Category: Outside the Box

Non-mainstream thoughts and musings

Posted on

Being Grounded In A Subversive World

sub•vert (səb-vûrtˈ)

  • v. To destroy completely; ruin: “schemes to subvert the liberties of a great community” (Alexander Hamilton).
  • v. To undermine the character, morals, or allegiance of; corrupt.
  • v. To overthrow completely.

Whether we like it or not, we live in a world filled with subversion. Everywhere we go, people want to undermine common sense in order to warp reality to fit their own ends.

Specifically, I’m talking about definition #2: “To undermine the character, morals, or allegiance of; corrupt.”

You have to understand that in order for morals and character to be undermined, there have to be morals and character there to begin with. You can’t subvert or corrupt something that doesn’t exist. Continue reading “Being Grounded In A Subversive World”

Posted on

What Drives Me To Write

With all the thinking I’ve been doing on how to write, I haven’t covered much about why I write. And while I am still hammering through plots and characters, every now and then I have to remind myself why I’m sitting with my laptop, pouring time and energy into something intangible.

I came to a realization last night, after reading and watching some excellent seminars on plot and originality. I realized that it’s okay for me to pour myself into the book’s main character. There’s nothing wrong with using my own experiences if it makes for a more convincing story.

This not only gives me some freedom in not having to worry about making the “perfect” character, it allows me to write what I know. If I write a character that has had hip surgery, I know how to write that. I know what it feels like, I know how to describe it. If my character plays the guitar, I know how to describe that, I know what that feels like. And that’s not a bad thing. Continue reading “What Drives Me To Write”

Posted on

Back On Schedule

After taking a few weeks off of blogging to do some writing and getting projects done around the house, I’m ready to get back to it.

I found I didn’t really have more time, as I was writing blog posts during breaks and rest time anyway. I’ve got a couple of videos that are going to take some work to complete, but other than that, I don’t have any large writing projects lined up yet. I’ve got a movie review and a few software/hardware hacking projects slated, too.

This weekend I’ll be camping with the Boy Scouts, working on the Rambler, and possibly a half dozen other amazing things.

Or, I might just sit in the hammock for a while.

New posts will start Monday.

Posted on

America, the Gullible

In the last few days, there’s been a story exploding all over the internet about a kid who was arrested. There were a lot of speculations going around as to how and why, but in the end, it turns out it was probably a PR stunt initiated by the kid’s dad.

We’re told that everything is hazardous. We’re told that everyone’s a potential terrorist, or rapist, or criminal, or whatever. We’re told that killing babies is protecting freedom. We’re told that America is the greatest country in the world that has ever existed, and ever will.

And the funny thing is, people believe it. Continue reading “America, the Gullible”

Posted on

Seeing The Big Picture

Part of working creatively is learning what to do when things don’t go as planned. In my case, I tend to put deadlines or challenges on myself, and I get rather irate when I can’t reach them.

But it’s mostly my own ego making me feel that way. I tend to put extremely difficult standards on myself, so high that even *I* can’t reach them all the time.

This is both good and bad.

When I make a statement like “I pledge to write on my blog every weekday” and I actually do it, I feel awesome. But if I don’t, I feel like a failure… even if I only missed one day in 6 weeks.

The good side is that sometimes, my ridiculous goals can push me to actually do something I honestly didn’t think I could do. The bad side is, nobody bats 1000. So when I say things like “I’m going to write on my novels every single day!” that’s a *huge* goal, and I need to accept the fact that I’m not going to actually be able to write every single day.

To that end, I’m going to set up a daily writing progress tracker written by Jamie Rubin, whom I’ve linked to before as his Evernote posts are fantastic.

This will allow me to see how much I’ve written over a broad span of time, as opposed to panicking over missing one day. It’s much easier to see the big picture… when you can see the big picture.

(Write Or Die also has a word progress tracker, but I’m not going to be able to write with it all the time.)

Posted on

Retro Game Spotlight: Whiplash

Sometimes, old games are just more fun to play than fancy graphics make up for. Whiplash (also know in the UK as Fatal Racing) from 1995 is one of those games.

It featured a CD soundtrack (Redbook audio, remember that?), split-screen multiplayer, and networked multiplayer, which was pretty big for any game in 1995, much less a racing game.

It’s made to run in DOS… that’s right, MS-DOS, i.e. before Windows. Thankfully, through the awesomeness that is DOSBox, one can still play games like this on modern computers. Continue reading “Retro Game Spotlight: Whiplash”

Posted on

Diving Deep, Coming Up For Air

I enjoyed having a day off yesterday (it was Labor Day here in the States). I ended up doing yard work, fixing things around the house, and getting a bad sinus headache. Thankfully, my awesome wife knows all about headaches and how to get rid of them!

But there will be more work to do when I get to work, and even more to do when I get back home. The pile of work never seems to end, even though I’m plowing through it at record pace.

I bemoan the fact that I don’t have time to write more, or make music, or whatever. The truth is, I just don’t have time to do everything. This is a recurring theme in my life, and I write about it often because I’m still struggling with it.

Deep down, I know what I have time to do. But I want to do more. But why?

Is it because I want to impress people? That’s not really it.
Is it because I’m looking for acceptance? Part of me does.
Is it because I’m trying to prove I can do it to doubters? Sometimes.
Is it because I have amazing ideas and I’m the only one who will bring them to life? This happens frequently.
Is it because I feel useful when I’m doing things, and useless when I’m not? Yeah, that’s definitely part of it.
Is it because most of my crazy ideas would be ridiculously fun? Yup. Definitely part of it.

So what happens when your own drive to do things short-circuits your ability to do simple, necessary things, like study, play with your family, and mentor your children? Continue reading “Diving Deep, Coming Up For Air”

Posted on

I’m A Lousy Supervillain

I’m a really lousy supervillain.

No really, I am. I haven’t taken over a single country. Not even a city. I haven’t robbed any banks, and I haven’t defeated any self-righteous heroes with orphan complexes. My minions are more interested in Korean soap operas and Barbies than doing my dark bidding. I still don’t have any orbiting laser satellites or nuclear bombs.

So what’s a supervillain to do? My grandiose plans for World Domination just aren’t coming to fruition. Every day that I don’t achieve some new feat, I feel like a failure.

But I’ve come to realize, these are lies I tell myself.

The truth is, I’ve accomplished quite a bit, according to anybody’s standards. Nothing that would make the ten-o’clock news, but still, I’d like to think I’m more than just a regular guy with no ambition. I’ve actually got some things to show for my work. But the danger comes when I tie my self-worth into what I’ve done, and not who I am.

What makes me valuable as a person? Continue reading “I’m A Lousy Supervillain”

Posted on

Trust In the Lord

This post is probably one of the hardest I’ve ever had to write. I’ve been thinking about it, off and on, for 9 months.

I’ve got plenty of family and friends who care about me, but wholeheartedly reject my religion. I’m going on record saying that I can care about somebody and disagree with their lifestyle, opinions and choices. I think there’s much more to a person than who they want to sleep with, what substances they use, or what religion they follow. But people are selfish and narcissistic, and sometimes it’s easier for them to just shout “Prejudice! Bigotry!” than actually dealing with the issue. If you really believe in accepting the person as a whole, then you need to read this entire post. I just pray that if you disagree, you can disagree without hate, because I wrote this without any malice or hate. It’s just a simple observation, nothing more. Continue reading “Trust In the Lord”