Monthly Archives: May 2016

May 31

Any time you write a story with a historical setting, these simple tools are there to help – so you don’t use the…

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Any time you write a story with a historical setting, these simple tools are there to help – so you don’t use the 1970s phrase “warm fuzzies” in a story set in the 1930s, for example, or have Jack the Ripper talking about “adrenaline”, or your 1890s NZ character saying “not all that” (1990s US), or…

I could keep going for a while with other real examples. Bottom line: use the tools.

Originally shared by Karen Conlin

Two indispensable tools for writers and editors:

The Online Etymology Dictionary and Google Ngram Viewer.

Both are great first stops in your research regarding suitable language for your work. Did people in the 1950s use the term “flashback” to refer to memories related to hallucinogens? Was the term “backup” in the sense of “reinforcements” used in the 1600s?

I prefer to use http://etymonline.com for “first use” dates, and the Ngram Viewer for determining “more/most common” usages over time. You may find them useful in other ways.

#twt  

http://etymonline.com
May 29

This is the kind of thinking that takes us into the future.

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This is the kind of thinking that takes us into the future.

Originally shared by David Brin

Can things get better? Can you be an agent of that transformation? Peter Diamandis is the founder of XPRIZE, Singularity University, and many other fascinating initiatives. He formulated his provocative ‘laws,’ about how to be vigorous, pro-active and make the world around you change.

http://diamandis.com/peters-laws

They are now available as a handy poster.

Can things get better? Can you be an agent of that transformation? Peter Diamandis is the founder of XPRIZE, Singularity University, and many other fascinating initiatives. He formulated his provocative ‘laws,’ about how to be vigorous, pro-active and make the world around you change.

http://diamandis.com/peters-laws

They are now available as a handy poster.

https://www.singularityweblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/PetersLaws-Poster-Final-8.5×11-08072012.pdf?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_campaign=39790842cc-Week_20&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_7a679d7fc6-39790842cc-91356401&mc_cid=39790842cc&mc_eid=b95ab0aa4e.

http://diamandis.com/peters-laws

May 28

The title sounds like it’s going to be an MRA rant, but it’s absolutely not.

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The title sounds like it’s going to be an MRA rant, but it’s absolutely not. Plenty of food for thought in the tropes that it calls out.

Originally shared by Traci Loudin

I love this article! It’s not perfect, and it critiques some of fandom’s most sacred films/shows, but if we are to make progress, we need to acknowledge that some of our favorite movies/shows, etc. do have their weaknesses. We all have our own blind spots regarding gender roles.

I often feel like as we’re making great strides conquering sexism against women, but the ways in which the patriarchy harms men is laughed off and ignored, sometimes even by people who believe in the equality of the genders.

From my perspective, equal doesn’t just mean “A woman should be able/allowed to do anything a man can do” but also “A man should be able/allowed to do anything a woman can do.” (Applied to the entire gender spectrum, of course.) And this cultural phenomenon that many people are deeming “toxic masculinity” or machismo is what stands in the way of true equality.

#gender   #genderequality   #feminism   #sciencefiction   #fantasy   #scifi   #sff  

http://mythcreants.com/blog/five-signs-your-story-is-sexist-against-men/
May 27

Via Brand Gamblin: exploring ways to think about the future.

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Via Brand Gamblin: exploring ways to think about the future.

Originally shared by Boing Boing

What Mark learned after spending two days with futurists and positive psychologists.

http://boingboing.net/2016/05/27/what-i-learned-after-spending.html?utm_content=bufferc8db1&utm_medium=social&utm_source=plus.google.com&utm_campaign=buffer

May 27

SeaCharger hopes to become the first unmanned, autonomous boat to cross an ocean only using solar power, as it makes…

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Originally shared by Arduino

SeaCharger hopes to become the first unmanned, autonomous boat to cross an ocean only using solar power, as it makes a maiden voyage from California to Hawaii.

#Arduino   #SeaCharger   #AutonomousBoat   #Makers  (via Gizmag)

http://www.gizmag.com/seacharger-solar-power-boat-ocean/43548

May 27

I suspect we will see a lot more of this, as the processes involved get cheaper and better.

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Originally shared by Laston Kirkland

I suspect we will see a lot more of this, as the processes involved get cheaper and better. Solar power is almost there, mix it with wind and water, and it’s here now. cleaner water using some of the awesome desalination techniques, and any coastal area will have all the water it needs.

I’d love to live in such a place, I’m as close as I can get now.

http://www.fastcoexist.com/3060167/this-new-neighborhood-will-grow-its-own-food-power-itself-and-handle-its-own-waste