internet

Here’s the deal

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I met Charles Stross briefly a few months ago, and he recommended Dropbox for online backups. I like it, because it’s a little different from most services.

How it works: You install the program on your computers (assuming you have more than one, if you don’t, skip the rest of this post) and it places a folder called “Dropbox” in your system. Any file you move into this folder is automatically backed up to their online server when you next have an internet connection.

It also automatically downloads to the folder in your other computer. This way, your files stay synced on both machines.

I write on my laptop, copy the day’s work to the folder and let it upload. I know it’ll be on my desktop at home in seconds, and that Time Machine will back it up within the next hour. Plus, there’s the online copy.

It’s also useful, I’m told, for collaborating. I don’t need that so I haven’t put much thought into it. All I know is that there’s a way to create a public folder online where you can share files with other.

Why I’m telling you this: If you sign up (you can get a free 2GB account, which is more than enough for my writing) through a referral from me, we both get extra storage space above and beyond that two gigs.

I’ve been pretty happy with the service, although I haven’t had it for all that long and I haven’t needed it to restore lost work. If anyone wants a referral, drop a comment here, please.

Reposting a comment

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Jim Hines has an interesting post on his blog and LiveJournal about writing to follow a popular trend and, through my own dumbosity, managed to turn it into a discussion of art vs. craft.

Check it out–the other comment threads are interesting.

Anyway, here’s the comment I wrote describing the diff between a craft and an art (because it’s easier than coming up with all new material, that’s why):

In twenty words or less, right?

When you make art, you make a thing that has no other function but to be experienced as art.

When you make “craft”, you may create a thing (like a bookshelf) that can be appreciated as art, but which also has other intrinsic constraints on its function.

To clarify: “intrinsic” is an important word, because the novel I’m writing has to have a length of 90K words, give or take. That’s a constraint imposed by my publisher, but it’s not intrinsic to the form.

Both take tremendous skill, but “I’m not an artist” is reflexive anti-elitism, an assurance that the speaker is regular folk, not one of those flighty effete types. It took a long time for me to shake off my working class attitudes about art and self-identity. Now I’m willing to call myself an artist if I’m forced to, but I make low, pop-cultural art about monsters and face-punching.

Self-identity is weird.

Take a look at this if you have the chance (and don’t skip the comments). It’s interesting stuff about, in part, using writing to solve problems created by the writing.

Jim’s followup, and mine, too, are in the thread.

Attn, filmmakers and lovers of film

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Hollywood producer Keith Calder, who made BATTLE FOR TERRA, THE WHACKNESS, ALL THE BOYS LOVE MANDY LANE and more has started a blog.

He’ll be talking about his experiences making films, posting anecdotes, and other cool stuff. If you like that sort of thing, here’s something you’ll like.

Two difficult, but necessary, links

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First, Jim C. Hines discusses the legal tactics of the Hotel Marriott lawyers in response to a lawsuit brought by a woman who was raped on their property: They are blaming the victim. (I’m linking to his LiveJournal because I can’t get his WordPress blog to open.) Jim has a warning at the top that his post is potentially-triggering discussion of rape and victim-blaming, and the comments are, too. FYI.

If you stay at Marriotts when you travel, you might want to write them a little letter.

Second, Hal Duncan has written an open letter to John C. Wright concerning Wright’s recent diatribe against Syfy, GLAAD and tolerance. I won’t like to Wright’s post itself, which is pretty gross, but Duncan’s response is excellent.

It’s also long, and the background makes it difficult to read. It’s worth the trouble, though.

The new Segway

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This is the new product that will change the way the world exercises!

As far as I can tell, that’s not a joke. It’s a real product.

Something I buried earlier in the week

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I realize that I buried this in a previous post, so let me repost it here:

If you want to get a free signed ARC of Child of Fire, Suvudu is giving one away–along with a bunch of other books–in a sweepstakes. You have until August 21st to enter.

If you’ve read the Sample Chapter and can’t wait for the rest, well, here’s your chance to get an early copy.

(Okay. That’s as much hucksterism as I can manage. Too much?)

Oh, fer…

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I can not understand why the characters in this book insist on chatting so much. Can’t we just jump straight to the violence? Please?

Also, I can not make the links on the right sidebar (on my blog, for those reading this on LiveJournal) rearrange themselves into the order I want.

I attribute both problems to a sleepless night and really awful dreams.

Here’s one for the ladies.

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You’re welcome.

I’ve been writing for 45 minutes

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And my wordcount on Man Bites World is currently lower than when I started. ::sigh::

In happier news, my email was correctly backed up, and I haven’t lost any of it. Yay!

Also, my website needs many changes. Many. Good thing I have so much free time. X___X

Five things for a Friday

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1) For those who missed it, I posted the first chapter of Child of Fire on my site yesterday. You can read it here. If you like it, tell your friends. If you hate it, tell your enemies.

2) Woman getting married to fairground ride. According to the article, she says she has “objectum sexuality, a condition that makes sufferers attracted to inanimate objects.” I avert my gaze as I hurry past the obvious joke there.

3) “Nurse of the Year” in Connecticut, who gave injections and dispensed medical advice, not actually a nurse. Remember, all failures of private industry are individual cases, but all failures within a government program reflect badly on every government program.

4) Drug buyers call the cops on their own dealers. Not because they were ripped off or because the drugs were bad. It was because the dealers were setting up squirrel traps in the park where they operated, and taking the fresh meat home at the end of the day. The drug buyers didn’t like that and dropped the dime on them. Fun note: When I first moved to Seattle, I lived very, very close to that park. It’s a beautiful place. via matt-ruff

5) I’ve always had trouble remembering faces and recognizing people, but man, I have nothing on Ryan O’Neal.