February, 2010
25
Feb 10
Fiction: The Great Engine Heist
Nearly a Year (approximately one Earth millenium) before Kumo’s string of psychic computer hacks, there was a series of similar similar crimes. And then there’s the list.
Date: 19.4.150.8
In the early Winter of Year 19, the mainframes of Shusa, Atosa, Hitonen, and Hladdat were attacked. The gigantic warehouse-sized buildings filled with analytical engines, or ordinators, were the pride of the cities, especially of the governments, research institutions, and corporations. Information; processed with an infinite amount of rods, cogs, and wheels along with an army of coders and spools upon spools of data; was not cheap.
24
Feb 10
Resplendence: Feuille 48
(Left) The Gold Lady doesn’t have a halo when she is in her human form, but I think the halo makes her look very complete. (Lower right corner) The Gold Lady’s lethal, ass-kicking shoes. Silk crepe scarf to go with the dress on the (lower) left.
23
Feb 10
Lessons in Impermanence, Part II
“Strangers When We Meet” is how I have felt about some people I’ve known in the past.
The jobs were one lesson in impermanence since they were all short-term. Unlike the grocery store, where I stayed on for one reason or another even though I hated it, I didn’t have to stick around if I didn’t want to. I could always move on to something else, provided I found something. At the same time, I found my relationships with people weren’t always permanent, whether I had control or not.
Continue reading →
23
Feb 10
Resplendence: The Finale
It has been a while since I’ve posted an entry from Resplendence, but I’m wrapping it up, bringing it to its conclusion. It’s a finished work and I’d like to get this out in book format. You saw it here first. Not really, as my fellow MFA’ers and professors from the program were the first to see it. And it’s bound in a book, but only 5 copies exist and one of them is in my alma mater’s library. I’m skipping a few leaves, but you’ve seen enough here and I’ve got to keep something extra for a book edition. Can’t give it all away.
23
Feb 10
Fiction: Visualizing the Server
This is the hack as it occurs in Kumo’s mind. She is, after all, a telepathic hacker and she draws her inspiration from the Temple of the Muse. Also, remember, she’s on Hlau’s list and she is one of the Seven.
Kumo often focused on something related to the network. Sometimes she would use a wireless signal in a library or café, other times she would touch a computer or hold a network cable. The physical object itself was not enough for her mind to log onto the network and acess information from a computer. She visualized the connection, the safe with the combination, and the listening tools she would use to ascertain the password. Sometimes the password prompt would appear as a sentry and she would somehow read the person’s expression and figure out the password. Othertimes, she would see a lock and create a key from thin air to fit the keyhole. Kumo was very good at mentally matching lock with key.
22
Feb 10
Check out Khowaga’s 365 Project
Chris, my blogger friend out in Austin, TX, has been doing a photo a day project, or Khowaga’s 365 Project. This is his 50th photo, a milestone in a yearlong project. It’s a great portfolio so far and it’s not too hard to get through at 50.* No doubt more fantastic photos will be shot and posted. Bookmark and stay posted.
*51 as of this posting
22
Feb 10
Lessons in Impermanence, Part 1
David Bowie singing his signature anthem of impermanence, “Changes.”
If there’s anything to learn from this recession is that nothing is permanent. Way before our economy tanked to where it is now, corporations adopted the layoff as a quick road to profits during the Clinton years. Downsizing, reducing redundancies, etc – it became the popular way for companies to slim down their expensive American workforce and seek cheaper labor abroad. Even when times appeared to be prosperous, such as the late Clinton years or the middle Bush years, the stable job was not as easily obtainable as it once was.
21
Feb 10
The Newly Jobless, including One who took Drastic Action
With the Beatles‘ recent popularity with generations who weren’t even around the first time around, you’d think that love is all you need. However, we live in times where even that sentiment, as lovely as it is, is not enough to counter the malaise of this recession. One of the feature stories in this month’s Atlantic Monthly, “How a New Jobless Era Will Transform America,” paints a grim future for the American job market in the next few years. The New York Times, not to be beat, is doing a series about “The New Poor” (coming off an era with the new rich) with a similar article: ” Millions of Unemployed Face Years Without Jobs.” The Atlantic Monthly makes predictions about the cultural changes to come while the NY Times takes a closer look at the systems in place to deal with unemployment and how they’re ill-prepared for this crisis. With the grimness pointed out by both sources, why not laugh at the futility of paying off credit cards on Cracked.Com.
20
Feb 10
The Doctor, Amazon.Com, Healthcare FAIL, etc
The new trailer for the upcoming Dr. Who with the newly regenerated 11th Doctor and new companion Amy Pond.
With the Christmas and New Year Specials giving David Tennant’s 10th Doctor a proper send-off and effectively ending the Russell T Davies’ era of Doctor Who, this trailer helps whet our appetites for the coming season with Matt Smith’s 11th Doctor and Steven Moffat, who wrote some brilliant episodes in the past such as “The Girl in the Fireplace” and “Blink” among others, taking the helm as executive producer. The trailer above, recently posted to BBC America‘s Doctor Who site, definitely promises the season to be a good one. The previous trailer gives more of a dramatic sense with actual scenes, whereas this one simply sells it. Best Doctor Who teaser since Christopher Eccleston’s offer of a “trip of a lifetime.”
