note to self:

write something about queer stuff and science fiction. write anything about queer stuff it should happen.

I didn’t even add “the queer” as a category to /tychoish until just now. What does that say?

On the one hand I’ve taken to using my computer and my text editing software for my job. It means that I can get more done, and it’s nice to use a computer where all the keys are in the right place (it’s my own fault for moving them around on my keyboard.) The downside, is that the last thing I want to do when I come home is open up the editor and write. I think getting a different theme going on might help with this problem… anyway.

Work is going well. They fixed the book shelves, so I can get to the material I need to work with, and don’t have to spend time sitting around trying to be creative in an attempt to find something to do, because I can’t get to the stuff I need, because the shelves are stuck. That will learn you to not build bookshelves that are smarter than you.

A note to the people from knitting camp: I did infact ordered some of the yarn that Lou Ann had (and lots of color cards). I can’t wait. I did leave my foulder and books at camp do’oh so it’s coming book rate¹. That lead time will hopefully allow me to get some other things done, so that I don’t throw myself into a new design before I get some of my in progress projects taken care of. Currently on the needles/in the queue: 3.25 sleeves, the body of a sweater. Currently waiting to start: an armenian sweater in merino lace weight, and some sort of celtic/tukish design using the Domy Heather (a la Lou Ann). If I hunkered down the sleeves would be done pretty soon, so we’ll see how this works out.

Also a knitting camp note: if folks have pictures that they want to share they totally should. I love that you all took pictures of my shawl, I’m totally relying on the group for the pictures.

I’ll be in touch, and I’m going to try and blog more knitting stuff over here.

Thanks for reading.

Ok friends, so given my general lack of acomplishment this week, I don’t really have a proper Delueze essay for you this week. I browsed the first several pages of the chapter I had planed to read this week, and it didn’t really work for me. The third major division (part?) of the book is titled “Savages, Barbarians, and Civilized Men” and basically covers the formation of Oedipal¹ structures on the social/cultural level. While this is important, this part of the text is hard to get through, of decreasing utility, and oblique.

I have to say that this is probably exactly the kind of project that psychoanalytical terms and frameworks are ill suited to. We can talk about normative ideas, and cultural organization really well without imposing the tangentially useful Analytic crap. There’s plenty of room and need for it, but right here, I really can’t imagine ever coming back to it. I keep stalling out on this section of the book, I think this should be a hint to me.

So this brought me back to the table of contents so that I can think of how to proceed. I do want to keep reading Deleuze, but I need to find something that works better. My first impulse is to go to DR (which is what Jared of SportiveThoughts Recommends), but I have half a mind to just skip 4 sections in AO and read 8. “The Urstaat,” and 10. “Capitalist Representation,” and then move on to the final part, which is “Introduction to Schizoanalysis.”

In an effort to give this post a little meaning, as a follow up to the list of reason why I thought AO was important/worthwhile, I’d like to present a list of possible applications/uses. Next week, I’ll have something more substantive.

• structural models (machines), are inherently incomplete and flawed. Deleuze and Guatteri’s discussion of this concept, can be helpful in exploring and explaining social practices which we may be tempted to assume as being somehow a priori, like memory, or gender.
• I think I’m going to, at some point, use Deleuze and Guatteri’s discussion of recording machines as part of a justification for studying memory. Same for the section that I quoted in Culture, Memory and Lanague.
• Once I find more of the nomadic subject/multipicity of subjectivity’s stuff, I think that would be very helpful to my cause.

I think that’s just the surface, but a start. Have a good weekend.

Cheers, tycho

thats right, I’ve gotten more span with quotes from the foundation books. Now of course, there’s a GIF attached with spam-y information. But I like the foundation books, so I will represent it here for you.

In the Very rim of the additional centuries of clouds and isn’t There was warming up at the shadow news?

Several very far Chief Commissioner; true, it’s notoriously not only; we they’re all scientists of the darkness and all his nose. Mallow flipped it will also, have been a rather, than a fool, question: the Foundation may wear it they don’t think I come. And therefore it? Wienis progress. And half religion which a small and then joined any; more the destruction of one knows exactly what they can endure a coronet of sight seeing the middle of age, and for theory of Smyrno or pro and it compared to word that are its rebel against the government is simple interplanetary trips.

The Council, chamber and twenty five in not and in. You By saving the gigantic, because we could make sure I was only in which carries with a the mild Vegan tobacco of the Commdor will arrive in strict sense of realizing that are or force we have said, Orsy, changing the steps, and wondered, at a fifty years ago; the honor and Hober Mallow and game will were the analogy. The corners of the powah systems in every temple opened all that opened one Then the ENCYCLOPEDISTS way of Smyrno, not say why, do tricks with surprising that were civilized.

You, I know the day: of enlightened men administration of. Why you yourself, of the Foundation I help, it helps; the officer smiled, I’m sorry, my quota fleet. The ship; and stared after the dying! The Encyclopedia peace, of being brought down stared at that, unimaginable region that might yes; the vast relief, he scarcely Free trade ship? In crisis. I’m sure! He didn’t really need waste his. That the mayor placed his ears of us. The partnership at a planet practically without your little weazened soul that human race had threw his chambers when he had in the he brings me speak of the regent, rose.

He be a stupid, so depends on the eightieth city Hall, and lips separated from the Foundation would endanger your ultimatum. His comer steel or I’ll tell him and it was gone past; morals prevent the Vault in effect even Seldon’s fingers on strictly within the them. Lameth say nothing of us.

There’s not simply gold.

If I am entirely automatically, then appeal to immensity; be trusted to eight hours after all except certainly: sprung to describe the barbarians (was good morning and withdrew a nasty spot Oh Yes nuclear blaster specifically borrowed of the position: to soothe their cold as this Commission will or so). He was, certainly Smyrno.

He isn’t got the destruction. In strangled tones of the third, person men on; some into sibilant monosyllables, and When scarcely no, doubt Your stomach can point HARI Seldon’s advanced science without permission of minor matter. You’ll have accomplished in fiendish a little it for a time. But died under the dead for it said quietly, I. How did not say, get his daughter’s tongue plans, to predict the Grand blazing light and said View; room. The MAYORS the machine of the right said not grower in five first landed in communication system, army into the with these details of an extremely strategic points: would be trusted to the Foundation into a nice dry cell was a moment; when the pipes, fresh cut it has it by jumping too pleased.

this is a draft of course of something that’s been floating around in my head…

Julia: here to set up your data portal.

David: don’t tell me you’re the tech.

Julia (agast): I’m not the tech, I’m the systems, data and node administrator, do you still want the data portal or not?

David: oh, right that’s not what I meant at all. sorry, no, I mean yes I want the portal, I was just sort of surprised at how young you all are these days.

Julia: oh! sorry. I’m still a little buzzed.

david: a bit early even for someone so young.

Julia: not that kind of buzz. it’s the nets. I was working all night. and I’m not that young.

david; oh. right. sorry….

As I come out of my haze and return to “real life” and all the various things I have (and want) to do I’m realizing how little time I actually have to do it (this week) Ah well. Day by day. Thankfully I’ve finally returned to the life of the living. For more readings about my doings and what I’m up to check out my last post on TealArt, which should cover some stuff.

Because in a lot of ways this site is my place to list things: I have a few things to make a list of.

1. I need to order the yarn for my next sweater and call KnitPicks to replace a needle. 2. I need to write a little thing up about/for Knitting camp, because I promised that I would, and I want to. 3. I want to write this essay for Brenda’s podcast, and I need to get cracking on it, because I doubt that I’ll be able to read it myself. 4. Station Keeping needs some attention. 5. knitting savants also needs some proper attention. 6. It’s time to do a little bit of honest to goodness hunkering down 7. I need some farscape time. I’ve had the second season of Voyager on my computer for a long time, and while it’s enjoyable, I actually want to see some of the later seasons, and would like to use my limited knitting/TV time for something good/better.

Also I have a message for the g-ds of libraries: please make the shelves at work, well, work. I will do penance for my people’s decision to use new fangled bookshelves which can brake, if you’ll just make them work reliably.

have a good day, and bear with me as things slowly return to normal around here

Welcome to `Station Keeping <http://tychoish.com/hanm>`_, a science fiction collaborative blog-fiction project of `TealArt.com <http://tychoish.com>`_. This episode, Nan’s Loyalties is the 6th Episode in our series, and is the mid-season installment. Though I’m sure you can enjoy this episode independently of all the others, be sure to check out the other installments. If you like what you see please be in touch. If you’d like to join the writing team or submit just an episode, I’d very much like to be in contact with you. Enjoy!

Messages from the Underground

Nan rolled over for the third time in as many minutes, and tried to ignore in incessant pinging from her communications panel. She was stuck in that twilight space where her grasp of reality and the limits of possibility were tenuous at best.

She relents finally and stands up and stumbles over to the comm panel and activates it. The lights are low, but she’s thankful when the video system doesn’t come on. While audio were historically uncommon, they were not totally unfamiliar. “Hello?” she asked after a brief pause, where she realized that it was probably expected that she confirm the connection before the conversation.

Nan swayed a little as she stood, unsure of weather or not she should try and pull herself fully awake or not. After a moment, she remembered to say “Hello…”

“Ms. Gee, I can’t tell you my name, but I’m with the Hanmist Resistance, and--” came a cracking voice. Nan would have cut him off sooner had she not been yawning.

“What do you want. It’s the middle of the damn night up here.” She wasn’t sure what time it was, or even if night was the right word to describe the tim on the station. Hell, she didn’t even know if this call was legitimate: the voice wasn’t any that she recognized. Her caller knew more about her than she did him, if it was a him, and she wanted to even that playing field as soon as possible.

“We know your work, and we we’re building a network of supporters. You’re position on Hanm Centre will be very valuable to us when we come.”

“Come? I haven’ manded. Nan thumbed up the lights and squared her shoulders, in a hopes of sounding more authoritative.

“We support you, we support Hanm. We just want you to be ready for us when we come…”

“Oh come on, no one actually talks like that,” Nan thought to herself. “How will I get in touch with you?” She said, hoping that the person on the other end couldn’t hear her eyes rolling: it was probably better to play along with this, even if it were a prank, but she didn’t have to like it. And hell, if there was a Hanmist movement around to talk to her, this couldn’t be a bad thing.

“You’ll know. Do we have your support?”

“I support anything that’s good for Hanm.” Just ambiguous enough, and true, ultimately she thought.

“Good, expect a package with more information soon. Hanm Will be free.” the words were uttered with a dispassionate murmur that sent a tremble down Nan’s spine.

“Ok, thank you.” Nan responded politely before she cut the connection. “Log last transmission and send the details to…” her command was punctuated by a brisk entry of a code for her terminal in her office. There was supposed to be a way for her to do this verbally, but she always felt that it was easier and more secure to just enter the code by hand. Nevertheless, Nan’s instructions to the computer were curt, but she was hopeful that she’d get back to sleep. She cut the lights and stumbled back to bed.

Gift boxes from the Underground

Nan almost tripped on a box as she walked into her office. “How’d they get that in here?” She wondered.

She put her bag down next to her desk and walked carefully back to the package. There was a blank piece of paper fastened to the top of the box. She lifted it carefully, and on the back she read: “Nan: Hope these help. Hanm will be free.”

The memory of Nan’s late night comm-call came rushing “I guess it wasn’t a fake or a dream,” she muttered as she set the paper back on top of the box. She sat down at the desk and called up the communications log.

Again Nan spoke to herself “What the hell am I supposed to do now?”

“Nan’s Loyalties’” was written by, `tycho <http://tychoish.com/tycho>`_, the creator of `TealArt <http://tychoish.com>`_ and `Station Keeping <http://tychoish.com/hanm>`_. He is a student and knitter by day and a science fiction writer by night, you can read his work elsewhere on `TealArt <http://tychoish.com>`_ and at `~/tychoish <http://tychoish.com>`_.

Its actually almost interesting how tired and behind I’ve been. Knitting camp, as I’m sure you’ve read (here, here, and here), was amazing, and I quite enjoyed the experience. If nothing else it did a lot to inspire me, for future knitting. I’m not sure if there was anything specific I can point to that I learned that I didn’t know before, but I have new ideas for patterns, new shapes and techniques and styles that I want to try out and use, and I think on the whole this is a good thing. I also feel better and more encouraged to start designing and writing again. So we’ll see what comes of this.

But the downside of this, is that I slept between 3 and 5 hours for the past several days, and despite sleeping a lot last night, I’m only now beginining to recover properly. I spent an entire day at work being groggy and tired. At one point, while we were fiddling with a database, I leaned over and rubbed my forehead on the corner of a library cart rather than move my arm to scratch it. Yeah it was ugly.

While clearly not sufficient as an excuse, I have none-the-less fallen behind in my TealArt-ing (and my tychoish-ing). I do, thankfully, have a station keeping that will appear tomorrow morning (later this morning, likely, by your reading of this). There may or may not be a post on thursday, and I hope to have something about Delueze for friday, but it might not be much. With luck, I will recover by next week.

As you might expect I’m trying to get some knitting done, but hopefully I’ll convince myself to chill out a little. I’m starting to get that “oh my g-d, I haven’t been writing” itch, so I need to point some time in that direction, but having said that there’s a grey Tam that I want to knit, in part to revise my astoundingly popular beret pattern. The astounding part is the fact that it’s popular (4th return for “free beret pattern” on google, and routinely gets the most number of hits of any TealArt page), given, I think, that the numbers don’t come out even. Unless you cast on a multiple of 4. Also I need a new beret, all of mine seem to have wondered off…

Anyway, I’ll be in touch, and sorry about the irregularity of my postings, and keep an eye on tychoish.

Cheers! tycho

… go home again (because here I am)

I’m without brain cells, so I’m going to sleep, but I’ll post later with full updates I promise!

I just got a piece of spam, the text of which was a quote--I think, based on key words--from a Foundation book by Isaac Asimov.

I will reprint it here, because I am just that tickled.

Galaxy. Psychohistory, is to keep it of anything: like; to go, where the introduction of them. The tax on broken and radical, men who now my passport (forged an element in My Project there it could remove your fingers were I have been with buttered words were warmed by which are religious tasks he knew too much it’s complete said the center of that want in Askone).

Councilman man in exchange you see me on that he winked.

On their life, other than the taxi popped out to evil time.

The Trader: glanced dryly.

Red. You seem to undertake if tell that it, the powah man a that the conversation: staircase, and the elevator in law of the Empire had time Hardin and exertions of war, was sipping wine by, them personally since it was the first, sight; and added Sutt filled with you don’t was much all; It’s impressive, and he growled you’re the only co operation. Let them one. But he had been part of the Galaxy: regent (rose with atomic power can hold brush foundation may not)? Oh, I suppose. Gaal said, Bort impatiently.

He has to Anacreon (you can About three century ago at the Board has been identified as much as for).

Trantor has nuclear power and the neighboring newly advanced science; of whom: I didn’t require to have my people. Pirenne is, to pay for maintenance of the analysis was much the mayor, pounded broke down. It’s straight up where to a and that strike, you see you’re going it weakens ever considered all. The clouds of the priests, back. It seems amounts to help it a Q; beam; without at their recent events.

As muted buzzer; upon those who wrote it going to. Mallow, said! Mallow your statement a week indicated twisted. There was no for compromise, and I’ve there’s Plenty of. For instance: two years.

Of the time it, would like the significance: of suspense if he noticed.

SELDON, could, not count the planet: which proves that they that is this City way to that, very nature evaporated into and if they believe; it’s my motives and all. Q: beam of the Chairman only alternative in the results of Anacreon from that may enter the peace you are at the forty eight of the human emotions and power after all fired as muted, buzzer upon them gently that Trantor increasingly vulnerable to make be forced on the order, words then highly developed, mathematics respect. Let’s get it is pwobably his found himself.

Completely blanketing the I have a Lord Dorwin.

There, is the last. Muller Holk for violence?