[A Pleasurable Headache] scribbling in the shadows
This was supposed to go out two weeks ago, and for some reason has been sat in drafts instead. Which means you will be getting two newsletters from me this week.
So, I’m back (kind of). This newsletter, writing in general, household tasks and everything else are now performed in the brief snatches of time between feeds, nappy changes and attempting to get an (over)tired baby to sleep.
If anything, it has shown me how good I had it before in terms of free time. But it also caused me to really use those snatches of time to do the things that need doing. In the past week or so I’ve written a flash story and submitted it and I’m currently in the early stages of another short story for a separate submission call.
If the writing, or anything else, isn’t done in these brief flashes of time then it doesn’t get done at all.
So by following my method you too can be super productive.
The downside is that sleep will disappear from your life, possibly to take up a managerial position at Cinnabon in Omaha.
Links
Wildfires Are Setting Off 100-Year-Old Bombs on WWI Battlefields
This is a month or so old now, but Slovenia was recently subject to a wildfire. Said fire moved across several areas that were former battlefields in WW1. Inevitably, due to the heat, this has led to several unexploded bombs detonating. So far, no one has been hurt. But it shows the increasing effects climate change is having on the made and unmade world. On a related note…
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Devastating global droughts are revealing warships, dino footprints, and ancient megaliths
“A fleet of over 20 wrecked Nazi warships laden with explosives has been exposed near Prahovo in eastern Serbia as water levels fall in the Danube, Europe’s second-longest river. The ships had remained undisturbed on the riverbed for almost 80 years and are believed to be among hundreds that formed a flotilla between Nazi Germany and the Black Sea Fleet in 1944. When escaping from the Red Army’s advancements became impossible, the entire fleet was intentionally sunk to prevent them from falling into Soviet hands.”
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Numbers Pool
https://bldgblog.com/2022/08/numbers-pool/
BLDBLOG has been an RSS staple for me since the heady days of Google Reader. Posts there are not as frequent as they once were, but each new post is still a treat, no matter the post length. Case in point is this recent post on the concept of ‘liquid computing’.
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Britain Is Rewriting the Rules of Social Collapse
https://eand.co/britain-is-rewriting-the-rules-of-social-collapse-d22abc4ee769
So, here we are again. The article begins with a quote from the head of the NHS warning the government of the imminent ‘humanitarian crisis’ in this country.
“‘Many people could face the awful choice of skipping meals to heat their homes and having to live in cold and very unpleasant conditions.” To translate that from polite British official-ese for you, that’s the head of the National Health Service warning his own government that scores of people are going to freeze to death.”
70% of households in this country, by winter, are expected to be in some form of ‘fuel poverty’. Only this week I have had an email from our current energy provider that the amount we pay each month will be rising for next month. This is before the energy caps change in October. That’s when things are going to get really tough.
As much as I enjoy writing horror, it’s this sort of thing that keeps me awake at night.Unfortunately, this is just one symptom of a a government completely failing the people it serves:
“Inflation’s projected to hit 18%. 18%. Meanwhile, in the rest of the rich world, it’s peaking — at least for now. I quoted you the one about 70% of households living in fuel poverty already, but consider it again. What would you say if 70% of people in your country had to choose between food and energy? But it hardly ends there. There are more food banks than McDonalds in Britain. Raw sewage is washing up on beaches. Entire villages are running out of water, and soon enough the country will be water poor, yet there’s no plan or agenda to fix any of this.”
Charles Stross has recently posted on similar subject matter…
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The gathering crisis
http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2022/08/the-gathering-crisis.html
“The harvest is failing. Energy bills are soaring to the point where businesses, already hit by a bad recession, are going bust because they can’t keep the lights on. (Not posting a link but I’ve seen reports of Fish and Chip shops shutting down because they can’t afford the power bills for the fryers—or, soon, the bill for the potatoes and the expensive sewage-free imported fish.) A third of the country can’t afford to pay their bills: there’s a grass-roots movement to start a payment strike against the energy companies, who are seen as exploiting the situation for profit.
The health service is in crisis. Inflation is wiping out pensions and savings. A general strike seems possible by the end of the year, something that hasn’t hit the UK since 1926.”
I am not going to be affected by this as some of the poorer households in this country but this is still going to have a real effect on almost everyone in this country moving forward. I hope it is a catalyst for change. The cynic in me though is bracing for things to get worse before they get better.
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A brief explainer on the chemtrails conspiracy theory
The fact this theory still holds water in the modern age boggles my mind. However, in the age of QAnon I guess anything is possible.
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Atlanta Season Three Was a Bad Trip
https://www.vulture.com/article/atlanta-season-three-flaws.html
Atlanta Season Three seems to have divided a few people. I enjoyed it myself. I thought the switch between the ‘tour’ episodes and the one off anthology episodes was an interesting structure, allowing Glover, Murai et al to really stretch some of their creative muscles. I still think, however, that Van’s character was poorly served by the season, even if the finale concentrated on her. This round-table at Vulture unpacks some of the criticism and problems of what will be the show’s penultimate season.
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How Leftists Should Debate in Mainstream Spaces
https://www.currentaffairs.org/2022/07/how-leftists-should-debate-in-mainstream-spaces
Ben Burgis has literally written the book on debate in the modern political landscape. This article at Current Affairs raises some interesting and pertinent points. Burgis does this by using Krystal Ball’s recent appearance on Bill Maher’s show as an example of how to do things the right way.
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SIX THINGS I’VE LEARNED ABOUT WRITING IN MY SIXTIES
https://crimereads.com/six-things-ive-learned-about-writing-in-my-sixties/
I’m trying to finish the newsletter off with some happier links. Anyway, this post was lovely.
“I’m old enough to know that writing is a privilege.It’s fantastic! Telling bedtime stories to people I’ve never met, and inventing characters who occupy their minds as they are walking down streets I’ve never seen. Writing after sixty is a blessing and after a lifetime spent scribbling in the shadows I can appreciate every moment.”
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The 102 Best Movie Sequels of All Time
https://www.vulture.com/article/the-101-best-movie-sequels-of-all-time.html
I leave you with a truly mammoth list from Vulture. Enjoy!
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Okay, I am off to dream about sleep. See you in two!