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Post by Christmas Chief on Apr 7, 2020 8:44:02 GMT -5
For the past few years, I have wanted to post a reflection on the many ways 667 shaped my life. Finally, amidst this global pandemic, I began constructing a list of 667ers who sparked new interests, hobbies, and ideas - sometimes (often?) unknowingly. This list is barely a starting point, but I hope it conveys a small amount of the gratitude I feel for the impact you all have had. ~~~ Miscellaneous
Linda. Her creativity, specifically as applied to the Anniversary celebrations, is a continual inspiration. This is especially true now that I need to create fun, virtual activities for others. Elle’s banners were the reason I learned how to use PhotoShop Elements, which I’ve since used for many other purposes. You might even see her influence in my ATWQ banners. BSam is responsible for my original opinion on the death penalty. Willis spent countless hours letting me ask him questions about his life. His trust enabled me to become a better conversationalist. Tragedy kindled my interest in economics and had a huge influence on my understanding of its relationship to politics. He is also the reason I know who Paul Krugman is. At one point, Pandora had a quote in her signature that I liked so much I bought the book it was from without knowing anything about what the book was about. It became one of my favorite novels published this century. I never would have found it or read it otherwise, and it encouraged me to explore genres of fiction I normally avoid. Tiago is best known (I think) for his epic fanfic Yet Another Series of Unfortunate Events, but strangely, the thing that stuck with me the longest was a playlist he posted that inspired his writing. Listening to it brings me back to the experience of each installment going live. Songbird organized a Summer Book Club one year for The Magicians. Though I didn’t participate at the time, I decided to read it this year. It raised many excellent questions about misery and fulfillment and revived my interest in fantasy. The chance to organize one (two?) of Daniel Handler’s birthday presents, especially the one where we sent him the big file of all the fanmade projects, translated oddly well onto a large-scale organizational project I undertook. (Although this is not thanks to any specific 667er, it is thanks to many of them for trusting me with the job.) Among many other topics, Bee offered helpful objective and first-hand accounts of education in the U.K. I hope she will also teach me about physics one day. Antenora's custom title, "Fiendish(?) Philologist," caused me to look up "philologist," which led to an enduring interest in linguistics (though not specifically philology itself). In fact, I'm currently reading about phoneme acquisition in English Language Learners. Snicketology
Perhaps one of the biggest influences I can trace to 667ers is their impact on my writing - especially analytical / expository writing. I attribute two main forces to this development, though others contributed. Dante opened a whole new dimension of literature to me. Reading his notes in the original Great Re-Read threads was like entering another world. I had never seen a book I cared about explored with such seriousness, attention, and rigor. He showed me how much there was to find if only you went looking. His dependable and thorough responses to ideas is a tremendous gift that I am grateful to see continue each time I login. Similarly, Hermes performed (and performs) some kind of magic in his analyses. I would frequently read his words and think, “Yes, that’s exactly right - but how did you know? And how did you phrase it so well?!” Clarity, concision, and compassion characterizes his compositions. Because I strove to write like Dante and Hermes, I: 1) became a much better writer and 2) internalized a lot of British grammar. (1) was certainly a positive. (2) took years to undo. ~~~ I suppose my point in writing this post is to encourage you, in what is a difficult time for many, to know that your work has real and lasting consequences beyond the forum itself - and to thank you for that work. Each of these items comes to mind because it created positive ripple effects that would take too long to enumerate. (Even more 667ers come to mind as I write this sentence, but I will stick to 13 for this post.) In the meantime, use this thread to ask questions, post your own reflections, express gratitude to other 667ers, share quarantine suggestions (books, music, videos, recipes, etc.), or otherwise document this period in 667's history. |
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Post by B. on Apr 7, 2020 12:13:26 GMT -5
For the past few years, I have wanted to post a reflection on the many ways 667 shaped my life. Finally, amidst this global pandemic, I began constructing a list of 667ers who sparked new interests, hobbies, and ideas - sometimes (often?) unknowingly. This list is barely a starting point, but I hope it conveys a small amount of the gratitude I feel for the impact you all have had. ~~~ Miscellaneous
Linda. Her creativity, specifically as applied to the Anniversary celebrations, is a continual inspiration. This is especially true now that I need to create fun, virtual activities for others. Elle’s banners were the reason I learned how to use PhotoShop Elements, which I’ve since used for many other purposes. You might even see her influence in my ATWQ banners. BSam is responsible for my original opinion on the death penalty. Willis spent countless hours letting me ask him questions about his life. His trust enabled me to become a better conversationalist. Tragedy kindled my interest in economics and had a huge influence on my understanding of its relationship to politics. He is also the reason I know who Paul Krugman is. At one point, Pandora had a quote in her signature that I liked so much I bought the book it was from without knowing anything about what the book was about. It became one of my favorite novels published this century. I never would have found it or read it otherwise, and it encouraged me to explore genres of fiction I normally avoid. Tiago is best known (I think) for his epic fanfic Yet Another Series of Unfortunate Events, but strangely, the thing that stuck with me the longest was a playlist he posted that inspired his writing. Listening to it brings me back to the experience of each installment going live. Songbird organized a Summer Book Club one year for The Magicians. Though I didn’t participate at the time, I decided to read it this year. It raised many excellent questions about misery and fulfillment and revived my interest in fantasy. The chance to organize one (two?) of Daniel Handler’s birthday presents, especially the one where we sent him the big file of all the fanmade projects, translated oddly well onto a large-scale organizational project I undertook. (Although this is not thanks to any specific 667er, it is thanks to many of them for trusting me with the job.) Among many other topics, Bee offered helpful objective and first-hand accounts of education in the U.K. I hope she will also teach me about physics one day. Antenora's custom title, "Fiendish(?) Philologist," caused me to look up "philologist," which led to an enduring interest in linguistics (though not specifically philology itself). In fact, I'm currently reading about phoneme acquisition in English Language Learners. Snicketology
Perhaps one of the biggest influences I can trace to 667ers is their impact on my writing - especially analytical / expository writing. I attribute two main forces to this development, though others contributed. Dante opened a whole new dimension of literature to me. Reading his notes in the original Great Re-Read threads was like entering another world. I had never seen a book I cared about explored with such seriousness, attention, and rigor. He showed me how much there was to find if only you went looking. His dependable and thorough responses to ideas is a tremendous gift that I am grateful to see continue each time I login. Similarly, Hermes performed (and performs) some kind of magic in his analyses. I would frequently read his words and think, “Yes, that’s exactly right - but how did you know? And how did you phrase it so well?!” Clarity, concision, and compassion characterizes his compositions. Because I strove to write like Dante and Hermes, I: 1) became a much better writer and 2) internalized a lot of British grammar. (1) was certainly a positive. (2) took years to undo. ~~~ I suppose my point in writing this post is to encourage you, in what is a difficult time for many, to know that your work has real and lasting consequences beyond the forum itself - and to thank you for that work. Each of these items comes to mind because it created positive ripple effects that would take too long to enumerate. (Even more 667ers come to mind as I write this sentence, but I will stick to 13 for this post.) In the meantime, use this thread to ask questions, post your own reflections, express gratitude to other 667ers, share quarantine suggestions (books, music, videos, recipes, etc.), or otherwise document this period in 667's history. *Loves it* |
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Post by B. on Apr 7, 2020 12:14:34 GMT -5
Tragedy kindled my interest in economics and had a huge influence on my understanding of its relationship to politics. He is also the reason I know who Paul Krugman is. I thought you wrote killed at first, and was like same |
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Post by B. on Apr 7, 2020 12:15:57 GMT -5
Among many other topics, Bee offered helpful objective and first-hand accounts of education in the U.K. I hope she will also teach me about physics one day. I can teach you about renewable energy, which is more interesting and much more useful |
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Post by B. on Apr 7, 2020 12:16:27 GMT -5
*nostalgia*
(also look at me double posting like back in the good old day)
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Post by Hermes on Apr 7, 2020 14:59:01 GMT -5
Double posting is allowed in MM. Er, BB. Not that BB, the other BB. This section anyway.
And thank you, Sherry Ann, for those kind and inspiring words. This thread is a splendid idea and I will do my best to contribute to it.
Can I ask what the book Pandora quoted was?
And what would you say was the difference beween linguistics and philology? It seems to be a disputed issue. (There is something about Snicket, I think, that appeals to the linguistic mind, given how many linguists we have here.)
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Post by Christmas Chief on Apr 7, 2020 18:25:59 GMT -5
This thread is a splendid idea and I will do my best to contribute to it. Thank you! I look forward to your contributions. It was from A Constellation of Vital Phenomena: “We wear clothes, and speak, and create civilizations, and believe we are more than wolves. But inside us there is a word we cannot pronounce and that is who we are.” My understanding is that philology has a special interest in the history of languages and comparison of texts, whereas linguistics focuses on the science of language itself. Who are the linguists? |
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Post by Hermes on Apr 7, 2020 18:29:11 GMT -5
Antenora, Anka, Comet, and I believe somone else though I can't remember who.
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Post by bear on Apr 7, 2020 19:16:23 GMT -5
Antenora, Anka, Comet, and I believe somone else though I can't remember who. Lemona? |
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Post by Hermes on Apr 7, 2020 19:34:21 GMT -5
I think you are right.
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Post by bear on Apr 7, 2020 19:52:12 GMT -5
shouts out to fredy for getting me into Joanna Newsom, Björk, Swans, Vampire Weekend, FKA Twigs, Beach House, St. Vincent, and probably many others.... before i'd heard of theneedledrop.... lol.
and thanks to everyone who commented on my bilious banditverse back in the day. i remember from the 8th to 10th grades one of my main motivations for writing was the excitement of sharing with my buddies on six six seven.
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Post by Hermes on Apr 11, 2020 7:07:37 GMT -5
Right now, as often at this time of year, I am much preoccupied with the Hugo awards, and since Sherry Ann asked for suggestions for books, etc., I'm sharing my thoughts with you. Here are the finalists for 2020: www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/2020-hugo-awards/And here are the finalists for 1945: www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/1945-retro-hugo-awards/I haven't read many of them so far. In this year's novels, I have read A Memory Called Empire, which was interesting, and started reading The Light Brigade, which I found rather heavy going, and also The City in..., of which I'm not yet sure whether it works. I loved Anders' first book, All the Birds in the Sky, but this is very different. In Novellas, I have read The Deep and This is How..., and they are both worth reading, at least if you can get them for a reasonable price, but I don't think either quite justifies the excitement there has been about them. Haven't looked at the short fiction yet. Most of if is available free online, so you can check it out easily. In Series: I know two of these series because they have been shortlisted before. The Expanse, source of the TV show of the same name, is a political thriller in space, and an interesting idea, but has a tendency to go on and on and on. InCryptid, about a family which works with and protects America's cryptids, is an open-ended series where the stories are fairly self-contained; it is quite fun though rather lightweight: I enjoy it more than most of McGuire's works. I have read the first volume of Planetfall, about the experiences of settlers on a new planet - can't say much more for fear of spoilers - though as I understand it it's a loose series of stories set in the same universe (so as far as I can see we are no nearer to solving the mystery set at the end of the first book). I've read the first two books of Winternight, which made quite a splash, and enjoyed them - I think the second holds together better than the first. Don't know the other two. I think the lineup for the Lodestar is very good. I've read Deeplight, which I found extremely impressive; I'm a fan of Hardinge, but I thought her last work, er, the one about a bear, was rather diappointing. Here she goes back to the invented worlds with which she made her reputation, and gives us among other things a very interesting world of islands, a powerful portrayal of an abusive (not sexual or romantic) relationship, and an interesting presentation of deaf people. (The story isn't about deafness - the leading deaf character isn't the protagonist - but they play a significant role.) The works by Kritzer, Lee and Kingfisher look interesting as well. For the Astounding, the only author whose work I know is R.F. Kuang, whose first book, The Poppy War, is interesting but rather scary. Also, given that it's clearly based on history, its departures from history are confusing (it seems to make Japan responsible for the Opium Wars). Of the others, Emily Tesh looks interesting at first sight. I'll stop there, since you probably know more about the dramatic finalists than me, and the fan awards, editors and so on are confusing to those not involved in that world. I'll come back later to discuss the 1945 finalists. |
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Post by Hermes on Apr 11, 2020 16:54:37 GMT -5
As to the 1945 finalists: it's important to understand that genre science fiction at that time happened mostly in magazines, and was dominated by short fiction; although this was the height of the 'Golden Age', it hadn't really reached novels. So a lot of the novel finalists for these awards tend to come from outside the genre, being mainstream works that happened to have fantastic elements. This is true of two of this year's: The Wind on the Moon, which is a delightful though not terribly coherent children's fantasy; and The Golden Fleece, which is a mythological retelling - Robert Graves (best known as author of I, Claudius, I guess) is always an interesting writer, but is often carried away by his odd religious views (pagan, but not any form of paganism that anyone has ever practiced).
Of the others, the Stapledon looks really interesting - it is the story of an intelligent dog, taking that seriously as a hypothesis and asking what challenges the dog would face. I don't know about the rest. I've started the Burroughs, and while he is of course an important writer (inventor of Tarzan and of John Carter of Mars) this does not seem to be one of his greatest works. Near the beginning, the hero is captured by a band of savage women with beards. The Stapledon and Burroughs are available free on Project Gutenberg Australia.
The short fiction includes lots of interesting things, including two episodes of Asimov's Foundation series, and the probable inspiration of a famous episode of Star Trek.
The series award will provoke some debate - the Chthulu Mythos is a leading candidate, as being obviously significant and influential, but Lovecraft is a controversial figure, to say the least.
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Post by Songbird on Apr 11, 2020 21:41:48 GMT -5
love love love this post, have missed all of you and yes a thousand times yes. all of you have shaped my life in some way - experiences here have definitely impacted my career in some way
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Post by Deleted on Apr 23, 2020 21:15:39 GMT -5
Many of you were important parts of what shaped me as a person today. I like the person I am today more than the one I was then. Thank you.
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