Some time ago I was given a URL for an interesting web site: Hacker Factor Gender Guesser. It purports to use text to determine the gender of the author, and while I have no idea what the general validity of the method or how independent it is of things like education levels, socio-economic classes, religious […]
This problem was given to me many years ago by my friends Heather and Ross. You have a bag of 117 coins of which 1 is a counterfeit. This counterfeit is identical to the other coins except that it is slightlyheaver or lighter than the real coins. You do not know which. You are given
The Scales and the Counterfeit Coin Read More »
This is test family post Read More »
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I was reviewing one of my stories the other day and reflecting on the behaviour of some drugs (potions). It doesn’t matter whether they are potions, spells, or other magical mechanisms, the effects would be the same. The first was a drug that caused a person to weigh less. Now, to be clear, the potion
Magic Consequences: Lightness and Flying Read More »
Two very successful movies from Disney. The first was so successful that they made a second. Most people say that Frozen is the better movie, and certainly it has the catchier songs (including “that one”). However, I prefer the second movie. Before going on, the artistry and imagery in the first movie is superb. Winter
Frozen vs Frozen II Read More »
Just saw Roman Holiday, the original version with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. I’ve seen it before, more than once, but not since I started writing. By modern movie standards it is considered cheesy and dated, and the story idea has been used so much since that it has become a cliche. However, you can’t
Now That’s Good Acting and Good Storytelling Read More »
This isn’t so much about writing fiction (or perhaps it was fiction) as something that caught my attention. I have long been a proponent of truth in advertising. I was watching Cash Cab when an advert came on for a dating site. One of their claims was that people who used the site were three
Truth in Advertising Read More »
“…the rash of home renovation or cooking or talent shows has empowered a whole generation to truly believe that, if the put their mind to it they can appear as gifted as any so-called specialist.” (Globe and Mail, Sat, 16 Jul 2016, Songs in the key of life). While true, something about the statement bugged
Specialists and Experts Read More »
An excellent speech about fantasy – and esp. faerie-tale based fantasy – by Terri Windling. It’s rather long, but well worth listening to. http://www.tor.com/2016/06/22/faerie-led-thoughts-on-writing-meaningful-fantasy/ As the speech progressed, I found myself thinking of my own writings in her terms, and I think they match well. I’ve long maintained that the setting, natural and social, is
My Fantasy in Light of a Speech About Fantasy at Pembroke College Read More »
