Dogs Rule, Cats Drool

(Unrelated Cat Video)

In my hunt throughout the Internet, I tripped quite figuratively over a blog styled, Dogs Rule and Cats Drool. It leads us through the adventures of two dogs Tasha and Spencer and relates their cruelly unfair effort to detach poor Sassy, a feline princess, from hearth and home.

Our heroine, Sassy, sweetly meows that the blog's title, Dogs Rule and Cats Drool, has her mad enough to cough up a hairball. Inspired on her behalf, I drafted this bit of bad poetry on her behalf (all of my poetry is mere doggerel, but given the subject, this is not inappropriate).

To Sassy with Affection

Cats are oh-so cool style,
who play most hard to rile.
So terribly aloof,
but let a dog go woof,
and fur and claws are proof,
they can be quite hostile.

In closing, I note a contest as to which animal will see more comments. Should you trip over Dogs Rule and Cats Drool, I urge you, leave a comment on gentle Sassy's behalf.

Talking About Sleek, Black, and Sexy: Motorola RAZR V3

The Motorola RAZR V3 cell phone is sleek, black (in the "Special Edition" iteration), and sexy. At just over a half-inch thick, this cell phone has almost every coveted feature. This includes long-range Bluetooth, support for video playback, a sweet 2.0 pixel camera, and a large exceptionally bright color display. Moreover, it is fully Internet capable with built in support for sending and receiving pictures, text, graphics, sound, and video via messages. Moreover, the RAZR V3 supports AOL Instant Messenger, POP3, IMAP4, and SMTP protocols.

It has a built in web browser to keep you up to date and knowledgeable regarding the hip and the hot, the sweet and the sour, the latest and the greatest. Best of all, it has a lithium ion battery that will keep you connected for nearly seven hours.

Now in the RAZR V3, we have a cell phone that people either love or hate. The reviews tend not to be in the middle. Therefore, we should talk about some of the less than stellar features of this cell phone.

First, it is simply not intuitive. The way that it is designed, basic actions can take several steps to accomplish. Did I say several? Let me rephrase that, common functions can seem to be ten clicks deep.

It has 1,000 storage slots in its contact memory. However, you must make a separate entry for every telephone number possessed by a contact. Let me put that in English. If your girl or guy has a cell phone, a business phone, and a home phone, they get three separate entries.

You may want to pay the extra fee for the software that Motorola offers. People have complained about the USB interface, the way it synchronizes, the difficult entering data, and a number of other issues.

Furthermore, There have been complaints about its ear piece volume, its durability, and the fact that its vibration is a bit weak. People talk about it being clumsy to use. Every cell phone has a distinct feel and the RAZR V3 is no exception.

If you like its features (and you will) and you like its look (and you should), then you want to test this phone out a bit before making the plunge. It has an idiosyncratic feel, some people love it, and some people hate it. But you really want to make sure that you are in the "love it" category before you make the plunge.

Meanderings On "Fair Use," "Common Knowledge," and Plagiarism

My take,

First, we distinguish between two related yet distinct concepts: "fair use" and plagiarism. And please note, this is more or less a work in progress. But as the stated purpose of this blog is "writing to write," I did not feel this off-topic so to speak.

FAIR USE

"Fair Use" is using another's copyrighted material "for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright." I cite USC Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 107, (and yes Uncle Sam, I do consider my citation "fair use"). "Fair Use" is not an excuse for not citing a source. Arguably, it may be "fair use" and still constitute plagiarism.

PLAGIARISM

Plagiarism is "the use of another's work, words, or ideas without attribution." I quote directly from the definition of plagiarism provided by Yale University's writing center. However, the actual definition itself falls within the area of "common knowledge." In addition, "common knowledge" is most definitely one of the gray areas. Mind you, whether the use of "common knowledge" constitutes plagiarism is not a gray area (you may use "common knowledge" without citation to a source). It is how we define "common knowledge" that makes us squeamish.

COMMON KNOWLEDGE

If you type "plagiarism" and "common knowledge" into any Internet search engine, you will find a myriad explanations and definitions. I use the one provided by Yale, because I happen to be at that web site:

"The "common" way to talk about common knowledge is to say that it is knowledge that most educated people know or can find out easily in an encyclopedia or dictionary. Thus, you might not know the date of the most recent meeting of the Federal Reserve, but you can find it out quite easily. Further, the term "common knowledge" carries the sense of "communal" knowledge-it is community information that no particular individual can fairly claim to own. One sign that something is community knowledge is that it is stated in 5 or more sources. So, if it's known to educated people, or can be easily looked up, or appears in many sources, it is likely to be "common knowledge" and so does not need to be cited."

The link is,

(http://www.yale.edu/bass/writing/sources/plagiari sm/common.html)

I think that I have seen "rule of thumb" that if it appears in three separate sources, it is likely "common knowledge." In the Air Force (where I learned to write), they taught me the rule of five, but in either case, we get the concept. It can be tricky. For example, certain "facts" appear all over the Internet. I have one in mind right now, a certain statistical argument about religion and prison. You will find, however, that all such references trace back to a particular statistical compilation. It is not truly "common knowledge," people just cite it everywhere. By the way, what is "common knowledge" is generally an expanding body of knowledge, not a contracting one.

FAIR PARAPHRASE

Finally, we have the amalgamation of the two concepts. "Fair paraphrase" and this falls very much into that dim, dark twilight colored issue referred above (oh damn it, I mean "gray area" again, I got bored and was engaging in very bad, elegant variation). You take some part of another writer's ideas, you do not need them all, and you reword it into your own voice and your own ideas. If you do not change the essential form or content, if you quote long passages verbatim, it is not fair paraphrase, it is "elegant plagiarism." This is really an area where, if in doubt, cite your source.

CITATION FORM

Most news organizations, scholastic organizations, journals, professions, they each have their own unique citation form. Two rules of citation might be (1) ensure your reader can find your source; (2) use a uniform citation style. Finally, if the uniform citation style proves inadequate for a particular source (say you want to compile "railroad ball bearing receipts" from a Mahwah, New Jersey lead plant) refer back to rule (1) and help your reader find your source (e.g., see Mahwah, NJ, Railroad Bearing Receipts for 1950-1953, Copies in Author's Possession). In the case of an Internet link, the address is likely enough. Links die and get broken, so it might be appropriate to give more information.

Because in any group of fifty-one writers, we will likely have fifty points of view (I can almost always win one person over to my point of view), we need the procurer of our works to hammer out a set of guidelines.

SOURCES

Yale University, The Writing Center, Principles,

(http://www.yale.edu/bass/writing/sources/kinds/p rinciples/)

US Code Collection (I used Cornell's collection for convenience),

(http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode17/usc_sec_17_00000107----000-.html)

He Wrote More Than 1984

Tragedy haunts us in the coal mines. In eastern China, soldiers rush to save 181 miners trapped in a water flooded mine. On the other side of the world, in Utah, rescue workers suspend efforts to save six miners trapped after a disastrous cave in.

For a sense of how it is to descend into a coal mine, toil below ground, and claw out a living, consider Down the Mines, an essay by George Orwell, author of 1984 and Animal Farm.

Dead Madonna by Victoria Houston

My wife lets me touch Victoria Houston's Loon Lake Mysteries only after she sets the book down, having savored every page. Thankfully, this rarely takes long. The eighth book in Ms. Houston's fresh and original mystery series proved no exception.

In contrast to one or two of the earlier books, Dead Madonna grips your attention almost immediately as a young raconteur suffering from the effects of the night before finds the disfigured corpse of a young woman under an affluent tourist's party boat. The book jacket lets us know the grisly discovery takes place the same day "that a prominent widow is found bludgeoned in her gracious home."

Shorthanded, the toothsome Loon Lake Police Chief Lew Ferris enlists the aid of recurring character Doc Osborne, a widower (and yes, as my wife eagerly said when I picked up the novel for my turn, the romantic tension continues). The storyline has multiple threads, it is possible to spot the clues, and as with her earlier novels, Ms. Houston mixed in ample does of humor and hilarity with her corpses and crimes. Everyone should enjoy the returning antics of handsome Ray Pradt, all around extraordinary fishing guide.

As always, this novelist has a particular skill in evoking a crisp sense and feel of Wisconsin. Even if unfamiliar with the Lake Loon mysteries, anyone should be able to pick up the interplay between the characters without first reading any of the earlier novels. I do recommend, however, that you eventually pick up the earlier seven Lake Loon Mysteries. Each one is a gem.

(Cross-Posted at Helium)

Memories of My First Car

My dad gave me my first car the summer I turned seventeen. I had pestered him for more than a year. I thumbed catalogs at the local auto parts store (it was 1980, long before the Internet). I envisioned a Mustang, maybe a 280ZX. I had no particular car in mind, just dreams of something sport, fun. You know what I mean.

So when my dad told me he had my car and I walked outside, I just about cried. A rust-covered 1969 Toyota Corolla Station Wagon sat in the driveway. We sanded that car for days and then painted and detailed it. We tore its engine apart and rebuilt it together. I put in my first transmission.

Even so, driving to school my senior year was a trip. Talk about shake, rattle, and roll, to me, the Corolla was your basic tin box on wheels.

While I never learned to love that car, the vision of working late at night in the garage with my dad remains precious. The hard work we put into stripping the paint from the car. His grease-covered hands as he handed me a wrench. I have never been a car guy. But at times, I wish I were, just so I could give my son that same experience.

The car is gone, but the memories live on.

(Cross-Posted at Helium)

If today is your last, how do you spend it?

I married young, joined the service, and spent six years sharing the world with my wife. We spent the next five years or so in school, knocking about, growing up. And then we had kids. I've lived a good life and there is not much left that I could accomplish in one day.

But I could share that day with my children and my wife. We would drive up to the lake north of Los Angeles. I would pitch a tent and we would spend the day fishing. And I would talk to my kids about my life, my parents' lives, my grandparents' lives. I would read a few old love letters my wife wrote me years ago. And I would probably dig out one or two I had written her.

We would laugh. And then I'd get a fire started and the wife and kids and I would wrap some trout in tinfoil and cook it on an open fire. As night fell, I would look in the black night sky filled with with scattered pin pricks of life.

And I would tell my children to work hard, to be the best people they could be, and that in this great country, you can accomplish any reasonable goal you set out to do as long as you have the fire and the passion. I would hug my wife, stamp out the fire and climb into a sleeping bag next to my wife.

These may not be the most important things I could do with my life. But I know if I could spend a final day like that with my family, I would go peacefully into that dark mystery we all face eventually, not happy, but content and loved, well loved.

(Cross Posted on Helium)

The Summer of '76, Cameras and Motorcycles

The summer of 1976, my mother lent me the ancient family 8mm Eastman Kodak Brownie. Roland-my cool older cousin-and I spent the better part of the summer filming our "epic motorcycle-warrior stunt-saga. Sadly, it came to a crashing end when my father had the pleasure of digging me out of a Mojave Desert arroyo and running me over to the local emergency room. I never did find out what happened to all the old black and white footage.

This comes to mind, because my son turns thirteen next week. And he wants a video camera. First, I uttered an instinctive, "No." Next, I wondered whatever happened to that old 8mm." Finally, I went shopping.

Let me tell you. They no longer make cameras the way they used. In the first place, it's all digital. You no longer worry about film. You download it to your computer. Luckily, I know a guy (Mike). Everyone needs to know a guy like Mike. He walked me through it.

Before you even think about what brand, you need to pick a media. We got tape (which is as close as you get to my old 8mm film), DVD, hard drive, and flash memory. According to Mike, tape remains your best value for the money. But DVD and hard drive is a definite option. Now flash memory is the wave of the future, but for now, it is pricey. I figure that if my son still wants to play around with video when he turns eighteen, we can worry about flash memory.

Next, we have to decide on standard video or high definition. Mike feels high definition will add a few (or more) hundred to the cost. But it makes a visible difference in image quality. Next, we pick a lens. Ideally, he said just go with a standard 10x or 12x range for now (the higher the number the closer the zooms, but the bigger the lens).

Finally, we care about something called image stabilization. We want the highest optical number we can get (digital is okay, but given the current price to quality ratio, it makes sense to upgrade to optical). Finally, you got your bells and your whistles. Your remote controls, the various output devices, you want to make sure you can get your digital video onto whatever it is you need.

He told me to stick to the names I recognize. Canon makes good solid consumer digital camera. If you want to get more professional, you can move up to the Canon GL line. However, that will set you back close to $2,000 and I just want something my son can have fun with during the summer as I did back in 1976.

(Cross-Posted on Helium)

Have fun, be safe, and "Go Dodgers!"

A true joy of life is attending a game with your family. To be honest, you can have as much fun at a rowdy neighborhood soccer match as sitting in the stands at Dodger Stadium to watch Mike Lieberthal standing behind home plate. You just have to have the right attitude.

But whether you are in the stands at Dodger Stadium or on a blanket under the trees at the park, there are some basic things that you need to do to keep your family safe. Water, shade, and sunscreen go a long way to ensure that no one overheats and the next day at home does not involve liberal applications of Solar Caine.

Keep an eye on your children. And think about going to the bathroom in pairs. I will be honest, ninety-nine point five percent of the time, you won't even feel your spider sense tingle. But every now and then, you will be glad you were the nervous dad or mom and that you kept your children in eye sight at all times.

In this vein, if there are some folks next to you drinking, getting a little rowdy, think about moving down the stands or finding a different tree to lay your blanket under. Again, most people you see are going to fun and cool. But there is that small segment that as the drinking continues and it grows under the sun and perhaps, they get excited over the fact that their team is winning or maybe losing, well, it can get ugly.

Why not be proactive and remove that as a possibility. Now, even though we have established that you want to keep your children under your eye, you can lose sight of the little dickens. Think about making sure all of your children know their telephone number, their last name, and address. If your child is too young for a cell phone, think about given them change for making a telephone call.

Walk your family around the Stadium or park. Learn where the exits are and make sure your family learns these facts too. In the end, keeping your family safe is primarily a matter of common sense.

Use yours and make sure your family does the same. Oh yes, and do no forget to have fun!

(Cross-Posted on Helium)

Some days, you make your own, some days you go to Subway

As a child, my idea of fast food fare consisted of burgers, chicken, or tacos, the hotter, saltier, and greasier the better. As we said in North Carolina, it was food that slid down your throat like a greased pig whipping through a crowded county fair.

But fast forward twenty-five year, and I no longer enjoy the ridiculously high levels of salt and fat found in most fast food fare. It's not just health, the taste buds no longer dance around my tongue the way they once did on devouring a hot greasy sandwich or salty taco.

So on those rare days when I do walk into a fast food restaurant, give it to me fresh, fast, and my way. This means I bypass whatever culinary creation is currently hot in favor of pointing and saying, "I'll take this and that and this and put it together for me and hold the mayonnaise and cheese."

Now, if you have walked into a Quiznos and a Subway lately, I suspect you already know my preferred choice. It is Subway all the way. Partly, I like the way a Subway is set up better. The food looks and tastes fresher. It is healthier.

Many do prefer the taste of Quiznos. But I think this may reflect how much we have all grown used to a saltier sandwich. Quiznos mimics better the style of food our culture has come to enjoy.

I hate to slam Quiznos, but my point is this. At Quiznos, the food hearkens closer to that good old fast food fare we know and love. While Subway, it is a bit like walking into your own kitchen and pulling a laundry list of items out of your own refrigerator and crafting yourself the Dagwood of your choice.

(Cross-Posted on Helium)

Will J.D. Salinger publish another novel?

The key to this question lies in the term publish. We know J.D. Salinger writes. And we know that he has at least two novels secreted away in his New Hampshire home. In 2000, Orchises Press grew close to publishing J.D. Salinger's "Hapworth 16, 1924," which is written in the form of a letter from camp by Seymour Glass, the precocious main character from the short, "A Perfect Day for Bananafish." But J.D. Salinger abruptly terminated that deal due to the ensuing publicity storm.

And that brings us to the crux of why J.D. Salinger does not publish. In him, we have the very definition of the cliche, the driven, publicity-shy, private artist. He is notorious for his rock-solid desire to elude any and all publicity. Unfortunately, this has not stopped his public from violating the sanctity of his New Hampshire home on multiple occasions. Moreover, old lovers have published memoirs that detailed their history with him. He has found himself entangled in a costly, legal battle with Ian Hamilton (the biographer who sought to include snippets of J.D. Salinger's private letters in his book).

But we know from his efforts in the 1997 to 2000 period that J.D. Salinger still would have his distinctive voice heard. For this reason, I strongly suspect, we will see the posthumous publication of no less than two J.D. Salinger novels.

Yes, we will read new works by J.D. Salinger. Sadly, we must wait until he is no longer with us, until his public and the press can no longer brutalize his privacy.

(Cross Posted on Helium)

Why so many marriages tank.

Why does one marriage work while another fails? Infidelity, lack of money, growing apart, each of these "causes" and many others can stem from a deeper root cause, which we can term lack of communication.

I will not kid you. Marriages fail for a myriad of reasons that have little-if anything-to do with communication. If a husband blackens his wife's eye, screams at the children, drinks to excess, will I argue these tragic circumstances would not happen, but for a little more conversation, a touch more empathy? No, let us not be absurd.

But we examine the most frequent cause of marital failure. And this means we need big numbers, which leads us so often to a failure of communication. We simply do not talk to each other enough.

Financial strain, budget issues. How many couples lay out a budget together? How many couples really know how much their spouse spends or even, sometimes, how much their spouse makes. Infidelity? He stopped listening to me. She would not care if I cheated. We grew apart and I looked elsewhere. Couples need to address these problems in the early stages before they spin into ugliness, into unforgivable pain.

Sometimes we lack not quality of communication, but simple quantity. It might be children. It might be one spouse burying him or herself in work. With men, you may see the "cave syndrome" where he gets home and heads to the den or flips on the game and plops onto the couch with a beer. With women, it might be shopping. Moreover, I do not mean to make this sexist. It can be the reverse.

Nevertheless, whatever the cause, however, we choose to deal with it, the root evil behind too many divorces is couples stop talking, couples stop listening. And this means that they grow apart, they look elsewhere, and they do not know what is going on in each other's lives.

This is a shame, because most marriages start with love and end, not with hate, but with indifference. Communication, words, sharing each other's thoughts can stop that process and ensure that love continues to flourish.

(Cross Posted on Helium)

We see the Simpsons, Maggie speaks, and I have my Homer moment

I often try and slip out of "family movies." Partly, because on a lot of them, I end up sleeping through the latter part of the movie. The Harry Potter movies are that way for me. I just cannot stay awake through them. Don't get me wrong, my family loves Harry Potter, the books, the movies, the whole shtick that goes with it. And one of the things I love most about Harry Potter is watching my wife read to my daughter in the evening. She has been reading Harry Potter to my children since my son was in kindergarten and my daughter was in preschool. But I still can't stay awake through the movies.

So, the Simpsons was a pleasant surprise. It was a genuinely feel good movie (feel good in the Simpsons universe generally means that Homer screws up and then gets to fix it). In any event, I wasn't the only one to laugh too loud and too hard during this movie. There was another dad across the theatre. I think we took turns disturbing the audience with loud guffaws.

Just a head's up, when the movie concludes, stay through the credits for that proverbial last scene. As for my Homer moment, I got up early the next morning to make stew. I chopped and seared and put it all together in the crock pot. On finishing, I felt pretty happy. The dish looked great and I looked forward to a great after church lunch. I then went back to bed. I had gotten up at 4:45 a.m. to put this meal together.

As I lay in bed, I kind of dreamed of that dish slowly heating up in the crock pot. Sadly none of that happened exactly as I planned. Apparently, something was wrong with the crock pot, so it never got hot.

Luckily, my wife stepped in to save the day. She plugged it in.