They Be Among Us

The Different Drummers, 

the Outliers, 

the Nerds, 

the Geeks.  

They are out there.

Thank heavens and little fishies.

They are out there. 

They type in closets.

They photograph toy rhinocerosess.

They translate ancient Welsh tales into something new.

They write imaginary letters to imaginary people.

They see colors on ice and use their wit.

They walk their sidewalks and find beauty.

They turn wood and turn a phrase.

They go on desert fasts and bring back the stars.

They call themselves by another name and create whole worlds.

Image source: Vintage Technology Obsessions

They are the Makers.

They bring joy

and all that is silly and fun.

Welcome!

Thank you!

Charting the SciFi Readers

 

Image from NPR's post.

The link to the larger image is at this same site.

The folks at National Public Radio have contributed a bit of graphic awesomeness to the visual universe: a flowchart of the top 100 scifi books ever written (According to their own survey, of course; you may disagree).

Here's what they said: "Over the summer, NPR solicted the input of its listeners to rank the top science fiction and fantasy books of all time. Over 60,000 people voted for the top picks which were then compiled into a list by their panel of experts. The result? This list of 100 books with a wide range of styles, little context, and absolutely no pithy commentary to help readers actually choose something to read from it."

Of course I had to see if my all time fave -- Ursula K. Le Guin's The Dispossessed was there. It was, but as a bit of an outlier; it's only label being "communisim."  It certainly addresses that, but there is a heck of a lot more to it and the author than something that simplistic.  Other tags for it might be: utopianism, dystopia, sustainability, anarchism, world building, physics in fiction . . .

Makes me wonder what books and what labels the NPR list would have if it had been a survey of world readers, not just U.S. (Stanislaw Lem doesn't even make the list!!)

After You've Gone

Image Source

These last few years I've given a lot of thought to what happens to what I've made after I've passed on.  Typical for someone at my stage in life, but also a typical response to losing one's friends and family members as one begins to do. For a long time I worried about my legacy - what it would be, if I even have anything that could be considered such.  But in time I came to understand that it is what I do now that matters - being a good steward to the gifts and talents I've been given.

Still, there are folks -- artists, writers, musicians . . . all the makers -- who have lots of actual stuff they've made.  It matters, not simply as a legacy, though it might be that, but as a memory, a memorial to their talents and dreams.  It is also a matter of providing for one's heirs - telling them how to handle the intellectual property issues associated with the stuff you've created.

Author Neil Gaiman posted some useful info to his blog a while back on how to do this.  And he provides a working document for those who need one.  Here's his link.  It includes the PDF file for the document he refers to.

http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2006/10/important-and-pass-it-on.html

Don't Wait Until They're Gone

Thanks to Phil Bradley, who posted this mod of this World War II bond poster at his Flickr stream. 

We (in the U.S.) are so used to thinking of libraries as free.  But they are that way only because they are a long-time civic-sponsored investment.  The notion that Google or The Net can easily replace libraries and books is short sighted.  Books are only a small part of what libraries are for.  Libraries (and the librarians, professionals who have earned advanced degrees in information value, history, documentation, and retrieval) are the link between us and our store of knowledge.  Because of libraries, we don't have to carry all our knowledge around in our heads. 

Close libraries and we close our selves, our minds, and our culture.  We deny access to the words, thoughts, and makings of all who came before; we close off the possibility of our descendants knowing us. 

These images were taken of the now-abandoned Mark Twain Branch of the Detroit Public Library system.  This is what it looks like when we give up supporting our libraries. See the rest of the images at this link.

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NOTE: There are many kinds of libraries, though many of us are most familiar with the Public Library.  Schools of all levels have them (Academic Libraries and School Media Libraries), and then are Special Libraries, a vast collection of library types that most of us are unaware of.  They are found in hospitals, theaters, industries of all kinds, museums, law firms, news firms, government departments large and small. While not are not typically open to the public for use (one can often request special access, though), Special Libraries house or maintain access to the deepest levels of our human past.

Recharging via Categories

[Image source]

Like any creative person, my inspiration runs into walls on occasion, or just gets weary.  That thing called Life intervenes: deadlines, familial obligations, hot weather with ridiculously high humidity, insomnia, laundry that needs doing, etc.  And sometimes the creative ideas themselves interfere with one another.  I need to sew some work clothes but there sitting right next to that lovely black-brown gabardine are the file folders of my little group of pen friends.  I am behind in sewing and behind in my letter writing.  Both are hugely fun.  Which gets top priority?  Especially when my sketchbook and the graphic novel notes are sitting right next to both?

There is this sudden rush to MAKE SOMETHING NOW.  But what?  When?  And if I choose A  when can I do B?  Creative indecision is a weird beastie.  It feels like one is firing on all cylinders simultaneously and like one is frying the synapses of the imagination to boot.  It paralyzes at the same time it jolts the spirit.

So when it's practical - cuz even creativity needs its pragmatic moments - I spend a few hours cruising through all the links I've bookmarked over the years.  Some of the sites I don't even recognize, so the visit is like seeing a new-old friend.  Some sites seem strange and no longer interesting - which leads me to think about what it was that caught my eye way back when - which can lead to some constructive reflection on who I was then and who I am now. 

I took some time over the end-of-year break to see where I went once.  Just for fun, I am posting a handful of those links here for your interest.

From my "Foods" category:

Winter Chowder Recipe from The Practical Herbalist

How to Hard-Boil an Egg (works perfectly every time!)

Multi Blend Wheat- and Gluten-Free Flour

From my "Fun Stuff" category:

Comhaltas

- need to find a Celtic session group? Or a class? [from their site] is the largest group involved in the preservation and promotion of Irish traditional music. We’re a non-profit cultural movement with hundreds of local branches around the world, and as you can read in our history we’ve been working for the cause of Irish music since the middle of the last century (1951 to be precise). Our efforts continue with increasing zeal as the movement launches itself into the 21st century.

Bing Crosby singing Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ra from the movie Going My Way.

The Complete Shakespeare Reader 1.0 The Bard for Free!

[from the download site] "The Free Electronic Shakespeare Reader is a downloadable piece of software that you can install on any Windows computer, and instantly have all of Shakespeare's 38 plays at your fingertips. No internet connection required; read plays at your leisure on any computer. An excellent study resource for any English Literature student. Provides in-depth full-text searching to all of Shakespeare's plays."

How to Make a Hula Hoop (adult version - weighted for dance hooping)

Strange Games site (includes stuff like the 2010 Rock Paper Scissors tournament, lawn mower tossing, and similarly goofy activities; please note: not always for kids).

From my "Creatives" category:

Green Thoughts Asleep and the Fury of Dreams: Native Shading in the Fiction of Ursula K. Le Guin (well-written piece on this deeply thoughtful and creative author and wordsmith)

From the always inspiring Instructables website: Convert a Child's Bike Trailer into a Cargo Trailer

Jake Von Slatt's School Bus Conversion Project
Santa Rosa Tool Library

From my "Typewriter Info" category:

Basic Typewriter Restoration
Machines of Loving Grace
Free typewriter typeface fonts
Library of typewriter images/art/postcards/etc.

Photo by me

There Be Decency Among Us

I like to keep my universe to a manageable size.  As an information specialist in one of my professional incarnations, a Humanities educator/scholar in another, and a maker/artist in yet another, it's easy to get overwhelmed when perusing the Internet.  Here at Dante's Wardrobe I like to share some of what I've found.  My approach has an mindful component: no taking advantage of my readers with shocking material; no gratuitous images or text; and as rigorously as I can, always crediting people's work.  This isn't to say I don't have strong opinions on occasion; I will post material that makes me think about important, sometimes difficult subject.

So when I came across the work of "blogger, maker, writer, and ukulele player" Paul Overton this past Spring, I felt I had discovered a true jewel in the oft-madness of the Net.  It's not just because his online work is well-crafted (it's gorgeous) or because he has such a curious and entertaining eye when it comes to the art work of others he showcases.  It is because Mr. Overton is a decent man. 

Image from Dudecraft

He honors the work of others.  He respects the innocence and thinking minds of children.  He supports the commerce of art and making in a thoughtful and ethical fashion. Back in July of 2010 he posted An Open Letter to My Readers on his blog, DudeCraft.  If you want to see decency and mindfulness in action, I urge you to read it.  If you want to remind your soul of what is good and creative and fun in this world, make a visit to his blog a regular thing in your life.