I recently composed a short story, “Garlic in the Air,” entirely on my iPhone while I was at work. Why the iPhone? Primarily because I was having some issues with my wrist and what might be some mild carpel tunnel issues and the iPhone didn’t aggravate those symptoms. Because I’m using Writeroom on my phone, my work is automatically backed up to the Simpletext servers, which I can then access on any computer with web access or on my home computer which has a Simpletext application that syncs a local folder with the server. I don’t think I’d write stories on the iPhone if I didn’t have that kind of syncing capability.
But what, I can hear you asking, is the process like writing on that little touch-screen keyboard? Not great. I certainly can’t type as fast as I can on a keyboard and it’s even slower than writing on paper. However, I’m not sure that is always a liability. Having to slow down a bit makes me consider my words more. It means that I am paying slightly more attention to the individual words and sounds than I might otherwise. I type moderately quickly, somewhere between 65 – 80 wpm depending on the computer and the ergonomics. Often, this speed means that I’m typing the first thoughts as they come into my head and stream through and are then gone replaced by the next thought and the next thought. Being forced to go slower means that each thought gets additional . . . well, thought before being committed to pixels. Also, I’m learning to ignore errors more on the iPhone and keep going because it’s much more tedious to fix misspellings on the iPhone than on a computer or even by hand. The truth is that when I misspell something I don’t have to fix it while I’m writing since it’s easy enough to fix later. Yet on a computer, I’ll break my train of thought to go back and fix any word in read I see. So, while on the one hand I’m slowing my thoughts down, I’m also training myself to keep moving forward instead of breaking out of the flow of the story to fix the mechanics of it.
Would I sit down and attempt to write a novel straight through on the iPhone? No. But because of Simpletext, I’m thinking of routinely writing first drafts of stories using either Textmate or Writeroom and saving them in my Simpletext folder so that I have them accessible wherever I go, whether that is on another computer or my iPhone. Scrivener remains my choice for longer projects, and as a place where I may very well import short stories after a draft or two, but keeping it simple with plain text files and a server that provides access wherever I go is making me rethink the tools and workflow I use for short works and early drafts.
If you’d like to read “Garlic in the Air,” you can find it at The Dueling Quill.
If you believe in freedom and liberty, then you support gay marriage, right?
Why do hospitals and medical offices–places where people are all ready feeling unwell or stressed or angry or sad or scared–insist on setting their tvs to the most divisive, emotionally charged, angry, vituperative channel? FOX can’t be good for anyone’s blood pressure.
Lost works better at the speed of Netflix. By which I mean that falling into the narrative like you might a fever dream that is intense but never goes anywhere can be an enjoyable experience. Watching several episodes a day for weeks on end and you end up sinking into the show in ways that an episode each week just doesn’t accomplish for me. 42 minutes every seven days leaves me way too much time to realize just how bad the writing is and how uninteresting most of the characters are and why I stopped watching halfway through the second season four years ago. This fall, when I watched five seasons in a little over a month, made me excited for the final season. So far I’ve been bored and disappointed.
Also, can somebody write a fraking show that deals with free will and personal responsibility instead of fate, destiny, and all other ethical dodges that deny individual agency? And yes, I’m looking at you Lost, but also at you too Battlestar Galactica.
I honestly don’t understand why people care about the Oscars. Or any televised awards show for that matter.
I am digging my new Bodum travel press coffee cup/french press that I picked up this past weekend. Now, instead of spending anywhere from $1.50 – $3.00 on coffee per day while at the temp job, I just pre-grind some beans that I’m going to buy anyway for the house, bring them with me and make french press coffee at work. It’s frugal and pretentious, which is always a winning combination, Oh, and plus, even with pre-ground beans (I know, I know, you shouldn’t pre-grind beans), it’s a smoother, less acidic, and more pleasant cup of coffee than Au Bon Pain’s coffee. Win win situation all around and I highly recommend it.
If you don’t trust the government, how in the world do you trust the corporations who dominate the “free market,” and whose primary purpose is to take your money away from you to do anything for the betterment of you, your family, your community, or your nation?
I ask this in all sincerity because I’d really like someone to provide a well-reasoned argument that, say, Anthem Blue Cross, is more trustworthy and effective at promoting civic well-being than the government.
Work better with others inside & outside the government
Solicit feedback from the public
Improve the availability & quality of information
Be more innovative & efficient
Create EPA’s Open Government Plan
Transparency and the willingness of government agencies to actively solicit public opinion only works if we are paying attention. So if you have an idea, or even if you don’t, head over to the website and participate in the discussion because the only way for the We, the People to participate in our governance is to participate.
The Tea Party’s choice in the Florida Republican primary, Marco Rubio, began his address to a crowd of conservative conventioneers by taking a shot at President Obama for reading from a teleprompter. He did it while standing in front of two easily visible teleprompters. Rubio Slams Obama’s Teleprompter While In Front Of Telemprompters At CPAC
The reality blinders on these people are astounding.
I’ve been a fan of H. Jon Benjamin since Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist and have loved his work in Home Movies and Lucy, Daughter of the Devil. He is on FX’s new show Archer playing the title role, and if you don’t mind a bit of off-color ribaldry, you should definitely check it out. Benjamin has an amazing voice and a brilliant sense of comic timing and his buffoonish secret agent is a perfect parody of the spy genre. Silly, crude, and clever, Archer is definitely worth watching.
“I’m not sure that’s technically irony.”
“What? This is like O. Henry and Alanis Morrisette had a baby and named it this exact situation!”
So far, Hulu has the first two episodes and I hope they’ll post more soon.
What is there to say about these political pustules? They are hypocritical and don’t give a damn about the American people or about good governance or about doing what is right for the country.
For Republicans, the idea of requiring every American to have health insurance is one of the most abhorrent provisions of the Democrats’ health overhaul bills.
“Congress has never crossed the line between regulating what people choose to do and ordering them to do it,” said Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT). “The difference between regulating and requiring is liberty.”
But Hatch’s opposition is ironic, or some would say, politically motivated. The last time Congress debated a health overhaul, when Bill Clinton was president, Hatch and several other senators who now oppose the so-called individual mandate actually supported a bill that would have required it. wbur.org » News » Republicans Spurn Once-Favored Health Mandate
Don’t get me wrong, the Democrats aren’t much better and have enabled this kind of obstructionist hypocrisy every step of the way. But the GOP is really quite special when it comes to being lying sacks of shit who want to ensure that 1% of Americans can continually benefit at the expense of the rest of us.
