June comes at a busy time this year, but what is important in life?
I have decided to take part in the 30 Day Writing Challenge, an initiative from the cool cats at the Domino Project with Seth Godin.
http://ralphwaldoemerson.me/
Go have a look and take part; it only takes ten minutes a day. Ten minutes to flex muscles that need
I have created a new page on my blog to cater for the event. I may not update it everyday, but I do tackle the prompts in the morning. I will upload them when I can. Have a look, comments are always welcome.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Where's your buccaneers?
The US Navy announced on the 23rd of May that they had developed a new weapon against pirates. I was disappointed to find out that it was not the East India Trading Company.
They are now using a mathematical model that calculates likely attacks based on weather conditions, shipping traffic, Jack Sparrow, etc. The result is a patchwork coloured map that details likely “shit happens” scenarios based on probabilities.
Piracy, in its truest profession not like the wimps on Pirate Bay, costs the shipping industry hundreds of millions of dollars a year. One company spokesmen said that his company alone expects to lose $200 million this year solely on preventative measures such as using larger ships, sailing faster, using detours, installing 12 inch cannons, and Russell Crowe (Master and Commander... anyone? Were there pirates in that? Please don’t make me watch it).
But if just one company is losing that much money, how about they all pitch in and buy a UAV? Would it not be better if an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle was patrolling the skies rather than a “paint the danger by colour” guessing game? Or, god forbid, fix the political and economical situation that would cause a Somalian to turn to piracy.
Piracy is big business and it has captured the imagination of the wider audience. That means only one thing, that there will be a feature film coming with Tom Hanks in the lead. Maybe Ron Howard directing. Let’s just hope that it stays big business and in the imagination of the masses, otherwise we will be stuck with Shia LaBeouf in the lead.
They are now using a mathematical model that calculates likely attacks based on weather conditions, shipping traffic, Jack Sparrow, etc. The result is a patchwork coloured map that details likely “shit happens” scenarios based on probabilities.
Piracy, in its truest profession not like the wimps on Pirate Bay, costs the shipping industry hundreds of millions of dollars a year. One company spokesmen said that his company alone expects to lose $200 million this year solely on preventative measures such as using larger ships, sailing faster, using detours, installing 12 inch cannons, and Russell Crowe (Master and Commander... anyone? Were there pirates in that? Please don’t make me watch it).
But if just one company is losing that much money, how about they all pitch in and buy a UAV? Would it not be better if an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle was patrolling the skies rather than a “paint the danger by colour” guessing game? Or, god forbid, fix the political and economical situation that would cause a Somalian to turn to piracy.
Piracy is big business and it has captured the imagination of the wider audience. That means only one thing, that there will be a feature film coming with Tom Hanks in the lead. Maybe Ron Howard directing. Let’s just hope that it stays big business and in the imagination of the masses, otherwise we will be stuck with Shia LaBeouf in the lead.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Goal Update 2!
I said no excuses, but March sucked for output.
No work was done on the novel and that is just not good enough. April has been good so far though; I have written three more scenes and have attended a workshop to help with the planning and building of my book. Good advice was received and motivation at a high.
I did however write and re-write a script for The Chess Hammer. Recording is planned this week for one of our sketches. I'm really excited and looking forward to it. It would be weird if I was excited and wasn't looking forward to it but its my sentence so back off!
Take that grammar freaks.
No work was done on the novel and that is just not good enough. April has been good so far though; I have written three more scenes and have attended a workshop to help with the planning and building of my book. Good advice was received and motivation at a high.
I did however write and re-write a script for The Chess Hammer. Recording is planned this week for one of our sketches. I'm really excited and looking forward to it. It would be weird if I was excited and wasn't looking forward to it but its my sentence so back off!
Take that grammar freaks.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Tattoo... bless you!
Another year, another tattoo festival, another chance for news anchors to smugly open a story with “not just for bikers and sailors” just to give me the shits.
The subject of tattoos will still divide a room even today; only a few people remain who feel physically threatened just from the shear presence of a tattooed stranger. But as the moral pendulum swings around it gives us all an opportunity to do something stupid we can regret later in life.
I like tattoos, but I have always believed that because tattoos are so permanent, that they should represent something that means a lot to the bearer. For instance, I have a tattoo of my family crest on the left hand side of my chest. It is not because I am massively into heraldry or I value my family’s history, it is because I value my family.
My family is important to me and this way I get to keep them close wherever I go. It reminds me whenever I look into a mirror of the support they give for any goal I wish to undertake.
And it reminds me to call home every now and again.
Sooky it is, but it is a perfect example of the unwavering and unconditional dedication that you demonstrate by signing with a permanent ink in a drawn up contract on your skin. I’m sure the roses you have tramp stamped across your back strikes as a metaphor for life that there are pricks along the way but by persevering you will find beauty in the end. That star sign on your foot I’m sure is to remind you that sometimes life is not always in your control – no matter how you plan. That Maori tribal symbol around your arm is your unspoken commitment in the perseverance of ancient culture in the face of an ever increasing homogeneous society.
... No?
A close friend of mine has a tattoo of a slug getting “mounted” by a wasp on his shoulder. You can claim that it symbolises that no matter who you are or how you travel, there is someone bigger and meaner who will fuck you given the chance. I personally think that it is more likely that he chose it as a symbol for his undying support of alcoholism when we were teenagers and he thought it was hilarious.
So even then, in an obscure kind of way, it represents his spontaneity and fun loving demeanour in the cyclone of craziness that follows him wherever he goes. Do I respect him? Yes. Does the tattoo represent a time when I was finding my place in the world? Yes. Would I get the same tattoo? Shit no.
The subject of tattoos will still divide a room even today; only a few people remain who feel physically threatened just from the shear presence of a tattooed stranger. But as the moral pendulum swings around it gives us all an opportunity to do something stupid we can regret later in life.
I like tattoos, but I have always believed that because tattoos are so permanent, that they should represent something that means a lot to the bearer. For instance, I have a tattoo of my family crest on the left hand side of my chest. It is not because I am massively into heraldry or I value my family’s history, it is because I value my family.
My family is important to me and this way I get to keep them close wherever I go. It reminds me whenever I look into a mirror of the support they give for any goal I wish to undertake.
And it reminds me to call home every now and again.
Sooky it is, but it is a perfect example of the unwavering and unconditional dedication that you demonstrate by signing with a permanent ink in a drawn up contract on your skin. I’m sure the roses you have tramp stamped across your back strikes as a metaphor for life that there are pricks along the way but by persevering you will find beauty in the end. That star sign on your foot I’m sure is to remind you that sometimes life is not always in your control – no matter how you plan. That Maori tribal symbol around your arm is your unspoken commitment in the perseverance of ancient culture in the face of an ever increasing homogeneous society.
... No?
A close friend of mine has a tattoo of a slug getting “mounted” by a wasp on his shoulder. You can claim that it symbolises that no matter who you are or how you travel, there is someone bigger and meaner who will fuck you given the chance. I personally think that it is more likely that he chose it as a symbol for his undying support of alcoholism when we were teenagers and he thought it was hilarious.
So even then, in an obscure kind of way, it represents his spontaneity and fun loving demeanour in the cyclone of craziness that follows him wherever he goes. Do I respect him? Yes. Does the tattoo represent a time when I was finding my place in the world? Yes. Would I get the same tattoo? Shit no.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Goal Update!
Finished research and outline last week. I am now the proud owner of the start of my first draft! Two scenes down so far, and many more to go.
February has arrived, and the following few months will be as busy as how January ended, so I need to pump out as much as I can now.
There will be no excuses.
February has arrived, and the following few months will be as busy as how January ended, so I need to pump out as much as I can now.
There will be no excuses.
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