Bullshit Prevention Protocol

I love this with all my heart. I wish I could surround it in blinking neon lights. If I had my way, this would be on every cereal box in America. More importantly, it would be a daily pop-up on every social media website. 

I borrowed the above from this blog post: 

http://www.lastwordonnothing.com/2014/04/29/the-pocket-guide-to-bullshit-prevention/, which you should check out; it's an intelligent, quick read. However, the original article is geared toward journalism; I'd like to look at how it applies to misinformation in social media. 

1. Who is telling me this? If you know the person in real life, consider their personal politics and views. Is it possible they believe the link or story without question because it falls easily in line with their beliefs?

If you don't know them personally, take a few minutes to scroll back through their feed. Seeing a lot of suspicious activity? ("Obama is a secret Muslim!") You can probably consider the case closed. 

2. How does s/he know this? What if this person seems pretty level-headed, though? Well, now it's time to consider their source. If they've shared a link, click through (provided your virus software is up-to-date, of course). What do you see? A blog with a somewhat canted title ("liberalsarescum.com")? Misspellings and grammatical errors? Lots of declarations, but no bibliographical links or attributions? Big ol' red flags, folks. Click away and think cleansing thoughts. 

3. Given #1 and #2, is it possible that s/he is wrong? So, you've screened the source individual, and the article looks pretty legit. The writer has lots of supporting links and a fair command of the English language. Now what?

Now we look closer. Click those supporting links and read on. Yesterday, I read a blog post on the dangers of vaccination which actually debunked itself with its own links. Because the writer didn't understand the science behind vaccines and how they work (specifically, the difference between "live" vaccines and "attenuated live" vaccines) and wasn't a terribly careful reader (due to recent travel, the possibility of "wild" virus infection in the child studied could not be ruled out by researchers) the post turned out to be an alarmist bushel of baloney, based on misunderstanding. 

Oh, and by the way...I didn't know the difference between "live" and "attenuated live" either. But, when I found a phrase I wasn't familiar with, I Googled it. 

4. If answer to #3 is yes, find another source. Which brings me to my favorite part ...Google. If you are reading this, you are on the internet, which means you have access to Google. So, for the love of llamas, frigging Google it already! A simple keyword search should get you page one results. And if you can't find a legitimate, independent news source--not another blog, but a newspaper or major media source--to back it up, then don't believe it, and don't share it. Assume bullshit. 

Moony Over Mars

It's been a great couple of weeks for Veronica Mars fans.








First, this happened:

And then, this happened:

Having sampled both, I can tell you they were a-freaking-mazing. I expected nothing less than awesomeness from the movie, but the book? We've all seen novelizations of our favorite movies or TV shows. Has that ever worked out? Ever?

I can tell you now that it has. Exactly one time.

By Chapter Two, it was like coming home. I could hear them all in my head. Veronica's snarky voice-overs, Keith's calm restraint, even Cliff's luscious baritone. It was perfect. Perfect, perfect, perfect. And oh, the plot twists. The plot twists, you guys.

Well, if you haven't read it yet, you're in luck. In keeping with the tradition of the My Favorite Things giveaways, I'll be giving away one ebook copy (ebook only, no physical books, sorry) of the Thousand Dollar Tan Line, as well as one e-copy of my own book, Blind Study.

Just follow the Rafflecopter instructions below, and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway



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Runniversary

It's been a year. One full year since I started running. Kind of appropriate that this happened last weekend. 

I didn't expect it to go this far. I didn't expect it to go anywhere, to be honest. I've tried running before and gave it up every time. Blamed it on my lack of "natural stride," tried to come to terms with the idea that I just wasn't a runner. And ignored that wistful feeling I'd get when I saw someone jogging by, wind in their hair, headphones on.

 

Two important things I've learned this year:

1. I am, in fact, a runner. 

2. Running is a skill, not a talent.

 

What I mean by the second one is this; yes, you can have a natural talent for running. Running will then be easier for you than others. However, anyone, natural talent or no, will get out of it what they put in. And that applies to anything in life, not just running. 

What did I put into it? Half an hour a day, five to six days a week. Forty miles per month, 480 miles a year. Running in snow and ice and anywhere from ten to ninety degrees Fahrenheit. 

This is starting to sound like a brag-fest, and that's not what I want. The point I'm trying to make is that you--yes, you--will get out of it what you put in. Even if you have no "natural stride," even if your legs are so short you have to hem petite pants to fit, even if you're massively out of shape. You will get out of it what you put in. 

And don't forget, that goes for everything in life, not just running. 

I Made A Thing.

The armrest remote control holder I had suddenly decided it no longer wanted to remain on the armrest, so I decided to make my own. I looked at a few patterns online, got a few ideas, and went to work. 

Ta-da!

I'm going to attempt to give you some basic instructions to make one of your own, if you find yourself so inclined. Unfortunately, I had this brainwave 3/4 of the way through making the second one, so of course I don't have many supporting pictures. But here goes:

Supplies:

Sewing machine (you can hand-sew this but it will take you forever)

Fabric, two colors. I bought three-and-a-half yards of the main color (brown) and three of the accent color (striped) and had enough to make two of these with plenty of fabric left over. Which was good, because I screwed the first one up :-)

Thread

Marbles

Scissors

Optional but recommended: seam ripper

Because this is going to be holding a lot of weight, I doubled each piece of fabric so that the end result was double sided. So, you will need to cut pieces in the following sizes:

Main color: 2 pieces, 36" by 14". You may need to adjust the length according to the size of your couch or chair arm; my couch arm is a bit overstuffed. The goal is to have it hang over so you can reach the remotes comfortably, and so you can stuff the other, soon-to-be-marble-filled end between the cushions to hold it in place. 

Accent color: 2 pieces 11" by 14", 2 pieces 10" by 14". 

Lay the two pieces of the main color together with the wrong sides facing each other. Pin them together with a 1" hem folded around all edges and sew. Set aside. 

Now, take the 11" pieces and lay them with right sides facing each other, pin together without a foldover hem, and sew around, leaving a four-inch gap on one side. Pull fabric inside-out through hole, so that the right side of the fabric is now on the outside. Fold edges of the gap inside (so that it matches evenly) and sew hole shut (like a pillow, if you're familiar with sewing.) 

Follow the same instructions for the 11" pieces for the 10" ones.

Now, here's where it gets a little tricky. Lay the 10" joined piece on top of the 11" joined piece, with the bottom edges lined up. If you left the gap to pull the fabric on one of the long edges, make sure those go on the bottom. The 14" edge is going to be the horizontal edge. Now, sew one vertical line through both pieces, 4" from the left edges,  from the bottom to the top of the 10" piece, and another 4" from the right edge, leaving a 4" space in the middle. This forms the beginning of your remote control pockets. 

Lay these pieces on top of the main color piece's right side (the one without the hem wrapped over it) with the bottoms matched up. Now that the hems have all been sewn, they should all be approximately the same width. Sew around edge of sides and bottom, leaving top edge of accent piece unsewn to form a large pocket. Make sure you sew over the edges of the 10" piece as well, so that the 10" piece now forms three pockets. 

Now, at the opposite end of the main piece, fold approximately 3 1/2" around the back (the side without the pockets) pin, and sew the long edge and one of the sides, leaving one side open. Fill this small pocket with the marbles, and then sew closed. This weighted edge will be tucked between the arm and the cushion, to keep the remote holder securely in place.

Voila! You have hopefully, in spite of my poorly illustrated instructions, managed to create a remote control organizer. Enjoy!

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Vacation Roundup

Sorry I dropped off the grid here for a few weeks, but I had a good reason...I was in Florida!

Well, I was only in Florida for three days, but the preparations, etc, had me busy for quite a while. We were there to visit family, but we still got to do and see quite a few things!


First, we took a riverboat tour around Merritt Island.

One of the things I really wanted to do was to see a manatee in the wild, and this trip granted that wish. I didn't take any pictures of the manatee, because I wanted to be in the moment and not peering through my phone's lens, but we also got to see dolphins!

We also learned quite a bit about the island. Below, you can see what's left of Annie, the Merritt Island dragon. Until a tropical storm blew through and broke her up, she was large enough to contain two rooms, and according to our guides, "breathed" actual fire. You can also see the abandoned home of the guy who built her.

Then we stopped at an orange grove stand, Harvey's. The orange trees grow just like birches or pines up here.

Melbourne, Florida is also the winter home of the Washington Nationals. It was right down the road, so of course we had to check it out. Here you can see Bryce Harper, and Jayson Werth (he's the one rocking the Sasquatch style).

We also spent some time in a local wetland, owned and preserved by a utility company. They do a great job; there's a fantastic array of wildlife. Lots and lots of gators, too!

No, really, lots of gators. You kind of have to watch your feet. (Watch till the end; it's worth it.)

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A Quandary of Olympic Proportions

I really wish the Olympic committee would stop making me choose between supporting athletes and my morals.

In 2008, when Beijing hosted the Summer Olympics, I boycotted. Didn't watch a single event. Didn't even watch news coverage of a single event. Something about the Olympics came on, I changed the channel.

But that's not really fair, is it? Athletes train for years to get to these games. They start well before the decision on the hosting city/country is even made. They work harder and sacrifice more than most of us could even dream, all so they can achieve their dream. Is it fair to punish them for the political decision of a bunch of old white dudes?

(Note: I wrote the above sentence, then decided to make sure it was correct. As I suspected, the Olympic Committee, and, more importantly, the Executive Committee, is predominantly male, white, and of a certain age. Shocking.)

Which brings me to Sochi. Just as bad, if not worse, than China, in their horrific human and animal rights violations. Gay-bashing, both figuratively and literally (several videos have surfaced of gays being beaten to within an inch of their lives), Pussy Riot, and now the latest, a massacre of the town's stray dogs in an effort to whitewash the city for its many visitors and viewers.

It doesn't end at Sochi, either. Already, reports are trickling out of Rio of their poorest people being displaced from the ghettos to make way for construction for the 2016 Olympics.

So, what's a person to do? Watch the Olympics anyway, but do as much as I can to raise awareness about Russia's appalling disregard for people and animals? Boycott, and miss out on a rare, amazing exhibition of athletics and culture, while really doing no damage at all to Russia?

I'm going to do the first, I think. It's not the perfect decision, and every time a new story about Sochi's heartless cruelty emerges, I'm going to feel quite a bit of guilt. But there is no perfect solution, I don't think. There never is.

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On My Radar

You may have noticed that I'm crappy at blogging. Or maybe you haven't, since I have such a problem keeping up with it. Here's the thing. I'm boring. I get up. I go to work. I come home. I go running. I maybe crochet a little. I read, I watch some TV, I write. That's my life. I find it impossible to believe that anyone would find it remotely interesting.

So I'm going to try a new thing. (Hopefully) weekly, I'll try to do a little something called On My Radar. My reaction to a new book or current TV show, etc, articles I read, etc, etc, etc.

On my radar this week:

On TV: I am still reeling from last week's Sleepy Hollow finale. No spoilers--but holy crap. I was starting to get a little...not bored, exactly, but impatient with SH. It seemed like a collection of zany adventures, rather than a linear series of stories contributing to a major arc. I'm really glad I stuck with it, because the SH writers just proved they're smarter than me.

On Downton Abbey, this Anna/Bates storyline is killing me. Killing me. It really needs to resolve soon, because I don't know how much longer I can stick it out. Seriously, I find myself getting physically nauseous every time we go to start it up. On the bright side, it has prompted some really intelligent, thoughtful discussions on the interwebs re: the portrayal of rape in fiction, and the sorts of behaviors and fears of victims and their families that lead to sexual assaults going unreported.

In Books: I finally did it. My good friend April, who now blogs over at the Starry-Eyed Revue, has been harassing me for over a year to give the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead a try. But there are so many of those types of books (vampire school! werewolf academy! witch prep!) that I was reluctant to give it a try, afraid I'd find more of the same. I'm glad I did. They were original (at least, I thought so) and engaging, the kind of books I thought about even when I wasn't reading them.

In The Media: Two words: Plague ships! If you're a writer looking for inspiration, you need look no further than the two vaguely parallel cruise ship stories that came out this week, one about a ship full of cannabalistic rats hurtling toward England's coast, the other about a norovirus that swept through a cruise ship full of vacationers and ruined everyone's holiday.

Also, Bieber got arrested. Take heart, good people...he might not be in jail, but he could still be deported!

In Real Life: Still working on the granny square afghan; hopefully I can post some pics soon. I have learned my tolerance to cold is much higher (or lower!) than I thought; the dogs and I can safely run in 10 degree F with no side effects, though I did buy some Musher's Secret, just in case.

That's it for this week--check back next week, and we'll see if I can keep it up!

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