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Entries from November 2003

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Winner! (30 Nov 2003 at 01:47)

Over 20 hours early (perhaps a new record for anything I've ever done with a deadline), I crossed the 50,000 word mark in the 2003 national novel writing month challenge.

winner!

Even though I crossed the mark, I still have a bit left to write, which I'll try to fit in tomorrow. After that the book will be on the web soon, first as the "contest version", and slightly later as a more polished edition that has actually been read through and edited, and given cover art, etc.

In general, this was a really fun, and really tough exercise. I recommend it to anyone for next year. (On the other hand, I feel almost ready right now to commit to not doing it again after a mere 11 month resting period!)

Word count: 50,034 (done!)

Category: nanowrimo

(27 comments — almost 18 years ago) [ comment ]

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Doggie (26 Nov 2003 at 08:28)

Five-legged dog undergoes successful surgery to remove two of its legs. Wait a second, five minus two equals three?!?!

Word Count: 42214

http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/South/11/26/dog.popcorn.ap/index.html

(4 comments) [ comment ]

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FOG index (25 Nov 2003 at 18:39)

The Fog index, developed by Robert Gunning, is a well known and simple formula for measuring readability. The index indicates the number of years of formal education a reader of average intelligence would need to read the text once and understand that piece of writing with its word sentence workload.

18	unreadable
14	difficult
12	ideal
10	acceptable
8	childish

The Flesch readability index, usually between 0 and 100, indicates how difficult the text is to read. Some examples for random material for various publications are:

Comics	95
Consumer ads	82
Sports Illustrated	65
Time	57
New York Times	39
Auto Insurance Policy	10
IRS Code	-6

Analysis of sample chapter from my novel:

FOG:	185.31
FLESCH:	-388.50
KINCAID:	178.25

In other words, you can understand my novel if you have 185 years of formal education. In other words, my novel rules!!

Word count: 41600

Category: nanowrimo

(7 comments) [ comment ]

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The best of Nano (24 Nov 2003 at 08:57)

Like a car wreck I can't stop looking at this thread at Nanowrimo, Sci-fi/fantasy: What's your favorite line/paragraph/sentence?. I couldn't write more screamingly cringeworthy high school Tolkien-Anime crossover material if I tried! (Except, of course, for my own pair of sentences that I posted, because I did write that.)

Word count: 38663

{{{1}}}

Category: nanowrimo

(3 comments) [ comment ]

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Jacko mugshot (20 Nov 2003 at 18:15)

Quick quiz: Impressionist portrait or Michael Jackson mugshot?

(13 comments) [ comment ]

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Interview: Smartelectronix Crew (16 Nov 2003 at 11:51)

Here's an interview with me and the rest of the smartelectronix crew at D-I-R-T-Y, a French music magazine.

Word count: 25661

Categories: sightings destroy fx

(2 comments) [ comment ]

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Space Names! (14 Nov 2003 at 15:56)

I made this "space name" generator to name space characters in my book.

What's your space name?

Word count: 22796

Categories: nanowrimo popular

(61 comments — almost 13 years ago) [ comment ]

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Well you're my fact checkin' cuz (13 Nov 2003 at 23:59)

OK, I've reached a sort of milestone in my novel, actually, Saturday or Sunday will be a real milestone--halfway done!--but this milestone is that either my page count or word count has just passed some multiple of 10 or 10000. Whatever. Calling all experts; it's fact check time:

- Do submarines have "privates"? What would be the lowest rank of an active soldier on one?

- Is this legal French? "Halte! Halte! Mettez vos mains dans le ciel!" Also: "Carmen Sandiego arr\^et\'e!"

- Does Amsterdam have a large port? It seems to be on the water.

- Does anybody remember "Service Merchandise"? (I hope so, this is a good pun!)

- What was the magical incantation used in Bedknobs and Broomsticks?

- When did the epic battle between Gilette and Schick over the number of blades in their razors begin?

- Do fish eat plankton and krill? Are there such things as vegeterian freshwater fish?

- Is it Paul McCartney singing in "Norwegian Wood"?

- Would blunt trauma to the head cause "a contusion of hte frontal cortex, massive epistaxis, and intracerebral hematoma?"

- The panama canal has a series of locks to send ships in one direction, because the levels of the pacific and atlantic are different. (?) Which one is higher?

Also, I still welcome your crazy ideas and phrases. Thanks!

Word count: 22021

Category: nanowrimo

(22 comments — almost 14 years ago) [ comment ]

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Filibuster vigilantly (12 Nov 2003 at 17:47)

I've always loved the bizarre antics and procedures of the congress, but this one takes the cake. Basically, they are holding an 30 hour all-night session in which there will be only two senators on the floor at any given time: One republican and one democrat. One will complain while the other listens, for 30 minutes, and then their roles will reverse. (As far as I can tell, this complaining is mere filibuster). But if the listener falls asleep or stops paying attention, then the speaker will cause, without objection, some piece of bureaucracy to move forward: The GOP will confirm the president's US Appeals Court nominees (all conservative southern judges and attorneys general), or the democrats will pass some piece of donkey-friendly legislation. Better stack up on no-doze, and may the alertest party win!

Word count: 18329

http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/11/12/senate.debate.ap/index.html

(10 comments — almost 13 years ago) [ comment ]

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The Matrix III (06 Nov 2003 at 11:39)

OK, the Matrix III was crappy. In its crappiness, it makes the previously merely "questionable" Matrix II crappy, too, because the potentially interesting plot twists in that fell flat in the third one. Don't watch it. It didn't even have any good action scenes.

Here's the problem: I don't care about seeing robots shoot each other in dingy underground settings. The first Matrix was successful because so much of it took place in a believeable, real world setting. That, and, it had "new" special effects and a compelling story. Matrix II and Matrix III don't have any of this. Sorry, Wachowskis, you lose!

Word count: 9265

(4 comments) [ comment ]

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UPD: Fall Photos (02 Nov 2003 at 17:22)

Oops, I screwed up! Two days into Nanowrimo I'm already working on other projects. Well, this was a break (emacs type-break mode told me to do it!) that turned into a little photo trip. A few of my favorites are in the New! section of my Photo Gallery.

Word count: 3730

(2 comments) [ comment ]

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Concert Review: Applied Calculus release show (02 Nov 2003 at 16:48)

I went to WRCT's CD Comp "Advanced Calculus" release show last night.

The Constantines (from Toronto): Acceptable, clean indie rock. They were all tall and skinny like they should be.

We Safari (ex Anti-Flag): Surprisingly cool. One guy on a rhodes piano doing his best Thom Yorke impression, while the other guy played breakbeats on his bizarrely mix-n-match drumset. The breakbeats were pretty impressive.

Creta Bourzia: So, I finally saw these guys. My song "Greta Bourgeaux" (on AAD #3 many years ago) was inspired by the name of this band. They're like gigantic football players playing really loud rock and screaming.

The Modey Lemon: I've seen these guys before. Extremely noisy fuzzed-out cock rock.

The return of Don Caballero: Don Caballero is back from the grave. Damon Che is the only member still in the band; the other three are some guys from Creta Bourzia. They played some new and old songs, and while the old songs had a strange "cover" quality to them (not surprising), they did rock pretty good, and Damon did kill the hell out of his drums, and most importantly, the new material seemed fairly interesting. I won't be surprised if this band self-destructs, too, but I will be a little sadder if it does...

(2 comments) [ comment ]

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WRIMO BEGIN! (01 Nov 2003 at 11:54)

Today begins National Novel Writing Month, and I'm doin' it. (Think: album-a-day but for novels, and you get a month.) That means a moratorium on all other (hobby) projects until I hit 50,000 words or the month ends.

My novel, currently called, "Name of Author" (by "Title of Book") is an abstract, plotless Pangaea. Nothing is off limits! Therefore, like when I attempt an album-a-day, I welcome your "song titles" -- tiny, perhaps nonsensical, phrases and concepts. All month long! Let me have it!

Current word count: 1.

Category: nanowrimo

(20 comments) [ comment ]

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