Drive*

The title of this entry is Drive*.  Notice the asterisk?  The other day, a dear friend posted one of those ubiquitous internet memes berating Generation Me.  You know—those confounded millennials every elder despises?  Yes, them…again.

Here it is:

I posited that an asterisk should be attached to “drive”, appending another note of sarcasm.  Now, my sarcasm should have been interpreted to berate those kids further, meaning, they actually haven’t learned to drive—at least, not properly, nor remotely to the standards of their pontificating elders.  In fact, I don’t believe drivers (mostly the American variety) et al have evolved much.  We’re all doing our best—in the most wildly varying sense—navigating from A to B without catastrophe, using an olden system of roads and rules rife with ambiguity and interpretation.  Nobody, it seems, wants to change anything, even after confronted with disheartening 35,000/year death and 3M/year injury stats.  When they do, those efforts are suddenly gift-wrapped in blaze red cellophane tape.  Example?  Look no further than GOP hopeful and former Florida Governor, Jeb Bush.  Back in May 2005, he cited a lack of empirical evidence after vetoing a popular Road Rage Reduction Act in Florida.  It would have made it illegal to loiter in the left lane of an interstate or multi-lane highway.  You know the rule—Keep Right Except to Pass?  Nobody squats in the left lane making others angry, supposedly.  That, my friends, is the very definition of disconnect.  But no, I’m not blogging a hit piece on Jeb today.  Other than the aforementioned disconnect, well, and that whole Florida homeowner’s insurance rates quadrupling during his reign thing, I suspect he’s a rather nice fellow.  My concern is for the simple stagnation in basic transportation, and its need to evolve.  Who’s championing this?  I mean right now, who?

You may have been monitoring the autonomous automobile ongoings at Google, Tesla, and other tech campuses such as Audi, BMW, and, yeah, yet another German automaker, Mercedes-Benz, and their ‘mobile living space’.  (Neat, but really, Mercedes?)  Suffice to say, there are more than a few brilliant minds groupthinking their way towards removing your hands from the steering wheel.  Is that what we want?  Woody Allen’s Sleeper?  Someone pass the orb, dude!  Ah well, I believe driving—it’s purpose—comes down to individual philosophy, attitudes, and their resulting (pardon the pun) impacts they have on other drivers.

For those that tremble at the responsibility, dread climbing into that seat, timidly thrust themselves into the fray of a multi-lane freeway, and general perceive driving as a necessary labor of despise—a painful sacrifice to Chronos—self-driving automobiles hearken lofty angelic chorales and glistening metallic pain crystals (throw a little Vaseline on the lens for that softened soap opera look).  And, this might be a good thing.  You see, these are the folks that just might not belong behind the wheel in the first place, similarly to the many disabled people who also need a ride (well argued in this Oatmeal article).  Philosophy and attitudes may conflict with additional education on the subject, let alone any enthusiasm.  Folks like myself, on the other hand, wish we could get better at it.  Moreover, we enjoy driving itself, and crave the war on Chronos when it matters.  Get out of the way you texting pacifists, I’m trying to DRIVE here!

To be fair, those same car manufacturers excel at the conventional driver experience (Google being the exception, of course).  We already have countless vehicles with exceeding capabilities far beyond that which global governments will permit.  Why is that, by the way?  Ah, well, not the debate de jour.  What I mean is, if we possess the Six Million Dollar Man army in vehicles—to go better, faster, etc.—what’s the holdup? 

Us

Yes, it’s us.  We are the flatulence nobody claims, the sloth—the whining sloth—that deserves what is to come.  That’s right.  Once this autonomous driving thing is perfected, and we are all still paying through the nostrils for insuring the technology, a driving we will no longer go.  God forbid a software glitch makes a deadly mistake creating a class litigation swarm complete with desperate television advertisements.

So help me out here:  Who is listening to actual drivers out there?  No, I don’t mean anyone behind a steering wheel, I mean those who wish to stay there and get better at it.  Who?  Anyone?  Helloooooooo...

Better Drivers, Better Roads, Better Rules.  Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz  What do we get?  Better cars, but with more distractions and less visibility.

The above article was meant to conjoin a previous installment regarding a Super License.  There exists individuals with ideas, obviously.  Mine is not exactly original.  I would also cite the entire country of Finland and their efforts to create the Master Race(rs) (used in pointed pun and jest).     

So what does politics have to do with it?  Everything.  Be mindful of those that champion your cause and vote for them accordingly.  But if you detect a sniveling panderer to complacency, dump ‘em like the steaming handful of poo they are.  Please! ;) 

Listen*

Oops. Another asterisk.  Have you seen this?

The Info Age is slowly but surely whittling away the ‘magic’ that is ..er.. was the craft of commercial music.  For the purposes of disclosure, I’ve been dawdling within that industry for a couple decades now, and I’ve been exposed the man behind the curtain.  Hmm… not sure that came out right.  Anyway…  Now hang on, don’t get your G-strings over-tightened, folks.  Not every artist is a manufactured dupe.  I’m strictly referencing the carefully-considered-in-a-boardroom-think-tank types.  These acts have been around for decades because they make money.  Remember, it’s the music business.  The music industry.  The publishing industry.  And on and on and so forth.  Although true artist/performers are commingled within, there will always be a percentage of commercially-conceived performers miming the latest computer-generated hits.  Until the consuming public defers those acts, they will always be around.  Don’t be surprised by this if you’re buying into it.  Engineering feats and faultless acting are ever on the increase.  It’s up to you to buy it or not—especially after your enlightenment.    

Writing Update and More from …Nelson’s Arcane

DUST’s sequel is still in the making, of course.  I’ve experienced a recent slow-down due to a real-estate intervention and other life activities, but the creating and writing continues!  I’m still hoping for a 2015 release, but I can’t give a date yet.  There is a lot of work yet to be done.  In the meantime, here are a couple more hidden homages within DUST:

From the chapter, “Rocked”:

“…Trovarto produced a plain black metallic and rectangular bar that measured about nine centimeters long, four centimeters wide, and just one centimeter thick..”  —The dimensional ratios of Monsignor Trovarto’s communicator are the same as the monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey.  This ratio also appears throughout the famous Parthenon.

From the Chapter, “Amerimem Industries”:

“You can always throw a sheet over him or something.”  —Chris said this to Emily when she became frightened at the prospect of another night with Xeno (a stuffed toy clown) in her room.  This is a reference to a classic scene from Poltergeist.

More Soon!

/T

Everyone Thinks Your Music Stinks

 I still buy the occasional album, but it has to be GOOD.

I’m at the point now where if someone wants to share my music these days, or even talk about it, I take it as a huge compliment.  I’ve read several of these “Blame the Fans” (DMN, FORBES, GENE SIMMONS, QUIETUS) arguments now, and they're usually from a view that doesn’t quite grasp, let alone embrace, the last decade’s revenue shift or perhaps the value of a quality original production.  The assumption is that signed artists (i.e. those that “made it”) were making their heyday fortunes from recordings and touring.  Fact is, up until the late ‘90s album profits subsidized their tours.  Still true for mega-artists, perhaps, but I suspect that touring still creates the lion’s share.  Back in the day, ticket prices were generally cheaper (inflation-adjusted), productions more lavish and entertaining, and those concerts tested/teased upcoming material.  Oh, and the obligatory swag you sported in high school the next morning...

Good times.

But where are we today, exactly?  Generally speaking (because there IS some great new music out there), what we have now is factory-driven, formulaic, homogenized silt.  What musician gets out of bed in the morning and says, "Today I want to create something completely different.  Something never heard before."  Don’t take my word for it; people like Ian Anderson have been spouting this for quite some time.  No, it’s not the typical elder complaints ala Tony Bennett or Time (although I agree with parts of their reports concerning corporate influence).  Apparently, very few artists and producers strive for a well-conceived, sonically-excellent original work of ART these days.  Because of this, upcoming generations are all well and good with low-cost, massively-engineered, low-fi digital…and lots of it.  Who can blame them?  And concerts?  There’s not much out there special enough to justify $200 for a date night...or fan’s geek-on…or whatever the motive.  Us “older” folks aren’t much for shelling the money, or more importantly the time, to see their favorites simply stand on a prosaic stage, running a pacifying song list that took merely a week to rehearse.  Asking a kid to blow that kind of coin for couple hours away from their X-Box, or—how much Smirnoff Ice is that?—yeah, well, you see the economics. 

My takeaway from all this is:

Stop whining and UP YOUR GAME.

Be ORIGINAL, Make ART, give them a SHOW.

The public will decide if you’re worth their gonk.

WRITING LIFE UPDATE:

Still pounding away at the keys whenever a free moment arises, but the missus and I are in the beginning process of changing neighborhoods…so there’s that distraction.

Avanti!

/T

Five for May

(My 50th published post!)

Writing Update!

For me, the personal Everest is character and plot development.  Each bullet of the outline a foothold, a carabiner cinched, another deep inhale before the next tug on the ascenders.  The scope of Dust’s sequel is so very wide.  I can only blame myself for deciding to chisel a Rushmore instead of oiling a standard portrait.  That’s why it’s taking so long.  Well, that, and the diversions of home ownership.  Oh, and BOLITA.  I wouldn’t have it any other way though, and that first word on the first page has yet to be inked, but I’m almost there…so very close.  I know how it begins.  I know how it ends (I knew it before that cruelest clap of thunder echoed through Cupertino, and then something changed).  And, thankfully, I know most of the in-betweensies, so I’m excited to loft the wily tendrils of creation soon.  By that, I mean get busy typing.  But first, a crack of the knuckles...

Dealing with The Bear

I suppose Russia’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula would be akin our invading eastern Cuba from Guantanamo, and, while in occupation, calling for a popular vote to join the USA.  How’d  you think that would go?  Smell the mojo?  Coincidence the Russkies parked an intelligence ship in Havana last month?  Games.  Maybe not.  The same ship has reportedly been buzzing some of our eastern naval bases since.  I understand this is normal and the United States does the same, but timing becomes more important in these matters.  Messages.  We mustn’t become naive and/or complacent when real people in power are calling for Gorbachev’s head, publicity stunt or not.  Current actions in Ukraine speak to their sincerity.  I don’t know about you, but it was nice not sweating the bomb for the last 25 years.

Another Baseball Cheating Scandal?

Pitcher Michael Pineda of the New York Yankees was recently caught red-handed again, or rather brown-necked, using pine rosin for better grip.  His punishment was “10 games”— actually just one since that’s all he was scheduled to start.  That’s not even a hand-slap!  (Think what happens for drug violations), but it’s the explanation of enforcement by so many media outlets causing greater concern.  In essence, it appears that MLB says it’s okay to cheat as long as you‘re discreet (meaning not caught due to complaint).  Wrong message for our youth, methinks, like being a racist NBA team owner.

More DUST Trivia!

You may already know this, but if not, the book is crammed with self-indulged and largely arcane trivia, homage and references or “Easter eggs”.  Occasionally I’ll spill hints on this blog or Facebook—and I prefer that the readers have their own aha moments—but here’s a few just for grins:

• A brain tissue sample jar someone facetiously labeled “Abby”.  This is a reference/homage to Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder’s comedy Young Frankenstein—one of my all-time favorite comedies.
• Emily laments her reading assignments by snubbing Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone as “…that wizard boy book.”  Yes, I’ve read it and yes, I’m a fan of J.K. Rowling’s work.  You might sense that with Chris Miller’s response and jab at Emily’s horrible Cockney by using a My Fair Lady reference.
• “You can always throw a sheet over him, or something.”  Chris said this to Emily when she was frightened at the prospect of another night with Xeno (her toy clown).  This is a reference to a classic scene from the movie Poltergeist.

There are over two dozen of these instances.  Look for them!

For Whom the Highway Tolls

The latest revenue hunt from D.C.  Have your heard about it?  I think most traffic engineers will agree: The greatest threat to the evolution of ground transportation is actually the brake pedal.  Think about this for a minute.  Much of all that energy expended on accelerating and maintaining speed is wasted on friction and resulting heat from your brakes.  Gone.  Zip.  And nothing to show for it.  That is, unless you’re one of the very few currently driving an electric or hybrid with regenerative brakes.  Lucky you!

Well, that’s just one of my gripes with installing toll booths on our interstates.  To me, it's plainly the spawn of yet more government, more procedure and eventual ambiguity while on the roads—roads that have been freely traversed without additional encumbrance since created by President Eisenhower in the 1950s.  I live near a major toll road and I can tell you firsthand it creates traffic, aggravation and bother.  This is all besides the feeling of constantly being pickpocketed by the state.

So the proponents of the bill are saying that the interstate program is about to run out of money.  Really?  After no troubles running it for 60 years, now it needs more funding?  Sorry, no.  This is likely not true, and yet another grab for revenue—revenue that, like the lottery, can be siphoned to other places than lauded. 

Argument #1:  It generates revenue (tax) from only those who actually use it.  Right, it does.  It also prohibits regular use by those in relative poverty, creating an additional class issue.  Slap from the Invisible Hand:  It also increases operating expenses for businesses and professionals who use those highways, and those expenses will eventually be passed along equally to those who might not.

Argument #2:  Electronic tolling.  Yes, I have a “SunPass”.  For those of you wondering, it’s a device placed on the inside of your windshield that a toll facility reads as you pass through it.  In many cases, you may select a special lane and pass through without stopping.  This works well in many places, but…

Not all toll roads use e-tolling, or utilize full-speed gates.  Often you must merge (great fun in heavy traffic) into a special lane that passes under a narrow gate at a much reduced speed.  In my area, it’s 25 MPH.  Besides that, you must also create and maintain an account with the tolling agency.  This account must (and I laugh the loudest here) carry a balance sufficient to pay your tolls.  For those of you facepalming or silently screaming about the creation of government float at our expense, I’ve been doing that for quite some time.  Suffice to say, the lament of added waste of my valuable life regularly checking on that account.  Are you old enough to remember freely traveling without constantly stopping or worrying about money in yet another account?  I am.  I also remember not having so many bills and having a bit more time for friends and family…and myself.

Argument #3:  The government says “We need more money!”  No you don’t.  You were fine before without it, you’ll be fine going forward.  Mind your spending, negotiate better, reduce your size.

Anyway you look at this proposal, it means more taxes, more procedure, more government and slower travel...more waste.  Others might also froth at the potential for greater loss of privacy...being tracked and such.  I agree.

The laugher?  There is a bill currently on Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s table seeking to increase the speed limit on rural interstates to 75 MPH.  If passed, you’ll get to those proposed tollgates just a bit faster. 

What can we do about it?  Stay informed with groups like the Alliance for Toll-Free Interstates, make your thoughts known.

More Soon,

/T