Event-horizon?

I was amused to see an article in this week's Economist about the new 'Problem Generation'. It may well be clickbait, but it was about older folk who 'party-on'. 

The illustration amused me, and I'd just returned from a small gathering where we discussed having enough time to do stuff nowadays. It was a luxury ill-afforded when working 9 to 5 or whatever crazier hours our roles dictated. 

Now that Generation Alpha is worried about the return of five-day working weeks and the need to job-hop, it will be interesting to see how everything folds in, like some sort of event horizon.

Lies: by Ed Adams - a test cover.

 

This is just a test. 

you better not kill the groove

It's been the usual breathless celebrations at rashbre central. DJ, gonna burn this goddam house right down. Better than 2024, but not as good as 2026. 'Fun going forward', as Sophie and I would say. 

A positive state of mind is worth 100 IQ points. 

Happy New Year.

Stealing a march - Type Thief #arc

 

Here's an interesting free review book offer from a fellow blogger:  

A new historical novel, set in 1503 and beyond, spanning much of Europe: It's the Year of Three Popes. One of them commissions a typeface from a renowned Venetian printer for exclusive use by the Vatican. The resulting font is beautiful, but the type punches are destined to be stolen on their way to Rome.  

Meanwhile, in the 21st century, a book collector who specialises in typographical first editions is trying to track the type's amazing journey.  

Who was the type thief? It's an interesting road novel with many entertaining twists and appearances by historical figures.  

And right now (for a short time) it's possible to get a 'Free' Advanced Reader Copy (sometimes called galleys), by following the link to R F McMinn's page: It's here with the simplest of instructions to obtain a paperback or eBook. Recommended!

Black Doves

This slipped into my inbox as a box set to watch. I liked the opening, which sucked me into a mysterious plot. Later, I realised that this series would be inscrutable, with many Killing Eve, Pulp Fiction and even Slow Horses references.

I suspect the cast were as confused as I was at the start.

Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw portray two unlikely mercenary 'spies' thrown together. I was intrigued to watch more and decided to play that game - spot the trope - through most of the series. By the third episode, I'd started to notice the often wobbly moments and the humour of another two Pulp Fiction-esque female assassins: "You still got that rocket launcher?" etc. There was even a 'wake up from drug overdose' scene straight out of Tarantino. 

It's a twisty, plot-driven comic-book style tale. Knightley played 'herself' for most of it, although she missed the part about her favourite Xmas movies when 'Love Actually (ft. Knightley)' wasn't listed. We still had a Nativity plotline, although it was more threatening than usual.

This, like Die Hard, is an Xmas movie. It had all the Xmas moments shot around a realistic portrayal of London. Well, except for the amount of shootings.

Popcorn advised.

I watched it all in one binge.

Post for XMAS?

Another example of the creeping uselessness of security measures.

I just sent three small packages by Royal Mail, logged off, but then remembered I needed to send a couple more. When I log back on, I get a password fail message. 

So I try to retype it, eventually give up, reset the password and then try to log on. "Maximum attempt exceeded."

Pah.

Not cool.

Tesla watch update

Just got the watch update for the car. An interesting, surprisingly useful set of functions. The mileage charge indicator shows up as a watch 'complication' too.  The app just turned up on my phone and then became an option for my watch.

The other new feature I like is that the car now recognises my home drive and will reverse park into it. I hope they provide these functions on the new Tesla Q when it is released.

JLR corporate ransacking

It has worked; the discussion of the new concept car produced by a flagship UK maker. The company is owned by Tata, and under the JLR moniker, it is burying the once cool brand. If you want retro, then here's an example of how it should be done...

I know, its petrol and ecologically uncool, but it was designed 50 years ago, despite this example having a bluetooth radio.

It’s kind of inevitable that the design of the newest vehicle is ultra long, with a pointless bonnet to hide an empty engine compartment.  Think of an SUV 'on steroids'. Stretched to look good outside Sénéquier. Then sack all of the people responsible. Top to bottom. They are having a laugh.

I guess it was a rush job to design it one Friday afternoon, and the main inspiration was the Batmobile, albeit in Barbie Pink or British Racing -er- Blue.

I can't imagine it handles too well, with its long wheelbase and no rear view windscreen. Batman can use it, but it seems to me redolent of corporate neglect and ultimately trashing. 

Maybe I'll reach for the Lego and try a few designs of my own.

I can always ask Harley Quinn to use the hammer.

tube

Back on the tube last week, I was musing about some changes. I remember the older tube stock, with its 'smoking' carriages, and the reveal at Leytonstone when a train arrived, and dense smoke billowed into the evening air.  Ride the carriage and get everything smoked.

Also the era of newspapers. Everyone had a paper, mainly provided free at a local station. Latterly, there was the Stannit, but before that, there was even a choice between the Evening Standard (aka Daily Mail) and the usually thinner Evening News.

Of course, that subsided with the arrival of smartphones, but a smartphone with no connectivity still doesn’t work. It was later fixed, so now everyone can browse their favorite social channels all the way to Ealing Broadway.

Ties and suits have decreased but are not entirely eliminated; hybrid styles have taken over much of the attire. Some of it is Zoom-ready for conference calls. 

There are still small tweaks in status, and many people carry A5-sized notepads. I guess they’re lighter than the once-obligatory backpack, which succeeded the briefcase. "I'm busy and have somewhere to be" is also useful for reserving spots in coffee shops.

And footwear. Gone are the shiny shoes for men. It's all trainers now or half trainers with technical uppers implying they are sporting, and with that all-important credibility logo.

terminate

Now, allegedly, a container ship can drag its anchor and sever communication cables, Putin can revise his definition of what construes a right to retaliate using nuclear force, and Ukraine can launch a bunch of British-made Storm Shadow/SCALP log range deep strike missiles into Russia. Meanwhile, US manufactured land mines are being laid all over Ukraine.

Terminal effectiveness in the jargon. 

Novel approach

 

I've been reviewing a couple of novels recently, one recently published and the other undergoing its last revisions. This process is interesting and similar to the one I use with my own novels before they fly.

As an experiment, I've decided to write a non-fiction book about novel writing based on my personal experiences. I once helped out with a book about railways for a local charity, but sadly, it never saw the light of day.

So here I am with a handsome stranger poised outside the city walls of an unknown world. There's some kind of drone in the sky, and the stranger looks like he's having a rough time.

Now, I need to think of a Non-Fiction Book structure. Something like:

Introduction

1: Laying the Foundation

2: Plot Development Mastery

3: Character Creation and Development

4: Setting and Worldbuilding

5: Finding Your Unique Voice

6: Scene Construction and Pacing

7: Overcoming Writer's Block

8: Editing and Revision Techniques

9: Navigating the Publishing Landscape

10: Marketing Your Novel and Building an Audience

Conclusion

We'll see.

The circle of scroll

 

I decided not to immediately immerse myself in a new social media system. After leaving the twits, I thought about the multifarious options but then decided... Nah. I'll just keep my old userids to avoid impersonation.

I can get most of my 'updates' from other sources, and anything particularly platform-dependent will be re-syndicated through many channels. Like those nauseous Chinese phone-video things.

So I'll be the person with few friends who doesn't spend hours chasing around after cats riding on Roombas.

The internet is still made of cats