Lone Locust Productions

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  • Novel Writing without Thomas Hardy

    It’s been a long time coming.

    Ten years, in fact, since I first formulated the idea for Fusion Patrol: 1999 as a Public Access TV series.

    Sadly, due to significant logistical problems that proved to be our undoing, we only got as far as producing the pilot episode, The Last Pizza and about 60% of principal photography on the second episode, Feng Shui.

    Nonetheless, I have a significant pile (that’s the technical term) of material associated with it. Scripts, scraps of ideas and snippets of dialog all litter (that’s also the technical term) my hard drives. From time to time I dust them off and say, “I really need to do something with this.” I re-adapted them as radio plays, tried to storyboard them as comic books and even toyed with the idea of generating them in a CGI form, but all to no avail.

    Two weeks ago, I undertook my latest effort, the novelization.

    This is quite an interesting project. I’ve set a target of about 75,000-85,000 words, which is typical of the accepted publishing size of a new author, and am currently seven chapters into the book at about the 16,000 word mark. What’s interesting is the discipline of writing.

    Writers are funny birds.

    I used to know this guy who owned a bookstore, and then he decided to write novels. I certainly don’t claim him as more than an acquaintance, and although he’s a nice guy, he’s not the type I’d hang out with. (He’s the chain-smoking, hard-drinking, hard-liquor type.) Anyway, I was talking to him one day before his first book was published, and we came across the topic of writer’s discipline. He explained his system to me.

    Every day I get up, I go to my typewriter and I write one chapter of my book before I allow myself a cigarette or a bourbon.

    Now, neither of those appeals to me, so they wouldn’t work for me, but I thought to myself, “Wow, that’s one way to force yourself to write.” Then his book came out and I was comped a copy. I sat down to read the first chapter, hearing his words in my mind, as I read the first page. I turned the page and I was now reading Chapter 2. So much for discipline. 🙂

    On the other hand, I’ve read of the habits of other authors, such as Leslie Charteris and Ian Flemming, both had disciplined systems, treating their writing as (shock and awe) their job. They had set routines that they stuck to each day.

    I’m afraid that doesn’t work for me, I find my writing to be very similar to the way I program. I’m a very fast programmer when I’m in the zone as it were, but I’m easily distracted. It helps when I turn up music really loud to drown out the rest of the world (Often, 007 or Star Trek soundtracks, or the Beatles or Herb Alpert). I can’t sleep with music on, it keeps my mind too active, but I can write because it seems to keep me on track. I never had understood that.

    Still, I find myself plowing through a certain portion of the novel or a program and then, I must get up, pace dramatically around the room and go over in mind where I’ve been and where I’m going.

    Any other writers out there have their quirky systems to share?

  • Fun with traffic – Taiwan

    Here’s an amusing little video from Taiwan (fortunately, I don’t think anyone was too badly hurt.)

    In Taiwan, scooters are supposed to drive on the right, and when they want to make a left turn they are supposed to cross straight across the intersection, then stop, reposition their scooter and continue to the left when the light has changed. In short, they are obligated to follow pedestrian rules.

    One of the scooters on the right shows why you should obey traffic laws.

    Incidentally, on more than one occasion, I’ve seen taxis perform this exact same maneuver. Now that’s really scary!

    Link found at The Real Taiwan

  • A day at the solar-powered zoo

    It’s a beautiful day in Phoenix. The sky is blue and the temperature is pleasantly in the high 60s.

    So we took the kids to the zoo and it was just gorgeous. But, the zoo is the zoo.

    This post is just to show a picture of the solar-powered garbage cans.

    Edit: 11-30-2008: Here’s more information on this particular device, the BigBelly Solar trash compaction system, there’s also an amusing video. I have to say, I’m somewhat skeptical, but if it works…

  • Killer plants can be fun

    Looks like the BBC is (again) remaking John Wyndham’s Day of the Triffids.

    No complaints here, I love that story, and the whole notion of the entire planet being blinded by a natural events rings so plausible.

    Well, Assuming such an event would occur, who wouldn’t look up at it? And then it’s too late – you’re plant food.

  • Another MacBook problem

    Here’s one thing I hate: Starting blog posts with the sentence, “I love my MacBook, but…”

    Sadly, this is another of those posts.

    My MacBook is a early serial number, first revision MacBook. It’s only a Core Duo and it doesn’t have 802.11n wireless, but it’s been a good computer – when it’s working.

    It’s had video problems, mainboard problems (which are one and the same) and a defective original battery.

    Now, it’s a defective replacement battery.

    Recently, I noticed that when I run the battery down, the battery life is good, but the machine doesn’t hibernate when it reaches the end. The day before yesterday I happened to pick the computer up differently than I usually do and I realized there was a big lump in the bottom of the computer. Sure enough, I have an expanding battery.

    What am I thankful for this Thanksgiving? That I have AppleCare. A quick call to Apple yesterday morning and a new battery arrived today.

    Still, I just wish it would stop having these problems. AppleCare runs out in about 180 days and then…

  • Risible politicians and quizes

    I would appear that a simple civics (and basic economics) test manages to fox most Americans. The so-called “average person” scores an appalling 49%, while (I would say, predictably) elected officials only score 44%.

    Even when you take into account that the “average” person is… well, by definition… not one of our brightest lights, that’s still embarrassing. Are people just collectively picking their naval lint throughout life?

    I’m a sucker for this kind of test. In fact, that’s what got me through school – the bad grades of others inspired me to rub their faces in it. It certainly wasn’t application of self or academic rigor.

    In this interest of disclosure, I scored a disappointing 90.91%. I expected a 100%. (and I dispute one answer)

    Take the quiz here, at the Intercollegiate Studies Institute.

    You can learn more about the findings here.

    I learned of this quiz by way of Stranger Fruit.

    49%… I’d expect to be able to do that well about civics in any of the world’s other English-speaking democracies.

  • Quantum of Solace – Review

    Not since Goldeneye have I walked out a Bond movie with such an awful taste in my mouth.

    (more…)

  • Firsts for boys

    One of those inconvenient truths about parenting is that awkward time between potty training and actually being able to use a public restroom unaided.

    With Michelle I was able to escape that duty fairly easily. I only had to take her to a men’s room two or three times before she could go unassisted to the women’s room.

    James, for the most part, has also “gone with mommy” but considerably more often he’s wanted to go with me and I have no good excuse not to take him.

    Obviously, the art of standing up to urinate is something probably best taught father to son.

    This is something that James already knows how to do but today was something different. Today is the first time James had to use a urinal. The event was forced on him by a “standing room only” condition in the stalls.

    No pictures of the momentous occaision. (To, no doubt, the relief of the entire world.)

  • Why the iPhone Rules the World – Shazam and SnapTell

    I just picked up two new free applications at the iTunes store today and both of them are fantastic beyond belief!

    The first is SnapTell Explorer, a program that will, no doubt, get iPhones banned from bookstores inside of 6 weeks. Just use the iPhone to snap a picture of a book, CD, DVD or video game and the image is transferred to SnapTell, identified and links to Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Wikipedia, Google and other sources are sent back to you. Perfect for when you don’t want to pay $39 for a computer book you can buy for $26 at amazon.com.

    I tested this program on about 25 technical books, 5 to 10 old paperbacks, several DVDs and at least 2 video games (WII) and had about a 95% success rate. (And I have some pretty obscure stuff.) This is the application I’ve been dreaming about since the first cameraphone was invented.

    Second, not quite as useful to me, but even cooler, is Shazam.

    Like SnapTell this is a program to identify and purchase things. Instead of the camera it uses the microphone to record 12 seconds of audio and then identifies the song for you. I’ve been putting this one to the test since I got home and it’s also had an impressive hit rate. It’s only missed one “popular” music genre song – something a little obscure by Herb Alpert. It’s also done a darned fine job identifying music only tracks from various James Bond soundtracks.

    Here’s a little story I think I forgot to blog: I watch international cricket and, when possible, English county cricket. In English cricket, there is a song they play when a Six Boundary is hit, it’s an instrumental piece, a rather jazzy trumpet or horn segment. I love that song, I also had no clue what it was. Google searches were to no avail. I put two separate friends who had both resided in England during the 80’s trying to help me identify it.

    After a very long afternoon one day, one of them an I spent hours looking at videos, listening to various audio clips, etc until we finally identified this song: Tom Hark, by the Piranhas. In the US, it’s an obscure 80’s song that really never got play here. After identifying it, I was finally able to get the song.

    Shazam identified it in 12 seconds.

    That’s impressive indeed

  • Here come the trains!

    The December 27th arrival of the light rail is just around the corner and I’ve even seen a train or two out on the tracks near the house.

    Unfortunately, more often than not, what I usually see are morons, and I’m not the only one to notice. According to light rail operator Kim Zablonski:

    “People are walking down the tracks to get where they’re going, riding their bicycles, ignoring the fact the tracks are for trains only, they’re driving their vehicles down the tracks”

    You can read a bit more about preparations at ABC 15.

    Link: ABC15 => Metro Light Rail prepares for debut.