Story Seed Challenge - Shakespeare's idea

I remember reading about the story circle in a book when I was a kid. Someone would start a story and pass it to someone else to continue. Unfortunately, the attempts I've done before at "writing exercises" haven't gone well. However, I'm always ready to try again. I know I enjoy doing them.

So, here goes. I have no plan. I'm just going to start writing and see what happens...See what you can do with it.

Lotha didn't know this place. Even before he opened his eyes, he sensed the difference, the scents, burning his nostrils with unfamiliar fumes that covered the smells he was used to like earth and plants and the animals, even himself. Beneath his back, the ground felt unnatural: cold, smooth, hard. Nor did the air feel right. The air flowed, but not as he was used to and there was a staleness to it.

He opened his eyes to the stillness, the blackness. This was a new darkness - no moons, no stars, just the emptiness of all he knew. His hands searched the ground. No dirt, no plants, no roots. It was unbroken and smooth like a river worn pebble, only flat. And it seemed to go on and on until he found another surface the same standing from it, like a tree, only with the same lack of texture, the same flatness.

There were no smells except the foreign ones that filled his head and choked his throat. Tears flowed unnoticed down as his cheeks as he searched for an escape from the unassailable smoothness, the featureless sameness, the absolute emptiness of where he was. In desperation, his hands scrabbled over his own face, to ensure it's known features were his own, were the ones he knew.

They felt like his features, felt like what he knew as himself, what he'd seen in the reflecting pool, only the hair he knew was gone, his chin strangely smooth like the space around him. And his hands and body smelled different, as if his odor had been covered by the strange smells.

Was he done, gone to the land of the Gods? Was this horror the afterlife, one that not even the greatest elders had predicted? He threw back his head and cried, only to hear his voice echo unnaturally in this strange place.

And then there was light.

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Tell Us What You Think About the Large Hadron Collider.

I asked for ideas on my other blog, Rocket Scientist, and I got a number of great ideas. Given that I'm dependent on reader input on this blog, this is where I'm going to use them.

So, I'm going to start with Patricia Rockwell, who asked about the Hadron Collider. She'd asked about Hadron before here when she asked about the end of the world. And I've talked about here here, too.

Truth is, I don't really think about it much at all. I'm not a theoretical physicist. I mean it's cool beans, interesting to me like any technical marvel that doesn't necessarily have a practical use. I used to work with the former chief engineer of the never quite completed Super Collider.

Do I worry about it making black holes? Nope. That's not my understanding of how they are created and what they are.

Will it bring the end of the world? I find it highly unlikely.

Will it change the world for regular people? Probably not. It's for theoretical physicists to try to test theories, but the practical applications, if any, aren't exactly forthcoming. Fun stuff but more academic than useful for the short term.

At least, that's what I think. And, truthfully, I've been wrong before.

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For Aisha: What about Marko?

Aisha said: Hey Stephanie, i have a tarot question for you too. What is the cards advice' regarding Marko?Can you pleas do one card reading only. Thank you a lot!

I don't know who Marko is, but, hey, I'm here for you.

And the card, pulled by my gorgeous daughter Roxanne, is Cups IX! A very propitious card.

Cups IX is all about pleasure, fulfillment and the realization of a treasured wish. So, that's good news for Marko (or you if you were asking if Marko was your heart's desire). Sometimes, dreams really do come true.

Best of luck!

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For Jeff King: Chapter Headings

Jeff asked: When you write, do you add chapters and name them as you go? or go back and add them later?

Good question. I tend to break things up in chapters as I go, though, with rewrites, I might break them up in different places, add a chapter here, cut sections from one chapter to somewhere else, etc. It's only as I'm getting to a fairly final form that I do two things to the chapters:

• I name them with something key
• I add something witty and pertinent beforehand.

Why? Not sure why I name them though I like that better. Perhaps it's to remind myself what's about to happen because I like my own stuff.

But the "wise saying" at the head of each chapter is a more serious take on the habit by the Myth Adventures by Robert Lynn Asprin where he heads off every chapter with a hilarious pseudo-quote like "Is everybody happy?" - Marquis de Sade.

Mine are rarely funny like that, but they're meant to come across as ancient wisdom and proverbs that fit with what's going on in my book.

Here are some examples from Curse of the Jenri (Sword and Sorcery)

• One should never make an enemy for gold. Gold will eventually disappear, but an enemy can be forever. Chapter 1 - Introductions
• One covets nothing so much as something lost. Chapter 12 - Inauspicious Beginning
• Prison is a state of mind. The means of escape are always there; you must only have the mindset to notice them. Chapter 14 - Another Rude Awakening
• Humiliation can be salutary, but only if taken in small doses, else it leads to self-doubt. Chapter 15 - Relative Hardships
  
• Dangerous individuals make better friends than enemies. Chapter 18 - Truce and Enlightenment
• In your efforts to overcome your greatest obstacles, do not forget the smaller ones. Many a would-be hero has triumphed over impossible odds only to be destroyed by the slightest mischance. Whatever may be your primary problem; it is not likely to be your only one. Chapter 27 - Escape and Rescue
• It is not the moments of greatest danger that one remembers best or finds most exciting, but those moments when one’s world opens up. Chapter 38 - Jenri, the Next Generation

Ditto for Beast Within (Science Fiction/Fantasy)

• If the bridge burns behind one, it is a sign the fates have chosen your path. Chapter 1 - Slight Detour
• Many of the deadliest plants are beautiful. Chapter 6 - New World Anyone who craves power but forgoes responsibility is a danger to the tribe. Chapter 9 - Fly in the Ointment
• The worst thing a parent can do is teach a child to question has his sense of self. Chapter 16 - Xander
• Nothing is impossible to believe if you have no choice. Chapter 20 - Explanations
• Those who control via fear always feel vulnerable. Epilogue - External Threats

So, now you know.

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For Krys: What About My Relationship?

Krys asked: hi there,, i am having some troubles in my relationship. it's hanging halfway, can i know where this is heading to? i will do watever it takes to save this relationship. can u do a tarot spread for me? thanks

and

hi ther.. can u pls do a spread for me about my relationship? its rather urgent. thanks a lot:)

Given Krys' urgency, Jeff, I'm going to answer your question tomorrow, but I haven't forgotten it. I look forward to it, in fact.

Krys, I'm going to pull out my old tried and true tarot cards (Tarot of the Cat People) rather than my new but still unfamiliar new tarot cards - given the weight you're giving this. However, before I start, I feel I need to say two things before I pull a single card.

First, as I've said before, these are cards pulled by a stranger remotely. Even if tarot card reading has any relationship to real life (and I'm not saying they do or don't), you should never hinge real life decisions on the turn of a card under these circumstances, or any circumstances. You need to use your best judgment regardless of the cards.

Secondly, you need to understand that not every relationship can or should be saved. Relationships that are abusive, destructive or miserable serve no purpose being dragged forward, no matter how much one or the other wants them to continue. Sometimes one person cares deeply and the other not so much - been in one of those myself - they can't work either. A relationship needs a commitment from both sides. And, even if you have that commitment on both sides, sometimes the problems are more than can be withstood, whether personality mismatch, overwhelming outside force, or a betrayal of trust. I'm not saying that's true of your relationship, just reminding you that there is no magic wand that solves all things.

With the disclaimers out of the way, let's see what we can see.

I'm going with a five card spread.

Far past - Cups X (reversed) - This card is often the sign of romantic bliss, particularly harmony. However, in the reversed position, it denotes stagnation, neglect, carelessness, and suffering. I would surmise this was either a former relationship that went badly or that your current relationship had a rocky start or patch in the back.

Recent past - XI Strength - If the last card denoted an unhealthy relationship, this card might indicate liberation from it and finding your own strength. If the first card reflected the early part of the relationship you have now, this would indicate working one's way through those early challenges through determinism, optimism, the triumph of love over hate.

Present - Cups IV - This is a card that speaks of a stagnant relationship, one marked by depression, disillusion or unexpected resentment. However, it can also signal maturity, a realistic attitude toward love as you and/or your loved one grows and realize that the rosy fantasies of youth don't reflect reality.

Near future - XX Rejuvenation - Again, this is a card with more than one meaning (actually that often happens). It can mean liberation and life-altering change, as if the end of a relationship, but for the good. However, given the trend of past cards, I'm thinking it might mean forgiveness and readjustment, an improvement and a recovery of what once was lost. If so, your relationship may be in recoverable and lead to something better in the end.

Far Future - Pentacles (Coins) V - Following the trend of the other cards (and what feels right to me), I think the end result I'm seeing here is success after hard work. At least that's the answer that comes to me.

One of the telling things about all the cards (but the first) I pulled is that they almost all have dual meanings, often polar opposites. What I'd glean from that is that you relationship is salvageable, even satisfying but that it will involve work on your part. You can't wait for it to solve itself. If you have done something that needs forgiveness, make amends, come clean, take responsibility. If you are faced with a betrayal of trust, you will have to forgive and open your heart for it to work.

Good luck.

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for AJ: What About My Love Life

AJ said: I’m glad that I came across your blog, i found some very useful and interesting posts. I'd like to ask you what is the tarot cards' advice for my love life.

Past - Coins VIII - This is a card of prudence. Quiet success through dililgence and moderation. I can't tell if this is representative of your past love life, per se, or just that romance has not been your priority as you've been working on other aspects of your life.

Present - XIV Temperence (reversed) - In the nominal position, this card would be a continuation of the previous card, moderation and hard work making a healthy satisfying life. In the reversed position, however, it denotes dissatisfaction and discord, as if either you're not finding life satisfying or that your relationships with others are not going as well as you want them to. Or perhaps changes in your life have undermined your previous success and satisfaction so that you're no longer happy with it. If this is related to romance, it would seem to indicate a relationship that was comfortable has become unsatisfying or is changing in ways that aren't working for you.

Future - Swords VIII - Unfortunately, this card does not argue an improvement for your current situation. It's a card that speaks of imbalance, crisis, conflict, and even a need to escape. If you are in a relationship you were hoping to preserve, this card does not bode well for it's future. I'm sorry.

Best of luck.

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For Flemlisa: What's Next in My Life

Flemlisa asked: I've been thinking about asking you a question so this seems like a good time. Retired a number of years ago and working part-time now and I am not sure how long this stage of my life is going to last. Would appreciate any insight you can offer.

So, let's try my new birthday cards (Dream Tarot) - what fun! Everyone should know the drill by now...

Past - Cups X - From this card, I'd read that your past appears to be dominated by family and home, perhaps with some emotional strain and challenges as a result, but you'd found your peace, your balance, your harmony. Or that's what I'd take away from this.

Present - XII The Hanging Man - From this, I'd presume that you feel you're in limbo, at a type of crossroads, between the life you once made and whatever else your life has in store. But you've been here a while and you're starting to feel stagnant, suspended, without direction.
Future - Wands III - So, what's next? That is, after all, your question. This is a card with interesting aspects. This card can indicate opportunities, enterprising initiatives, productivity. There is a possibility of travel or even a marriage (or other relationship) based on mutual interests. Perhaps an opportunity to teach something you love.

Wands III is a card that speaks of opportunities, not by way of limiting, but of opening them. From this, I would presume that opportunities do or will exist for you, if you keep your mind and eyes open. Pursuing them can bring another new chapter to your life.

Best of luck.

Also, note that there is a contest to win a deck of tarot cards going on on Rocket Scientist. For those interested...

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For Jeff: Said I or I said?

Jeff King asked: When should I use Jeff said or said Jeff? I use Jeff said when adding an adverb after, like so. "I am right" Jeff said reassuringly. And when I am not I use this “I am right” said Jeff. Does it matter either way? Is there a rule of thumb to follow?

Jeff, I have no idea. Fortunately, there's at least one wonderful copy editor who follows this blog who might chime in.

However, here's what I do. Generally, I use XXX said (and, yes, I use saidisms if I think they work better). For some reason, it generally works for me better. However, there are times when it doesn't, when it doesn't flow right.

To date, this has often corresponded to times when someone is speaking a bit more formally or, if someone consistently speaks formally, I might make it the norm for that particular characters. It feels more traditional to me, a little more distanced.

But I don't do it consciously, I don't think, and I don't know about a hard and fast rule.

Anyone else have some input on this?

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I'm Out of Questions...Again

I'm out of questions again I'm not doing another on metrication (unless asked) because it's too distracting. The topic is literally too much fun for me (hey, I'm a geek!).

So, in the interest of getting back to my novel, I won't be posting here until someone asks me some more questions.

Have a good weekend!

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For Relax Max: Metric Arrogance

Relax Max didn't ask me anything, per se, but we've been going back and forth about the metric system (or more appropriately, SI) . See, I'm a scientist so I'm for it. And Relax Max doesn't agree with me. There's nothing unusual about the latter, I might add, but this happens to be one of my pet subjects, so I'm doing a double header on this today, here and on Rocket Scientist (which is fielding an oldie but a goodie).

So, I'm going to use this question he posed in a comment: Why is it so wrong to just slip in and out of whatever system a person wants to use, or NEEDS to use for a particular job?

That's a wonderful question, Relax Max. Let's see if I can't give you the answers you were looking for in my tyrannic and smug way. 'Cause, hey, it's the only way I know. :)

Below are the sources I used on my paper two years ago. Hopefully some of the links are still good and can help you with more detail if I don't provide enough, or actual examples. As I mentioned earlier, I'm also going into why I think standard units are needlessly complex and ambiguous on Rocket Scientist, so feel free to check it out, but, here, I'll focus on your question.

The simplest way to answer is to ask what units of measure are for. I would say (and you're welcome to provide your own definition, but I'd be surprised if it didn't boil down to the same thing) that units of measure do two things. They enable one to convey the magnitude of some amount/size/distance, etc. They enable you to use those values to figure out important things about an object without having to test it. What do I mean?

A measuring device can let me know I have six cups of flour (or perhaps a half kilo - I have no idea what flour masses and, as it's compressible, it's variable). Knowing that, I can figure out how many batches of cookies I can make before I must go to the store for more. If I know the fuel economy of my car on the highway, I can figure out how much gasoline (or how often) I will need to stop for gas to fill my tank of 16 gallons (~60 l).

Now, if I never had to worry about anyone else or conveying things to anyone else or do any sorts of calculations, I could have a truly independent unit of measurement system, as many a chef does, with dashes and pinches and smidges and handfuls or whatever. As long as I knew what the amount referred to, I'd be fine. But, if I'm going to pass my famous recipe for molasses cookies to my niece, Charlotte, I'm going to have to units that she can identify so that she can reproduce my quantities or, at least, proportions. I already know what I want, why I want it, and in what proportions. Units allow me to communicate or convey those quantities to someone else. Hopefully reliably or why use them at all?

And that's the answer for the first part of your question. Changing/switching/using whatever unit system you want defeats the purpose of having a unit of measurement: to reliably convey the quantity to someone else (or yourself, say, so you can figure out how much carpet you need, for instance). Now, if all "standard units" were actually standard, there wouldn't be an inherent issue with using units as long as we didn't have to do any calculations with them or convert them (like figuring out how many inches of wire I get from my 75 yards of beading wire, so I can make how many 25 inch necklaces). But, for just conveying an amount, no unit is better than another as long as what is meant by that unit is clear.

And that's where non-metric units already start to lose their lustre. Did you know that there are at least 7 different types of "foot", all close to the length the US calls a foot (although that's actually a slightly different length than a survey foot), but the variance is as much as 27%. For pounds (of which there are at least three) NOT counting pounds-mass, the variance is also 10-20%. There are ten different versions of mile and, yeah, they vary even more. Let's not forget fluid vs. weight vs. mass ounces, all of which are different and, can vary in comparison. Yikes!

Therefore, the value of the unit, because there are multiple definitions out there, is inherently ambiguous--which kind of defeats the purpose. Get into the nightmare of determining whether a pound is a mass or a weight (only 32X difference) and it gets more ambiguous. Even things that are generally well known, like pounds per square inch (psi) can be ambiguous. When people read a pressure gauge, for instance, what they are really reading is "psig" or the amount of pressure above atmospheric pressure (which can vary by quite a bit). But there is also psia - absolute pressure - or psid - differential pressure. These can all be quite close (relatively) or they can be drastically different depending on the circumstances, but, quite often, they are all described with the same term: psi.

Guess how many kg there are? Yep. Just one. If you force, though, it's Newton (1 kg m/s^2), but you can calculate force, kinetic energy, inertia, and handfuls of other things without having to change any units, not a single conversion.

Then, there are the jillions of non-standard units included in the standard system: yards, mils, microinches (don't get me started), rods, leagues, furlongs, acres, bushels, hogsheads, barrels (not all the same size, of course), acres, hectares, well, I think you get the point. For a unit of measure to be of use, it must be clear and consistent.

But, that's only half what you need a unit for. The other half is using that unit to calculate what you need and how you need it, stress margins or sufficient building materials, anything. How do I convert inches to feet? Divide by twelve, you might say, so what? How about inches to yards? (72 inches= 1 yard). So, how many inches in 9 3/4 feet? Or how many feet in 189 inches? Don't worry, I'll wait. How many feet in a quarter mile? Um, which mile did you have in mind? How many linear feet of cable would you mean to get electricity down a 2 mile street?

But, I know how many meters of wire I need to get electricity down a three km street? 3000

I've got quite a bit of examples of calculation differences described in Rocket Scientist so I won't do it here.

But, it's more than just clumsiness and ungainliness on conversion. Physics in "standard" units is problematic, for instance. If I want to calculate the kinetic energy of a moving train, I can write it up in Newtons (or megaNewtons) by multiplying the mass of the train by the velocity in m/s squared. No problem. The units are unambiguous and each unit has one and only one meaning. No "conversion" is required.

But pounds-force (weight of the train) means nothing when it comes kinetic energy unless gravity's a factor (which it isn't here), you can't just multiply weight by miles/hour - there is no energy unit that corresponds to pounds-force-miles^2/s^2. You'll have to change miles/hour to feet per s (Doh, that's why you need to know how many feet in a mile!) and find some unit of mass because, if you use pounds-force, it will be wrong (by a factor of 32) - perhaps slugs (which is an ugly horrible little unit of mass that's as ugly and ungainly as its name). And you'll still have to change the units into something else because, hey, who uses slugs-ft^2/s^2? (Is that even a unit? There are so many "standard" units) You'll either be converting to joules or you'll be using something like horsepower, ironically enough, converting it back to pounds-force-feet (although you can't just use pounds force for the calculation) and neither go smoothly into that good night.

Go into space where inertia and mass matter but "weight" means something different depending on where you are, and English units make even less sense. However, in space, a Newton is always a Newton, a kg is always a kg and the combine nicely into Joules (=1 N-m).

So what? Let's be "individuals" and conform to the way we've always done it since dark ages!

Except, if all this complexity and opportunity for error means that your seat belt can handle 1/32 of the force it was supposed to handle because those distinctions weren't clear, or someone made an error because, hey, a pound's a pound (and if you think that can't happen, you don't know enough engineers), someone's kid can die. It won't happen, of course, because

Meanwhile, our children are taught, year after year, to convert fractional values of ambiguous measurement units into others, to perform twenty complex calculations to figure out what can be easily deduced with one or two in SI, to teach themselves what literally hundreds of units are, sort of. Why? Because, apparently, you must conform if you want to be a rugged individualist, no matter how painful it is.

• United States Metric Association Homepage - http://lamar.colostate.edu/~hillger/#metric.
• Metric Conversion Act of 1975. (http://ts.nist.gov/WeightsAndMeasures/Metric/pub814.cfm)
• Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988.
• Executive Order 12270 signed by President Bush in 1991. (http://ts.nist.gov/WeightsAndMeasures/Metric/pub814.cfm#president)
• Savings in Construction Act of 1996.
• ES, G-00-21 NASA Public Affairs Policy on NASA’s Use of the Metric System, 2001. (http://nodis3.gsfc.nasa.gov/displayDir.cfm?Internal_ID=N_PD_8010_002D_&page_name=main)
• Le Système International d'Unités (SI), 2006: The International System of Units (SI), 8th Edition, Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM), Pavillon de Breteuil, F-92310, Sèvres, France. (http://www.bipm.org/en/si/si_brochure/)
• Eyles, Don. Tales From The Lunar Module Guidance Computer: Apollo 11, AAS 04-064. (http://www.doneyles.com/LM/Tales.html)
• Kverneland, Knut. ANSI Metric Standards for Worldwide Manufacturing 2005, 5th Edition.
• Lobrano, Barbara and James B. McCracken. U.S. Manufacturers with Products Conforming to Metric Standards: An Analysis, NIST GCR 99-783. (http://ts.nist.gov/WeightsAndMeasures/Metric/upload/thomas2.pdf)
• 13. NASA Problem Reporting and Corrective Action database, JSC, March 2006.
• 14. Restriction of the use of certain Hazardous Substances in electrical and electronic equipment (RoHS), 2002 and Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directives. (http://www.rohs.gov.uk/content.aspx?id=9)
• 15. Webb, Ted, “General Motors Goes Metric,” Elements of Technology, Winter 1976.
• 16. Naughtin, Pat, “What is the Cost of Not Going Metric?” Metrication Matters website (www.metricationmatters.com), 2005. (http://www.metricationmatters.com/docs/CostOfNonMetrication.pdf )
• 17. Reif, Rita, “The Quiet Revolution: The United States Goes Metric,” New York Times, December 7, 1975.

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For Angela: Should I Try Love Again?

Angela asked: i have a question for your tarot cards. I've just met someone i like a lot, but i've been hurt so many times and i don't want to be hurt again. Can you pleas ask your tarot cards what they have to say about us? Should i give him a chance?

Hooray! I worked out today so I can blog and I got brand new tarot cards (Legacy of the Divine - gorgeous!) for me to play with, so your question is timely.

Unsolicited advice (don't read if you don't want it): Before I do the reading, however, I'm going to butt in with one of my own thoughts. The reason that love can be so painful is because, in my opinion, it matters so much. If past failures cause you to close off your heart, those who have hurt you have done double damage. And, it should be noted, that there are many good people out there. When you "give someone a chance," remember that he or she has no responsibility for the actions of others - give him or her a real chance by looking at them with an open mind.

OK, on to the reading:

Past - Knight of Swords (reversed) - From your question, it will likely not surprise you that rupture relationships and quarrels are represented by this card in the reversed position. The gamut of reasons include selfishness, unreliability, immaturity, egoism, pushiness, obsessiveness... It speaks of strife with someone unreasonable or unhealthy for anyone wanting a lasting relationship.

Present - XIV Temperance - this card seems to argue you are in a state of healing and regeneration, that you are growing in self-acceptance with good influences and friendship. It's a very propitious card for beginning healthy relationships and finding a real comrades (which a long-term love should be).

Future - Wands X (reversed) - Wands X is a card about burdens and, in the reversed position, can show at least two paths for this question. One is that you have not let go your burdens, your pain, your damage from your previous relationships. Unless you can do so, even the healthiest relationship can be twisted and poisoned under the strain. But, there is also the possibility that someone in your future is again overbearing, pushy, oppressive. If that's the case, this is not a relationship that bodes well.

If you are indeed looking at another unhealthy relationship, it might be worth asking what attacts you to such individuals and if those things that attract you are actually symptoms of not-so-wonderful characteristics.

If, however, your baggage is the burden that stands in the way, you can only move forward when you've healed enough or you'll never be a healthy companion for someone else.

Good luck!

Update: Angela asked for another card, so I'm pulling one.

XVIII The Moon (reversed) - The moon is an interesting card, often as mysterious as it is helpful. It is also a very female card. In the reversed position, it talks about fear, misunderstandings, insecurities and misunderstandings. However, there is also the possibility of an era coming to a close and an uneasy peace after paying the price.

To me, this card reinforces my own impression. If you are not ready to regard someone without looking at him through a filter of past pain, his nature isn't the problem. He owes nothing for your past disappointments. Even the term "giving him a chance" seems to say you treat him with suspicion and mistrust - which is no way to start any relationship.

Maybe the question isn't should you give him a chance but can you give him a chance, which can only be done by looking at him on his own merits and not by comparing him to everything that's come before. According to the cards, you're at a place in your life where harmony and companionship are yours for the taking, but you have to be open enough to see them clearly.

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For Shakespeare: Career Direction

Shakespeare asked: I have a Tarot Queene question for you. My husband has the option of applying for two different new jobs, one halfway across the country, one all the way. He's not sure whether he should even apply for them, or should just hold out here for a few more years. What do the tarot cards say?

Let's give it a whirl. Given the type of question, I'm going to try something a little different. I'm going to pull four cards, one to represent "husband", one for the the job halfway across the nation, one all the way, and one for staying put. Depending on the results, I might pull more for clarification.

Husband - XX Rejuvenation aka Judgement (reversed) - In the reversed position, this card indicates that, with regards to this question, your husband is, er, dithering. Procrastination and indecision can readily lead to frustration and stagnation. I'd take from this that your husband, perhaps unknowingly, is approaching a crossroads where he'll have to decide what he really wants.

Halfway across the nation - XI Strength (reversed) - With regards to a position, this is not a propitious card in this position. It speaks of tyranny, discord and abuse of power. From this card, I'd get the sense that this is a very political position, one where the caliber of work is less important that the political infighting.

Across the nation - Cups III - This card, however, is full of promise and fulfillment, contentment and emotional satisfaction. If the cards are any indication, this may be a job worth pursuing.

Staying put - XII The Hanged Man (reversed - this is a card (in the reversed position) where I can see the answer one of two ways, more that it's a choice. If one fails to make the necessary sacrifice, one will reap a commiserate lack of success. However, a sacrifice made will lead to success...eventually. It's not a card that speaks to me of amazing success but the potential for a quiet hard-won success.

I think the cards were pretty clear, but I'd do more research. At least one card seems to argue that there is a good alternative in the offing. Good luck.

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For Boris: What About Italics?

Boris Legradic asked: I am participating in the NaNoWriMo this year. Still going strong at day four, but one thing in my writing is starting to bug me:From time to time I will fill the need to use italics for emphasis, as in "Now I was curious."This I feel is a bad habit, much like using smileys in written communication, an unnecessary short-cut to something that could be better expressed through superior prose. Also, I just checked my most favourite fantasy book in the world, Rothfuss's "The Name of the Wind", and HE doesn't use any italics. Neither did Tolkien, or Shakespeare for that matter. Herbert does use italics to great effect in "Dune", but only to denote thoughts.What do you think? Do you use italics? And how could I re-write "Now I was curious." without italics, and be sure that it is read as intended and not as "Now I was curious.", for example?

Really? Cool. I have never been tempted to jump into NaNoWriMo, because writing when I'm not inspired inevitably leads to garbage (that's what happens when I do it - not saying it doesn't work for many people). Ironically, I started a novel 10/16 that does inspire me and I'm 32K+ words into it, which means that, inadvertently, I'm pretty close to doing the same thing (50K words in 30 days if the pace continues).

Do I use italics? Yes, for emphasis and to denote thought (several of my novels include telepathy). Although I've read several authors (especially classic authors when type was less readily manipulated) who don't use italics except to denote foreign languages and the like. However, when I take a survey of my favorite current authors, I don't have one that doesn't use italics for emphasis (and yes, sometimes for thought).

According to Wikipedia, emphasis is at the top of the list of "When to use italics" which argues that at least someone else advocates the use.

Are there authors who don't use it? I'm sure that there are. I'm sure there are authors who feel that it is "cheating" and that, if you wrote effectively, you wouldn't ever need italics (or adjectives or adverbs, etc - I've heard it all).

Could you stress "Now I was curious," without italics? Sure, you could say, "Before it didn't matter," I said, "Now, I was curious." (Though it should be noted that "now" with "was" seems somehow problematic). The comma, as a pause, can add a stressor but isn't always available. Dashes and ... can also emphasize a word and make the speech pattern more obvious. In the end, though, only you can decide if going down such a path makes the work better.

For me, the story's the thing. As an author, it's my job to tell the story as effectively as I can, communicate all the salient information in a way that the reader feels and experiences those things I want them to feel with as little conscious effort on their part as possible. That's my goal and I have to use the methods I think best to do so. For me, I tend toward things I like when I read.

What I'm saying is that, when it comes to your story, "rules" don't outrank your story. If you find a way to convey it within constraints you think are pertinent, great. But, if you can only do so at the expense of the story, you're not doing the story justice. So, if you like what you wrote better with the italics, I'd say, use 'em. If you don't, find an alternative.

In the end, you have to be the first and last one happy with what you've written. After all, it has your name on it.

Good luck.

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For Missice: Is this Mr. Right?

Missice asked: i have a question for your tarot cards, i know - not very creative. I'm single for too long and lately i have met someone who made my heart beat faster again. What do the cards say? Any new relatonship coming my way soon?

Let's check it out.

Past - II The High Priestess - this card is all about female power, intelligence, education, coming to grips with your inner strengths and talents. You may have been single, but this card argues that you spent that time learning to appreciate your own strengths, your own womanhood, and yourself and have made the most of yourself.

Present - King of Swords (reversed) - This is not a card (in this position) that I would use to describe a good person. In this position, the card speaks of malice and tyranny, perversity and deceit. Even at its most charitable, it means insecurity and mental illness.

Future - XIII Death - Although often equated with actual death, this card can mean profound change and transformation, which could describe a new life with your great love. Paired with the previous card, I can't see it that way and would have to say the cards foresee failure and loss. It may not be the end of the relationship, but illness can also be part of this which might argue the results of mental illness.

All in all, I can't say the cards are very excited about your current prospect. But they are just cards. My advice, make sure you aren't with someone who takes away all you've built for yourself, with anyone who doesn't appreciate the person you've made of yourself. If you do so, you'll be going in the right direction.

I am not one of those who subscribes to the notion that any love is better than none. I've been there and, you know what, sometimes being alone is better. In my opinion.

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For The Mother: Apollo Computers

The Display and Keyboard (DSKY) of an Apollo spacecraft. (prepared by the Wichita State University Media Services)

The Mother asked: I took kid #4 to NASA today (you can do stuff like that when you're home schooling). We were at old mission control where the guy explained that the computers they used to control the Apollo missions had 256K RAM each, and each one was the size of the room we were in. So 13 yo had just watched Apollo 13, and they said they had a computer in the command module, and they shunted its functions to the one in the LEM during their flight. My son wanted to know how they managed to package computers in the spaceships with their limited room when they filled basements here on earth.

This is an excellent question because, among other things, it helps show how space travel has had a tremendous impact on the rest of us. You were not wrong about computers and I'll tell you, that eventually I believe the computers we have today were all but inevitable; however, I would not be surprised if they had been much slower in coming if we hadn't needed computer power for spaceflight. Here's why (and the history of computers in US human spaceflight):

The transition from core transistor logic to integrated circuits. For those of you whose eyes just rolled back in your heads, you might want to skip the rest. Core transistor logic was the standard at the time, but it was big and bulky (relatively speaking) and had some disadvantages as quoted from here:

• It could not be complemented, a very important basic operation in computer arithmetic that changes a one to a zero or vice versa.
• It had the characteristic of "destructive readout," in which a datum read from a flip-flop using core transistor logic loses the datum; that forces the inclusion of a circuit to rewrite the datum if it is to be retained after the read cycle.
• Memory cycle time could not be fixed: in Block I it was an average of 19.5 milliseconds, which was quite slow for computers at the time, and the varying cycle caused timing problems within the machine²⁹.

Big deal, you say. We use ICs for everything! Yes, we do, couldn't do what we do today without them, but, at the time, they were just three years old and NASA's always been leery of infant technology. Actually, everyone was. But MIT was building the computer and they wanted to use ICs - and had to convince NASA to let them. ICs were so infant, in fact, that, in 1963, the year after MIT decided to use them, 60% of the total US output of microcircuits were used for the Apollo prototype construction. That meant that the Apollo computer ended up with 36 K with 2 K erasable memory. That limited memory was an issue but they got computer done in under 70 pounds and 70 W.

So, there you go. Have fun.

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