Storytelling, the break-out tale

Have you noticed how most storytelling, particularly TV shows (which may be the most important form of storytelling right now), all consists of people trying to break free of something, and they never do.
That's why I enjoy the rare story like Office Space, where they actually succeed.

How about a story about an office girl who decides that she'd rather be a lesbian and a rock basist in Manchester, she goes and it actually works and she's a lot happier!
Sure, there'll be problems along the way to keep the story interesting, but none of that banging-the-head-on-the-wall forever stuff. It's stale and unproductive.

Sun-free photovoltaics

Sun-free photovoltaics, article.

Materials engineered to give off precisely tuned wavelengths of light when heated are key to new high-efficiency generating system.

To double-dip or not to double-dip

This article is just one of many who circle around the speculations about whether we really are in an economic recovery, or whether only half the house has fallen yet.

The Art of Studio Ghibli

The Art of Studio Ghibli, part 2

If you like good animation, but don't know Studio Ghibli, you've missed out.

Zappa

Art is making something out of nothing and selling it.
           -- Frank Zappa

Yes. Pretty amazing. 

Then, so is most other jobs, if you think of it. 

Infographics and art

I like infographics (which are all the rage they say), and I'm beginning to think about them in artistic terms. 'Cuz they start with interest in looking closer, something the artist is often hungry for. And since a graphic can be almost anything, you can build in your art right there. Your text too, humor, whatever.

On the right is a fun one. (Needs to be clicked to be readable, obviously. And clicked on again in the new window, unless you have a 5-feet high monitor.)
(Apropos the humor, it does not even have to be made up: "Men are 28% more likely to seek medical help for a rectal foreign body".)


Oh, and here's a pretty one for the Apple Fanboy Zombies like me. (Unless they had a source to all those simple-graphic representations of all those products (and I doubt it), then making this one was a lot of work.)

See what I mean? One which one likes just begs to become a poster.

"The Wee Free Men" free

Terry Pratchett press release:
To coincide with the paperback release of I Shall Wear Midnight, Transworld are making the first Tiffany book The Wee Free Men available to read for free on their website.  You can currently read the first 104 pages here.

I love Terry's books, and I think the young witch Tiffany Aching, who we follow growing up over several books, is one of his best characters.
So that's why I promote this link, even though I think the publisher is being rather stingy by spacing the book out over months. Five years ago, it would have been extraordinary to give away the first book of a series for free, now it's practically standard. Just give it in one full, free file, folks. (Aliteration not intended, but accepted with thanks.)