Evo Terra's Blog, page 34
September 25, 2013
Two-fisted drinking at a Funky Fifty Birthday party!
You cannot tell me that this is not among the ...
Two-fisted drinking at a Funky Fifty Birthday party!
You cannot tell me that this is not among the most awesome photos in the world.
See the full set here, including more fantastic shots of me. And pretty womens: http://goo.gl/l7844j
Happy B-Day again, +Icepick Press! (And nice shots!)
You cannot tell me that this is not among the most awesome photos in the world.
See the full set here, including more fantastic shots of me. And pretty womens: http://goo.gl/l7844j
Happy B-Day again, +Icepick Press! (And nice shots!)
September 23, 2013
Captured sunset.
Just back from a fabulous time on the east coast. I nabbed these shots on our unplanned...
Captured sunset.
Just back from a fabulous time on the east coast. I nabbed these shots on our unplanned and near real-time auto tour of Gettysburg. Follow +Sheila Dee or +Icepick Press for more -- and I mean a lot more photos from that grueling drive.
Nah, it wasn't all that bad. That's mostly the hangover talking...
Just back from a fabulous time on the east coast. I nabbed these shots on our unplanned and near real-time auto tour of Gettysburg. Follow +Sheila Dee or +Icepick Press for more -- and I mean a lot more photos from that grueling drive.
Nah, it wasn't all that bad. That's mostly the hangover talking...
September 21, 2013
Maryland.
Needs mowing.
Maryland.
Needs mowing.
Needs mowing.
Wery Urant.
I found this hilarious last night. Today? Meh.
But it could make a good name for a minor...
Wery Urant.
I found this hilarious last night. Today? Meh.
But it could make a good name for a minor villain. All yours!
I found this hilarious last night. Today? Meh.
But it could make a good name for a minor villain. All yours!
I'm sure that in 1985, plutonium is available in every corner drugstore, but in 1955, it's a little ...
I'm sure that in 1985, plutonium is available in every corner drugstore, but in 1955, it's a little hard to come by.
Seems it's a little hard to come by in 2013 as well, Doc. We're down to 36 pounds, which may sound like a lot, but considering the Curiosity rover takes ten pounds... yikes.
Read the story: http://goo.gl/Q3r27d
The good news is we can make more. The better news is that it's the 238 flavor, which isn't good for things that go boom. The bad news is, well ... politicians.
Seems it's a little hard to come by in 2013 as well, Doc. We're down to 36 pounds, which may sound like a lot, but considering the Curiosity rover takes ten pounds... yikes.
Read the story: http://goo.gl/Q3r27d
The good news is we can make more. The better news is that it's the 238 flavor, which isn't good for things that go boom. The bad news is, well ... politicians.
September 17, 2013
The future of the book. Books are becoming ephemeral, so if a book is not a physical object, what is...
The future of the book. Books are becoming ephemeral, so if a book is not a physical object, what is a book? What is "bookness"? Hannu Rajaniemi says bookness means deep immersion. People in fMRI machines reading books have very active brains. Book readers in the future will do eye tracking. Could we have books that are different for every reader? Some people are working on personalized tailor-made fairy tales for children. He's working on stories that you read with an EEG device on your head, and the story changes depending on your brain activity, and has already produced one story, "Snow White Is Dead." It measures your response to "life" and "death" scenes, and takes you down one of 48 different paths. Another use is that books can record the brain activity of readers, and use that information to change the story for future readers. We become books, and books become us.
Q&A: Is this just "choose your own adventure"? It's hard to do "choose your own adventure" because you need clever endings that are both surprising and inevitable. That's hard to do when there is a combinatorial explosion in the narrative. (His story with 48 paths has 2 endings.) How do we discuss books if everybody read something different? That could make it more interesting! Video games? Identification with a character isn't as deep as it is in fiction. Did you use any of these technologies when writing? You can use the same technologies on the author instead of the reader. What about a book that instead of giving the reader pleasure, antagonizes the reader and pushes them out of their comfort zone? Yes, absolutely, you could do that. You can engineer any emotional trajectory. Think of it as a control problem. If the reader strays off the path that you've designed, you can steer them back. What about after the reader is finished with the book, and people talk about it? We could give the reader a heat map of the story, regions where they had strong reactions, show what parts of the story had been the most engaging.
Q&A: Is this just "choose your own adventure"? It's hard to do "choose your own adventure" because you need clever endings that are both surprising and inevitable. That's hard to do when there is a combinatorial explosion in the narrative. (His story with 48 paths has 2 endings.) How do we discuss books if everybody read something different? That could make it more interesting! Video games? Identification with a character isn't as deep as it is in fiction. Did you use any of these technologies when writing? You can use the same technologies on the author instead of the reader. What about a book that instead of giving the reader pleasure, antagonizes the reader and pushes them out of their comfort zone? Yes, absolutely, you could do that. You can engineer any emotional trajectory. Think of it as a control problem. If the reader strays off the path that you've designed, you can steer them back. What about after the reader is finished with the book, and people talk about it? We could give the reader a heat map of the story, regions where they had strong reactions, show what parts of the story had been the most engaging.
I'm on Oyster Books.
Unlimited ebooks for $9.99 a month? That's worth a try.
Of course unlimited means...
I'm on Oyster Books.
Unlimited ebooks for $9.99 a month? That's worth a try.
Of course unlimited means I'm limited to books in their catalog. If you're hunting for something specific, prepare to be disappointed. But the same holds true for movies and TV, so I see no difference.
Also, you cannot download the books. No epub. No .mobi file. You read the books with the app, which only works on iOS devices. I'm sure they'll come out with more device support. But dedicated ebook readers? Probably not. Though I'm willing to be surprised.
The interface for book discovery is OK. They've done some re formatting -- or maybe format stripping -- of book blurbs, and that sometimes looks funny, with missing spaces and run-on paragraphs. Take note, authors: If you do non-standard stuff, expect oddities in the wild. It's probably not worth it.
I've got 12 books in my reading list right now. Will I read them all? Probably not. But I bet I start them all. From there, it's up to the author to keep my hooked.
There are social aspects to this that I haven't explored. So if you're on Oyster, let's connect and try it together!
Unlimited ebooks for $9.99 a month? That's worth a try.
Of course unlimited means I'm limited to books in their catalog. If you're hunting for something specific, prepare to be disappointed. But the same holds true for movies and TV, so I see no difference.
Also, you cannot download the books. No epub. No .mobi file. You read the books with the app, which only works on iOS devices. I'm sure they'll come out with more device support. But dedicated ebook readers? Probably not. Though I'm willing to be surprised.
The interface for book discovery is OK. They've done some re formatting -- or maybe format stripping -- of book blurbs, and that sometimes looks funny, with missing spaces and run-on paragraphs. Take note, authors: If you do non-standard stuff, expect oddities in the wild. It's probably not worth it.
I've got 12 books in my reading list right now. Will I read them all? Probably not. But I bet I start them all. From there, it's up to the author to keep my hooked.
There are social aspects to this that I haven't explored. So if you're on Oyster, let's connect and try it together!
September 16, 2013
Astronaut Politics.
Excellent point. Too bad he turned into a crazy person.*
The concept it still ...
Astronaut Politics.
Excellent point. Too bad he turned into a crazy person.*
The concept it still solid and is a big reason why I'm supportive of commercial space flight. The more people we can get up there, the more likely this viewpoint will become.
I hope. Thanks for sharing, +Alvin Remmers! More on the meme here: http://goo.gl/EGXOyp
* The "he" refers to Edgar Mitchell, the sixth person to walk on the moon. He's the originator of the quote. And a bit of a nutter, unfortunately.
Excellent point. Too bad he turned into a crazy person.*
The concept it still solid and is a big reason why I'm supportive of commercial space flight. The more people we can get up there, the more likely this viewpoint will become.
I hope. Thanks for sharing, +Alvin Remmers! More on the meme here: http://goo.gl/EGXOyp
* The "he" refers to Edgar Mitchell, the sixth person to walk on the moon. He's the originator of the quote. And a bit of a nutter, unfortunately.
September 14, 2013
The complexities of fighting the suck.
Tech issues force me to cancel this morning. Sorry!
It's getting...
Tech issues force me to cancel this morning. Sorry!
It's getting easier to make things. Barriers to entry are continuing to lower, putting the ability to do great things into the hands of the masses.
Too bad they aren't doing them with more regularity.
What makes some people put forth minimal effort, where others feel liberated by the technology to do the max? Is it a character flaw? Or just general laziness? And where the hell does this show fit in that paradigm?
I don't know, but that's what I'll pontificate about on the next Show Up Sundays with Evo Terra.
▶ Got a question or show idea? Ask it here: http://goo.gl/SWALwi
▶ Want to attend? Click the big YES button below
▶ Can't watch live? Subscribe to my YouTube channel: http://goo.gl/zj8gzV
About Show Up Sundays
For me, Sunday is part work, part relaxation, and part planning for the week ahead. I start early -- or rather I should -- to get the jump on the day. Each week I'll choose a different theme, talk about that for a bit, and then answer questions. And yes, off topic is just fine.
Grab your mate/coffee/tea and put something on to cover your bed-head, and let's see what happens.
