Ubuntu 9.04 "Jaunty Jackalope"

It's all very well paying a large amount of money for Microsoft Windows XP, Vista, or the new system codename "Windows 7", but what is it you really want it for, anyway?

Linux sends shivers up many spines because people believe it is a difficult system to use. Linux itself is just as good and if not better than Microsoft Windows for many reasons. Personally, I use a system called "Ubuntu" which is a Linux "distribution", or flavour. The new upgrade 9.04 codename "Jaunty Jackalope" was released a couple of days ago, and it is great. I found the hardware support has excelled my expectations, and with thousands of free applications at my disposal, no firewall or antivirus programs required, a very quick boot speed, Ubuntu is really taking off.

Even with all these great things, I can bet many people are just not interested in trying Linux, or even attempting to find out more about it. Well, that's fine, but you're missing out on a treat. Ubuntu is just as good for the novice as it is for the expert. Ask anybody at the Ubuntu forums and they'll agree.

Everything I can do in Windows can be done in Ubuntu. I admit that the brown, easy-on-the-eye interface may not be for everybody, but just like Windows, it can be changed. Ubuntu is free, as in absolutely free without costs other than incidentals (ie, to download a large file, you will have to pay for an internet connection).

After installing Ubuntu, you will find it looks different than Windows, but please: give it a go. You didn't learn Windows in a few seconds, did you? The same with Ubuntu. Give it some time. You will have things to learn, but I don't think you will be disappointed.

Left behind, in front

I consider my influences very important: not just who influences me today, but the more profound influences from who and what shaped my life. I think without them, I would not do what I want to do with life. So, this article is based on my earlier experiences as a grasshopper, knee high to a high knee.

At a very early age, I had a profound interest in abstract fiction which I now know is roundly called, 'speculative fiction', including science fiction, fantasy, and dark fiction (not necessarily horror, as that is also a profound word!)

My early influences include the English television series 'Chocky' by John Wyndham, another television show called Knightmare which in its day, was cutting edge television technology, the television series based on the ever popular The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and there is a fourth television show I cannot remember the name of -- based on a spaceboy who came to earth, completely alone. In literature, James Herbert and Guy N Smith were my mentors, as were a number of authors that did not make the big time. Batman and He-Man led me in cartoons, followed by Scooby Doo and Captain Caveman in the humoured approach.

The comics Viz and Spike (strangely, I never read horror or speculative fiction comics! I bought Spike whenever I had the money and remember Iron Barr the goalkeeper as my hero. I even played the goalkeeper for my school - always thought he was the best). I did read other comics, but cannot remember the names. They were primarily sports and 'boys' reads. (no, not X-rated). My second hero was a rugby league player of whom I cannot remember the name (and the second, a runner) - let me know if any of this rings a bell!

I believe these earlier days had an impact on my later writing career. There are some well established names in my past that I think helped to shape who I am. Later, with Michael Crichton, Graham Masterton, and classics from Jack London, Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker, it is not surprising that my future led me to the corpse's door, to knock and meet the muse named Ancient, who now has me locked in a rusted cage I cannot break out of.

It is more interesting to look back at the path forged, to see who helped build it, than to look at the path ahead and see how I make it.

Short Stories and Writing Novels

Many writers begin with the short story. I began with the novel and wrote my first in nine days. At that time in my life, it seemed the more I learned about writing, the clearer the benefits were to gain an audience by writing short stories instead of the novel.

There are clear commercial reasons for being an established short story writer, and the process teaches one to define characters, plots, themes, use of voice, and many other ingredients to get a story published.

My early experience with short stories was met, with millions more writers, with rejection. Rejection is a very important topic and the constant short story submissions ensures a mature perspective to rejection. Some publishers immediately accept, others deliberate, and others seem to take forever. The longest I have waited for a decision is two years. The story was accepted, but the magazine went down the tube. It is not the acceptances that make or a break a writer. It is how one deals with rejection.

It is no secret that the submission process is a long road. When you have hundreds of stories, keeping track of submissions turns into a substantial challenge, and one I avoided in its entirety due to illness.

Writing a short story and a novel, as close as they appear to be, are substantially different.

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), as debilitating as it has been for the past few years, has put my priorities in place. I write short stories on an ad-hoc basis, but concentrate on the novel. They require different skills and mentalities. CFS gave me the opportunity to review what I wanted to achieve, and put in place strategies to achieve it. This includes writing as much as possible, and reading more about the craft through self-education and works of fiction (sometimes, the two are the same).

The time I used for short stories was effectively murdered, although I do write occasional stories under a thousand words. I will approach the short story in the future when more time is available. For now, I must focus on desired outcomes, and my desired outcome, is to have a career writing novels.

“Happy is the man who can make a living by his hobby!”

--Henry Higgins
Pygmalion, by
George Bernard Shaw

Movie Review: Friday 13th (2009)

Most people I know who have watched a Friday the 13th movie tell me they are bad, but personally, I think they are missing the point. Look at it this way: how many other movies have had 11 sequels?

This movie takes us back to 1980 where a group of teenagers are murdered while camping at Crystal Lake. The first quarter of this movie has no relevance on the storyline other than to introduce Jason Voorhees.

Clay (Jared Padalecki) goes to Crystal Lake in search of his missing sister, and stumbles across another group of party people who Jared must later befriend to have a chance of surviving. One by one, the group perishes, and Jared finds his sister as Jason finds them.

The storyline is very simple, and the movie, like all Friday the 13th movies, has a lot of flaws which completely ruins the illusion, but if you are a fan like me, you take it in your stride. Yes, Jason Voorhees is my favourite psychopath (click here for details). In earlier movies, I visualised a group of people sitting at a table dreaming up weird ways a man could kill a person. In part 3, Jason squeezes a head until their eye pops out. Part 7 saw him beating somebody up against a tree in a sleeping bag (what a favourite!), Jason X saw a very good face smash after he froze somebody's head, and then there is the folding bed scene in Freddy v Jason. I'd love to sit at that table and dream stuff up.

If I were to change the new Friday 13th movie, it would be the invention of death. Jason keeps to trusted weapons such as the beloved machete, and an axe. His impulse to seek and destroy is also compromised when he uses one of the house guests as 'bait', although I am not clear why. Jason has undergone various character remodels from being a docile thinker to a mindless zombie, but I think of him as foregoing planning and putting his mental efforts into mindless killing. One of the worst flaws about this movie was kidnapping Clay's sister because she looked like his mother, and unfortunately, the whole movie is built around that premise.

Although this is not a bad movie, it needed better direction, better actors, and an eye for detail. At least it is consistent. Set in the 80's, some of the technology didn't fit. Some scenes were not thought through, like the creaking floorboards under the weight of an athletic woman were not disturbed when Jason walked on them. Anybody can pick this movie apart because of its mistakes, but most of the Friday 13th movies are similar. The movie's plot flaws are as woeful as the plot itself.

I am hoping there are more Jason movies, but the next one must be directed better with irrelevant scenes cut. If these scenes appeared in fiction, a writer would delete them - or should. I am not clear what impact Michael Bay had on this movie, if any, but I think he could really add to the Voorhees series.

Overall, this is a Jason Voorhees movie, and that's good enough for me!