It has been a busy and awkward week. I may not get to the next installment of the Post-Work Economy until next week.
I won't get to the My Top is My Razorblade: Using BDSM for Self-harm until then. That may be a multipart series as well, taking in mental condition, transness, and bad scripts.
There have been errands and stuff conspiring to keep me off the computer.
Yesterday was particularly rough. My daughter electrocuted herself (just a little) in welding shop class, so I spent my off time in the ER. She had tests and an EKG and she's going to be fine. I had an upset stomach all day. After work I went to character creation for a Vampyre: The Masquerade LARP. That took most of the evening. My phone died the day before so I am learning my way around a new one.
My pain meds are really excellent. But they start wearing off about 6 PM. And I take them at 8:30 PM. I was fairly unpleasant by the time I got home.
But a good night's sleep helped. I skipped the gym today to write. So, I'm going to bust a few hundred words, edit a couple chapters and then eat lunch.
Thursday, August 31, 2017
Tuesday, August 22, 2017
Moving to a post-work economy, part one: the situation as it stands
Let's talk about employment, making a living, working for the man.
It's going away.
When I was a child, a man could graduate high school, get a union job, work 45 years, get promoted, get raises, and retire with a pension. But something happened in the 80s. Plants started closing. Work went overseas.
The New Roman Empire had discovered the idea of replacing middle-class workers with skilled slaves.
It has continued, and worsened. Most jobs today are service jobs. While many things are made in the US, most of them are made in plants run by robots.
Let's have a look at the shopping trip of the future.
You use your phone to summon your driverless Uber to the shopping center, getting food untouched by human hands that arrived on a driverless truck, from an automated distribution center, before shopping in stores stocked by robots, with goods made by robots or foreign slave labor, and checking out on your phone before getting your piping hot kiosk pizza and taking the next uber home. That's if you don't just have everything delivered from Amazon via drone.
Think I'm exaggerating?
Service jobs are automating or putting the work on the consumer. It started with self-serve gas. Self-check stands are found in most major stores. And Wal-Mart is experimenting with using their Scan&Go app as mobile checkouts. The new Michaels app incorporated price scanning ability into the features. How long before the average craft shopper can scan each item as she goes, pay with her card on her phone, and just bypass me and my line entirely? If they can do that, how long before we're relegated to one check-stand (for the lock-up items) and one phone-checker? The warehouses are much the same story, being highly automated and Teamsters have clashed with Kroger and other grocery chains.
You can even do all your shopping on-line, pay by card, and pick up your order at both Wal-Mart and Kroger, never even setting foot in the store.
McDonalds is automating more of its work, and many places have apps that allow you to order and pay online, and then simply collect your food at the store. Some restaurants, like Genghis Grill, allow you to order by on-table screen, select, supervise andcollect your food, and have minimal interaction with a server. And in many places the food itself has been automated. Momentum machines can crank out 360 made to order burgers per hour, untouched by human hands. NXT has turned pizza into a kiosk item: order, selecting toppings on a screen, and watch as their pizza is made, starting with flour and water for the dough.
Even shelf-stockers aren't safe. The UBR-1 robot costs $50,000 (but requires programming) It pays for itself in 8000 work hours, or about 2 years of open-to-close, no days off work at Michaels. And that's at minimum wage. It only takes a year and 5 months to replace me.
Amazon is looking into picking robots, as well. Salon summed it all up.
Self-Driving vehicles have been in the works for years, and are already here. Colorado is using them on its road crews. The annual savings of automating the trucking industry is projected to be about $168bn, $70 billion (with a b) of which will come from reducing staff. $70 billion dollars out of our economy. $70 billion not paying mortgage and rent, buying food, clothes or cars, being spent on durable goods or frivolities. $70 BILLION evaporating out of circulation and into the hands of the profiteers is going to kill the US. (Also, 3.5 million truckers out of work)
Estimates are 5-10 years.
Uber, the country's largest non-livery taxi service, is looking to go completely driverless as well, cutting out all the drivers who depend on it. It's already killing taxi companies in many cities.
So where are we going to be getting the money for that shopping trip?
Part 2: How will we be making money if the robots run everything?
Saturday, August 12, 2017
Charlottesville
Today, three people died in Charlottesville.
Heather Heyer was struck by a car and killed during a protest at the Unite the Right rally. Two state troopers died when their helicopter crashed.
And all I can think of is Crispus Attucks.
It feels as if I'm watching a slow motion car-crash, except in this case, it's a culture crash that's going to cause another civil war.
Let me give in to my most paranoid ramblings (I've seen Cabaret often enough, I know how this goes):
1) The Racist Right is emboldened and holds more rallies with fresh-scrubbed young men singing "Tomorrow Belongs to Me"
2) Protesters show up. Violence ensues. Media savvy Rightists make sure to capture people of color committing violence, and avoid killing more blonde white women, like Heather Heyer. Social media rages, but nothing of import happens.
3) The violence increases. Alt-right numbers grow out of fear created by the videos of black violence.
4) Street clashes start happening regularly in every major city. The death toll skyrockets, and the Racist Right starts targeting minority neighborhoods, doing genocide sweeps. No official denunciation from the White House.
5) Martial Law is finally declared, after someone too prominent is murdered, ostensibly to keep people from being killed but more to shut people up. Alt-rightists are absorbed into police departments and deputized to help end the violence.
So we end up with a totalitarian nightmare.
Or the government just decides to let it run its course and ends with a de facto civil war in the streets.
Laying it out sounds paranoid. But as I said, I've seen this show. And even jazzy John Kander music doesn't make it less terrifying.
I believe America as a free republic is teetering. I think fascism is impossible to avoid at this point. I think it's time for my queer pagan family to arm up or pack up, one of the two.
Because Heather Heyer is our Crispus Attucks.
Heather Heyer was struck by a car and killed during a protest at the Unite the Right rally. Two state troopers died when their helicopter crashed.
And all I can think of is Crispus Attucks.
It feels as if I'm watching a slow motion car-crash, except in this case, it's a culture crash that's going to cause another civil war.
Let me give in to my most paranoid ramblings (I've seen Cabaret often enough, I know how this goes):
1) The Racist Right is emboldened and holds more rallies with fresh-scrubbed young men singing "Tomorrow Belongs to Me"
2) Protesters show up. Violence ensues. Media savvy Rightists make sure to capture people of color committing violence, and avoid killing more blonde white women, like Heather Heyer. Social media rages, but nothing of import happens.
3) The violence increases. Alt-right numbers grow out of fear created by the videos of black violence.
4) Street clashes start happening regularly in every major city. The death toll skyrockets, and the Racist Right starts targeting minority neighborhoods, doing genocide sweeps. No official denunciation from the White House.
5) Martial Law is finally declared, after someone too prominent is murdered, ostensibly to keep people from being killed but more to shut people up. Alt-rightists are absorbed into police departments and deputized to help end the violence.
So we end up with a totalitarian nightmare.
Or the government just decides to let it run its course and ends with a de facto civil war in the streets.
Laying it out sounds paranoid. But as I said, I've seen this show. And even jazzy John Kander music doesn't make it less terrifying.
I believe America as a free republic is teetering. I think fascism is impossible to avoid at this point. I think it's time for my queer pagan family to arm up or pack up, one of the two.
Because Heather Heyer is our Crispus Attucks.
Friday, August 11, 2017
A sea change in a muse
The Nick muse has a checkered history. (yes, we decided to just adopt the name)
It's detailed at Spotter's Field Guide to the Common Nick Muse
But of late, he's been undergoing a sea change in appearance. This happens occasionally.
He has always looked like Aaron Stanford:
But he's very modern looking. His face isn't one that dates much earlier than 1950 (you could see him doing 60s and 70s movies) Oddly though, he wears medieval dress (as Will Scarlet) about as well as Christian Slater, which is to say better than Costner but nowhere near Rickman's panache.
And right now, I'm writing him in the 1920s. And I'm thinking he may be morphing. Because this is much closer to the Charlie Doyle in my head than the young man above
The clothes aren't quite right and forgive the 1930s blur to the film. But that's TOTALLY a Charlie look. Earnest and a little goofy and a lot romantic. Nick muses usually don't have a romantic bone in their bodies.
And you cannot tell me this is not a latter phase Nick Boyd, trained assassin, calm and collected, good looking and wearing the formalwear instead of letting it wear him. Stanford NEVER looks comfortable or put together in that level of formal.
So, maybe historic Nicks end up being James Mason instead.
It's detailed at Spotter's Field Guide to the Common Nick Muse
But of late, he's been undergoing a sea change in appearance. This happens occasionally.
He has always looked like Aaron Stanford:
And right now, I'm writing him in the 1920s. And I'm thinking he may be morphing. Because this is much closer to the Charlie Doyle in my head than the young man above
The clothes aren't quite right and forgive the 1930s blur to the film. But that's TOTALLY a Charlie look. Earnest and a little goofy and a lot romantic. Nick muses usually don't have a romantic bone in their bodies.
And you cannot tell me this is not a latter phase Nick Boyd, trained assassin, calm and collected, good looking and wearing the formalwear instead of letting it wear him. Stanford NEVER looks comfortable or put together in that level of formal.
So, maybe historic Nicks end up being James Mason instead.
Thursday, August 3, 2017
Fannish: Beauty and the Beast
I saw the live-action film because my youngest was all a-squee about it.
I hadn't really cared one way or the other.
Oh my.
SPOILERS BELOW THIS!
There were the usual problem with wolves. But wolves are always ravenous devourers in European fairy tales.
It was wonderfully beautiful. If this misses the cinematography Oscar, it's because someone is asleep. Everyone turned in brilliant performances. Emma Watson being brilliant and gorgeous. Emma Thompson, awesome as always. Kevin Kline, brilliantly understated and funny. Ewan MacGregor, Sir Ian, unrecognizable, but perfect. All just glorious. I got wibbly when everyone died, even though I knew a happy ending was coming.
But it was Luke Evans as Gaston who stunned me. It's just a couple lines, but they make Gaston so much more than the local bully.
He went to war. He was happy in the fighting, as Le Fou says, where he excelled and knew what he was doing. But now he's home. he hunts, but it's clearly not enough. He no longer fits into the little town, as much an outcast as Belle. He has Le Fou, and the fear of the town. But he doesn't fit. When he leads the villagers against the Beast, he's back in his element. He's back at war, where he knows what he's doing. "I'm afraid the wrong monster's been released," Le Fou sings.
My revelation was that it was Edward and Charlie, if they were French and evil. A war hero who still needs action, an adrenaline junkie who can't adjust to peace time, and his smaller, more reasonable conscience.
I was a bit horrified to be sympathetic to Gaston, but that just means there was some excellent writing added in.
And Josh Gad as Le Fou was wonderful. Yes, gay, but we knew Le Fou had a crush on Gaston in the animated as well. And even he got his happy ending with Stanley.
Definitely five stars.
I hadn't really cared one way or the other.
Oh my.
SPOILERS BELOW THIS!
There were the usual problem with wolves. But wolves are always ravenous devourers in European fairy tales.
It was wonderfully beautiful. If this misses the cinematography Oscar, it's because someone is asleep. Everyone turned in brilliant performances. Emma Watson being brilliant and gorgeous. Emma Thompson, awesome as always. Kevin Kline, brilliantly understated and funny. Ewan MacGregor, Sir Ian, unrecognizable, but perfect. All just glorious. I got wibbly when everyone died, even though I knew a happy ending was coming.
But it was Luke Evans as Gaston who stunned me. It's just a couple lines, but they make Gaston so much more than the local bully.
He went to war. He was happy in the fighting, as Le Fou says, where he excelled and knew what he was doing. But now he's home. he hunts, but it's clearly not enough. He no longer fits into the little town, as much an outcast as Belle. He has Le Fou, and the fear of the town. But he doesn't fit. When he leads the villagers against the Beast, he's back in his element. He's back at war, where he knows what he's doing. "I'm afraid the wrong monster's been released," Le Fou sings.
My revelation was that it was Edward and Charlie, if they were French and evil. A war hero who still needs action, an adrenaline junkie who can't adjust to peace time, and his smaller, more reasonable conscience.
I was a bit horrified to be sympathetic to Gaston, but that just means there was some excellent writing added in.
And Josh Gad as Le Fou was wonderful. Yes, gay, but we knew Le Fou had a crush on Gaston in the animated as well. And even he got his happy ending with Stanley.
Definitely five stars.
Wednesday, August 2, 2017
Dramatis Personae; or My Life has a Superb Cast, but I Don't Get the Plot
Hello! And welcome to the new folks or the old folks who just haven't wanted to ask.
We're talking about who is who in this ongoing soap-opera.
I'm Nick, your host. I used to be a grouchy old witch-byke with strong liberal feminist leanings. Now, I'm a pan trans-man with strong liberal feminist leanings. I work for Durham, driving the school bus, and for Michael's crafts, as a cashier. I'm an old school geek-chick, a former trucker, former university library paraprofessional, former writer and former casino worker. I failed out of the nuclear engineering program and took an English degree. I wrote 16 novels 92 short stories, 3 children's books and published with half a dozen houses. I am a crafter. I am a Hellenic pagan in service to Hermes and Hera.
Mudd is my husband, Richard. We've been married for 28 years (as of this coming Saturday). He's brilliant. He's got a master's in Physics and a math minor. He teaches high school science and is president of the local PFLAG.
We have 4 kids:
Bun, Victoria, 25, who is a camera model and dancer. She lives in California with a pirate.
Obi, Christopher, 22, who has just been discharged from the Army. He lives in Oklahoma with his dog, and girlfriend.
Jonner, Jonathan, 19 who is finding himself.
Dollface or Oli or Ollie. Olivia, 17, who is loving her welding classes, and her art classes and recently dedicated herself to Poseidon.
Here's where it gets interesting. I not only have a family, I have a household.
I am the dominant alpha female of the pack, and Crone of the grove. I may not make the full change until I have discharged certain religious duties that are the Crone's purview. Then I will be the Sage. I stand like the mountain between my people and trouble.
My peoples:
Gabriel Belthir-Rodgers. My junior husband. We got married accidentally at 2015 Festival of Souls by walking the Labyrinth together. This suited us both so we just went with it.
Kevin, Gabriel's legal husband. They got married at Frolicon 2015. I helped officiate.
Cat. Cat is complicated. She is my wife, from a certain point of view. She is Gabriel and Kevin's ex. She is a people I am responsible for.
Finn. Finn is Gabriel's slave boy. He kind of comes as a package deal with Gabriel.
Maeve. Maeve is Gabriel's domme. I could fall in love with her easily, but I'm also extremely jealous of her. This will sort itself.
Gwen and Sarah. They are Gabriel's schmoops, and I like them a great deal. They mean enough to be included under the "my people" umbrella. Gwen in particular makes me all protective.
Extra kids:
I acquire these in phases, with each of the kids. They always have friends who need an extra mom.
Tabitha and Bradley, friends of my older two. I have taken tearful late night phone calls, given advice, and offered endless comfort to both.
Alex needed a place to stay when booted out.
Brandon just needs an extra mom, the kind who gets him as a gay kid.
Imani needed support and a hand back on his feet.
Cameron needs a place where he can be himself.
Jamie, who dated Victoria and discovered my oldest is a psycho. But she also got us Tribble and stays in touch.
Emily, who has been Peppermint Patty to Olivia's Marcie for years. One of my witch-students
Michael, one of Oli's friends. Also one of my students
And more I'm sure I missed
On my extended family:
My Dad is 72, has fought cancer and won and is doing his best to keep going. He's buried two ex-wives and his surviving ex is incarcerated. (tax issues)
Mom lost her battle with leukemia in December 2014. She buried her last husband and two ex-husbands (my dad and Wicked Stepfather) showed for her funeral. The third could not be reached. (not that we tried)
I have two bio sisters:
Jennifer is my half sister on Dad's side. We are very similar, despite being raised apart. She has never married but does the Cool Auntie thing. She has her BA and works for a lumber company.
Brenda is my half sister on Mom's side. We are very different. Her ex is putting her through hell, trying to bankrupt her with endless court proceedings and take away their youngest daughter, who doesn't want to live with him. She has an MBA and works two jobs.
Sherrie is my step sister from Mom's second marriage. She is a real estate agent, and has grandkids. She also has a sister of whom I do not speak.
And Darren. Darren is a more complicated relationship than Cat. He was Richard's best friend forever. If my husband was gay, they would have been a couple. (Olivia is a Daddy/Darren shipper.) For me he was many things, lover, brother, beloved enemy, solid friend. He's no longer with us, and all three of his murderers are serving heavy time.
Hopefully this clears things up a little.
We're talking about who is who in this ongoing soap-opera.
I'm Nick, your host. I used to be a grouchy old witch-byke with strong liberal feminist leanings. Now, I'm a pan trans-man with strong liberal feminist leanings. I work for Durham, driving the school bus, and for Michael's crafts, as a cashier. I'm an old school geek-chick, a former trucker, former university library paraprofessional, former writer and former casino worker. I failed out of the nuclear engineering program and took an English degree. I wrote 16 novels 92 short stories, 3 children's books and published with half a dozen houses. I am a crafter. I am a Hellenic pagan in service to Hermes and Hera.
Mudd is my husband, Richard. We've been married for 28 years (as of this coming Saturday). He's brilliant. He's got a master's in Physics and a math minor. He teaches high school science and is president of the local PFLAG.
We have 4 kids:
Bun, Victoria, 25, who is a camera model and dancer. She lives in California with a pirate.
Obi, Christopher, 22, who has just been discharged from the Army. He lives in Oklahoma with his dog, and girlfriend.
Jonner, Jonathan, 19 who is finding himself.
Dollface or Oli or Ollie. Olivia, 17, who is loving her welding classes, and her art classes and recently dedicated herself to Poseidon.
Here's where it gets interesting. I not only have a family, I have a household.
I am the dominant alpha female of the pack, and Crone of the grove. I may not make the full change until I have discharged certain religious duties that are the Crone's purview. Then I will be the Sage. I stand like the mountain between my people and trouble.
My peoples:
Gabriel Belthir-Rodgers. My junior husband. We got married accidentally at 2015 Festival of Souls by walking the Labyrinth together. This suited us both so we just went with it.
Kevin, Gabriel's legal husband. They got married at Frolicon 2015. I helped officiate.
Cat. Cat is complicated. She is my wife, from a certain point of view. She is Gabriel and Kevin's ex. She is a people I am responsible for.
Finn. Finn is Gabriel's slave boy. He kind of comes as a package deal with Gabriel.
Maeve. Maeve is Gabriel's domme. I could fall in love with her easily, but I'm also extremely jealous of her. This will sort itself.
Gwen and Sarah. They are Gabriel's schmoops, and I like them a great deal. They mean enough to be included under the "my people" umbrella. Gwen in particular makes me all protective.
Extra kids:
I acquire these in phases, with each of the kids. They always have friends who need an extra mom.
Tabitha and Bradley, friends of my older two. I have taken tearful late night phone calls, given advice, and offered endless comfort to both.
Alex needed a place to stay when booted out.
Brandon just needs an extra mom, the kind who gets him as a gay kid.
Imani needed support and a hand back on his feet.
Cameron needs a place where he can be himself.
Jamie, who dated Victoria and discovered my oldest is a psycho. But she also got us Tribble and stays in touch.
Emily, who has been Peppermint Patty to Olivia's Marcie for years. One of my witch-students
Michael, one of Oli's friends. Also one of my students
And more I'm sure I missed
On my extended family:
My Dad is 72, has fought cancer and won and is doing his best to keep going. He's buried two ex-wives and his surviving ex is incarcerated. (tax issues)
Mom lost her battle with leukemia in December 2014. She buried her last husband and two ex-husbands (my dad and Wicked Stepfather) showed for her funeral. The third could not be reached. (not that we tried)
I have two bio sisters:
Jennifer is my half sister on Dad's side. We are very similar, despite being raised apart. She has never married but does the Cool Auntie thing. She has her BA and works for a lumber company.
Brenda is my half sister on Mom's side. We are very different. Her ex is putting her through hell, trying to bankrupt her with endless court proceedings and take away their youngest daughter, who doesn't want to live with him. She has an MBA and works two jobs.
Sherrie is my step sister from Mom's second marriage. She is a real estate agent, and has grandkids. She also has a sister of whom I do not speak.
And Darren. Darren is a more complicated relationship than Cat. He was Richard's best friend forever. If my husband was gay, they would have been a couple. (Olivia is a Daddy/Darren shipper.) For me he was many things, lover, brother, beloved enemy, solid friend. He's no longer with us, and all three of his murderers are serving heavy time.
Hopefully this clears things up a little.
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