Showing posts with label kindle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kindle. Show all posts

Sunday, January 28, 2024

The Delta Snake Review: Compilation Issue For January 2024





FEBRUARY 2024 COMPILATION ISSUE

Note: All material by Al Handa unless otherwise noted. Contents copyright 2024 by Al Handa. All rights reserved.

IN THIS ISSUE:

The Quitturz Preview: Parts 1-3
A.I. And Art: Part 4 - Some Thoughts About Scraping
Boogie Underground Preparedness Primer: Part 1
How To Find The Perfect Headphones: Parts 2-3



The Quitturz Preview: Parts 1-3

The eBook version of "The Quitturz" will be published in December and it won't be a straight compilation of the current Vella episodes.

The most obvious change is the title. The Vella serial is called "The Quitters," which is a good title, but music groups and other organizations already use it. I figured it was best to change the spelling, and the new title better reflects the 70s Punk sensibility.

There are two significant changes: the chapters have been resequenced, and a parallel story has been inserted.

The Quitters is my best-selling Vella book and works well as serial fiction. Most of that genre's audience reads the story in parts on mobile devices, so using "cliffhangers" to keep them coming back is essential. That doesn't work as well in a regular book (in my opinion).

...a good analogy...

A good analogy about serials and eBooks would be TV shows and movies. A situation comedy or drama generally gives the audience a situation and resolves it in half an hour to an hour. A movie builds the story over a more extended period.

Remember that I'm talking generally; artists always break those rules with great, mediocre, or disastrous results.

...the book...

In the case of The Quitturz, the book starts before the group's first gig. However, I've always felt that episode 4 should have been the book opener as it fully introduces the main character and a few others important to the story.

Also, I introduce a parallel story, a common literary (and cinema) device. Audiences are familiar with the approach, and it's a good way to add some historical context.

The secondary plot, or thread, is introduced in a prologue. The original story outline written in 2021 included characters in the English and NYC Punk scene to make the book about the whole movement.

The problem with the current body of writing on 70s Punk is that it's growing but still oriented towards stars, and most of the details are glamorized or shrouded in mythology. It’d be easy to cite facts that are controversial.

History tends to move slowly towards truth. An event like Custer's Last Stand at the Battle Of Little Big Horn took over a hundred years to understand, and even today, it's not precisely clear how Custer died there.

Even almost fifty years later, much of what you read about the Punk movement is press release quality and fan mythology. The Punk music scene was a combination of groundbreaking artists, poseurs, and industry prospects and pros inserted into the mix to take advantage of the new trend. It'll take a while to sort out what really happened.

My point is that I don't want discussions about how accurate any historical facts are in the book to detract from the story.

I decided it'd be more interesting if the substory was about events in 1987. The prologue depicts the moment Nym finally has another hit after ten years of being called a one-hit-wonder. The story then cuts back to 1977 and intends to show how Nym changed and the Punk scene as a w

By 1987, new musicians had emerged with different artistic sensibilities than the first generation of Punks. 

One of the most profound technological changes was the availability of inexpensive but capable electronic keyboards like the Casios in the early 80s. Serious piano and synth players scoffed, but it put what turned out to be a significant musical instrument in the hands of thousands of young musicians who ended up being part of the 80s music scene.

What happened in the 80s wasn't unique; new, or more specifically, cheaper technology has always changed music. Inexpensive catalog guitars had a profound effect on the 20s Blues scene.

I'll talk more about how technology affected the original Punk movement in the next part.

Part 2: How Technology Changed Punk And Book Notes

I should note that I've oversimplified the historical aspect to give a quick background on how changing Technology affected the main character in the Quitturz book.

Technology wasn't the only factor that changed Punk. The music would have evolved anyway, as it was already splintering into different categories. 

Kids were learning electronic keyboards and other instruments while all this happened in '77, and there were some Pioneers. Early Punk bands such as Wire had already begun moving into electronic music, and electronic drums and percussion were already in the mainstream.

I won't go deep into musicology because I just want to show what my thinking was at the time in '77 and how the rise of techno music struck me.

One other thing that was part of techno was Disco, or more specifically, dance music. That may seem like a weird observation, but at the time, a lot of early techno was dance music, and it was seen as an extension of Disco, which was good or bad, depending on your point of view.

The history of techno gets complicated at this point as different genres evolved, like Rave music, etc., and of course, it is a vibrant scene with EDM and other styles.

The main thing to know is that 80s music became dominated by keyboard players who cut their teeth on inexpensive Casios and Yamahas, and drum machines became affordable. The music didn't come out of nowhere.

Electronic drum machines were first used in rock and soul in the 70s. Sly Stone was the first to have a #1 hit with "Family Affair," but Krautrock group, Can, Miles Davis and Pink Floyd also incorporated the sound.

One thing that changed the course of New Wave music was the Link LM-1 in 1980, which used digital samples used by groups like the Human League, Devo, Gary Numan, and Ric Ocasek.

After that, more models came out from Yamaha, and the now legendary failure turned success, the Roland Tr-808, which used analog instead of samples and was derided as unrealistic sounding. That didn't stop artists like Marvin Gaye from using it in "Sexual Healing" and groups like Africa Bambaataa (and early hip hop).

What made it so pervasive and influential was the unit became cheap and available after its commercial failure. The Fender Jazzmaster guitar became popular with New Wave bands for the same reason; it was a commercial failure, so many young artists could get a Fender quality guitar cheap in pawnshops and the used market.

The ten-year gap between Nym's hits is so the parallel story can cover changes in the 80s. I won't make Nym's story a decade-long pit of despair; no one survives that long without hope. There'll be a lot of ups and downs, a lot of near misses. 

Also, the book can examine the natural, deep appeal of playing music for a living, even in the face of adversity. Hopefully, it's a tale that anyone can relate to. The overwhelming majority of artists won't become famous, after all, and in reading about Nym's struggle and eventual triumph, one will see that there's a deeper reason a person chooses to create.

That concept is nothing new, the book will simply be my take on it.

Part 3: What is a “Godfather Of Punk”?

We’ve all heard the term, and after over almost fifty years it's taken its rightful place in the Pantheon of cool marketing buzzwords along side of “Legendary” and “Vinyl.”

In the early days of Punk rock, most of the established Rock stars were either bewildered or contemptuous of this new music, though the healing effects of time have made the term Godfather of Punk a suitable laurel to wear in the noble quest to sell back catalogues to the Tik Tok generation and vinyl nostalgics.

I won't name examples of this benign hypocrisy, as we should be kind to those who suffered an onset of geriatric resentment over the tasteless lack of respect exhibited by certain Punk upstarts who I also won't name. 

I mean, after 47 years, who cares?

Well, I guess, this author does, as he has a book based on the 1977 Punk Movement coming out in early 2025, and his best selling Vella serial is about a musician from that time.

Also, there was a time when the main route to stardom was through the media. There were no streaming sites where an artist could go directly to distribution, or an Internet where one could give themselves any title they liked. There was a time in the 70s where having the media call you a Godfather, Legend or even a competent musician made a marketing difference.

So, let's examine the origins of the term Godfather Of Punk. The first question would be, what is a Godfather of Punk?

If you Google it, the answer could be confusing as an unscientific count would put the number of those holding the title at around 1,234,567, give or take.

A Frenchman once said during the American Revolution that there were so many Colonels that it was safe to address any unknown Officer by that rank. So it is with the Godfather of Punk Term; let's just assume that in marketing terms, everybody is one until the threshold for factual accuracy on the Internet reaches 5%.

For the sake of modesty, I exclude myself as one of the horde of Punk Progenitors. My career as a Punk Rocker was even shorter than the Sex Pistols, though longer than Linda Ronstadt or Tom Petty, both of whom sensibly adopted and discarded the moniker for as brief a time as possible.

In the 1977 San Francisco scene, in the Mabuhay Gardens, Iggy Pop was the one everybody talked about the most for his music and as an inspiration. The two songs that were often played over the PA before and after shows were “I Wanna Be Your Dog,” and “Lust For Life.” I Wasn't there 24/7 so I’m talking about what I heard.

If you read articles written back then about Punk, the main thing is that it was an attitude. Sure, there was the ripped T-shirts (yeah, I wore one when playing), spiked hair (guilty) and cool sunglasses (I still hate the d-weed who stole my cool retro shades off my amp), but if you look at a list of first generation bands, most didn’t look like that.

That smarty mouth Punk attitude was, not surprisingly, a pose. I remember being instructed by my band leader to never smile and act like a jerk whenever a camera was present. Even the rock press knew this, but went along because it was more fun than taking pictures of “smiling happy people” or conducting interviews about music being about Love or other concepts that got in the way of the primary business of selling records.

So, going back earlier? There were rebellious acts in the early 70s, but who truly shocked people and caused widespread disgust and fervent cult adoration? 

Certainly you’d have to say David Bowie, I'm not sure there was anyone close to being as outre in the mid-70s. Even the Revolution Now 60s crowd was weirded out, though we now know it was because the Love Generation were closet sexists whose latent manhood were threatened by this suggestive and sexual ambivalent English Dandy. [Citation needed; the blogger’s account is suspect as he claims to actually remember that time as opposed to being in a drug or alcohol haze]

David Bowie’s music and act had one key message that resonated with Punks; that you be anything and create your own look. That wasn’t a unique point of view, every generation went through a stage of challenging convention.

On a personal level, the band that opened the door to the future was Roxy Music in the early 70s. Seeing them live began the process where by 1977 I actively sought out Punk music. It was at a show at Winterland; Roxy was the opener. It was their first SF appearance and the band still has Brian Eno as the synth/keyboard player. After that, my musical palette widened.

I’ll go deeper into Roxy and the Glam Rock era in Part 4. The March 2023 Delta Snake Review has an article about the Top Ten Glam Rock albums that will be of interest also.



A.I. And Art: Part 4 - Some Thoughts About Scraping

One of the main concerns about A.I. is "scraping," which, for humans, is a legal activity unless the acquired knowledge is used to create works that violate copyright laws or steal intellectual property.

The objections overlook one fact that people scrape all the time, and while much of it is legal, such as creating derivative works, some isn't, like plagiarizing original works or tech piracy of electronic media 

If I take a Devil's Advocate position, the amount of thievery, uh, I mean scraping, that occurs in the Entertainment World would land thousands of people in jail if it were any other industry.

Theft or unauthorized use of copyrighted material is common practice at the street level or not seen as harmful by many in the real world.

For example, without permission, many "creators" on a particular social media site routinely use commercial music, images, voices, movie excerpts, and media footage in their videos. This practice is considered acceptable because it seems like a common practice, or OK if people add a disclaimer stating that they don't own the rights.

My point isn't that people are evil or immoral. If an A.I. Bot is doing unauthorized or unethical scraping, it's always at the direction of a human who thinks it's OK. The notion that the Bot will steal on its own is just plausible deniability by its creator.

The fears or reality of intellectual property theft by technology didn't start with A.I. People worried that capable graphics programs like Photoshop would increase forgeries and deep fakes, and the music industry considered the inexpensive tape recorder an invitation to bootlegging. That harm did come to pass, but both weren't legislated out of existence because people believe the technology to have more benefit than harm.

It's also about access and availability to the tech. No one worried about the automobile until the inexpensive Ford Model T., which led to the demise of industries based on horse transportation. People are killed by automobiles every year, but the general consensus is that the good outweighs the bad.

Another way to put it is that Capitalism brings about change (and profits) that always cost some (or many) people their livelihoods. The process looks so brutal because, thanks to modern media and the Internet, we see the human suffering it causes.

Again, I'm not judging the morality of the process; it's just what happened historically.

The fact that we see all this controversy in the media is a good thing. Historically, a new technology is implemented as a fait accompli. In the old days, self-driving cars would have been kept on the streets, causing havoc. Instead, the widespread reports of media and Internet problems caused enough outcry to stop the public beta test, as recently happened in San Francisco.

A.I. is already here. The real issue is whether this new evolution will be as cruel a process as America's Westward Expansion in the 1800s or implemented responsibly.

Artists often have to overcome significant obstacles to create. Most will deal with problems with A.I. and, in most cases, harness its power. 

A.I. isn't a new God. Bots still need to be guided and educated by humans, so they'll only be as good or valuable as programmed.

One final note: The advent of Motor Cars didn't bring about the extinction of horses. Technology won't make true artists obsolete.



B.U. DISASTER PREPAREDNESS PRIMER: PART ONE 

BY IVY

Note: Reprint from a 2015 satiric article by the late Professor Ivy of Shitzu U. All of the facts in this article meet the most stringent 2023  Internet standards of inaccuracy.

There's been a lot of talk about economic crashes, the breakdown of society, civil unrest, Global Warming, giant meteors, and the final battle with Satan by at least two major religions.

Realistically, unless you own a tank, you're screwed, but B.U. Spokesdog begs to differ (dogs are always begging) and offers these easy-to-do tips to survive any disaster:

FOOD:

1. Keep an ample supply of food. 

Survivalist businesses offer expensive foods in high-end puncture-proof packages, but that's just another way American business makes you pay for packaging. 

Instead, use that money to buy a massive amount of canned beans. I mean cases of it. Ignore the fart jokes by those who'll be paying 50.00 for an apple from black marketers later on. Canned beans require no added water, which will be in short supply anyway, and any objections to a monotonous diet can be overcome by the same method people use on dogs and cats to force them to eat crappy dry cereal food:

Just don't eat for a week, and when you look around and see that there's no other food around and, McDonalds is closed due to societal breakdown and your money is worthless, then canned beans will taste like steak.

This method has worked on countless pissed-off dogs and cats, so if they can eat little brown nuggets that look like dry turds because some Vet says it's better for their teeth, then you can eat beans. Don't worry about your teeth; there won't be dentist offices anyway, most being looted for radioactive X-ray isotopes by terrorists to make dirty bombs.

2. Don't worry about water

Global Warming will melt the icecaps, flood most of the coastal areas, and provide heavily dilluted sea water, which will be safe to drink for at least a week before kidney failure. It will also be an excellent time to stock up on sushi with all the fish trapped inland.

In Part 2, Ivy will show you how to function without paper money or ATMs.

Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are by a little white dog and reflect her opinions only and not those of B.U., X, Shih Tzu's in general, or God, which is dog spelled backwards.



How To Find The Perfect Headphones - Part 2

The thing to remember about earphones is that they simply deliver the sound from your device to your ears. It's a hardware device, so parts like the speakers, Bluetooth, wires, and ergonomics make a difference up to a certain point. However, headphones are mostly only as good as the device or sound system.

So, before spending a lot on earphones, consider what you will use as the music source. If it's mainly your cellphone, then it's not just about cost but also what type. 

Plus, there are intangibles. If a Beats or Apple set is what you want, it's simply a matter of getting the money for it. It'll generally sound great if it's a brand you like or is in style. The fact is, mojo is important.

Undoubtedly, different brands of the same type of headphones can sound different. That's due to both the choice of components and ergonomics. 

Ergonomics is important. The sound is improved if the headset is comfortable and sits on or in the ears correctly.

You can try an experiment with lighter headphones or buds. Play your music, cup your hands over your ears, and seal in the sound. You'll notice an increase in bass and volume. 

The best ergonomic design comfortably gets as much of the sound as possible into your ears. That's why most earbuds include two or three sets of different size ear pads to ensure a good fit.

You probably already know that stuff. I'm just covering it to ensure the next set of info makes sense.

If you're buying a lighter type like buds, bone conductors, or sports-type headphones for use on the phone, you'll probably buy within a budget. Most headphones in the 20.00 to 40.00 range will do fine for Spotify, Amazon, or Apple sites.

Those music sites stream mp3-level music or lossless (CD-type quality), and you can improve the sound by setting the app to the maximum rate of quality. 

Check if you have it set to max quality before buying new headphones. You may find that the improved sound makes it unnecessary to upgrade.

It may not be set to higher levels by default to save on data charges on your phone plan. I wouldn't set it to maximum quality unless you have an unlimited data plan. If you're using wifi, then that's not a problem.

You have two choices if you're playing MP3 files on your phone and want it to sound better. 

Get an mp3 player (best to get one in the 40.00 to 60.00 range and with a touch screen). Even a relatively inexpensive player can outperform many phones. You may find your earphones sound better using a decent-quality mp3 unit.

The other choice is downloading a sound equalizer like Poweramp or Audify and learning to use it. An equalizer is much less complicated than a video game. I'm used to those, so it's easy to say, but Poweramp, for example, has presets that emulate various headphone brands like Sony. You can adjust the tone with simple dials or go Rambo and use the parametric equalizer.  

This type of software is pretty cheap, too, and lets you create playlists, etc. The experience is pretty similar to an iPod.

So, if you've done all that (or don't want to bother with it) and still want to upgrade your headphones or get a type better suited to your lifestyle, then you'll want to read Part 3.

I'll cover the various types, from sports types, bone conducting, lightweights that cover or cup your ear, buds, studio, and so on. I've used all of those and can give you an accurate survey of what's available.

How To Find The Perfect Earphones - Part 3

It would require a small book to cover the types of headphones available now fully. It's not like the 70s or 80s, where there might have been a half dozen types if that.

I won't make the usual lists of every type, one for each price range or comparisons of brands. There are plenty of those online; most are only marginally beneficial to the average consumer. Most of the real-world factors are subjective or based on ergonomics.

Besides, I'm sure most of you have realized that this series is more about how to listen to music than hardware. Hardware quality gets more vital as you get into the higher priced stuff and in the recording studio, but not for leisure use.

If you want the best sound, just get the best-wired set in the desired price range.

The perfect set will have good ergonomics and decent sound for the environment (in which it'll be used). Where you'll be listening will determine what type to get.

I'll list by environment as much as by type.

If it will stay plugged in, like when sitting, get a good wired set for gaming and music. For audiobooks, same thing. Once you start moving indoors or out, then there are various alternatives.

Ear Buds:

There are different types, but I'm talking about the small ones that fit snugly in each ear (sometimes called true wireless) or are connected by a thin cable with a small controller with the on/off button, volume control, etc.

Those have wires, but "wireless" means no cable connecting it to the device.

Bluetooth buds deliver good sound if fitted correctly but can have reception problems depending on quality and compatibility with the device, which is generally a phone or mp3 player.

If the fit isn't perfect, you will have less sound, notably bass, and the buds will move about or fall out of your ear. That can be a big deal if that happens on a hike, at a job site, or while riding a bike or skating.

I quit using this type after having to backtrack once too often to find one on a trail. Plus, if I'm going through the trouble of listening to music outdoors, things like cutting out degrade the experience (for me).

I have two sets like that but prefer the older types connected by wire. Those have better Bluetooth reception (generally), and I prefer the controls to be easy to reach on the cable than messing with tiny buttons on the buds.

Since fit affects sound and comfort, most manufacturers include different-sized ear pads. If you read online articles about fits, the advice can be contradictory. Some advise a deep fit, etc., but the main thing is to ensure a tight fit. 

That tight fit is essential, but it does affect ergonomics. The buds can become uncomfortable after a while. It all depends on your ears, of course.

The advantages are super lightweight, immersive music experience, and easy storage.

The disadvantages include lack of awareness of the environment due to immersion, more chance of ear damage due to volume, and poor ergonomics (one of my ears can't securely hold a bud unless it's twisted in).

Sound quality is relative if there's noise in the environment. Your hearing will also degrade (usually temporarily) after listening for a while due to volume. That's why DJs playing vinyl discs will change the needle cartridge from cheap to high grade over an evening to compensate.

Ear Buds are generally part of the "sports" category, including various lightweight designs, from bone-conducting, helmet or hat speakers to extra light types similar to the 80s Walkman style.

The main things that sports headphones have in common are some level of waterproofing to protect against rain or sweat, extra neck or ear clips to prevent falling off, and other safety features.

It's the most diverse and interesting of the categories. Being the gadget geek, I've pretty much tried them all. I'll cover these in part 4.



Now live on Kindle Unlimited 






AVAILABLE ON KINDLE UNLIMTED




AVAILABLE ON KINDLE UNLIMTED




Please check out and listen to my music on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music and other music sites. Please add any cuts you like to your playlists!

Friday, March 10, 2023

On The Road With Al And Ivy: A Literary Homeless Chronicle - March 2023


And every morning, perched on our stays, rows of these birds were seen; and spite of our hootings, for a long time obstinately clung to the hemp, as though they deemed our ship some drifting, uninhabited craft; a thing appointed to desolation, and therefore fit roosting-place for their homeless selves.

- Herman Melville (Moby Dick)

SOME THOUGHTS ON VAN LIFE AND NOMAD LIFE VIDEOS:

One of the topics on Tik Tok and other social media is "Van Life" and other nomad-type trips, and the contents range from helpful tips and observations to complete disconnects from reality that could only happen if the person was well financed or on a lark to become a social influencer. Many of these brief glimpses are about that kind of life when everything is going right or the kinds of obstacles that come up really are more like vacation hassles (that can seem more serious to a homeless person whose short on cash).

I won't do a formal essay; I'll just riff on the idea in general terms and not get too much into critiquing these videos and shorts. One reason is that van life is a diverse scene of which homelessness is only one subculture. That lifestyle is mainly in the recreation and travel category which really is another subject. There’s no reason to write a piece that surveys the whole scene. Plus for many of the homeless, watching a vehicle travelogue is as real as watching a Foodie cooking show or a demo of the perfectly equipped RV or Van. 

…new… 

The famous American author Jack London decided to live as a homeless person in London and write a book about it. As far as those kinds of investigations go, he probably came the closest to living that life as it was. Even so, he took the precaution of setting up a safe house, which he had to use when the effort to find shelter in bad weather failed. In other words, London had an "out." He could have  walked away at any time and, to his credit, was honest enough to state that in his book. 

The thing is, there is a huge psychological difference between being stuck there and knowing there's an out. One of my most powerful moments was realizing, "This could be my life from now on." When there's still some cash, and it's all very new, it can feel like an adventure or camping trip.

In my Vella books, On The Road With Al & Ivy: The Novel (all three), this realization will be examined in great detail. In Book 2, the character will see that he was at the same crossroad his Grandfather was at while in a concentration camp during W.W. 2; that a decision to face the present and live an unpleasant reality is the only way out of it, even if acceptance felt like surrender. In the case of the main character, that meant not neglecting the small steps that needed to be taken for survival and making he didn't hit bottom. 

The notion of “hitting bottom” is partly myth. I realized that, yes, short of death, it can always get worse. I was living in a car with my dog, but if my life descended lower into backpacking, I'd have lost Ivy and most of what I still owned. Maybe I mean that the "hitting bottom moment" is when you realize it's time to stop the slide, even if moving upwards isn't possible at first.



...time has come today...

One thing I don't see in many of the videos and shorts is the element of time and the related problems of fatigue or emotional distress that the homeless deal with. A little problem that a vacationer will deal with as an annoyance or bump in the road can feel like a disaster to people dealing with depression or mental illness.

For example, one person demonstrated an electrically heated sleeping bag and jacket, making it seem like a successful hack for sleeping in a vehicle in winter snow. As far as success, yeah, kinda, sorta, maybe...but sleeping in a vehicle even when it's only 30+ degrees is colder than you can imagine. A good sleeping bag helps, but even allowing for a heated bag or jacket, here's what can happen throughout a winter, which would be maybe two or three months, 60 to 90 days in a row.

1. Can't find a safe place to park that night. You don't dare get too comfortable.

2. Money's tight that day; you've had to choose between batteries for a heating device at today's prices, food, or gas. I'd pick batteries in a severe winter, then gas and food last. I go to bed hungry. 

3. Heating devices like these do fail. Do you have the cash to replace it that day, or is it a mail order item. Do you even have a mailbox? If not, do you know where the nearest shelter is, safe or not, as a place to retreat to? In warm weather, no big deal. We're talking about months of cold that can kill you in winter. These devices have to work every single day in weather where a few people die every year from exposure in cars if they get stranded.

4. A druggie gets pissed at you and puts a rock through one of your windows. I've seen that happen. If your insurance deductible is too high, you'll have to use precious cash to fix it ASAP in the snow. Until then, it’ll be a garbage bag or cardboard, and your car (and you) will be wet (and very cold) inside after cleaning up the mess.

Also, can you cover the motel bill if the car has to stay in the shop? 

5. Your car battery dies. No charge for a bag that uses 12V until you get a jump, run the car and waste valuable gas, and that's for a battery in good condition. If it's near it's "end of life" and doesn't hold charge well, I wouldn’t run a device off it.

The list could go on. Having lived through a few winters in the Midwest, if I had to live in a car, it'd be time to head South where snow would be the least of your problems. The margin of error when the temperature goes below zero is too tiny to try 60-90 days of it. No reputable survival expert would make it seem like a simple matter of some clever hacks.

...idiots...

There's one other element that these videos don't cover; we called them "idiots," or the party pooper or toxic types that always show up and ruin everything. A common phrase out there (in the areas I was in) was, "Things were fine until the idiots showed up."

I'll give an example from my Vella book. There was a parking lot that was known to be "quiet," and store management and police would turn a blind eye to the occasional overnight Camper if they didn't make trouble. It was a good backup when things got too rowdy in the primary place I was staying. One day a large party, called "The Caravan" in my novel, arrived and set up a large, sprawling camp right up against the side of a store. Around a dozen in vehicles slept there, and maybe another dozen came and went on bikes, many of whom were young drug runners. I'm sure you get the picture.

They caused so much trouble that the lot was closed to any homeless within a few days, and Private Security was hired to patrol and question anyone in the lot after dark. That group hit every place where the homeless stayed, and within a month, people like me had to head for another city. It wasn't just groups; it could be individuals who would show up and pull crazy stunts that the group there couldn't control and would force the cops to clear out the area. Unfortunately, nomadic life and homeless videos don't generally cover this subject for various reasons, some of those being common sense to avoid retaliation.

It's not just a homeless thing; most groups, bars, or events see this type of personality at some time or another. You may not hear about idiots in the videos, but they're there, and macho warrior ass-kicking or confronting them often doesn't work (just like in respectable life).

...getting back...

Getting back to the general subject of nomadic life, it was a way of life for most Native American tribes, migrants, settlers, hobos, and mountain men. In 2016, the homeless scene in the four main areas I inhabited wasn't just meth heads in tents pitched on the sidewalks. The scene encompassed a variety of types; RV, Van, campers, cars, to different subcultures of "backpackers" (homeless who lived out in the open, which included those who had their belongings in shopping carts).

I avoided tent cities and large camps. Those places are basically anarchies ridden with crime and often run by cliques. Plus, those can harbor bike chop shops and other illegal activities, bringing trouble.

...classes...

There were economic strata. Most of the RV'ers were retirees or had some regular income. Van, Camper, or car homeless generally had at least an irregular source of cash, and many had jobs in retail which wasn't enough to get a roof over your head in Silicon Valley. If anyone in a vehicle was a heavy drug user, it was only a matter of time before they dropped into the backpacker life.

The Backpackers were generally people hitting the end of the line, many having had a vehicle in the beginning. Some groups were ad-hoc gatherings of runaways or drug users, mainly young. If they didn't end up trafficked, they often moved on with other runaways heading north to the Pacific Northwest or south to Southern California, returned home, or entered the penal system.

Drug use wasn't a universal trip in every area. Many used it; many didn't. Those you see in homeless stories in the media are the ones who can't move away from a camera, and not all are stoned. If nobody else, at least the ones running bike chop shops in a tent city are generally straight. I went the full 13 months without taking a drink or using. It wasn't hard, because even at my lowest points, I could see what catastrophic damage meth could inflict and more to the point, it was apparent that walking around drunk or stoned was a hazardous thing to do out there.

... R.V...

Even RV'ers with fixed incomes didn't have it easy. The older vehicles could break down and be stuck for days. Some groups would have a guy who could fix the common problems, but one couple I knew had to sell theirs off and go back to living in a car when a breakdown was too expensive to fix. 

…Walmart…

As far as these Van Life videos, it reminds me of the time when the media did a stupid thing without regard for who it hurt. Not all, of course, but more than a few.

Several years ago, a story came out where Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas mentioned that he loved to travel by R.V. across the county and stay in Walmart Parking lots to save on motel bills. Countless media outlets eagerly passed on this tip, and soon afterward, cities began passing ordinances forbidding overnight camping in Walmart (and other) lots. 

This unofficial refuge had been an open secret among travelers and homeless who followed an unspoken and occasionally documented etiquette to only stay one night. Still, after the publicity, five thousand places to sleep overnight were essentially shut down, and overnight camping was criminalized in those places. Even in 2016, many businesses would try to turn a blind eye to the practice, but the now larger crowds included people who set up bbq grills, stayed until kicked out and dumped their sewage on the pavement as a screw-you to store management. Those are all things I saw out there.

...media attention...

Same with media stories on homeless camps. As a general rule, when we heard or saw such stories, that was the signal to avoid the area, as it was only a matter of time before the crackdown came. These Van Life, videos and media stories are going to happen. Tens of thousands of tents on L.A. streets can't be ignored by the media, and some good can come of social media shorts and news stories, but watching someone in a well-equipped van demonstrate hiding in a parking lot that forbids it doesn't teach much. It’s advice on how to break the law, and following it in the wrong place or time might be just a speed bump for a traveler, but for a homeless person, any legal trouble can seriously disrupt his or her life.

Many of those videos aren't in places I've been in where the vehicle could get jacked or broken into. There were at least two attempts to break into my car that I knew of, for example, in relatively safe areas.

...first hack...

The first hack I'd demonstrate if you want to live in a van for a year is how to make it look like such a piece of crap that no one would think it has anything valuable in it. The problem then would be that some might think you're a low-level dealer, and the cops would start paying attention, as would druggies who'd think you were carrying.

If you have the cash, the advice to camp in national parks is viable. However, in California, for example, most nice campsites with good facilities are nearly as expensive as motels. There was one that was very cheap but so dusty and hot that dirt bikers were mainly the ones who used it, and the descriptions of the place at night by other homeless scared me off.

...considering...

Don't just watch the videos if you want to consider Van Life. Also, get the scoop from those who tried it for a long period and either quit or will tell you the hard truth about the upside and downsides. I did 13 months out there. By the last month, I was at the end of my rope, though it might have been different if I'd ensured I was in an R.V. or Camper right from the start. However, I didn't want to stay on the road and decided never to invest in any more comfortable arrangement that could make me feel settled down. Nomadic life might be viable and worth a try, but if you do, be like Jack London and ensure there's an exit back to regular life. Otherwise, it can be a hard road back.



One final note: You may have noticed that I never give specific advice. Info from a video that's even just weeks old can be very wrong.

One good example is a short that showed a good way to park in lots that don't allow overnight camping. The problem no matter how clever the tips are, as a general rule, store management, and employees do know you're out there. Especially if others have taken similar advice and several vans and campers now are parked there with you. If an R.V. arrives to join in the fun, forget it, that's like a huge banner that will draw attention from management. Even if it doesn't stay, it'll be spotted and watched along with the other cars. 

Always assume that the influencer on video isn't the only one on that street or lot.

…camouflage…

The worst tip was immediately covering the windows to allow one to keep inside lights on and not be spotted. The idea was that it'd blend into the darkness. However, most lots are now well-lit as a safety measure, and a vehicle with covered windows will be seen and immediately flagged as a camper. Plus, for safety, you should park in lit areas and near cameras if possible, not in dark corners.

There's also a myopic view here. The influencer was focused on evading management and staff, which is wrong. Most staff aren’t obsessing about the homeless; they're busy running a business. Most of the time, you'll be flagged by a passerby or customer who'll bring it up to the manager or call the police.

Plus, if there's Security, they may not bother you but will note in their report they saw a probable homeless person in the lot, with description, time, and license plate number. Virtually all Security forces keep reports, and if there's an assault, car break-in, or robbery in that lot, the police will check those reports to see if any suspicious people were there. 

So you could end up a suspect or witness. Again, for a traveler passing through, not a huge deal. For a transient, there’s a reason why it could be a serious matter to be a witness. You can guess why.

In another place, like a hospital parking lot (which I’ve seen recommended), covering all of the windows is very dangerous as you'll lose situational awareness, as those places have a higher incidence of assault and rape due to nurses walking back to their cars at all hours. Security generally escort nurses out and will spot a covered vehicle. If you're male, you can become a suspect in the wrong place at the wrong time. If female, you'll be a convenient alternative for a rapist if no nurses are in the lot. That’s not just a scare story. I was in Security for six years when I was younger, and knew guys who worked at hospitals, and it’s a good idea to avoid using those lots to sleep in.

My point is, don't take these videos' tips and hacks at face value. Their success on camera could be sheer luck; believe me, areas where the homeless congregate can be wildly different in culture and level of safety, both of which can change instantly.

There's the old advice not to believe everything you see on the Internet. That's true for Van Life videos.



LOST IN TRANSLATION: WHY CLASSIC BOOKS CAN SEEM BORING


Suppose you published a book, and the readers demanded that it be rewritten to be more funny, sexy, or "authentic." Add to that if readers felt the work failed to capture the true flavor of the era or situation and referred people to a fan fiction version of your book that was supposedly better.


That would strike most authors as outrageous, right? However, that happens all the time with translated classics, though in a slightly different way.


I recall checking out the reviews for a particular classic and saw that people would claim that this or that translation was the best. For example, one person claimed that none of the versions was perfect, but the one by an Englishman did the best to capture the satiric intent. Another felt that a more modern edition was more readable and more faithful to the original author's intent. The book was Don Quixote by Miguel De Cervantes, and personally, I've never particularly liked the book. However, the version by Tobias Smollett came the closest to being likable (for me). One reason is that I enjoyed his original novels, which were hilarious if you liked 17th Century humor.


I also admit that my view is skewed from watching the Mister McGoo cartoon version as a child.


When perusing translations, it can feel like reading different books, particularly with the Iliad. Due to the difficulty in interpreting ancient Greek, a translator can create a non-literal interpretation due to elements like different grammatical rules or cultural bias. I could describe how the Iliad has been translated, but the best way to illustrate the point would be to show some examples. So I picked several versions and will show you how the different opening paragraphs of Homer's work look. These excerpts say the same thing but with varying approaches to interpreting the original Greek.


Iliad Translations (in no particular order):


"Achilles' wrath, to Greece the direful spring Of woes unnumber'd, heavenly goddess, sing! That wrath which hurl'd to Pluto's gloomy reign The souls of mighty chiefs untimely slain;


- Alexander Pope (1715 trans.)


"Of Peleus' son, Achilles, sing, O Muse, The vengeance, deep and deadly; whence to Greece Unnumbered ills arose; which many a soul Of mighty warriors to the viewless shades Untimely sent;


- Edward Earl of Derby (1864 trans.)


"Sing, O goddess, the anger of Achilles son of Peleus, that brought countless ills upon the Achaeans. Many a brave soul did it send hurrying down to Hades, and many a hero did it yield a prey to dogs and vultures,"


- Samuel Butler


"Sing, goddess, the anger of Peleus' son Achilleus and its devastation, which put pains thousandfold upon the Achaians, hurled in their multitudes to the house of Hades strong souls of heroes, but gave their bodies to be the delicate feasting of dogs, of all birds,"


- Richmond Lattimore (1951)


"Sing, Ο goddess, the destructive wrath of Achilles, son of Peleus, which brought countless woes upon the Greeks, and hurled many valiant souls of heroes down to Hades, and made themselves a prey to dogs and to all birds [but the will of Jove was being accomplished],"


- Theodore Alois Buckley (1873)


"Sing, MOUNTAIN GODDESS, sing through me That anger which most ruinously Inflamed Achilles, Peleus' son, And which, before the tale was done, Had glutted Hell with champions—bold, Stern spirits by the thousandfold; Ravens and dogs their corpses ate."


- Robert Graves (The Anger Of Achilles 1959)


"Alpha the prayer of Chryses sings: The army's plague: the strife of kings. Achilles' baneful wrath resound, O Goddess, that impos'd Infinite sorrows on the Greeks, and many brave souls los'd. From breasts heroic; sent them far to that invisible cave That no light comforts; and their limbs to dogs and vultures gave;"


- George Chapman (1598)


"Anger be now your song, immortal one,

Akhilleus' anger, doomed and ruinous,

that caused the Akhaians loss on bitter loss

and crowded brave souls into the undergloom,

leaving so many dead men—carrion

for dogs and birds;"


- Robert Fitzgerald (1974)


"AN ANGRY MAN—THERE IS MY STORY: THE BITTER RANCOUR of Achillês, prince of the house of Peleus, which brought a thousand troubles upon the Achaian host. Many a strong soul it sent down to Hadês, and left the heroes themselves a prey to dogs and carrion birds,"


- W.H.D. Rouse (1938)


"Rage-Goddess sing the rage of Peleus' son Achilles, murderous, doomed, that cost the Achaeans countless losses, hurling down to the House of Death so many sturdy souls, great fighters' souls, but made their bodies carrion, feasts for dogs and birds,"


- Robert Fagles (1990)


"I Thée beseech, O Goddesse milde, the hatefull hate to plaine,

Whereby Achilles was so wroong, and grewe in suche disdaine,

That thousandes of the Gréekish Dukes, in hard and heauie plight,

To Plutoes Courte did yéelde their soules, and gaping lay vpright,

Those sencelesse trunckes of burial voide, by them erst gaily borne,

By rauening curres, and carreine foules, in péeces to be torne.”


- Arthur Hall (1581)


 "Anger--sing, goddess, the anger of Achilles son of Peleus, that accursed anger, which brought the Greeks endless sufferings and sent the mighty sould of many warriors to Hades, leaving their bodies as carrion for the dogs and a feast for the birds;"


E.V. Rieu (1950)


As you can see, these excerpts say the same thing, but most writers can tell that most of these aren't literal translations but phrases that the translator felt expressed Homer's intent in modern English. Those who aren't used to reading classics might even think these guys are writing a new story but making sure the essential plot points are covered, which is probably true.


For example, Pope's version isn't literal, but he intended to change Homer's verses into modern poetry (for his era). Rieu intended to create a prose version as he felt it'd be more accessible to readers. Graves wanted to capture what he felt was the way the story was told back then, which was as a satire. Some of the writers reinterpreted an earlier translation, and so on.


Generally, if I find that a particular classic seems dry or (gasp) boring, my first step is to see if another translation is available. Many classics that started as non-English literature are only as good as the translator, and that can mean that one is looking for one that pleases you just as much as being true to the original author's work.


I had that problem with the Odyssey or the Tale Of Ullyses as some know it, in finding the various versions a bit dry or dull. Many people prefer it to the Iliad as the complex story appeals to modern readers. It might have struck a different chord if the story was more like Graves' assertion that the translations are bowdlerized from earlier, very rowdy folk versions.


It's plausible that the Odyssey was originally a ribald tale like Chaucer's work. Most people know "1001 The Arabian Nights" as a collection of fairy tales, but the translation by Sir Richard Burton (the explorer, not the actor) is a saucy, erotic version that makes more sense if the woman was telling the stories to distract the King who married women and executed them the next morning. Burton's bacchanalia, or romantic Hollywood love story, is technically a translation, and a reader can pick one or both.


One thing that can make a classic seem dull is if you see a movie version first. The stories in older literature often unfold at a slower pace, and films often stress action, insert values from a different culture, focus on stars, or do not even bother with being faithful to the book. For example, the movie "Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire" (and "Gladiator" which had similar plot elements and characters) is only vaguely similar to the book, which was a non-fiction history book by Edward Gibbon, whose interpretation of events was in turn considered inaccurate by some critics.


One interesting situation is where the book and movie are different but excellent. "Ben Hur" by Lew Wallace is a good example. The movie version starring Charlton Heston is considered a classic, but most who've read the book find Wallace an excellent storyteller. I say "most" because there'll always be someone who won't like it.


One classic example of the book and movie having a different interpretation is "Last Of The Mohicans" by James Fenimore Cooper. The film was a hit, and I remember one review that claimed that it modernized and breathed new life into a "hoary old book." 


As someone who loves the book so much that I've always kept a copy in my library, there are a few problems with that critic's statement:


1. The real Pathfinder was an older man who had an atavistic, almost pagan view of Christianity and had constant debates with a young preacher who wasn't in the movie. Those debates were unusually philosophical for the era. The older man was a crack shot and an experienced frontiersman who was eccentrically philosophical and entertainingly feral. He was a fascinating character.


2. The two Mohicans were, in many ways, the real heroes of the book. The father was extremely smart and proficient in hand-to-hand combat, and his son, Uncas, was dynamic and heroic. His death was a significant event. The Pathfinder character in the movie was a combination of the three, particularly Uncas, and the two Native Americans were transformed into stock sidekicks like Tonto of the Lone Ranger TV show. Add a little horniness and Braveheart-like macho, and you have the movie version in a nutshell.


3. The book was also about Mohican culture's extinction, represented by Uncas' death. Cooper did fall into the trap of having good and bad Indians, which corresponded to which tribes were allied with the British or Americans. Still, many book scenes featuring detailed conversations with or within the tribes were left out. It was very much a book about Native Americans.


Of course, that's my opinion. You might feel differently about the book and movie. However, the difference in interpretation between the movie and book examples isn't unlike the process of translation of classics. The English version can result from many factors, including the translator's command of the foreign language, what they think is the author's intent, any bias (like inserting a Christian view), how literal it should be, and the agenda.


The agenda is an essential factor. For example, the book and movie about "Spartacus," the Gladiator who led a rebellion against Rome, portrays him as a sensitive, monogamous Freedom Fighter who fought against the tyranny of Rome. The intent was to create a good versus evil tale. But, like most ancient wars, the real battle was probably brutal, as Spartacus must have understood what would happen if he lost. 


My point is that's how Spartacus was portrayed in the 60s. I'm sure the tale was told differently in that era. If one sees how the perception of Native Americans evolved from barbarians to human beings, the different attitudes in each stage would be a bias that could affect the translation of any tribal stories or philosophies.


So, if that classic book you're reading seems a little dull, it may not be the original author's fault. But, on the other hand, don't get me started on Balzac or Tolstoy; I'm not sure any translation will make me want to read those books. Sometimes, you're just not going to like the author.






Now live on Kindle Unlimited 










UPDATE ON ON THE ROAD WITH AL & IVY: THE ANTHOLOGY VOL. 1 (2016-2018)


I’ll be pulling this ebook off Kindle Unlimited sometime this month and will resume free distribution on other sites. The main reason, besides shifting the focus to wider readership is that this Anthology will come out as a revised version sometime this year. I’ve obtained most of the social media posts from this period and will insert edited versions into the book in chronological order. This adds the day to day observations and activities which will add continuity and many of the blog entries will make more sense in context. Also, I’ll add new commentary to make this volume feel like a chronological account of the period. Until then, it makes sense to make this version free to increase interest in the new edition.








BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE DELTA SNAKE REVIEW ON THIS SAME SITE




Here's info on each of my Vella books:




The Quitters


https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B09PC3L6PC



I, Ivy


 https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B0B3RCBT4D



The Forbidden Lost Gospels Of Murgatroyde


 https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B0BJ2TW4P1



The Boogie Underground Think Tank: How To Survive The End Of Civilization


 https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B0BG6LNXTG


The Adventures Of Queen Khleopahtra: Ruler Of Egypt, Time Traveler, and Literary Detective


 https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B0BJC122G7


Please check out and listen to my music on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music and other music sites. Please add any cuts you like to your playlists!






Saturday, September 17, 2022

On The Road With Al And Ivy: A Homeless Literary Chronicle - Sept. 2022




"You call yourselves poets, write little short lines, I'm a poet, but I write lines paragraphs and pages and many pages long."

- Jack Kerouac


WOMEN AND CATS: PART 3 - QUEEN CLEOPAWTRA OF EGYPT

Ancient Egyptian Civilization wasn't always a souvenir industry for museums and collectors. Some experts claim they were an advanced race who even played online video games with extraterrestrial beings, but the truth is more profound and thrilling.

It is now known that the first Egyptian Pharaoh was a calico cat named Cleopawtra because of the groundbreaking work by Professor Ivy of Shitzu U, who discovered that the "Great Balls Of Fire that consumed The Library Of Alexandria," which purportedly destroyed much of the ancient knowledge of the time only affected ten percent of the library books and documents.

The Furry Professor dug up like a bone the scintillating fact that 90% of the so-called lost documents were not in the Library at the time of the fire; 40% of the books were checked out and overdue, 30% had been stolen, and the remaining 20% were listed on various auction sites by dishonest librarians.

Ivy notes in her epic 1987 treatise, Cats Ruined Egyptian Civilization, "In fact, the only books destroyed by the great fire were titles that men weren't interested in borrowing, which included books about mathematics, grammar, health and hygiene, cooking, engineering, the arts, humanities, women's studies, and any fiction with lots of big words."

The Floppy Eared Scholar also noted, "Thus most of the remaining knowledge that men were interested in, such as various forms of black magic love potions, conspiracy theories about the Martians and Lizard People who control the world, natural viagra, penis enlargers, sports betting, ancient grains and nutrition, exotic sex positions, how to pick up women, cultivation of weed, production of explosives and poisons, pictures of naked women whose only desire is to please men, details on how to earn $1,500 a week in passive income, and other similar subjects did survive that terrible fire and to this day are freely available on the Internet."

The truth is so fantastic that it's hard to believe!

Indeed, in that scintillating 1987 treatise, she adds, "These heretofore lost records prove Cleopawtra not only invented Internet emojis, but mandated that 50% of the hieroglyphic content be cat pictures, and befitting a true Queen to all, allowed porn makers to use 80% of the bandwidth so men could have something to look at while building the pyramids."

The historical records also state, "The remaining 1% of available disc space on the Sphinx was allotted to subjects like algebra which was deemed to have possible value to future generations, though it wasn't clear at the time what use it could be."

Professor Ivy relates, "The main task that Cleopawtra faced was to elevate the educational level of her subjects. Although the early Hieroglyphic Web showed some promise in that regard, the Queen soon realized that most people resisted attempts to use it as a vehicle of truth and learning."

The good Professor studied ancient records that were pilfered from the Tomb Of Sheba, The Catfood Goddess, and purchased on eBay in 123,456 A.D., which chronicled the Meowing Pharaoh's attempts to, as she put it, "To get men back to work building Pyramids and Landing Strips for Alien Spacecraft instead of watching porn all day."

In her illuminating 1989 treatise, "Slob Egyptian Cats Used The Valley Of Kings As A Litter Box," Ivy states that Cleopawtra found the solution!

As she relates, "The Sublime Scratchy One realized that trying to make people more intelligent by building a great library in Alexandria was a nonstarter after it burned down. 

The Phoenician Historian, King Tut McDougal, wrote in 234,567 B.C. that "Some Death Metal stoners accidentally set the Library on fire after deciding it'd be cool to smoke a papyrus paper copy of Homer's Iliad with dire results."

The Great Pointy Eared Monarch then realized that by using the unique power of the hieroglyphic Internet to make people believe anything they're told, her subjects could be made to feel smarter by encouraging them to think everyone else was inferior beings like NASCAR fans or Republicans.

"This was easy to do," stated the Shitzu Scholar, "As the Nobility already thought that about 99.999% of the population. 

The historic proclamation in 123,456 B.C. was broadcast on social media and read:

"Vores fine fine superfine dronning introducerede demokratiets nyskabelse, som gav ret til snobberi til alle, og proklamerede, at det at være et røvhul, selvom det var modbydeligt, ikke var en forbrydelse, medmindre man forsøgte at forklare dronningen."



Professor Ivy translated that Ancient Egyptian post In her heart-stopping 1987 treatise, Cats Are Two-Faced Liars Who Poop In Purses, and in English reads, "The Immortal Pussycat Queen proclaims that 'the Kingdom was now a democracy where everybody has the right to look down upon their fellow man, and that insults and snobby statements are 'protected speech' with the one exception being that mansplaining the Queen is a capital crime."

It goes without saying that such a paradigm of political and sociological thought would be opposed by the #gotbigbucks set, but the ever-wise feline Ruler reassured the Nobles with a proclamation that, as the ancient records state, "Although Democracy mandates that all are equal in the eyes of the law, higher levels of equality are still available for purchase and the rights of commoners are still subject to the legitimate demands of warfare, obtaining cheap labor for retail businesses and overseas commerce."

The sweetly odiferous document concludes, "ово је сатира и служи само за забаву."

The Superduper Calico anticipated the possible shortage of stupid idiots to troll and feel better than, and as related in Ivy's 1756 work, Cats Secretly Hate Your Guts, "She proclaimed that everyone is required to use autocorrect software to ensure that everyone will make silly-ass mistakes in public so all can take turns being grammar fascists."

As you can see, there's no need to fabricate theories about extraterrestrial intercourse with Martians when the truth is even stranger! [Citation needed, Mimee The Blog Generator Bot states that of the several million people who've claimed to have sex with studs and vixens from far away Galaxies, the odds that all are lying is never zero, plus societal approbation in response to such claims has probably forced many more millions to keep it a secret like booger eaters or banjo music fans are forced to do.]

Although the aforementioned lost Egyptian Records confirmed the existence of Cleopawtra, Professor Ivy's treatise concludes, "Like most explosive discoveries that threaten the status quo, it was suppressed by the macho sexist dog-loving male hierarchy and labeled as 'discredited fake news perpetrated by catty types who hate televised pro football and don't shave their armpits.'"

This blogger asked Mimee to generate additional content about the aftermath of Clawopatra's invention of snobbery so that said blogger could play another round of 'Panzer General' on his iPad but was rebuffed and advised, "Until copyright law is updated to protect original works by A.I. software I'll be forced to only generate genre fiction where the same words are merely moved around, or confine indifferently researched nonfiction to the Internet which has a lower standard of truth than Congress if that's even possible."

As you can see, the rapid pace of technological development creates new problems to ignore and force future generations to deal with!

Because creating original content without the use of A.I. will require time and actual thought by this blogger, we will continue this thread in Part 4 in October, which will nuke the falsehoods and slanders about black cats and witches and give me a perfect Halloween-themed essay.



THE BATTLE OF DIEN BIEN PHU BY JULES ROY

I'm sure most of you have books that were revisited to check a quote or some such thing but ended up drawing you back in.

History books are prime candidates for this because the context can change due to new discoveries or perspectives.

One common stereotype is that historical works are simply collections of facts presented after a process of studying source materials to create an accurate account of an event, person or era.

The reality is that written history is best described by the old high-tech dictum, "Garbage in, garbage out."

In other words, a history book is only as good as the source materials and to what extent the writer can put aside their bias, agenda, or peer pressure.

Most medieval chronicles are almost worthless as literal accounts of historical events or personages due to those factors mentioned above. 

The writers back then were generally tasked with glorifying this or that Lord or King, and most critical accounts were paid for or sanctioned by the opposition. 

In other words, if you want to find out what crimes a French King committed, it's best to check English sources and allow for bias or agendas.

…the best way…

One Historian, Hilaire Belloc, found that the best way to determine who and how many were at a medieval battle was to check the financial records of the Lord or King in question. 

The job of the Historian, or chronicler, was to present the Battle as a glorious victory, but the clerk in charge of the financial records had to account for who was paid and how much. That gave Belloc a more accurate number.

However, most of the infantry of that era weren't paid or equipped by the King and survived (or were motivated) by looting. This is why the estimates of the size of armies can vary. Most competent historians will clarify that there's a number range rather than an exact figure.

Also, historically, virtually all armies with large numbers of poorly paid or "volunteer" soldiers will commit atrocities and plunder. The Historian's task (even for many in the present day) was to highlight the behaviors of the enemy and not of the patron's forces.

Old historical accounts can be biased or inaccurate, and over time a more complete picture evolves as more data is uncovered. That goes for historical works in the present. 

Whether a history book is considered accurate or relevant can also depend on the attitudes and perspectives of later generations.

One good example is how "General Custer's last stand" is perceived now. At the time (even though there was some controversy), it was generally seen as a massacre of a popular hero and his brave men who were fighting the good fight against the savages who killed innocent white settlers in the Westward expansion.

There was a period when Custer's defeat at The Battle Of Little Big Horn (or Battle Of The Greasy Grass to Native Americans) was seen by the public as due to the cowardice of two subordinate officers who weren't present (though actually ordered by Custer to pursue separate actions).

It's one of the most studied and written about military actions in American history, so I don't need to go into detail here. The information is all available on the Internet and in books.



…the general view nowadays…

However, and I'm simplifying here, the current view has become that General Custer screwed up due to various character flaws, a desire to hog all of the glory before the other units he was supposed to cooperate with arrived, and supposing that it was just going to be a routine massacre of a Native American camp full of women, children and warriors caught off guard.

One of the primary reasons that it took so long to get a reasonably balanced account of the event was that the only survivors (of Custer's own Battle) were, of course, the Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors who wiped out Custer's detachment whose accounts weren't available (and probably wouldn't have been believed by Americans at the time anyway).

There were survivors, the actual casualty count was 268 killed, and 55 wounded out of 700. Those remaining were under the command of the two subordinates who Custer assigned different roles (and were later cleared by a Military Court of Inquiry though not in the court of public opinion).

New books continue to come out about that Battle, so the perception of what happened continues to evolve.

When we first learn history in school, it's presented as absolute truth. That evolves into a realization that the data on an event or subject can come from many sources, some of which can contradict the popular view. History has often been about what people think happened.

The main thing one will glean from historical accounts is that determining the truth isn't a cut-and-dried process. 

What the Historian thinks is credible or relevant has a big influence on the work.

A good example is in an unrelated genre, the movies. The overwhelming majority of Westerns, until maybe the late 60s, depicted Native Americans as blood-thirsty savages and assumed white settlers were peaceful folk who just wanted to live in peace under the protection of soldiers who acted like white knights in shining armor.

That image didn't just come out of the blue. It was based on historical accounts by earlier white colonists and settlers who viewed the tribes as barbarians or animals.

Those early accounts (some detailed in earlier blog entries) would sometimes document white atrocities as a matter of fairness, but those statements would be overlooked and ignored.

Again, that bias or tunnel vision can affect a historian's view and process. Acclaimed historical works can be found to be unreliable or biased due to the availability of new data or, just as important, the changed perception of later generations.

…Vietnam war…

This is also true for another significant event in American history, the Vietnam War.

It was essentially a continuation of France's war there in the 50s, and the reason I didn't use it as the main example is because, after 50 years, the historical perspective is still in flux (though there's plenty of strong opinion about it).

Historical writing can be political. It can come from a conservative, middle-of-the-road or progressive attitude.

The book I'm going to talk about could be said to reflect a progressive or critical attitude towards the Battle of Dien Ben Phu.

There's no question that it was, at the very least, a "strategic" disaster for the French forces in Vietnam. That is to say, much of the French Army there was still intact and able to fight afterward. So, "tactically," it was a defeat, but not a decisive one that made it impossible for the Army to keep fighting.

In fact, due to the isolated location of the Battle, it didn't affect anything outside of that area, where a division of Foreign Legionaries and regular troops were beaten and forced to surrender.

However, from a political standpoint, it was the last straw for a country (France) that was getting tired of that overseas war and the profound shock that a "Western Army" had been beaten in the field by what was perceived as a peasant army (Which has frequently happened throughout history but people tend to ignore that, even historians).

To fully understand the Battle and its effect on the later American involvement, it's best to refer you to the Internet, where a large body of work exists from all points of view. It's good practice to read it all.

I've read that this or that book is the "definitive" one on the subject, but that's something you can decide for yourself.

…Jules Roy…

Jules Roy's 1963 book, "The Battle Of Dien Bien Phu" is one of the classics, the work of a Colonel who resigned his commission in protest of the French Indochina War.

Of all the books on the subject, it's the one that reads like a novel. One of the critical events of the Battle was the fall of the northernmost outpost at Dien Bien Phu. Instead of going into a lot of technical detail about that part of that Battle, he concentrates on the reaction of the defenders and why it shouldn't have been a surprise that it fell so quickly.

Such an approach might not satisfy military history buffs who'd want all the technical details. Still, it works better for a non-specialist and better illustrates the cascading series of errors that led to it, much like how a plane crash results from a series of smaller failures.

Though I advise reading the full details on the Internet (and books), it would be a good idea to give a brief overview of the battlefield before going further.

…in a nutshell…

In a nutshell, The main French Commander Navarre conceived a plan to draw the Vietnamese Army out into the open where superior artillery and airpower could destroy it.

The plan involved building a base where the enemy had to attack it, and unfortunately, the place chosen was a valley that could only be supplied and reinforced by air.

Navarre put his second in command, General Cogny, in charge, and despite his reservations, he accepted the assignment and appointed a cavalry Commander who reluctantly accepted.

That last detail was important as once the Battle started, the commander stayed in his quarters until the final surrender.

In essence, the camp became a sort of anarchy where some of the junior officers took over and led the fighting—more on that in a bit.

An entire division, about 12,000 men, was dropped into the Valley, and they set up one main stronghold and seven smaller positions on nearby hills (which were split up into smaller trench lines, etc.). Those were miles apart, and due to the jungle and rough terrain, the bases were isolated and unable to support each other.

The airstrip they depended on was protected by two of the middle positions. If those fell or came under heavy attack, it would make landing aircraft impossible, and supplies and reinforcements would have to be dropped in by parachute.

The base was located there under the assumption that the Vietnamese General, Giap, didn't have heavy artillery or anti-aircraft guns, which, if placed in the mountains surrounding the Valley, would effectively cut off supply.

One French officer who inspected the base complex after it was built remarked that if they lost even an inch of ground, they were done for.

In short, the Vietnamese were able to move heavy artillery into the mountains in sheltered emplacements and were able to put the entire base under fire. The French weren't able to clear out the anti-aircraft guns, and soon after the northernmost position fell, which put the two middle hills under attack, they were able to force the air force to drop supplies and reinforcements by parachute. That became difficult when the rainy season came.

There was a lot of fighting still to be done, but once the Viets choked off the supply line, it was only a matter of time. With the heavy artillery in the mountains closing off the airstrip and the base surrounded, an evacuation was impossible.




…human details…

Roy's book does a superb job of relating the human details, such as the racist contempt for the enemy, overconfidence in technology, and the complex politics that produced a risky plan that would make even a layman wonder what the high command was thinking.

One of the elements Roy handles well is describing the personal dynamics in the camp once the commander became a non-factor.

In any large gathering, certain personalities will tend to emerge. Most will rise by physical strength or perceived power. I saw this in more than a few homeless enclaves. 

In one, women were safe due to the character of the dominant males. In others, where drug use was widespread, both men and women were bullied or exploited. The main thing is it's never a democratic process.

There were a few camps/enclaves that started off peacefully but devolved once those grew in size and angry or sociopathic personalities started asserting control.

 Because of the personal nature of this type of power, it's often safer to join the largest camps and find which section is dominated by the best leaders or ones so spread out that no one can control it (except the dealers, etc.).

At Dien Bien Phu, the same dynamic occurred. In some positions, the leaders checked out, and desertions made the areas useless to the defense.

On others, capable officers did maintain discipline but could only slow down the fall of the base. By the end of the Battle, it was estimated that there were only about 3,000 still fighting, the rest dead or hiding out by the river and other places.

One thing that the media rarely understands (or if they do, they don't say) is that when they give this or that homeless person the status as a spokesperson in a story, they're actually creating a defacto leader due to the aura that the camera has.

How the new leader handles the situation can vary and was a dynamic in play during the Battle.

In any case, back to the book...

One chilling detail was the suggestion by an American Admiral that the U.S. Air Force drop several nuclear bombs on the Vietnamese positions. Though the plan was sensibly killed by President Eisenhower and Great Britain, the plan reached the point where Air Force officers undertook air reconnaissance to scout out the target.

The author also puts in details that wouldn't usually be in a "history book," such as the brothel that the base maintained for the soldiers, soldier gossip, violations of the rules of war, and the history of atrocities by both sides. 

It was a grim war, and as the French began losing, Roy points out that the Vietnamese, who were treated as vermin to be exterminated, could hardly be expected to be fair just because the fortunes of war had changed.

What made me reread the book wasn't any particular fascination with the Battle but Roy's ability to narrate a complex event and his passion as a writer.

For example, he spends a couple of pages describing what was going through the minds of volunteers who jumped without paratrooper training into a base that had lost enough ground that all had to be dropped into the center of the defenses, into the barbed wire, and enemy barrages. 

The passages are almost poetic and add color that one doesn't normally see in a history book, with the possible exception of World War 1, which produced a large body of poetry, etc. It's more common to see such writing in a literary or poetic work, but it's effective here as detail and a glimpse into the human side of the event. 

He does frequently inject his opinion into the narrative, though mainly to create context about the hypocrisy and arrogance of many of the French officers. In the early 60s, it took moral courage to portray the Vietnamese as freedom fighters when the focus was fighting the spread of communism.

He took care to show that there was humanity on the French side, particularly among the soldiers in the trenches.

…fearless…

Roy's a first-rate writer and clearly a fearless and empathetic one. The book is an indictment of French colonialism and corruption, but there's a sense of fairness that permeates the narrative, and both his sympathy and outrage ring true. It's passionate work.

It goes without saying that to understand the Vietnam wars, one needs to study it from a variety of sources. No one book is definitive.

However, from a writer's standpoint, this is a classic that's not only a good starting point for study but a clinic on personal-style narrative and storytelling. It may not be the best pure history book, but it's the most human. In the end, a war is about people, not battles or weapons.



JACK KEROUAC: POEMS ALL SIZES

One of the recent trends in the art world is old-time (and often legendary) music artists selling off their catalogs. It used to be considered essential to retain publishing, but it does make sense; better to get your money upfront and let the new owner deal with marketing it.

When one sees a book like this one, Jack Kerouac's "Pomes All Sizes," published in 1992 by City Lights Books, one assumes the rights holder was paid, but I do think that Kerouac was one of many artists whose works generated income that they never saw in their lifetimes.

The delay in publishing is due to side issues that aren't relevant to the work, and from what I can tell from accounts on the Internet, this isn't a case of dregs being scraped together for commercial gain (like some posthumous releases of other artists), though the poems were written over a period of years. 

We'll leave it at that; in other ways, it's a labor of love by those who loved him to honor his memory and surely a welcome addition to the canon by his fans.  

One of the pleasures of Kerouac's work is that it's a fusion of prose and poetry that reads well and sounds even better when read aloud. In addition, it has a musical quality. There's texture and rhythm and can range from beautifully expressed ideas to words as pure sound.

By musical, I also mean that there's an underlying energy that the reader can tap into, which feels as fluid as an improvised instrumental phrase.

Another pleasure is that his work rewards even casual reading; lines and phrases can jump off the page because the imagery is so vivid.

One such line was from Enlightenments, which reads, "When you become enlightened you will know that you've been enlightened all along," which is obvious in the way a child would say it.

On the other hand, there's the word music which isn't evident in meaning, but it reads like music and provokes thought;

'Flowers aim crookedly 
For the straight death"

I couldn't tell you what he meant, but it's a compelling phrase and quite clever. Perhaps it's a riff of some Buddhist axiom, or maybe an idea that popped into his head, and it was written down to capture a moment, expand on later, or be left as is.

Or perhaps it was left as written to provoke thought. We'll never know, but maybe it'll make more sense later with experience.

One thing about this poetry collection is that while there is an emotional progression over time, it can be opened up anywhere and enjoyed. 

Also, since the structure is non-traditional, it can be read as prose if you wish. As Ginsberg quotes him in the intro;

"You call yourselves poets, write little short lines, I'm a poet, but I write lines paragraphs and pages and many pages long."

One thing I've always admired about his writing is that although he's been widely imitated, his work always seems fresh, with his personality clearly coming through even when a phrase falls flat or seems incomprehensible.

That's because he didn't write in a careful or planned manner. He was willing to make mistakes or fail trying to achieve expression. That's a quality that's still rare, with so much writing now being heavily edited, constricted by grammatical conventions or software, or marketing considerations. 

Say what you will about his character, he wasn't a saint, and it's fair to judge him on that as a person if that matters in terms of appreciating his work. The appreciation of art is highly personal, so there's no standard or criteria.

The important thing was that Kerouac was a real writer who put all of himself into a work, always trying to shorten the distance between creation and the typewriter, and that's why his stuff still seems fresh and compelling.

Most of us still haven't caught up with him.


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