Hey, Mom! Talking to My Mother #962 - Random Thoughts and First Birthday - Throwback Thursday for 1802.22

Hey, Mom! Talking to My Mother #962 - Random Thoughts and First Birthday - Throwback Thursday for 1802.22


Hi Mom,

Random thoughts today and a picture.

So, Mom, here, I am with another picture of us for Throwback Thursday.
I did not post one last week, but I knew I was going to get back to it today.

I have about as many birthdays behind me as ahead of me (at least I hope so), and I have lots of birthday pictures, which are going to be posted throughout the year and not just on January 19th.

These are pictures from my first birthday, and the beginning of the Tower special tradition of art cakes. I am thinking this cake may depict may be Howdy Doody, but I am waiting confirmation.
Okay, it may or may not be Howdy Doody. Dad said it was just his first attempt at making a decorated and special art cake.

THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS

I know you know this, Mom, and others who read me closely or know me know of this as well, but I watch the Young and The Restless as I always did with you, Mom. It's on at 11 a.m. here, though I no longer watch much of anything as a "live" broadcast and not a recording.

Recently, I caught up on Young and The Restless programs, which I can play while I work on the things I have to do which are mindless, which are around 50% of my work each week. At one point, I had 40 some unwatched episodes, so catching up is a HUGE accomplishment.

Anyway, BIG NEWS. You would love this news, Mom.

Young and the Restless NEWS - THREE CLASSIC CHARACTERS RETURN

The characters of Lorie and Leslie Brooks and Victor's first wife Julia will all return to Genoa City canvas the week of March 26th as part of the show's 45th year anniversary reunion. It's mind boggling to me that this show has been a part of my life for that many years. But it has.

Also, this...

MELISSA CLAIRE EGAN leaves Young and the Restless

READING

I finished Binti: The Night Masquerade last night, which was my traditional reading book. I also finished Paul Cornell's London Falling, as my audio book, and immediately started the second Shadow Police book -- The Severed Streets.

Nnedi Okorafor's Binti books are some of the best books and science fiction books I have read this decade! I plan more substantial reviews of them soon.

Paul Cornell's SHADOW POLICE books are good and fun and very British-centric.

I learned the meanings of "nick" in Brit slang, which in addition to being a synonym for steal can mean both the Police HQ and the act of arresting: "you've been nicked."

Nick in British slang.

The police procedure stuff gets a bit tiresome, but the characterization of the witch and descriptions associated with it were GREAT.

SLASHDOT

Yesterday, I decided to submit a story to SLASHDOT.

As I shared before for those who so not know SLASHDOT:

What is this?

This is Slashdot, a website based on and running the Slashdot-Like Automated Story-Telling Homepage software. You're reading the FAQ.

Who does this?

Slashdot was created in 1997 by Rob "CmdrTaco" Malda. Today it's owned by BIZX, LLC. Slashdot is run primarily by a handful of editors and coders, with the help of many others. As of April 2016, the Slashcode is wrangled and taunted by Drew ("SlashDrew") Kroft. The editors are Beau ("BeauHD") Hamilton, Manish ("manishs") Singh, David ("EditorDavid"), and Logan ("whipslash") Abbott.

What does the name "Slashdot" mean?

"Slashdot" is an intentionally obnoxious URL. When Rob registered the domain http://slashdot.org, he wanted a URL that was confusing when read aloud. (Try it!)

So, in my morning reading, I spied a story worthy of posting on Futurism

I wrote the story and figured out from Slashdot's limited information what it intends for use of html to create links in the story when submitted.

Not only was my story accepted, but it made the front page and with very little editing. Here's the edited version, which is what I wrote up to the word "exist" and the rest is added by the editor. I considered adding that material for context, but I was heeding warnings about brevity. Next time I do a story, I will add a bit more context as in this example.

The submission guidelines warn writers that not all stories are accepted and even fewer make the front page. Mine managed both with my first submission!! I am proud.

This was my first attempt to increase my online presence more visibly and to contribute. Another step is to contribute to an open source code project. I am also determined to write more fiction and hope to produce a short story soon and try to get it published. But then. I have said that before. I have many goals, and I do not seem to have enough hours in the day for all of them.

Regardless, here's my SLASHDOT story:

https://tech.slashdot.org/story/18/02/22/2121221/elon-musk-steps-down-from-ai-safety-group-to-avoid-conflict-of-interest-with-tesla

Elon Musk Steps Down From AI Safety Group To Avoid Conflict of Interest With Tesla

Posted by BeauHD on Thursday February 22, 2018 @05:10PM from the conflict-of-interest dept

New submitter the gmr writes:According to an announcement on the OpenAI blog, Elon Musk has stepped down from the board of directors of the nonprofit AI safety group, which he co-founded in 2015, due potential conflict of interest with his company Tesla. As explained in a post on Futurism, the move away from OpenAI may indicate that Tesla may be moving forward with more AI projects than most people may realize. Musk's departure may mean that Tesla is closer to delivering vehicles capable of Level 5 autonomy, "fully self-driving" vehicles that more than 35,000 Tesla customers paid for even though the technology does not yet exist."Elon Musk will depart the OpenAI Board but will continue to donate and advise the organization," the announcement reads. "As Tesla continues to become more focused on AI, this will eliminate a potential future conflict for Elon." The OpenAI board of directors now consists of Greg Brockman, Ilya Sutskever, Holden Karnofsky, and Sam Altman, with whom Musk co-founded the venture. The company reportedly plans to not only fill Musk's seat but expand their team as well. 

"Open AI has also been a prominent voice in the conversation concerning the limitations, challenges, and potential dangers of artificial intelligence," reports Futurism. "Just this week, the company co-released a report with a number of other global AI experts that outlines the potential 'malicious' uses of the technology and how to prevent them."

×business ×software ×tesla ×technology ×transportation story

Here's the message telling me my post made the big time!

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NEBULA AWARD NOMINATIONS HAPPENED, and so this is a reading list, especially for the short fiction, especially given the short story writing goal that I just mentioned.

https://www.tor.com/2018/02/20/announcing-the-2017-nebula-awards-nominees/

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America are pleased to announce the 2017 Nebula Awards nominees (to be presented in 2018), for the Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation, and the nominees for the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy.

The winners will be announced at the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America’s 52nd Annual Nebula Conference in Pittsburgh, PA, which takes place from Thursday, May 17th through Sunday, May 20th at the Pittsburgh Marriott City Center.

The nominees are as follows:

Novel

• Amberlough, Lara Elena Donnelly (Tor)
• The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter, Theodora Goss (Saga)
• Spoonbenders, Daryl Gregory (Knopf; riverrun)
• The Stone Sky, N.K. Jemisin (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
• Six Wakes, Mur Lafferty (Orbit US)
• Jade City, Fonda Lee (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
• Autonomous, Annalee Newitz (Tor; Orbit UK 2018)

Novella

• River of Teeth, Sarah Gailey (Tor.com Publishing)
• Passing Strange, Ellen Klages (Tor.com Publishing)
• “And Then There Were (N-One)”, Sarah Pinsker (Uncanny 3-4/17)
• Barry’s Deal, Lawrence M. Schoen (NobleFusion Press)
• All Systems Red, Martha Wells (Tor.com Publishing)
• The Black Tides of Heaven, JY Yang (Tor.com Publishing)

Novelette

• “Dirty Old Town”, Richard Bowes (F&SF 5-6/17)
• “Weaponized Math”, Jonathan P. Brazee (The Expanding Universe, Vol. 3)
• “Wind Will Rove”, Sarah Pinsker (Asimov’s 9-10/17)
• “A Series of Steaks”, Vina Jie-Min Prasad (Clarkesworld 1/17)
• “A Human Stain”, Kelly Robson (Tor.com 1/4/17)
• “Small Changes Over Long Periods of Time”, K.M. Szpara (Uncanny 5-6/17)

Short Story

• “Fandom for Robots”, Vina Jie-Min Prasad (Uncanny 9-10/17)
• “Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience™”, Rebecca Roanhorse (Apex 8/17)
• “Utopia, LOL?”, Jamie Wahls (Strange Horizons 6/5/17)
• “Clearly Lettered in a Mostly Steady Hand”, Fran Wilde (Uncanny 9-10/17)
• “The Last Novelist (or A Dead Lizard in the Yard)”, Matthew Kressel (Tor.com 3/15/17)
• “Carnival Nine”, Caroline M. Yoachim (Beneath Ceaseless Skies 5/11/17)

The Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation

• Get Out (Written by Jordan Peele)
• The Good Place: “Michael’s Gambit” (Written by Michael Schur)
• Logan (Screenplay by Scott Frank, James Mangold, and Michael Green)
• The Shape of Water (Screenplay by Guillermo del Toro & Vanessa Taylor)
• Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Written by Rian Johnson)
• Wonder Woman (Screenplay by Allan Heinberg)

The Andre Norton Award for Outstanding Young Adult Science Fiction or Fantasy Book

• Exo, Fonda Lee (Scholastic Press)
• Weave a Circle Round, Kari Maaren (Tor)
• The Art of Starving, Sam J. Miller (HarperTeen)
• Want, Cindy Pon (Simon Pulse)

Not From Here @grantspanier

I have played hooky from work too long but before I go, here's a few pictures to close out today's post. Thanks for visiting.

art adams

Francavilla

diefraunamenshorst-3

Michael Dunn on Instagram_ “Beyond Sight”

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Reflect and connect.

Have someone give you a kiss, and tell you that I love you, Mom.

I miss you so very much, Mom.

Talk to you tomorrow, Mom.

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- Days ago = 964 days ago

- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 1802.22 - 10:10

NEW (written 1708.27) NOTE on time: I am now in the same time zone as Google! So, when I post at 10:10 a.m. PDT to coincide with the time of your death, Mom, I am now actually posting late, so it's really 1:10 p.m. EDT. But I will continue to use the time stamp of 10:10 a.m. to remember the time of your death, Mom. I know this only matters to me, and to you, Mom.

Hey, Mom! Talking to My Mother #159 - I AM GEEKY

Hey, Mom! Talking to My Mother 159 - I AM GEEKY

Hi Mom,

Double pictures up top today.

I told you that sometimes there would be T-shirt reprints, Mom. Here's some of that with some good stuff on TESLA that may not have been seen by as many people last time around.

Enjoy.

T-shirt #180: Sand Castle Competition 1990

So, I was walking home from teaching my classes at WMU yesterday, half-paying attention to my audio book, and thinking about my blog, when a thought struck me so hard and fast that I felt it was warranted to take out my phone and email myself a reminder while I was walking. This may not have been the safest thing to do. But I kept my eyes peeled for hazards, and nothing came of it, though I did actually walk under a ladder that a Charter service person had left propped to a utility pole, unoccupied.

This description is all just to set the scene. Flavor. Savory.

What was I thinking about? Narcissism.

I created a whole category for narcissism, but so far, I have only addressed this subject in any depth once in T-shirt #77, which may have the distinction of being the single most often referenced blog post on my blog. Referenced by me, that is. I am not going to count, but it seems to me that I have referenced this one more than any others. And this makes sense, as T-shirt #77 was a pivotal blog post. I turned a corner at that blog post. I also used it to bury my confession that I had cancer and was going to have my prostate out, which some people actually read. Thank you!

The subject of T-shirt #77 is integral to the blog. Originally, I dismissed the idea of doing the blog as overly narcissistic and self-indulgent. Who would care about the meaning behind my t-shirts? Even more strange, would anyone care to read so much about comic books, 1960s and 1970s nostalgia, the episodic narrative, my top 100 albums, and other subjects I care to explore (and exploit).

A great deal of my thinking and development for the blog culminated in T-shirt #77. I realized that I needed to provide more content to readers than just some thoughts on why I like my t-shirt for that day. I wanted to make my blog a conversation starter, a place to learn things, or to be reminded of things worth thinking about that you already know. I wanted to try to escape the inherent narcissism of the occupation and provide relevant, thought-provoking, and frequently entertaining content for regular readers, occasional readers, and those who just Stumble Upon the blog.


In T-shirt #77, I questioned how quick we are in our culture to brand someone as ADD or ADHD and now how quick we are to cast stones for NPD (Narcissistic Personality Disorder). These ideas are similar to my criticism back in the late 1980s of the self help book The Men Who Hate Women and the Women Who Love Them. Though misogyny is very real and though abuse (both physical and emotional) is also very real, I felt that The Men Who Hate Women and the Women Who Love Them could be applied unscrupulously and too easily. In an effort to help women realize that they may be in an abusive relationship with a misogynist, the author defined many different types of women haters, especially those who are very good at hiding their hatred of women, so much so that many of these men may not even be aware that they are misogynists. I thought the book was a bit reckless as the author defined so many types and described behavior in such a way that the book may be able to convince every woman that she may be involved with a misogynist. Nowhere in the book did the author engage in a disclaimer that some men are not misogynists nor did she ever caution readers to be careful in leaping to conclusions based on her descriptions. I remember giving my essay on the subject to a woman I wanted to date at the time, and she ripped me a new asshole, wrongly accusing me of trying to skirt a real and dangerous issue and unfairly criticize a book that could help women escape abusive relationships. I did not understand her ire, and I felt that she misunderstood my main argument. Needless to say, we did not have a romantic relationship. But just as our culture breeds attention deficit behaviors and narcissistic behaviors in people, it also breeds behaviors that may be abusive or seem misogynistic; however, just as not everyone suffers from Attention-Deficit Disorder or Narcissistic Personality Disorder not all men are misogynists. We need to be careful about how we apply labels.

So, these are the thoughts I had on my walk home about narcissism and where ruminating on narcissism took my brain. I think my blog is narcissistic. But I do not feel that I have Narcissistic Personality Disorder. It's true that what I am doing is inherently arrogant, just as producing any art is arrogant in its assumption that other people--that anyone--will care about what I think, what I feel, and what I care about. I accept these assumptions. Okay, there's inherent arrogance and narcissism here. Neither is a good reason to abandon the project nor never attempt it in the first place.

I am grateful for your readership whether you are regular, occasional, or stumbled in. If inspired, share these thoughts in a conversation with someone. Let me know how it goes.

Today's shirt was given to me by my father. His company (TPTA = Tower, Pinkster, Titus Architects and Engineers) competed in an annual sand castle designing and building competition. They felt it was a fun thing for architects to do, being architects and all. I believe my father and my sister always participated, but I do not recall that I ever did. Still, the whole family received shirts. I have written about my family before, and I will again, so I will leave off on that subject for now to instead close with something geeky and about science which I want to share, which is that inherent narcissism and arrogance again, but I think it's worth it.

Stumbled Upon this great comic strip via Stumble Upon .

This comic comes from THE OATMEAL: it's about TESLA. That's the Stumble Upon link.

Enjoy.

- chris tower - 1309.17 - 8:56

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Have someone give you a kiss, and tell you that I love you.

Talk to you tomorrow, Mom.

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- Days ago = 161 days ago


- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 1512.13 - 15:01