Rebuilding, Tearing Down, Adding On

Spent part of today working on fixing, editing, and repairing two of my web sites. This one, and the primary MWS Media site. Long enough that I’m tired of working on it, now… I think I need some food and maybe a shower and bed. I’ve been up since three thirty in the morning — my wife had to fly out of town this morning so I drove her to the airport.

Of course, I may have accomplished more if I hadn’t stopped to post my opinion about the Sex Pistols and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame “scandal” on the Mike Watt Yahoo! List. Can’t link to it, it’s members only, but basically I wrote that it was a case of a manufactured band rejecting a manufactured honor.

Oops… I went and put another sacred cow on the barbie…! Right away, one of the list members accused me of “DIY elitism,” which, I pointed out, is (to me) an oxymoron. And so the snowball rolled down the hill, gathering yellow snow and bits of shit and gravel as it went.

Anyhoo, one of these days I’ll lay down the planks of my platform vis a vis the DIY Ethic. Basically, what happens to me so often on the Watt List is I get attacked because I don’t put the icons of punk (another oxymoron?) up on any kind of pedestal. When I say X sounds tired and bored these days, when I blast Watt himself for being on Sony (and for — blasphemy — putting out a pretty darn boring, self-serving album), when I challenge the idea that the Sex Pistols had anything at all to do with punk rock… well, I hear about it.

Sometimes I have fun with it — rise to the challenge. I’m in the middle of that now… and now I’m blogging about it…. when, as some would say, I should be writing.

So… okay. I’ve run out of steam. Nice talkin’ to ya. I’ll keep you posted… time for food, a little bit more work, then bed.

Oh — I’ve got a web-based voicemail / fax service for MWS Media, now… if you’d like to leave a verbal comment about this site, “Brave Men Run,” or MWS Media in general, call 1-206-666-4DIY.

Octavia Butler Has Died

The author of “Kindred,” “Fledgling,” and many other intelligent, challenging works of speculative fiction, died after a fatal concussion following a fall.

When we lose a master of the field — unexpectedly and too early, or after a long and storied life — it gives me pause, and drives me forward. There is only so much time to be alive, indeed.

For now. And until that’s changed… keep writing like the next page is the last one.

Update: NPR’s Talk of The Nation Science Friday re-posted a podcast edition of their June 16th, 2004 episode featuring Octavia Butler, David Brin, and Lawrence Krauss. Interesting listening, and a chance to hear Butler.

Brave Men Run Podcast – Episode 14 Chapts. 50 – 53

It’s the penultimate episode of the Brave Men Run Podcast! After this — one more episode and the book is finished!

Let’s look at these chapters…

Chapter Fifty:

– “Post traumatic stress, or something like that.”

More information on this disorder is here.

– “Two Orange County sheriff’s deputies got behind him and held his arms.”

These fine officers provide law enforcement services for several unincorporated areas of Orange County, California.

Of course, I mostly recall them showing up in time to take our beer away from us at beach parties…

Chapter Fifty One:

– “I’ll buy you a MegaSip.”

Okay, so I made up the name to avoid infringing on any trademarks, but this is what I’m talking about, here. Essentially, it’s syrup, sugar water, and crushed ice. Oh, and food coloring.

– “I’m gonna give you, like, the Reader’s Digest version, all right?”

This is a reference to Reader’s Digest Magazine, which has been publishing condensed articles, features, and full-length books culled from numerous sources since the dawn of time. The “Reader’s Digest version” means without any fluff, with an emphasis on brevity.

Chapter Fifty Two:

– “…going to watch MTV…”

MTV, once known as Music Television, and even before that Sight on Sound, changed music forever, for better or worse. It launched in 1981, hit in a big way in 1985, and gave one of the creators of podcasting his first big break. So it all ties together, somehow…?

Chapter Fifty Three:

That Lina is wise beyond her years… a little island of common sense for when our hero gets too wiggy.

– “I kept chuckling, randomly, right up until we pulled up to my house. Right up until I saw my mother in the driveway talking to a man in a dark business suit.”

What, you thought I wasn’t going to slip another cliffhanger in before the end of the book? Stay tuned!

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