Farewell, Mr. Wizard

In case you haven't heard, Don Herbert (Mr. Wizard) passed away on June 12th. He was almost 90. Heard a short obit on the radio yesterday, and I jotted this down:

"Science is not fact. Science is questions."

B3 Update

I LOVE NaNoWriMo, and never would have even contemplated writing the Boomer Sisters novels if not for their encouragement, guidance, prodding, etc. But the one bummer about NaNoWriMo is it's in November. That makes it pretty difficult to be finished in time for Christmas, even though Lulu is amazingly fast.

As many of you know, I've been able to put the Boomer Sister books under the tree for the past two Christmases, but the illustrated (and fully-edited) versions weren't ready until a couple months later. That's one of the reasons I decided to do DaNoWriMo (Dan's Novel Writing Month) this June. Also, I had cool ideas for Boomer Sisters #3 and #4, and didn't want to wait.

So... DaNoWriMo is nearly half over. I finished Chapter 6 this morning, and plan to start Chapter 7 at lunchtime today. The story is taking on a life of it's own, as usual, and I'm having a blast watching it unfold. The early mornings are harder now than they were two weeks ago, and fatigue is starting to set in, but I'm pressing forward. I'm confident it'll be finished by 30 June.

Simplicity Cycle

I believe in redemption, and I love it when an organization shows signs of humanity and intelligence (particularly humanity).

So, I was thrilled to see the following comment on an earlier post about how the British Library was selling copies of my articles from Defense AT&L (and charging a "copyright fee") even though the document is in the public domain and is available for free:

Hi,
I was very interested to read your post. I'm the coordinator of the British Library Readers Group and many readers are annoyed by the high fees the BL charges for supplying documents and photocopies. I hadn't come across your particular example before but I will bring it up at the next meeting we have with management on 19th June. If you're interested, please join our group. We are entirely independent and our strength comes from the number of readers we represent.
www.blrg.org.uk
cheers,
Heather Brooke

Heather, your response is very cool, on several levels. First, I love the fact that you're searching the blogosphere to find out what people are saying about your organization. Then, your note was simple, direct, and offered to do something specific about the situation. I could go on, but I'll just say this: Thank you.

Of course, there's no knowing what will happen at the management meeting, but I'm pretty sure we'll hear about it, either way.

Now, if only Thomas Gale would do something similar. They are selling downloads of my (free!) articles for $6 at Amazon.com (with the illustrations stripped off). I hate the thought that someone might buy an article there, thinking they are helping me out (I don't get any royalties from them, of course). We contacted Thomas Gale as well some time ago, but this is the first time I've blogged about it. Maybe we'll get better results with this approach...

Hey Thomas Gale - we're talking about you. Are you listening?

Fit, Fast & Relaxed (ahh)

Pardon me while I brag for a moment. I had my annual physical fitness test this morning, and got my Best Score Ever (87 points, out of a possible 100). I ran the 1.5 miles in 11:02, which is about 30 seconds faster than I'd expected.

If I'd shaved off another 7 seconds, I'd have earned another point and a half (bummer!). And I think I could have been a little faster, except for the amazing fact that (get this!) I was in the lead.

Yup, I was the fastest guy on the track this morning. Not the whole time, but for the last lap or so, there was nobody in front of me. Nobody to chase. I even lapped 2 people. So, I'm pretty sure I could have cut 7 seconds if there'd been someone in front of me, but hey, I'll take it.

We've got a pretty great fitness program here, and I'm sure most of the credit goes to our PT leaders. But my secret ingredient is this - I got a massage yesterday, and I'm pretty sure that helped loosen me up and improved my score. From here on out, I'm going to be sure to get a massage any time I need to do one of these tests. But for now, I'm good for another year.

Perception & Reality

Ever wonder about the relationship between perception and reality? I do - quite often, actually. And contrary to the cliche, my assessment is that perception is not reality.

In fact, perception isn't even really perception. It's quite common for people to think we see things that we don't really see (or to fail to see things which are really there).

Examples run from the way our sense of smell stops detecting a strong scent after we're exposed to it for a few minutes (even though the smell is still present), to the wildy varied reports given by witnesses at car accidents or crime scenes.

The reality is, our perceptions are driven by our own mental models, expectations and other internal processes, as much as they are by external stimuli. Perception is what happens in your brain. Reality, on the otherhand, is out there somewhere.

The Great Ship

This poem originally appeared in RogueProjectLeader #7 (March 2006). I hope you enjoy it (and I'll add a few background notes to the Comments section).

The Great Ship
The great ship went down
on the day it set sail
while the Captain and First Mate
stood fast by the rail.

'Twas an iceberg they hit
and the damage was vast.
Oh, the great ship went down
while the Captain stood fast.

He'd seen the 'berg coming.
He knew it was there.
For the sun, it was shining,
and the sea winds were fair.

But he'd laid his trajectory
and plotted his course.
So the ship shot ahead
like a riderless horse.

Well the iceberg, it shattered
the great ship's port side.
It sliced through the hull
and opened it wide.

"We have a plan,"
said the Captain unblinking.
"And it cannot be changed,"
said the First Mate unthinking.

So the great ship, it sank
while the Captain stood fast.
He believed all his planning
was certain to last.

As the great ship slipped under
the cold ocean blue
The Captain took comfort -
to the plan he'd been true.

Theological worldview quiz

You scored as Emergent/Postmodern, You are Emergent/Postmodern in your theology. You feel alienated from older forms of church, you don't think they connect to modern culture very well. No one knows the whole truth about God, and we have much to learn from each other, and so learning takes place in dialogue. Evangelism should take place in relationships rather than through crusades and altar-calls. People are interested in spirituality and want to ask questions, so the church should help them to do this.

Emergent/Postmodern		93%
Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan		79%
Roman Catholic		64%
Classical Liberal		61%
Neo orthodox		54%
Charismatic/Pentecostal		50%
Modern Liberal		36%
Reformed Evangelical		32%
Fundamentalist		21%

What's your theological worldview?
created with QuizFarm.com

Found this on Revolution's blog - kinda long, but interesting.

Specialization...

A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects. -Robert Heinlein

Contentment & Revolution

For a guy who often wears a shirt that says "Change Everything" (actually, I designed that shirt), I'm really quite content (or "extremely gruntled," as Michael Scott from The Office would put it)

I suppose my inherent contentment makes me an unlikely revolutionary, but I don't think contentment and a desire for radical change are mutually exclusive.

I think the world is beautiful, not because it's perfect, but because it's dynamic. Change makes me happy. I love my life, not because it's all exactly as I want it to be in every detail, but because there's always the potential for change and improvement. If there's one thing we can all learn from Paris Hilton, it's that we don't really want everything we want (how miserable must she be, and I'm not just talking about when she's in jail. I mean on a daily basis). I don't have everything I want - and that's a wonderful thing.

I mention all that because so many revolution-minded people, whether in the political, professional or theological spheres, tend to be angry, critical, and generally discontent. In contrast, I tend to be joyful, content, etc... and somehow, that hasn't prevented me from seeking, pursuing and implementing Big Change. I'm sure some of it is just biology/chemistry. Some of it is how I was raised (thanks, mom & dad!). No doubt some of it is connected with the fact that I'm an imperfectionist. But I'm coming more and more to understand that it's possible to be content and to push for change.

As Walt Whitman said, "Do I contradict myself? Very well, then I contradict myself, I am large, I contain multitudes."

Blog style

And in case you couldn't tell, I've decided to keep doing this blog the way I've been doing it, filling it up with the assorted bits and pieces of things I think are interesting.

Partly 'cause it's easier that way, and partly 'cause I'm pretty sure there would be a lot of overlap, and I wouldn't know where to put half the things I write.

As someone wise once said, "reality confounds mutually exclusive classification." (dang, I wish I could remember the source of that line!)

Emerging Church

For the past few years, I've been increasingly uncomfortable calling myself an "evangelical." It's not that I don't believe in God or don't read the Bible. I'm not rejecting orthodoxy or anything like that. I'm just so turned off by the smugness and moralizing that seems to characterize evangelicalism, not to mention the disturbing cosiness between evangelicalism and political conservatism.

And I'm not convinced Jesus would vote Republican (gasp!). I'm not convinced evangelical perspectives on theology and moralism are as correct (or important) as some advocates make them out to be. (double gasp!).

Fortunately, the church we've been going to for these past few years is on the same wavelength, and I've recently become aware that we're not exactly alone. There's a movement afoot called "the emerging church," and the more I learn about it, the more I identify with it... even though I think the label "emerging" is sort of dorky...

The Feb 2007 issue of Christianity Today has a great article titled Five Streams of the Emerging Church. It really describes what this Emerging this is all about. And if you're looking for a great example of Emerging Christianity in action, check out this article titled "Maybe it's time to stop bullshitting God," or "My Prosaic Jesus... or Brown Like Shit."

No evangelical would use words like that (and I still don't, to be honest). But authentic honesty - humble, human honesty before God - is what it's all about. It's about loving people. It's about social justice, fighting poverty, showing mercy, blah-blah-blah. It's not about a list of words you're not supposed to say.

It's very cool.

Simplicity in the UK!

As several of you might know, my Simplicity Cycle started it's life as an article for everyone's favorite technology & program managment journal, Defense AT&L.

I later expanded the idea and published it as a manifesto at ChangeThis.com, and then I re-redesigned the whole thing and turned out the book version I've been blathering on about for awhile now.

Turns out the original article is now being sold by "British Library Direct" for "£5.00 copyright fee + service charge (from £7.45)." However, that article is in the public domain, so I was curious how/why a "copyright fee" could be charged on something that isn't copyrighted... and I was a bit miffed that someone would charge £12.45 for something people can download for free. So, the following message was sent to BL Direct:

Sirs:
The article you reference for sale at your link is a work of the United States government and is not copyrighted in the United States or elsewhere. I would be interested to know what copyright fee you are charging for.

As a public domain document, it is available for download free of charge - as are all articles in Defense AT&L magazine - from the relevant link on the Defense Acquisition University Web site.

In due course, we received a reply from Mr. Brian Sherwood, at the BL Direct Helpdesk

Thank you for your interest in BL Direct.

The amount of the copyright fee is set by the UK CLA (Copyright licensing Agency) and the collected fee itself is passed on to them entirely. If we are not informed of a copyright fee then the CLA flat rate applies which is £5.00 Fees are passed back to registered publishers and in the case of overseas publications the fee is passed to that country's copyright agency (CCC in the states) Undistributed fees tend to be shared out among registered publishers I believe.

BL Direct comprises our most popular 20,000 journals, indexed for the past 5 years. Of course people are not obliged to use us at all, and our service charge reflects our cost recovery rate.
Regards,
Brian Sherwood
BL Direct Helpdesk
bldirect-help@bl.uk
www.bl.uk

So BL Direct apparently thinks that if people are dumb enough to pay £12.45 for something they could download free at AT&L's website, that's their own fault. BL Direct is perfectly content to collect money from these people (I think the appropriate term is "exploit"), because they "are not obliged to use us at all."

I know there are other companies doing similar things with my AT&L articles, and I think it's pretty lame. I can't imagine they actually make any money doing it - at least, I hope they don't.

What's In A Blog?

So I've been thinking about this blog, what it's about, what it should be about, etc, etc...

I've got quite a mis-mash of stuff here. A posting about writing a children's novel is followed by one describing the Air Force's latest non-lethal crowd dispersal weapon, followed by a riff on intellectual property rights in the digital era.

Is that good, or is it bad? Any opinions out there?

I could turn this into a single-issue blog. I could focus just on my novels and short stories... or make it a design blog and focus on simplicity, complexity, and stuff like that. Or I could focus on technology. Or theology. Or leadership, management and the Radical Elements.

Maybe I should make six different blogs, one for each topic? Nah - that sounds like it would be a pain. Still, some of my favorite blogs to read tend to be about one thing (art, marketing, etc).

But I'm wondering... what is the common thread through all of these diverse topics? Am I the common thread (my interest, my thoughts)? Or is there something deeper?

Right now it's a general interest blog, talking about things I'm doing and everything that interests me. Does it make sense to put all these things together? Or would the blog be better if it had a more consistent topic, a more coherent focus? And what does "better" mean, when applied to a small blog like this?

Any thoughts?

Sleeping, Laughing, Not Writing

I apparently failed to turn my alarm clock on last night, and instead of getting up at 5 to write the next chapter of the Boomer Sisters, I unintentionally slept in until 6am. Darn!

The cool part is that I woke up laughing - how often does that happen? Steve Martin was in my dream, and he was holding some sort of sandwich that was a combination of food from KFC, a donut, maybe Subway, and a few other places. It was supposed to be the ultimate "food mashup" - a whole day's supply in one handy package, and it had a hilarious name (which I can no longer recall). Kim was still sleeping, of course, and I tried not to shake the bed too much with my laughing. What a cool way to wake up.

Fortunately, the book is already ahead of schedule, so I've got a little buffer for exactly this sort of situation. Maybe I'll be able to get some writing done over lunch...

The Value of An Idea

In giving away free PDF's of my Simplicity Cycle, I was reminded of the Exposure book, and the concept that "The value of an idea increases the more people are exposed to it." Long-time readers of this blog might remember my earlier comments on this topic.

Here's another quote from John Perry Barlow:

"soft goods increase in value as they become more common. Familiarity is an important asset in the world of information. It may often be true that the best way to raise demand for your product is to give it away. "

Good stuff!

Fun With Generators

Oh, yeah!

B3 Wordcount Update

Boomer Sisters book 3 (B3) is coming along at a swell pace.

I'm into Chapter 4 already. Wordcount is over 5,000. It's only June 5th.

Unlike last year's spiral notebooks, this time I'm writing it directly on the computer. We'll see what impact that has on quality, length, speed, etc...

Should have done this in the first place...

I just converted my Simplicity Cycle book from a "copyrighted work" to a Creative Commons license.

Specifically, a By-Attribution, Non-Commercial, Share-Alike license, which basically means you can copy and distribute it as long as you leave my name on it and don't use it for commercial purposes.

Oh, and you can use it to produce "derivative works," as long as you share those with the rest of the world under a similar arrangement.

Not sure why I didn't think of that in the first place. If you've got a copy of the old PDF with the copyright mark, please consider downloading a fresh copy with the Creative Commons markings

The Goodbye Gun

As a general rule of thumb, I think war is a bad idea. I hate it when people kill each other, and so I'm in favor of things like democracy, diplomacy, trade, direct talks, love, and trust. Maybe that makes me sound like a hippy, but I think it's consistent with being a conservative-ish military technologist. Go figure.

At any rate, I really like non-lethal weapons, like the AF's new Active Denial System (ADS), which fires a non-damaging beam of pain. Not just because they're cool (they are!), but because they are at least an attempt at resolving hot situations without bloodshed. Here's what Wired news says about the ADS:

The beam produces what experimenters call the "Goodbye effect," or "prompt and highly motivated escape behavior." In human tests, most subjects reached their pain threshold within 3 seconds, and none of the subjects could endure more than 5 seconds.

And if the initial tests are accurate, the worst damage is a blister or two. Of course, I know some people will object that it is cruel and unusual. Some will question how we dare to inflict a blister on an innocent person, but considering the lethal or chemical options, it doesn't sound bad to me. I'd rather see the ADS used to disperse a rowdy crowd than tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets, whether the crowd is in Iraq or the US.

I know we have to fight and kill sometimes, but we could probably do it a lot less than we actually do (and I'm not just talking about Iraq), and the more non-lethal options we have, the better...

B3 Progress update

I'd sort of forgotten how many decisions go into writing a novel. Wow - I have to decide every little thing. I don't know how perfectionists do it without going crazy (or maybe they do go crazy!).

For example, I'm at a point now where Chapter 2 could be finished. It's a good length, a good stopping point... I could call it done and move on to chapter 3. But there are a few more things I wanted to say & do before the chapter ends... but maybe they're not really crucial? Or maybe they are. Just call me Hamlet.

So, I don't know - and I'm the one who gets to (has to) decide. The cool thing is, it's my story and I can't really decide wrong, but boy, it sure is a lot of decisions... kind of like playing chess against yourself, and you have to keep thinking of the future implications of decisions you make now.

If I say this now, will I write myself into a corner later? Will it contribute to the story or detract? There's only one way to find out... keep writing!

Simplicity Works!

" If humans are organized in a huge, complex group, they need complex regulations and procedures to govern them. If their organization is simplified, the way they're managed can be simplified, too. Best of all, they can manage themselves."

- Ricardo Semler, Chief Catalyst of SEMCO

Simplicity Cycle Shop

So I was playing around with Cafe Press and put together a quick little t-shirt shop, selling Simplicity Cycle gear.

We've got mugs, posters, postcards, a journal and, of course, t-shirts.

Hmmm... Father's Day is coming up soon...

DaNoWriMo Starts Today!

Yes, today is the official launch of Dan's Novel Writing Month (DaNoWriMo), in which I will spend 30 days neglecting sleep, drinking coffee excessively and writing the third book in the Boomer Sisters series. The idea is to have the story finished early this year, so I'll have time to edit & polish it and Mandy will have time to get the illustrations done - all in time for Christmas. Yes, the past two books were also ready for Christmas, but this year it'll be the illustrated version under the tree.

The working title is The Boomer Sisters In The City. It's a book about art, beauty, practice and patience. Much of the action will take place in NY City, and the timeline stretches from August through December. The climax occurs on Christmas. I'm very, very excited (and curious to see how it comes out. These things always surprise me).

I started chapter 1 this morning - and already I've deviated a little from my plot outline. I need to average 1/2 a chapter a day to get through the expected 13-15 chapters... so far, so good.

Ironically, I couldn't wait for National Novel Writing Month (November) to write the book about patience.

(easter egg alert: watch for references to Guns 'n Roses throughout...)

Radical Elements update

Every once in a while, I think it's time to put the Radical Elements project to bed. I think it might be dated, or not intellectually mature, etc, etc.

And then I get an opportunity to share it with an audience, and those thougths go away.

Just finished presenting it to a room of AFROTC cadets, here at Rome for the summer. I had a blast, and they seemed to enjoy it as well.

I guess I'll keep it around a little longer.

Problem Solving and Design

As I researched simplicity, complexity and design for my Simplicity Cycle book, I came across some wonderful books by Don Norman: The Design of Future Things and Emotional Design. You can find substantial excerpts of both at the links above.

That turned me on to his website, where he has links to additional articles & books, as well as a Q&A section, where I came across this principle:

"Never solve the problem as stated."

Yes, yes, yes!

Word is spreading

Found a few blogosphere references to my Simplicity Cycle book! Yay!

Collaborage: "Dan Ward just published a wonderful book on the simplicity cycle. He presents an idea that we will all kick ourselves for not coming up with it."

Trevor Gay's Simplicity Is The Key: "Dan is a talented writer who incorporates the lighter side of life and humour together with profound messages in the same book."

Alphabets Generator

I found a cool collection of "generators" over at the Generator Blog (previously blogged), and put together this Alphabets bowl - I wonder how it would look on the cover of my Simplicity Cycle book...

Star Wars Mashups

Did you ever want to make your own version of Star Wars? Well, now you can. The nice people over at Star Wars Mashups have provided more than 250 video clips, along with a site that lets you edit, snip and arrange the clips, then post the fruits of your labors.

You can also add in your own video clips, so you can put yourself into the action.

Have fun, and may the Force be with you!

Feeling artistic

Just a few cellphone camera shots from my recent visit to Cape Cod

Jeffu's Dueling Banjo

I had a very nice weekend at Cape Cod, where I attended a multi-day memorial service for one of Kim's great-uncles (who passed away in January). It was wonderful to spend time getting to know so many members of her extended family.

One of her particularly interesting cousins (second-cousin, I believe) is Jeff "Jeffu" Warmouth, an artist working and teaching in Massachusetts. He currently has an installation titled Spudnik at the DeCordova museum. It "details the history of potato space exploration through photographs, sculptures, and a 6-minute documentary video." It's pretty doggone funny.

I also love the dueling banjo he built (it's an actual, playable instrument). It's best for a left-hander and a right-hander to play together. Mark - any ideas?

Artist With A Day Job (part 2)

A follow-up thought to a previous posting...

As an "artist with a day job," I find that the responsibilities and limitations of work provide not only material but also tension and contrast, both of which help stimulate my creative endeavors. Sort of like NaNoWriMo's 30-day time limit. I think I would write less (and worse) if I had more than 30 days.

Yes, work can get in the way sometimes, and it does slow me down, but it's hard to complain about that when I'm writing and publishing as much as I do... and still paying the bills.

Simplicity Cycle Book!

OK, the Simplicity Book is available at Rogue Press now. For those who aren't familiar, it is a graphical exploration of the relationship between complexity, goodness and time, particularly as it applies to design.

I initially came up with the idea in response to the countless academicians, scientists, engineers and senior managers who seemed to equate complexity with goodness, and who discounted any simple solution as simplistic. And "seemed to" isn't quite the right word - several did it quite deliberately and explicitly.

So, I set out to address issues of complexity and simplicity in design. I really like how it came out.

You can download the free PDF at RoguePress (or send me an email and I'll send it to you). Of course, the print version is available for sale too.

Morningsong

My 4 year old daughter Jenna is an early bird, like her dad. This morning at 5:45, I was up working on my books, and I heard a beautiful little froggy voice (she's got a cold at the moment) singing a poignant little song.

She was clearly making up the tune and lyrics as she went, but it went something like "Morning turns into night time, night time turns into morning" - repeated several times, with modulations in the notes, timing, etc each time. Then it became something of a little prayersong "Please make my cold go away, night turns into morning..."

I stood outside her door listening to her sing and pray. She must have heard me, because she opened the door. "Oh, hi Daddy. I have a question. Does God make us get sick and then make us get better?"

It's so amazing to see what's happening in her head. (and if you're wondering, I answered that God can make our colds go away, but He doesn't cause sickness in the first place).

Illustration from The Desert

For some mysterious reason, I wasn't able to add this image to my previous post about the new, illustrated edition of The Desert.

But now I can, so you can see what sort of thing Mandy did. I love it.

Artist In The Office

Followed a link from French Toast Girl over to Summer Pierre's Accident of Hope blog, where I found a wonderful offer of a free copy of a 'zine about being an artist who works in an office.

You know who you are - the writer, painter, musician who has a day job doing something other than writing, painting or music-ing. There are a lot of us out there, and many have come before. In fact, the history books are full of painters, poets, etc who had "real jobs" which helped keep body and soul together while they produced their masterpieces.

Good stuff... very good stuff.

Desert - Illustrated Edition

This morning, I published the illustrated edition of The Desert. It now contains five beautiful paintings by the very talented Mandy Hoelmer, who also did the illustrations for the Boomer Sisters books.

I think we can consider this to be the definitive, final edition of The Desert. I'm not planning on making any further changes. If I come up with any more stories like the ones in The Desert, I'll put them into a sequel (Return To The Desert?).

You can find the book at Silly Hat Press.

New Online Presence (under construction)

I'm putting together a new website, using Google's Page Creator (very cool, very easy, very quick, very free). It's called Dan Ward Online.

It's basically a research site, with links to digital versions of almost everything I've written. All my Defense AT&L articles, my RogueProjectLeader stuff, etc. I'll even add links to some unpublished projects (one of these days).

Even though Page Creator is fast and easy, it's going to take some time to put all the pieces together. The site is still very much a work in progress at the moment. I've only got a fraction of my stuff there at the moment, but it's a start.

Watch this space for progress updates.

Surprise!

I surfed on over to Andy Nulman's blog and was pleasantly surprised to see he was telling people about my Simplicity Cycle manifesto, and mentioning that the book version was on it's way...

Fun!

Simplicity Cycle Update

Looks like I'm going to do it again - the Simplicity Cycle book is almost done, and in spite of myself, I'll probably have it finished before the previously announced DaNoWriMo starts on June 1st. It's definitely the most academic book I've written, and quite possibly the most commercially viable.

For a while there, I thought I'd have to set it aside in June and come back to it in July. But all I need to do now is design the cover, contact one or two people with a quick question, and then it's off to the presses!

Watch this space for more updates...

The Weather...

Wow, it's been amazing up here lately. Beautiful cloudless skies, chilly in the morning (35 today!) and comfortably warm by the afternoon, without being too hot.

Is this really central NY?

Random-ish Update

I had a great time speaking at the NRO's Tech Forum this week. I was part of a 5-person panel, addressing the topic of Innovation. We each did a 15 minute presentation, then spent about an hour doing a Q&A. Although I was the junior guy on the panel, a surprising number of questions were directed to me. My bit was very well received - definitely a fun time!

I also finished the plot outline for Boomer Sisters #3 (still no title... it'll come). I love the way it all came together, and I can't wait to see the illustrations!

Finally, I've got my Simplicity Cycle book about 95% finished. Now I just need to design the cover, do a few final edits, add a few bits here and there, and then all that will be left is the other 99% of the work involved with doing a book - advertising, marketing, spreading the word, etc...

Don't Worry, Be Happy

I'm continuing my research on simplicity, complexity and design. It's for my Simplicity Cycle book, and I might even use it as part of my Systems Engineering thesis when I'm at AFIT this fall.

In my research, I came across Don Norman's book Emotional Design, which I mentioned yesterday. Here are a few quotes from the book which make me happy:

"Psychologist Alice Isen and her colleagues have shown that being happy broadens the thought processes and facilitates creative thinking... When you feel good, Isen discovered, you are better at brainstorming, at examining multiple alternatives."

"Attractive things make people feel good, which in turn makes them think more creatively."

"[After completing a task,] tense and anxious people will complain about the difficulties whereas the relaxed, happy ones will probably not even remember them. In other words, happy people are more effective in finding alternative solutions and, as a result, are tolerant of minor difficulties."

Being happy broadens the thought processes? I guess that's why Buddah is always laughing.

And what's the connection between "attractive things" and simplicity? In a word: elegance.

Marker Stand

I snapped this shot of a very cool white board marker stand at a little company in LA (you know who you are...). It's shaped like an artist's pallet, and reminds me what color is for.

I love it because it's a great example of art & beauty combined with utility and function.

I love it when people remember that it's OK to have fun and it's Ok to make, buy, & use things that are nice.

Donald Norman pointed out that beautiful things work better, in his book Emotional Design. I definitely agree...

Lest there was any doubt...

Ran across this sign at the NYC Natural History Museum. I imagine it would have made sense if the rest of the sign wasn't under construction.

Bill Richardson for President

Don't miss these online ads for Bill Richardson.

I've always voted Republican, but I'll definitely vote for Richardson if he makes it onto the ticket (and shame on us all if he doesn't).

So Many Books...

I've often bemoaned the unfortunate ratio between the number of books I want to read and the amount of time I have available for actually reading. At the moment, my list of "Want To Reads" includes (in no particular order):

The Illiad, by Homer
Wikinomics, by Don Tapscott
City of Gold & Lead and The Pool of Fire, both by John Christopher
The Box, by Marc Levinson
The Narnian, by Alan Jacob
Metaphors We Live By, by George Lakoff
Hero Tales, by Theodore Roosevelt

There are a few others I can't think of at the moment. They know who they are.

BUT - here's the twist. I am also currently bemoaning the unfortunate ratio between the books I want to WRITE and the amount of time I have available for writing. My list of "Books I'm Currently Writing / Working on" looks like this:

• The Simplicity Cycle - it's about 1/2 done. No projected completion date, but hopefully in the next few months. I'm working this one pretty aggressively. Top priority between now and June 1st.
• Boomer Sisters Book 3 (untitled at the moment... maybe The Boomer Sisters In The City) - Outline is 3/4 finished. I need to have the outline done by the end of this month, because my 30-day writing period begins on 1 June. That's right, June 2007 will be DaNoWriMo (Dan's Novel Writing Month). My objective is to write it in 30 days as usual, then get it illustrated and edited in time for Christmas.
• Boomer Sisters Book 4: The Boomer Sisters and the Pirates. I'll probably do this one in November (NaNoWriMo), if my school schedule allows. I've got the plot basically sketched out already.
• Joy - That's a working title for a series of (very) mini biographies of Christian thinkers, writers, etc, exploring what they had to say about Joy (& how they lived joyfully). Other possible titles are Standing Under Joy, and Joy-ographies (lame, I know). It's partially outlined, with a few chapters sort of started and a lot more research to be done. Timeline - who knows?
• Rogue Swords - a sword & sorcery adventure novel. I've sketched out the main characters and the general plot. This one would be a lot of fun to do, but it's at the bottom of my list because it's likely to be the least-widely read.

Oh, and some day I plan to do a sequel to The Desert, an illustrated version of the first Desert book, and a cyberpunk novel, and maybe a steampunk novel titled The Coal War.

How am I going to get this all done? I probably won't, but I'm sure going to give it my best shot, one word and one page at a time... and 3 books at a time, most likely.

Buying A House

It's been two crazy days running around Dayton. Twenty-two houses later, we've made an offer on a very cool house in a great neighborhood, close to a great school, etc, etc.

And even though it was pretty tiring, I think buying a house in 2 days is a lot easier than taking a week or two (or longer), and the outcome of spending more time wouldn't be noticably better. Come to think of it, writing a novel in 30 days just might be easier than spending a year or longer doing it, and with comparable results.

There's something really magic about a hard deadline, particularly if you're a happy imperfectionistic satisficer like me.

I'm still here...

I'm still here, but only briefly. I'll be heading out to do some house hunting next week. Might be able to post a blog or two, but probably not.

In the meantime, enjoy this crazy video of an uncanny balancing can. I've gotta try that...

The Fountainhead

Just finished reading Ayn Rand's book The Fountainhead. Really enjoyed it, and I had to chuckle when I saw the words "Over 5 Million Copies In Print" on the cover. One of the main themes of the book was the primacy of the individual, particularly over the "second-hand" taste of the mob.

It's pretty clear that Ms. Rand would say it's irrelevant if a lot of people liked or read something. That's no indication of the quality of the thing. "Taste" is just another word for "agreeing with the multitudes" (who are all trying to agree with you and each other). It's the opposite of the individualism Rand championed. I suspect the marketing guy who added that line hadn't actually read the book.

Interestingly, I couldn't find any online images of the cover with the "5 million" line. I wonder if someone realized the contradiction and removed that line from the cover?

Some favorite lines:

"I speculate occasionally on how far you'll go. You see, I've always had a weakness for astronomy."

"In this sense, everything to which you grant your love is yours." - Howard Roark

A New Short Story

I just finished writing a (very) short story. It clocks in at 790 words - less than a page and a half. That puts it squarely in the "flash fiction" category. As for subject, it's a parody of a noir detective story - the title is "Death By Bullets."

It was a lot of fun to write, and i think it's pretty funny, but I'm not quite sure what to do with it. It would be perfect for Rogue Project Leader (RPL), if I was still doing that, but I don't have any plans to revitalize that webzine for the near future. RPL was cool, but writing books is so much more fun (and books last longer).

So - if you want to read my little flash-noir-satire, drop me an email (rpleditor -at- gmail.com) and I'll send it to you. I might post it somewhere, I might submit it to my usual magazine (Defense AT&L), or I might just offer it to people who read my blog.

(side note - since I'm not doing RPL anymore, my email address is sort of stupid now. I originally created that account just to keep track of RPL stuff, and it ended up being my primary address. Changing it now would be a drag, but let this be a lesson to you all. Pick an email address that will last you for a while!)

Software Isn't Gold...

I'm listening to "The World Is Flat" on CD - it's a pretty long book (and it's 15 CD's!), so I knew it would take me forever to finish it if I tried to read it the old fashioned way. But I'm enjoying it, and one line in particular sort of jumped out at me:

"Software isn't gold. It's lettuce."

In other words, it needs to be fresh to be good. You can't just get or make good software and expect it to stay good. It's a good reminder as I continue working on my Aristotle software project. We're creating it for the now, not forever... It's not gold. It's lettuce.

Dinosaurs!

One of the coolest things we saw at the Museum of Natural History in New York City was the dinosaur exhibit.

We particularly enjoyed the pleiosaur fossils, since one of the theories behind Champy is that it's a small colony of pleiosaurs. I love how this photo came out.

On The Road Again...

I'm hitting the road again for a few days - actually, all the rest of this week, and most of next week. Yuck!

I hate to travel - not that you could tell that by looking at my calendar for the next 4 weeks, but I really do. It hurts to be away from the family for any length of time, and 4 days is really the limit. Of course, don't let the guys in Iraq or Afghanistan hear me complaining.

So, my posting will probably be sporadic over the next few days & weeks. I'll do what I can!

Trenton Falls, NY

Six days after we got 8 inches of snow, the temperature has hit the mid seventies, and we haven't seen a cloud in three or four days.

Yesterday the trail to Trenton Falls was opened - they only do it a few times a year, so we jumped at the opportunity to go check it out. Actually, I'd never even heard of the place, but some friends from church mentioned they were going to go and invited us along. And while we were on the trail, we bumped in to two other groups of people we know. That was pretty cool.

The kids held up very well on the trek (it's about a mile each way), but they were pretty quiet on the drive home.

We're going to miss it here...

Cornell Lecture

I had a GREAT time speaking to some AFROTC cadets at Cornell University yesterday. They really seemed to resonate with my crazy "radical elements" ideas, and I even met a cadet who's an aspiring novelist, so we talked about Lulu and NaNoWriMo. Too fun!

I love talking with cadets - they're all so bright, high-energy, enthusiastic, etc. Afterwards we chatted about my Aristotle project, and it was clear they really *get* the importance, value and need for that kind of technology (it's sort of like MySpace for the Air Force)... unlike some of the more seasoned leaders & managers, who need a bit more convincing & cajoling. They really give me a lot of hope for the future. I just wanted to hug 'em all.

And speaking of MySpace - I haven't done much with it lately, but I do have a profile there. I mostly created it so I could learn stuff to apply to my Aristotle project, but you can see my profile at http://www.myspace.com/majorrogue. Maybe we could be friends! ;)

Peggy Noonan on Virginia Tech

Check out Peggy Noonan's column about the Virginia Tech shooting. I think it's insightful, informative and helpful - if only we'll listen.

Sally Hogshead & Risk

I'm so happy to see Sally Hogshead is blogging again with more frequency! (I wish she'd do it every day, but I'll take what I can get!).

Her latest post is about risk, a topic Quaid and I tackled in our latest AT&L article. I love how Sally described the risk situation:

"The opposite of risk isn't security. The opposite of risk is getting run over by a truck filled with a shipment of status quo while you dawdle in the middle of the road."

Yes!

Two Photos

I recently had my picture taken by two professional photographers - one from a newspaper for the Boomer Sisters interview, and one here at work to accompany an official bio I had to submit for a conference I'm speaking at next month.

Guess which photo I liked better?

With the newspaper, the photographer took a million shots, chatted with me casually, had me try a bunch of different poses. We had fun, my smile was natural, and the end result was cool.

The official one, however, had me sit in a remarkably uncomfortable & unnatural pose ("sit there, let your hands hang at your side, sir. OK, point your chin that way, tilt your head the other way, hold it..." *flash*) . I'd post the photo here, but it's just not very good at all. It's not horrible, but it's just not good.

Maybe it's just a matter of opinion, but I think there's something objectively better about the newspaper photographer's approach.

Love & Who We Are

I noticed something as I listened to people on the radio talk about the tragedy at Virginia Tech.

When they talk about the victims, and try to explain who they were, the descriptions almost inevitably focus on what they loved. It happened at a college, so of course every obituary starts with mentioning the person's major, but most of the discussion seems focused on what they enjoyed. He liked to work on machinery. She loved animals and loved to dance. He loved soccer, loved to coach his kids sports teams...

What we love is so central to who we are, to our identity and our legacy. The things we love help to define us. Who were the victims? They were people who loved... and that's part of what makes the killing so monstrous.

The shooting is, among other things, a reminder of how short life can be. Sorry if this question sounds shmaltzy, but have you done something you love lately?

(the drawing is by Hugh MacLeod, of Gaping Void fame)

Bookshop Gargoyle

While I was setting up for my book signing last week, I noticed this little guy tucked in a corner of Cornerstone Bookshop, and had to grab his photo.

It's little things like this which make used bookstores so human, warm and fun. I like all kinds of bookstores, but I'll choose a mom-and-pop used bookstore over a big chain anyday!

Monday's Snow

Got a wee bit of snow earlier this week - and I'm finally getting around to posting this photo, which I took at 7am on Monday, April 16th. Yes, it's April, and we got nearly 7.5 inches of snow... and it was still falling as I shoveled & photographed.

By the time it was all over, I think we were well over 8 inches. Yikes!

News & Science News

The American media seems to only focus on one science topic at a time, which is a little frustrating for those of us who know there's a lot happening in the world of science.

If they're only going to cover one topic, I'm glad to see that the media has, for the most part, replaced the Evolution -vs- Creation debate with Global Warming... but only because the Evolution/Creation discussion was so lame.

Still, I'd rather see science news focus on things like alternative energy (which has implications that are environmental, cultural, economic, geopolitical, etc). Or how about bio/genetic science, which is shaping our future in unseen (& popularly unexamined) ways? Over 43,000 people die in car crashes every year - let's talk about technologies to help reduce that number. How about the Automotive X-Prize or the $100 laptop? Or, yeah, we could continue shouting at each other about evolution, or whether the planet is getting hotter.

This all points to a more basic issue - what is news, and why are so many networks so bad at doing it? There's a lot happening in the world - please spare us the latest twists in the Anna Nicole or Britney Spears sagas.

And speaking of news, my condolances to the Virginia Tech community, as they deal with the aftermath of this tragic attack.

Answering letters...

In his amazing novel Manalive, G.K. Chesterton writes:

"Half one's letters answer themselves if you can only refrain from the fleshly appetitie of answering them."

Maybe that's why I don't read all my email (much less answer it all).

Successful Book tour!

Had a great time doing a mini book tour in Plattsburgh & Burlington this past week.

The Boomer Sisters books are now for sale at the ECHO Lake Aquarium in Burlington, Rulf's Orchard and Under One Roof videos in Plattsburgh, along with Cornerstone Bookshop and the North Country Cultural Center for the Arts.

The books on display!

Another satisfied customer!

On the road

I'm going to be on the road all next week, doing a mini book tour in the Plattsburgh and Burlington area. Not sure if/when I'll be able to post stuff, but I'll see what I can do. Thanks for your patience - I'll be back for sure by April 16th.

The Water Escape

A few of you left comments on my last post, wondering about the near-death experience I mentioned. Yes, it's true - here's the story.

In the last semester of my senior year of college, my friend J and I took a class called Psych 483 - a Directed Study in Cognitive Psychology. Unofficially, we called it Magic 101. It was just the two of us, working with a psych professor we really liked, and we spent the semester designing a magic show, which we eventually presented to an audience of 250 people. How was this a Psych course? Easy - we just wrote a paper describing the psychological principles involved with each effect. Mostly, we hung around the theater, dreaming up cool illusions. Occasionally we rehearsed... but not much.

The final effect of the show was a homemade version of Houdini's famous Milk Can Escape. I built my own container out of large plastic garbage cans, rigged so that the cover could be locked with three padlocks (and rigged in other, secret ways too, of course). I spent a lot of time that semester in the college swimming pool, and could hold my breath for about 90 seconds. Plenty of time, I figured. In rehersal, I'd usually be out in about 30 seconds.

Well, the day of the show arrived. As we filled the tank with water, we discovered there was no hot water available back stage. The water was freezing. We had several hotpots back stage, and we dumped boiling water into the tank, to no avail. I then spent about an hour running around on stage, eating fire, etc. By the time we got to the escape, I was hot and tired, the water was still cold, and when I got in, it literally took my breath away. The lid came down anyway.

I was supposed to bang on the side of the tank if I ran into trouble, and J was supposed to get me out. On the video, you can clearly hear the banging. What you don't see is J letting me out... because he didn't.

Fortunately, and much to my surprise & relief, the lid didn't fit flush against the top of the can - there was a gap of an inch or two, and I was able to get a little air. I got myself out. The first thing I recall hearing was a voice saying "45 seconds..."

The music swelled, I waited a little longer, then pulled aside the curtain and took a bow.

I'm probably not going to do that particular trick again anytime soon... like, never. I did, however, get an A.

Fusion Interview

Fusion, the weekly newspaper that ran the interview with me last week, is apparently "in transition." That means they haven't updated their website, so I haven't been able to post a link to the interview. So, for your reading pleasure, here's the Q&A I submitted, prior to meeting with the writer.

Hometown: I'm an Air Force brat and I grew up all over the world. My parents settled in Plattsburgh NY, so I generally consider that "home." I'm living in New Hartford now.
Biggest inspiration: My kids. They have so much energy and joy and wonder, and they make me laugh every day. And in the case of the Boomer Sisters books, they literally inspired me.

Artists (Authors) who influence you: President Theodore Roosevelt, G.K. Chesterton and C.S. Lewis are my literary heroes, for the amazing scope, range, quality and influence of their writings. They influence everything I write. The Boomer Sisters books in particular were influenced by Chesterton's "Manalive," Stanley Kiesel's "The War Between the Pitiful Teachers and the Splendid Kids," Andrew Clements' "Frindle," and Eleanor Cameron's "Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet." My latest project is titled The Desert, and it's heavily influenced by Martin Bell and Ed Hayes.

Medium of choice: Spiral notebooks, college rule. Oh, and ball point pens. I went through 4 when I wrote "The Boomer Sisters Meet Champy." I seem to do most of my writing at 30,000 feet, when I'm flying somewhere for my day job.

My favorite piece: I know it sounds cliche, but what ever I'm working on now. I just finished a collection of short stories (for adults) titled "The Desert," and I love how it came out. Details are at http://TheDesertBook.googlepages.com.

Where to find my stuff: At the moment, my books are available at Lulu.com, the Village Toyshop in New Hartford and a few places in Plattsburgh. In the future, they will be everywhere (or at least at Amazon, which is the same as everywhere).

Craziest thing I've ever done for my art: Write a novel in 30 days, two years in a row. It was part of National Novel Writing Month, which is monkey-barrels of exhausting, caffeine-fuelled fun. I got up before 5 am almost every day for a month, because it was the only time I could set aside to write. Plus, in college I almost accidentally killed myself on stage in front of 250 people when I performed a home-made version of Houdini's water escape, but that doesn't have anything to do with my writing (yet). Obviously, I managed to get out, but it was close.

What I have to create before I die: I'm really impressed by the way G.K. Chesterton wrote in so many different genres - he did science fiction, detective novels, theology, politics, economics, travel books, histories, biographies... and I'm sure I'm missing a few. My objective is to create something like that. I want to write such a diverse set of books across so many different subjects that nobody except for my mom would be interested in reading them all.

Biggest misconception about artists: A lot of people think self-published books are low quality... and most of the time, that's true. But some really amazing books were originally self-published. Beatrix Potter self-published Peter Rabbit. James Joyce, Walt Whitman, TS Elliot and Henry David Thoreau all published their own stuff. These days, writers chose to self-publish for a lot of reasons, and it's not always because they can't convince a traditional publisher to buy it.

The book I'd want to see hanging on the NYT best seller list: Manalive, Orthodoxy or The Napoleon of Notting Hill, all by G.K. Chesterton. They are all brilliant, funny, thought-provoking books. They really should be read more widely than they are.

If you had an unlimited budget and could buy three pieces of art whose work would they be? First, I would love to own an original drawing by G.K. Chesterton (he was an artist as well as a writer). Winston Churchill is another fantastic writer, and he was a remarkable painter too, so I'll take one of his. Finally, I've always liked Jackson Pollock, so he'd be my #3.

Lessons From Art Class

From the Jan 2006 issue of Rogue Project Leader:

Meditations From A Drawing Class
The Rogue Zen Master recently took a 3-week drawing course at the local high school. It was a profoundly enlightening experience and a source of much insight. The following Principles from the Art of Art are presented for your meditative consideration.

- Stand up.
Just because you are drawing at a table or desk does not mean you have to be seated at that table or desk. By standing, your arm and body are able to move more freely. You’ll have better control and will be more likely to move around a little and accurately see the object you are drawing.

- Rotate the paper.
Just because your drawing will be viewed with the paper in a particular alignment doesn’t mean the paper has to remain in that alignment while you draw. For example, bio-mechanically speaking, it is easier to draw a straight line if you move the pencil from the lower left toward the upper right part of the page. When you want to draw a straight line, rotate the paper so the line you draw will begin at the lower left and proceed towards the upper right.

Click here to keep reading...

Traditional Publishers

Despite the widespread view that self-published books are lower quality, I'm in no rush to hook up with a traditional publisher. Yes, I've sent a book proposal to a local NY publisher, and I do hope they'll say yes, but if they don't, I'm going to continue doing that thing I do - even though it means it's harder to get into regular bookstores. Here are a few of the reasons finding a traditional publisher is not a big priority.

1) Query letters are a pain to write (and take a long time). I'd rather spend my time writing my books than writing about my books.

2) Traditional publisher's timelines are painfully long. Lulu is amazingly and wonderfully quick.

3) I have a day job. This is significant not just because it pays the bills (so I don't have to worry about living off book royalties), but also because it take up so much of my time. I can't really commit to doing road trips, readings, signings, etc. If a publisher invests their time & resources to my book, it would be reasonable for them to expect me to invest some time too... and at this point, I just can't do it.

4) In all honesty, I'm a little bit afraid of editors. Partly this is a time thing (see #3 above), and partly it's an artistic integrity thing. I love working with the editor at Defense AT&L, and I trust all the changes she makes to my stuff, but then I've worked with her for several years now. I'm a little afraid that an editor at a book publisher would come in and try to make changes to my stuff without first establishing a relationship or understanding my vision. Partly, this is because that's exactly what happened the one time I (almost) worked with a traditional publisher (I had to walk away...).

Desert Artwork

As I mentioned previously, I've continued to play around with paint occasionally (very, very occasionally), and recently jumped from watercolors to acrylics. It's quite a different experience from watercolors, and I think I like it better. Acrylics dry very quickly, so I've got to paint fast, which is probably good, since I'm doing these in 30 minute increments, during my lunch breaks.

Anyway, I did a few little "meditations in paint," based on stories from my latest book, The Desert. It's strictly amateur hour, and the end result is admittedly unrefined and raw, and not necessarily in a good way. Still, I had fun doing it, and am mostly pleased with how they came out. And Churchill was right - you really can't think about anything else when you're painting.

You can see all six of the paintings from The Desert on my Desert Artwork page.

More Mail...

Yesterday was an interesting mail day. Along with the Men's Wearhouse card (see post below), I also got a letter from a publisher! How exciting, right? I sent a book proposal to them a month ago, and have been waiting to hear back. Guess what the letter said?

"We've received your manuscript. Manuscript reviews take a long time. We'll get back to you."

On the one hand, I appreciate them acknowledging receipt of the manuscript. On the other hand, they've had it for a month, and they are just now sending me a note. The timeline of traditional publishing continues to frustrate and amaze me. Of course, if they agree to publish it, I'll be thrilled...

Mail Call...

I got a really surprising letter in the mail yesterday, from Men's Wearhouse. I'd bought a suit from them more than a year ago, and I really like it.

The note was from Eddie, the guy who sold me the suit, saying he saw the newspaper interview about my book. He was writing to say congratulations and to wish me well. What a cool surprise (Andy Nulman would approve).

I don't need a new suit - I hardly get to wear the one I've got - but if I needed one, guess where I'd go...

General Update

Had a great visit to NYC this weekend. Got to hang out at the Natural History Museum (where the Ben Stiller movie "A Night At The Museum" was set), and even bought some cool art from a couple painters in front of the art museum, just on the other side of Central Park.

I also got a lot of ideas for the next Boomer Sisters book (The Boomers Meet Manhattan??). It's really starting to come together... I found some great quotes from C.S. Lewis about art this morning, and the duties of an artist.

What I'm reading: The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand. Very interesting & enjoyable book. I'm also in the middle of the following books:

• Wikinomics
• Metaphors We Live By
• Ambient Findability
• The Narnian

It's going to be a busy/slow week. We've got a team of inspectors coming through our lab, and I'm sitting in the "ops center" monitoring their movements, inputs, observations, etc... Lucky me!