What Bill Thinks

Beautiful Steampunk Art and Video

2009-02-28T07:19:00.000-08:00

Courtesy of Natania Barron, authoress of the the book and blog The Aldersgate Cycle, I discovered the winning entries to a steampunk art and video contest held by the CGSociety, entitled Steampunk Myths & Legends

It is truly full of some beautiful stuff, steampunk or otherwise. Here is one of the entries that piqued my interest. It is called "Odysseus' Departure."

How to write on the go...with Evernote

2009-02-23T17:48:00.001-08:00

I've been using Evernote since Beta and I've always loved it. And one of the things that I used it for was to jot down notes for my novel. However, during the early stages of the mobile, web, and desktop clients, note taking was all I used it for.

But ever since the improved clients came out, I've been using Evernote more and more to actually write my novel. Especially on the train on the way to work via my Windows Mobile phone. Sometimes it's notes. Sometimes it's an actual chapter. Then, during other parts of the day, I add and edit in the desktop client.

The reason I like using the phone, is at least during the draft stage, writing on the phone kinda forces me to be succinct, since hitting phone keys takes so much time. Especially if there are no seats and I only have one thumb to type with (since my other hand is holding onto a bar). Plus, being out and about seems to be a better environment for writing than my home desk. Seems like more of a diversion than work.

As for organization, I use keywords such as chapter, note, character, and location to keep things organized. And, to see my chapters in order, I have numbers at the beginning of the note title, select the chapter tag, and sort by title.

Now, when I get down to really perfecting my words, I'm not sure if I stay in Evernote, or copy over to Google Docs. Yet, I'm not really seeing why I would need to do that. Evernote's pop-out editor seems to have all the formatting I would need.

Any thoughts from anyone on this?

Though, I must say, that some of the things I don't like, is that I have to be connected to my carrier to access notes on the phone. I used to use Evernote for my shopping list. But sometimes, when I'm deep within a store, I lose my signal and can't access my shopping note. Seems it would be a great addition to have the option to save some notes on your phone locally.

Trying to Write a Comic Book

2008-12-09T17:58:00.001-08:00

I've been a big comic book reader my whole life. And the thought of writing one crossed my mind a few times. But writing a novel or screenplay was always more attractive to me. Plus, I just assumed getting a job as a comic book writer was more difficult than selling a screenplay or getting a novel published.

But, the other day, an idea for a comic book popped into my head. So I looked into how they are written and what one's options are to get into the business. After some reasearch, it looked to me it may not be as difficult as I thought. And, it looked pretty fun. So I started.

It's coming along pretty well, actually. It enables me to make dramatic stories, without the strict limitations of a screenplay, or the volume of words necessary for a novel. And the nature of the genre is just too damned familiar, after reading and thinking about thousands of comic books my whole life.

So, I write. And when I'm done, I plan to find a local artist that may be interested in drawing it. Either as a lark, or a partnership. Then after that, either publish it myself, for fun or profit. Or use it to get a more official gig.

Comic Recommendation: Proof

2008-11-19T13:56:00.001-08:00

I've just started reading the Image comic "Proof," by Alex Grecian and Riley Rossmo. And I'm really, really enjoying it. It's kind of like Hellboy, BPRD, Men in Black, and X-Files. It's centered around two agents that work for an organization that investigates and hunts down usualy-harmful cryptids. (And, oh yeah, one of the agents just happens to be a Bigfoot.) The stories are crisp, the humor light, and the characters engaging. And each issue has a dearth of bonus content at the end, while still costing only $2.99.

To read issue #1 for free, go here. (Click on the image of the "Proof" cover in the upper left)

The many names of the Dude

2008-11-14T10:20:00.001-08:00

When we got out Sheltie almost 2 years ago, we named him "The Dude." Since then, the name that has become our preferred way to address him is "Bubba." But he has acquired several other names as well. Here's the (incomplete) list:

The Dude
Bubba
Pupsicle
Pupsicle Mama
Puddle
Lovey
Love Love
Love Bug
Lovey Mama
Bugsy
Bum Bum

Great documentary about the Chicago 10

2008-10-23T05:57:00.001-07:00

I caught this documentary last night by accident on PBS. Talk the story of the anti-war demonstrations at the 1968 Democratic National Convention and the trial of the Chicago 10. The trial is recreated in the same animation style as the movie "A Scanner Darkly" and the archival footage of the events are set to a soundtrack featuring Rage Against the Machine and Black Sabbath.

I knew very little of this event and am glad I caught it. And I recommend it highly, no matter what political bent you are.

An anthem for the Earth

2008-10-14T08:37:00.001-07:00

Last night, I came across the 2008 version of the "Where the Hell is Matt" dancing video. For those of you who do not know, this guy traveled around the world, doing a strange little dance on video. A few years ago, it was just by himself. But in this latest one, he has locals join with him.

When I saw this video, it blew me away. It was like a home video of the Human family.

And the soundtrack was just as powerful. The music was written by Garry Schyman, and the lyrics from a poem by Indian poet laureate, Rabindranath Tagore, called "Steam of Life"

Stream of Life

The same stream of life that runs through my veins night and day
runs through the world and dances in rhythmic measures.

It is the same life that shoots in joy through the dust of the earth
in numberless blades of grass
and breaks into tumultuous waves of leaves and flowers.

It is the same life that is rocked in the ocean-cradle of birth
and of death, in ebb and in flow.

I feel my limbs are made glorious by the touch of this world of life.
And my pride is from the life-throb of ages dancing in my blood this moment.

Make sure to check out his web site as well.

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008)

Things Sarah Palin Can Name

2008-10-02T09:41:00.003-07:00

Somebody has created a blog that names the stuff that Sarah Palin CAN name.

For example...

Reporters I’ll Agree to Talk to Again

* Sean Hannity
* Hugh Hewitt
* Steve Doocy
* Katie Couric
* Charlie Gibson

Funny stuff...http://www.thingspalincanname.com/

Great PSA video about voting

2008-10-02T03:45:00.000-07:00

Heavy Metal in Baghdad

2008-09-25T10:00:00.001-07:00

Found a trailer of a new documentary about heavy metal music in Baghdad.

On the film's site, the film is described as thus:

Heavy Metal in Baghdad is a feature film documentary that follows the Iraqi heavy metal band Acrassicauda from the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003 to the present day. Playing heavy metal in a Muslim country has always been a difficult (if not impossible) proposition but after Saddam’s regime was toppled, there was a brief moment for the band in which real freedom seemed possible. That hope was quickly dashed as their country fell into a bloody insurgency. From 2003-2006, Iraq disintegrated around them while Acrassicauda struggled to stay together and stay alive, always refusing to let their heavy metal dreams die. Their story echoes the unspoken hopes of an entire generation of young Iraqis.

Guess what. Now I'm thinking about voting Republican

2008-09-13T09:41:00.002-07:00

Watch the video and you'll see why.

New Evidence: Palin Had Direct Role In Charging Rape Victims For Exams

2008-09-12T13:43:00.001-07:00

Talking about adding insult to injury. In Palin's world, if you're raped, you have to pay to get your rapist convicted. And if he impregnated you, you would have to have his child.

You'd be triple-screwed!

clipped from www.huffingtonpost.com

Under Sarah Palin's administration, Wasilla cut funds that had previously paid for the medical exams and began charging victims or their health insurers the $500 to $1200 fees. Although Palin spokeswoman Maria Comella wrote USA Today earlier this week that the GOP vice presidential nominee "does not believe, nor has she ever believed, that rape victims should have to pay for an evidence-gathering test...To suggest otherwise is a deliberate misrepresentation of her commitment to supporting victims and bringing violent criminals to justice," Palin, as mayor, fired police chief Irl Stambaugh and replaced him with Charlie Fannon, who with Palin's knowledge, slashed the budget for the exams and began charging the city's victims of sexual assault. The city budget documents demonstrate Palin read and signed off on the new budget. A year later, alarmed Alaska lawmakers passed legislation outlawing the practice.

Dave Winer nails McCain and Palin and admonishes the press

2008-09-12T07:58:00.001-07:00

Man, Dave Winer posted a hell of an article in response to Gov. Palin's interview, as well as McCain's campaign in general. He also includes summaries and links to reponses by other commentators and columnists. And the righteous fury is delicious.

Here is one of my favorite parts:

The news should not report a controversy, they should report that McCain is telling a desipicable lie. Until that lie is acknowledged, retracted and apologized for, both to Obama and to the electorate, McCain should not receive any of the services of the press. The first question in any interview should be "Why are you lying and when will you admit that you are and stop." If he continues to lie, that's the end of the interview. The reporter wraps it up and leaves. You can't continue to interview someone who you know is lying. Reporters do it all the time, but this must stop now.

And, as I told him in my comments to his article, his words made me feel proud to be an American...and a Democrat.

Dave Winer: If the press will just do their job, all will be OK

Palin Links Iraq to Sept. 11 In Talk to Troops in Alaska

2008-09-12T07:14:00.001-07:00

Gov. Palin has said "I haven't really focused much on the war in Iraq." And by her speech to a brigade of Alaskan soldiers, it's pretty obvious.

clipped from www.washingtonpost.com

FORT WAINWRIGHT, Alaska, Sept. 11 -- Gov. Sarah Palin linked the war in Iraq with the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, telling an Iraq-bound brigade of soldiers that included her son that they would "defend the innocent from the enemies who planned and carried out and rejoiced in the death of thousands of Americans."

The idea that the Iraqi government under Saddam Hussein helped al-Qaeda plan the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, a view once promoted by Bush administration officials, has since been rejected even by the president himself.

Sarah Palin just makes up stuff, instead of admitting she doesn't know

2008-09-11T20:24:00.001-07:00

It's one thing when you don't know the answer. It's another when you won't admit you don't. And it's yet another thing when you just make up answers. (We all know somebody like that, right? Would you want them to have their finger on the button?)

After Gov. Palin was asked whether she had met any heads of state, she ays many VPs never met a head of state before they took office. Not true. Here's a small list of VPs that did: Cheney, Gore, Quayle, H.W. Bush, Mondale.

Thinks the Bush Doctrine equals fighting Islamic extremists. Wrong again. The Bush Doctrine is the belief that America is just in pre-emptively attacking a sovereign nation if we believe they are a threat to us.

Remember, Governer. Not choosing an answer on the SAT gives you a zero on the answer. Answering incorrectly, gives you a minus 1/4. (Thanks to Andy for the correction)

I was mentioned on CSPAN during the Republican convention

2008-09-11T12:38:00.000-07:00

Last week, I found a article on Huffington Post about Gov. Palin speaking at her church. I posted a link to the article on Twitter. Blogger ThePete saw it in my Twitter stream and posted it on his blog. Then, Leslie Bradshaw, who was working with CSPAN, posted my and ThePete's posts on the CSPAN Campaign 2008 site, AND mentioned both of us on air during the RNC convention. (The mention is at 0:29)

Amazing world, huh?

(If you'd like to see the entire video, including footage of Gov. Palin speaking at her church, go here.)

Giving Drop.io a try

2008-09-11T11:52:00.001-07:00

Started to use Drop.io today. Testing the ability to email a video to a drop and embedding that video in this blog. So I took a (bad) cellphone video of my workplace and emailed it. Works pretty well.

Discover Simple, Private Sharing at Drop.io

Here are some other cool things about the service:

- Email Interactivity
- Mobile version
- send voicemail messages
- send stuff via MMS
- fax stuff
- subscribe to an RSS feed
- get update messages via Twitter
- subscribe as a podcast
- download all the contents as a single zip
- embed pieces of content into other sites

One blogger thinks Obama is doing exactly what he should be doing

2008-09-10T08:55:00.001-07:00

I swear, my mood about the election has been pogo-ing up and down the past few days. So I was happy to read this article by blogger Zentralis.

clipped from tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com

1) He waited until polls gave McBush a lead.

2) He let the McCain people lie like crazy without saying too much.

3) He held off on the negative stuff until McBush’s money limit kicked in.

4) He’s directly attacking the hypocritical new "McBush is change" strategy RIGHT AFTER the Republican convention where McBush had very little to say about change. Obama’s "they’ll do anything to get elected" is much more effective framed this way and as a bonus he has weakened McBush’s stupid "lose a war to win an election" goofball argument.

5) He now says, "What they are going to try to do is what they always do, which is attack, go on the negative, distort, mislead, assert," Obama said, as members of his invitation-only audience of 350 began yelling "Lie! Lie!"

6) He now says, "The American people aren't stupid" a lot more often than he did before.

Vincent Bugliosi speaks about his book "The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder"

2008-09-09T12:29:00.001-07:00

I found this video on the blog Hot Potato Mash

On Wednesday, famed Charles Manson prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi spoke to a packed and enthusiastic crowd of more than 350 Angelinos about his new book, “The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder.” While Bugliosi’s talk will eventually appear on C-SPAN, you can view it first in its entirety below…

Graham Hill recommends making a microloan to combat bad media days

2008-09-09T07:52:00.001-07:00

I just discovered this article via a twitter by @huffingpost.

The author recommends making a microloan to a developing-world entrepreneur in order to combate news-induced blues:

Fortunately, though when politics and the media fail us, one of the few antidotes for the gray clouds amassing over our happy green dream world is thoughtful action.

But how in the world does one make a loan to someone who may be on the other side of the world? Visit Kiva.org, Opportunity International, or ACCION.

America's dislike for educational elitism may explain the current election

2008-09-09T06:58:00.001-07:00

clipped from chronicle.com

"No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public,"

H.L. Mencken

The most influential book in that genre is surely Richard Hofstadter's Anti-Intellectualism in American Life (1963), in which he argues that the American dislike for educational elitism derives from a number of interlocking cultural legacies, including religious fundamentalism, populism, the privileging of "common sense" over esoteric knowledge, the pragmatic values of business and science, and the cult of the self-made man.

If the situation was bad in Hofstadter's time, it's grown steadily worse over the past 40 years. The anti-intellectual legacy he described has often been used by the political right — since at least the McCarthy era — to label any complication of the usual pieties of patriotism, religion, and capitalism as subversive, dangerous, and un-American. And, one might add, the left has its own mirror-image dogmas.

Michael Moore's "Slacker Uprising" will be free for download

2008-09-05T18:57:00.000-07:00

The movie looks awesome. Like crack for liberals. Go to the site and leave your email to eventually download it for free.

"Jesus was a community organizer. Pontius Pilate was a Governor."

2008-09-05T07:41:00.001-07:00

I don't know who said it, but I believe the comment that I used as the headline to this post summed up the ridiculousness of the GOP slamming community organizers. By the way, you can get merchandise of this quote here.

Also, what surprised me is that they were putting down people that were putting down people that are fixing society's ills, often WITHOUT using the taxpayers' money.

Here's a collection of some other responses to the GOP's slamming of community organizers.

Newsweek's senior Washington Correspondent, Howard Fineman

John Stewart

Roland Martin

Keeping Up the Fight

2008-09-04T18:20:00.000-07:00

On a pro-Obama blog, a McCain supporter asked if the Obama supporters were frightened by Gov. Palin's speech. I responded honestly thus...

I’m a major Obama supporter, and I will be 100% honest and say that I am worried. But not that “my candidate” will lose. But that my country will lose. I’ve always liked McCain…when he was moderate. And if he was still the same person he was when he was moderate, I wouldn’t be that worried if he won. But now he’s gotten so right-wing, that I fear many things, including sinking even more money and lives into pointless wars. And I also fear our economy is just going to get worse, unemployment is going to keep rising, and much of the world will flooded over in 20 years.

Much of that speech last night seemed very hateful. And the speakers and the audience looked so afraid. And fear doesn’t make a very good foundation for society. It has lead to some horrible things in the past. And, our founding father’s were aware of the danger. James Madison said…

“If Tyranny and Opression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy.”

I had discoverd this blog, and others, after a day of not feeling too hopeful. It encouraged me to see Obama supporters continuing to fight the fight. So it convinced me to at least start to express my views on why I think it's so important that Obama be our next president. So, I plan to do as such on my personal blog, and this one.

So, special thanks to bloggers like Oliver Willis for convincing me to keep up the fight.

Palin believes that the Iraq invasion is "a task that is from God."

2008-09-02T13:25:00.001-07:00

The following is taken from an article by The Huffington Post

Speaking before the Pentecostal church, Palin painted the current war in Iraq as a messianic affair in which the United States could act out the will of the Lord.

"Pray for our military men and women who are striving to do what is right. Also, for this country, that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending [U.S. soldiers] out on a task that is from God," she exhorted the congregants. "That's what we have to make sure that we're praying for, that there is a plan and that that plan is God's plan."

Okay. Now I'm scared.

A page on a fence

2008-08-25T11:46:00.001-07:00

A page on a fence
Originally uploaded by wmbittner66

I was in my car, parked in a Park-n-Ride parking lot. I'd left my keys at work. So I had to wait for my neighbor to bring me our extra set. It was pretty windy. I looked up at the fence in front of my car. I saw a page from a paperback book stuck to the fence. I seem to remember it being from a mystery novel. I probably should have taken it.

Avoiding delusion instead of searching for truth

2008-08-25T11:01:00.001-07:00

Truth may either be relative, or non-existent. So the quest for truth may be a foolish one. So instead, I quest to rid myself of false-beliefs. I quest to become the least deluded person in history.

The Ugly Truth About Writer's Block

2008-08-22T06:52:00.003-07:00

Writer's block is not an occasional obstacle. It's ever-present. Like a lid on a boiling pot. It's gravity. It's entropy. It's a struggle for everybody. (Except maybe bad writers who think everything they write is awesome right out of the gate.) If we writers didn't have the desire to create, to leave something behind, to be read and appreciated, we wouldn't do it. Not even if they put a gun to our head.

Writers HATE writing.

(It's just that we're so bad at everything else.)

What should come first? The backstory, or the character?

2008-08-22T06:50:00.001-07:00

The simple answer is that it's totally up to you. Because in the long run you'll revise both so much it won't matter what you did first.

I have created characters with no back story, threw them in a scene, watched how they reacted, then created a back story for them. Then during a rewrite of that scene, they acted a little differently because of their back story. And they way they acted gave me some ideas for adding depth and texture to their back story. And so on.

And the exact same thing happened when I created a back story for a character before throwing them into a scene.

Using pictures to help you write

2008-08-22T06:38:00.001-07:00

I did something this morning to help me write. I use a Google Sites wiki to both write my novel, as well as store ideas and notes about characters, locations, concepts, etc. And there is an option in Google Sites to make a page two columns. If the page is a chapter page, I use this format and put the narrative in the left column, and an outline and notes in the right. Now, to help me get in the mood of the scene, I've been putting images in the top of the right column. So far I've just been putting location pictures that most closely match the location I envision in my head. But I can see putting pictures of people and objects as well. And with tools like Google Images or stock photo sites, finding what you need is a breeze.

A Serendipitous Day

2008-03-29T17:45:00.001-07:00

This morning, I caught one of those HP laptop commercial where someone of some import waves their hands around and images appear. Most of the images I saw seemed to follow some kind of fantasy theme. And at the end, they showed the personality’s name and a kind of title: Paul Coelho, Alchemist of Words. It all intrigued me and I looked him up on the internet.

In a short time, I got a sense of his works. Much mysticism and fable. So I downloaded samples of some of his novels to my phone. And, since the book “The Alchemist” seemed to be one of his more notable ones, I bought the whole version.

Some of what I read contained encouragement to follow one’s dreams. It also acknowledged a spiritual realm and an ultimate purpose to one’s life.

Since I have pretty much been a materialist the past few years, these characteristics usually throw up a red flag for me. But, I gave his work a benefit of a doubt. Maybe his stuff could be read completely metaphorically. Or maybe I’ll just enjoy them on an entertaining level.

It was also interesting that he pirates his books. Like Cory Doctorow, the desire to share his works is stronger than his desire to make money on them. That got me thinking that I feel the same way. And, in my head, I started to make a list of what I most wish to accomplish with my stories, in order of priority. And here’s what I came up with:

1. Write one story, and some people read it an enjoy it.
2. Write one story, and have a lot of people read it and enjoy it.
3. Write one story, and make some money with it.
4. Write one story, and make a lot of money with it.
5. Write lots of stories that a lot of people read and enjoy.
6. Write lots of stories and make some money with them.
7. Write lots of stories and make a living writing.
8. Write one story that people remember forever.

And just as I’m compiling this list in my head, my wife brings an envelope in from the mail. It’s an essay that my father has written. Briefly skimming it, it seems to be his trying to come to terms with time, change, mortality, and the afterlife. The same stuff I think about all the time. And there’s a note on the essay saying that he’s trying to get it published.

Then, I get to work and watch a couple movies. The first is of a schizophrenic and reclusive writer and artist called “In The Realms of the Unreal.” And I decide to continue the troubled genius theme with “My Architect,” about the architect Louis Kahn.

What do I make of all of this? Obviously, an impetus to take my writing more seriously, both in my stories and this blog. But it also has made me think about how I can reconcile the belief that there is nothing beyond what we can sense with our physical senses with the desire to discover something beyond our senses. I am both a rationalist and a romantic that loves stories about swords and sorcery. I’m an agnostic who still feels drawn to the esoteric worlds of Hinduism and Catholicism. I believe that our consciousness ceases to be when enough of our brain cells expire, but I want so much to continue on thinking and experiencing forever.

Can I channel any of this into my stories. Some aspects I already have in some of my stories. I deal with fate in “An Appointment With Destiny.” I deal with the all-too-rapid passage of time in “The Mower.” And maybe I will find the way to finish them. but I also hope I can find a way to express this central existential dilemma.

Monday, March 24

2008-03-24T03:39:00.000-07:00

Got up just a bit earlier today. But didn't get much done. Already 6:40 and all I did was surf. I'm on 6 Million now. The whole first act now establishes a close relationship between the protagonist and the creator of the Time Machine. Tooth his hurting a bit. But I don't think I should take the Vicodin before going to work. Afraid it may put me to sleep. Gotta start spending less. Tax refund disappearing. Looking forward to the other refund. Election day coming. Hope Obama gets in. Trying to get a few open jobs done at Brady: POSnet CMS, Brady Flash, and MedRespond. Justin will be gone soon. Hoping the new director shapes up the team.

The Department of Fate

2007-08-07T13:10:00.000-07:00

The following is from the first chapter in one of the stories I am working on.

The Department of Fate was housed in the tallest, and darkest, office building in town. No other building, nearby or otherwise, matched it's height, width, or weight, actual or symbolic. And though physically impossible, no matter which of the nearby buildings one might have been in, it seemed one was always seemed to find themselves in the shadow of the granite behemoth. It was as if the lustreless black stone sucked in every ray of light that was fortunate to get past the clouds that always seemed to linger around the city. And the sinisterness of the facade was compounded by the fact that the only windows to be found on the 150 stories were on the one-hundred-and fiftieth. This is what was assumed to be the oppulent residence of the director of Fate herself, the deathless, blind old crone that decided, with exacting detail, what was in store for each and every citizen, from the day they were thrust into this world, till they day they were plucked away.

But even though the Department was central to every citizen's lives and thoughts, no one outside the department had ever seen the inside of the edifice. That's becasue all external relations were handled at numerous branch offices about the city and surrounding municipalities. And since Fate was not one to waste any more money than it had to, these offices were usually within very old buildings that evidently received very little maintenance. It seemed the only visually clean surface to be found on the buildings were on the door handles themselves, worn smooth by the hands of centuries of penitents, who visited the offices to meet with their assigned caseworkers, pleading for more favorable treatment by the Department.

They say hope springs eternal. Well it must. Because though it seemed that those responsible for the layout and lighting of the office interiors had done everything in their power to create a depressing environment, every office was always filled to the gills. And it couldn't be said which looked more pathetic: the fields of desks where the tired and overworked caseworkers unceasingly listened to their clients' latest sob stories, or the crowded waiting areas where citizens of all types silently practiced their pitches until their names were called.

Wilem Porter sat in one of these waiting areas. He'd sat there more times than he could remember, but had never gotten used to the place. It was just as repulsive now as it was when he had first visited the place as a young teen. Back then he'd only stop by a few times a year. But over the years, his visits had become more frequent. His present visit was the third this month. There were even a few times in recent months that he had unexpectedly just found himself in the waiting room without remembering how he had ever gotten there.