Posts filed under ‘OBSERVATIONS & OPINIONS’
ANDY WEIR: PATRON SAINT OF SELF-PUBLISHING
ANDY WEIR: PATRON SAINT OF SELF-PUBLISHING
I nominate Andy Weir for patron saint of self-publishing. I sincerely think he has earned that title.
Weir’s work first caught attention when he published some work online. Next came his novel, The Martian, which he self-published. That novel made The New York Times bestseller list and was eventually made into what became a popular movie.
The reason I am writing this piece is because the novel was self-published.
The road from self-published to fame is less than certain, and that’s putting it mildly. First requirement for writing success no matter how much you desire publication is that you must be a competent writer, actually more than just competent. I once was a member of a writer’s group meeting at Barnes & Noble, and the moderator of the group was employed by the bookstore. She stated that the store did not carry self-published books because the quality of many of the books was embarrassing. There is no gatekeeper for self-published books. The only hurdle to getting a book published is money.
Now back to Andy Weir.
I’m sure he worked his ass off, riding around with a trunk full of books and taking every opportunity to make a sale. I’m also quite sure that he had friends who were willing to work their asses off to help with sales. He also must have had a great deal of confidence in his writing ability. I say this because to make an impact with a self-published book must require selling a large quantity of books which requires an author buying a large quantity of books which requires a large quantity of money.
After The Martian Weir came out with a second novel, Artemis. The only review I saw for that novel was not very encouraging.
Next he published Project Hail Mary which made The New York Times bestseller list and went on to become a very successful movie.
I hope this review of Weir’s work provides the reason I am considering Andy Weir the patron saint of self-publishing. Thousands upon thousands of self-published books exist, published by authors with varying purposes in mind. But as in religion where many believers try to model their lives after that of their favorite saint for life in the eternal. If it is possible for you to duplicate some of the elements of Weir’s career, you just might hit the bestseller jackpot.
AMERICA RETURNS TO SPACE
AMERICA RETURNS TO SPACE
The entire country is in awe of our return to the moon and that now our curiosity about space has returned and I hope it is maintained.
I thought I’d take this opportunity to share with you a story I wrote sone time ago about a society which thought space exploration was a waste of time and money. My story, Second Chance, is that story
Second Chance describes a distant planet where a society exists which can see no reason to explore space while there are so many problems its occupants face on a daily basis. Immediate problems take precedence over space exploration.
I’m sure we have all encountered individuals who are of the opinion that money is better spent on Earth rather than wasting it on space exploration. That opinion spells doom for the society in my story and leads eventually to conditions which cannot be reversed.
How do you think our planet will look in a few thousand years from now with space exploration, or without it?
IS AMERICA APPROACHING IRAN?
IS AMERICA APPROACHING IRAN?
A blurb appearing in the April 6, 2026, issue of Time Magazine concerning Iran:
The regime’s murderous preoccupation preventing organized opposition.
The above blurb got me thinking of the conditions in Iran which developed over the last 47 years. Living, it seems to me, under the rule of a religious dictator has resulted in a tyrannical lifestyle for the citizens of Iran. A suppressive government where the most recent wave of protests was met with the murder of thousands. Where not in the too distant past a woman was executed for not wearing the correct type of clothing. Where communication with the outside world is virtually nonexistent. Where citizens have no say in the government which rules them. The facts concerning the harsh life suffered by the Iranian people go on and on. Now there is the war.
For a moment, let’s look at what is happening in our country and the direction in which we are being led.
Our government was meant to consist of three independent units: executive, legislative and judicial. Now, in effect, the executive branch is controlled by the threats of the president to retaliate against members who disagree with him by going against them with recommendations of opposing candidates in upcoming elections. Apparently keeping their jobs is more important than representing their constituents. Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House, is a prime example of how Trump can remove a politician’s spine. The Supreme Court is strongly influenced through Trump’s appointments.
As far as the people having a say in the government Trump is actively seeking control of elections. He continues to claim, along with his minions, that he won the 2020 election although there is no proof to that fact after countless investigations into the results.
The free press is under attack. Whenever there is news which Trump does not agree with he deems it ‘fake news’ even though he constantly lies trying to conceal the truth where it might hurt him. Access by reporters who might ask embarrassing questions is limited. The FCC threatens TV stations, think of the attack on Jimmy Kimmel, with cancelling their license if, on their station if Trump is maligned.
Then there is ICE, an organization meant to overlook immigration which now has become Trump’s storm troopers hiding their identities behind masks and harassing and murdering innocent citizens which is, in turn, intimidating portions of our citizens and forcing them to live in constant fear.
Now our country has gone to war with no apparent reason or outcome. A war declared without Congress’s approval.
All this has reduced a once well-respected country into the laughingstock of the world. With all the present state of conditions mentioned above how do I anticipate our future- BLEAK.
PROFITING FROM TRUMP’S DECISIONS
PROFITING FROM TRUMP’S DECISIONS
It has come to light recently that some are making huge amounts of money, millions, by betting, anonymously, on foreign exchanges on Trump’s decisions before they are revealed to the public with an unbelievable percentage of success.
Due to the fact that these bets are being made outside the country and anonymously the identity of the perpetrator or perpetrators has yet to be determined but investigations are now underway.
Are these bets being made and won through insider information? It is going to be interesting with an investigation that is now underway that the occurrence of these bets suddenly ceases. I think that if they do cease that would indicate criminal activity, because if there was no crime being committed, why cease making a ton of money?
Depending on the results of these investigations we may not see the answers to these questions any time soon. Remember that video we were promised showing the second attack on that suspected drug-carrying boat killing two men, promised by Pete Hegseth. Catch my drift?
THE WRECK OF THE EDMOND FITZGERALD
THE WRECK OF THE EDMOND FITZGERALD
I have written, on occasion, book reviews in the past. Recently I finished reading the best nonfiction book I have read in quite a while, the title of the book, The Gales of November, by John U. Bacon, which made The New York Times Sunday book section’s bestseller list in the past. The title comes from the popular song by Gordon Lightfoot, The Wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald. More about that song later.
The Edmond Fitzgerald was launched on June 7, 1958. The Fitzgerald was built to last 100 years. It sank on November 10, 1975. At the time it was built it was the longest boat (vessels are called boats on the Great Lakes, ships on the oceans) sailing on the Great Lakes. The Fitzgerald sailed primarily on Lake Superior and Lake Huron. The book goes into great detail discussing the crew, their backgrounds and their families.
The Fitzgerald was 729 feet long and 75 feet wide. The construction of the boat is covered and points out a new method used in its construction, welds as opposed to rivets. New was also that it was built in modular sections. The use of welds saved weight but did have its drawbacks. The Fitzgerald’s primary mission was to transport taconite, a form of iron ore.
One fact mentioned in the book which I found amazing was that sailing on the Great Lakes was more dangerous than sailing on the ocean. The reason, salt. The ocean salt results in the formation of waves, due to the weight of the salt, which are different from the waves formed in fresh water. In freshwater, waves come more frequently. This results in the possibility that the long freighters on the lakes being suspended so that the bow is on the peak of one wave while the stern is on the peak of another wave resulting in no support for the middle of the boat. Another reason sailing in freshwater is more dangerous is spray during cold weather. Freshwater spray freezes immediately and can add a great amount of weight to the boat. In the ocean the freezing point of the spray decreases due to the salt making ice less of a problem.
The size of the boats sailing the Great Lakes can also be a problem. The Edmond Fitzgerald sailed in Lake Superior and then on to Lake Huron. Between the two lakes is a river, and to enable these huge boats to sail between the lakes locks were built. The dimensions of the locks determined limits for the size of the boats. The narrow width which the boats needed to use the locks made it possible for the boats to capsize.
Also described were possible reasons the boat sank. It turns out that there wasn’t one reason but multiple problems which accumulated and spelled disaster. Examination of the wreck yielded some of these. The location of the wreck was easily found by knowing the approximate location of the sinking and then finding an area where the magnetic properties changed.
Now for the popular song by Gordon Lightfoot, The Wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald. Lightfoot had the melody for the song but not the subject. He was familiar with the Great Lakes, and like anyone who was, was immediately affected by the boat’s sinking. He studied the articles published about the event and found lines in them which seemed appropriate for the song. And he felt strongly about the song which resulted, so even though it was completed, he never performed or recorded it. When he was finally persuaded to record the song, the band was playing it for the first time. They completed more takes and they all agreed after listening to the tries that the first take was the best and that’s the song that we know. Lightfoot also got to know the families of the crew and kept in touch with them.
Bottom line, if you have an interest in the demise of the Edmond Fitzgerald and why it happened along knowledge of the men lost with the boat’s sinking read this well written and thoroughly researched book.
OUR FUTURE WITH AI
OUR FUTURE WITH AI
Not long ago only a select few had AI constantly on their minds. Now, most of us give some thought to the subject daily and the frequency of those thoughts is surely going to increase in the future.
What is the future of AI and what is one of the factors which will come into play in determining that future?
I recently heard a discussion concerning the possible future of AI and our society. A future with either a positive or negative possibility.
Our positive existence with AI, in the future, is possible if there is no greed associated with its development. If greed is present the outlook is not great.
With the present state of our nation which future do you think is the one we are most likely to see?
FILTERING THE NEWS
FILTERING THE NEWS
An observation:
It’s sad in this day and age that the news you receive depends on who owns the source.
And for many the news they hear is the news they want to hear.
THE TRUMP NAME AND THE SACKLER’S
THE TRUMP NAME AND THE SACKLER’S
The name Trump may someday go down the same road as the name Sackler has journeyed. For those not familiar with the Sackler name or remember about its past, here is a reminder.
The Sackler family owned Purdue Pharma, the company which made OxyContin the compound containing oxycodone and primarily responsible for the opioid epidemic.
When Purdue Pharma sent out their sales force to contact doctors with the intent to secure sales of their product they were told to tell doctors that this was an excellent compound for dealing with pain. The sales force was also told to tell doctors that there was no chance of addiction with the use of this medication. And as they say, “The rest is history”.
The Sackler family was known for contributing vast amounts of money to charities and various other organizations. And because of their donations the name Sackler appeared on the walls of buildings and was connected with many well-known organizations. When the Sackler’s involvement with the opioid epidemic became known their name began disappearing from walls and any association with organizations to which they had made massive contributions. The name Sackler doomed anyone unfortunate enough to bear it even, those with no connection to Purdue Pharma, ruining the careers of innocent family members.
Now lets look at the name Trump and draw some comparisons. The name Trump has become prominent in appearing in society due to Trump being president and his massive ego. There is talk with possibly adding his name to Penn Station and other familiar sites. We have already seen the name Trump added to the Kenedy Center along with the president’s hand in running the organization and how successful that has been.
The Sackler name appeared because of the contributions the family made. The Trump name appears because the president wants it to. But because of the president’s actions in handling the responsibility of the office of President the name Trump may suffer the same fate as the name Sackler. I am not the only one who has given the future of the name Trump some thought.
An excellent piece appeared in the opinion section in the Sunday New York Times on 2/15/2026 written by Michelle Cottle entitled Trump Is Slapping His Name on Everything, It Won’t Last. Time will tell how long the name Trump will last on public display and respected with honor.
For those interested in learning more about the Sackler family I suggest the read Empire of Pain written by Patrick Radden Keefe to see how history deals with a name gone wrong.
THOSE AMAZING WATER BEARS AND THE KIDNEY
THOSE AMAZING WATER BEARS AND THE KIDNEY
It has been a while since I first ran across a reference to water bears (Tardigrades). They are the most bizarre creatures I have ever seen. When I saw them I immediately knew a story would follow. That story is now in progress.
The reason for this post is an interesting relationship I reasoned between water bears and the kidney.
Water bears are virtually indestructible. They have survived a trip into space. So what you may say, so have many other organisms. The reason their survival was so unique was that they were on the OUTSIDE of the spacecraft. They are thought to possibly be a good model to study cancer. The reason being that to increase in size they increase their cell size as opposed to cell division, a process leading to some forms of cancer.
Here is where the tie to kidneys comes in.
I began my career in research at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the first project I was involved in was the study of kidney hypertrophy. When you remove the kidney of an animal, including us, the remaining kidney grows in size. The increase is not due to cell division but due to an increase in cell size. This work began in 1974. It appears that some progress has been made in understanding the mechanism and is far more complicated than our approach was in 1974. We weren’t even close. To give you an idea of what our knowledge of cell function was around the time I was in graduate school, and a new structure had been identified on the surface of cells. They were calling it a ‘receptor’. I was to begin my research career about four years later.
I thought the growth of water bears and kidney hypertrophy are an interesting duplication in cell biology.
For those curious about this most unusual creature, the water bear, I have included a link to a documentary about them.
WHO IS BEHIND THE MASK?
WHO IS BEHIND THE MASK?
I’m sure most of you have heard about individuals impersonating police officers. I have never heard of someone trying to impersonate an ICE agent. Not yet.
How many of us would have a clue as to how exactly an ICE agent should look unless we are unfortunate enough to live in a city where they have set up shop.
I know that they dress in camouflage looking like they are ready for combat with some writing on their back. I don’t know of any other way to identify an ICE agent but I’m sure there must be some. At least I hope so. But I feel all aspects of their outfits would not be difficult to reproduce. Plus, if you had never seen an ICE agent up close how could you tell the genuine from the fake?
Then there are the masks. Their masks hide their true identities.
Our president says that the areas where the agents are dispatched are full of rapists and dangerous criminals.
Let me paint a scenario for you.
You see a small group of men, masked, who appear to you to be ICE agents. They are leading a resisting, attractive, young Hispanic woman to an unmarked van. Would you take any action? People have been shot and killed for taking action when masked men, acting in ways not usually seen on their streets. The question is who is behind those masks?
As then van drives away you will never know.
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