#There's like 4 million books published EACH YEAR

[these-detestable-hands]

Had to be around people with no hobbies or passions today. I feel sick

[reasonsforhope]

"At HarperCollins, a lot of attention and thought is given to deciding exactly what combinations of margin measurements, font, and layout feel most appropriate for the genre, and writing style.

But in a case of do-your-part environmentalism, designers at the publishing house have now standardized a series of subtle and imperceptible alterations to normal font style, layouts, and ink that have so far removed the need for 245 million book pages, totaling 5,618 trees.

Telling the story in Fast Company, representatives from HarperCollins, one of the four largest publishing houses in the world, explained that the idea first arose in Zondervan Bibles, HarperCollins’ Christian publishing division. Being that the Bible is 2,500 pages or sometimes more, saving ink and pages was not just an environmental consideration, but one of production costs.

A new typeface called NIV Comfort Print allowed Zondervan to shave 350 pages off of every Bible, which by 2017 had amounted to 100 million pages, and which, as Fast Company points out, would be four times higher than the Empire State Building if stacked.

The production and design teams then wondered how much they could save if they applied the same concepts to other genres like romance and fiction. Aside from the invention of the eBook, publishing hasn’t changed much in the last 100 years, and the challenge was a totally novel one for the teams—to alter all their preconceived ideas and try and find a font and typeface that resulted in fewer pages without being harder to read.

They eventually standardized 14 different combinations their tests determined were the most environmentally friendly, and which delivered an unchanged reading experience.

But the challenge didn’t stop there. Printed books, one might not know, are printed in large sheets which are then folded into sections of sixteen pages, meaning that Leah Carlson-Stanisic, associate director of design at HarperCollins, has to calculate the savings of space, words, and ultimately pages with the help of her team to fall in multiples of sixteen.

Nevertheless, they have been successful with it so far, and in the recent print run of one popular book, 1 million pages (or a number near 1 million that coincides with the 16 times tables) were saved.

“We want to make sure our big titles, by prominent authors, are using these eco-fonts,” Carlson-Stanisic said. “It adds up a little bit at a time, saving more and more trees.”"

-via Good News Network, April 4, 2024

--

Note: Great! Waiting to see this on the rest of their books and at the other big publishers!

Actually, though, it's worth noting that this may not come quickly to the other large publishers, because Harper Collins almost certainly owns that font - meaning that other publishers would have to pay HarperCollins in order to use it, on an ongoing basis.

More on publishing shit and more realistic solutions here below the cut!

What I'm hoping for and think is more likely is that this will inspire the development of open source eco-friendly fonts, which would be free for anyone to use. That would make it far more likely other publishers would adopt eco-friendly fonts.

I'm also hoping it would inspire other publishers to create similar eco-friendly fonts of their own.

Ideally, there would be a whole new landscape of (hopefully mostly open source) eco-friendly fonts. And/or to see calculations of the eco-friendliness of popular existing fonts, compared to each other.

If we could have a publicly accessible list of calculations for different fonts, including fonts designed to maximize eco-friendliness, I really do think that it would affect which fonts publishers choose to use. Here's why:

Most people in publishing are on the left (notoriously, actually) and really do care about the environment

People in publishing are plenty aware of these issues re: paper and trees, I promise

Shorter books means smaller production costs - and possibly smaller shipping costs as well, over time! So it would save them money too.

Eco-friendly fonts could also be combined with other measures for greater effect, such as bamboo paper (already in use for a lot of projects where page color/quality is more flexible) and thinner paper (aka paper with a lower weight) that uses less trees.

Don't expect books to all move to just one or two different fonts, though. Publishers and typesetters and font designers will innovate to create more options instead, though it will take longer. This is because different books really do use different fonts for various different reasons - one new font to rule them all isn't really a solution here.

"Every book is in the same font" may sound like a "whatever" deal to a lot of people, but as someone who works in publishing - trust me, it would actually make your reading experience worse, even if you could never quite put your finger on why.

[thatdeadaquarius]

About language brainrot. Imagine writer creator reader who finally learns how to write in Teyvat's weird symbols and they want to publish their book. They decided to do it anonymously to avoid the "aaaaaah our creator wrote the holy scripture" sort of situation. Except it didn't work. The reader's style is too different from the rest of the world, so even if they tried to simulate the flowery speech it wasn't effective.

Another thing. Reader who decided to read some local books to practice their reading. They asked for something simple and similar to their speech. But the only books merely similar to it are 2000 and more years old. It's funny how the older text is the more you can understand it. On this note. If reader write something i feel like it would be hard to understand for Teyvat's people.

Imagine a reader who is autistic or has any other NDs imparing their communication skills. They practically trained themselves to say sertain phrases in sertain situation. But it doesn't work in Teyvat. And everything just stacks at each other. Difference in speech, being a God (so people react weirdly to you), bad communication skills, not understanding nonverbal cues and so on. There's gonna be a lot of misunderstanding. I imagine how followers would walk on the eggshells not to upset and angry their God and reader who does the same not to say something people will get wrong. Again.

Reader who regained all their memories of creating Teyvat, they're super powerful and stuff. But they still struggle with the modern language. Because all the memories are like millions years old.

✨️NEXYLAZA UR SO FUCKING SMART AND CREATIVE✨️ UR BRAIN>>>>>> EVERYTHING

GIF Akashi (black hair) is all the people who read the Sagau/Isekai Genshin tag and Bokuto (silver) is STILL ME RANTING ABOUT LANGUAGE IN TEYVAT LMAO

They cant escape me, sorry people who just wanted to read SAGAU normal things, im filling up the tag💀

I HAD OTHER ASKS BEFORE THIS ONE AND AS I GOT THRU EM I WAS "OMMGGGG WE'RE GETTIN CLOSER TO NEXY'SSSS ASSSKKKK EEEEEEE"

YOU ARE A GODDAMN GENIUS

DHALALWKDHDHS

ME ABOUT THIS ASK:

(^ lol biblically accurate deadaquarius)

I DONT EVEN KNOW WHERE TO BEGINNNN

BRAINROTTING OVER UR ENTIRE ASK!!

♡

Also, its getting kinda old now, so here is the blunt language v. Teyvat's flowery language post for reference! :)

Hhhhhhhhhhh

IF U WRITE STUFF

AND UR IN WORDY TEYVAT LAND

AINT NO WAY,👏

U COULD EVEN, 👏👏

GET CLOSE👏👏👏

TO THESE BITCHES SPEECH👏👏👏👏

◇

Like,, imagine right now if i told you to write me 4 pages of an essay in entirely early 18th century vernacular.

(For reference: when the story Pride & Prejudice takes place)

... like??

Bitch aint no way u can do that and actually show that to a historian or an actual living person from that time period

and them actually say "wow! An excellently worded 18th century essay!"

💀.

◇

So tying into that whole, "the only simple texts are like literal cunnieform clay tablets or sm shit"

Your writing to them just sounds like if a scribe just copied off what one of those tablets said just onto paper HAHA

And like, if u try and dress it up, it just ends up sounding like its from a slightly later time period

Like if ur casual writing sounds like 1 million years ago, u being flowery sounds like 8-7 thousand years ago u cant win LMAO

◇

Omg ur trying to go to that-

wait whats it called,,fuck i dont know Sumeru good enough yet

The.. HOUSE OF DAENA GOT IT

Yeah so ur thinking "Oh what better way to learn a dialect?/vernacular than reading books by them!"

And u basically snatch Alhaitham at the soonest possible chance to take you there

(Bc when i went in, it was just random lore books everywhere so)

Needless to say you have no clue how this place is organized, so u convince him to direct you to books u can easily read first

Like as close to your speech as possible!! U tell him :)

.

..

...lol

It literally takes like 3 hours to get something readable LMAO

Bc when the poor feeble scribe initially brought you smth he thought was pretty old and close to ur speech, like just first thought,

... It sounded like it was from the middle of the 18th century to you lol

So, with a "hmm" and a squint at the dusty book you'd already given up on

Alhaitham slowly went around the library making a stack of books, dropped them off in front of you... not a single sentence.

...then he made a stack of scrolls...

..nope..

...a stack of stone tablets...

.....getting closer?? it was really weird seeing Shakespearean language carved into stone....

...and then, with a conversation to a second library secretary deeper in the library, past a caged area of shelves to protect them...

...he escorts you behind the restricted section towards the back filled with glass display cases.

(Several of which contain the most ancient looking sets of artifacts you've ever seen)

...Finally, u arrive at a long glass case of several clay tablets.

Half of which sound like they're from the 1910s-20s, and the other, even older half, sounding straight out of the 2000s..

..

....

......

...Good god.

(Good..you??)

These crazy speaking bastard-previously-video-game-characters were right.

...

You are suddenly, viscerally hit with the image of Zhongli's idle, "Osmanthus wine tastes the same as I remember, but where are those who share the memory?" 💀

◇

Alhaitham side eyes you,, (he looks,, very interested, yet also kinda concerned??? HIM, CONCERNED????!!!)

"Ahem, the texts before thy Greatest Lord art the eldest- well, perhaps, more appropriately, the eldest and most intact, pieces of written language known to our humankind."

...

....aYOO MAN 😭😭

...Ur just staring at these half cracked, baked clay tablet thingys, full of slang from like 2003-

Alhaitham coughs.

"Uh, thanks. ...Sorry about all the.. trouble with this..."

BRO HOW OLD DOES HE THINK U ARE NOW-

"This task assigned to mine own person was of no trouble to my mind or spirit, Greatest Lord, fret not about it any longer."

And with a sort of shell-shocked atmosphere surrounding both of you, Alhaitham walks off to check out some other restricted books, hovering nearby yet also trying to give u space LOL

Top 10 cursed images: Seeing "Chillax, bro, dude, and weeb" carved into ancient clay tablets that look like they would be part of the Egyptian exhibit back in ur world 💀

◇

You eventually just kind of end up writing a couple pages after studying the writings, going younger and younger (nothing has ever made u feel more powerful...yet also more old..)

You stretch, just as Alhaitham finally has made his own little stack of creaky old books

He seems very curious to read what u wrote, peaking a glance over the top of his book every so often (lol nerd, cute nerd... but NERDDD)

You just offer the academic lunatic what he wants 🙄

"Haha, wanna take a look? Some drafts are... closer than others..."

The scribe immediately puts his book down, not even saving his page,

"I would be honored, Greatest Lord."

Is he excited?? 💀 omfg

U very slowly hand ur most recent practice pages over, he curls his hand under his chin "hmm" ing

...Alhaitham shakes his head

"My..deepest apologizes My Creator, but this still seems, at the earliest, from when papyrus was invented, and not yet even into scrolls..."

OK BUT ALHAITHAM WOULD GENUINELY GIVE NO FUCKS ABT CRITIQING YOU, HE MAY BE MORE POLITE ABT IT BUT EVEN IF U DID MAKE THE WORLD HES GOING FOR IT

KAVEH HAS A HEART ATTACK BC HIS ROOMMATE GOT ONTO GOD LMAO

U let ur head plop on ur pile of papers, srry babe youll never be as fancy as Mr. Darcy 😕

And as ur resting there, contemplating just walking out and finding smth to eat instead- same

Alhaitham picks up another draft.

Except it's your first attempt.

As in, you didn't even try, first attempt.

You just made some bullet point notes or some Bs, in ur regular. modern. language.

Alhaitham knocks his chair over standing up so fast-

(HE GETS SHUSHED BY THE RESTRICTED LIBRARIAN LOL, also another person unafraid to scold God lol)

...he says its a perfect example of the oldest records they've found of writing on the continent, most of which they haven't even translated yet

He asks u to teach him how to read this/speak like this lol

♧

(^^^not my best work but hope yall got smth outta it💀)

I WAS LITERALLY GONNA MAKE A WHOLE POST ON THE NEURODIVERGENT EXPERIENCE OF BEING A GOD IN TEYVAT

ESPECIALLY OF THE LANGUAGE BARRIER VARIETY!!!

THERES JUST

ACK

aCK HDHAKD

SO MUCH

TO SAY

!!!

AHHHHH

OK BUT LIKE

IF WE ACTUALLY TOOK THIS TO THE EXTREME IM IMPLYING IT WOULD BE

LIKE TEYVAT SPEAKS SEVERAL DECADES BEHIND U- MAYBE EVEN ACTUALLY

CLOSE TO PRIDE AND PREJUDICE TIMES SPEECH

THEY WOULD LITERALLY BARELY COMPHREHEND YOU

IMAGINE TRYING TO TALK TO MR. DARCY 😭

THATS LITERALLY ALL OF TEYVAT

JUST

???¿¿?????!!! <- THEM ALL THE TIME

ESP IF UR NEURODIVERGENT

I THINK IT WOULD BE EVEN MORE PROOF FOR THEM TO THINK UR GOD

BC UR BEHAVIOR WOULD BE "OFF" TO THEIR NEUROTYPICAL ASSES,

YOUR FACIAL EXPRESSIONS,

LIKE UR MASKING MAYBE BUT

U CANT KEEP THAT SHIT UP ALL THE TIME-

ESP IN CRAZY ISEKAI CIRCUMSTANCES

AND LIKE-

(ok ill tone it down before i also get shushed)

U used to be a player!!

Which would maybe mean u got rlly comfy playing Genshin all the time!

...like i know im kinda stimming when im gaming (and my natural stim is rocking so yeah no way they wouldnt notice that 💀)

So, since u may be still yknow unconsciously wanting to be comfy (esp around ur mains/team/favs)

U probably have stimmed a little around them, which, not that neurotypicals dont stim, but like

They would notice after awhile

And esp people like Alhaitham, Zhongli, Ningguang, Xiao, Ei, Aether/Lumine, Kaeya, Diluc, Kazuha, Heizou, Shenhe, Kokomi, Sara, Albedo, Dainsleif- !! GASP- !! <- my bbygirl omg i forgot abt u before now im so sorry </3

(once again i have not checked a character list, forgive my sins my readers)

^^^ Are like pretty focused on you/observant, so they'd eventually pick up on it first probably

..

...

....which allsssooo means they're like, collecting all ur neurodivergent thingys lol to compile as EVIDENCE AGAINST YOU AS TO WHY THEY KNOW UR THE CREATOR LMAO

◇

Honestly the biggest factor against u is definitely social interaction,, srry love :/

(if it helps, its bc i know itd be my downfall too thats why thats there ^ 😔)

Mostly bc i have this idea/theory? obervation? that when I especially met Adepti for the first time

Esp ones that werent as close to human society for as long as some others (like think Xiao vs. Ganyu)

And for literally every other non-human people we've met so far in Genshin-

They kinda- they kinda, radiate neurodivergent energy??

Like, they're not adherring to social norms, and not in like a bad way,

But its still rlly obvious (i mean also its probably exaggerated for us as an audience) that theyre not human pretty quickly

coughzhonglicough

COUGHVENTICOUGH-

oh geez wow excuse me, cold weather must be gettin to me- ahem hem-

Anyway, like what Nexy said in the ask,

...

...Yall are all just tiptoing around each other 😭😭

Bc these ppl arent from Earth countries,

All their behavior is weird to you 😭

U dont know how to mask with them yet 😭😭

THE UNBELIEVABLE AMOUNT OF MISCOMMUNICATION THAT HAPPENS ALREADY WHEN UR NEUROSPICY VS. NEUROBLAND PPL

IS LIKE, ALMOST WORSE??

Bc they cant even understand ur phrasing bc its so simple 😭😭😭

◇

Tldr: "Being Neurodivergent means ur a god, confirmed." - says all of Teyvat's denizens

◇

NEXYLAZA.

MY BELOVED.

I AM IN LOVE WITH UR BRAIN.

IF I COULD GIVE IT A HUG I WOULD🫂✨️👏👏👏👏

BC I WAS ALREADY LIKE IN THE BACK OF MY MIND LIKE-

*rubs my little rat gremlin hands together*

"hmHmHMMMM BuT wHaT iF mAYbE yOU reMeMbeREd cReATinG TeyVAT, hmHMHMMMMM"

AND FOR VERBALIZING IT WITHIN BLUNT LANGUAGE AU- !!!!!!!

(one of my favs, if u cant tell)

I would (platonically) kiss you right now dude.

Instead I give this:

♡ ily

And also, I AM GOING TO MAKE A WHOLE POST ABOUT THIS-

MAYBE EVEN A FANFIC, OR ONE SHOT AHDHAKFHSKLAAL-

UNTIL NEXT TIME MY BELOVED PARTNER IN CRIME <333

PSPSPSPSsppspspspssss Last Time! CLOSES TOMORROW @1pm CST: VOTE on my 100+ followers celebration POLL :)

Tell me what u wanna see me write about! PSPSPSPSpspspspssss

(U can vote even if ur new! :] )

THANK YOU FOR SUBMITTING THIS ASK

THIS IS A TREASURE OF MINE NOW

GONNA HIDE IT IN MY LITTLE CAVE OF SCREENSHOTTED SAGAU POSTS <333 hehehehehehehehehehe

THIS IS LIKE PT2 TO MY ORIGINAL LANGUAGE POST AHHHHH

NEXY BIG BRAIN ILYSM <3

Cheers,

🌒🌧🌊Aquarius♒️🌌🌘

♡the beloveds♡

@karmawonders / @0rah-s / @randomnatics / @glxssynarvi / @nexylaza lol ur own ask im a menace sorry

[blueiscoool]

First tyrannosaur fossil discovered with its last meal perfectly preserved in its stomach

Researchers have found a tyrannosaur’s last meal perfectly preserved inside its stomach cavity.

What was on the menu 75 million years ago? The hind legs of two baby dinosaurs, according to new research on the fossil published Friday in the journal Science Advances.

Dinosaur guts and hard evidence of their diets are rarely preserved in the fossil record, and it is the first time the stomach contents of a tyrannosaur have been uncovered.

The revelation makes this discovery particularly exciting, said co-lead author Darla Zelenitsky, a paleontologist and associate professor at the University of Calgary in Alberta.

“Tyrannosaurs are these large predatory species that roamed Alberta, and North America, during the late Cretaceous. These were the iconic apex or top predators that we’ve all seen in movies, books and museums. They walked on two legs (and) had very short arms,” Zelenitsky said.

“It was a cousin of T. rex, which came later in time, 68 to 66 million years ago. T. rex is the biggest of the tyrannosaurs, Gorgosaurus was a little bit smaller, maybe full grown would have been 9, 10 meters (33 feet).”

The tyrannosaur in question, a young Gorgosaurus libratus, would have weighed about 772 pounds (350 kilograms) — less than a horse — and reached 13 feet (4 meters) in length at the time of death.

The creature was between the ages of 5 and 7 and appeared to be picky in what it consumed, Zelenitsky said.

“Its last and second-to-last meal were these little birdlike dinosaurs, Citipes, and the tyrannosaur actually only ate the hind limbs of each of these prey items. There’s really no other skeletal remains of these predators within the stomach cavity. It’s just the hind legs.

“It must have killed … both of these Citipes at different times and then ripped off the hind legs and ate those and left the rest of the carcasses,” she added. “Obviously this teenager had an appetite for drumsticks.”

The two baby dinosaurs both belonged to the species called Citipes elegans and would have been younger than 1 year old when the tyrannosaur hunted them down, the researchers determined.

The almost complete skeleton was found in Alberta’s Dinosaur Provincial Park in 2009.

That the tyrannosaur’s stomach contents were preserved wasn’t immediately obvious, but staff at the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller, Alberta, noticed small protruding bones when preparing the fossil in the lab and removed a rock within its rib cage to take a closer look.

“Lo and behold, the complete hind legs of two baby dinosaurs, both under a year old, were present in its stomach,” said co-lead author François Therrien, the museum’s curator of dinosaur paleoecology, in a statement.

The paleontologists were able to determine the ages of both the predator and its prey by analyzing thin slices sampled from the fossilized bones.

“There’s growth marks like the rings of a tree. And we can essentially tell how old a dinosaur is from looking at those, the structure of the bone,” Zelenitsky said.

Changing appetites of top predators

The fossil is the first hard evidence of a long-suspected dietary pattern among large predatory dinosaurs, said paleoecologist Kat Schroeder, a postdoctoral researcher at Yale University’s department of Earth and planetary science, who wasn’t involved in the research.

The teen tyrannosaur didn’t eat what its parents did. Paleontologists believe its diet would have changed over its life span.

“Large, robust tyrannosaurs like T. rex have bite forces strong enough to hit bone when eating, and so we know they bit into megaherbivores like Triceratops,” Schroeder said via email. “Juvenile tyrannosaurs can’t bite as deep, and therefore don’t leave such feeding traces.”

She said that scientists have previously hypothesized that young tyrannosaurs had different diets from fully developed adults, but the fossil find marks the first time researchers have direct evidence.

“Combined with the relative rarity of juvenile tyrannosaur skeletons, this fossil is very significant,” Schroeder added. “Teeth can only tell us so much about the diet of extinct animals, so finding stomach contents is like picking up the proverbial ‘smoking gun.’”

The contents of the tyrannosaur’s stomach cavity revealed that at this stage in life, juveniles were hunting swift, small prey. It was likely because the predator’s body wasn’t yet well-suited for bigger prey, Zelenitsky said.

“It’s well known that tyrannosaurs changed a lot during growth, from slender forms to these robust, bone-crushing dinosaurs, and we know that this change was related to feeding behavior.”

When the dinosaur died, its mass was only 10% of that of an adult Gorgosaurus, she said.

How juvenile tyrannosaurs filled a niche

The voracious appetite of teenage tyrannosaurs and other carnivores has been thought to explain a puzzling feature of dinosaur diversity.

There are relatively few small and midsize dinosaurs in the fossil record, particularly in the Mid- to Late Cretaceous Period — something paleontologists have determined is due to the hunting activities of young tyrannosaurs.

“In Alberta’s Dinosaur Provincial Park, where this specimen is from, we have a very well sampled formation. And so we have a pretty good idea of the ecosystem there. Over 50 species of dinosaurs,” Zelenitsky said.

“We are missing mid-sized … predators from that ecosystem. So yeah, there’s been the hypothesis that, the juvenile tyrannosaurs filled that niche.”

By Katie Hunt.

[jimmycarterghostland]

(This is going to be kind of a long post about Worm. BTW, I'm currently on the Scarab arc)

I'm reading Scarab 25.1 of Worm right now.

I only read a couple of words of it, though. I had to make this post, because I need to say it boggles my mind when someone says they read Worm in a matter of weeks. I saw a Reddit comment from a guy(I'm assuming they were a guy) who said they read Worm in two weeks. I started this read in either May or June. So either 4 or 5 months ago, and I'm still reading. This web serial is MASSIVE.

When I first started the read, I would read three chapters per day. But these chapters are so long now, I only read one of them per day. And I can't even imagine reading Worm in two weeks. I would quickly get tired of reading that many words. This thing is over one million and a half words long.

Some background: I discovered Worm years ago, back when I was googling the longest story, or probably when I was searching up a one million word-long story. I can't remember which of those things led me to Worm.

Ultimately, I ended up discovering this story. I spoiled a lot of it for myself. I also used to read it out of chronological order. I would read random scenes and stuff. My attempts to read the entire story in order failed. Until I started this current read months ago. I don't mention all of that in my occasional posts about Worm, and I spoiled a bunch more of it for myself during this read. So, I'm actually aware of a lot that's going to happen in this story later on. Reading Worm completely unaware of what was going to happen in it must have been crazy for people who read it live.

I like how Wildbow has a bunch of loyal readers who comment on every chapter. I pray my own web serial gets loyal fans like those. Technically, I'm a silent reader with Worm. I don't leave comments on WordPress, but I do discuss Worm on Tumblr, and I've been reading every chapter. It's funny, because as a writer, I hate having silent readers. Positive comments on a story are encouraging, gives me the push I need to keep writing it.

Anyway, I love Worm. It's so good. There are definitely some grammar errors and some instances of clunky writing, but this story is still a lot better than many traditionally published novels. I won't name any names, but there's this one traditionally published novel that I've been reading every day, and it's absolute trash. I actually dread reading it. But I hate having a book and leaving it unfinished, so I'm forcing myself to read that one. It sucks so bad. The difference in quality between this book and Worm is astounding. Seriously. It makes me appreciate Worm a lot more. I never dread having to read a chapter of Worm.

The characters in Worm are complex and have their own unique personalities and speech patterns. Wildbow is a master of writing multiple points of view, and a master of writing distinct characters. Characters in Worm have unique dialogue. I remember reading a certain chapter and just knew it was Skidmark speaking, because he is vulgar and doesn't feel shame when he curses or says something inappropriate.

In Hookwolf's interlude, his personality pops off the page. His racism shows in his thoughts. He refers to Shatterbird as a racial slur in his inner monologue. A non-racist character would have used the proper term for Shatterbird's ethnicity in their inner monologue. But Hookwolf is a racist. He thinks like one, and Wildbow shows that well. Wildbow knows how to give each of his narrators a distinct character voice. Or if not each of them, enough of them. Many authors are bad at writing multiple POV fiction. Wildbow isn't one of them. And since I prefer multiple POV literature over single POV, I'm glad that Worm is a good example of what good multiple POV literature looks like.

Worm has some great subtlety too. A lot of things aren't overexplained. As in, Wildbow doesn't unnecessarily beat the reader over the head with certain stuff. Like, when Leviathan was moving slower, implying he was weaker than he was when the battle against him first started. Wildbow could have written "Leviathan was moving slower because he was weaker." Wildbow didn't do that, though. The fact Leviathan was moving slower told enough.

Another instance of Wildbow being great with subtlety was Charlotte's interlude. She is distrustful of men because of what happened to her at the mall, but Wildbow doesn't constantly refer back to that incident. There's no overexplaining. The reader can already guess that Charlotte is distrustful of men because of that mall incident. If Worm was written by a bad writer, they would have kept explaining how the mall accident was what made Charlotte scared of men. Wildbow does a great job of "show, don't tell".

I no longer think Worm will be traditionally published. I wish it would be, but at some point I realized it would be very hard for Worm to be traditionally published. I think it's fine the way it is. Having Worm in a web serial format is good enough.

I love Worm, and I am glad it exists.

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

Crunching some numbers for Spare

An article today in the Washington Post included some talk about how publishing contracts, sales, and advances work. Here are some excerpts:

A book can end up on a bestseller list by selling 5,000 or more books in a week.

Under most contracts with major publishing companies, an author earns a royalty of 15 percent of the cover price of a hardcover book. A book priced at $30 would earn the author $4.50 per sale.

Publishers will generally offer an author an advance payment. Once enough books are sold to cover the advance, the author begins to earn additional income. In other words, a person receiving a $1 million advance would need to sell more than 222,000 books at $30 each to earn back the advance.

(source)

What does this mean for Spare? It means...it's bad.

First off, $30 is the average cost for a hardcover book here in the US. However we know Spare isn't actually selling at $30 because it's been heavily discounted since its release. US Amazon is selling it at $19 a copy so let's go with that. At $19 a copy, if Harry's contract has him seeing royalties at 15%, he makes $2.85 a copy.

The publishers are claiming that Harry sold 3.5 million copies of Spare in the first week of publication. That number is definitely inflated; it includes audiobooks (which are free for a lot of people through Audible and other audiobook subscription services) and it probably includes some projected figures. So let's deduct 15% for those ghost copies, which leaves us with 2.9 million and at $2.85 per copy, he made $8.2 million just from royalties.

So per the Washington Post, Harry has to sell enough copies of Spare to cover the advance before he can make money on the memoir. If Harry doesn't cover the advance, he doesn't earn royalties. Which is the juicy bit: the Daily Mail has claimed that Harry received a $20 million advance from Penguin to write Spare. Based on these projections (2.9 million copies sold that first week at $2.85 a copy), Harry hasn't paid off his advance yet. He's still got $12 million to give back.

Now take into consideration that sales for Spare steadily declined since publication. Spare might've sold 3.5 million in the first week, but it's not selling 3.5 million the next week. In fact, Forbes Magazine reported that as of July 1, 2023, Spare sold 1,174,137 copies here in the US. That's 33% of the 3.5 million from the first week of sales - in other words, sales really dropped off. Maybe even flatlined.

So getting very hypothetical here, let's add 33% to 3.5 million, and assume that's how many copies of Spare Harry has sold as of July 1. That's 4.6 million. 4.6 million times $2.85 = $13.3 million. Harry still hasn't paid back his alleged advance. Even if we give him 20% of royalties ($3.80 per copy for a profit of $17.4 million), he still hasn't paid back the alleged advance.

So while all these numbers are most likely made up, what probably isn't made up is that Harry hasn't earned back his advance and isn't making any kind of profit. And we know this because a) real cumulative data on Spare isn't easily available and b) there's been no talk of Harry's next book - either the second memoir alleged to be part of the deal or the book on Invictus Games confirmed to be part of the deal. If Spare performed well, or even beyond expectations, the sales would constantly be in the news as new updates are issues and Harry's second book would have been announced immediately to piggyback on Spare's success. But that hasn't happened. It'll be very interesting to see how it all tallies up at the end of the year.

I don't think we'll see any more books from Harry. Or if we do, they'll be updated/reissued versions of Spare that count towards his 4-book deal so Penguin can move on.

(I'm also side-eyeing the Daily Mail's claim that his advance was $20 million. Bruce Springsteen received a $10 million advance and Keith Richards only $1 million. And these guys have legitimate and proven track records that they can sell content. Harry has no record of even writing his own speeches.)

[choicesficwriterscreations]

CFWC Writer of the Month - July 2023: AlwaysMyChoices

Each month CFWC highlights one of our talented fanfic writers, and this month’s writer of the month is @alwaysmychoices. We hope you will enjoy learning more about them and their work below! The writer is selected at random. More info can be found on the navigation page.

Quick Links:

Tumblr Blog: AlwaysMyChoices Blog Masterlist

How do you want to be known on Tumblr? May

1- When did you start playing Choices? What was the first book you played? 

I started playing The Royal Romance in December 2017. I have no idea how I found the app, but I was obsessed with that story. My memories from this time are super vague -- I know there was a connection between Cordonia being based on Montenegro and Croatia (two countries I studied abroad in the next summer), a well-placed advertisement, and a Christmas vacation where I was snowed in with too much time on my hands.

2- When and why did you join Choices fandom?

I joined the fandom in January 2018 because I desperately needed to talk about the Royal Romance. I didn’t have any friends who played (and was embarrassed to share), so I started off liking posts from my “real” account (which was a Sims account) and then made this as a “side blog.” Later, that Sims account got abandoned, which is why all of my likes come from a different Tumblr.

3- How did you pick your blog name? 

I had three criteria -- it needed to be (1) somewhat punny, (2) dramatic and angsty, and (3) tangentially related to the game. Though I was a Royal Romance stan, I wanted to give myself room for growth, so I didn’t name my account anything to do with the book. The name I really wanted was taken, so I settled for AlwaysMyChoices. But honestly, I love it now.

4- Pull up the first post in your archive, and tell us about it!  

My first post is expressing my disappointment that the Royal Romance’s Book 2 wasn’t angsty enough -- and that perfectly sums up my account. Four days later, I posted my first Choices fanfic.

5- How long have you been writing fanfiction?

13 years. I started writing in 2010 on Fanfiction.net for Percy Jackson. I was very, very young, and it shows in those initial works -- which is pretty ironic because this was the phase in my fanfiction career where I had the most success. I got millions of views on some of those stories, and they’re objectively terrible. After about six or seven years on that website, I went to college and ended up taking a hiatus. I wasn’t inspired to write anymore, which was pretty devastating at the time. Finding Choices brought back my passion for writing fanfiction.

6- What is your favorite Choices book, and what is your favorite Choices book to write about?

Here’s the thing -- I love Open Heart, but The Royal Romance has to be the best. Are there flaws? Definitely. Did the series go off the rails? Eventually, yes. But TRR understood pining. It knew that the readers wanted tender moments with LIs, but they also wanted pain. We wanted tropes, but we didn’t want it to feel tired. We wanted incredible supporting cast members where even the tiniest background player was well-crafted and interesting (and the villain was iconic). We wanted growth and well-structured arcs, and surprising twists. Plus, the LIs checked all the boxes -- the prince bound by duty, the lover’s best friend, the supportive friend turned lover and the woman who had been through pain but always saw the best in people. I wish I could go back and relive that magic.

At the time, I loved writing about TRR, too, but I’ll admit that Ethan Ramsey was made for angsty fanfiction.

7- Share the first fanfic you wrote with us. Do you still like it, or would you change it if you were writing it today?

My first fanfic for Choices was “Come to Bed.” This was when I still wrote in the first person, which feels like a lifetime ago. As for my thoughts, it’s fine. I wouldn’t do anything differently, but I also probably wouldn’t publish it. When it comes to my Choices fics, my biggest complaint is that they’re often too tied to a moment. I wrote them because I read a chapter in whatever book, felt overcome with emotion and inspiration, and put that into my word processor. They’re my reactions more than a story, and aside from a few angsty quotes or steamy scenes, I generally forget about them when the moment passes.

To be honest, I totally forgot about “Come to Bed.” I thought my first story was “Prove it,” a much steamier TRR story. 

8- What is your favorite fic that you’ve written?

A Weekend with Dr. Ramsey is my legacy in this fandom, and I’m happy with that. I’m proud of that series. But if it had to be a single fic, it’s either “Him” or “Never Had a Chance.” Both are pairings I don’t often write (Ethan x Tobias and MC x Drake, respectively), and both stories focus on these grand, explosive loves that burn up too quickly but eventually settle into comfortable, platonic admiration. It’s the kind of love that lingers long after the romance has died. 

9- Do you have a fic that you didn’t expect to be well received, but it was? What about one you expected to be but found could use a little more love?

I never expected my Ethan & F!MC "Calling to Say I’m Marrying Someone Else” headcanon to blow up. That was such a pleasant surprise, and I love it to this day. As this fandom has dwindled, engagement naturally decreased, but I have to admit I hoped for a bit more love on “You’re a Devil.” Sexy pining at a Halloween party? The color red symbolizes danger and decadence they can’t accept? I still think it’s great.

10- If you could write only angst, fluff, or smut for the rest of your writing life, which would it be and why? 

Angst. I love reading fluff and smut, but I’m really in the zone when I’m writing angst. For me, that’s when characters become something bigger than an idea -- they’re growth and change and cathartic and tragic and triumphant. If I never wrote angst again, I don’t know how I’d ever find that feeling anywhere else.

11- Do you ever recognize yourself in any of your MCs or in your writing?

Oh yeah. My MCs are generally versions of me with some exaggerated character flaws -- pride for Collins, indecision, and stubbornness for Charlie. I’m not as messy as my MCs, but at my core, I think I want to be.

12- What element of writing do you struggle with most?

Consistency. My issue has always been finding that inspiration and holding on to it. I’m very dependent on the “flow” of writing. When I’m in it, everything is easy -- the dialogue is effortless, the descriptions are perfect, and the pacing is impeccable. When I’m not in it, I’ll write the same thing over and over until I give up. I have a bad habit of letting inspiration come in all-consuming waves without any safety net of pacing or discipline. If I burn out or get distracted, it’s all over.

Oh, and length. Those stories are always way too long.

13- Do you have any neglected work you really want to finish?

Omg, yes, all of it. I need to finish With and Without, but I know I’ll be devastated when I do. Then, there are the dozens of notes on my phone, reminding me of all these new stories I’ve abandoned.

14- If someone you know in real life (who isn’t involved in fandoms) asked to read your work, would you let them? If yes, what would you recommend they read first? 

I am super weird about keeping my fanfic life separate from my real life. It is a barrier I very rarely break, but when I have broken it, I’ve run into the same problems -- because it’s fanfiction, I give no exposition. So, if you’re reading it without any fandom knowledge, you’re lost. With that in mind, I think I would give them a quick recap and then give them “A Weekend with Dr. Ramsey.” It would kill me to be that vulnerable, but I think it’s the best reflection of this account. 

15 - Are there any writers (published authors and/or fanfic writers) who influenced your writing? 

So many! Particularly in the fandom, I’ve learned from so many creators. Early on, I remember @boneandfur and @heauxplesslydevoted were such big TRR influences for me. So many amazing creators have deactivated -- even someone who taught me my entire bullet point format for HCs. Now, I’d say I’m pretty inspired by @jerzwriter, @terrm9, @utterlyinevitable, @the-pale-goddess, @mvalentine, and @queenbirbs. I’m definitely forgetting so many amazing people!

16- Which one of your stories would you most like to see as a movie/series? 

I would love to see A Weekend With Dr. Ramsey adapted into a mini-series with a devastating ending. 

17- Do you write original fiction? 

Yes, but not as often as I wish. Fanfiction has always been easier for me because I have somewhere to share it. Without that, I find I end up losing steam and forgetting about it. I do, however, have a phone full of story ideas, and one day, I’m determined to do them justice.

18 -  What other hobbies do you have?

I am a big reader, an occasional bullet journaler, a dog lover, a movie buff, and a fan of British mystery shows. 

19 - What’s your favorite emoji? 

The eyes emoji 👀It’s one of those amazing emojis that adds nuance to a text, and I use it way too often.

20: BONUS - tell us anything you’d like (if you want to).

____ I am truly so grateful to be part of this fandom. I know I’m not good at being in the fandom -- I disappear, I suck at answering, etc. But I truly love this group and am so happy to be part of it.

[nanowrimo]

What Do You Do After You've Written Your Novel? 6 Tips from Joanna Penn

Every year, we’re lucky to have great sponsors for our nonprofit events. Scrivener, a 2022 NaNoWriMo sponsor, is an award-winning writing app that has been enthusiastically adopted by best-selling novelists and novices alike. Today, they’ve partnered with author Joanna Penn to share some tips on what to do after you finish your first draft:

If you've completed this year's NaNoWriMo, congratulations! But finishing a novel is only the first step on a publishing journey. We spoke with Joanna Penn, author of non-fiction books for authors, as well as best-selling thriller author as J. F. Penn. 

Joanna did NaNoWriMo in 2009, and, while she didn't write 50,000 words, or finish her novel, the experience helped her decide where she wanted to go with her fiction, and how she wanted to develop her career as a writer. Joanna offers six tips for writers who have completed their first novel: 

1. Review your work.

"After NaNoWriMo, I spent the next 14 months in the editing process," Joanna said. At the end of NaNoWriMo, "you've got first-draft material, which you need to then shape into the book you want it to be. About 5,000 of the words that I wrote in NaNoWriMo ended up in the book. But this gave me the seed and the confidence for that first novel; I knew I could sit down and write, and have words that then I could edit later."

2. Formulate your goals.

Writers first looking for publication have choices to make. You can go the traditional publishing route, or you can self publish, and there are many variations of each approach. "If you are set on a traditional publishing deal, then you have to start researching agents. If you are interested in being an independent author, then you can look at self publishing options." 

3. Don't quit your day job.

Joanna is a full-time writer, but it took her several years, and several novels, to reach that point. She started writing in 2006, published her first book in 2008, then took a big initial pay cut when she went full time in 2011. "It's very unlikely that the book you write during NaNoWriMo is going to make you a million and get you a movie deal, so keep your day job while you keep writing." 

4. Do you enjoy writing?

Not everyone is cut out for a full-time career as a writer. Completing NaNoWriMo is a big achievement, but you need to really enjoy writing if you want to make it your career. "I think the question to ask yourself is, 'Did I enjoy writing?'" If the answer is "yes," you need to realize that a writing career won't be built around a single novel. "However you want to publish, it's not about one book, it's about more than one book."

5. If you self publish, you'll be running a business.

Successful self-publishing is a lot more than just writing; you also become a business. "To be successful at self publishing, you have to run a business. And many people don't want to run a business. They would rather have a publisher do the work for them."

6. Model your career on authors you like.

A good way to plan your future is to look how authors you like work and promote their books. "Find authors to model who have a career that you're interested in following. And then start looking at how they do marketing. What are you willing to do for the future that you want? Your decisions around publishing and marketing will come from that."

Joanna Penn is author of How to Write a Novel, and writes thrillers as J. F. Penn. 

Kirk McElhearn is the author of Take Control of Scrivener, and host of the podcast Write Now with Scrivener.

Scrivener provides a full range of writing and editing features at your fingertips, and combines all the tools you need to craft your first draft. All NaNoWriMo participants receive a 20% discount on Scrivener’s regular license by entering NANOWRIMO22 into the coupon code text field in the web store through December 7th, 2022. If you want to try out Scrivener first, you can download a free trial that will run through December 7th, 2022.

[ausetkmt]

This holiday season, many Americans will tour historic mansions in the Southern United States that are beautifully decked out in traditional wreaths, garlands and mistletoe for Christmas.

At Mount Vernon, George Washington’s Virginia mansion, tourists are promised candlelit tours and a “festive evening” of refreshments, 18th-century dancing and more. Visitors can even meet a reenactor playing Martha Washington, America’s first lady.

At the state-run Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation Historic Site in Brunswick, Georgia, promoters promise attendees a “magical experience” during the holiday event, learning how “Christmas was celebrated on a Southern rice plantation during the 1850s.”

What these tours teach is how rich white Southerners once celebrated Christmas: singing Christmas carols, dancing, drinking the cider brew wassail and enjoying refreshments or formal meals.

Few make a serious effort to tell what Christmas was like for the enslaved workers at these plantations before the American Civil War.

What’s missing?

When the black historian Brandon Byrd visited Belle Meade, a mansion in Nashville, Tennessee, for its Christmas tour a few years ago, he was shocked that the slave community and their harsh realities were barely mentioned. Instead, he reported, the tour guide mostly related “stories about the white men, women and children who woke up to Christmas in the mansion’s plush bedrooms.”

By the American Civil War, nearly 4 million slaves in all toiled in the Southern states, and about a million lived as servants in mansions and as field hands on large plantations with 50 slaves or more. They did almost all the grueling household and field labor that kept these places going, often sleeping and cooking in primitive cabins and working in unhealthy conditions under the threat of the whip.

In fact, the historic mansions hosting Christmas tourists never would have been built without the profits generated by slave labor. The grand Nottoway Plantation and resort in Louisiana, which traditionally puts on a Christmas event, was constructed just before the Civil War by some 155 slave workers.

Fictional tales and memoirs

In researching my 2019 book “Yuletide in Dixie,” I discovered that many historic plantation and mansion sites are reluctant to talk about slavery at their Christmas events. This is partly because administrators want to avoid topics that might make paying guests angry or uncomfortable.

But the omission of black Southerners from these holiday tales also stems from pervasive myths about slave life at Southern plantations before the Civil War.

For a long time, many people got their ideas about slavery at these places from memoirs, novels and short stories written by white Southerners after the Civil War. These stories, now outrageous for their racial stereotypes, not only justified the institution of slavery, they also made it seem like all enslaved people had fun on a Southern plantation at holiday time, dancing, singing, laughing and feasting for the holiday season, just as their masters did.

Susan Dabney Smedes, a white girl who grew up on a Mississippi plantation, published a memoir in 1887 called “Memorials of a Southern Planter” that made slave Christmases sound like wonderful times. Smedes wrote about how slaves wore their best clothes for Christmas, played a word game called “Christmas Gif’” with their white enslavers and drank eggnog their master made for them.

In a fictional tale published in the Century Magazine in 1911, an enslaved carpenter named Jerry even turns down the freedom that his master offers him on Christmas because he likes his life as a slave so much, and especially the Christmas present his master specially picks out for him each year.

Many of these memoirs and preposterous short stories and novels about happy slave Christmas experiences were so popular that they were republished in new editions over and over again from the late 1800s and early 1900s until, in some cases, the present.

Smedes’ “Memorials of a Southern Planter” was regularly republished for a century after its first appearance.

Many Americans got falsely pleasant images of slavery and especially slave Christmases from reading these works, and these wrongful impressions not only affected how the public thought and still thinks about slavery but, more specifically, how site administrators at Southern historic mansions and plantations planned their Christmas programs.

Whipped and sold on Christmas

I read many documents to find out how slaves actually spent their Christmases. The truth is deeply disturbing. The image shows the scars from whipping inflicted on the back of a slave. Mediadrumworld.com

On the one hand, the majority of enslaved people did get some them time off from work during Christmas, as well as feasts and presents. Some got to travel or to get married, privileges that they didn’t get at other times of the year. But these privileges could be withdrawn for any reason at all, and many slaves never got them at all.

Slavery was a brutal system of forced labor to enrich those same owners. Even over the holiday, masters kept the power to punish slaves. A photo taken during the Civil War shows a man who was whipped at Christmas. His back was covered with scars, showing that when masters punished the people they held in bondage, they often did so brutally.

There were other cruel forms of punishment. On one South Carolina plantation, a master angry at an enslaved woman he suspected of miscarrying her pregnancy on purpose locked her up for the Christmas holiday.

Masters sometimes forced enslaved workers to get drunk even if they did not want to drink, or wrestle with each other on Christmas simply for the amusement of the master’s family.

Likewise, I learned in my research, slaveholders bought and sold plenty of people over the holiday, keeping slave traders busy during Christmas week.

Escapes and panics over slave rebellions

It is revealing that many enslaved black Southerners also chose Christmas as the time to try to escape to freedom, despite the difficulties of traveling in cold weather with few supplies.

The famous black liberator Harriet Tubman, for example, helped her three brothers enslaved in Maryland to escape bondage over Christmas in 1854. Obviously, slaves like the Tubman brothers greatly resented their enslavement, or they would not have agreed to leave.

Evidence shows that many slaveholders knew their slaves hated their condition. Although the U.S. never had a major Christmas slave rebellion, Southern whites frequently panicked over frequent rumors that their slaves planned to revolt over the holiday. They armed themselves, conducted extra patrols, banned black people from the streets of cities and executed or whipped slaves whose behavior they thought was suspicious.

Panics over Christmas rebellions took place frequently. They were, at times, confined to a state, as in Charleston, South Carolina – then a British colony – in 1765. Or, they could spread in the entire American South, as one did in 1856. As I found in my research, Christmas revolt panics continued all the way through the Civil War.

These panics made Christmas a bad time for many slaves, who passed their Christmases in great fear that they would be rounded up and killed.

What’s changing?

Some Southern historic plantations and mansions are beginning to include a more accurate history of slavery in their presentations of the past.

Montpelier, the Virginia plantation of U.S. President James Madison, and Monticello, the famed mansion and plantation of Thomas Jefferson, for example, have been making efforts for several years now to work more accurate presentations.

Yet another onetime slave-owning president’s preserved site, James Monroe’s Highland, likewise is striving to provide a far more comprehensive look at the enslaved people who once lived there and the conditions they experienced.

There are signs that such changes are taking place elsewhere too. In 2013, for example, the Ben Lomond plantation in Virginia featured in its holiday programming the tale of how enslaved people murdered the place’s owner over Christmas. That same year, Montpelier, once home to President James Madison, asked its interpreters at Christmas to explain to visitors that whites living nearby were afraid of violence by Madison’s slaves.

Christmas programming, however, is changing more slowly than programming at other times of the year. That is because many would like the holiday event to be a fun one.

But a public acknowledgment that slavery was immoral, horrific and resisted by its victims in the form of more sensitive and informative Christmas events at historic mansions and plantations might just be a step toward racial reconciliation in the U.S.

[greenerteacups]

The worst part is that JKR did actually admit years later that upon reflection Hermione and Ron probably wouldn't have worked out as a couple and (while I totally thought that all along) I was like.... yeah, that's why the epilogue should never have existed! So that the people who liked Hermione/ Ron could have that as the end game couple and the people (like me) who thought it would never work out, could happily imagine that they tried dating for a bit and then realised within a year that they were better off as friends... Tbh that's still my headcanon and I don't care. As far as I'm concerned, they broke up and ended up dating and marrying the kind of people they'd actually be happy with... I kinda actually ship Ron with Lavender and think a post DH war hero Ron and more mature survivor of werewolf attack Lavender would be an awesome couple (yes Lavender lives in my headcanon). And I ship Dramione so of course I'd imagine that being an epic slow burn for my girl while she works to make the wizarding world a better place!

yeah this was always what confused me about wanting to establish that they got married, because like — i'm not going to pretend i don't see the appeal, i would have gone absolutely wild if we'd timeskipped two decades and saw "Hermione Malfoy" rocking up to Platform 9 3/4, i would have rioted, i would have run down the street like it was fucking V-Day, i would have quite simply lost my shit. so i get why fans of the ships like the endgame marriages, it's a nice bow-on-the-present to have confirmation of the happy ending. but it's not necessary. and hey, after a million words and seven books, maybe she's earned the right to twiddle her thumbs a little. but it's like... man, i really do think that ending on that scene of the Golden Trio standing on the parapets of Hogwarts after Harry snaps the Elder Wand would have been amazing. that's your last scene, man. that's the whole series, right there.

i have to admit, i really dislike the extracanonical stuff where she talks about her own writing. it's like she's trying to edit a text she's already published. and especially when she made that comment about ron and hermione needing counseling, i was like... who is this for? if you like that pairing, this is awful, and you're furious that you're having your legs cut out from under you years after you thought you got a happy ending. and if you don't like the pairing, you're standing there shouting: YEAH, I TOLD YOU SO! and fuming that Rowling essentially admitted she didn't think about their long-term compatibility before she wrote them into a twenty-year relationship.

and incompatibility isn't even a problem if you believe, as many fans of other ships do, that ron and hermione are a realistic intra-friendgroup couple who get babycrushes on each other, or perhaps mistake platonic feelings for romantic ones, date for a few years, break up, and then go back to a strong and loving friendship. and if DH ended on the Battle of Hogwarts, everyone who thinks that could just go on thinking that, and the people who like the couple — well, R/H is canon and endgame, so i don't think the people who ship them would have a reason to care what other corners of the internet think about it.

[kendalldimeglio]

An Overview of Cupcakes in the United States

Cupcakes were invented in 1796 by Amelia Simmons, who developed a recipe that described the treat as “a light cake to bake in small cups” in the book American Cookery. The first recorded use of the term “cupcake” can be traced back to a cookbook from Eliza Leslie published in 1928. Before the widespread use of “cupcake,” the desserts were alternatively referred to as number cakes, or 1234 cakes, because the basic recipe called for one cup of butter, two cups of sugar, three cups of flour, and four eggs, along with a cup of milk and spoonful of baking soda.

Cupcakes grew in popularity during the early 20th century, particularly after 1919, when the Hostess company began mass producing a variety of cupcakes and similar dessert food products, sometimes called snack cakes. Over the years, Hostess introduced numerous cupcake options, including orange-flavored and chocolate cupcakes.

There have been various surges in the popularity of cupcakes over time and trends within the dessert marketplace. Local New York City shops such as Magnolia Bakery gained national attention after being featured in episodes of Sex and the City in the early 2000s. Sprinkles Cupcakes opened in 2005 as the first bakery dedicated solely to cupcakes. The store has opened a second location and now produces upwards of 25,000 cupcakes each day. Crumbs, also in New York City, has reported over $23 million annual cupcake revenue.

The earliest examples of cupcakes were simple in design. Hostess mass-produced cupcakes for over a year before introducing frosting as a staple ingredient. Chocolate and vanilla frosting were standard cupcake toppings for many decades, but newer varieties include red velvet, coffee, pumpkin spice, and lemon, to name only a few.

While cupcakes have a long history in the United States, the popularity of the dessert option has hardly plateaued. Cupcake consumption throughout the US increased by 52 percent between 2010 and 2011. In 2015, 14 percent of respondents to a national survey named cupcakes their favorite dessert, just 5 percent behind cake. Less than 10 percent of respondents said they did not like cupcakes. In recent years, Americans have consumed more than 770 million cupcakes yearly.

Cupcakes are so beloved in America that they have their holiday. National Cupcake Day is observed by baking enthusiasts in the United States and a few other countries around the world on December 15. There are even sub-holidays for the dessert, such as National Chocolate Cupcake Day on October 18.

The largest cupcake ever baked belonged to GourmetGiftBaskets.com. They set the World Record in 2009 with a 1,224-pound cupcake that measured 4 feet tall and 10 feet wide. The giant cupcake contained 2 million calories. Indeed, while cupcakes are a popular tasty treat in America, it is important to remember they are a dessert item and should be consumed sparingly.

A standard cupcake provides little to no nutritional value. Unless a person is living with a specific medical condition, accepting a cupcake at a birthday party or after dinner is fine, but limiting the dessert to a single serving is best. Individuals planning a dinner or party can look for healthier cupcake recipes or mini-cupcakes.

[tandynicole]

Who Knew Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was Controversial?

Welcome to my very first blog post. Today I want to talk about the children's story that we all know and love, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Whether it be the original book, or one of the two movie adaptations, we’ve all at least heard of this classic story in some way. Today I want to focus on the original children’s book written by Roald Dahl and the controversies it has racked up throughout the years.

Let's start with a little background on the author and a quick summary of the book for those of us who may need a refresher. Roald Dahl, who died in 1990 at the age of 74, was a British author who is still considered one of the most popular children’s authors. He is known for popular works such as James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, and The Witches, and his books have sold more than 300 million copies globally. He was known to voice some offensive opinions outside of his work and was also notorious for his anti-sematic remarks. Be that as it may, his works were still very successful. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was first published in 1964 and is perhaps one of Dahl’s most popular works, having sold at least 20 million copies world-wide in 55 different languages. It has two different movie adaptations, and has even been adapted for stage performances. So no matter which form it’s viewed in, this classic continues to lure children in with its rags-to-riches tale.

The main character of the book is an 11 year old boy named Charlie Bucket who lives in poverty with his parents and all 4 grandparents. Everyday on his way to school Charlie passes the famous chocolate factory owned by Willy Wonka. No one is ever seen coming in or out of the factory and Wonka is very secretive. Charlie’s grandfather tells him that this is due to competitors stealing Wonkas candy-making secrets, causing the factory to shut down temporarily in the past. One day Wonka announces that he will be hiding 5 Golden Tickets inside chocolate bars and that the children who find them will be rewarded with a tour of the factory and a lifetime supply of his products.

Charlie happens to find some money sticking out of the snow while walking one day, uses it to buy two chocolate bars, and discovers the final Golden Ticket in one of them. When Charlie and the four other children enter the factory they are amazed by both its beauty, and the creatures who work there. These creatures are the cacao-bean loving Oompa Loompa’s, who Wonka explains are from a land called “Loompaland”. They are described as being tiny men with white skin and golden hair who love to sing, and are the only people Wonka employs to work in his factory. As the tour continues, the other four children suffer bizarre, and sometimes painful, consequences for their selfish and bad behavior. For example the bubble gum obsessed Violet Beauregarde steals a piece of experimental gum that turns her into a blueberry. The mischievous Oompa Loompas break into songs highlighting the children's bad behavior each time this happens. By the end of the tour Charlie is the only one of the 5 children left standing, so to reward him for his good behavior Wonka gives him the chocolate factory and that's how the story ends.

Now if you’re anything like me you may be wondering, where did people find controversy in that? Well to start, Dahl had originally described the Oompa Loompas as African pygmies that Wonka found in the deepest, darkest parts of the African Jungle. However, Dahl himself changed their description to white-skinned and golden haired fantasy creatures in 1973 after many complaints and protests by the NAACP. The NAACP even went as far as to demand that the 1971 movie adaptation be given a different name than the book so people wouldn’t make the connection between the two and read the book. And now today the books publishers at Puffin Books are going to be making even more changes to the story in their New Edition reprints of the book. The Oompa Loompas will no longer be described as “tiny men no higher than my knee”, but will instead simply be called “small people” to avoid offending short people and to erase the exclusion of women. Also the description of Augustus Gloop, one of the 5 children on the tour, will be changed from “enormously fat” to just “enormous” to avoid offending heavy-weight children. I really don’t see the point in either of these changes since you can clearly see their original descriptions in both of the movies, but to each their own I guess.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory isn’t the only one of Dahl’s works undergoing these changes. They are all being edited in some way and this is upsetting many fans of the original works as well as other authors and anti-censorship advocates. British-American novelist Salman Rushdie had this to say, “Roald Dahl was no angel, but this is absurd censorship. Puffin Books and the Dahl Estate should be ashamed.” My main question is where do they draw the line? At what point are they beginning to read these books with the pretense “how could this be seen as offensive”? Were these changes really necessary or are the Sensitivity Readers in charge of pointing these things out just that; too sensitive. I believe we’re beginning to step into the danger zone of controlling the creativity and imaginations of writers by changing their visions for their stories. Most children wouldn’t read these things and see them as offensive, so all they’re really going to accomplish is softening children and making them believe everything to be offensive. But part of life is having to learn to deal with things that might upset you, or make you uncomfortable. And children should have to learn that not everything is a personal attack.

If you’ve made it all the way to the end thank you! I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions on this topic. Just remember to stay respectful towards each other in the comments section. You can disagree with each other, but still be kind and respectful, that’s how good debates work. Let me know if you’d like to hear about any of Dahl’s other works and their individual controversies and changes. And also feel free to make requests on what you think I should write about next.

[maverickuk]

Gaming is now an accepted mainstream entity enjoyed by millions of people globally and providing many streamers with endless sources of content.

However back in the 90’s when I was experiencing my teenage years the landscape was far different. In the UK there were only 4 channels on the TV (unless you paid a premium for satellite or cable TV) which typically only catered for the mainstream.

GamesMaster broke new ground in 1992 when it burst onto Channel 4 and suddenly put games and gamers centre stage.  Dominic Diamond presented the show through all of its seasons (except the third) featuring a series of celebrity guests attempting to play various video game challenges. 

I was 10 years old at the time and found it amazing that something on TV was finally showing various video games in motion, rather than the static glimpses I’d historically scraped out of magazines previously. 

As the years went by I must have stopped watching it, as most of my memories are from the first few seasons. But what I did watch left a lasting impression on me.

When I heard that GamesMaster: The Oral History had been announced I was curious. It was to be written by Dominic Diamond with contributions from many of the other people involved in the production of the show.

I’d previously enjoyed the Sensible Software book from the same publisher, so I decided to take a punt and back the Kickstarter.

After several delays the book finally arrived a few weeks ago. With a hardback design and high quality printing, it felt like a premium product which was a labour of love. However I didn’t feel the desire to start reading it and instead it sat on a shelf for quite some time.

Once I finally started reading I was immediately engaged by the obvious passion, love and vivid memories Dominic Diamond has from his years involved in GamesMaster. Since then I’ve enjoyed reading a few more pages each day during breakfast and have found the whole experience to by of high quality with many entertaining stories and behind the scene insights.

For anyone who grew up with GamesMaster I can recommend this book without hesitation. For those not from the UK or are too young to have been a part of this time, I’d still very much recommend it as a well written piece of gaming broadcast history.

[jcmarchi]

AI Meets Spreadsheets: How Large Language Models are Getting Better at Data Analysis

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/ai-meets-spreadsheets-how-large-language-models-are-getting-better-at-data-analysis/

AI Meets Spreadsheets: How Large Language Models are Getting Better at Data Analysis

Spreadsheets have been a core tool for data organization, financial modeling, and operational planning in businesses across industries. Initially designed for basic calculations and simple data management, their functionality has expanded as the need for data-driven insights has grown. Today, enterprises need real-time data analysis, advanced analytics, and even predictive capabilities within the familiar spreadsheet format. As spreadsheet tools become more advanced, many non-technical users find navigating and fully utilizing these complex features increasingly challenging.

Large Language Models (LLMs), advanced AI models capable of understanding and generating human language, are changing this domain. Developed by companies like OpenAI, Microsoft, and Google are reshaping how users interact with spreadsheets. By integrating AI directly into platforms like Excel and Google Sheets, LLMs enhance spreadsheets with natural language capabilities that simplify complex tasks. Users can now perform complex data analysis, automate workflows, and generate insights by simply typing a request in plain language. This shift enables spreadsheets to serve as intuitive, AI-powered tools for data analysis, breaking down technical barriers and democratizing access to meaningful insights across all levels of an organization.

Background on Large Language Models (LLMs)

To understand how LLMs are transforming spreadsheets, it is important to know about their evolution. LLMs are powerful AI systems trained on massive amounts of data, like books, websites, and specialized content. These models learn to understand language nuances, context, and even industry-specific jargon.

In their early days, language models could manage only simple tasks like classifying text. But modern LLMs, such as GPT-4 and LLaMA, are a whole different story. They generate human-like text and can handle complex data processing and analysis, making them incredibly useful for data-intensive tasks like spreadsheet analysis.

A significant advancement came with GPT-3, which improved how models understood and interacted with language. Each new version has gotten better at handling complex tasks, faster at processing queries, and more adept at understanding context. Today, the demand for LLMs in data analysis is so high that the industry is seeing rapid growth, with these models expected to play a significant role in business intelligence.

This progress is reflected in tools like Microsoft’s Copilot for Excel and Google Sheets’ Duet AI, which directly bring LLM capabilities into the spreadsheet software millions already use. These tools enable people to get valuable insights from data without specialized technical skills, which is especially helpful for small and medium-sized businesses. Access to AI-driven data analysis can make a big difference for these companies, providing the same competitive insights typically available to larger companies with data science teams.

How LLMs are Transforming Data Analysis in Spreadsheets

LLMs are transforming data analysis within spreadsheets, bringing advanced data processing and accuracy improvements directly into familiar tools like Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets. Traditionally, spreadsheet users needed to rely on complex formulas and nested functions for data processing, which could be challenging and error-prone, especially for non-technical users. With LLMs, users can simply input commands in plain language, such as “Calculate the year-over-year growth” or “Highlight sales anomalies,” allowing the model to generate the appropriate formulas or provide instant insights. This natural language capability significantly reduces the time spent on analysis and improves accuracy. This is an advantage in fast-moving fields like e-commerce and finance.

In addition to data processing, LLMs excel at automating essential data-cleaning tasks crucial for accurate analysis. Users can instruct the model to perform tasks like “normalize dates to MM/DD/YYYY” or “fill missing values with the median.” The model executes these processes in seconds, ensuring higher data quality and improving downstream analytics. Studies have shown that AI-powered data cleaning significantly enhances the accuracy of data analysis, making these capabilities particularly beneficial for users who need reliable insights without dedicating extensive time to data preparation.

Another critical benefit of LLMs is their ability to interpret data trends and generate summaries in natural language. For example, a marketer can ask, “What are the primary sales trends over the last year?” and receive a concise summary of critical insights without manually sifting through large datasets. This ease of trend analysis and summary generation has made it simpler for non-technical users to understand and act on data insights. Surveys indicate that many users feel LLMs improve their ability to interpret data for strategic planning, showing a growing reliance on AI for informed decision-making.

LLMs also play a critical role in democratizing data analysis by reducing the need for specialized technical skills. With LLM integrations, non-technical professionals across various departments can access advanced data insights independently. For example, a retail manager can analyze customer trends without relying on a data specialist. This accessibility allows organizations to make data-driven decisions at every level, promoting a culture of informed, agile decision-making.

LLMs are now embedded directly into spreadsheet tools, with examples like Microsoft’s Copilot in Excel and Google’s Duet AI in Google Sheets. These integrations enable generating formulas, categorizing data, and visualizations using simple language prompts. A financial analyst, for instance, could type, “Show a trend line for quarterly revenue growth,” and the model will produce the visualization, streamlining a task that would otherwise be manual and time-consuming.

Challenges and Limitations of LLMs in Data Analysis

While LLMs bring powerful capabilities to data analysis, they come with significant challenges and limitations. These issues are particularly relevant in sensitive or high-stakes environments where accuracy and privacy are essential.

First, data privacy and security are a vital concern. Since many LLMs are cloud-based, they pose potential risks for sensitive data exposure. Regulations like GDPR and CCPA enforce strict data protection requirements, so companies using LLMs must ensure compliance by implementing robust security protocols. Solutions include using models that process data locally or enhancing encryption and data anonymization. These measures help mitigate data leakage or unauthorized access risks, which is critical when dealing with personal or proprietary information.

Another challenge is accuracy and reliability. While LLMs are highly advanced, they are not immune to errors. They may misinterpret vague or complex prompts, potentially leading to incorrect insights. This is especially problematic in areas like finance or healthcare, where decisions based on faulty data can have significant consequences.

LLMs also struggle with noisy or context-lacking datasets, impacting output accuracy. To address this, many organizations incorporate human oversight and AI verification checks to validate outputs, ensuring they meet reliability standards before being used in critical decisions.

In addition, technical limitations make the integration of LLMs within existing systems, such as spreadsheets, challenging. Processing large datasets in real-time or scaling up LLM applications requires substantial computational resources. Moreover, because LLMs need frequent updates to stay relevant, especially for domain-specific tasks, maintaining them can be resource-intensive. For many businesses, balancing these technical demands with the benefits of LLMs is an ongoing challenge.

These limitations highlight the need for strategic planning, especially for organizations looking to integrate LLMs effectively while protecting data integrity and ensuring operational reliability.

Future Trends and Innovations

The future of LLMs in spreadsheet-based data analysis is promising, with some exciting developments anticipated. One big trend is customization and personalization. Future LLMs are expected to learn from users’ past interactions, tailoring their responses to specific preferences. This means users could get faster, more relevant insights without adjusting settings each time.

Collaboration is another area where LLMs are set to improve. Soon, multiple users can work together on the same spreadsheet, making real-time updates and decisions. This could transform spreadsheets into powerful, collaborative tools where team members can instantly exchange ideas and see changes.

Additionally, we may soon see the integration of multimodal AI capabilities. This technology allows LLMs to simultaneously work with text, numbers, images, and structured data. Imagine analyzing a dataset that combines sales figures with customer reviews within a single spreadsheet. This would provide a more complete and holistic view, making analysis more comprehensive and insightful.

These developments will make LLMs even more helpful, helping users make smarter, faster decisions and collaborate more effectively.

The Bottom Line

The rise of LLMs in spreadsheets is changing how we interact with data. What once required complex formulas and specialized skills can now be handled by simply typing what we need in everyday language. This shift means that data analysis is no longer reserved for technical experts. Now, professionals from all backgrounds can tap into powerful insights, make informed decisions, and get the most out of their data.

Yet, like any innovation, LLMs bring both opportunities and challenges. Data privacy, model reliability, and technical demands are fundamental considerations for companies adopting these tools. Businesses need to use LLMs thoughtfully, ensuring they protect sensitive information and validate the insights AI generates.

[tallmantall]

James Donaldson on Mental Health - 10 Effective Ways to Manage Anxiety in Daily Life

In today's fast-paced world, managing anxiety is crucial for maintaining mental health and overall well-being. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults every year. However, anxiety is highly treatable, and there are numerous strategies to help manage it effectively. In this blog post, we will explore 10 practical and effective ways to manage anxiety in daily life. 1. Practice Mindfulness and Meditation Mindfulness and meditation are powerful tools for reducing anxiety. By focusing on the present moment and observing your thoughts without judgment, you can create a sense of calm and clarity. Studies have shown that regular mindfulness practice can significantly reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. Consider starting with just a few minutes of meditation each day. Apps like Headspace and Calm offer guided meditations that can help you get started. 2. Exercise Regularly Physical activity is a natural anxiety reliever. Exercise releases endorphins, which are chemicals in the brain that act as natural painkillers and mood elevators. Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise, such as walking, jogging, or yoga, most days of the week. Even small amounts of physical activity can make a big difference. A study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry found that just 15 minutes of exercise can reduce anxiety symptoms. 3. Maintain a Healthy Diet Your diet plays a significant role in your mental health. Consuming a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains can help stabilize your mood. Avoid excessive caffeine and sugar, as they can exacerbate anxiety symptoms. Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon and flaxseeds, have been shown to reduce anxiety. Additionally, probiotics found in yogurt and other fermented foods can support gut health, which is closely linked to mental health. 4. Get Enough Sleep Sleep is essential for mental health. Lack of sleep can increase stress and anxiety levels. Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night. Create a calming bedtime routine, such as reading a book or taking a warm bath, to help you unwind before bed. Establish a consistent sleep schedule by going to bed and waking up at the same time every day, even on weekends. Avoid screens and caffeine close to bedtime to improve your sleep quality. 5. Limit Alcohol and Caffeine While alcohol and caffeine may seem to provide temporary relief from anxiety, they can actually worsen symptoms over time. Caffeine can increase heart rate and trigger anxiety attacks, while alcohol can disrupt sleep and affect mood regulation. Opt for herbal teas like chamomile or peppermint, which have calming effects and can help reduce anxiety. If you enjoy coffee, try to limit your intake to one cup per day and avoid drinking it in the afternoon. 6. Practice Deep Breathing Exercises Deep breathing exercises can help activate the body's relaxation response. When you feel anxious, take a few minutes to focus on your breath. Inhale deeply through your nose, hold for a few seconds, and exhale slowly through your mouth. Techniques such as diaphragmatic breathing or the 4-7-8 breathing method can be particularly effective. These exercises help reduce the physical symptoms of anxiety, such as rapid heartbeat and shortness of breath. 7. Stay Connected with Loved Ones Social support is crucial for managing anxiety. Talking to friends and family about your feelings can provide comfort and perspective. Don't hesitate to reach out to loved ones when you're feeling overwhelmed. Joining a support group can also be beneficial. Connecting with others who understand what you're going through can help you feel less isolated and more supported. 8. Set Realistic Goals Setting realistic and achievable goals can help reduce anxiety. Break tasks into smaller, manageable steps and celebrate your progress along the way. This approach can prevent feelings of overwhelm and boost your confidence. Use tools like to-do lists or planners to stay organized and prioritize tasks. Remember to be kind to yourself and recognize that it's okay to adjust your goals as needed. 9. Seek Professional Help If your anxiety becomes overwhelming or interferes with your daily life, consider seeking professional help. Therapists and counselors can provide valuable support and teach coping strategies tailored to your needs. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a highly effective treatment for anxiety disorders. It focuses on identifying and changing negative thought patterns and behaviors that contribute to anxiety. #James Donaldson notes:Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space.  #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticleFind out more about the work I do on my 501c3 non-profit foundationwebsite www.yourgiftoflife.org Order your copy of James Donaldson's latest book,#CelebratingYourGiftofLife: From The Verge of Suicide to a Life of Purpose and Joy www.celebratingyourgiftoflife.com Link for 40 Habits Signupbit.ly/40HabitsofMentalHealth If you'd like to follow and receive my daily blog in to your inbox, just click on it with Follow It. Here's the link https://follow.it/james-donaldson-s-standing-above-the-crowd-s-blog-a-view-from-above-on-things-that-make-the-world-go-round?action=followPub 10. Engage in Relaxation Techniques Relaxation techniques such as progressive muscle relaxation, guided imagery, and aromatherapy can help reduce anxiety. These practices promote a state of relaxation and can be easily incorporated into your daily routine. Experiment with different techniques to find what works best for you. For example, you might enjoy listening to calming music, using essential oils, or practicing gentle stretching exercises. Conclusion Managing anxiety in daily life is possible with the right strategies and support. By incorporating these 10 effective ways into your routine, you can reduce stress, improve your mental well-being, and lead a more balanced and fulfilling life. Remember, it's important to be patient with yourself and seek help when needed. You're not alone in this journey, and there are many resources available to support you. Read the full article

[billconrad]

Is Proper English Still necessary?

When I was a young pup, all the students immediately grasped reading and writing. It looked so easy, but I struggled despite trying my best. Things began changing in the ninth grade, and I started making peace with grammar, spelling, and writing.

    Why was mastering the English language so important? English? They ripped off the word from the name of a country. Lame. The answer is that we no longer solely depend on verbal words to communicate in our modern society. Instead, we write concepts on paper, enter them into a computer, or print them on a printing press. Written words have become the primary means of communication, information, computation, and understanding. Thus, it is necessary to have an agreed-upon format, and education forces students to follow these rules.

    And the result is fantastic. “Today, I ate a red apple for breakfast.” There is no ambiguity in that sentence. Every single reader 100% understood exactly what information I intended to convey. And what a great sentence! Did you notice the capital letter at the beginning and the period at the end? How helpful! And that coma? Readers know exactly when to pause while speaking. Genius!

    Professionals, employers, teachers, and readers expect/demand good sentence structure to work, communicate, understand, research, record, archive, share, debate, and absorb the content. Even if all the meaning is present, a poorly written sentence trips up the system because readers get confused. Sometimes, the error can be so bad that the confusion can only be resolved by contacting the author.

    Finally, a well-written document is so much more impressive. It stands out as the mark of a true professional, and they can be proud of their creation. Proper documents power our modern world and prepare us for a fantastic future.

    Well, it seems like I have summed things up neatly. Spelling, punctuation, and grammar are all essential for a functioning society. Nothing more to say. Yet… Some cracks are forming. Let’s start with the with our “solid foundation.” What is the standard set of rules for the English language? That’s easy. The Chicago Manual of Style. Obviously!

    Umm, how many kids/adults even know about this book? Did the teacher bring it out in your first-grade class? No. Why not? Oh, it is too complex for kids. Now, hold on. Remember going to Sunday school as a kid to learn about religion? Yup, on the first day, some religious person tossed a Bible/Torah/Koran right at you, and you spent the next 10-100 years trying to figure out the meaning.

    Have you read the Chicago Manual of Style? What a confusing mess! But it is perfect, right? Umm. Why is it on the seventeenth edition? Hmm, it sounds like the manual needed improving. And who decided the Chicago Manual of Style was the master default source? I never even heard of the thing until I was 50.

    It used to be that when you bought a car, you jumped in and drove off. The Lexus we purchased five years ago has FIVE manuals. The owner’s manual is 907 pages, and the entertainment/navigation system is 416 pages. Is it necessary to read all that? If you want to understand how to navigate, it sure is.

According to Toner Buzz:

Each year, 500,000 to 1 million new books come out.

Including self-published authors, the count reaches close to 4 million new book titles each year.

In 2021, there were about 2.3 million new self-published books in the US, marking a decline compared to the preceding two years.

Plus there is internet information, prior published books, newspapers, magazines, textbooks, journals, letters, and advertisements. They even have entire buildings filled with books, called libraries. What is a library? Dang, you will have to go to the library, to get a dictionary to look up that word.

    It is all too much, and something must give. Quality. Yes, the effort we put into writing quality has begun to slip. Now, English errors are more common and get less attention.

    Speaking of introducing errors, we now have a new player. Yes, Artificial Intelligence is now in the typeset seat. Yay! Need to create a 1000-word report about George Washington? ChatGPT: Create a 1000-word report about the life and history of George Washington. Done! And the result will read well. Very well! But… ChatGPT is not a person. It makes weird mistakes, gets repetitive, confusing, wordy, and produces incorrect results. But the grammar/spelling and punctuation is fantastic. Right?

    ChatGPT created sentences that look good with a quick review, but I see flaws when I study sentence structure. (Note: I do not use ChatGPT for writing. I do use it for a story idea sounding board.) The funny thing is that ChatGPT is getting worse. It blabbers on about nonsense and gets into strange side tangents. I have spotted two glaring spelling mistakes.

    We have another problem: Spell/grammar checkers. Wow, they have changed my life. I love Grammarly, ProWritingAid, Thesarus.com, Dictonary.com, Wikipedia, and random name generators. Astounding! And I can even hire a ghostwriter, beta reader, or copy editor. They charge by the word. Just like Uber charges by the mile!

    What happens when these incredible resources disagree? All those tools are synchronized to the latest edition of The Chicago Manual of Style, The Modern Language Association of America handbook, and the Oxford Dictionary. Right? They are not? What? How can that be? They do their own thing because nobody can agree upon the rules. Know what is worse? Besides America, other countries speak English, and their rules differ.

    Plus, there is a new player: social media and streaming sites. We used to get all our essential information from written sources like textbooks, manuals, guides, reference books, or data sheets. Let’s say I want to remove the engine from my car. I used to go to the library and check out one or more books on automotive repair. Then, I would search for the chapter on engine removal and follow the steps. The manual will include important cautions, tips, warnings, and pictures/diagrams.

    Now, I search YouTube for “engine removal” and then watch the informative video. If I do not like the video, I click on another. What is the problem? YouTube viewers will listen to a person naturally speaking without a script, and there will be many grammatical errors. This means that hearing verbal errors is becoming more acceptable, which translates to writing errors being more acceptable.

    Now for the most significant attack on the English language. Kids text all day and night. Punctuation is actively frowned upon, and kids intentionally misspell words. Teachers are completely overwhelmed, and they have another problem.

    Popular social agendas have ruined the education system, and politicians are introducing programs without trials or public input. For example, my daughter graduated from a high school with the “No Child Left Behind” program. Wow, that sounds impressive.

    What did this program replace? They used to have an Advanced Placement class for the smart kids, a regular class, and a class to help the struggling kids. Now, they throw them together with the idea that the smart kids will help struggling kids.

    Result? Group tests, projects, and homework. My daughter was placed with three average kids and two struggles. So, she would do the work while the others play on their phones. Even when she asks for their input, they refuse to help. A+ for everyone! What does this mean? This means that chimps learning sign language get a better education than five out of six kids.

    It gets worse. Because the administrators at her high school spent all their money on giving themselves raises, they must cheap out as much as possible. So, they use open-source (free) software instead of industry-standard programs. Do companies use open-source programs? No, because they must administer their employees, open-source programs are nearly impossible to control, secure, or maintain.

    Now, I must pivot. I got my latest book back from my copy editor and have been reviewing the edits. My guy is fantastic and uncovered so many errors I never would have spotted. Wonderful!

    Well, I found a significant error that the copy editor missed. See if you can spot it. This is a dialog between two characters:

“I try.”

“Stop being so modest and take the compliment,” Kim chided,

“Alright.”

    I ended a sentence with a comma and not a period. This mistake is easy to miss because a comma and a period look similar. Side note: Grammarly, Microsoft Word, and ProWritingAid also missed it. Boo!

    This error is big enough for a bus to drive through. And I was even more upset because I caught the mistake after reviewing the document several times. But then I thought about the reality of the situation. Was my mistake that bad?

    I see spelling mistakes on massive billboards, gobbledygook from bestselling authors, and text messages that are so bad that I cannot make heads or tails of them. My comma mix-up was a minor boo-boo—no big deal.

    Yet, I remained angry. “I should have caught this! My editor should have caught this! Hey, you messed up, Grammarly, Microsoft Word, and ProWritingAid!”

    Am I writing this article to give myself a pass? No, quite the opposite. Today, there are more tools than ever to correct English flaws. Plus, the internet provides a vast resource for properly learning English, and the rules are better documented than ever. So, there is no excuse for improper English.

    Yet… Have you read a book review lately? I often see comments like: “Needed editing.” “I spotted six spelling errors in the first chapter.” “Did a sixth grader write this?” “They used ChatGPT to write the entire book.”

    And there is a final smack in the face. It has taken me a lifetime of struggling to attain basic English skills. Now that I can appreciate finely crafted sentences (I love you, Neil Gaiman!!!), everything has turned to junk.

    My question remains. How upset should I be by my comma mistake? So many people discourage proper English, and a well-written sentence looks out of place. My answer is that I will try my best, but this feels like a battle where I am the only one who cares about the outcome.

    You’re the best -Bill

    September 11, 2024

   Hey, book lovers, I published four. Please check them out:

  Interviewing Immortality. A dramatic first-person psychological thriller that weaves a tale of intrigue, suspense, and self-confrontation.

   Pushed to the Edge of Survival. A drama, romance, and science fiction story about two unlikely people surviving a shipwreck and living with the consequences.

   Cable Ties. A slow-burn political thriller that reflects the realities of modern intelligence, law enforcement, department cooperation, and international politics.

   Saving Immortality. Continuing in the first-person psychological thriller genre, James Kimble searches for his former captor to answer his life’s questions.

   These books are available in softcover on Amazon and in eBook format everywhere.