The Age of Will

Roger Update

bestep — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 12:35:39 +0000

Time for another Roger update. He’s doing well. I think the combination of my leaving him alone, and the early morning sun is just right.

The first signs of a couple of blooms were seen this week. Don’t know how visible in this picture, but keep an eye on this spot for future updates. Click on the image to see a larger version.

There are some interesting articles on the internet regarding African Violets and their reproductive habits, but be careful how you query. Here’s a good one.

Enjoy!

Work In Progress

bestep — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 12:28:37 +0000

A new Work in Progress (WIP) has started. I’m excited about this story. It’s fantasy, and we’ll see how that goes. I’m not planning the typical dyed-in-the-wool Tolkien-esk fantasy; this is much smaller in scope. More details as the story develops.

53 chapters outlined. Now it’s just a matter of putting butt in chair and one word after the next. It might take me a year, but I’ll get to the other end. I’m estimating first draft around 130,000 words.

Are you writing? #amwriting

Peace.

Very Cool!

bestep — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 14:31:16 +0000

I say ‘Cool’ a lot.

Reminds me that vocal tics are key character building tools. The voice of a character needs to be consistent. It’s a fun challenge.

Personally, I could do without saying cool again. At least for a day or two.

But what if something really is cool?

What a quandary

Naming Things

bestep — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 14:27:38 +0000

Naming things can certainly be a challenge. There are several sites with some good information and tools for developing names. Consistency seems to be the key.

An interesting source is a fairly old side called KryssTal, specifically The Origin of Words and Names page.

There are other sites/resources I occasionally turn to when thinking about character/place names. I’ll post notes about those as they come up again in my current work in progress.

Evernote Again

bestep — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 14:23:07 +0000

Time for me to look at Evernote again.

For a while now I’ve been trying to find a good, simple solution that lets me take notes at my work computer, or on my iPhone, and easily copy those notes to my current WIP.

I’ve tried Simplenote, and love it. Especially works well with Notational Velocity. It’s a good solution, and does everything I want. The Simplenote iPhone app is is good.

So why look at anything else?

I don’t know…guess I’m never really happy. Or like most techno-folks, I’m always searching for the *perfect* app/solution combo.

What am I looking for?

Simple text entry so I can make notes.
Able to add/edit notes from home (mac), work (windows), and iPhone.
Plain text is fine, but not a requirement.

The iPhone WriteRoom app is also another winner, but the web tie-in, SimpleText doesn’t always work at work. I don’t know why, probably something with our corporate firewall.

I thought about Google Docs, and I like the interface at times, but typing in Google Docs is slow and inconsistent. The cursor lag was very distracting. Also, at this time, it’s not possible to edit on the iPhone.

I used Evernote a long time ago. Seems like years, but it was probably within the past two years. It’s a very cool ideas gathering app. What originally excited me about Evernote was the automatic ocr of images. Take a picture of anything, add the photo to Evernote, and suddenly the text in the image is searchable. Very cool.

Turns out the data entry options on Evernote have improved. It is easy to type and add new entries, either plain or rich text. The iPhone app and desktop/web versions update very quickly and easily.

So far, the Evernote option is meeting my needs. I also really, really like the tagging and folder options in Evernote. This is something lacking in the Simple* text options. Not a requirement, but really handy as notes and research increases.

If you haven’t looked at Evernote in a while, it is worth another look.

Shower Saga

bestep — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 18:40:01 +0000

The search for the perfect shower head continues. I just saw an ad for the new Kohler: Flipside shower head. Check out the site. It’s pretty darn cool!

KOHLER: Flipside Handshower: Showering: Bathroom.

Ecoped – Electric Bikes

Science historian cracks the ‘Plato code’

bestep — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 12:23:15 +0000

This one’s going in the google tracker. I can’t wait to read more. This is a very interesting article. Follow the link below to read more.

Dr Kennedy explains: "Plato’s importance cannot be overstated. He shifted humanity from a warrior society to a wisdom society. Today our heroes are Einstein and Shakespeare — and not knights in shining armour — because of him."

via Science historian cracks the ‘Plato code’.

Roger Update

bestep — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 17:09:32 +0000

Here’s the weekly Roger update. He’s growing well. Seems the combination of light in my office and my leaving him alone is working well.

I’ve read they (African Violets) grow till they start to run out of space, and that’s when they start blooming. That’s usually my indication I need to buy bigger pants.

Odd how the animal kingdom works.

Yes, I know I’m including a plant in the animal kingdom. I include anything that’s alive in some fashion. No, I’m not going to get into a philosophical discussion whether a virus is alive or not.

Well–ok, maybe later. And only if there is plenty of single malt to fuel the conversation. Just so you know, I’m a fan of Macallan’s.

Writers Life / Dogs Life

bestep — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 12:33:25 +0000

Check out this great photo journal by Jill Krementz, “Top Dogs” from the New York Social Diary.

Dogs and philosophers do the greatest good and get the fewest rewards.
Diogenes

The Weebles Wobble Piano

bestep — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 21:43:44 +0000

15 dancers with martial arts training, and one weebles wobble piano needed. Apply within.

Great vid.

Enjoy!