I just got back from seeing Sherlock Holmes and, just so we're clear, I quite enjoyed it. I think the biggest criticism I want to lay on it (at least at first blush) is that there weren't enough false conclusions reached along the way to deducing the situation.

Certainly, it showed Holmes in the usual "eccentric genius" light AND managed to bring out both new and often overlooked aspects of his character. I'm not suggesting that he necessarily should have made false deductions (though that DID occasionally happen in the Doyle stories). But SOMEONE should have been saying "Ah ha! I've GOT it!" at various points along the way, only to be proven wrong ... at the very least, the AUDIENCE should have been made to feel that they actually UNDERSTOOD things better, if only to have the metaphorical rug pulled out from under their feet when Holmes later reveals the truth of the matter.

And, really, all that is a pretty tepid complaint. It would have made the film tenser, I think ... and kept the audience a little more riveted, rather than waiting for all these inexplicable matters to be resolved and explained to them at the end. But it's not like they were bored or (worse) lost during the movie as it stands. Indeed, everyone in the theater seemed to enjoy the movie at least as much as I did.

The strangest thing about the film overall, I think, is an odd disclaimer that was included near the end of the credits. It basically said that no one associated with the film accepted any money or gifts pursuant to the depiction and use of tobacco in the film.

Now, I'm a strong proponent of regulation of tobacco, and wholly against marketing efforts to make it look cool, harmlessly pleasurable, or in any way benign ... but the fact of the matter is that smoking tobacco has been a part of Western society for a couple of centuries at least ... and it has, at various points, been a basically ubiquitous practice. So, in a movie set during one of those times, with a character that has always been depicted as a smoker, it never even OCCURRED to me that the characters' use of tobacco might be sponsored by a pro-tobacco lobby.

I can't decide whether I think this disclaimer is a good thing (showing that the filmmakers are sensitive to the POSSIBLE influence that Big Tobacco might try to wield) ... but I DO think it's a WEIRD thing. Sort of like burying a "don't smoke, kids!" message in the middle of a magazine like Forbes or Architectural Digest so the publishers can say, "See? We're doing our share!"

Anyway, I found it interesting.

And the movie, too.

Wild Card Weekend is almost upon us. No, I'm not talking about SUICIDE KINGS this time -- although this weekend would be a great opportunity to go out and buy it -- but about the NFL.

The Giants are out, but the Jets are still in it (it's good to have two teams), travelling to Cincinnati for a rematch with the Bengals. Needless to say, I'll be pulling hard for this game to turn out the same way as the last one. Cincy will be playing all their starters this time, so I expect the game will be closer, but I do think the Jets have an excellent chance of winning again and advancing to the next round. Let's Go Jets!

That's the game that matters most to me, of course... but it's no fun watching a football game unless you care about the outcome, so I'll be rooting for certain teams and against others in the other three wild card games as well.

I hate Evil Little Bill, so of course I will be cheering for the Ravens to upset the Patriots and eliminate them from this year's tournament. I have mixed feelings about the Ravens themselves. I don't much like Ray Lewis, but I've always been fond of Bawlmer, and of course I am an Edgar Allen Poe fan. But I'd cheer for almost anyone against the Vile BB.

I also hate the Philadelphia Eagles, but not as much as I hate the Dallas Cowboys, so I guess I have to cheer on Donovan McNabb and company. If the Cowboys get eliminated, extending their long drought of playoff victories, Jerry Jones will probably fire Wade Phillips and the Cowboys will start all over with a new coach, which always causes a certain amount of chaos.

So here's hoping the Eagles win. (Then next week I can cheer for someone else to beat them).

In the Arizona - Green Bay game, my feelings are mixed. I think Green Bay treated Brett Favre shabbily; but then, I'm more a "loyalty" guy than one of those "it's a business" guys. On the other hand, I love the Green Bay fans, the history and tradition, and the fact that the team is publically owned, rather than being the personal plaything of some asswipe billionaire like Jerry Jones. (More teams should be publically owned). On the Cardinals side, I like Kurt Warner, who was a class act when he was with the Giants, as a mentor to Eli. But I don't like the Bidwells, or the fact that the Cardinals still refuse to give up the championship they stole from the Pottsville Maroons. Tough call... but Pottsville takes it. May the curse endure. Go Packers!

omnisti  and I just arrived in Colorado Springs.  One of the first things we saw upon entering the Wiley Hacienda was a set of photos on the dining table--photos of omnisti 's baby nephew, Gunnar King Wiley (I think it's Gunnar and not Gunner, but I need to check), who is so cute there oughtta be a law.

SJ:  The boy is illegally cute.
K:  Yes.  He's a Wiley.
SJ:  Oh, you Wiley boys!
K: (sotto voce) More dangerous than Anansi Boys.
SJ:  Ha!  Says the Rabbit, who is also Anansi in one form!
K:  Noooo, we stole Anansi's stories!
SJ:  All stories are Anansi stories.
K:  Except when they are Rabbit stories!



Yes, they get even cuter than this ninja snow bunny of mine.
Told you there oughtta be a law.
I realize I need to track down a pic of Gunnar too, now, for you guys, but I need a nap.  It's been a long three days of driving, thanks to the weather.  Here, have rottweiler puppies instead.

Well have a nap, and then go see Holmes!
At least that's the plan.
My new dragon-shaped humidifier is humming pleasantly, I am very pleased to be back in Colorado, and I have two shows this weekend, starting tomorrow.  Hope you can come, snow or no snow.


Friday January 08, 2010 — 8:00pm
Witches Brew
5300 W 44th Ave
Denver, CO 80212 [Map It!]
303-997-9571

I plan to wear a very lovely, well-tailored, even skimpy costume in defiance of the cold.  :D  Feel free to dress to the nines and play along; they serve warm and tasty beverages at Witches Brew.


Saturday January 09, 2010 — 8:00pm
Concert and potential fire performance
High Plains UU
1825 Dominion Way
Colorado Springs, CO 80918 [Map It!]
Near Dublin and Academy
719-260-1080

with a possible fire spinning performance if we sell enough tickets--I think we need less than twenty more, at this point!  Did I mention that High Plains UU was once a video arcade and mini-golf place, and it just oozes funky-cool?  Imagine what it'll be like with an awesome concert in it!
Did I also mention that I GOT A FIRE HOOP FOR $WINTERHOLIDAY (ref. Best Boyfriends Evar) AND I INTEND TO USE IT?!?  You know you wanna see that.

We're also hosting a little friendly gather at WileyCasa on Sunday afternoon.  Leave me a comment if you'd like to come by.

Judging by the emails I receive, there are a lot of aspiring writers among my readership.

I wanted to make mention of a couple of summer writing programs that might be of interest to you.

First, the legendary Clarion workshop, which began with Damon Knight in Clarion College, Pennsylvania, and is now in scenic San Diego. An intensive six-week writer's boot camp that will make you, break you, maybe change your life. I will be one of the instructors at this year's Clarion, along with Delia Sherman, Dale Bailey, Samuel R. Delany, Jeff Vandermeer, and Anne Vandermeer. For more details, check out

http://clarion.ucsd.edu/

Applications for Clarion are being accepted now, and will close on March 1... so if you've ever wanted to have me read and critique your work, and learn the secret handshake and the diagonal relationship, speak now or hold your peace until the next time I do a workshop (which probably won't be for a few more years).

[[ I do NOT read unpublished manuscripts that are mailed or emailed to me, so don't even think that. I do my teaching and critiquing only with a workshop context. And sorry, no, I won't be your mentor.]]

Clarion has been helping to turn out professional SF and fantasy writers since the 60s. Maybe you're the next one. You'll never know unless you apply. But be warned, only a few are chosen. Admissions are extremely competitive, with only one of five applicants getting in.

For writers who are already published, but are looking to take the next step in their careers, there is the Taos Toolbox, founded and run by my friend Walter Jon Williams and held right here in scenic New Mexico.

http://www.taostoolbox.com

Walter Jon's pitches his Toolbox as more of a "graduate study" program, for writers with a bit more experience. Graduates of Clarion, Clarion West, and Odyssey, neopros with a few sales under their belts, even journeymen looking to improve. I am not connected with the Toolbox, but I did a guest lecture there a few years ago, and it struck me as a great program. This year Nancy Kress will be assisting WJW with the teaching, and Carrie Vaughn (of Kitty and Wild Cards fame) will be giving a guest lecture. And when you're not writing, reading, critiquing, or listening to lectures, hey, you'll be in Taos.

Clarion Workshop and the Taos Toolbox. If you want to write, check 'em out.

I've got a few personal holidays marked off on my calendar ... days that I consider my "professional holidays" and celebrate the people whose work has had enduring influence on me and my artistic endeavors (both writing and drawing). Today is the first of those ... it's Charles Addams' birthday!

Addams is one of those cartoonists whose work was influential on me, though I didn't realize it for many years. Growing up, I saw it in collections of New Yorker cartoons ... but at an age before I actually started paying attention to the fact that I could like one cartoonist over another. I remember watching hours of re-runs of The Addams Family TV show, but again not knowing WHY they were the "Addams Family" ... y'know, except that their name was Addams.

It wasn't until only about 10 years ago that I put all the pieces together and realized how much impact Addams' work had on me. In particular, his blending of the horrific and fanciful with the mundane and every day world. These strange people and creatures were just trying to find places for themselves in the world ... trying to be live life and enjoy all the odd little things that gave them joy. And the DETAILS he put into his pieces continues to amaze me. They really are more like little ink-wash paintings than mere cartoons.

Anyway, happy Charles Addams's Birthday to you all! I'm going to celebrate by doing something perverse that gives me joy ... I don't know what yet ... I think I'll just let inspiration guide me, and not allow my sense of propriety to stop me.

This makes me happy. :)



'Bout time, folks.

Not that the Dems are on my Joy List right now, but they're a damn sight better than the flat-earthers trying to rule the Republican Party - and, by extension, us.

Maybe this current "civil war" will create a viable future for the 'Pubs. After the last decade, they could use one. And so could we.

Steam and a friend of mine are trying to destroy me. During their recent holiday sale, the now-classic game "Knights of the Old Republic" went on sale for under ten bucks. The basis for the FFN character "Lewis" called me up, knowing I'd been between computers when this game was in its heyday, and suggested I get it. I did, not knowing the path led to the dark side...

Not only is it a time-sucker, it makes me upset about the prequel trilogy all over again. It says something when a game that looks this primitive when compared to current games sucks me in more than a multi-million dollar trio of films could (for more on this, put up your shields vs. inappropriate language, adult humor, and gags about keeping people in basements, and click here). Granted, it's a video game and by definition (at least for me) is more immersive than a movie. However, even the minor characters that should annoy, like a Twi'lek tween, have decent enough backstories that they don't grate on the nerves like a caffeinated Gungan might. It's got a ton of flavor that enriches the Star Wars universe, and I'm not even a third of the way through the game!

It does have some quirks that are kind of unique to its version of Star Wars, partly from being a d20-based video game (which adds to the nostalgia for me) and being a role-playing game (as much as a video game with speech-selection trees can be):

1. Jedi can be a lot more practical about defeating enemies. Yeah, I've got the Force and can wield dual light sabers and all that, but I'm going to chuck a few grenades at that guy in the cape to soften him up, first. Then I'm going to shoot myself full of chemicals to enhance my strength, dexterity, and other attributes, flick on this energy shield, make sure my cybernetic implant is jump-starting my brain, and strap down these goggles that help me skewer anything that movies. And I'm wearing armor, so you can just chuck those brown robes down a garbage chute. I like this kind of Jedi. If they let you use force powers on things like mines, the game would be a laugh riot of creative ways to gain experience points.

2. People aren't allowed to be morons, for the most part. There are some attempts at humor (I'm thinking of "Romeo & Juliet" mission where everyone meets at the end for a little sit-com spit-taking), but they aren't intrusive. About the most odd behavior I've seen is from the head baddie, who ordered the destruction of a planet (which translates to the bombardment of the capitol city) to take out one Jedi, but he's supposed to be an uber-villain so I'll cut him some slack for lacking finesse or a sense of proportion.

3. It's an RPG, so the whole "good vs. evil" thing gets a little wonky. Killing innocents will definitely get you "Dark Side" points, but tearing through someone's house, destroying his droids, and looting every container you find is, it appears, tolerated. At least, after resolving the kidnapping dispute, neither the homeowner or his now-grateful daughter requested I return any of their stuff... which is fine, because I took the occasional hit from his robots' weapons (which I also looted).

#3 hits on something about role-playing games that you always have to feel out be it on a computer or at the table: What bits of the game will feature the technique of the bully? Or, in more common terms, what will the DM or computer game deem a "punishable offense?" Looting in "Fallout 3" is regulated by who owns it, whether or not they're alive, and whether or not they deserve to have their stuff carried away. Human Dungeon Masters will often apply karmic price tags to lifting things, sometimes by sticking you with a crucial Paladin or lawful Cleric NPC who spots your every infraction, or worse, just making you paranoid that the dagger you looted from the guy who tried to kill you at the inn will get you accused of murder if you don't find a way to destroy it down to ashes before the sun comes up.

This is also a game that rewards different skill sets, which a lot more RPGs of every stripe are trying to do these days, almost as a game of "spot the hidden lever." KOTOR will place groups of enemies conveniently near power conduits or gas-emitting vents that can be activated from other rooms (I imagine the guild that made these standard in most places went on to make installing guard rails around long drops into reactors against the law in most parts of the "Star Wars" universe) if you have the right skills. It almost seems that games are punishing brute force, which makes me think we're headed down into "Tomb of Horrors" territory, where if you don't see what the designer had in mind, your might as well start re-rolling your entire party... which is, of course, why you need to bring more snacks to bribe the DM (this is the real-life equivalent of having a "save point," or pretty near to it). :)

Back in the real world, we also have snow. Lots of it, at least for recent history 'round this part of Missouri. Others have much more, so I'm grateful to get away with the scant foot or so we've accumulated. So is the wife, who's enjoying a few more days off from school... though it made me think I could take a few hours off from tending our son and getting stuff finished to play my "Star Wars" game, since I'll have more time tomorrow to work... yeah, that's it...

So I'll tend to my delusions and offer this to help bring down everyone else's productivity:

- Pong. A classic game, now available (to those handy with tools and electronics) in a physical form.
- "Can it run Crysis" is still a meme for questioning the power of a computer. I never had much reason to want to play the first-person shooter, but someone is making a MechWarrior modification for it, and it looks very good. The mechs walking underwater is particularly spine-chilling for some reason.
- So which is more important to you? Your significant other or your Orc statue?
- If you have a few minutes and a phone handy, you might get a laugh exploring the Nestle Crunch hotline. I forgave their use of the word "funner" after hearing the selection on "cooties."
- Yes, it's my second UK tabloid post in one day, but they've apparently discovered creatures in the ocean that have escaped from a Mario game.
- Here's a little puzzle-platformer in an interesting art style: Where's 2010?
- John Travolta is starring in a new action film. This is the trailer. It almost seems a parody, like the "McClain" films from "The Simpsons," don'cha think?
- "Simon's Cat" has had a crossover with the popular YouTube kitty, Maru in "Overseas Visitor". Cute.
- How about an Asteroids-style shooter where you add onto your ship with the bits of your defeated enemies (careful where you place the thrusters)? It's Captain Forever, and it's pretty addictive and Vectrex-y.

Hi, folks!

Happy New Year! Let's hope this year is a vast improvement over the last two!

As part of that "new year" thing, I want to pass along word about a friend of our in Colorado. Damiana and I posted about two weeks back that gafferbear  - one of the Big Damn Heroes of our world - got a really shitty holiday "gift" from the Cosmos. Here's an update on the situation. Any and all help is welcome.

Thanks, folks!

"No one else can be trusted to help us, so we must help one another."

--------from damiana_swan -------

Gaffer update--how we can help

Various sources are reporting the Pepper Johnson might be a candidate for the defensive coordinator opening on the Giants, created when Bill Sheridan was released.

That would be a risk, maybe -- Pepper doesn't have the experience of most of the other candidates -- but it's one I'd be glad to take. I have fond memories of Pepper from his days in the Giants defense of the late 80s and early 90s. He was always a fiery competition, a real leader, and the Giants defense desperately needs some fire right now. The last thing we want is another Xs and Os guy like Sheridan. Pepper has never been a coordinator... but neither had Steve Spagnuolo until Coughlin hired him, and Spags was great.

Other reported contenders include Dick Jauron, Romeo Crennel, Percy Fewell, Bob Sutton, and George Edwards. Some of them might be okay... but if it was me, I'd go for Pepper.

Super Genius Games has just released our first product of the new year ... the latest in our very popular series of Loot 4 Less products, called Hot Rods. As with the previous volumes in the series, this one features a collection of magical items for use in the Pathfinder RPG, all of which are enchanted with permanent effects and yet are priced no higher than 2,500 gp (so they're affordable even at the lowest levels).

Hot Rods features, not surprisingly, rods ... the often forgotten item type that really should be the workhorse of magical items. They are amazingly versatile, don't take up a permanent magic item slot, are wielded like weapons, and don't require any special skill or ability in order to use. And they can look like just about ANYTHING.



Oh yeah. This is where I mention that Hot Rods is the OTHER SGG product I did art for recently. Unlike in Winter Ravagers, it's easier for my cartoony style to blend in when illustrating items (at least, that's the theory ... we'll see what the public reaction is). And yet, I had just as much fun drawing these as I did the monsters.

So check out Loot 4 Less, vol. 3: Hot Rods. It's available at Paizo, DriveThru RPG, and RPGNow ... and it won't hurt ... much.

Starting at the End

It's been a very long time since I've written a game product to a specific length. It was probably World of Darkness, and even that was pretty flexible. It was also three years ago already. Since then, the only game things I've really worked on were Book of Experimental Might I and II, and Dungeonaday.com, all of which could be characterized by being "as long or as short as they need to be." In fact, that's one of the many, many things I love about working on Dungeonday.com. I am utterly unfettered with the restrictions so often found in adventure writing.

But now I'm working on a short Pathfinder adventure for Paizo. It's a 32-page adventure, a format with which I'm very familiar. I've done enough of them, in fact, that I know that the major pitfall isn't filling the pages, it's cramming a whole adventure into that space. It always seems like you're going to have a lot of room, but then you get to the climactic finish and you're practically out of space and you either need to shortchange it (which is awful), cut earlier portions of the adventure (not fun, and sometimes downright painful), or beg your editor for more pages or a smaller font in the finished product. The latter choice works when you're also the publisher (as I was with Malhavoc Press), but it's not at all endearing if you're not. It's a rookie mistake to think that overwriting is a good thing. Somehow, writers think that if they're commissioned to write 20,000 words and they turn over 30,000 words they're doing someone a favor. It's not like if someone asked you to clean up the kitchen and you also clean the bathroom. More is not better in this case. You're not getting extra credit here. Actually, all overwriting does is make more work for the editor who has to cut the manuscript down to size. And making work for your editor is never a good idea.

So with Curse of the Riven Sky, I wrote the ending first. From a design point of view, the most important part of narrative adventure* is the end, followed closely by the beginning. The end is the climax, the culmination--it's where everything comes together in one exciting, memorable game session where the PCs are pushed to their limits. In this kind of adventure, the last encounter is usually the first one that I plan out, and in this case, it's the first one that I wrote as well. I wanted to make sure that I had the space for every last word it needed to be exactly the ending I wanted to give the adventure. It also turned out that the adventure needed two endings, based on potential player actions and choices. I probably wouldn't have realized that until I got there, had I wrote the adventure in order, and then I would have been in real trouble space-wise.

Next came the beginning. The beginning, to quote Princess Irulan, is a very delicate time. It's how the PCs get drawn into the story and it sets up the whole rest of the adventure. Like the ending, you don't want to short-change the beginning. You want to provide as much detail as you can for the DM to get things going, and cover all the bases regarding what choices the PCs have and what happens if they make each one.

The middle, obviously, is important too. It's the meat of the adventure, after all. In a 32-page adventure, it's all important. You can't really waste a word. But the middle's the most flexible. Basically, it expands or contracts as needed to fill the remaining space. So I've chosen to work on that last. So if you'll excuse me, I have a middle to write.

*Not true with a purely location-based adventure, like a dungeon crawl. That's another kettle of fish.

Gaffer has done several things over the past week toward dealing with the large pile of manure that was dumped on him just after Christmas.

Here is a post with all the things he needs and wants (and some of his "want" list strikes me as being remarkably close to qualifying as "needs" as well). He also has a few things he'd love to find new homes for, where they will be loved and used and appreciated.

"What I need help with" :

* Moving help for about 75 or so boxes of books and kitchen things - and a couple pieces of furniture (most of what he has is going in the dumpster) - a moving co may be overkill, but a couple of strong backs with a truck, who know what they're doing, would be a God-send! (currently in a 3rd floor walk-up)

* Moving boxes for books, and plastic bags to seal them in

* $50 for a month's rent (month-to-month) on an un-heated storage unit in S. Boulder, or somewhere to stash said books and things where they will be sheltered but freezing for a week or so (not a huge problem this week, eh?) (perhaps IN the moving truck...?)

* Help (someone with a largish vehicle) doing a bunch of laundry (everything that is washable must be washed, on its way to the new place, once there is a new place)

* An apartment (ooh! drool for a coach-house in Newlands!!) that meets "ShelterPlusCare" housing subsidy requirements - state of repair, fire alarm, size, like that ... maximum rent + utilities of $875/month.

(While you can't barter with the electric company, he is more-than-willing to be an artist-in-residence for the landlord ... )

* His location parameters are roughly: between 1st and Folsom, and from Alpine to just north of "the Hill" - OR anywhere that has an Eco-Pass bus program in place.

(Easy access to Pearl is the most important consideration, since busking on the Mall is his primary source of cash income these days)

Good news: The move-by date has been revised to Jan. 15 - they realized that included in the first "10 days" were 2(!) major holidays and 2 weekends, and the person who has to approve his new digs for the subsidy won't even be back in town 'til the 4th!

Last but not least ~

* Website re-construction and hosting - he has files, and CDs to sell, but needs to get it "put back together".


(Note: website is in the process of being taken care of.)

There is further information in that post; please do go read it.

The PayPal button is HERE: if you can help, even with just a few dollars, it will do a lot to alleviate the obstacles and will be VERY much appreciated.

The text of his Craigslist ad seeking his new home is:

Harpist seeking one of those "nifty" Boulder rentals. One bedroom unit sought by outdoor (only!) smoker (balcony almost requisite); quiet, gentle individual looking for quiet neighborhood within fairly flat walk of downtown - West of Folsom, South of Alpine, North of the Hill (cannot do too much "up"). Bus access requisite.

Neighborhood Eco-pass Program is a plus. I would prefer a unit with dishwasher, gas range. Laundry access is also a plus.

I play harp on the Pearl Street Mall, and in various Senior Facilities and Nursing Homes throughout Boulder and Denver.
Please feel free to contact me directly at housethatharpist@humanoid.net


Whatever you can do to help--reposting this plea, dropping a few dollars his way, spending a couple hours carrying boxes (if you're in Boulder) or helping to make the connection between Gaffer and his still-to-be-found new home, will be appreciated SO very much, and will make a significant difference in the life of a wonderful human being. All of us will be richer thereby, and I thank you for it.

When future generations examine the collapse of American capitalism, they'll spend too much time looking over graphs and statistics and not nearly enough looking at some of the real causes... like this:

Place to discuss Your Itch.

Originally published at Words Words Words. Please leave any comments there.

p 392: “…every branch of trade in which the merchant can sell his goods for a price which replaces to him, with the ordinary profits of stock, the whole capital employed in preparing and sending them to market, can be carried on without a bounty.”

This is not the first time we’ve seen that phrase, “the ordinary profits of stock.”  But what, exactly, does it mean?  Smith appears to believe that, when money is productively invested, a certain amount of profit is natural and normal.  What determines this amount?  What is the percentage, and why?  For someone so precise in other things, this vagueness really stands out.  It goes back to his assertion, in Book 1, that the value of commodities comes from wages, rent, and profit.  In fact, that is how (most) of the value is divided after the sale, but it isn’t it’s source of the value.  There is no “ordinary profit of stock.”

Later, he makes another fundamental (thought perfectly understandable) error.  On page 397, speaking of corn (ie, grain), he says, “It regulates the money price of labour, which must always be such as to enable the labourer to purchase a quantity of corn sufficient to maintain him and his family either in the liberal, moderate, or scanty manner in which the advancing, stationary, or declining circumstances of the society oblige his employers to maintain him.”  And further down, “The money price of labour, and of everything that is the produce either of land or labour, must necessarily either rise or fall in proportion to the money price of corn.”

In other words, because grain is the staple food, it controls the price of labor, and the price of labor controls the value of commodities.  But even in his day, the cost or price of labor (wages), insofar as it was determined by the cost of necessaries the worker, was also determined by the price of wool, leather, furnishings, cotton, and all of the other things consumed by the worker.  Moreover, the value of a commodity is determined by the value of labor (measured in time), not the cost of labor.  Raising the value of basic necessities effectively lowers wages, but this does not change the value of those commodities (whether expressed in labor-time, money, or even grain).

Originally published at Words Words Words. Please leave any comments there.

It's a PJ Harvey kinda night.

I'm working on an interesting little side project this evening ... adapting some well-known characters to "tiki" versions and designing tiki-mugs of them. This is for a potential freelance project ... and just for fun. Tiki is one of those things I'd get into if I wasn't already into too many other things.

I'm a big fan of artists like Shag and Derek ... and I've got a bunch of sketches for doing some fantasy illustrations in a Stan!ish version of that hipster style. One of these days, I might actually get around to DRAWING them.

But for now, tiki-fying some well known characters is a good, fun start.

Life is magical... but full of pain.

The Jets are in the playoffs. Who woulda thunk it, a couple of weeks ago? The game against the Bengals was certainly impressive. Can they do it again, though? We'll see.

The Giants didn't play. I don't know who those guys in their unis were, but they sure were inept.

Goodbye, Bill Sheridan. A good guy, by all reports, but a horrendous defensive coordinator.

I meant to post yesterday on the weekend's games, but got busy writing instead, and finished a Tyrion chapter that I've been struggling with for six months. Nibbling away at that knot. We'll see if the finished chapter holds up to reread and polish today.

Outside of the world of computers, you can safely and conveniently confide in a trusted friend without worry that the conversation will suddenly become public knowledge.  I want to create a similarly safe environment for honesty and propriety, safer even than private email, but there's a catch...

How can anyone trust a website when most of the current sites barely even try to maintain real privacy?

Do you have any suggestions for what I should do to establish a reliable reputation of trust with folks?

What leaves you feeling nervous about online privacy on existing sites?

As I was working this afternoon, I found myself having difficulty concentrating. Not JUST concentrating ... but sitting still or even staying in the computer room for more than 10 or 15 minutes at a stretch. As I wandered into the living looking for a distraction, I realized that PART of the problem almost certainly was that I hadn't been out of the apartment for more than 15 minutes in 3 or 4 days.

So rather than eating the leftovers I had in the fridge, I went out to a nearby Chili's. That was a good 45 minutes out of the house, but I don't think it was enough. Though I'm nearly ready for bed, my brain keeps throwing out ideas for things I could go do ... even at this hour.

Tomorrow I plan to get out of the house for a few hours ... go visit Hyrum, who just had some relatively minor surgery and likely will be in the hospital for another day or so ... maybe swing by a bookstore or Fry's or something ... eat a meal. Hopefully THAT will banish this problem and I'll be able to get back to sitting here for long stretches getting things accomplished!