Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Today in History January 30th


January 30th
I have a link on my computer and an APP for my phone which links me to this site which does This day in History Snip-it’s.  This Day In History

You didn't think I was just so much of a nerd that I keep all this stuff floating around in my head, did you?  I do have a wealth of useless information rattling around upstairs but I do try and filter it to crap I can use in my books.
Richard Skrenta writes the first PC virus code which is 400 lines long and disguised as an apple boot program called “Elk Cloner.”  This High School students prank turned into a 38 billion dollar a year security industry.
I find it interesting that not only can human beings not get along after all the years of being forced to share the same planet together as parts of the same species of mammals, but that we have to go out of our way to screw with each other, just because.
What other intelligent beings would come up with something as harmful and sneaky as a computer virus to attack the very machines designed and built to make our lives easier and much more fun.  I make an example of this in my second novel “No Rules Of Engagement” as Earthlings are interacting with intelligent but peaceful aliens.  They can’t believe we would come up with stuff like that and release it into our own computer networks.
It is because of this very situation that we have the counter measures to deal with unwanted computer predators, firewalls, scanning programs, anti-virus programs, and blocker programs.  The chances are high that when we run into other intelligent beings that are not in the habit of trying to destroy themselves that they will not have the same level of computer security that we do because of our inherent harmful nature and distrust of our own kind on this planet.
Other tidbits of history are . . .
1959 the MS Hans Hedtoft, said to be the safest ship afloat and “unsinkable” just like the HMS Titanic, struck an ICEBERG on her maiden voyage and sank, killing all 95 people aboard.
That story sounds somewhat familiar – Unsinkable Ship Hits an Iceberg!  Happened Twice.
Ever hear the thing people say about History repeating itself?  No, me either.
In 1933 Adolph Hitler was sworn in as Chancellor of Germany.  Hind sight is twenty-twenty so they say.  Who could have known?  Oh, that’s right he wrote a book or something about his ideas and thoughts.
Lastly the first assassination attempt on a U.S. President occurred when a guy attempted to shoot Andrew Jackson but his pistol misfired.  He pulled a second pistol and tried again and it misfired also.  Andrew Jackson attacked the man with his cane at that point.  I think I did a blog post about this very story last year on my blog.
Have a Great Day.  Check out This day in History if you get bored.  Hell you might learn something here or there.  Personally I find History fascinating and a joy to read as fiction writers struggle to come up with stuff that pales in comparison to real life events throughout our history.


Monday, January 28, 2013

Once upon a midnight dreary . . .


Thus begins Poe’s classic poem “The Raven” which was published on this day, January 29, 1845.
Edgar Allan Poe (January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) is famous for his mysteries and stories of the macabre.
He was one of the first to make famous the use of the short story and generally considered by many the father of the detective fiction genre and the beginning of Science Fiction genre.
He was one of the first American writers to earn a living through writing alone.

Friday, January 18, 2013

The English Langauge


The English language has more than 800,000 different words.  Most people know at the most barely 100,000 words.  That means most people who speak, write, and read English are only aware of and using one eighth of the words that make up this amazing language.

I have an Internet site I have signed up with that sends me a different English word every day.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/definition

Please check it out.  This sight gives you the definition of the word.  Examples of how it has actually been used in writing and the origins of the word.  Each day I get a new word with the definition and examples of how it is used.

I actually copy and paste them into a word document and then run the spell check feature and add the words that Microsoft Word does not recognize, which is quite a few of them.  So slowly but surely as my knowledge increases so does the vocabulary of my word processor.

What word has the most definitions?
"Set" has 464 definitions in the Oxford English Dictionary.
"Run" comes in a distant second, with 396 definitions.
Rounding out the top ten are;
"go" with 368 definitions.
"take" with 343 definitions.
"stand" with 334 definitions.
"get" with 289 definitions.
"turn" with 288 definitions.
"put" with 268 definitions.
"fall" with 264 definitions.
"strike" with 250 definitions.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Two Year Anniversary of my Blog

This is my second Anniversary of Blogging!

I have 57 followers.   I have done 535 Posts and had 47,261 page views over the past two years.

It's amazing how the time has flown by, how the blogs posts have piled up and the variety of the subjects I have commented on and done posts about.

Some of my most popular posts are the following.

Batman Robs a Bank    http://thomaswilsonstoryteller.blogspot.com/2011/12/batman-robs-bank.html

The Grumman Goose    http://thomaswilsonstoryteller.blogspot.com/2012/07/grumman-goose.html

Persistence and Consistency  http://thomaswilsonstoryteller.blogspot.com/2012/07/grumman-goose.html

Guns in America           http://thomaswilsonstoryteller.blogspot.com/2012/05/guns-in-america.html

Battleship Review         http://thomaswilsonstoryteller.blogspot.com/2012/05/battleship-review.html

In the last year I did get two more books written but have been having trouble in the getting books edited department.  For those who follow my blog know my post have been less frequent lately as I have been focusing on my writing.  If anybody knows a Great Editor who works for free or extremely cheap until I can get this stuff off the ground and going.

Editing Catch 22      http://thomaswilsonstoryteller.blogspot.com/2012/12/editing-catch-22.html

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Leviathan Deterrent Cover Reveal


Last year I wrote two more full novels, the sequels to my first two books.  Due to Editing short comings I haven’t been able to get either of them published yet.
Hopefully I should be getting the corrections for my third book, “Leviathan Deterrent”, the sequel to “Whisper” any day now and tonight I just received the cover art for the book.

For any of you who have visited my blog post about the “Grumman Goose” a version of that plane is featured in this story which is named the ‘Wild Goose’.
For those who have read “Whisper” the adventure continues with the cast and crew of the ship.
If you haven’t read “Whisper” yet, please check it out before the sequel is released.

For your Nook or other E-reading devices check out Smashwords dot com.
If you own a Kindle check out Amazon - http://amzn.to/TW_Whisper
What happens with Wiley and Lisa?  Where does Russell Reynolds go after his adventure on Whisper?
Find out what Wiley Randolph was trained for in the Navy and how he ended up testing strange and new stuff for Navy instead of commanding the ships he was trained for.
Meet new fun and exciting characters such as Damon Bolch and his beautiful Grumman Goose the “Wild Goose.”
For now a sneak peak at the cover of my third novel, “Leviathan Deterrent.”  Hopefully to be published soon at an E-book retailer for the e-reader of your choice.

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Replacing Two Bolts


If you read my blogs you know that I have ideas that range from enormous vacuum airships, submersible aircraft carriers, robotic lawn mowers and vacuum cleaners.  In stead of working on these projects I write about them on my blog and write science fiction action adventure novels.
The perfect example of why I am not a prolific inventor is my extreme bad luck with fixing or building things and with home repairs.  Case in point was this weekend I decided to attempt to fix something which only required changing two bolts.  My youngest boy loves to help me with any project and was excited about getting to help me and use some tools.
The project was to replace two bolts that hold the tank on the back of the toilet to the base of the toilet.  For months now the tank has been wobbly on the back of the toilet.  So for a meager investment of four dollars and something I was prepared to remove the bolts and put some new ones in and stabilize the tank on the back of the toilet.
I shut the water off behind the toilet and flushed it to drain the bulk of the water out of the tank.  The reason the tank had become wobbly is because the original bolts had become rusted and degraded to the point the tank was loose.  The original bolts were in such bad shape that they couldn't be tightened or to my later discovery removed by taking the nuts off the bolts.
After two hours of negotiating the bolts forcefully I finally removed them from the tank.  I installed the new bolts and turned the water back on to fill the tank in order to find out that through the process I cracked the tank removing the old bolts.  So I had to run to the hardware store to see if they sell just the tanks for toilets.  To my surprise they did.  I bought a new tank and ran home with it to install it on the toilet.
I had to take everything apart from the current tank and install it on the new tank only to find out that the mounting bolts from the new tank were closer together by a inch and half than where the holes were on the lower portion of the toilet.  Long story short this tank wasn't going to mount onto this toilet.  It meant now I had decisions to make, a definite trip to the hardware store and hours of work ahead of me.
My sons attention span had ran out before the first trip to the hardware store.  Five hours into this little project of switching out two bolts and I was now buying an entirely new toilet, watching a video on line on how to install a toilet, and preparing to completely tear out a toilet that hours before worked perfectly and only had a wobbly tank.
In order to spare you all the horrible details, the other things that were broke in the process, a bathroom that was partially flooded, after thirteen hours of work and three trips to the hardware store I finally had a working toilet with a tank that didn't wobble.  My plans to fix a wobbly tank and replace two bolts had cost me a small fortune and ruined my plans for the entire day.  I think I’ll stick to writing blogs and novels and leave household repairs to professionals from here on out.

Friday, January 4, 2013

You Can’t Pick Your Family


Family means as many things as there are different people.  What it all boils down to in the end is Family is those people who you accept as they are and decide to spend your time with.  Many Families love each other but for some reason or another they don’t spend time together or do things together.  For Many people their families are not actually their biological families.  Instead it’s the people who accept them for who they are, the Good and Bad, and love them unconditionally.

You can’t control other people.  You have no control over what they do with their lives, how they behave, the things they say, the things they hear or the hard feelings they harbor.  As time passes and each member of our families grow and age we all change and the less control and influence you have in your children’s lives.  It has become apparent that through acceptance, unconditional love, and being there is the best way to maintain that contact in order to spend time with those you love.
As your family grows and new people enter your family you have to either accept them or not, it’s a choice only you can make.  Who you choose to spend your time with is up to you.
It is tragic when biological family members turn on other members of their family, choose not to accept them, or spend time with other members of your family.  Sometimes the healthiest choice to make is to alienate a part of your family that makes these hurtful choices in order to support and love the ones that support and love you, unconditionally.
To want love and acceptance and a relationship that a family member is unable or unwilling to give is hurtful.  It hurts the one who desires the relationship and hurts the one who is unable or unwilling to provide the love or relationship the other one desires.  Two people who both want the same thing and yet for whatever the reasons both are left hurting.  For those who have experienced this it is a perpetual deep hurting that leaves scars on your soul.
In summary love those who love and support you, who are there for you.  Kiss them, Hug them, and Cherish what you have in them.
As I get older I realize more than ever how truly important true Family is to have and to be a part of.  I realize my responsibility as a father is to be accepting, and provide unconditional love for those who will have it.  To be there for my children in all ways that is within my power to be.  Be there for them and they will hopefully be there for you.  Be accepting.  Be loving.  Be supportive.  Let everything thing else go.

 
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