Peadar Ó Guilín's Blog, page 23
March 13, 2012
The Deserter Now On Sale in North America
Calling all North Americans... My second novel, The Deserter has finally reached your continent and has been spotted as far west as Vancouver and as far East as New York*. It can be had as an ebook or as a hardback. Cats love it! Dogs will lick its shiny cover!
The art work is by the inestimable Richard Collingridge.
*Possibly untrue.
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The art work is by the inestimable Richard Collingridge.
*Possibly untrue.
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March 7, 2012
Vegan For Life
Regularly, I come across stories of vegetarians, who one day, out of the blue, order a steak. It's like coming home. They used to feel so tired, so sick until that first bite of cow, or goat or neighbour's cat, pumps a full dose of lightening straight into their veins...
Of course, you'll hear the opposite story quite a lot too and the reason that both tales exist -- and why both are true -- is because vegetarians, like meat-eaters and everybody else on the planet, have to get the right nutrients in the right quantities or pay the price. A meat-eater without enough vitamin C or potassium or fiber, will feel just as sick as a vegan lacking in iron or protein or B-12. The bad news for vegans, however, is that most of us Western plant-eaters grow up as carnivores and thus, we often don't learn to look after ourselves properly.
Also, society isn't geared up for our needs: restaurants in Ireland, for example, feel mean if they don't dose every dish with a few litres of cream and a head-sized wodge of melted cheese. God bless their cloggy little hearts!
So, amateurs like me, if we're not to become the subjects of "raw-meat brought me back to God" stories, need to say a big thank you to Virginia Messina and Jack Norris for their book Vegan For Life.
The authors are proper nutritionists who brook no nonsense from fad-dieters, fanatics, fools or frutarians. It's all very simple: you need roughly X amount of this and Y litres of that. Here's how you get it. No pseudoscience allowed. Just the latest double-blind studies in peer-reviewed journals.
I feel better already.
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Of course, you'll hear the opposite story quite a lot too and the reason that both tales exist -- and why both are true -- is because vegetarians, like meat-eaters and everybody else on the planet, have to get the right nutrients in the right quantities or pay the price. A meat-eater without enough vitamin C or potassium or fiber, will feel just as sick as a vegan lacking in iron or protein or B-12. The bad news for vegans, however, is that most of us Western plant-eaters grow up as carnivores and thus, we often don't learn to look after ourselves properly.
Also, society isn't geared up for our needs: restaurants in Ireland, for example, feel mean if they don't dose every dish with a few litres of cream and a head-sized wodge of melted cheese. God bless their cloggy little hearts!
So, amateurs like me, if we're not to become the subjects of "raw-meat brought me back to God" stories, need to say a big thank you to Virginia Messina and Jack Norris for their book Vegan For Life.
The authors are proper nutritionists who brook no nonsense from fad-dieters, fanatics, fools or frutarians. It's all very simple: you need roughly X amount of this and Y litres of that. Here's how you get it. No pseudoscience allowed. Just the latest double-blind studies in peer-reviewed journals.
I feel better already.
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March 5, 2012
The Drowner Podcast is Now Available
The Drowner As a Podcast
I mentioned some time back that my shockingly, nauseatingly brilliant story, The Drowner, would be podcast sooner or later by the kindly folks at Pseudopod.org...
Well, yet again, my powers of prediction have been borne out, for it is now available for a free download here. It's part of a trio of short, short stories and I'm pleased to say I enjoyed the other two pieces rather a lot, especially Brady Golden's "Annotations".
The reader for my tale was fellow Hibernatron, Cian Mac Mahon. He sounds a lot like me, but with a much better voice. Curse him!
PCon Was Great Fun
I don't have a whole lot to add. I was allowed to wreck a few panels with my presence. I met loads of old friends and made a few new ones. A very pleasant weekend, I have to say. The organizers did a fine job.
Next year's guests of honour will be the talented (and extremely witty) Sarah Pinborough and the needs-no-further-introduction Cory Doctorow. Should be excellent.
Interview With Bob Neilson
Writer and Editor, Bob Neilson, interviewed me by email over several weeks. I only ever received one question at a time and it made for a very interesting experience. You can read the results here.
Game of Thrones Series Two Trailer
I made the awful mistake of watching this brilliant trailer. I've been trying to avoid screen-shots etc. so I could have the full experience when the series finally returned to the screen. Damn it to hell, it looks wonderful.
More Soon
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I mentioned some time back that my shockingly, nauseatingly brilliant story, The Drowner, would be podcast sooner or later by the kindly folks at Pseudopod.org...
Well, yet again, my powers of prediction have been borne out, for it is now available for a free download here. It's part of a trio of short, short stories and I'm pleased to say I enjoyed the other two pieces rather a lot, especially Brady Golden's "Annotations".
The reader for my tale was fellow Hibernatron, Cian Mac Mahon. He sounds a lot like me, but with a much better voice. Curse him!
PCon Was Great Fun
I don't have a whole lot to add. I was allowed to wreck a few panels with my presence. I met loads of old friends and made a few new ones. A very pleasant weekend, I have to say. The organizers did a fine job.
Next year's guests of honour will be the talented (and extremely witty) Sarah Pinborough and the needs-no-further-introduction Cory Doctorow. Should be excellent.
Interview With Bob Neilson
Writer and Editor, Bob Neilson, interviewed me by email over several weeks. I only ever received one question at a time and it made for a very interesting experience. You can read the results here.
Game of Thrones Series Two Trailer
I made the awful mistake of watching this brilliant trailer. I've been trying to avoid screen-shots etc. so I could have the full experience when the series finally returned to the screen. Damn it to hell, it looks wonderful.
More Soon
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March 1, 2012
PeadarCon -- Free EBooks For All
Well, there's quite a bit of Con News here in Ireland this week.
OCTOCON
First up, Octocon, Ireland's oldest, but far from its moldiest SFF convention, has released a brilliant free ebook of short stories. Everything in there comes from a guest, except for the contribution of Damian Kelly, who won last year's writing competition. Here's the blurb, straight from the hedgehog's mouth:
"This year Oisín McGann, C.E. Murphy, and Alan Nolan join Derek Gunn, Ruth Frances Long, and Peadar Ó Guilín as they take you through our showcase anthology! Also in this year's anthology is the winner of last year's short story competition Damien Kelly."
PCON
And then there's PCon, which will take place this weekend in the Irish Writers' Centre in Parnell Square here in Dublin. There's a stellar guest list, but mostly, I'll be looking forward to catching up with some old pals.
OCTOCON
First up, Octocon, Ireland's oldest, but far from its moldiest SFF convention, has released a brilliant free ebook of short stories. Everything in there comes from a guest, except for the contribution of Damian Kelly, who won last year's writing competition. Here's the blurb, straight from the hedgehog's mouth:
"This year Oisín McGann, C.E. Murphy, and Alan Nolan join Derek Gunn, Ruth Frances Long, and Peadar Ó Guilín as they take you through our showcase anthology! Also in this year's anthology is the winner of last year's short story competition Damien Kelly."
PCON
And then there's PCon, which will take place this weekend in the Irish Writers' Centre in Parnell Square here in Dublin. There's a stellar guest list, but mostly, I'll be looking forward to catching up with some old pals.
February 27, 2012
Guest Post: A Fantasy Reader's Demands
Guest Post
While I am neither a heroine, nor anybody's fantasy, I have a guest post up this month at Heroines of Fantasy, called, A Fantasy Reader's Demands. Read it or need it. You have been warned.
In the Mail
As many of you are already aware, my second book, The Deserter, already available on this side of the Atlantic, will be making its North American début on March 13. I received two lovely hardback copies of the US edition the other day. I am very pleased :)
Reading
Remember that wonderful run of great books I was having last month? That ship went into sudden reverse with three leaky ducks* in a row. Luckily, I have been rescued by Margo Lanagan's latest The Brides of Rollrock Island. I love her work. I am especially fond/fearful of the way she twists my little brain into shapes that nature never intended.
The blurb is here:
Rollrock island is a lonely rock of gulls and waves, blunt fishermen and their homely wives. Life is hard for the families who must wring a poor living from the stormy seas. But Rollrock is also a place of magic - the scary, salty-real sort of magic that changes lives forever. Down on the windswept beach, where the seals lie in herds, the outcast sea witch Misskaella casts her spells - and brings forth girls from the sea - girls with long, pale limbs and faces of haunting innocence and loveliness - the most enchantingly lovely girls the fishermen of Rollrock have ever seen.But magic always has its price. A fisherman may have and hold a sea bride, and tell himself that he is her master. But from his first look into those wide, questioning, liquid eyes, he will be just as transformed as she is. He will be equally ensnared. And in the end the witch will always have her payment.Margo Lanagan has written an extraordinary tale of desire, despair and transformation. In devastatingly beautiful prose, she reveals unforgettable characters capable of unspeakable cruelty - and deep unspoken love. After reading about the Rollrock fishermen and their sea brides, the world will not seem the same.
Watching
Still enjoying Luck, Friday Night Lights and a few other shows. We have also begun a rewatch of series one of Game of Thrones in time for the second series. Great stuff. Seriously, if you live over here, Sky Atlantic is the best channel ever.
More soon.
*According to my personal taste.
While I am neither a heroine, nor anybody's fantasy, I have a guest post up this month at Heroines of Fantasy, called, A Fantasy Reader's Demands. Read it or need it. You have been warned.
In the Mail
As many of you are already aware, my second book, The Deserter, already available on this side of the Atlantic, will be making its North American début on March 13. I received two lovely hardback copies of the US edition the other day. I am very pleased :)
Reading
Remember that wonderful run of great books I was having last month? That ship went into sudden reverse with three leaky ducks* in a row. Luckily, I have been rescued by Margo Lanagan's latest The Brides of Rollrock Island. I love her work. I am especially fond/fearful of the way she twists my little brain into shapes that nature never intended.
The blurb is here:
Rollrock island is a lonely rock of gulls and waves, blunt fishermen and their homely wives. Life is hard for the families who must wring a poor living from the stormy seas. But Rollrock is also a place of magic - the scary, salty-real sort of magic that changes lives forever. Down on the windswept beach, where the seals lie in herds, the outcast sea witch Misskaella casts her spells - and brings forth girls from the sea - girls with long, pale limbs and faces of haunting innocence and loveliness - the most enchantingly lovely girls the fishermen of Rollrock have ever seen.But magic always has its price. A fisherman may have and hold a sea bride, and tell himself that he is her master. But from his first look into those wide, questioning, liquid eyes, he will be just as transformed as she is. He will be equally ensnared. And in the end the witch will always have her payment.Margo Lanagan has written an extraordinary tale of desire, despair and transformation. In devastatingly beautiful prose, she reveals unforgettable characters capable of unspeakable cruelty - and deep unspoken love. After reading about the Rollrock fishermen and their sea brides, the world will not seem the same.
Watching
Still enjoying Luck, Friday Night Lights and a few other shows. We have also begun a rewatch of series one of Game of Thrones in time for the second series. Great stuff. Seriously, if you live over here, Sky Atlantic is the best channel ever.
More soon.
*According to my personal taste.
February 20, 2012
Adventures in Coughing, Creativity
Coughing
Two nights ago, I woke up with the feeling that somebody had sewn a live cat into my chest and it purred in time to my breathing.
One night ago, a fit of coughing smacked me out of sleep.
Cough: Just doing my job. There's something stuck in your throat!
Me: I swear to you, there isn't!
Cough: Then, I'll just have to keep going until I find something.
It did. I wasn't pretty. But who needs tonsils, anyway, right?
Creativity
On the Westeros Board, people were discussing Saladin Ahmed's Fantasy novel, Throne of the Crescent Moon. I plan to read this one shortly. It's set in a culture reminiscent of medieval Arabia. Most of the people praised the book, but one person complained:
"I was hoping, this guy would try to introduce the folkloric conceptions of magic in the Arab and Islamic world, but he went for some magic system of his own contrivance."
I had a pretty strong reaction to this quote.
You see, in my mind, using a pseudo Arabian culture -- or that of Japan, or Turkey, or Africa, or any other period of previously recorded human history -- is only slightly more original than basing your story in pseudo medieval Europe (PME). Not that there's anything wrong with PME stories! Authors have a hundred and one ways to express their inventiveness, from clever plotting, to complex characters etc. Worldbuilding is only one aspect of the story and if you slot an "off-the-shelf" culture into your tale because that particular one captures your imagination, then, good for you.
But it's not original. In my mind, it's not what makes your story unique.
On the other hand, altering your culture of choice, by adding, for example, a new magic system all of your own devising... that is original.
We're writers; we're supposed to be creative. This goes double for spec. fic. writers. Treble, even.
Cough.
I need an anti-biotic.
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Two nights ago, I woke up with the feeling that somebody had sewn a live cat into my chest and it purred in time to my breathing.
One night ago, a fit of coughing smacked me out of sleep.
Cough: Just doing my job. There's something stuck in your throat!
Me: I swear to you, there isn't!
Cough: Then, I'll just have to keep going until I find something.
It did. I wasn't pretty. But who needs tonsils, anyway, right?
Creativity
On the Westeros Board, people were discussing Saladin Ahmed's Fantasy novel, Throne of the Crescent Moon. I plan to read this one shortly. It's set in a culture reminiscent of medieval Arabia. Most of the people praised the book, but one person complained:
"I was hoping, this guy would try to introduce the folkloric conceptions of magic in the Arab and Islamic world, but he went for some magic system of his own contrivance."
I had a pretty strong reaction to this quote.
You see, in my mind, using a pseudo Arabian culture -- or that of Japan, or Turkey, or Africa, or any other period of previously recorded human history -- is only slightly more original than basing your story in pseudo medieval Europe (PME). Not that there's anything wrong with PME stories! Authors have a hundred and one ways to express their inventiveness, from clever plotting, to complex characters etc. Worldbuilding is only one aspect of the story and if you slot an "off-the-shelf" culture into your tale because that particular one captures your imagination, then, good for you.
But it's not original. In my mind, it's not what makes your story unique.
On the other hand, altering your culture of choice, by adding, for example, a new magic system all of your own devising... that is original.
We're writers; we're supposed to be creative. This goes double for spec. fic. writers. Treble, even.
Cough.
I need an anti-biotic.
Tweet
Give 10
February 18, 2012
TitanCon, AngelMaker, Moonwalks
TitanCon
An incomplete guest list for TitanCon is finally available. In case you weren't aware, this is a hybrid Game of Thrones/General SF con that takes place in Belfast in September. Stars of Game of Thrones have a tendency to show up and to appear on panels and to dance into the night, while drunk on mead, as real live SF authors mutter darkly in the corners of the room.
Last year was bloody brilliant. This year might be bloodier still.
Anyway, you'll find the list of currently confirmed guests below. It's likely that others will turn up, but because filming schedules can change from week to week, the organizers won't know the final star count until closer to the time.
General SF Folk:
Ian McDonaldDavid Brashaw & Leonard Boyd ~ Guards! Guards! A Discworld BoardgamePeadar Ó GuilínT.A. MoorePatrick BrownAndy Luke
Cast Members of Game of Thrones:Miltos Yerolemou ~ Syrio ForelKristian Nairn ~ HodorArt Parkinson ~ Rickon StarkAimee Richardson ~ Myrcella Baratheon
Crew of A Game of Thrones:William Simpson ~ Storyboard artist
Assorted Optional Extras
Angelmaker
I finished Nick Harkaway's Angelmaker during the week. It was hilarious and brilliant by turns. I once referred to his first book, The Gone-Away World as a Douglas Adams' book written by Neal Stephenson. Angelmaker replaces Neal Stephenson with Neil Gaiman, while keeping Douglas Adams on board.
Although The Gone-Away World remains one of my favorite books of all time, a lot of people found it... tangentially challenged and couldn't get their heads around it. This book is their way in to that crazy, crazy Harkaway brain.
Moondancing With Einstein
My latest non-fiction read has been Joshua Foer's Moonwalking With Einstein. This is a look at the community of "mental athletes" -- ordinary people who have studied ancient memory improvement techniques and now compete to see who can remember the longest lists of random numbers etc. Along the way, we learn about the latest scientific studies on memory, and let me tell you, it's absolutely fascinating stuff. Recommended, easy reading.
Friday Night Lights
Friday Night Lights is a US drama about American Football. I've only seen the excellent pilot so far. The ending worked brilliantly for me, but I have a horrible feeling that the rest of the series has now become obvious, or maybe, "inevitable" is the right word.
Nevertheless, the show has a great reputation, so the chances are I'm wrong. Here's hoping!
Have a Great Weekend
An incomplete guest list for TitanCon is finally available. In case you weren't aware, this is a hybrid Game of Thrones/General SF con that takes place in Belfast in September. Stars of Game of Thrones have a tendency to show up and to appear on panels and to dance into the night, while drunk on mead, as real live SF authors mutter darkly in the corners of the room.
Last year was bloody brilliant. This year might be bloodier still.
Anyway, you'll find the list of currently confirmed guests below. It's likely that others will turn up, but because filming schedules can change from week to week, the organizers won't know the final star count until closer to the time.
General SF Folk:
Ian McDonaldDavid Brashaw & Leonard Boyd ~ Guards! Guards! A Discworld BoardgamePeadar Ó GuilínT.A. MoorePatrick BrownAndy Luke
Cast Members of Game of Thrones:Miltos Yerolemou ~ Syrio ForelKristian Nairn ~ HodorArt Parkinson ~ Rickon StarkAimee Richardson ~ Myrcella Baratheon
Crew of A Game of Thrones:William Simpson ~ Storyboard artist
Assorted Optional Extras
Angelmaker
I finished Nick Harkaway's Angelmaker during the week. It was hilarious and brilliant by turns. I once referred to his first book, The Gone-Away World as a Douglas Adams' book written by Neal Stephenson. Angelmaker replaces Neal Stephenson with Neil Gaiman, while keeping Douglas Adams on board.
Although The Gone-Away World remains one of my favorite books of all time, a lot of people found it... tangentially challenged and couldn't get their heads around it. This book is their way in to that crazy, crazy Harkaway brain.
Moondancing With Einstein
My latest non-fiction read has been Joshua Foer's Moonwalking With Einstein. This is a look at the community of "mental athletes" -- ordinary people who have studied ancient memory improvement techniques and now compete to see who can remember the longest lists of random numbers etc. Along the way, we learn about the latest scientific studies on memory, and let me tell you, it's absolutely fascinating stuff. Recommended, easy reading.
Friday Night Lights
Friday Night Lights is a US drama about American Football. I've only seen the excellent pilot so far. The ending worked brilliantly for me, but I have a horrible feeling that the rest of the series has now become obvious, or maybe, "inevitable" is the right word.
Nevertheless, the show has a great reputation, so the chances are I'm wrong. Here's hoping!
Have a Great Weekend
February 14, 2012
Video Game Nostalgia Video -- Brilliant, Classy, Fun
The title says it all, so, without further ado...
February 6, 2012
Excellent Month of Reading, plus... Peak Oil Practicalities
Excellent Reading
My streak of good books continues. I enjoyed Guy Haley's Reality 36 quite a bit and just last night, I got to start one of my most anticipated reads ever: Angelmaker, by Nick Harkaway. Nick's first book, The Gone-Away World pretty much defines the term "tour de force" for me. I loved it and have raved about it too many times already.
So far, the new book is just as laced with insanity as the first. More soon!
Peak Oil Practicalities
I've been terrified of Peak Oil for at least ten years. The worst part, was that, unlike an asteroid strike on Ireland, I knew all along that sooner or later I'd be one of those who would have to live through it.
The other day, I was working out my expenses for a job I was doing in town. I take the train, but curiosity drove me to find out the distance by road. You can check these things in Ireland using the AA Roadwatch Route Planner. It tells you how long your trip will take depending on the route etc.
But now, they've added a new toy: a cost calculator to see how much you'll need to spend in petrol (or "gas" if you're North American). The results were pretty shocking, i can tell you. I calculated the price of several journeys I need to take regularly. Among other things, I discovered that just travelling to the day-job is €8.80 worth of petrol for each return trip.
Or was last week. It's more now.
Watching
I saw an episode or two of Homeland. A lot more nudity than I was expecting, but I think it might just be worth the awards and the hype.
My streak of good books continues. I enjoyed Guy Haley's Reality 36 quite a bit and just last night, I got to start one of my most anticipated reads ever: Angelmaker, by Nick Harkaway. Nick's first book, The Gone-Away World pretty much defines the term "tour de force" for me. I loved it and have raved about it too many times already.
So far, the new book is just as laced with insanity as the first. More soon!
Peak Oil Practicalities
I've been terrified of Peak Oil for at least ten years. The worst part, was that, unlike an asteroid strike on Ireland, I knew all along that sooner or later I'd be one of those who would have to live through it.
The other day, I was working out my expenses for a job I was doing in town. I take the train, but curiosity drove me to find out the distance by road. You can check these things in Ireland using the AA Roadwatch Route Planner. It tells you how long your trip will take depending on the route etc.
But now, they've added a new toy: a cost calculator to see how much you'll need to spend in petrol (or "gas" if you're North American). The results were pretty shocking, i can tell you. I calculated the price of several journeys I need to take regularly. Among other things, I discovered that just travelling to the day-job is €8.80 worth of petrol for each return trip.
Or was last week. It's more now.
Watching
I saw an episode or two of Homeland. A lot more nudity than I was expecting, but I think it might just be worth the awards and the hype.
January 30, 2012
Angry Robots and Steely Knives
Last Day of The Angry Robot eBook Sale
Lucky me, I heard about the Angry Robot eBook Sale in time to take advantage. You can too -- there's still a day left.
But since this is my blog, I'm going to ignore your needs entirely to tell you what I bought...
1) Embedded by Dan Abnett, which I really enjoyed. His Gaunt's Ghosts books weren't really satisfying to me, but Embedded really takes off after the first third and keeps sprinting all the way to the finish line. Good stuff.
2) Guy Haley's Reality 36. Only 20% into this one, but having a ball so far. I love books that really take me somewhere else, somewhere fantastic. Already, I've spent time as a super AI, a Cyborg and a hacker. I've lived in a California so liberal, it's become fascist and a London that's disappearing year by year into a tropical swamp. Highly recommended so far.
3) Aliette de Bodard's Servant of the Underworld will probably be next. I've heard a lot of great buzz about it, and I love the idea of getting into the mind of an Aztec.
Nothing Cuts Deeper Than Knives
In a post here a while back, I warned people not to try veganism unless they were prepared to do it right. And by "right" I meant, more or less, cooking fresh, varied ingredients from scratch. Every day. For the rest of your life. For me it was worth it, and I've always enjoyed cooking anyway.
On the other hand, I'm an incompetent, whose one skill is to make life difficult for myself in a variety of creative ways.
The fact is, cooking will always be a terrible chore unless you are properly equipped for it, and the most basic piece of equipment a chef can have is a sharp, sharp knife. You can buy these anywhere, but they never hold their edge for long, so, what a shame it was to find myself trapped in a body -- for DECADES -- that is incapable of sharpening a blade.
The terror ended last Friday when I bought myself an Anysharp knife sharpener, guaranteed foolproof, and so far, Peadar-proof too. Oh, the joys of a deadly blade! Now, all I need to do is to learn some real chopping skills and dinner will always be ready in half the time!
Lucky me, I heard about the Angry Robot eBook Sale in time to take advantage. You can too -- there's still a day left.
But since this is my blog, I'm going to ignore your needs entirely to tell you what I bought...
1) Embedded by Dan Abnett, which I really enjoyed. His Gaunt's Ghosts books weren't really satisfying to me, but Embedded really takes off after the first third and keeps sprinting all the way to the finish line. Good stuff.
2) Guy Haley's Reality 36. Only 20% into this one, but having a ball so far. I love books that really take me somewhere else, somewhere fantastic. Already, I've spent time as a super AI, a Cyborg and a hacker. I've lived in a California so liberal, it's become fascist and a London that's disappearing year by year into a tropical swamp. Highly recommended so far.
3) Aliette de Bodard's Servant of the Underworld will probably be next. I've heard a lot of great buzz about it, and I love the idea of getting into the mind of an Aztec.
Nothing Cuts Deeper Than Knives
In a post here a while back, I warned people not to try veganism unless they were prepared to do it right. And by "right" I meant, more or less, cooking fresh, varied ingredients from scratch. Every day. For the rest of your life. For me it was worth it, and I've always enjoyed cooking anyway.
On the other hand, I'm an incompetent, whose one skill is to make life difficult for myself in a variety of creative ways.
The fact is, cooking will always be a terrible chore unless you are properly equipped for it, and the most basic piece of equipment a chef can have is a sharp, sharp knife. You can buy these anywhere, but they never hold their edge for long, so, what a shame it was to find myself trapped in a body -- for DECADES -- that is incapable of sharpening a blade.
The terror ended last Friday when I bought myself an Anysharp knife sharpener, guaranteed foolproof, and so far, Peadar-proof too. Oh, the joys of a deadly blade! Now, all I need to do is to learn some real chopping skills and dinner will always be ready in half the time!
