Standing On Boxes

Very minor updates...

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 02:05:08 GMT

Of the assorted variety:

For the Benefit of Ms. Kite - I'm starting to flesh out the next part. Slowly.
YAHF - Elven Wishes - a bit more to that - It needs to move to the 'Class of '99' index page. Soon.
Updated the html/pdb files for "What the Molerat Saw" (fixed some typos there and at TtH (but not on ff.net or in the chapter version here.)

Oops - Forgot to update "The Burrow" - Probably won't until that part is complete. (I'm stuck in it again. There are 3 group scenes I want to do but can't seem to write -

Ginny and Buffy have dinner with Ma and Pa Weasley, and Percy.
The after dinner conversation between Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Buffy, and Ma and Pa.
The next day -- Luna runs into Buffy and Ginny and they chat over lunch.

All three meetings are important plot wise- I've been stuck on them for over a year. Thought I had them figured out but nothing happened. Tempted to just throw them out and skip the whole thing. The whole 3 days at the Burrow thing was too ambitious in the first place. Maybe I'll just skip over it. Otherwise the whole thing will never get done.

The Red Car Zone....

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 20:29:11 GMT

Well, it finally happened. Traded in the red car ( a 1994 BMW 530i - 5 speed manual, V8, etc.) for a smaller car (also a 5 speed manual, red, 4DR BMW (a 2001 325i)) The gas mileage was getting to me. And it was getting too close to the 200K mile mark. Next summer it would have needed several arms and a leg's worth of maintenance work done on it. Of course, the 325i isn't perfect. It also needs work (the interior is a bit ragged and its needs approx. $1 1/2K worth of maintenance.)

New car

Previous car

Updates...

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 04:02:47 GMT

Okay. I've updated the eReader (aka Palm) formatted and html (single file) versions of the eBook version of my story "The Two" up through part 13. I've updated the html (single file) versions of the eBook version of my story "What the MoleRat Saw" and added an eReader/Palm formt eBook for that story. I've added both Palm/eReader and the html (single file) versions of eBook versions of my story "Possible Dreams". The eReader formatted stories are inside .zip files. Still. Unzip them and they should work in any version of eReader. Tested on a Mac and iPod touch using eReader (I know there are other eBook readers that can handle non-DRM Palm format eBooks but I haven't tested my stories with them.)

Fic Updates

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 04:12:42 GMT

In honor of The International Day of Femslash... I updated two fics - "Runaway" and "For the Benefit of Ms. Kite" (I also updated some of the unfinished bits of those stories that I'd forgotten to update earlier.) I really need to reorganize my story organization. Not sure how just yet... but stories aren't where they really belong at the moment.

Further iPod adventures...

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 00:18:39 GMT

Oddly enough... (After updating iTunes to official 7.7) Okay... the devPod had firmware v.2.0(5A345) - the last beta version. But iTunes thought it was v.2.0 so it wouldn't let me upgrade the devPod the easy way. And Apple wouldn't let me pay for the touch 2.0 update (v.2.0(5A347)) again using the same Apple ID. (I'm not going to object - it does mean that a multi-iPod touch family only needs to pay$10 once no matter how many touches they have. Not sure if it's intentional or not. Or maybe Apple assumes only one family per touch?) The iTunes store did say I could download another copy... but that didn't work for some reason -- so I copied the file from the Powerbook I use with my regular touch and used that. Once THAT was complete (didn't take long because the devPod doesn't have much any normal multi-media files on it.) I also had to re-Provision it in XCode. And reenter the wi-fi pwd for my home network. But nothing else so far... And, as usual... updating XCode for the iPhone was the usual hassle -

log into the Apple iPhone dev center
Download the 1.25GB XCode 3.1 disk image.
Install XCode
Download the 600+MB of Xcode/iPhone docs within XCode (It's not included in the disk image anymore)
Use it...

I really need to get going on my iPhone/touch apps. The non-work related ones anyway...

The App store...

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 20:48:21 GMT

Friday, Apple released the new version of the iPhone ( with added GPS and 3G networking goodness). They also released a software revision (2.0) for the touch and 1st generation iPhone. To say nothing of the App store in the iTunes store. I still have my iPod touch so when the software/firmware update became available for it (this morning. Finally!) I plunked down the credit card and updated it (why no, it wasn't free for the touch - just like the last "extras" update at the beginning of the year - and there was much gnashing of teeth and burning of Steve Jobs in effigy - from people who think they are entitled to free stuff forever. Or thought the $20 they paid for the 1.1.4 apps entitled them to 2.0. But anyway...) (My other iPod touch (the 8GB devPod) has been running the beta version of the firmware for months but that's a completely different issue. That's the designated 'sacrificial iPod' so I can test things without screwing up my regular touch.But let's not forget, like I just did, that the beta firmware has an expiration date -- so I'll need to put an official version of 2.0 on the devPod also. Another $10 +tax to Apple... ouch.) The app store has some interesting things on it. I won't go over any of it. Everyone and their Aunt Millie is reviewing the stuff that's there along with pithy comments about the 100's of stand-alone eBooks showing up there. I did pick up a couple things:

a non-free utility (FileMagnet) to copy non-syncronizable things (pdfs, etc) to the gadget. And read them if they are in a format recognizable by the gadget.
a non-free drawing/sketching app (No. 2)
the iPhone/touch version of eReader (which will be much better when you can use it to read books that AREN'T in your Fictionwise bookshelf)
an oddly addictive game(free) called Aurora Feint. Not sure how to describe it but I killed over an hour with it this morning.
a (free) version of Otherllo/Reversi called 'Morocco'

There are a couple interesting commercial games ('Space Monkey Balls' and a Crash Bandicoot game) and a couple other ports of older games but I think I'll hold off on those for now.

The Revision Game

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 20:27:58 GMT

I've started revising (for the 3rd time) my old story "The Two". My writing ability/style has changed enough since I started it 5 (Five!!) years ago that hopefully it'll end up better in the end. But no promises. The main plot will stay the same, I'm just fixing/smoothing out the writing. I'm not sure how long it's going to take to go over the existing 13 parts. Some need more work than others. (Part 1 took me approximately 6 hours but it and Part 2 are probably the ones that need it the most.). While I'm working on it I'll keep the older version on-line. And Revision's 1 and 2 will still be available as big eBook style chunks when I finish (Maybe...I'm still thinking about it.) And once that is done... end of summer? I'll start writing new parts. (Or maybe sooner.) It's about time this one was finished. 5 years is long enough. Note: I won't update the ikoly(2) or TtH copies of this story until I have something really new (whole new parts) to post.

Minor updates

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 14:10:35 GMT

Finished up the last part of "Possible Dreams" - the whole series of ficlets has gotten very little feedback. That kind of story doesn't seem too popular. But it seemed like the best way to move the series forward without writing a long, involved story. Updated "Runaway" -- I've been tweaking the first part for weeks and not really getting anywhere - finally realized what was missing - a personal appearance by Willow.

Today's WTF moment - or Is it time to trade in my car for a scooter?

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 01:47:13 GMT

Yes, gas prices went up. Again! Gas station on the corner (not the one I go to) Went up 10 cents some time between the time I went to work and when I got home. The gas station I DO go to? The station/store attendant said she went home Sunday night and when she came back the next morning? Up 10 cents. I really should have filled the buggy up on the weekend. But I didn't. And we all know.... that no matter what happens... it WON'T be going down any time soon. We chucked tea into Boston harbor with less incentive less over 200 years ago. If I were an oil baron -- or a president whose company has ties to the oil industry... I'd be worrying about social unrest right about now.

Refilling the liquor cabinet

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 02:29:10 GMT

I don't buy a lot of alcohol. But all I had left was the dregs of gold flakes at the bottom of Goldschlager cinnamon schnapps (my favorite schnapps - though I could do without the gold flakes in it.) Surprisingly, it isn't German. So... what to replace it with (there's a high end liquor store across from work -- lots of expensive wines and whiskys.) A new bottle of Yukon Jack. Honey/Whisky based. It's been my favorite for years. It usually evaporates before I can drink it all. Wild Turkey has a honey based liqueur that is similar (but not even remotely as strong and without the interesting after taste of Yukon Jack. And a bottle of pseudo-Irish Cream (A cheap brand from NH made using imported whiskey (not sure where it was imported from. Probably Canada.) Not bad for something costing half of Baileys. I should have gotten a sherry (I prefer something cheap like Taylor) But not on the list of honey drinks :mead. Notice how none of the above is very expensive? I have rather plebeian tastes in alcohol. I wasn't tempted in the least by the bottles of $200 whiskey and $150 tequila at the liquor store yesterday. Maybe I'll win the lottery- someday - and be able to afford richer taste in liquid mind numbing substances. Nah....

FYI:

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 02:06:42 GMT

Just a quick note. The International Day of Femslash is July 19th, 2008. What does that mean around here? Not sure but contemplate, for a moment, the main characters/pairings in most (all?) of my bits of fanfic fluff. Expect an update of something -- not sure what -- relevant on that day. If I can find the time to write.

The things we read...

Sun, 25 May 2008 16:49:45 GMT

Sailor Moon crossovers. Yikes! The best single crossover so far? Sailor Hellblazer (A SM/John Constantine crossover) - very funny. But with a dark tone. There seem to be an awful lot of Sailor Moon/Harry Potter crossovers. None really worth recommending though (of the few I managed to slog through at ff.net.) Next up - Sailor Moon/Naruto crossovers seem popular (not that I've read any of them.) And a few other anime crossovers. For non anime crossovers -- a few SM/X-Men crossovers. Most where theSailor Senshi have mutant powers or are mistaken for mutants. Some Sailor Moon/LotR crossovers. It boggles the mind how anyone can make that work. There was an interesting looking Sailor Moon/Stargate crossover but it was abandoned right after the unique plot point was introduced ( Jack O'Neill as the reincarnation of someone from the Silver Millennium (Princess Serenity's father?). Not that he knew that.) (And while we're at it: The best/most prolific anime fic writer so far (specializing in shoujo-ai with a large percentage being crossovers.) ? shanejayell deserves a mention -- a number of which are Sailor Moon crossovers/fusions.)

Even more miscellaneous...

Sat, 24 May 2008 22:34:18 GMT

The old Buffy/Willow fan fiction archive Ikoly died. The site owner seems to have disappeared into the teeming masses. At the same time the BuffyWantsWIllow and BuffyLovesWillow groups over in Yahoo Groups were hacked and trashed by the hacker so people can't subscribe (or resubscribe if they got "lucky" and the hacker unsubscribed them.). They are still alive but on life support. There's one moderator left (but not the group "owner") and Yahoo seems to have washed its hands of the mess. There's an explanation over at WiffyForums (A new web forum set up by Howard Russell, a longtime Wiffy supporter, when BwW died.) Fortunately, Howard has also rescued the stories from Ikoly and with help from several others has put them on a new server. Go to Ikoly 2 to check them out. If you had an account on the old iKoly you'll have to check with him about getting a new password.

More Miscellaneous...

Sat, 24 May 2008 22:18:43 GMT

I signed up for Apple's iPhone Developer program -- the one that lets you sell iPhone/Touch software through Apple as an individual developer. It's $100/yr (+tax in TN of course) (Does the NDA I signed even allow me to say that?) But I haven't had any time to spend learning Objective C so I can actually do anything with it. I bought a refurbed 8Gb iPod Touch so I can test the software I haven't written yet :-> on something other than my main iPod. But that's as far as it has gotten... The hardest part is coming up with ideas for something worth using on something like an iPhone. Sure, it's a miniature computer. But the phone/pda form factor is an issue. I have several ideas for software that I think would work... - two that would be considered work related - which means if I actually wrote them the company I work for would end up owning them. (One of the perils of being in software development for a software company is that grey area of who owns any original idea that you come up with. We don't all work for Google with its apparently generous IP rules.) - A couple fan fiction related. Sort of fic writer tools. We'll see what happens.

Miscellaneous News...

Sat, 24 May 2008 21:46:36 GMT

Gas for the red buggy is now $4/gal around here. Yes, I know it's more expensive elsewhere in the USA. But that first tank of $4 gas was a shock to the system. I'm checking into getting a car with better gas mileage but since the red buggy is paid for and car loans for used BMW's are hard to come by... I'm not sure what I'll find that will be worth getting. Especially since I want manual transmission and that's rare in the model I want. Not sure about the color but this is the basic model and price I'm looking for: http://www.zibe.com/for-sale/Used-2001-bmw-5_series-530i_sedan-manassas-va-1565857.html If they still have it in late June I might have to take a trip there...
I've paid the site hosting fee for this blog for another year. Assuming "Userland" is still hosting/supporting "Radio" blogs for the next year. Next year... I'm thinking of finding a different web host -- one that lets me do more than a basic blog.
I'm swamped with work... a project I was hoping to have done has gone seriously over time (For assorted reasons -- only 1/4 of which I'll take "credit" for myself. It was a pick-up because the client wanted it done sooner than the original project owner could get to it and I was "free". Unfortunately, it turned out to be much more complex than I was told/expected and since I'm not the one who did the time estimate on it and I didn't have anything to do with setting the deliverable date... ARGH!! Unhappiness in Mudville.... And a learning experience... to say the least...

Future stories...

Fri, 16 May 2008 01:17:22 GMT

Thinking about story ideas today... The Sailor Moon/BtVS story I've been fiddling with might turn into a SM/BtVS/Stargate crossover. IfI can get it plotted. Haven't quite figured out how to transition from SM/BtVS to SM/BtVS/Stargate (meaning - it'll start out as Buffy/Sailor Moon and somewhere in the middle the main characters(Buffy, Ami,?) will end up involved with the Stargate clans. How that happens? Not sure yet. Might be the same way I'm injecting Mercury into the Buffyverse.)

Argh!

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 02:48:35 GMT

Topped off the tank in the red buggy at lunch.... and ran it through a car wash to get rid of a week's worth of pollen. Then I parked it at work... it was a mess (More pollen and some kind of seed from a tree with a quick shower to turn it into muck.) by the time I was ready to go home.

Dinner...

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 02:46:17 GMT

Just some randomness. I often eat alone a lot so dinner is either something frozen or some things thrown together from whatever was in the fridge. Tonight's concoction: [No name] 1/3 pound of pork chunks (they sell it around here as pork "stew meat") covered in mild chunky salsa and baked at 400F for approx. an hour in a covered casserole dish (I have these tiny ones that are just the right size.). The pork is very tender when it is finished cooking. Mix with: feta (the local I get it from only has it "crumbled" - used to get it in blocks -easier to use in sandwiches that way.) a canned veggie (One of those half size/slightly more than single serving) - tonight was unsalted peas -- the feta had plenty of salt. A pasta. Used "bow ties" tonight. Mix and eat. Makes enough for two- depending on how hungry you are. Tonight's drink: Finishing up the dregs of a bottle of cinnamon schnapps (Goldslagger?). Added a dribble of it to a large glass of Mountain Dew. Tastes great. I'm sure someone has already given it a "bar drink name". -- If not... what should we call it? Cinnamon Dew? Corny.

Fic Update

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 03:55:09 GMT

Part 6 of Possible Dreams - posted to Twisting the Hellmouth - I'll update ff.net later in the week. Part 7 is really close to getting out of hand. Was watching a bunch of KP episodes this weekend (along with the usual dose of anime ("Agent Aika"/Japanese stuff ("Sukeban Deka - The Movie")... and realized that one of the plot points of KP Dreams #8 needs to change. Oops.

Working through them...

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 03:07:42 GMT

Rough drafts - Possible Dreams #6 is basically done. #7 needs the last scene finished. #8 needs the last scene finished and the other parts tied together more. #9 is just a vague idea and an opening scene. #10 has the opening scene but not much else. I'll start posting them as soon as #9 and #10 are at least fleshed out... next week some time? Maybe? And then I'll start working through the 'Red Raider' stories I want to finish"The Apprentice" before the end of the month. And then Buffy's visit to the Burrow and then Willow's part. By the end of May? We'll see. If that all actually happens -- then the summer to actually finish "The Two" (Assuming I don't spend the summer job hunting %-) )

Almost there...

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 03:00:47 GMT

Unleaded premium... $3.49/gallon today. So... my monthly fuel costs... almost double what they were a year and a half a go. Starting to get painful... but still less than it would cost me to get a new car with better gas mileage (Now that the red buggy is paid for.) With my current salary... I can take it going a little higher... though I'm not happy with it. Especially since the rising gas prices are not because of a gas shortage but are caused by commodities traders getting rich. And McCain things repealing the Federal gas tax for the summer is going to make a difference? He's out of his politically addled mind! Not that the Democratic wonder twins (Obama/Clinton) have any better ideas...