It's been almost three years since Jeannette and I moved to Regina (one month shy of three years if you want to be precise). Of course, we moved to Regina because I accepted a job that was based here. Fortunately, since we moved here Jeannette, who was originally working from home for her Ottawa-based employer, has also found a great job in her preferred field.
Now, almost three years later, I've accepted another job. The new job, which I start on Thursday, is also in Regina. This time, though rather than being in a library, it is a policy analysis position.
Because when I accepted my first job in Regina I expected to be with that employer for the foreseeable future I have had to come to terms with that reality not really coming to pass. Instead, I'm leaving the position less than three years after arriving (and it feels as though I just arrived). Though the change is happening in just a few days it still feels a little unreal.
Maybe more significant change than simply changing employers is that the nature of my work is about to change rather dramatically. Perhaps not surprisingly, I expect that in this policy analysis role I'll have to do a fair bit more analytical writing than I do than in my current position. Of course, this feature of the job is something that attracted me to the position in the first place.
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Sunday, September 27, 2015
Wednesday, August 01, 2012
Some thoughts on writing and related topics
A few weeks ago I remember reading a story about the so-called self-plaigarism of regular RadioLab contributor and New Yorker staff writer Jonah Lehrer. Aside from the general topic of the story, a topic find inherently interesting, I was curious about the story as a regular listener to Radiolab.
At the time I presumed that this self-plaigarism angle would the last I would be hearing about the journalistic practices, if that is the appropriate term, of Lehrer.
Thanks to an article published on Monday that outlines a number of fabricated or misattributed Bob Dylan quotes in his most recent book, Lehrer's journalistic practices have once again come up for discussion. Of course, unlike with the self-plaigarism issue, in this case Lehrer didn't walk away from the dust up with his job (he has now resigned from his post at The New Yorker).
While it's clear that for a reader or publication an author fabricating sources, quotes, or data is unacceptable and is a firing offence, how one should handle of 'self-plaigarism' is likely not quite as clear cut, and readers and employers may approach the matter differently.
From the perspective of a reader that an author revisits a topic (sometimes with passages take directly from earlier iterations of a work), but each time refining his or her approach, may not be problematic. Despite the fact that such an iterative approach to writing may not be a particularly common practice in popular literature, there are areas of publishing - like some scholarly domains - where this approach is quite common (Lukes' multiple editions of Power: A Radical View is one such example that comes to mind). Of course, as a reader I do like knowing when I'm encountering something that I may have read a version of before (While reading Carol Shield's Unless a few years ago I was haunted by a sense of deja vu while reading a scene about gifting a scarf only to realize some number of years later that I'd first encountered a similar passage in one of Shield's short stories.).
Of course it is also important to take into consideration the extent to which author continues to re-engage and refine the ideas and arguments are being examined. If the 'self-plaigarism' is nothing more than a re-jiggering of paragraphs and paraphrasing of past publications without any new substance then this practice becomes almost valueless to most readers. In such cases I am inclined to feel duped by the author - and that is almost never a pleasant feeling.
'Self-plaigarism' when viewed from the perspective of the publisher raises an entirely different set of concerns. Firstly, at least as far as I can see, is the matter of copyright. If the publisher of second version of the text doesn't provide proper attribution and attain appropriate permissions from the publisher of the first version of the text (maybe because they don't know that the writing isn't all original) might they not have copyright infringement issues on their hands? And I can't see prominent publications appreciating 'their' content turning up in another publication.
Secondly, I would have to guess that most major publications don't like paying full price for 'recycled' content. Assuming the ideas discussed in these pieces haven't really been overly refined from iteration to iteration, which I think is a relatively fair assumption in this case given the short/informal nature of many of the posts in question, I can imagine that this breaks the spirit and letter of agreements that authors have with their publishers about submissions. (I also have to assume that readers don't appreciate paying full price for a publication that has supposedly 'new' content that they may have already read.)
Unfortunately, I think that this confluence of conditions (from both the perspective of the reader and the publisher) and stories like this that that vilify 'self-plaigarism' (and that don't differentiate its various forms) may mean that professional authors may be less likely to re-visit and revise work as time and their understanding of the topic progresses despite the fact that technologies currently available may facilitate such regular revisions of a work and allow the reader to see how this work has been changed with each new iteration. Though I certainly hope it's not the case, I fear that the appearance of an ever-changing, always-a-work-in-progress text like Whitman's Leaves of Grass may be less likely now than ever before (I can only imagine that what an author was paid to revise a text in the manual type-setting days was relatively little compared to the overall cost of a new printing/edition and would require only marginally more work on the part of the publisher, whereas in the current context a new printing that also entails a re-formatted and re-written document substantially increases printing and re-publication costs relative to just re-printing the same text you already had on file).
I'm not sure that I've really brought this to a satisfying conclusion, but I guess I can always come back to a few of these ideas in the future and see if I can add anything new to the conversation. If I do take such an approach I'll try to remember to send you back here so you can see what I wrote the first time around.
At the time I presumed that this self-plaigarism angle would the last I would be hearing about the journalistic practices, if that is the appropriate term, of Lehrer.
Thanks to an article published on Monday that outlines a number of fabricated or misattributed Bob Dylan quotes in his most recent book, Lehrer's journalistic practices have once again come up for discussion. Of course, unlike with the self-plaigarism issue, in this case Lehrer didn't walk away from the dust up with his job (he has now resigned from his post at The New Yorker).
While it's clear that for a reader or publication an author fabricating sources, quotes, or data is unacceptable and is a firing offence, how one should handle of 'self-plaigarism' is likely not quite as clear cut, and readers and employers may approach the matter differently.
From the perspective of a reader that an author revisits a topic (sometimes with passages take directly from earlier iterations of a work), but each time refining his or her approach, may not be problematic. Despite the fact that such an iterative approach to writing may not be a particularly common practice in popular literature, there are areas of publishing - like some scholarly domains - where this approach is quite common (Lukes' multiple editions of Power: A Radical View is one such example that comes to mind). Of course, as a reader I do like knowing when I'm encountering something that I may have read a version of before (While reading Carol Shield's Unless a few years ago I was haunted by a sense of deja vu while reading a scene about gifting a scarf only to realize some number of years later that I'd first encountered a similar passage in one of Shield's short stories.).
Of course it is also important to take into consideration the extent to which author continues to re-engage and refine the ideas and arguments are being examined. If the 'self-plaigarism' is nothing more than a re-jiggering of paragraphs and paraphrasing of past publications without any new substance then this practice becomes almost valueless to most readers. In such cases I am inclined to feel duped by the author - and that is almost never a pleasant feeling.
'Self-plaigarism' when viewed from the perspective of the publisher raises an entirely different set of concerns. Firstly, at least as far as I can see, is the matter of copyright. If the publisher of second version of the text doesn't provide proper attribution and attain appropriate permissions from the publisher of the first version of the text (maybe because they don't know that the writing isn't all original) might they not have copyright infringement issues on their hands? And I can't see prominent publications appreciating 'their' content turning up in another publication.
Secondly, I would have to guess that most major publications don't like paying full price for 'recycled' content. Assuming the ideas discussed in these pieces haven't really been overly refined from iteration to iteration, which I think is a relatively fair assumption in this case given the short/informal nature of many of the posts in question, I can imagine that this breaks the spirit and letter of agreements that authors have with their publishers about submissions. (I also have to assume that readers don't appreciate paying full price for a publication that has supposedly 'new' content that they may have already read.)
Unfortunately, I think that this confluence of conditions (from both the perspective of the reader and the publisher) and stories like this that that vilify 'self-plaigarism' (and that don't differentiate its various forms) may mean that professional authors may be less likely to re-visit and revise work as time and their understanding of the topic progresses despite the fact that technologies currently available may facilitate such regular revisions of a work and allow the reader to see how this work has been changed with each new iteration. Though I certainly hope it's not the case, I fear that the appearance of an ever-changing, always-a-work-in-progress text like Whitman's Leaves of Grass may be less likely now than ever before (I can only imagine that what an author was paid to revise a text in the manual type-setting days was relatively little compared to the overall cost of a new printing/edition and would require only marginally more work on the part of the publisher, whereas in the current context a new printing that also entails a re-formatted and re-written document substantially increases printing and re-publication costs relative to just re-printing the same text you already had on file).
I'm not sure that I've really brought this to a satisfying conclusion, but I guess I can always come back to a few of these ideas in the future and see if I can add anything new to the conversation. If I do take such an approach I'll try to remember to send you back here so you can see what I wrote the first time around.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
How to construct an argument
I think I have been able to distill the fundamental approach to argument making used by many current undergraduate students.
The whole things boils down to a simple two step process.
Step 1: Define a term
Start by defining a term very poorly. To make this most of it you probably want to omit a few key components of the definition.
Example: A lady is something that has hair, legs, breasts, and a circulatory system.
Step 2: Identify an object
You then want to identify something that has these characteristics. Whether or not the entity should be labelled in this way is besides the point. Of course, once the faulty association between the term and the object has been made no effort should be made to confirm whether or not this position conflicts with the common understanding of either the terms or the objects in question.
Example: Gandhi had hair, legs, breasts, and a circulatory system. It has been conclusively proven that Gandhi is a lady.
Voila, you're done. You now have yourself the basis of your term paper. Add a little repetition and a snappy conclusion and you have your final product. That didn't take very long did it?
The whole things boils down to a simple two step process.
Step 1: Define a term
Start by defining a term very poorly. To make this most of it you probably want to omit a few key components of the definition.
Example: A lady is something that has hair, legs, breasts, and a circulatory system.
Step 2: Identify an object
You then want to identify something that has these characteristics. Whether or not the entity should be labelled in this way is besides the point. Of course, once the faulty association between the term and the object has been made no effort should be made to confirm whether or not this position conflicts with the common understanding of either the terms or the objects in question.
Example: Gandhi had hair, legs, breasts, and a circulatory system. It has been conclusively proven that Gandhi is a lady.
Voila, you're done. You now have yourself the basis of your term paper. Add a little repetition and a snappy conclusion and you have your final product. That didn't take very long did it?
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Pumping out content
For the past few years I have heard that writers like Graham Greene would only, but consistently, write about a page a day. I presume that this means that they are writing somewhere between 250 and 500 words a day.
I find two things about this impressive. Firstly, these guys really aren't writing all that much on a daily basis. This is an entirely achievable volume for a relatively average person (though, I guess what they are writing is of a slightly higher quality than what I, or the average person, might write in the same space). Secondly, at this rate these authors are pumping out 1 to 1.5 quality books a year, and they manage to keep this rate up year after year.
While I don't necessarily have too much interest in writing novels (as I don't think I could do a good job of it), I do wish that I could somehow tap into this vein of productivity and manage to produce the equivalent output over the course of my adult life.
I find two things about this impressive. Firstly, these guys really aren't writing all that much on a daily basis. This is an entirely achievable volume for a relatively average person (though, I guess what they are writing is of a slightly higher quality than what I, or the average person, might write in the same space). Secondly, at this rate these authors are pumping out 1 to 1.5 quality books a year, and they manage to keep this rate up year after year.
While I don't necessarily have too much interest in writing novels (as I don't think I could do a good job of it), I do wish that I could somehow tap into this vein of productivity and manage to produce the equivalent output over the course of my adult life.
Friday, March 19, 2010
A Few Quick Notes 409
-Today was another beautiful day. In contrast to many of past few nights, the temperature seems to be remaining above zero, though the temperature drop was still about 10 degrees, maybe even as high as 11.
-I am now down to 2/8 with this year's Roll Up the Rim to Win contest. Apparently playing for Jess only got me through the initial days of the competition, I will now likely need to find some other cause to reinvigorate myself (though this doesn't mean that I won't also carry original burden).
-A few days ago Neil called our internet service provider about our sluggish internet connection. After a few minutes he learned that the problem is that due to an 'administrative error' we had been switched to a slower service some number of months ago. Apparently we are now to get some kind of discount, though I am not sure if we have been told exactly what this will entail.
Of course the good news is that we now have a much faster internet connection that doesn't seem to disconnect as frequently. The bad news is that we have once again confirmed that we are so lazy that we will wait months before dealing with an obvious problem.
-Maybe two weeks ago Neil and I were grocery shopping when we happened to come across some discount passionfruit flavoured pop. Much to my surprise, I was quite taken with the $1.98 product and decided to buy a dozen cans of the diet variety. After just a few days we were out and I was jonesing for more.
Yesterday night we went back and bought another dozen (along with more traditional groceries). Sadly, I pounded back five of the dozen cans this afternoon and evening. At this rate I am likely going to need to re-stock by tomorrow afternoon (that is if I want to re-stock before I run out).
-I am in the midst of preparing an essay for submission on Monday. While things are a bit rough at the moment I think that I have at least finally settled on the basic outlines of the structure (a development that was a long time coming). Hopefully I will be able to fashion something approximating a first draft tomorrow.
-Tonight all three of us went upstairs to have dinner at our neighbour/friend's apartment. We had a really great stir-fry for dinner and then a sticky toffee sponge pudding (that I prepared) for desert. It was a very pleasant affair.
-A few weeks ago this neighbour/friend and I decided to jointly acquire a seed starter kit (basically mini-green house with peat pellets) and together get a jump on the growing season. With a few of the seeds that I already had and a few more that I ordered from Vesey's (they have great seed catalogues) we managed to take care of the planting last Saturday. When I went up tonight, much to my surprise, I learned that most of the seeds we planted, including most of the tomatoes, have already sprouted and are quite perceptibly plants. This early and vigorous sprouting has really helped me get pumped about our upcoming container gardening season.
Hopefully at some point in the coming days I will be able to take a few minutes and explain what is going on plantwise and what I expect to happen in the near future.
-As many of you likely know, yesterday was St. Patrick's Day. Though I am not a particularly keen celebrator or St. Patrick's Day I did end up visiting a local establishment yesterday evening. I decided to head out to this particular event because a fellow political science grad student and former Nova Scotia premier Rodney MacDonald were to be performing together. While at the event Neil and I ran into a few other political science grad students, as well as my supervisor. All in all, I think it is safe to say that we had a good time and would likely consider heading back next year if a similar slate of performers happened to be scheduled to appear.
-I am now down to 2/8 with this year's Roll Up the Rim to Win contest. Apparently playing for Jess only got me through the initial days of the competition, I will now likely need to find some other cause to reinvigorate myself (though this doesn't mean that I won't also carry original burden).
-A few days ago Neil called our internet service provider about our sluggish internet connection. After a few minutes he learned that the problem is that due to an 'administrative error' we had been switched to a slower service some number of months ago. Apparently we are now to get some kind of discount, though I am not sure if we have been told exactly what this will entail.
Of course the good news is that we now have a much faster internet connection that doesn't seem to disconnect as frequently. The bad news is that we have once again confirmed that we are so lazy that we will wait months before dealing with an obvious problem.
-Maybe two weeks ago Neil and I were grocery shopping when we happened to come across some discount passionfruit flavoured pop. Much to my surprise, I was quite taken with the $1.98 product and decided to buy a dozen cans of the diet variety. After just a few days we were out and I was jonesing for more.
Yesterday night we went back and bought another dozen (along with more traditional groceries). Sadly, I pounded back five of the dozen cans this afternoon and evening. At this rate I am likely going to need to re-stock by tomorrow afternoon (that is if I want to re-stock before I run out).
-I am in the midst of preparing an essay for submission on Monday. While things are a bit rough at the moment I think that I have at least finally settled on the basic outlines of the structure (a development that was a long time coming). Hopefully I will be able to fashion something approximating a first draft tomorrow.
-Tonight all three of us went upstairs to have dinner at our neighbour/friend's apartment. We had a really great stir-fry for dinner and then a sticky toffee sponge pudding (that I prepared) for desert. It was a very pleasant affair.
-A few weeks ago this neighbour/friend and I decided to jointly acquire a seed starter kit (basically mini-green house with peat pellets) and together get a jump on the growing season. With a few of the seeds that I already had and a few more that I ordered from Vesey's (they have great seed catalogues) we managed to take care of the planting last Saturday. When I went up tonight, much to my surprise, I learned that most of the seeds we planted, including most of the tomatoes, have already sprouted and are quite perceptibly plants. This early and vigorous sprouting has really helped me get pumped about our upcoming container gardening season.
Hopefully at some point in the coming days I will be able to take a few minutes and explain what is going on plantwise and what I expect to happen in the near future.
-As many of you likely know, yesterday was St. Patrick's Day. Though I am not a particularly keen celebrator or St. Patrick's Day I did end up visiting a local establishment yesterday evening. I decided to head out to this particular event because a fellow political science grad student and former Nova Scotia premier Rodney MacDonald were to be performing together. While at the event Neil and I ran into a few other political science grad students, as well as my supervisor. All in all, I think it is safe to say that we had a good time and would likely consider heading back next year if a similar slate of performers happened to be scheduled to appear.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
At least some of the fallout
When I went into class yesterday my professor commented on my recently published opinion piece as well as my radio appearances. Another student, who had also been engaged in some of the media coverage as a result of the scandal also joined in.
Then, a few minutes later once class actually got underway, the professor kicked things off with a several minute discussion of the article and the importance of preparing for media interviews (a recommendation with which I concur). She also handed around a print out of the article so that those that missed on the weekend would have a chance to read it.
Today when I went into to talk to my research assistantship supervisor she too mentioned the publication. Only after a few minutes did it come up that part of the reason for good publicity is that someone posted the article by the photocopier in the political science office.
Blog-off Score
Neil:0
Cameron: 21
Then, a few minutes later once class actually got underway, the professor kicked things off with a several minute discussion of the article and the importance of preparing for media interviews (a recommendation with which I concur). She also handed around a print out of the article so that those that missed on the weekend would have a chance to read it.
Today when I went into to talk to my research assistantship supervisor she too mentioned the publication. Only after a few minutes did it come up that part of the reason for good publicity is that someone posted the article by the photocopier in the political science office.
Blog-off Score
Neil:0
Cameron: 21
Saturday, February 06, 2010
In print
So it seems that the 'editorial,' or what ever it was, that I submitted to the Chronicle-Herald a few days ago has now been published and is in print (here). While I have been actively avoiding examining the printed version of the article, I do get the sense that there have been a few edits (at least in terms of formatting).
As an elementary school student such a turn of events would have seemed unthinkable (except maybe as a perverse joke). Writing anything voluntarily, and certainly something intended for publication, I something that I assumed I would never do. While I am surely over emphasizing the significance of this event/occurrence, it is, nonetheless, neat to see something I wrote make it into print.
As I was walking to the newsstand to buy a copy of the paper (just to make sure it was actually in the print version of the paper) I realized that I have engaged in a public political debate, those mechanisms through which standards and norms in a democratic society are constructed and discussed. Until then I hadn't realized how much easier and safer it felt on the sidelines, where I am unlikely to ever really be called to account for my positions or statements (nor do I likely have to worry that I might accused of libel or slander in the safety of my apartment).
Also, for those purists out there, here is the original, unedited version of the thing that I keep going on and on about.
Blog-off Score
Neil: 0
Cameron: 15
As an elementary school student such a turn of events would have seemed unthinkable (except maybe as a perverse joke). Writing anything voluntarily, and certainly something intended for publication, I something that I assumed I would never do. While I am surely over emphasizing the significance of this event/occurrence, it is, nonetheless, neat to see something I wrote make it into print.
As I was walking to the newsstand to buy a copy of the paper (just to make sure it was actually in the print version of the paper) I realized that I have engaged in a public political debate, those mechanisms through which standards and norms in a democratic society are constructed and discussed. Until then I hadn't realized how much easier and safer it felt on the sidelines, where I am unlikely to ever really be called to account for my positions or statements (nor do I likely have to worry that I might accused of libel or slander in the safety of my apartment).
Also, for those purists out there, here is the original, unedited version of the thing that I keep going on and on about.
In 2006 in Newfoundland and Labrador a relatively widespread constituency allowance spending scandal was uncovered by the Auditor General of that province. In addition to outright fraud (which has lead to several criminal convictions) a number of types of inappropriate expenditures were uncovered and documented. In the months following the publication of the Auditor General’s findings a number of modified spending and accountability rules were implemented to more clearly define and limit the types of items and expenses for which constituency allowances could be used and the terms under which payment would be made.
In the past few days it has become known that Nova Scotia’s Auditor General uncovered a series of expenditures made by MLA’s that he deems in ‘inappropriate.’ In some cases MLAs had such things as generators installed in their homes, in others they may have double-billed the province (and then been double-paid) for otherwise acceptable expenses. As a consequence of these findings it seems that the House of Assembly has recently appointed a former Speaker Arthur R. Donahoe to examine the regulatory framework and make recommendations as to how the constituency allowance system might be improved in terms of both effectiveness and accountability.
What is surprising about this situation is not that the Auditor General has found legislators taking full advantage of their accessible and minimally regulated constituency allowances (this seems to be a problem that is somewhat common to legislatures), rather, what is remarkable is that the Nova Scotia legislature did not take the time to examine and modify their constituency allowance regime when serious problems cropped up in a neighbouring province. The Newfoundland and Labrador experience should have been a signal to almost every provincial legislature in Canada to re-evaluate their constituency spending practices and determine if the regulatory regime was adequate and corresponded to public standards of propriety (an area in which the current regime seems to fall short).
In many other jurisdictions and, now apparently, Nova Scotia, only when legislators have been caught behaving inappropriately (or as so perceived by the public) have they acted to implement more stringent regulatory regimes. This type of policy making is reactive rather than proactive, This standard is unacceptable in an era of fast and easy information transmission. Like the recent Auditor General’s report, the resulting reports and recommendations stemming from the Newfoundland and Labrador constituency allowance scandal were online and freely and easily available to all interested parties. While it is not reasonable to suggest that the Nova Scotia legislature wholeheartedly adopt the recommendations of Newfoundland and Labrador’s Green Commission, it does seem reasonable to expect that the report would have at least triggered an internal review and changes of the way constituency allowances were handled in Nova Scotia, if only of a self-interested desire to avoid the risk of a similar scandal in the Nova Scotia legislature.
These discoveries, like those in Newfoundland and Labrador, if nothing else, should serve as a wake-up call to those provinces and jurisdictions that have not recently evaluated their constituency allowance regimes. In the three and a half years time we should not hear about legislator’s ‘inappropriate’ expenditures in another province, other provinces should learn from the mistakes and solutions of provinces like Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia.
Blog-off Score
Neil: 0
Cameron: 15
Monday, May 04, 2009
A Few Quick Notes 312
-Today was a pretty nice day. My sense of things is that it was about 20 degrees and sunny in the downtown area for most of the day. It seems that things are forecast to be a little cooler and less pleasant for the rest of the week.
-A few days ago I removed the scarlet runner beans from my bedroom because they were showing signs of spider mite infestation. Though I didn't see any signs of mites, I also removed the two bean plants that were in my window.
Today I saw some specks on the corn plants that may be spider mites so I took most of the plants in my window outside for a quick wash with insecticidal soap. I will probably repeat this process again in a few days, whether I see signs of growth or not.
Unfortunately, while doing a little more reading I learned a little more about how unfortunate and difficult a spider mite infestation is to deal with. It seems that they are a particularly difficult pest to eradicate. One of the problems is that they have not natural predators inside human dwellings (aside from humans), and are apparently shockingly resistant to pesticides. Hopefully my dousing with soap and trips outside will work as I really am somewhat fond of these plants. It would be great if it was just a little warmer so that I could leave them outside around the clock.
-The up side of this all is that I was encouraged to harvest some of the thyme I have been growing since the fall. The idea of the harvest was that with a smaller plant the spider mites would be unable to use it to move from to plant.
The thyme is now hanging and drying in my bedroom. Presumably in some number of weeks I will be able to collect the dried thyme and add it to our previously existing stash. Given this abundance of thyme I really should start trying to find ways to use it a little more.
-It seems that I will be attending a Memorial University of Newfoundland alumni dinner in a few day. I really don't know what to expect, aside a talk from Gwynne Dyer and a meal. Apparently the post-talk question and answer session is to be moderated by the Chancellor of the university, Rick Hillier. I guess the idea is to allow Memorial graduates to get to know other graduates in the region, so I presumably should ready myself for networking and polite conversation related activities.
Another thing is need to work on is business attire, which is what I am supposed to wear to the event. Hopefully I own something that can pass as business attire. I am starting to think that maybe I should have brought my suit and dress shoes with me to Halifax.
-Moments ago when I was trying to type 'shoes' I accidently typed 'shews.' I guess some of my childhood spelling problems are still present. Though now that I think about it I don't know if switching to phonetic spellings was my common approach to spelling errors, I will have to check with my parents.
Such mistakes confirm my feelings towards spell-checking programs. I really don't know how I would have managed to make it through university without such programs. Presumably my functional vocabulary would have been much smaller, and my syntax more convoluted so that the same opinions could be expressed with a smaller number of words.
-A few days ago I removed the scarlet runner beans from my bedroom because they were showing signs of spider mite infestation. Though I didn't see any signs of mites, I also removed the two bean plants that were in my window.
Today I saw some specks on the corn plants that may be spider mites so I took most of the plants in my window outside for a quick wash with insecticidal soap. I will probably repeat this process again in a few days, whether I see signs of growth or not.
Unfortunately, while doing a little more reading I learned a little more about how unfortunate and difficult a spider mite infestation is to deal with. It seems that they are a particularly difficult pest to eradicate. One of the problems is that they have not natural predators inside human dwellings (aside from humans), and are apparently shockingly resistant to pesticides. Hopefully my dousing with soap and trips outside will work as I really am somewhat fond of these plants. It would be great if it was just a little warmer so that I could leave them outside around the clock.
-The up side of this all is that I was encouraged to harvest some of the thyme I have been growing since the fall. The idea of the harvest was that with a smaller plant the spider mites would be unable to use it to move from to plant.
The thyme is now hanging and drying in my bedroom. Presumably in some number of weeks I will be able to collect the dried thyme and add it to our previously existing stash. Given this abundance of thyme I really should start trying to find ways to use it a little more.
-It seems that I will be attending a Memorial University of Newfoundland alumni dinner in a few day. I really don't know what to expect, aside a talk from Gwynne Dyer and a meal. Apparently the post-talk question and answer session is to be moderated by the Chancellor of the university, Rick Hillier. I guess the idea is to allow Memorial graduates to get to know other graduates in the region, so I presumably should ready myself for networking and polite conversation related activities.
Another thing is need to work on is business attire, which is what I am supposed to wear to the event. Hopefully I own something that can pass as business attire. I am starting to think that maybe I should have brought my suit and dress shoes with me to Halifax.
-Moments ago when I was trying to type 'shoes' I accidently typed 'shews.' I guess some of my childhood spelling problems are still present. Though now that I think about it I don't know if switching to phonetic spellings was my common approach to spelling errors, I will have to check with my parents.
Such mistakes confirm my feelings towards spell-checking programs. I really don't know how I would have managed to make it through university without such programs. Presumably my functional vocabulary would have been much smaller, and my syntax more convoluted so that the same opinions could be expressed with a smaller number of words.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
The end of the one pagers
For one of my courses this term I have to prepare short papers for each of the first six weeks. Normally we have two topics per week and are supposed to write a page on each. While this doesn't seem like much, and it really isn't, it does take a few hours a week of reading to get through 6-7 assigned readings, which need to take place before I can begin with the writing. Actually, the writing is the fastest part of the process.
A trend that I have noticed as we have progressed through the term is that our papers' margins seem to be getting narrower and narrower. For the paper that I finished tonight the margins are almost non-existent. The result is that I have been able to meet the one page restriction and while being able to include more content. My most recent, and final, paper has really pushed this to the extreme. By manipulating the margin sizes I have managed to fit over 800 words on a single page, a personal best (without resorting to font size changes, or modifications of character spacing).
Though I need to do a little editing before I submit this final paper I already feel as though a weight has been lifted from my chest. The real consequence, instead of meaning a reduction in work, is that I can now devote my energies to working on my term papers and thesis, both of which are likely to be more onerous.
Blog-off
Cameron: 16
Neil: 0
A trend that I have noticed as we have progressed through the term is that our papers' margins seem to be getting narrower and narrower. For the paper that I finished tonight the margins are almost non-existent. The result is that I have been able to meet the one page restriction and while being able to include more content. My most recent, and final, paper has really pushed this to the extreme. By manipulating the margin sizes I have managed to fit over 800 words on a single page, a personal best (without resorting to font size changes, or modifications of character spacing).
Though I need to do a little editing before I submit this final paper I already feel as though a weight has been lifted from my chest. The real consequence, instead of meaning a reduction in work, is that I can now devote my energies to working on my term papers and thesis, both of which are likely to be more onerous.
Blog-off
Cameron: 16
Neil: 0
Thursday, February 12, 2009
A Few Quick Notes 272
-Temperatures hovered around zero for much of the day today. The result was that many of the sidewalks and roads were covered in a rather thin coating of ice, making walking and driving rather treacherous. Unfortunately, we also had a little rain thrown into the mix, just to make things a little less pleasant.
-Though things were a little slippery, as I mentioned previously, I was quite surprised to learn that Halifax schools were closed because of weather today. It seems that it really doesn't take much to close the schools here. I think that they must have closed them about 4 times already this years. I really have no idea how all of the parents deal with this, especially when such closures are completely unexpected, as was the case today.
-At the moment I am in the midst of working on an essay for next week. So far I have over 5000 words worth of notes, yet I can only submit an essay of 2500 words. It seems likely I might be in a position to overshoot my word count target by a fair margin. I guess I probably will find a way to reign things in so that I won't go over the limit by too much.
-The essay is one of the four things that I have to deal with for next week. I also have a very short paper due on Monday, a brief presentation on Tuesday, and an essay proposal for Thursday (which is the same day that the other essay is due). I guess it should be a fun weekend.
Blog-off
Cameron: 13
Neil: 0
-Though things were a little slippery, as I mentioned previously, I was quite surprised to learn that Halifax schools were closed because of weather today. It seems that it really doesn't take much to close the schools here. I think that they must have closed them about 4 times already this years. I really have no idea how all of the parents deal with this, especially when such closures are completely unexpected, as was the case today.
-At the moment I am in the midst of working on an essay for next week. So far I have over 5000 words worth of notes, yet I can only submit an essay of 2500 words. It seems likely I might be in a position to overshoot my word count target by a fair margin. I guess I probably will find a way to reign things in so that I won't go over the limit by too much.
-The essay is one of the four things that I have to deal with for next week. I also have a very short paper due on Monday, a brief presentation on Tuesday, and an essay proposal for Thursday (which is the same day that the other essay is due). I guess it should be a fun weekend.
Blog-off
Cameron: 13
Neil: 0
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Not a paperback writer
Like most days, this morning I read the daily installment of the Writer’s Almanac. Each day literary or historical events and authors (whose birthday it is) receive a brief write-up. In today’s edition, Alice McDermott’s life was the subject of one of the brief biographical sketches. At one point McDermott is quoted as having said that “In fiction you have to be fairly specific. And I know how Irish-Americans in the New York area talk, what kind of couches they buy, and what kind of plastic slipcovers they put on the couches. ... But I'm more interested in what's going on in their heads than what's going on their couches."
What struck me about this statement is that there is not an equivalent group about which I have a similar understanding (particularly when it comes to the ability to re-create speech patterns). It also struck me that in many cases this understanding of a particular culture or group would be particularly important in many forms of fiction. When I think about some of the more effective fiction I have read it is precisely for this reason that it is effective, the characters inhabit a place that is made real by the author understanding of their circumstances. Obviously, in some instances, such as with fantasy or science fiction, the understanding of the place comes from the inherent connection that the author has to the creation of the realm about which he or she is writing.
Moreover, I realized that I can’t differentiate between characters, or more accurately ensure that they have unique and identifiable voices. If I attempted to write a piece of fiction with several characters they would all speak with the same bland voice. An example of dialog might be:
“Hello” said John.
“Hi” responded Dave.
“How are you today?” asked John inquisitively.
And on and on it would go until I reached some arbitrary page or word count. Trudging through this would be a painful, pleasure-less process that might only be endured by family members and those that seek pain as a form of pleasure (and whether there are any individuals who accomplish this end through the reading of bad writing is questionable at best).
I guess this means that, along with ‘doctor’ and a few others, ‘fiction writer’ should be stricken from my list of available or potential careers.
What struck me about this statement is that there is not an equivalent group about which I have a similar understanding (particularly when it comes to the ability to re-create speech patterns). It also struck me that in many cases this understanding of a particular culture or group would be particularly important in many forms of fiction. When I think about some of the more effective fiction I have read it is precisely for this reason that it is effective, the characters inhabit a place that is made real by the author understanding of their circumstances. Obviously, in some instances, such as with fantasy or science fiction, the understanding of the place comes from the inherent connection that the author has to the creation of the realm about which he or she is writing.
Moreover, I realized that I can’t differentiate between characters, or more accurately ensure that they have unique and identifiable voices. If I attempted to write a piece of fiction with several characters they would all speak with the same bland voice. An example of dialog might be:
“Hello” said John.
“Hi” responded Dave.
“How are you today?” asked John inquisitively.
And on and on it would go until I reached some arbitrary page or word count. Trudging through this would be a painful, pleasure-less process that might only be endured by family members and those that seek pain as a form of pleasure (and whether there are any individuals who accomplish this end through the reading of bad writing is questionable at best).
I guess this means that, along with ‘doctor’ and a few others, ‘fiction writer’ should be stricken from my list of available or potential careers.
Thursday, April 05, 2007
A Few Quick Notes 87
-The weather in Montreal turned from bad to worse today. We started the day out with just above freezing temperatures and steady rain. By just afternoon, we still had the low temperature but also snow. As one can imagine, this was not very pleasant weather for bike riding. While there hasn’t been much accumulation yet it seems that we should expect up to 4 cm by tomorrow.
-Somehow when talking to a classmate today my scone recipe came up. As it was on my mind and I had promised to pass along the recipe I ended up making a batch almost as soon as I returned home. I have already consumed four of the eight, and plan on having one or two more for breakfast tomorrow morning.
-Last night I happened upon a discussion group dedicated to coming up with and sharing means of making an essay look longer without really writing more. The two ideas that I had not previously come across were to modify the character spacing and change the font size of punctuation, particularly comas and periods. Another suggestion was to use the passive voice so that a few additional words could be included by the author. Nithum was disgusted by this last suggestion.
-One more class left, though four projects are still in the works
-I have to head to work tomorrow night. As I don’t have to work this Friday this shouldn’t be too bad.
-A GSLIS party is planned for Saturday night. I wonder if any of the professorial staff or Ph.D. students will show up?
-There was some library-based content that I have been meaning to include here, though every time I sit down to write I can’t remember what it is. So because I can’t remember the first point I wanted to make, I will come back to my hobbyhorse; librarians need to stop beating around the bush and ask patrons/clients/users what it is they need. Librarians should encourage and engage in clear communication practices.
-A few minutes ago Nithum brought home a bag of samosas from an event he helped organized. So far I have had three, they are pretty tasty.
-Somehow when talking to a classmate today my scone recipe came up. As it was on my mind and I had promised to pass along the recipe I ended up making a batch almost as soon as I returned home. I have already consumed four of the eight, and plan on having one or two more for breakfast tomorrow morning.
-Last night I happened upon a discussion group dedicated to coming up with and sharing means of making an essay look longer without really writing more. The two ideas that I had not previously come across were to modify the character spacing and change the font size of punctuation, particularly comas and periods. Another suggestion was to use the passive voice so that a few additional words could be included by the author. Nithum was disgusted by this last suggestion.
-One more class left, though four projects are still in the works
-I have to head to work tomorrow night. As I don’t have to work this Friday this shouldn’t be too bad.
-A GSLIS party is planned for Saturday night. I wonder if any of the professorial staff or Ph.D. students will show up?
-There was some library-based content that I have been meaning to include here, though every time I sit down to write I can’t remember what it is. So because I can’t remember the first point I wanted to make, I will come back to my hobbyhorse; librarians need to stop beating around the bush and ask patrons/clients/users what it is they need. Librarians should encourage and engage in clear communication practices.
-A few minutes ago Nithum brought home a bag of samosas from an event he helped organized. So far I have had three, they are pretty tasty.
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