Can math change your life too?

The last post was for the assignment for the online marketing course to write about some literature that changed my life. But it isn’t just literature that changes me. I may have majored in creative writing but I minored in mathematics. There is something about the way that math works that illuminates my life in a similar way that literature does.

So I’d like to tell you the short version of that the summer before I began college where I took a seminar class on String Theory at Cambridge University. I learned the mathematics of these strings, but what I remember most is not the technical stuff, but that strings break down what it means to be.

Atoms can be broken into protons, neutrons, electrons, into the pieces of those, the quarks and other subatomic particles. To cut again, infinitely small with the razor blade of God, to when there is nothing more to divide, there are strings. These strings are not made of matter, they are energy, and lots of these energies make up everything.

Professor Yves’ first language was Dutch, and he was soft spoken. I sat front row to hear him, to see the curves of integration on the chalkboard, the 12 dimensions of space when I can only wrap my head around the standard four. What would it even mean to be a part of dimension seven?

“Nothing,” he said. “You are in it, and you can’t even feel it. It is like this.” He snapped his fingers. “And not like that, because even that is too much.”

This math explodes my definition of religion, what God is, because if God is energy then he can be these strings and make up everything. Or these strings, which governed the Big Bang, Yves said, could be God, and God could have exploded the universe to expand infinitely.

To see a graph stretch towards positive and negative infinity could be the stretch of time, back for forever and forward for forever.

Comma, Comma, Comma

Literature that changes my life does so in bits and pieces. I think about the papers I wrote as an undergrad, and that I may not have gotten an A-plus-plus on them, but that I still think about “The Sounds of Shakespeare” and comparing and contrasting Jimmie Santiago Bacca, a prison poet, with Billy Collins. These papers on poetry changed the way I think.

So lets talk poetry. It is not just the poems, but the dialog that surrounds them. Take “Death be not Proud” by John Donne. It isn’t the poem that changed my life, but the way it was placed within the drama W;t. In W;t, the protagonist Vivian Bearing, a foremost scholar on John Donne, and who is dying of cancer, recalls an old conversation she had with a professor over her own not so A-plus-plus paper. The argument was over a semicolon in the line

“And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die.”

The professor argued that scholars believed Donne had meant there to be a comma in the place of the semicolon. Vivian argued that the copy the library had available contained the semicolon. All of the copies in the library at my undergraduate university contained the semicolon as well. The professor insisted on the comma because a comma is but a breath, whereas the semicolon is the closest thing to a full stop without actually becoming a period. The comma is the barest breath between life and death, the barest transition from one existence to the next; it is the reason why W;t is W;t and not Wit.

This changed my life in two ways. The first was the way I punctuated. Before, punctuation had been a mechanical feature of my writing. I used periods because they were socially acceptable ends to sentences. Now I consider the poetic nature those little marks and use them consciously and not because my high school teachers evaluated me on writing mechanics.

The second change occurred a while after I studied the poem and play in class. The spring after I studied W;t, my friend Amy was diagnosed with cancer, and she was gone just a few months later. Like that.. She was a full spirit, an old soul, and she was gone without the full pause of a semicolon. I think of Donne’s comma and how just like that friends and family are gone. Just like that, I’ll be gone too.

DEATH be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadfull, for, thou art not so,
For, those, whom thou think'st, thou dost overthrow,
Die not, poore death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleepe, which but thy pictures bee,
Much pleasure, then from thee, much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee doe goe,
Rest of their bones, and soules deliverie.
Thou art slave to Fate, Chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poyson, warre, and sicknesse dwell,
And poppie, or charmes can make us sleepe as well,
And better then thy stroake; why swell'st thou then;
One short sleepe past, wee wake eternally,
And death shall be no more, death, thou shalt die.

Brew to Bikes Keywords

These are the keywords from the previous post on Brew to Bikes.

Brew to Bikes
Portland
Local Business
Artisan Economy
Microbrew
Indie Media
Fashion Designers
Urban Planner
Artisan Home and Garden

iPad vs Kindle: I Don’t Want Another Device

I go out to eat conveyor belt sushi a lot. And the last time I was there I saw a man at the belt using his chopsticks correctly, drinking wine, and reading a Kindle: a great stereotype of the Kindle reader. If I had a Kindle, that’s probably what I would do with it too—read on the go. I would read it at the gym, on the bus, waiting for a doctor’s appointment, or maybe even at home. If I were still an undergrad, I would love to have all my textbooks on the Kindle so that my backpack wouldn’t be so heavy and so that I wouldn’t forget to bring my book to class all the time.

Although, if that were how the Kindle would function for me, then I don’t know if I even want it. It would be just one more device that I would try to shove into my purse—forget the backpack, I’m not an undergrad anymore—and god knows I can barely snap it shut right now. I don’t even think I could fit the 7 ½”x5”x7” Kindle in there. Then what about the iPad when it comes out? I’d need to cram that in there too.

The thing is, I already have an iPhone that reads books. It also plays music and makes calls, wakes me up in the morning, and can stream videos from NBC. I pay extra for the Internet on it, and I don’t want to pay another $200 plus books for a Kindle, or upwards to $500 for the iPad and a separate Internet fee on top of that. I just want my one piece of hardware that I am investing all my money into that can do all the things I want. Kindles and iPads are neat, but really, I don’t want them.

Please, No Online Purchasing

I get so many messages in my email inbox every day for different websites and products, but I don’t really have time to check them, let alone buy anything from them. So when I was asked in my online marketing class if I had ever bought something from a email direct marketing campaign, I had to stop and think for a moment, and when that moment was up the answer was no.

At least not that I can remember.

The thing is, those junk emails back up in my inbox into the hundreds and envelop all the good emails I’m supposed to read (sorry I missed your Olympic opening ceremony party, Haylie). I hardly even look at the junk ones I want. Sometimes I browse through emails from Sephora, who let me know that I could pick up a birthday gift (free) in stores, Urban Outfitters, and Anthropologie. I like that I get a Sweet Tomatoes email, which comes with coupons, but since I get coupons mailed to my house and I don’t eat there frequently, I rarely open their emails.

I would much rather like to touch the physical object that is my purchase. I only order online if it is a must have, or something I can’t find elsewhere. My last online purchase was a grey jacket since I had been unable to find a grey jacket I liked in the physical world over several weekends of shopping. I would rather purchase a physical object than have the excitement that getting a package brings. I have limited funds that have to be spent carefully, and I weigh out all properties of an object right down to tactile impressions.

If I had seen the grey coat in the physical world before I bought it, I might not have since I don’t think it is thick enough. If I had seen the book on online guerrilla marketing that I purchased for the online marketing class, I probably would not have gotten it either because the paper is that of a child’s cheap coloring book.

So maybe I have never purchased anything from a direct email marketing campaign, but I have gone in store because an Anthropologie email promised the biggest sale of the season. It wasn’t. I didn’t buy anything even though I went to more than one physical Anthropologie store, but it got me in, and that’s probably what they were hoping for anyway.

Am I a Blog Idiot?

Yes. I don't understand why on the last post the blog applied different fonts to everything. I just want one font, please. And I don't understand why it changes the font after I post it. Or why I can't do a global font change. One font per entire blog. Please?

Write, but do it Green: Part 1

In my Ooligan Press work group, I have been charged with the task of researching how writers can be more sustainable in their craft. I haven’t done that research yet, but there are a few things floating around in my own head. So, this is the first in a series titled Write, but do it Green.

I don’t think this series is going to be in logical order, so Part 1 is the global search. Now, I’m not talking about replacing all your double spaces with single spaces, or when you change the name of your main character from Charlotte to Keri. I’m talking about getting rid of the big writing NOs.

Big Writing NOs

Adverbs

ing word endings

Nondescriptive words

Using a find and highlight system for these words can save a lot of paper in the hard copy editing processes. Whatever can cut down on hard cover copies is always more sustainable.

Adverbs:

Adverbs can lead to weak writing because they are used in place of metaphor and vivid description. Used sparingly, they can add to style and could be used in the voice of the character if that is the way they speak.

Nondescriptive words:

No-no words tend to be vague and wishy-washy or overworked and cliché.

It

Very

Get

Almost

Kind of

A little

A bit

Rather

Roughly

Maybe

Due to

Somewhat

Sort of

There were/was

Worthwhile/Worth while

In terms of

As yet

And/or

Irregardless

Utilize

Unique

Transpire

Thrust

The truth is

The fact is

The foreseeable future

Along these lines

That: If the sentence can read without the word “that,” then cut it.

Can: In some instances, cut “can.”

I can see my sister walking to her car.

I see my sister walking to her car.

Do not cut “can” if it shows the ability to see as in

Now that my sister has moved her car, I can see the puddle of oil her car left.

Weak Verbs

ing
1. The ing ending slows down speech. Changing sentences so that there are fewer ing endings speeds up the action.

2. Simultaneous action: ing action can lead to simultaneous action. "Opening the door, Katie came inside." Actually, she can't do both at once.

I search for each of these elements and then ask the document program to highlight them in different colors.

Here’s my system:

Yellow: Adverbs (search for “ly”)

Bright Green: Ings

Turquoise: It

Pink: That

Red: No-no words

Blue: Smile (a writing pet peeve; I hate when characters smile)

Teal: Can

What’s Been Cut from Brew to Bikes? I’m scared!

I’ve only read the pre-edited version of Ooligan Press’s forthcoming title Brew to Bikes (Fall 2010). I love it. Here we have, in concise book format, a guide to Portland Oregon’s local artisan economy. People don’t ordinarily think of Portland as a place of diverse commerce, and typically if they do then they imagine an overdone, artistic expression of hippiness, but that is not the case with many of the local businesses found in Portland.

Brew to Bikes discusses everything from local microbrews to Portland’s tech industry. I didn’t read anything about those two. I skipped those parts. In my limited time, I focused on several areas that interested me: Portland’s indie media, coffee industry, and fashion designers. I liked that Brew to Bikes expresses the real struggle of someone trying to thrive as an artisan in Portland, especially in a down economy. The book doesn’t glorify these local businesses as thriving green alternatives to corporations, but that these people choose to do what they love over cutting corners to make lots of money. However, because Portland isn’t typically a center for big businesses, smaller, more free thinking and artisan versions of fashion, coffee, and book publishing can stay afloat.

I’m scared for those three Brew to Bikes chapters. I know so many pages and sections have been cut out and consolidated, and I hope that those three are still intact. I have already used the chapter about Portland artisan coffee to become a better barista myself, and in my marketing project for my fake barista book. From the chapter on fashion I decided that I want to get married in one of those artisan wedding dresses. I learned about new bookstores that I need to visit and about the emerging zines-scene, and so many things I want other people to learn about too.

I can’t wait to see the edited version of Brew to Bikes to see if what I considered essential the editors did as well.

--

Possible Key Words:

Brew to Bikes

Portland

Local Business

Artisan Economy

Microbrew

Indie Media

Fashion Designers

Urban Planner

Artisan Home and Garden

We’re all Rich Here

I was out with my boyfriend, Ben, his mom, Deb, and step dad, Jim, for dinner the other night. Jim was late. It was pleasant until he got there, but then, like always, the conversation turned to politics. He is about as conservative as conservative gets without being religious, and Ben’s mom is not far behind. Whenever Jim talks about politics it fires Ben up and makes me concerned as to whether or not I should marry a person that says, “Whoever voted for those bills does not deserve to have a job.”

They don’t? Then watch me get unemployed, mister. And you didn’t even vote in that election. You’re fired too.

I’m not going to talk about the specific bills and what they mean. They’re a damned if you do, damned if you don’t sort of thing.

I’m concerned about the lack of compassion. My conservative would-be-family say things like, “I was a democrat until I saw how much the government was taking out of my paycheck.”

So what, guys? I think of government like a service that you’re buying: you’re buying an education for your children, you’re buying roads to drive on, you’re buying mail delivery, you’re buying firefighters to stop your house from burning down, and you’re paying the cops to catch the bad guys. It’s not perfect, there is internal loss like at any company, but we must have it. Those people have wages that need to be paid.

I’m rich. I have over twenty grand in student loans, and make $9 an hour plus tips, drive a car with a chunk missing from the bumper, and shop at discount stores. Deb and Jim drive cars that have voice commands and own three houses between them. And they don’t want any more money taken out of their check. I’m sorry, but we’re all rich here, living in house with fewer than three spiders at a time, and no dirt floors, and clean drinking water.

Buck up.

Can Macmillan dam(n) the Amazon?

I remember the first commercial that I ever heard for Amazon: I was in my bedroom as a child, listening to the radio. I don’t remember it exactly, but Amazon said that it had giant warehouses full of more books than would fit on the moon.

I, being a young child with an active imagination, imagined one giant moon-sized warehouse and tried to pinpoint where in the United States they would put it. The whole idea seemed amazing to me, a person who loved books and only had access to the library. Imagine: I could get the next book without worrying that it was checked out, or being put on the library’s new book waitlist!

But what Amazon meant to child-Tanna is different than what Amazon means to big me. Amazon would be more fittingly named Nile, because that’s exactly what it is (although Amazon works too, Nile is a more accessible metaphor): a visible river channel (of products) through a part of the world (industry) that everyone relies on. There may be tributaries, but they aren’t the main focus, and you can’t take barges and cruise ships down a publisher’s website to buy books. There isn’t the capacity to handle that traffic. The Nile is for the big dogs and the consumer.

However, like the Nile has a monopoly on Egypt, Amazon appears to be gaining a monopoly in the book industry. It is so huge that publishers can’t ignore it as a major vendor, and only the big guys like Macmillan could get away with putting their foot down on the price of eBooks. Amazon couldn’t even care one iota if student-run Ooligan Press stood ground on eBook pricing.

Amazon’s business model is different from big five publishers since it doesn’t have to rely on authors, and their royalties, to make money. It does not have an editorial team like the major publishers, no book design team, but just relies on heavy discounts and whatever crap self-publishers will pay Amazon to sell their books for them. Publishers can’t compete. What this means for the publishing industry is that the big five are going to have to join forces and become the book behemoth that parts the Amazonian waters (and mixes the metaphors).

If Amazon values books below market cost, like they did in the Wal-Mart Wars of ‘09, then publishers can’t compete with Amazon’s business model. That’s not good for anyone, and until Amazon becomes a publisher with acquisitions through marketing departments, they need the publishers to keep making books. Hopefully, Macmillan can stop the Amazon and make eBook publishing profitable for all publishers.