tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-349522812024-03-09T02:08:33.001-08:00PeromyscusSomnambulance DriverLyle Hopwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17498505748509787968noreply@blogger.comBlogger1793125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34952281.post-83920242076021485682023-12-06T13:19:00.000-08:002023-12-06T13:20:11.529-08:00Another Torment Nexus story on the verge of coming true: The Burn Out<p>Publishing science fiction can be a mad scramble between getting it in print and it starting to come true in real life. </p><p>My recent story "The Burn Out" (in <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Fission-Stories-British-Science-Association/dp/1910987190/ref=sr_1_1" target="_blank">Fission #3, available here</a>) features a pop star. But he's not the story. Like many rich young musicians, he uses something to keep his edge sharpened, and like many rich young musicians, it's the younger female fans that provide it to him. </p><p>In his case it's a combat soldier implant.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 19.85pt;"><span lang="EN-GB"></span></p><blockquote>The unit was optimized for
combat soldiers in shock—like after a bullet wound. It instructed the
sympathetic nervous system to shut some things down and dialed other things up
to compensate. The telemetry package monitored the activity of the ganglia.
Gully Foyle said, and this sounded like much more fun, that the upgrade allowed
the user to experiment with changes that beat anything you could get out of a
needle. </blockquote><p>Because anything that changes the human body or brain is going to be used for porn first and recreation next. </p><p>For our hero, use of the technology ends about as well as can be expected, and that's coming from me, the person who hates the trope "there are some things man was not meant to know."</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijjFkkM6qrj9QKXLSAAK7z6xodfn3ndKUpSE-UbC6DzuYLzK3MsmT8AGMzvakn0iRnCn9jjK8DpSzLgzNBR0aF9Q_gcLQEwrKzJmbUy7eN4mfdrPuikrBbKC55LtxFiDcGa4Aubmk2bHgFrfrvaqJGTmkGlv4jIcHa2QBmEhprXdKC8_HDSvs_/s680/fd2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Pic of a tweet. An SF author says they invented the Torment Nexus as a cautionary tale and a Tech Company says "At long last we have created the Torment Nexus from the classic sci-fi novel 'Don't Create The Torment Nexus.'"" border="0" data-original-height="495" data-original-width="680" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijjFkkM6qrj9QKXLSAAK7z6xodfn3ndKUpSE-UbC6DzuYLzK3MsmT8AGMzvakn0iRnCn9jjK8DpSzLgzNBR0aF9Q_gcLQEwrKzJmbUy7eN4mfdrPuikrBbKC55LtxFiDcGa4Aubmk2bHgFrfrvaqJGTmkGlv4jIcHa2QBmEhprXdKC8_HDSvs_/w400-h291/fd2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />Evergreen Meme</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Anyway, in the grand tradition of the Torment Nexus, the kind of technology referenced in the story <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/n7eky8/pentagon-scientists-discuss-cybernetic-super-soldiers-that-feel-nothing-while-killing-in-dystopian-presentation?fbclid=IwAR0S0UNOS8f8TlnSryTKdZaQmXCcOxS-q13W-wFUou-KYDMGhJFKrHFH44E" target="_blank">has been invented</a> and is being openly bragged about. </p><p>You should be able to get it on the Dark Web within a year (winky smiley) but you oughta read my story before you use it. <span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 19.85pt;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 19.85pt;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 19.85pt;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 19.85pt;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 19.85pt;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 19.85pt;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 19.85pt;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 19.85pt;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 19.85pt;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 19.85pt;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 19.85pt;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 19.85pt;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 19.85pt;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 19.85pt;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 19.85pt;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 19.85pt;"> </span></p><blockquote>
<iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/sVO4SJqIIIw?si=PeeHboezYuu0VrqE" width="480"></iframe></blockquote><p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Lyle Hopwood http://www.peromyscus.blogspot.com/</div>Lyle Hopwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17498505748509787968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34952281.post-61761866084912440662023-11-20T14:45:00.000-08:002023-11-20T14:45:27.459-08:00The Burn Out and Paul Kossoff--My SF story about Fandom<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white;"><b>I’m a fan.</b> </span><span style="background-color: white;">I
became a fan when my musical taste came on-line in late 1971—which I think of
as “The year </span><i>Led Zeppelin IV</i><span style="background-color: white;"> was released.” Since then, fandom has
occupied most of my time, energy, and money. Any attention span I have left
over, I spend writing. Sometimes I combine the two, as I did in my story “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Fission-Stories-British-Science-Association/dp/1910987190/ref=sr_1_1" target="_blank">The Burn Out.</a>”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white;"><br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKo9FiKwh0wAyQlQB2gc1aedZ1UPrExbetOGLht2DpLq5-7ABxjyIKimdqFEWrEj2u-vjEZKdOcgl0Sd6E0I2ccuB77KVbn7X_CcCHMhSwtZo9HLujn9yT2T8nEyIERty5tJZ7WPLNPB16tRTrn2rYOuJZQjWtGeCLYm5RMnk5uJU6x_gzXMYh/s400/Fission%203%20Cover%20for%20newsletter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="cover of Fission #3" border="0" data-original-height="285" data-original-width="400" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKo9FiKwh0wAyQlQB2gc1aedZ1UPrExbetOGLht2DpLq5-7ABxjyIKimdqFEWrEj2u-vjEZKdOcgl0Sd6E0I2ccuB77KVbn7X_CcCHMhSwtZo9HLujn9yT2T8nEyIERty5tJZ7WPLNPB16tRTrn2rYOuJZQjWtGeCLYm5RMnk5uJU6x_gzXMYh/w400-h285/Fission%203%20Cover%20for%20newsletter.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fission # 3 </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I was born at the
wrong time to absorb the British Blues Boom as it happened. <i>Tons of Sobs</i>,
Free’s first album from 1969, was on my Must Buy list as I worked backward from
’71. On the list also were Led Zeppelin and Jeff Beck. All the heavy rock bands
worked the same Blues coalface back then, and the similarities between <i>Truth</i>
(Jeff Beck’s first), <i>Led Zeppelin I</i> and Free’s <i>Tons of Sobs</i> are
plain. The band slams through such classics as the barnstorming lust
locomotive, “</span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8j_lNJkeVg"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The Hunter</span></a><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">” (Albert King)
and the deathbed macho boast “</span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xux6jPGbkD8"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Goin’ Down
Slow</span></a><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">” (St. Louis Jimmy Oden, via the
Howlin’ Wolf version). Free’s sound is raw and aggressive, testosterone-laden
sweat flying from the speakers.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Free comprised
four white British teenagers (15-18 at the time of recording) and it seems
bizarre that they should attempt songs with lyrics begging the listener to
write the singer’s mother and tell her the shape that he’s in (and moreover,
that his health is fading and he needs forgiveness for his sins). They do, they
pull it off brilliantly, and a lot of that credibility comes from the
guitarist, Paul Kossoff, who effortlessly soars through the solos with a
gossamer-light feel underlying a snarling attack that rages continually against
the dying of the light. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Koss, 17, almost
certainly did not know that he himself was going down fast. He was dead inside
eight years.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I never saw Free
live. The ban split up when Kossoff’s drug problem became too hard to handle.
Koss made efforts to get clean but never got back to full health. I bought his
solo album, </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnPhLqUOgWo"><i><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Back Street Crawler</span></i></a><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">
(1973) but despite its solid white blues feel, and a guitar sound like heavy
whipping cream poured over double chocolate cake, something about it seemed
off—it conjured up its own title, let’s put it that way.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">When I heard that
electric folkie John Martyn had taken the faltering Kossoff under his wing in
1975, I was elated. I put aside my anti-folk bias and ventured to Leeds to see
them play together. I went with a friend. As we neared the auditorium in the late
afternoon, we heard an inordinately loud Marshall-amplified Les Paul. The
rehearsal/sound check was underway. Koss was the only person who could produce
those </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-KoF-vLo4E"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">sounds from a guitar, and the realization stopped me in my
tracks</span></a><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“Probably just a
roadie,” my friend said, urging me along. I was 16 at the time and that is
still the most cynical thing anyone has ever said to me. I assumed I’d hear
more that evening, so I moved on without objecting. My assumption proved to be
incorrect. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I wasn’t a big
John Martyn fan. I knew his <i>Solid Air</i> of course, and “I’d Rather be the
Devil” (Skip James) but I had little interest in a man who was perpetually
drunk and had what we nowadays call a “problematic” relationship with women. He
was a rowdy folk singer accompanied on this tour by an even rowdier stand-up
bass player (Danny Thompson) and a drummer (John Stevens). I didn’t know, going
in, that shenanigans had started much earlier in the day. Koss had already got
himself punched by the offended boyfriend of a girl he coveted, </span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20151024011802/http:/www.uncut.co.uk/blog/john-martyn-rip-36910"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">followed by a beating from Martyn himself</span></a><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> for lying about the incident backstage. But I
heard about all that much later.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I knew Koss would
not come on stage until the encore, but John Martyn kept me interested in the
meantime. He played an acoustic guitar with a pickup taped across the soundhole
as well as a contact pickup taped to the body. The signal was fed to an </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echoplex"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Echoplex</span></a><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> effects box, </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvFMEiVX_Ck"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">producing a
hypnotic, pulsing reverberation</span></a><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">
above which he played chords and melody. Married with his famously slurred
voice, the effect was hymn-like and meditative, an effect that was shattered
every time a song ended and the band recommenced swearing at one other. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Eventually, Paul
Kossoff appeared, swigging from a bottle of Crème de Menthe. The bottle was
half empty and Koss made a strenuous effort to finish it during the set.
Together the band </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYC2C1u2R1g"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">played</span></a><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G07e5L_9uok"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">three</span></a><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VkzrkMxQS4"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">songs</span></a><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/f81a68a207a6b1f2/Z-Documents/ZZ_Blog%20ideas/Anne%20M.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> I was delighted to hear
him play live but I noticed a significant deterioration between his playing
during the sound check and the post beating, post liquor evening performance.
He had less than a year to live. </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Koss died on 19<sup>th</sup> March 1976. He
was 25 years old.<span style="background: white; color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">There are two stories out there giving a cause
of death. The book <i>Heavy Load</i> claims “Unconfirmed reports have Kossoff
picking up some pills before the all-night flight ‘off some dozy bird who was
hanging around’.” No source for the information is given in the book.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/f81a68a207a6b1f2/Z-Documents/ZZ_Blog%20ideas/Anne%20M.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Later, it presents this version: </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></p><blockquote>“Paul’s death certificate read cerebral and
pulmonary edema. Drugs didn’t appear to be in his system. Sandie, Paul’s
girlfriend at the time, says drugs are what led up to the tragic conclusion
that day but did not cause his death on the flight. ‘No one told us that you
should not fly with a blood clot condition for about a year,” says Sandie. ‘And
after his heart attack and the blood clot in his leg…I think the altitude moved
the clot to his lungs’.”<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/f81a68a207a6b1f2/Z-Documents/ZZ_Blog%20ideas/Anne%20M.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[3]</span></span></span></span></a></blockquote><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/f81a68a207a6b1f2/Z-Documents/ZZ_Blog%20ideas/Anne%20M.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">A second book, <i>Free at Last</i>, elaborates
on the first claim. Bandmate Terry Wilson is quoted as saying,</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></p><blockquote> “Paul was on his
way out. He'd died earlier; his heart had stopped, about a year earlier in
England when we were back there after the first record. Paul was in the
hospital and they brought him back and told him if he ever did drugs again he
wouldn't live.” Wilson goes on, “There were times when Paul had so many friends
around who just wanted to comfort him. […] I walked into his room and he had a
couple of his friends there that brought some barbiturates and some other
stuff. I walked in and was so pissed at the girl who was there. Her name was
Leslie I think, but went by the name of Dale. […] A day later we were on the
plane going to New York to play Atlantic Records the new album when Koss
died—from the very drugs Dale or Leslie or whatever her name was scored for
him. It turned out he had gotten heroin, valium and Seconals from her.”<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/f81a68a207a6b1f2/Z-Documents/ZZ_Blog%20ideas/Anne%20M.docx#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[4]</span></span></span></span></a></blockquote><p> </p><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/f81a68a207a6b1f2/Z-Documents/ZZ_Blog%20ideas/Anne%20M.docx#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></span></span></span></a><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I have participated in various fandoms ever
since that late 1971 musical fangirl awakening. Whether it was Led Zeppelin, or
Star Wars, or Harry Potter, I’ve long been immersed in fan culture and hung out
with the fans. The realization that a fellow <i>fan</i> may have killed a hero
of mine really frosted my cookies.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I understand a
fan’s dedication to the object of their fandom. The word is a shortened form of
‘fanatic’ after all. Anyone who has observed a weeklong argument on social
media over whether a Star Destroyer could defeat the USS <i>Enterprise</i>
knows that fandom is serious business, and anyone who has seen a young girl in
tears outside a concert hall because she got to touch the star’s hand knows
that emotions run sky high. I was 55 years old when my current crush answered a
question of mine on a fan forum, and I told everybody who would listen that
he’d written back to me. I didn’t wash my eyes for a week. I’m quite aware what
a fan will do to get close to a star.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Write what you
know, they say. To get the bad taste out of my mouth, I wrote a short story
about a tween fan who gives a gift to the member of the boy band she most
admires but then has to watch helplessly as the gift puts him on a self-destructive
path . I’m a science fiction writer, so the gift is not a drug, but a
technology. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">That story, <b>“The Burn Out,”</b> is featured in <i>Fission #3</i> from
the British Science Fictions Association (BSFA). The online anthology is
available to BSFA members and the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Fission-Stories-British-Science-Association/dp/1910987190/ref=sr_1_1">print
version can be obtained from Amazon right now</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Droid Sans",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn1" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/f81a68a207a6b1f2/Z-Documents/ZZ_Blog%20ideas/Anne%20M.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-font-kerning: 1.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-ligatures: standardcontextual;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_at_Leeds_(John_Martyn_album)">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_at_Leeds_(John_Martyn_album)</a>
accessed October 15<sup>th</sup>,2023<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn2" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/f81a68a207a6b1f2/Z-Documents/ZZ_Blog%20ideas/Anne%20M.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-font-kerning: 1.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-ligatures: standardcontextual;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Heavy Load: Free by David Clayton & Todd K. Smith 2<sup>nd</sup> Ed., 2002
p 248<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn3" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/f81a68a207a6b1f2/Z-Documents/ZZ_Blog%20ideas/Anne%20M.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-font-kerning: 1.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-ligatures: standardcontextual;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Ibid, p 249<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn4" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/f81a68a207a6b1f2/Z-Documents/ZZ_Blog%20ideas/Anne%20M.docx#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-font-kerning: 1.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-ligatures: standardcontextual;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Free at Last: the story of Free and Bad Company by Steven Rosen, 2001 p 168-169<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
</div><br /><p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Lyle Hopwood http://www.peromyscus.blogspot.com/</div>Lyle Hopwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17498505748509787968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34952281.post-92088585509481158742023-11-07T21:07:00.002-08:002023-11-07T21:07:22.589-08:00Whole Lotta Long: identity of the Stick Man on Led Zeppelin IV cover revealed<p>Led Zeppelin's fourth album is untitled. It's known as IV or Four Symbols, or Runes, or Zoso (one of the 'runes' looks like those four letters, stylized). Back at the time of release, Atlantic sent out type blocks with the symbols on them so the album could be listed and correctly typeset in the Hit Parade charts, but that was of no use to punters, who still couldn't pronounce it. Let's call it IV.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfzSRVyLEBVTaon0eOngCHx3NmI_A7eQ7lNuSrEfeBEFfgnApm5yKUBkxFrw0vyb-1OoBbnG7VQgkbdOLYAsyuVd6-PK1AUXpZe86klaoX-_eGMymG40XQKMYrrKIc2RbwfG2wbpWN1nfPXVL652_SfJh9VITfnhBL13uBXgtbsvGlHlXnIaZb/s2253/Screenshot%202023-11-07%20205805.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="2253" height="75" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfzSRVyLEBVTaon0eOngCHx3NmI_A7eQ7lNuSrEfeBEFfgnApm5yKUBkxFrw0vyb-1OoBbnG7VQgkbdOLYAsyuVd6-PK1AUXpZe86klaoX-_eGMymG40XQKMYrrKIc2RbwfG2wbpWN1nfPXVL652_SfJh9VITfnhBL13uBXgtbsvGlHlXnIaZb/s320/Screenshot%202023-11-07%20205805.png" width="320" /></a></div><p>The cover of IV famously shows an old building, half torn down, with a tower block visible through the demolished wall. On the remaining part of the old wall, there's a photograph of an old man in a countryside scene, bent double under a load of sticks. </p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi4LiNyLh2f02ifZwz1DBbdm0EqCywZeU5za2kvA-zJ3S9NicJGBAehHv1g0vj2sto7RLaFv47LZ2nvq8e6jY-6RH6_6LCDuDlM9b6tcFKiAm9mYeTyUrJy49tENVzSFbqU5wRSLEzvuE8bFEWvXCHmaj6q6576IJ4lu3NqUk2m0c9nrRhuN_gF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Cover of Led Zeppelin IV as described in the text" data-original-height="589" data-original-width="1200" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi4LiNyLh2f02ifZwz1DBbdm0EqCywZeU5za2kvA-zJ3S9NicJGBAehHv1g0vj2sto7RLaFv47LZ2nvq8e6jY-6RH6_6LCDuDlM9b6tcFKiAm9mYeTyUrJy49tENVzSFbqU5wRSLEzvuE8bFEWvXCHmaj6q6576IJ4lu3NqUk2m0c9nrRhuN_gF=w640-h314" title="Led Zeppelin IV" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br />The symbolism seems clear enough-- the old ways are being replaced by the new, and the old man in harmony with nature (taking from it only sustainable twigs rather than destroying it) has given way to a new paradigm. </p><p>Mystery has always surrounded the identity of the old man. The official story is that Robert Plant (the lead singer) found the photo in a junk shop in the British Midlands (alternatively, in Berkshire) and that's it. Fans have sometimes been unable to consider the photo as simply a found object and prefer to read extra significance into the man. The fans' stories have ranged from the photo depicting Aleister Crowley (an occultist - guitarist Jimmy Page is a student of his methods) to the photo showing <a href="https://cvltnation.com/george-pickingill-father-modern-witchcraft/" target="_blank">George Pickingill</a>, a farm laborer more excitingly known as the Father of Modern Witchcraft. </p><p>Good news! There has been a breakthrough in identifying the man and the photographer. <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-wiltshire-67336495" target="_blank">The BBC is reporting that the 'original' photo </a>has been found. I'm not sure what 'original' means in this context, as Plant must have thought he was buying the only copy. (People didn't make a lot of paper copies of photos back in the day.) The beeb describes it thus: </p><div class="ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0" data-component="text-block" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #141414; font-family: ReithSans, Helvetica, Arial, freesans, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 1rem 0px; max-width: 36.25rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1" style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10" style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></p></div></div><blockquote><div class="ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0" data-component="text-block" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #141414; font-family: ReithSans, Helvetica, Arial, freesans, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 1rem 0px; max-width: 36.25rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1" style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10" style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></p></div></div><blockquote><div class="ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0" data-component="text-block" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #141414; font-family: ReithSans, Helvetica, Arial, freesans, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 1rem 0px; max-width: 36.25rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1" style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10" style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The figure is most likely Lot Long from Mere in Wiltshire, photographed by Ernest Farmer.</p></div></div><div class="ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0" data-component="text-block" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #141414; font-family: ReithSans, Helvetica, Arial, freesans, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 1rem 0px; max-width: 36.25rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1" style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10" style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Brian Edwards, from the University of the West of England (UWE), found the original picture when looking through a photograph album for other research.</p></div></div><div class="ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0" data-component="text-block" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #141414; font-family: ReithSans, Helvetica, Arial, freesans, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 1rem 0px; max-width: 36.25rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1" style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10" style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"I instantly recognised the man with the sticks - he's often called the stick man," he said.</p></div></div></blockquote><div class="ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0" data-component="text-block" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #141414; font-family: ReithSans, Helvetica, Arial, freesans, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 1rem 0px; max-width: 36.25rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1" style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10" style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></p></div></div></blockquote><div class="ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0" data-component="text-block" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #141414; font-family: ReithSans, Helvetica, Arial, freesans, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 1rem 0px; max-width: 36.25rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1" style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10" style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></p></div></div><p>The article shows the photo in situ on a photo album page, with three other photos taken by Ernest Farmer. The album is dated 1892 in Farmer's handwriting. The photo itself is labeled "a Wiltshire Thatcher."</p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #141414; font-family: ReithSans, Helvetica, Arial, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"></span></p><blockquote><blockquote>Mr Edwards then set about researching thatchers from that time period, and said his research suggested the man pictured was Lot Long, who died in 1893.</blockquote></blockquote><p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Lyle Hopwood http://www.peromyscus.blogspot.com/</div>Lyle Hopwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17498505748509787968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34952281.post-81235734153367653582023-10-15T13:12:00.001-07:002023-10-15T13:12:19.029-07:00Why blog? It's essential for writers!<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Peromyscus<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This is </span><a href="http://peromyscus.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">a blog</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">. At one time, anybody who wanted to write had a blog. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In the
mid-nineties, search engines heaved into view. If someone wrote a blockbuster
piece on their <i>Page</i> on the <i>World Wide Web</i>, no one except their
mom would be able to find it. Some people who were terminally online, for
nineties values of terminally online, would visit their favorite pages and
write about them on their own page. The search engines, on learning that
someone had linked to a webpage, would be more likely to index that page and
show it to others. (Search engines ranking sites by the number of links to them
is still a thing thirty years on.)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">These early
online people were logging the web, web-logging. Blogging. My blog, which
started in 2006, was also a place where I could write about music, art and
news. I could </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u31FO_4d9TY"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">express myself to my full capability</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Blogs can
help writers in many ways<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">They can
serve as a base camp, establishing personal credibility and stability, as well
as demonstrating expertise in your craft. Publishers can see your passion and
commitment to your cause or genre. A long-term, regularly updated web presence
gathers more search engine credit and ranks higher in searches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">A blog is
also platform for advertising your pieces. Publishers rarely pay for press
junkets or book tours these days, and so the burden of raising public awareness
of your writing falls on you. There are not many places where you can just say,
“Hey, I got a story published. Here’s the link! Hope you like it!” I mean, try
it sometime. If you do it on someone else’s Facebook, or do it too often on
your own, you’ll get unfriended. To build an audience, you need regularity as
well as quality of output.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And pieces on
blogs keep your name in the readers’ minds between published articles.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As I became
more interested in writing fiction, I let the blog languish. I took a class
from </span><a href="https://saddleback.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation&int_class_id=18065&int_category_id=7&int_sub_category_id=55&int_catalog_id=0"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Bob Cohen</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> and I’m following it up with a
college class on non-fiction writing helmed by </span><a href="https://classes.socccd.edu/smartscheduleweb/list/1/S/20233/grp/Emeritus_XEN1"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Scott Hays</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">, both at Saddleback.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m working my way back to regularity –
updating at least once a week. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">A daily
writing discipline is healthy practice for a writer, as well. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">What’s my
audience? My blog gets about 27K views a month. That’s tiny, given that most of
the views will be people who clicked on a Google result, realized it wasn’t for
them and clicked away immediately. That’s why I’m taking the class right now!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Finding
Blog subject matter<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">What should
you write about? Writing is writing. If the plot twist in your latest story or
research on your article has you banging your head against the wall, close the
document, open Blogger or Medium or Substack or Wordpress and write a couple of
hundred words about your garden, your motorcycle engine rebuild or if all else
fails, what your cats did today. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">There!
Blogging done, writing practiced, and head cleared, all in one sitting.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Taking
notes <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">A blog can
also serve as a notebook. You’re in Starbucks and a couple opposite is arguing?
Write a character study. Sunset is fantastic today? Describe it. Incredible
writer </span><a href="https://ambientehotel.wordpress.com/"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">M John Harrison</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> does this on his microblogging site.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Writing “story
behind the story”<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As well as
publicizing stories and articles as they are published, your blog can support
the work you have out in the wild. I recently wrote a short horror story about
a plant biologist on the Welsh coast encountering ghosts of Vikings. It drew on
a trip I took to that area to study seaweed. When the story is published, I’ll
follow up with a blog post about my long-ago trip. Seaweed’s really
interesting!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">What do I
write about? Here’s the frequency listing for the labels on the posts. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrKk_F2fMLbUUNSSdOVLVelgPM-6yceU-VaESxLaKldKO-XPhg67DvTIiWIHAuSpjPC0X0txpE0fwysPRzNPtgmNCsONi48DcmZMA7SK6p7kCh_ru2f5s8z62EKKux6UlTGUu34H64T_Mwp8Bsl6iCCMtZVWa5M7f_kXs1X2FrmE6OWcai3OdV/s464/Picture1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Word frequency listing for Peromyscus blog (same as sidebar)" border="0" data-original-height="464" data-original-width="388" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrKk_F2fMLbUUNSSdOVLVelgPM-6yceU-VaESxLaKldKO-XPhg67DvTIiWIHAuSpjPC0X0txpE0fwysPRzNPtgmNCsONi48DcmZMA7SK6p7kCh_ru2f5s8z62EKKux6UlTGUu34H64T_Mwp8Bsl6iCCMtZVWa5M7f_kXs1X2FrmE6OWcai3OdV/w335-h400/Picture1.png" width="335" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So go start your own blog!</div><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Lyle Hopwood http://www.peromyscus.blogspot.com/</div>Lyle Hopwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17498505748509787968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34952281.post-73570457967215707642023-10-08T16:44:00.008-07:002023-11-20T14:47:47.764-08:00Fission #3 now available for BSFA members to download<p> Coming soon: </p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyTwV7ocYDbA_Ngp3ajcQpU23Oq09J7Iwxgd2u8jXL61SbnLjn6OTMSOxp0Awut0QYp__6LoxqL6Mro-e8x553FnPCXKojDHFrmtFuB6jHEXoG6xVOVG8Pbwp3gN6uOexNSl7_12KR6wDgqFwsuqo3mNN8Tr2DToU-VrbwgSn0WHZNbWb0DEx3/s1920/Fission%203%20Cover%20for%20newsletter.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1367" data-original-width="1920" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyTwV7ocYDbA_Ngp3ajcQpU23Oq09J7Iwxgd2u8jXL61SbnLjn6OTMSOxp0Awut0QYp__6LoxqL6Mro-e8x553FnPCXKojDHFrmtFuB6jHEXoG6xVOVG8Pbwp3gN6uOexNSl7_12KR6wDgqFwsuqo3mNN8Tr2DToU-VrbwgSn0WHZNbWb0DEx3/w400-h285/Fission%203%20Cover%20for%20newsletter.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artwork for Fission #3 via BSFA website</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My story "<b>The Burn Out</b>" is in great company in BSFA's Fission #3. I have a <i>lot to say</i> about this story, as soon as the book reaches the stores. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you are a<a href="https://www.bsfa.co.uk/fission" target="_blank"> member of the BSFA you can now download the ebook here</a>. The print book will be available soon on Amazon. I'll keep you posted. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://peromyscus.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-burn-out-and-paul-kossoff-my-sf.html" target="_blank">Here it is: Fission #3, The Burn Out</a>: How Paul Kossoff inspired an SF story of Fandom.</div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Lyle Hopwood http://www.peromyscus.blogspot.com/</div>Lyle Hopwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17498505748509787968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34952281.post-38822533077708887492023-10-04T14:53:00.001-07:002023-10-04T14:53:00.151-07:00Emanations Zen (ed. Carter Kaplan)<p>I am extremely pleased to let you know I have a piece in <b><i>Emanations Zen</i></b> (ed. Carter Kaplan) published just yesterday, October 3rd. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3QwOG9v7upnUxk7hvYf_6BPZOxYMsDvV8fnm0mz8ob8_NmAbeHIAAXn-0TJRGAHf2hS7Zv6Y4-6ceYoCfbp91IB7tFzo2B373jfDDAwZWS-hPn7HZcmusGFCnFfNamLHOeQ3wRDXc_c5YEp94YzRZaFkjEz8P6LlK-9wGR5nujCGjltNPeR8z/s1086/Screenshot%202023-10-04%20100005.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1086" data-original-width="744" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3QwOG9v7upnUxk7hvYf_6BPZOxYMsDvV8fnm0mz8ob8_NmAbeHIAAXn-0TJRGAHf2hS7Zv6Y4-6ceYoCfbp91IB7tFzo2B373jfDDAwZWS-hPn7HZcmusGFCnFfNamLHOeQ3wRDXc_c5YEp94YzRZaFkjEz8P6LlK-9wGR5nujCGjltNPeR8z/w274-h400/Screenshot%202023-10-04%20100005.png" width="274" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emanations Zen Cover Artwork</td></tr></tbody></table><p>My story, "<b>Cargo Cults</b>," is an observation of an alternate reality, where South Sea Island "cargo cults" serve to bring bounty from aerial vehicles that use the landing strips. The story explores an aspect of cultural appropriation and its ramifications. </p><p>I have not had a chance to read the other stories in the anthology yet, but the list of authors is extremely promising. </p><p>You can <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Emanations-Zen-Carter-Kaplan/dp/B0CK9SJX8N" target="_blank">buy Emanations Zen from Amazon</a> today. </p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Lyle Hopwood http://www.peromyscus.blogspot.com/</div>Lyle Hopwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17498505748509787968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34952281.post-90224387994389721652023-10-03T15:29:00.003-07:002023-10-03T15:35:03.481-07:00Book signing: Blood Fiction v 2 October 8th<p><b>Everyone is invited to a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Fiction-v-2-Mark-Sevi-ebook/dp/B0C57S99BN/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0" target="_blank">Blood Fiction</a> book signing on August 8th, 2023 at 12 noon in Orange, CA. The host is the legendary <a href="https://www.annesbookcarnival.com/" target="_blank">Book Carnival</a>.</b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl-dxQWngnwE-FHeJs556_gI3h-ugEQLgIee2B8HJZYnnMwg_yZQ_NzCHv9U5jxFe8Ahyphenhyphen7b_V1hqazbjOk1Ez7b6MXS6VCfr35eip0fOLj_gclDJYo9KYTp3aaSJIs-tg_JDqeKHjCHx1jzh8LEm8BqhVa4laLefgaTTaoI7Grsx03SWt8w86h/s1200/promobook.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1200" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl-dxQWngnwE-FHeJs556_gI3h-ugEQLgIee2B8HJZYnnMwg_yZQ_NzCHv9U5jxFe8Ahyphenhyphen7b_V1hqazbjOk1Ez7b6MXS6VCfr35eip0fOLj_gclDJYo9KYTp3aaSJIs-tg_JDqeKHjCHx1jzh8LEm8BqhVa4laLefgaTTaoI7Grsx03SWt8w86h/w640-h336/promobook.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blood Fiction Volume 2 curated by Mark Sevi--book signing</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>Many of the authors featured in Blood Fiction v2, including me, Lyle Hopwood, will be there along with snacks. </p><p>Address is: </p><p>Book Carnival</p><p>348 Tustin St. Orange, CA 92866</p><p>Phone number 714-538-3210</p><p>If you've read my story, you may not want to look anything up on Google Street View. You still have a Thomas Brothers map, don't you? </p><p>If you haven't read my story, you can pick up a copy on the 8th! </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Lyle Hopwood http://www.peromyscus.blogspot.com/</div>Lyle Hopwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17498505748509787968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34952281.post-26047060855141874632023-09-24T21:49:00.005-07:002023-10-25T17:50:37.004-07:00Marc Bolan at home, playing Suneye (video), London Rock (video)<p> The first blockbuster T. Rex record was "Hot Love," released in the UK on 12th of February, 1971. </p><p>That date neatly marks the demarcation between me being a child, about whom I can remember very little, and being a teen. "Ride a White Swan" was released in October 1970, not charting until January 1971, but to me, the two weeks between Swan moving down the charts and "Hot Love's" release were the difference between ancient history and things that happened to me personally. </p><p><iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/HN0cqeByuFk?si=hxSUMBmPdtd2P_Wn" style="background-image: url(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/HN0cqeByuFk/hqdefault.jpg);" width="480"></iframe></p><p>As my infatuation with T. Rex grew, I worked my way through the back catalogue as money allowed. The Tyrannosaurus Rex albums - My People, Prophets, Unicorn and Beard of Stars instantly became favorites. The prior T. Rex album - the eponymously named T. Rex - took a little longer to gel with me. I preferred the early acoustic tracks over Marc Bolan's burgeoning electric guitar workouts. The direction had been obvious from the last track on Beard, "Elemental Child." In fact, if I'd had any ability to browse singles in those days, I would have heard it much earlier on "King of the Rumbling Spires," released as a single in 1969. (But there was no chance of that.)</p><p>Something changed between T. Rex (the album) and "Hot Love." Marc Bolan made a quantum leap from the worked-over-many-times fey Hobbitesque boogie of "Woodland Bop" or the harder but still ovine ambiance of "One Inch Rock." He simultaneously avoided the hamfisted-Hendrix sound of "Elemental Child" and the crosslegged chirpiness of "Woodland Bop" and landed a solid gold slab of 1971 pop.</p><p>I was intensely interested in T. Rex by that point, and bought all the magazines and weeklies I could afford to read more about Marc's life. I would have been overjoyed to see the little clip above, of Marc Bolan at home playing a few seconds of "Suneye," from T. Rex (the album). Seeing it today, after all these years, takes me back to the magazine-collecting years. In fact, I AM overjoyed to see it. What a talent, and what a sad loss that he died so young. </p><p>The clip is from the documentary <i>London Rock</i>, released in 1970. By the magic of the interwebs, it is available on YouTube. I hope it stays up as the whole thing is a time capsule of the era when British rock got over its love affair with Blues and started to branch out.</p><p><iframe frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://youtube.com/embed/QgZFqHZ-b_w?si=ySv71ba28XU5GAKw" width="480"></iframe></p><p></p><div>Thank you to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@MrDomin099" target="_blank">MrDomin099 Stone</a> for uploading this precious glimpse into the past. </div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Lyle Hopwood http://www.peromyscus.blogspot.com/</div>Lyle Hopwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17498505748509787968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34952281.post-13381388636237131562023-09-17T22:57:00.003-07:002023-09-17T22:57:35.127-07:00International Talk Like a Pirate Day, September 19th<h3 style="text-align: center;">Ahoy, Matey! </h3><h2 style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">September 19th is International Talk Like a Pirate Day.</div></h2><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt3LzwMvV-UV7W2wVz1FKdY4QQq6tVwF44AwD2--joFbahcNedJGi6ltUbZn25p_g5az72Vr3H6SKlhMt13n8D7sf8F-pIuGkD2X49kzR_M5ecFMK_XpLop9APeZLZt_6zdln6wa9r0Oblefkl-eazQmkyuFAt1dyY-c6uL2WcUOHO2rsNHq7-/s1019/three%20pirates.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="728" data-original-width="1019" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt3LzwMvV-UV7W2wVz1FKdY4QQq6tVwF44AwD2--joFbahcNedJGi6ltUbZn25p_g5az72Vr3H6SKlhMt13n8D7sf8F-pIuGkD2X49kzR_M5ecFMK_XpLop9APeZLZt_6zdln6wa9r0Oblefkl-eazQmkyuFAt1dyY-c6uL2WcUOHO2rsNHq7-/w400-h286/three%20pirates.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Arrrr!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Founded last century by John Baur and Mark Summers, <a href="https://nationaldaycalendar.com/international-talk-like-a-pirate-day-september-19/" target="_blank">ITLAPD </a>was first disseminated to us scurvy landlubbers by <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/living/liv-columns-blogs/dave-barry/article1928052.html" target="_blank">Dave Barry in 2002</a>.</p><p>Taking part is pretty simple. You sprinkle your speech at will with Pirateisms on September 19th. You don't have to dress up or get on a boat unless you want to. </p><h3 style="text-align: center;">Sixteen men on a dead man's chest! </h3><h3 style="text-align: center;">Yo ho ho and a bottle of milk!</h3><div class="blogger-post-footer">Lyle Hopwood http://www.peromyscus.blogspot.com/</div>Lyle Hopwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17498505748509787968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34952281.post-18839970656327424052023-09-16T04:25:00.001-07:002023-09-16T04:25:00.138-07:00Dragon Fruit ready for harvesting<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit61S8zZYA-M8pF_okttzWPf7GLjj2mAN16beQRSEz0_h1CRGn51UE4RXBVr4hUoZvyqdtlsKKvqS5I7mBwsgapyepSAQYBGt95NWVey221YMiP4i541uEouonMHCcEPj29uc-VWK7EIQ-7_DrRiCNX2vuEaBx6ivdXPmdZjwhOpBp7FBqvkPb/s1689/20230912_132826.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1689" data-original-width="1266" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit61S8zZYA-M8pF_okttzWPf7GLjj2mAN16beQRSEz0_h1CRGn51UE4RXBVr4hUoZvyqdtlsKKvqS5I7mBwsgapyepSAQYBGt95NWVey221YMiP4i541uEouonMHCcEPj29uc-VWK7EIQ-7_DrRiCNX2vuEaBx6ivdXPmdZjwhOpBp7FBqvkPb/w300-h400/20230912_132826.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div class="xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Dragon Fruit looking good. I'll pick them today. The top left, dark variety is a Zamorano and the the pink/red ones are Delight. The first one flowered on the 1st August, so it's been 46 days - I might have left it two days too long. (As they ripen, the fruits start to be wiggleable, like a kid's loose tooth, get softer and redder, and may get a split in the dark area where the flower used to be attached.)</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I don't want to whinge too much, but it's about time! They've been a lot of work. I've spent all day today repotting and staking the cuttings to get ready for fall, about the fourth of fifth full day this year. They grow like weeds, and it's important to keep them pruned or they branch out everywhere. (The rootstock should only have to support one stem until the cactus is old enough to flower, when you can let it branch out.)</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">The ones at the back (common or garden Lowe's or Home Depot variety) grew well but didn't flower this year so I have to make a decision whether to discard them and plant the cuttings of the varieties that did flower or <span style="font-family: inherit;"><a style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit;" tabindex="-1"></a></span>leave them another year to see.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Delight is supposedly delicious while people mostly just describe Zamorano as average. I'll do a taste test in the next few days. </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I owe a lot to Richard at Grafting Dragon Fruit. Not that we've ever met, but his videos are so informative and he's so cheerful and enthusiastic it really makes me want to succeed!</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Lyle Hopwood http://www.peromyscus.blogspot.com/</div>Lyle Hopwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17498505748509787968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34952281.post-60737897539285044472023-09-13T07:26:00.001-07:002023-09-13T07:26:00.142-07:00I'm in me mum's car (broom broom) redux<p> In 2014 I posted a short video of a person in their mum's car (brum, brum). It was a mildly popular, shortlived meme that I just loved for some reason. (<a href="https://peromyscus.blogspot.com/2014/12/get-out-me-car.html" target="_blank">The original write up is here.</a>)</p><p>I'm always happy to find out what people are doing years down the line. Where's Star Wars Kid now? What happened to the little girl with the teeth looking nonplussed in the car? Have any of the people in the Distracted Boyfriend Meme gotten married to each other yet? </p><p>Anyway, we found out what happened to the person in their mum's car. <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-12218049/Internet-star-went-viral-Vine-reveals-starting-testosterone-coming-trans.html" target="_blank">He came out as a transgender man</a>, and it made the Daily Mail. </p><p class="mol-para-with-font" style="background-color: white; font-family: graphik, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: -0.16px; margin: 0px 0px 16px; min-height: 0px; padding: 0px;"></p><blockquote><p class="mol-para-with-font" style="background-color: white; font-family: graphik, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: -0.16px; margin: 0px 0px 16px; min-height: 0px; padding: 0px;">Tristan Simmonds, who was formally known as Trish, won thousands of fans in the 2014 with a skit where he drove his mother's car on the now defunct social media platform, saying: 'I'm in my mum's car, broom broom.'</p><p class="mol-para-with-font" style="background-color: white; font-family: graphik, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: -0.16px; margin: 0px 0px 16px; min-height: 0px; padding: 0px;">Since then, the viral star, from Huddersfield, has been updating followers with news about their life - and came out as a trans man in 2021.</p><p class="mol-para-with-font" style="background-color: white; font-family: graphik, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: -0.16px; margin: 0px 0px 16px; min-height: 0px; padding: 0px;">In a video shared on <a class="class" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHNg5USSXlE" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener" style="color: #003580; cursor: pointer; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: -0.01em; margin: 0px; min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Youtube</a>, he explained that he had first come out to his parents in a letter followed by an emotional conversation and that they were supportive of his decision. </p></blockquote><p>Thought you ought to know. </p><p class="mol-para-with-font" style="background-color: white; font-family: graphik, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: -0.16px; margin: 0px 0px 16px; min-height: 0px; padding: 0px;"></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Lyle Hopwood http://www.peromyscus.blogspot.com/</div>Lyle Hopwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17498505748509787968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34952281.post-67207389950606233192023-09-12T19:00:00.039-07:002023-09-12T19:20:29.919-07:00Nine Dioptres (short story) now available for Kindle readers<p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOm_wwduzXwatHef-uF_FkVgqt1bJfLMYrdL_1F4rSsB-Zg6OK-CpeDIfyKADmNnsIGGd1GhSsxPPEHGuwf-F5IKRdQKH8dCWrux5uSZV-qVtHzGYQj5l9FxXIT2BheqBJZsHy2nfFGW3YcMFrbj85lF3pwXe_AizCbglX2LnflrdxEeoHYi94/s1536/card-Nine-Dioptres-2560-1536x307.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="A family stand on a river bank of poppies, and look at London on the opposite bank" border="0" data-original-height="307" data-original-width="1536" height="80" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOm_wwduzXwatHef-uF_FkVgqt1bJfLMYrdL_1F4rSsB-Zg6OK-CpeDIfyKADmNnsIGGd1GhSsxPPEHGuwf-F5IKRdQKH8dCWrux5uSZV-qVtHzGYQj5l9FxXIT2BheqBJZsHy2nfFGW3YcMFrbj85lF3pwXe_AizCbglX2LnflrdxEeoHYi94/w400-h80/card-Nine-Dioptres-2560-1536x307.jpg" title="Art by Emma Howitt for IZ Digital "Nine Dioptres"." width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art by Emma Howitt for IZ Digital "Nine Dioptres".</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Gareth Jelley of IZ Digital has kindly made available an EPUB version of Nine Dioptres for those of us who prefer to read on our Kindle. To download the file, click the green button below. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=download&id=1jbYg4ijadvoVzUw0fgwqVPbzIktk95El" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="123" data-original-width="196" height="123" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg9E8No2YPP_GlUag1Z4WWN73ScPIXaeg5dz8Y7qfr9slTrxA9v2FozGrWQn1k-ikNHGndvQteJVtXlBcjTzNf5X_2lq0ACkEh1oR69-Z4QYM8y4GNMKluGsrhUPkxRn4a8zZ9PxGaU4wWkzfU7YBZNpmFLGyiqQr-YkcWUnbtKTA4-DSN95R_/s1600/images.jpg" width="196" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">For people without Kindles, or who prefer not to press strange buttons on the internet, the story is also available to read at IZ Digital's website at the link below.</span> </p><h3 style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://interzone.digital/nine-dioptres/" target="_blank">Nine Dioptres</a></h3><blockquote style="text-align: left;"><blockquote>‘I can’t see that far,’ said Aminah, and bit her lip. Why admit that to the stranger? Suddenly overcome with self-pity, tears came to her eyes. Nuada waited until the black-robed figure was ready.<br /><br />When Aminah spoke, it was with a sob: ‘I’m going blind, Nuada. Every day I see less and less!’<br /><br />Nuada led her below. ‘Wait here. I can help you,’ she said, and got her bag. She took out her left eye and fitted a microeye into the socket. She peered into Aminah’s eyes, one after the other. Then she sat back, calculating something. ‘You aren’t going blind. It’s just myopia, which is easily corrected with lenses.’<br /><br />‘I couldn’t wear a machine on my face,’ wailed Aminah.</blockquote></blockquote></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Lyle Hopwood http://www.peromyscus.blogspot.com/</div>Lyle Hopwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17498505748509787968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34952281.post-37941883552597985262023-09-11T06:00:00.017-07:002023-09-11T06:00:00.146-07:00September 11, 2001<br />Today’s the anniversary of 9/11. It took place in 2001, long enough ago that students entering the university system this past couple of years were not even born when it took place. It’s starting to fade in living memory and become history, that peculiar domain where historians shuffle facts around until they appear to form a pattern, and then write a book about how that pattern is a thing, a fact in itself, and how this new reified thing was inevitable. <br /><br />Since the attacks on the World Trade Center – and the other attacks that day – took place in a world with a nascent internet, the process of pattern-making started early. It was one of the first events to be promptly evaluated for slotting into pre-existing patterns, and the conspiracy takes started early. Within minutes, in fact. President Kennedy’s assassination may have spawned more, longer and more elaborate theories but they took a while to grow legs, while 9/11 had its conspiracy theorists firing up the ol’ modems* and spinning their ‘findings’ before the literal dust literally settled.<div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSxiewnM8z6dHWFTetGSSC-V7m8Gb2RMvHpWA2LsjVSdDI8T1xNEoB1I5X1t_0OyJmveWjjOZcMzVtLoOBahqpJcxw894ub22kb8eVVs0YwJUlhzenpKyLwjJfyLmn-8kio_hbgI5uQHkdnQFc2vlzBEVD8IKYZCXwl9XINYXi9RvF5NEGZ4Qc/s970/World-Trade-Center_9-11.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="656" data-original-width="970" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSxiewnM8z6dHWFTetGSSC-V7m8Gb2RMvHpWA2LsjVSdDI8T1xNEoB1I5X1t_0OyJmveWjjOZcMzVtLoOBahqpJcxw894ub22kb8eVVs0YwJUlhzenpKyLwjJfyLmn-8kio_hbgI5uQHkdnQFc2vlzBEVD8IKYZCXwl9XINYXi9RvF5NEGZ4Qc/w400-h270/World-Trade-Center_9-11.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo from Wikimedia Commons (no photographer credit) <a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4e/World-Trade-Center_9-11.jpg" style="text-align: start;">https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4e/World-Trade-Center_9-11.jpg</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <br />I’m not going to rehearse those theories as it’s a futile task. It only adds to the churn. All I’ll say is that within 50 years we’ll get the World Trade Center Deniers who will present plenty of evidence that the WTC buildings never existed and the whole shebang was fabricated to bring the US into open conflicts in the Middle East. Today, thousands of Chat GPT (and similar) queries are generating millions of words of text and hundreds of thousands of pictures, which when put together will cast doubt on anything seen on the internet. There’ll be no such thing as verifiable, original footage. <br /><br />Maybe that will be the last nail in the coffin of the pattern-matchers – if any and all takes can be fabricated, it will become difficult to wend a path through facts to find any spurious patterns in the data. We’ll just have to see. <br /><br />On 9/11/2001, as I got ready for work in California, I switched on the TV. I didn’t normally do that, and I have no idea why I did that day. California is three hours ahead of New York. I turned on the cable news to hear a newscaster solemnly intone, “Smoke is rising from the North Tower. The South Tower collapsed minutes ago**.” <br /><br />I looked at the live picture on the screen and tried to work out what those words could possibly mean. The only two towers I could think of were in the book of the same name by J R R Tolkien. But the picture was not of Middle Earth. It was a city, shrouded in smoke. The announcer talked some more and it eventually penetrated my foggy mind that a World Trade Center building had collapsed – and now another one was on fire. A few minutes later, The North Tower collapsed in a horrific blossom of crushed concrete dust. There was consternation onscreen. <br /><br />I glanced at the clock. It was 7:30 AM, and I needed to get to work. No one knew what had happened. It’s hard to describe the lack of further information. Today, almost all of us have a high-quality video camera in our pockets. You can’t have a mild row in a suburban street without half-a-dozen bystanders flipping phones out of their pants and recording every detail. Each one can be uploaded to a service and available to watch within minutes. But only 22 years ago, it was a rare occurrence for someone to have both a video camera and the presence of mind to point it at a source of danger rather than leg it out of there as fast as possible. Photos of the planes hitting the towers and the plumes of flame started to come in but still, nothing about it made sense. How could two jets hit two buildings in Manhattan? And something hit the Pentagon building! All aircraft were ordered to land by the FAA!<br /><br />I’m not sure if I heard about the crash of Flight 93 before I left for work. I know I didn’t see until later the footage of George W Bush reading to a class of schoolkids when an aide whispered something to him and a look I’ve never seen before came over his face. He stayed with the children for a few minutes, apparently not wishing to cause panic, before being hustled to safety.<br /><br />Once at work you start going about your business, of course. Everyone had a theory, but everyone had work to do. Even so, we would continually drift away from our desks and go to the conference rooms, which had TVs fitted for audio-visual presentations. Our company was (and is) a huge firm performing blood tests on patients all over the US. Vast numbers of vials of blood were shipped around the country from where they were collected to where they could be tested. </div><div><br /></div><div>It’s a minor thing among all the horrors that happened on 9/11 (and subsequently) but with all air traffic grounded, we had to find alternate means of getting specimens to the laboratories. Most tests are routine, in the sense that you would be extremely pissed to be told you had to have a second blood draw because your prior specimen didn’t make it to the lab before it denatured, but you wouldn’t suffer a major setback. But other tests are irreplaceable. The “before” samples taken before an operation or cancer treatment saved to be matched with “after” samples. Chemotherapy levels after dosing. Prenatal tests taken from chorionic villi. Drug levels for such things as Gabapentin. Cerebrospinal fluids, bone marrow samples. You don't want either of those done twice.</div><div><br /></div><div>The logistics departments moved heaven and earth to get everything they could stabilized, if possible, and shifted onto trains and trucks. <br /><br />One batch of a few hundred specimens could not be recovered and all had to be redrawn. That insulated crate was in the hold of Flight 175 when the plane hit the South Tower. Strange to think that when history is being written and some bright spark has an idea about 9/11, they’ll call for DNA testing of the few preserved pieces of the WTC*** and they might find evidence of a bunch of people who were never in the towers or on the planes, present only as samples in glass vials. </div><div><br /></div><div>That could cause a few new conspiracy theories.</div><div> <br /><br /><blockquote>*All right, it wasn’t that long ago. Many people had cable internet and/or T1 lines, whatever they were. <br /><br />**That’s from memory, not an exact quote. <br /><br />*** Most of the rubble was rushed to a landfill, which is more grist for the conspiracy mill. The landfill was called Fresh Kills. </blockquote><br /><br /> <br /><br /> <br /><br /> <br /><br /> <br /><br /> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Lyle Hopwood http://www.peromyscus.blogspot.com/</div>Lyle Hopwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17498505748509787968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34952281.post-65420126957054462702023-08-29T17:48:00.001-07:002023-08-29T17:48:00.142-07:00Sunless and Nine Diopters (short stories) available at IZ Digital<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvtoSUKnDgTqsIUZVcoMEHUurVX7cuVBVARW-55n9ZVirgVigsImD6y12BoMYs-YAA-HLykmqf8MShn-0-6XKXQVJFgwfQrzQMLyjHvPaBwfZc4ZyFthyUQyrzhGUHsOTW5-CJpRDErx0Rh69qwUKxfwNYtc-fj1wb3Vg6gYoIJ0RNXoZGRDIb/s2560/card-Sunless-2560.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="2560" height="80" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvtoSUKnDgTqsIUZVcoMEHUurVX7cuVBVARW-55n9ZVirgVigsImD6y12BoMYs-YAA-HLykmqf8MShn-0-6XKXQVJFgwfQrzQMLyjHvPaBwfZc4ZyFthyUQyrzhGUHsOTW5-CJpRDErx0Rh69qwUKxfwNYtc-fj1wb3Vg6gYoIJ0RNXoZGRDIb/w400-h80/card-Sunless-2560.jpg" title="Art for Sunless by Juliana Pinho (cropped)" width="400" /></a></div><p>A reminder that you can read two of my stories, Sunless and Nine Diopters, at Gareth Jelley's remarkable <a href="https://interzone.digital/" target="_blank">IZ Digital</a>, the webzine companion to <a href="https://interzone.press/" target="_blank">Interzone magazine</a>. </p><p>Full disclosure: It's actually "Nine Dioptres" but you're unlikely to die from reading half a dozen words spelled in British English. </p><p><a href="https://interzone.digital/sunless/" target="_blank">Sunless</a></p><blockquote>Tomey placed his feet carefully on the network of life support tubing, grabbing at handholds as he moved from the cable side of the Rambler’s hull to the outward side. The ship slid upwards, cables screeching.<br /><br />Soon, the ground vehicles were no longer visible. To the west, green veins of copper ore shot through the orange rock of the treeless Lono Hills. The mangled ground formed a circle near the foot of the funicular, the green, white and yellow squares of farms filled the horizon to the east, and to the south the garden-roofed skyscrapers of the city flourished like a jungle streaked with black crevasses. The cold, hard metal of a liquid oxygen pipe burned Tomey’s hands, and he switched his grip, cursing under his breath.</blockquote><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://interzone.digital/nine-dioptres/" target="_blank">Nine Dioptres</a></p><blockquote>‘I can’t see that far,’ said Aminah, and bit her lip. Why admit that to the stranger? Suddenly overcome with self-pity, tears came to her eyes. Nuada waited until the black-robed figure was ready.<br /><br />When Aminah spoke, it was with a sob: ‘I’m going blind, Nuada. Every day I see less and less!’<br /><br />Nuada led her below. ‘Wait here. I can help you,’ she said, and got her bag. She took out her left eye and fitted a microeye into the socket. She peered into Aminah’s eyes, one after the other. Then she sat back, calculating something. ‘You aren’t going blind. It’s just myopia, which is easily corrected with lenses.’<br /><br />‘I couldn’t wear a machine on my face,’ wailed Aminah.</blockquote><p> </p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Lyle Hopwood http://www.peromyscus.blogspot.com/</div>Lyle Hopwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17498505748509787968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34952281.post-22493977805895203192023-08-29T14:48:00.002-07:002023-10-25T17:53:50.324-07:00Cochineal and Prickly PearThis is less showy than most of my garden photos, but even more botanically interesting. I planted a prickly pear cactus pad a year or so ago and it's growing. It's rooted and has put out new little cactus pads. <br />It's also growing a bunch of fur-covered insects!<br />Oh no!<br />But look - the insects are Cochineal. That's right, they're red food coloring. The red food coloring that is labeled cochineal is made from ground-up opuntia-eating beetles. <br />I am not planning on making my own food dye, however. The beetle-fur is pretty gross and my finger was stained for hours!<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgFONpX1tlo5EdIzpSG7297BMjRfAhIxkdB6VwrZHMI-DnIRPYLJPuwB2znKbjUv1X7zhTKM3SHV_c5HaRwR-xda9NXFdckHS_J_Hxjgx9f0CflTFUlI79iezQ4S7sLEzLlfhYarNu4nGJ3SGl1xQZX9ZJ6EVWUHCJW7xvtCk9-UaMffkZix57Y" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1689" data-original-width="2253" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgFONpX1tlo5EdIzpSG7297BMjRfAhIxkdB6VwrZHMI-DnIRPYLJPuwB2znKbjUv1X7zhTKM3SHV_c5HaRwR-xda9NXFdckHS_J_Hxjgx9f0CflTFUlI79iezQ4S7sLEzLlfhYarNu4nGJ3SGl1xQZX9ZJ6EVWUHCJW7xvtCk9-UaMffkZix57Y=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEijPMwcP-rsp6uOGaDKPEJrMsaevqApCqqgErpoyx8Ovn550_InG7fNRKqOaianf67_Bv3t52fX2np6cbGr782I3X4CwH4227Pkmh6ZYhm5QKHaY2jG6A8Pgpcla7WYlMEOaEAzfYFY_sIbIJzdeW951jJFr-FNYcFBzfHKb4SGe9v5qaileR8O" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1689" data-original-width="2253" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEijPMwcP-rsp6uOGaDKPEJrMsaevqApCqqgErpoyx8Ovn550_InG7fNRKqOaianf67_Bv3t52fX2np6cbGr782I3X4CwH4227Pkmh6ZYhm5QKHaY2jG6A8Pgpcla7WYlMEOaEAzfYFY_sIbIJzdeW951jJFr-FNYcFBzfHKb4SGe9v5qaileR8O=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEicN-h2tnhTtLaqPP1g9FqDdt8HQ72yjaqcctis15z2W6HdTJwWw4xL9kTESNHWFGhGyVhEi4uoxz9sWnM66ejDNi3X-HhxWcv821kDMR-7AFk2o7l7Iv6XOtz_wWFgIkRL7WFtnWgMFw0h08_oXJ_fSL5tefixX2RvzhLD0UgVGHHle4vPqQLt" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1689" data-original-width="2253" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEicN-h2tnhTtLaqPP1g9FqDdt8HQ72yjaqcctis15z2W6HdTJwWw4xL9kTESNHWFGhGyVhEi4uoxz9sWnM66ejDNi3X-HhxWcv821kDMR-7AFk2o7l7Iv6XOtz_wWFgIkRL7WFtnWgMFw0h08_oXJ_fSL5tefixX2RvzhLD0UgVGHHle4vPqQLt=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I had not realized it was marketed under any name except cochineal, but Wikipedia says it is also called Carmine and has food dye numbers where approved: "Specific code names for the pigment include natural red 4, C.I. 75470, or E120."</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So if you're vegan, watch out for those dyes.</div></div><br /><br /></div><br /><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Lyle Hopwood http://www.peromyscus.blogspot.com/</div>Lyle Hopwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17498505748509787968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34952281.post-24860944751700980252023-08-28T14:42:00.001-07:002023-08-28T14:42:35.882-07:00Queen of the Night, queen of the storm<p>Just over a year ago, a neighbor gave me a cutting of her Queen of the Night cactus. It's an epiphyte, which is to say that it doesn't root in the ground, but spreads out in an attempt to anchor itself in tree branches in (South American) jungles. Its Latin name is Epiphyllum oxypetalum.</p><p>The plant flowers just once in summer and is unlikely to bear fruit as it needs a nearby relative for pollination. (Since it's a cutting of my neighbor's, it's genetically identical, and hers, alas, won't do it.) But what a show it puts on for those one or two nights!</p><p>The plant is about two meters across at its widest part, for scale.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZxhKAtNMggQTu2fWQDPxXqVWkrgVfexYL_bfsDLMXtw8PLqckj2Akxi5kn8sdxnVbbt5XtGaYgaQldoyu_bkX2mr69oYRvnPQKCoAIQJbuXLUHyXcsgvDaPl0wQmNCGzm_hUXNyXMXpCevPmvl-A-1TvPya2tye3VcmQ82fB7a0i5tmq2vJVo/s2048/369023868_2833115536831296_5981008061577929373_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="large flower" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZxhKAtNMggQTu2fWQDPxXqVWkrgVfexYL_bfsDLMXtw8PLqckj2Akxi5kn8sdxnVbbt5XtGaYgaQldoyu_bkX2mr69oYRvnPQKCoAIQJbuXLUHyXcsgvDaPl0wQmNCGzm_hUXNyXMXpCevPmvl-A-1TvPya2tye3VcmQ82fB7a0i5tmq2vJVo/w480-h640/369023868_2833115536831296_5981008061577929373_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The flower, like the Dragon Fruits I've mentioned elsewhere, has male and female parts. The many yellow heads on long filaments are anthers, covered with pollen. The structure at the front that looks like a starfish or spider is the stigma, the part that receives pollen. Behind the stigma is a tube called a style, and that leads to the ovule, where the fruit will form. Pollen is deposited on the stigma and grows all the way down to the ovule to fertilize the fruit. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr7x0RvX9V6gvMQKUCypUZ45TGhn4G12Pw4fwx7RLH8RX4aJyX5N4IEpyRr2NZ4FevOXh2XQ03GsozX2hq67qXj9HGLoUVkGZySvksV9vEZM8BXa8LFvNU29TyE__ClT3qYLrYbdVk7_vNu2AL5bPh04j9GDvKW6iniUX0kQmfLPrW2QGS2k0s/s2048/369148941_2833115493497967_1303598743502427556_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="flowering cactus in a hanging basket" border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr7x0RvX9V6gvMQKUCypUZ45TGhn4G12Pw4fwx7RLH8RX4aJyX5N4IEpyRr2NZ4FevOXh2XQ03GsozX2hq67qXj9HGLoUVkGZySvksV9vEZM8BXa8LFvNU29TyE__ClT3qYLrYbdVk7_vNu2AL5bPh04j9GDvKW6iniUX0kQmfLPrW2QGS2k0s/w640-h480/369148941_2833115493497967_1303598743502427556_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw9HlBmkCygoRXoWmwzYPaawMUlieMtHUdsRZR7mJbDfIRcPEuZKulHkOwShtINFt0k8VJ4rhZHHXZBbsV4OoBHfXIFgrb2G_BtIvjcKkE02EivQQNNlNudlJvfN9c64FIiekw9kwwfyUrA282fFh9eL3wNCq9yxy5hfUQ8Odiol_BbteVmOpY/s2048/369157291_2833115593497957_3181524308728548787_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="large cactus in a hanging basket" border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw9HlBmkCygoRXoWmwzYPaawMUlieMtHUdsRZR7mJbDfIRcPEuZKulHkOwShtINFt0k8VJ4rhZHHXZBbsV4OoBHfXIFgrb2G_BtIvjcKkE02EivQQNNlNudlJvfN9c64FIiekw9kwwfyUrA282fFh9eL3wNCq9yxy5hfUQ8Odiol_BbteVmOpY/w640-h480/369157291_2833115593497957_3181524308728548787_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>The reason why everything is soaking is that the photos were taken during Tropical Storm Hilary. It doesn't normally rain three inches in a day in August in Southern California. I don't know why the plant decided to flower on the only day it has ever been indoors, sheltering. I had to take it back out into the storm so they could fully open. <br /><p><br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Lyle Hopwood http://www.peromyscus.blogspot.com/</div>Lyle Hopwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17498505748509787968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34952281.post-42393800062700069372023-08-28T14:05:00.006-07:002023-08-28T14:05:53.441-07:00Khachaturian chilling<p> Khachaturian is my Jackson's Chameleon. </p><p>No, they don't change color to match the background. He is cool-looking, though. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-APqpjdymrfnWF8CgIMGcP3NVKk_joCev8WJBRFHkJCbKqgEFWhDrmH03_iwBq5Ir8LswC5Dp-ExP4ZJHNDHZN9pMOLoBVkwKHHtxQm0_putwLPk_XdwqMpypGwQnSlowW-ePmU2JKCSWdHha2R_ZTGfiWBeeAFMyYluUxaKsnGFI9lSJMrHw/s2048/368978066_2832279250248258_8560967580796602561_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="three horned chameleon on a branch" border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-APqpjdymrfnWF8CgIMGcP3NVKk_joCev8WJBRFHkJCbKqgEFWhDrmH03_iwBq5Ir8LswC5Dp-ExP4ZJHNDHZN9pMOLoBVkwKHHtxQm0_putwLPk_XdwqMpypGwQnSlowW-ePmU2JKCSWdHha2R_ZTGfiWBeeAFMyYluUxaKsnGFI9lSJMrHw/w640-h480/368978066_2832279250248258_8560967580796602561_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Lyle Hopwood http://www.peromyscus.blogspot.com/</div>Lyle Hopwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17498505748509787968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34952281.post-66861922807473210222023-08-28T14:02:00.002-07:002023-08-28T14:02:31.104-07:00Dragon Fruit plants are bearing...uh, fruit.<p> The Dragon Fruit plants both set fruit. Here they are just a few days after pollination. </p><p>I guess the difficulty now is keeping the squirrels, birds and rats from taking the first bites. </p><p><br /></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj_ZVwyTnqAdPeV_ZwwLnCAwXOAlqN9wNHJTXhDUomUBVsadG3LZtbYRypDe46zepnnVLeOblzns-MrNwUnRltQSQdUF7p3bC8RUAD5Mdh_OZ6odLJcCksIfeLNZNUQUjtN9waDZTUKAZdPDrBPXMvO8A6_lc9jAbWbcUBNra4MJiNOVZK5-Clz" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="large cactus with immature fruit" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj_ZVwyTnqAdPeV_ZwwLnCAwXOAlqN9wNHJTXhDUomUBVsadG3LZtbYRypDe46zepnnVLeOblzns-MrNwUnRltQSQdUF7p3bC8RUAD5Mdh_OZ6odLJcCksIfeLNZNUQUjtN9waDZTUKAZdPDrBPXMvO8A6_lc9jAbWbcUBNra4MJiNOVZK5-Clz=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Lyle Hopwood http://www.peromyscus.blogspot.com/</div>Lyle Hopwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17498505748509787968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34952281.post-90389493172243869592023-08-28T13:59:00.000-07:002023-08-28T13:59:13.480-07:00Dragon Fruit plants are starting to pay off. <p>My Dragon Fruit plants started blooming in August. They flower at night and are closing by the morning. Many are self-fertile, assuming there's something around (like me with a paintbrush) to get the pollen from the male parts transferred to the female parts. Some are self-sterile, and need something (e.g. me) to get pollen from a different species before they'll set fruit. The issue is, of course, that you can't control which plants flower when, so you don't always have a choice.</p><p>The flower at the top left is a Zamorano, a Honduran H polyrhizus cross purchased early 2022. </p><p>The others are Delight, H. undatus X H. guatemalensis also purchased as a cutting in early 2022.</p><p>There were arguments online about whether either of these were self-fertile. I moved pollen between all these flowers and most of them set fruit. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgBiyRCWee9VZ1GMLSvj6E_dI5g4Lz9GMFdmXMm-86k_JZ6MhgYqdh9J5WEufyKFRHzq7TjLIBS9yBfiJd3M4kQMSHy6Y4YNqsrbUxoZJWVDuGssIBP0Phlg1Z77kZ8xltdNBaHSWwcM4zHArPoXwS2TKKEELa_LM2kF9b2_QE3DuX47AtQLduJ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1707" data-original-width="1281" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgBiyRCWee9VZ1GMLSvj6E_dI5g4Lz9GMFdmXMm-86k_JZ6MhgYqdh9J5WEufyKFRHzq7TjLIBS9yBfiJd3M4kQMSHy6Y4YNqsrbUxoZJWVDuGssIBP0Phlg1Z77kZ8xltdNBaHSWwcM4zHArPoXwS2TKKEELa_LM2kF9b2_QE3DuX47AtQLduJ=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgGeSd4wSsY7ksQ-YFhJqKP_plnHfwWQM7lnPE8Q0YH5VytDUBvpIlHIaeWfX2eMneeOYBVtRVBz5Gb3ae1cINH-upTizR4eZcYVHmcgIKaGdiNJ9Rdun3jyU4QYhZxHRkr2c8Vf2cWF70Nq4wnpToSpqkieoTBzhW3kgN9YVO3bhQUPi-0FLdz" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1707" data-original-width="1281" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgGeSd4wSsY7ksQ-YFhJqKP_plnHfwWQM7lnPE8Q0YH5VytDUBvpIlHIaeWfX2eMneeOYBVtRVBz5Gb3ae1cINH-upTizR4eZcYVHmcgIKaGdiNJ9Rdun3jyU4QYhZxHRkr2c8Vf2cWF70Nq4wnpToSpqkieoTBzhW3kgN9YVO3bhQUPi-0FLdz=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here is a photo of them fully open, with a man's hand for size comparison. The wooden posts are five foot tall 4x4" fenceposts with jute sackcloth around them. Dragon fruit climb trees in the wild and put roots into the sacking to hold on. The plants are in 15-gallon pots of well-draining soil. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiJluu3z65LuYL2Vp5lH5anzvdAOKLYp2IJYk3B-3gS0cMW9iXkCtCqZeorrHgOY_ft3YBtmXendyjCb74WoyaS3-aiQ6G_6WUWEjyOBr1RxqhE8xb-4ph5dmIIS4aDywGO_x0t_DLesTRNwH0w35h9enXTxEyvgt_QhlXFBTIw8601h_ajQLrq" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiJluu3z65LuYL2Vp5lH5anzvdAOKLYp2IJYk3B-3gS0cMW9iXkCtCqZeorrHgOY_ft3YBtmXendyjCb74WoyaS3-aiQ6G_6WUWEjyOBr1RxqhE8xb-4ph5dmIIS4aDywGO_x0t_DLesTRNwH0w35h9enXTxEyvgt_QhlXFBTIw8601h_ajQLrq=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><br /><br /></div><br /><br /><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /></div><br /><br /></div><br /><br /><p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Lyle Hopwood http://www.peromyscus.blogspot.com/</div>Lyle Hopwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17498505748509787968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34952281.post-73842625749611073562023-08-28T13:37:00.003-07:002023-08-28T13:37:48.844-07:00My day geckos<p> A couple of lizards in my home brood. Grandis Day Geckos, Phelsuma grandis. (Formerly Phelsuma madagascariensis grandis.) Unlike the average gecko in a pet shop, day geckos are awake during the day (hence the name) and so are fun to watch. You can't put one on your shoulder and go out to show off. In fact, even if you open the cage you risk losing them. They are nervous and incredibly fast. As pets they are more like exotic orchids. </p><p>Below, Mr. F, the grandis day gecko. He was 28 years old in July. No, they don't usually live this long.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjB1roa85o37bjz1mv-SH2GU5YvAxU6JYQj1MahNJPtkghioofkpYqVDKzF72kLL2vMZdUhFjeH_FJpEUoAGqT1FkgSTZxZhBCLFHmyi0YqfmpofnXCESGQmCAYjPC3ymN2INSR4iAQTAWknukBQma2cKPForaJ_qaHqUQPie0tI7y4u-6qmwlM" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjB1roa85o37bjz1mv-SH2GU5YvAxU6JYQj1MahNJPtkghioofkpYqVDKzF72kLL2vMZdUhFjeH_FJpEUoAGqT1FkgSTZxZhBCLFHmyi0YqfmpofnXCESGQmCAYjPC3ymN2INSR4iAQTAWknukBQma2cKPForaJ_qaHqUQPie0tI7y4u-6qmwlM=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Below, Baby grandis day gecko, born on 7th July 2023.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Mr F is not the dad. He's a bit past it. The baby's dad is a beautiful high crimson grandis called Legs. He's hard to photograph because he's skittish. Maybe later. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjo5MLYCBZt0xuMYAxtpgzH0vpum5O4f9Oe8LLxRerP2TeAsebDTcusgVHVYDij4haGTk1n-G-xpawLkfx3ILnQCh4KcJ6_908QLkF2iv9zCpGRx5wvR1JySaQguqFOFOieCop16NoBgnkWjSjuWXpYGL1r9MC_Ev9l5pnQQtKEEUFgfRPeGg-U" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjo5MLYCBZt0xuMYAxtpgzH0vpum5O4f9Oe8LLxRerP2TeAsebDTcusgVHVYDij4haGTk1n-G-xpawLkfx3ILnQCh4KcJ6_908QLkF2iv9zCpGRx5wvR1JySaQguqFOFOieCop16NoBgnkWjSjuWXpYGL1r9MC_Ev9l5pnQQtKEEUFgfRPeGg-U=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><br /><br /><p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Lyle Hopwood http://www.peromyscus.blogspot.com/</div>Lyle Hopwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17498505748509787968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34952281.post-41545425487578011252023-06-15T14:09:00.001-07:002023-08-29T10:38:56.304-07:00Arnold (documentary, Netflix)<p>The new Netflix docuseries about Arnold Schwarzenegger, "Arnold" has a lot going on. It's difficult to believe that one man could have done so much, but listening to Arnie's philosophy as he's interviewed today, at 75, you can see how he managed to push himself to get it all done. </p><p>One thing that stood out to me is almost the first scene, a couple of minutes in. Arnold, at 22, wins the Mr. World championship, the career breakthrough that led to a string of bodybuilding titles. </p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi06zkp0eOaDkCWWwqcwTDL8Lnz1uDxGK2MHIlzqdIP9Kcdl-E9KyxXjrD1dYklRaRgKnTxgYvG7tyXaoCkevGl0e5DFfoMQd305NvrfQZ_NleTJ4Iv5YYmVmSygHSUDWU9xd82fTRGWBxqSaVhpB2IQFmvCORYpowy0TFgSfxYbQqW2RCjhQ/s345/70arnold.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img alt="Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1970" border="0" data-original-height="345" data-original-width="250" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi06zkp0eOaDkCWWwqcwTDL8Lnz1uDxGK2MHIlzqdIP9Kcdl-E9KyxXjrD1dYklRaRgKnTxgYvG7tyXaoCkevGl0e5DFfoMQd305NvrfQZ_NleTJ4Iv5YYmVmSygHSUDWU9xd82fTRGWBxqSaVhpB2IQFmvCORYpowy0TFgSfxYbQqW2RCjhQ/w290-h400/70arnold.jpg" title="Arnold Schwarzenegger" width="290" /></a></div><div><br /></div>That's him (from <a href="https://www.joeweider.com/2012/06/13/mr-olympia-report-1970/" target="_blank">Muscle Builder, reprinted at the Joe Weider</a> website.) Incredible size--he weighed 230lbs. There are (nowadays) much bigger bodybuilders with much better cuts (and much better steroid regimes, it should be said), but this photo was taken when he was 22. Talk about genetically gifted. I don't know how it's even possible for someone to grow this much by that age. Building muscle takes time as well as hard work. <div><br /></div><div>From the same webpage, here's Arnold in a line-up with Sergio Oliva (R) and Reg Park (L) at that Mr. World. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6GZ6cGNJmKoeu-3_F_QIxGeovMuCweAu3QHzUkXOW4X-5Brvw_iWDpe_rstYPT_US6tL1CL0WBNqGTnrGI6zy0c7IdArO65VwFMhgoUdPN3p55vd-1jQw9HnWHL10nARZ_ahRItdS0Em3XaIqiJJOabJ36szDEVXuzrbUnsW_mlhQjnuQ0A/s425/70park_arnold_sergio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="287" data-original-width="425" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6GZ6cGNJmKoeu-3_F_QIxGeovMuCweAu3QHzUkXOW4X-5Brvw_iWDpe_rstYPT_US6tL1CL0WBNqGTnrGI6zy0c7IdArO65VwFMhgoUdPN3p55vd-1jQw9HnWHL10nARZ_ahRItdS0Em3XaIqiJJOabJ36szDEVXuzrbUnsW_mlhQjnuQ0A/w400-h270/70park_arnold_sergio.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div><br />Arnold is 22, Reg is 42 and Sergio is 29. I can just about believe a man could get to Sergio's size approximately 17 years after puberty, but to get to Arnold's size after 10?</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, there's about three hours more of the documentary after this, Arnold going from (sorry, I'm going to say it...) strength to strength. <a href="https://forums.ledzeppelin.com/topic/16831-jimmy-pages-philosophy-on-true-will-in-1977/" target="_blank">Jimmy Page once said</a> that he (Jimmy) had followed Crowley's precepts, which he described as first determining your true will, then "forge ahead like a steam train." In Arnold's case I guess he was built like a steam train and carried on from there. </div><div><br /></div><div>(I also watched the Arnie vehicle "<a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/fubar/s01" target="_blank">FUBAR</a>" which is also new on Netflix. Although Arnie is his usual lovable self, the series is barely watchable. If you're interested to see how many cliches and tropes it's possible to throw against the wall and see what sticks and then pick up the ones that didn't stick and use them as well, you can watch it with a cliche bingo card. If that's not your thing, watch something else.)<br /><p><br /></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Lyle Hopwood http://www.peromyscus.blogspot.com/</div>Lyle Hopwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17498505748509787968noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34952281.post-32738571640817505482023-05-31T08:26:00.001-07:002023-05-31T08:26:00.137-07:00Nine Dioptres (short story) now available from IZ Digital<p>My short story <a href="https://interzone.digital/nine-dioptres/?ppwp=1" target="_blank">Nine Dioptres</a> has been published in IZ Digital, joining <a href="https://interzone.digital/sunless/" target="_blank">Sunless </a>(April 2023) and a story in 2021 in the print magazine, Interzone. </p><p>Nine Dioptres is the story of a family of bargees moored along the the River Thames, at Tilbury Enterprise Zone. A visitor asks Aminah to smuggle her south across the river. But the bargees shun modern electronic devices, and there's something strange about the visitor that makes Aminah hesitate to help her. </p><blockquote><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>"</b></span>The town to the north, Tilbury, had died in Aminah’s grandmother’s day, razed, ploughed and planted with Poppier. Her grandmother had told her of the souk on the north bank, where thousands of young women, hardly covered at all, haggled for fine leatherwork and embroidery. In those days, before the border was enforced, the young people crossed the bridges in cars and set up street stalls selling knock-off iPhones and MacBooks, outlawed today as instruments of Satan. Aminah’s mother, Jyutsna Begum, still lived with her grandmother on the water under Lizabeth Bridge. Their cutter’s engine had, of course, been sold for scrap many years before.</blockquote><p><br /></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIQd0HWdghlkd-FpxTOBOA8bUHYT7pB_HK3mvE38RnvFjBvFZ0Uup0A5d9Utxs1vfmoUJcIF3OG8h83GymkFDOnmY0RhP2iTW9H3uJioXxj4stFgXtiGarQ2ytUqE8flRdOIVUlyCg8BKV_QxVmcIhAxxpqVoXtexHl6U4EbR5Q8jaCSVtzA/s2048/illustration-Nine-Dioptres-1536-2048x1198.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img alt="A family stands on a riverbank full of poppies looking at a shining city wall painted with the word "London"" border="0" data-original-height="1198" data-original-width="2048" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIQd0HWdghlkd-FpxTOBOA8bUHYT7pB_HK3mvE38RnvFjBvFZ0Uup0A5d9Utxs1vfmoUJcIF3OG8h83GymkFDOnmY0RhP2iTW9H3uJioXxj4stFgXtiGarQ2ytUqE8flRdOIVUlyCg8BKV_QxVmcIhAxxpqVoXtexHl6U4EbR5Q8jaCSVtzA/w400-h234/illustration-Nine-Dioptres-1536-2048x1198.jpg" title="Illustration by Emma Howitt for IZ Digital" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Illustration by Emma Howitt for IZ Digital</div> <p></p><p>Background to the story</p><p>For those interested in the genesis of the story: Even today, London has enterprise zones between Canvey Island and Dagenham, and the government is eager to develop the zones as <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/990321/Freeport_Location_Maps.pdf" target="_blank">Freeports, or Free Trade Zones</a>, in which excise taxes are not applicable <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jul/06/what-is-a-free-port-all-you-need-to-know-about-free-trade-zones-brexit" target="_blank">until goods are moved out of the zone and into the UK proper</a>. Although inside the UK physically, the zones are outside it for certain purposes. </p><p>In the story, the people living in the freeports, including on the river, cannot enter London without a passport. The sea level has risen, causing some population changes in the area (and a lot of new marshland) but a second, much larger Thames Barrier at Southend keeps floods from London proper. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6dMoNyOG5VoOQcJs4j6U_tmIn00Ugkhk_lmAu5pjdM99qFdRIL-nIDpJJMWVUgzrWWEwPBkAoHL7wfBiwmgs0EPndBAymRX_CwUW3Q4QHj-_eulScsRbHab5gDMQnQh29d_EVv4vltZ_IwrAReK5Xt7s-CI4fjHve-IE1qCjxM42xC7k7Dg/s3000/blueorangeanne7%20copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="3000" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6dMoNyOG5VoOQcJs4j6U_tmIn00Ugkhk_lmAu5pjdM99qFdRIL-nIDpJJMWVUgzrWWEwPBkAoHL7wfBiwmgs0EPndBAymRX_CwUW3Q4QHj-_eulScsRbHab5gDMQnQh29d_EVv4vltZ_IwrAReK5Xt7s-CI4fjHve-IE1qCjxM42xC7k7Dg/w640-h256/blueorangeanne7%20copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Lyle Hopwood http://www.peromyscus.blogspot.com/</div>Lyle Hopwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17498505748509787968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34952281.post-53505581210141213422023-05-30T20:26:00.000-07:002023-05-30T20:26:26.147-07:00Blood Fiction v.2: A Lyle Hopwood short story announcement<p> I'm very pleased to let everyone know that <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Fiction-v-2-Mark-Sevi/dp/B0C6BQHSNJ" target="_blank">Mark Sevi's Blood Fiction volume 2</a> was released today. </p><p>As well as a blockbuster list of contributing authors (including the stylishly horrorific Stephen Myer) it features a story by Yours Truly, Lyle Hopwood. </p><p></p><blockquote>Called <b>Writ Large</b>, it concerns the fate of star executive travel assistant Irene as she plans an unforeseen trip to New Orleans and gets there just in time. </blockquote><p> </p><p></p><p></p><blockquote><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></span></blockquote><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Fiction-v-2-Mark-Sevi/dp/B0C6BQHSNJ" target="_blank">Available right now at Amazon.</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqGEFR6hS66qixcItlnEzT6EOkPbyZxpcl3nRUe0PgMSXooA90Vem_nkZvbIcmukno7e-5hLwUntAc7f-f9IMvCg4AyNsBNA6uI5IUZeYdA5gI3r2izQorCGE7RCEunLmAhtWBIv1aiVz8RWyJLgkMLo0pP0zYafgQlW654WV8UzZsDc-oxw/s2850/blood%20fiction.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Cover of Blood Fiction" border="0" data-original-height="1917" data-original-width="2850" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqGEFR6hS66qixcItlnEzT6EOkPbyZxpcl3nRUe0PgMSXooA90Vem_nkZvbIcmukno7e-5hLwUntAc7f-f9IMvCg4AyNsBNA6uI5IUZeYdA5gI3r2izQorCGE7RCEunLmAhtWBIv1aiVz8RWyJLgkMLo0pP0zYafgQlW654WV8UzZsDc-oxw/w640-h430/blood%20fiction.png" title="Blood Fiction v.2: If it bleeds, it leads" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></span><blockquote><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></span><blockquote><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Snake Kings. Killer men and women. Spooky zoos. Oddballs, screwballs, cueballs (hurtled, of course) -<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span class="a-text-bold" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 700 !important;">Shredded wheat without milk...?</span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Oh, no!<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span class="a-text-italic" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic !important;">Terror beyond any comprehension!</span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Or close enough.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />This anthology of challenging fiction runs the gamut of styles, motifs, and genres that will move the reader into uncomfortable realms and nightmarish visions about the world and its many unexpected pitfalls.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />The unifying theme of violence: physical, mental, emotional, psychological is delivered with the sharp bang of shotgun, the smack of a baseball bat hitting flesh, and the screaming madness of the lost striving to get free from their horrible fates.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Grave robbers, spooky places and people, killers, cops, and so much more.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Powerful, unblinking - the works here are guaranteed to shock and shake.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Thirteen returning authors, five new terrifying voices...<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Amazing stories all around.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Pull the spiked baseball bat closer...<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />You're never safe with Blood Fiction!</span></blockquote><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></span></blockquote><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></span></blockquote><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></span><p></p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Fiction-v-2-Mark-Sevi/dp/B0C6BQHSNJ" target="_blank">Get your Kindle or paperback copy at Amazon</a> and elsewhere. </p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Lyle Hopwood http://www.peromyscus.blogspot.com/</div>Lyle Hopwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17498505748509787968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34952281.post-3916147489671913072023-05-30T14:09:00.001-07:002023-05-30T14:09:12.698-07:00ChatGPT has a day in court<iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/GExSDY6Wz9Y" width="480"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GExSDY6Wz9Y" target="_blank">From Lawful Masses by Leonard French.</a></div><div><br /></div><div>The case (the real case) is Mata v. Avianca, Inc.<br /><div><br /></div><div>I need to do my little bit in reminding people that ChatGPT (so called "AI") is not a reliable source. </div><div><br /></div><div>This video looks into the case of a lawyer who relied on a search for previous related cases carried out through ChatGPT. It's probably not a surprise that ChatGPT, always so eager to be of use to its inquisitors, was able to "find" a number of cases, which it cited. The searcher gave this presumed body of case law to the lawyer, who presented them to the court, apparently without checking the citations existed and said what they were claimed to say.</div><div><br /></div><div>The opposing lawyers looked them up in the cited documents, only to find they did not exist. They wrote to the judge giving their findings and now the lawyer is being required to go to court himself to justify his actions. </div><div><br /></div><div>The video goes into details, some of which are quite amusing, since ChatGPT does not actually "understand" what it is writing. In one case, the "searched" document discusses a wrongful death lawsuit brought by Susan Varghese as personal representative of deceased George Varghese.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL3XhCex6bJ3QL4V6-zIKKlxjbI_pNYBrMHAVwHa2JhhFBF7cqYIcbkFj9uzBU33bwfRNg5-cZwzBJ1nmGuQS_dkrm9r6pqTy1X3pMdFqONWalujNwDjZAN2nR21pusxLRTxwQvZf5U01ONxIVQBD21G0RD74pU4TBRGXHUIpQc3OBmZXaGw/s1125/2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Portion of the "searched" document discusses a wrongful death lawsuit brought by Susan Varghese as personal representative of deceased George Varghese." border="0" data-original-height="624" data-original-width="1125" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL3XhCex6bJ3QL4V6-zIKKlxjbI_pNYBrMHAVwHa2JhhFBF7cqYIcbkFj9uzBU33bwfRNg5-cZwzBJ1nmGuQS_dkrm9r6pqTy1X3pMdFqONWalujNwDjZAN2nR21pusxLRTxwQvZf5U01ONxIVQBD21G0RD74pU4TBRGXHUIpQc3OBmZXaGw/w640-h354/2.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>But the "citation" goes on to say:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikowtOR5_QgztKTjzKhlhPPNPHVuPn-FF0835rdFASpQqdLwltngV2HujrtQgJVnK6mb6GxKeAhAkUDImzH504lI3yoJEJ55lXvvg1TrZsnXUiarSbON4DxD-r50T93rw0HFOhQMDo7cHn-iTV0cVq2q-oYpUaABBdHn3hux73mAE7Gwd1sQ/s1140/Screenshot%202023-05-30%20135432.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Second following-on portion of the document switches Anish Varghese and a breach of contract allegation" border="0" data-original-height="666" data-original-width="1140" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikowtOR5_QgztKTjzKhlhPPNPHVuPn-FF0835rdFASpQqdLwltngV2HujrtQgJVnK6mb6GxKeAhAkUDImzH504lI3yoJEJ55lXvvg1TrZsnXUiarSbON4DxD-r50T93rw0HFOhQMDo7cHn-iTV0cVq2q-oYpUaABBdHn3hux73mAE7Gwd1sQ/w640-h374/Screenshot%202023-05-30%20135432.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>Anish Varghese (who's he?) was denied boarding due to overbooking, missed his flight and is alleging breach of contract. </div><div><br /></div><div>So, hardly a wrongful death suit. </div><div><br /></div><div>The whole video is worth watching to see what "mistakes were made" in relying on the output of AI text generators without extensive checks. </div><div><br /></div><div>PS this post isn't legal advice and I am not a lawyer. </div><div><br /></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Lyle Hopwood http://www.peromyscus.blogspot.com/</div>Lyle Hopwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17498505748509787968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34952281.post-30193911999782079952023-05-22T21:43:00.004-07:002023-05-30T22:15:31.307-07:00Writing and publishing an SF short story - A Case History <p>Writing's not always straightforward. My story "Sunless," was recently published. Here's a case history in the hope it helps writers.</p>
<div id="toc"><label><svg height="16" version="1.1" viewbox="0 0 22 16" width="22"><path d="M0 3h14v3h-14v-3zM0 7h14v3h-14v-3zM0 11h14v3h-14v-3z"></path><path d="M15.5 9l3 3 3-3z"></path><path d="M21.5 8l-3-3-3 3z"></path></svg><span>Contents</span></label><input id="toc-toggle" style="display: none;" type="checkbox" /><div id="toggle-div"><ul><li class="H3"><a href="#sunless-took-16-years-to-write.">Sunless took 16 years to write. </a></li><li class="H3"><a href="#first-drafts-of-my-last-breath">First drafts of My Last Breath</a></li><li class="H3"><a href="#reception">Reception</a></li><li class="H3"><a href="#sunless">Sunless</a></li><li class="H3"><a href="#how-did-i-think-of-all">How did I think of all that weird stuff?</a></li><li class="H3"><a href="#the-funicular—sf-trope">The Funicular—SF Trope</a></li><li class="H3"><a href="#getting-published-">Getting published </a></li><li class="H3"><a href="#records-kept">Records kept</a></li><li class="H3"><a href="#signing-the-contract">Signing the Contract</a></li><li class="H3"><a href="#links">Links</a></li></ul></div></div><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<h3 id="sunless-took-16-years-to-write.">Sunless took 16 years to write. <o:p></o:p></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal">In 2022, I wrote the final version of "Sunless,"<a href="https://interzone.digital/sunless/" target="_blank"> which was published in May 2023</a>. It’s the story of a card shark called Tomey
who becomes <i>persona non grata</i> after taking in too much money at a big
casino. He retreats to a poor part of town, ready to work his way back up again,
but gets into a fight with a group of people who don’t like his kind. He is a genetically
engineered agricultural worker, green-skinned like the plants he was designed
to tend. A woman tells him she can get him off-planet via the space elevator, but
once he’s on board ur ernyvmrf ur’f orra genssvpxrq gb fyniref jub arrq crbcyr gb jbex gurve bja terraubhfrf. Ur rkvgf gur fcnprfuvc, erylvat ba uvf cubgbflagurgvp novyvgvrf gb fhccyl bkltra va gur fhayvtug, naq znantrf gb obneq nabgure fuvc. Ur’f haqbphzragrq, ohg serr – naq unf n fgnfu bs pelcgbpheerapl gb fgneg nserfu ryfrjurer. (Spoiler has been Rot13'd for those who haven't read it. <a href="https://rot13.com/" target="_blank">Decode ROT13 here.</a>)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Back i<a href="https://peromyscus.blogspot.com/p/funicular-story-version-6-11-2006.html" target="_blank">n May 2006 I first had the idea to describe a marshalling yard</a><span class="MsoHyperlink"> </span> – an area where railroad cars are shunted to
form trains and assigned a track and a locomotive. My yard, however, was for
freight ferried on spaceships hooked up to a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_elevator" target="_blank">space elevator</a>,
or as I called it, an orbital funicular. The draft described a green man standing at a
fence looking at ships. Four young human boys collecting engine numbers turn to
abuse him as a man-made being, a “fabrico.” The description was mostly sensory,
centering on the sounds and smells of the heavily mechanical spaceport.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The fabrico, Tomey, was about to bribe his way on to a
spaceship heading to (as he sees it) the Promised Land. On the way he meets an
alien often said to presage bad luck. As he embarks he sees the same alien hiding in
the links between carriages on the funicular. The journey is cursed, and as the
ship leaves the funicular and reaches space, he learns that food is tight and
he may be thrown out of the airlock. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This first draft was abandoned on 06-11-2006 at 1750 words.
I’d intended to go on to describe how Tomey, engineered to photosynthesize like
a plant, simply slept in the ship’s hydroponics bay, not requiring
food, thus saving himself and allowing the ship to reach its destination. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The initial idea for the piece was based on lines from Blues and R‘n’B songs. The theme was the common one of getting on a
train and reaching the promised land – with a science fiction twist. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/chuckberry/promisedland.html" target="_blank">“The Promised Land”</a> itself is a song by Chuck Berry, describing a trip from Norfolk,
Virginia to California. The second line was from <a href="https://peromyscus.blogspot.com/p/lyrics-to-hell-bound-train-downbound.html#catfish" target="_blank">Jimi Hendrix’s version of “Catfish Blues</a>,” “But there’s not one [train], Lord, that’s
going my way.” The next was “Lien on my soul,” from Robert Johnson’s “Traveling
Riverside<i> </i>Blues” and the third was “I see my Black Dog coming” from
Blind Blake’s “Black Dog Blues.” “Black Dog, Black Dog, you caused me to weep
and moan…I’m quitting your hard luck line.” <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I couldn’t drop the idea and revisited it regularly, but
never found a way to make it work. I think having the protagonist pay for a
ticket and the Retor be the only character who is riding the rails (hiding
between freight cars like a hobo) made it hard to fit in with its intended symbolism. <o:p></o:p></p>
<h3 id="first-drafts-of-my-last-breath">First drafts of My Last Breath<o:p></o:p></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal">By 2020 I had a different framing in mind<span class="MsoHyperlink"> </span><a href="https://peromyscus.blogspot.com/p/my-last-breath-version-06-26-2021.html" target="_blank">(link to story).</a> I took inspiration from Alan Lomax’s folk recording of “<a href="https://peromyscus.blogspot.com/p/lyrics-to-hell-bound-train-downbound.html#hellbound" target="_blank">Hell Bound Train</a>,” in which a cowboy drunk in a bar dreams he’s on a train to Hell,
and on waking up he vows to avoid this fate, along with <a href="https://peromyscus.blogspot.com/p/lyrics-to-hell-bound-train-downbound.html#downbound" target="_blank">Chuck Berry’s “Downbound Train</a>,” where a “stranger” drunk on a bar-room floor
similarly dreams he’s on a train to Hell. Chuck’s lyrics are filled with vivid <i>Delirium
Tremens</i> imagery of devils and flames and bones. The Stranger wakes up and
reconsiders his life choices. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In this version, instead of starting at the marshalling yard, I started
earlier, where Tomey first gets the notion to leave his planet and
head for the Promised Land. Tomey, genetically engineered to photosynthesize like a plant,
is green in the first draft but yellow from living indoors under room light in
other drafts. Instead of meeting the bad luck Retor, he meets his priest,
handing out tracts. The priest tells him he’s going to Hell if he doesn’t mend
his ways. “You must fight the Devil to your very last breath,” the priest says. He
holds up a Rosary fashioned from the toy we call a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob%27s_ladder_(toy)" target="_blank">Jacob’s Ladder</a>, and as the
mirrors turn over and flash, Tomey sees the Devil behind him, at his heels. Entering
a bar, he gets into a fight where a Kuru woman saves him and sends him to the
funicular. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There he meets the Devadip, who asks him for a
cryptocurrency token and gives him instructions on how to get to the passenger
terminal. The Customs men are playing chess as he passes their booth. He boards
the ship and basks under the cabin lights to green his skin. The Devadip tells
him he’s just a Ferry Man who accompanies people to the other side. Tomey puts
two and two together and realizes he is not on a spaceship, but on the ferry
between life and death, and as the priest said, he’s going to Hell. He tries to
grab the Devadip, but the man-bat escapes and flies down. Tomey follows him out
of the airlock, letting out his last breath in the thinning air, but the Captain pokes his horned head
out and tells Tomey, “You paid the full fare. You’re getting the full ride.” It
comes to Tomey in a flash that since he’s not breathing, the Devil must cease
fighting him, and he will win. He escapes. This intermediate draft was called “My
Last Breath.” <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I tried three separate versions of “My Last Breath<span class="MsoHyperlink">” </span><a href="https://peromyscus.blogspot.com/p/my-last-breath-intermediate-drafts.html" target="_blank">(link to versions),</a><span class="MsoHyperlink"> </span>redoing the beginning and
end, trying to get either a circular story (where he ends up back on New Hawaii,
the inference being he never left and the episode was a dream) or an escape
story (he gets on an upbound ship and starts a new life). <o:p></o:p></p>
<h3 id="reception">Reception<o:p></o:p></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal">“My Last Breath” was roundly criticized by my reading group.
I’d worked hard to put in the Hellbound aspect, but I could never make “Hell”
up above, in orbit. It seems impossible to make an upbound ship appear to be
going to Hell. The critique group didn’t like the priest, didn’t get the implication
of paying a ferryman a token, or realize the captain was the Devil. Getting
back to where he started, like the cowboy and the stranger in the songs, didn’t
key the readers in that this was not a real, physical journey, or why he would
turn his life around afterwards. One thing I’m definitely finding as I write is
that rock lyrics and blues lyrics just do not translate to prose. I don’t know
why, but it doesn’t come over. <o:p></o:p></p>
<h3 id="sunless">Sunless<o:p></o:p></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal">I ditched the concept of “My Last Breath” after June 2021. I
simplified the story. No Priest, no Devil, no omens. I rewrote it as an
adventure story of a gambler who lost his credit and got into a bar fight. His rescuer
turns out to be a human trafficker, selling him into slavery in orbital
greenhouses.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The final version of the story is called “<a href="https://interzone.digital/sunless/" target="_blank">Sunless</a>.” It soon found a home.</p>
<h3 id="how-did-i-think-of-all">How did I think of all that weird stuff?<o:p></o:p></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal">The final version was the simplest, with a movie-style
plot, set pieces of rising action, a final ordeal as he loses his grip on the upbound
ship and a happy ending. The supernatural, the mythic resonances, the call-back
to Earthly struggles – all gone. But there is a considerable amount of world-building.<o:p></o:p></p>
<h3 id="the-funicular—sf-trope">The Funicular—SF Trope<o:p></o:p></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal">The orbital elevator is what’s known as a trope. Not in the
original sense, the use of figurative language such as a figure of speech, but the
modern meaning: A common element, premise or theme used often in a particular
genre. </p><p class="MsoNormal">The space elevator was conceived as a thought experiment in 1895 by
Konstantin Tsiolkovsky as he contemplated the Eiffel Tower, and popularized by
SF writer Arthur C Clarke in his 1978 book <i>The Fountains of Paradise</i>. Tsiolkovsky
was an aerospace engineer. There’s a crater named after him on the Dark Side of
the Moon. Clarke was one of the first to publish the idea of satellites as
radio relays in 1945 (though of course, Tsiolkovsky had already thought of man-made
satellites) which became reality on the launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957. </p><p class="MsoNormal">As we writers
use these ideas we are standing on the back of giants, and their uncommon leaps
of carefully nurtured intuition become our building blocks, our tropes.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Other examples of tropes in literature include faster-than-light travel, alternate universes and alien invasions. None of these things occur
in the real world but we have learned about them and how to manipulate them
from long familiarity. We know the effects of silver bullets, garlic, and
crucifixes on vampires and werewolves. Similarly, we know that a weary police
detective, pulled back in for one last reluctant case, will have a major
adventure that threatens his very life. We know the drunk, PTSD-ridden fighter pilot will put down his
bottle of Jack Daniels and fire up a crop duster plane when the time comes to repel
the aliens. These are all <i>tropes</i>. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Having an orbital elevator to hand, I thought up what would
come down (tourists and money – a tribute to the Sex Pistols’ “<a href="https://genius.com/Sex-pistols-god-save-the-queen-lyrics" target="_blank">God Save the Queen</a>”) and what could go up (the things that normally slip over borders – refugees
and trafficked humans). <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Photosynthetic skin is not a new idea either, but it’s
normally been avoided as the amount of energy the 1.7 sq m of human skin can
absorb (at 300 watts per sq meter in the noonday sun) is not nearly enough. (A few dozen kilojoules a day could be generated,
insufficient to power the 10 million joules a day a man would require.) I hand-wave
over that. Tomey has plenty of stored fat for a few days. He just needs the
oxygen generated during the chemical reaction. I used neo-chlorophyll as an
extra hand-wave, just to up the efficiency a bit. (Plants are not at all
efficient energy creators. They don’t need to be.)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So, the pieces of the story were already lying around. Putting
them together was what took all the time. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Sixteen years.<o:p></o:p></p>
<h3 id="getting-published-">Getting published <o:p></o:p></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal">I use <a href="https://thegrinder.diabolicalplots.com/" target="_blank">The Submission Grinder,</a>
which tells me the markets that are currently open for the kinds of stories I
write. Plug the details into the search engine, look for a likely candidate,
then read the website and, if unfamiliar with the magazine, read sample copies
before submitting. I take the submissions guidelines seriously. If the publication
wants manuscripts less than 2000 words in a sans serif font and two inch
margins, that’s what I send. It can take four months for a submission to be read
and generally no feedback is given (except for “This is not right for us at
this time.”).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“My Last Breath” went to four magazines with no
luck. The new version, “Sunless,” was accepted 8/18/2022.
It was published 8 months later. Payment was on publication.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Some stories are much easier. “Blackpool Tower,” a story
about a young girl from a broken home whose adult friend turns out to be the
king of an alien planet, was written in a few hours and accepted by the second
market I sent it to. “<a href="https://aurealis.com.au/store/aurealis-157/" target="_blank">Autonomous</a>,”
about a call-center employee troubleshooting self-driving cars, took a long
time to write and critique but was accepted by the third market. “<a href="https://interzone.digital/nine-dioptres/" target="_blank">Nine Dioptres,” recently published by IZ Digital</a> was sent directly
to them.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Some are as difficult as “Sunless.” “Nerves of Steel” was
written in 2006 and sent out ten times. It was overhauled in 2020, taking out
all references to rock guitar and changing them to Harry Styles/Boy Band
references, and renamed. It was then accepted by the second market I sent it to (details will follow when I have them).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I want to thank my reading/critiquing group for helping push
all of these over the finish line.<o:p></o:p></p>
<h3 id="records-kept">Records kept<o:p></o:p></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal">In my records, each story has three identifiers. The original name (in this
case “My Last Breath”) is the primary identifier. The second is the name of the
current major version, “Sunless.” The third is a random number from a
generator, which changes each time <i>any</i> changes are made. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">For example, if I’d sent “Sunless” to an Australian
magazine, it could be in my records as My Last Breath, version Sunless,
filename Sunless 757.docx. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">If I then sent it to an American magazine it could be in my
records as My Last Breath, version Sunless, filename Sunless 858.docx.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">
</p><p class="MsoNormal">If both rejected the story, I would be able to tell which
one was in Australian English and which was in American English for future use. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">You may be surprised how markets differ. Some want single-space
manuscripts, no author’s name anywhere, and some want double-space, 1 ½”
margins, author’s name, telephone number, and address. Some want no headers or
footers, some want page numbers in the footer. All of those would get different numbers in the file name for ease of cataloging. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I also keep a file of cover letters because boy, are editors
picky about what goes in the cover letter. I need to know what I’ve said about
myself and my publishing history. <o:p></o:p></p>
<h3 id="signing-the-contract">Signing the Contract<o:p></o:p></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal">All online and print magazines should have some kind of
written agreement or contract. If they don’t have one, write your own and get
them to sign it. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Sunless’s contract has the following, which is quite
typical. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->1. “Planet wide” and “English” rights mentioned
upfront.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->7. “First Electronic rights in English,”
exclusive for six months after publication.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->9. There’s a carve-out for Best of the Year
anthologies, as they typically appear quickly after publication.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->11. Publication agrees to place a copyright
notice on the work.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->13. I agree to provide a photo of me they can
use whenever they want to for publicity purposes.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->14. I warrant I have not previously published
the piece.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->22. Sets down which state or country’s laws
govern the agreement in case of dispute.</p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </p>
<h3 id="links">Links<o:p></o:p></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal">6-11-2006 Funicular Story <a href="https://peromyscus.blogspot.com/p/funicular-story-version-6-11-2006.html">https://peromyscus.blogspot.com/p/funicular-story-version-6-11-2006.html</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">06-26-2021 My Last Breath <a href="https://peromyscus.blogspot.com/p/my-last-breath-version-06-26-2021.html">https://peromyscus.blogspot.com/p/my-last-breath-version-06-26-2021.html</a>
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My Last Breath 3 alternative endings <a href="https://peromyscus.blogspot.com/p/my-last-breath-intermediate-drafts.html">https://peromyscus.blogspot.com/p/my-last-breath-intermediate-drafts.html</a>
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Lyrics to Hell-Bound Train, Downbound Train and Catfish
Blues<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://peromyscus.blogspot.com/p/lyrics-to-hell-bound-train-downbound.html#hellbound">https://peromyscus.blogspot.com/p/lyrics-to-hell-bound-train-downbound.html#hellbound</a>
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://peromyscus.blogspot.com/p/lyrics-to-hell-bound-train-downbound.html#downbound">https://peromyscus.blogspot.com/p/lyrics-to-hell-bound-train-downbound.html#downbound</a>
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://peromyscus.blogspot.com/p/lyrics-to-hell-bound-train-downbound.html#catfish">https://peromyscus.blogspot.com/p/lyrics-to-hell-bound-train-downbound.html#catfish</a>
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Final, published version of Sunless May 2023 <a href="https://interzone.digital/sunless/">https://interzone.digital/sunless/</a>
<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Nine Dioptres, IZ Digital, May 2023. <a href="https://interzone.digital/nine-dioptres/">https://interzone.digital/nine-dioptres/</a> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><style id="toc-style">#toggle-div {display: block}:checked + #toggle-div {display: none;}#toc {border: 1px solid black;background-color:white; display:block;}#toc-toggle {display:none} #toc label span {margin: 3px;position: absolute;}#toc label svg {margin-top: 5px;} #toc p, #toc label {padding:0.4em;font-weight:bold;}#toc ul {list-style-type: none;margin-left:0;padding-left:0;}#toc li.H1 {padding:0.5em 0.5em;}#toc li.H2 {padding:0.5em 2em;}#toc li.H3 {padding-left:4em;}#toc a {text-decoration:none;color:black;}</style><div class="blogger-post-footer">Lyle Hopwood http://www.peromyscus.blogspot.com/</div>Lyle Hopwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17498505748509787968noreply@blogger.com0