maintained a regular workout schedule, at least doing what I call "maintenance workouts" several times per week (single sets, basically).
But I find I lack motivation to go beyond maintenance! I want to continue to develop my body, continue to grow stronger and more muscular, and for me to achieve that requires that I set goals.
But what goals?
Aiming for a certain weight or reps does nothing for me, and I'm not shooting for any record. I can already lift anything I need to, such as heavy car parts. I can already do more push-ups or pull-ups or so forth than most of my buddies (those are always fun challenges). I'm not going to go back to martial-arts tournaments, because the really good participants are often much more ego-invested than is healthy (for their opponents). I've done a good job keeping off excess fat, and eating well is reward in itself. I like that the older I get, the fitter I get.
Suggestions? What motivates you that I might try to keep improving my body?
Thanks,
Chris
September 5, 2013
Jack & Stella update
I've been writing a ton lately, so time for a little update:
The Galactic Adventures of Jack & Stella progress:
Crossed the 36,000-word mark! Woohoo! That's up more than 3000 new ones since leaving for WorldCon!
Also good news: I've been working on all-new scenes now that I'm happy with the early material. Wrote a ton of notes en route to San Antonio, plus a bunch there, too, while listening to intelligent and insightful speakers. Also got a lot of inspiration from being around so many pros. This is why we go to cons.
Okay, now off to office hours and then today's science fiction class: The Time Machine and Childhood's End .
Chris
The Galactic Adventures of Jack & Stella progress:
Crossed the 36,000-word mark! Woohoo! That's up more than 3000 new ones since leaving for WorldCon!
Also good news: I've been working on all-new scenes now that I'm happy with the early material. Wrote a ton of notes en route to San Antonio, plus a bunch there, too, while listening to intelligent and insightful speakers. Also got a lot of inspiration from being around so many pros. This is why we go to cons.
Okay, now off to office hours and then today's science fiction class: The Time Machine and Childhood's End .
Chris
September 3, 2013
In Memoriam: Frederik Pohl 1919 - 2013.
I put together a short memorial for Fred at the Center's website, here, including a few people's memories (and my own of how Fred changed my writing life).
I've missed seeing Fred at the annual Campbell Conference for a few years now, but knowing I'll never see him again is hard.
He was a truly great man, and kind, and thoughtful, and patient, and good. His endless promotion of science was inspiring, and his gentle criticism of the foolish ways of humans made me a better person. I'll miss him a great deal. We all will. The loss of Frederik Pohl makes the world a little less bright.
Hug someone you love today.
Best,
Chris
I've missed seeing Fred at the annual Campbell Conference for a few years now, but knowing I'll never see him again is hard.
He was a truly great man, and kind, and thoughtful, and patient, and good. His endless promotion of science was inspiring, and his gentle criticism of the foolish ways of humans made me a better person. I'll miss him a great deal. We all will. The loss of Frederik Pohl makes the world a little less bright.
Hug someone you love today.
Best,
Chris
In Memoriam: Frederik Pohl 1920 - 2013.
I put together a short memorial for Fred at the Center's website, here, including a few people's memories (and my own of how Fred changed my writing life).
I've missed seeing Fred at the annual Campbell Conference for a few years now, but knowing I'll never see him again is hard.
He was a truly great man, and kind, and thoughtful, and patient, and good. His endless promotion of science was inspiring, and his gentle criticism of the foolish ways of humans made me a better person. I'll miss him a great deal. We all will. The loss of Frederik Pohl makes the world a little less bright.
Hug someone you love today.
Best,
Chris
I've missed seeing Fred at the annual Campbell Conference for a few years now, but knowing I'll never see him again is hard.
He was a truly great man, and kind, and thoughtful, and patient, and good. His endless promotion of science was inspiring, and his gentle criticism of the foolish ways of humans made me a better person. I'll miss him a great deal. We all will. The loss of Frederik Pohl makes the world a little less bright.
Hug someone you love today.
Best,
Chris
Christopher McKitterick's Blog
This is my long-lived LiveJournal blog (http://mckitterick.livejournal.com), but if you really want to stay in touch, check out my Tumblr and Facebook pages.
...more
- Christopher McKitterick's profile
- 31 followers
