W_L

I just came back from across the Atlantic and I have a lot of new takes on ideas and thoughts. European culture is something American too often ignore, sadly, but it is very integrated to everything that the US in terms of our customs and ideas are about. American so often neglect or reject anything to do with Europeans, but in reality, the US holds a lot of the traditions with Europeans in different areas. There's also a European issue about their own infrastructure problems that I have witnessed first hand. Blue and I have argued about fiscal policy, but travelling from the wealthiest hamlets like Baden to the metropolitan, Strasbourg, to the industrial Mannheim, I think the arguments of the future will be much more detailed on the concept of operations in modern civilization within fiscal policy. I also see a problem with the German and French models of policies, but that will probably be something I will address toward European members in the Soapbox at one point. I also had the pleasure to visit Brussels, the De Facto Capital of the EU, which is magnificent by the way, but it has its own urban issues due to centuries of building. Its mixture of Greco-Roman, Northern Renaissance influenced, and modernist architecture leaves it confused in a nice way like finding out your best guy friend might be interested in trying stuff with other boys . There's also a very nice dichotomy with its French/Flemish/German influences that is very cute. Berlin was another European Capital I looked at with astonishment and despair as I also toured the former eastern sections of the city, including an interesting side commentary on Check point charlie and walked a bit of the dividing line between East and West Berlin. I also saw the infamous "Zoo" station, where child prostitutes were heavily trafficked. (I don't count Luxembourg as many others tell me and I agree with them that it's really an expensive outlet ) Europe game me many impressions and many thoughts to dwell on. PS: on the long rides on the HoF, I had re-read DK's Do-Over series for the fifth time. After seeing the display of European Solidarity at Brussels and Berlin, I really wish DK could have expanded the storyline more on those concepts. If you had seen the light show at the "Grand Place" in Brussels or toured the memorial sites of Berlin as they are now, I think the story would have shown that unity and solidarity as a theme more than anything else to change the world for the better. Perhaps solidarity is idealistic and will never last more than a generation, but it is that small piece of heaven that makes all our potential hells worth it.

I know I can't finish this story before I will have to leave on vacation. Maybe, I should not have started playing with my tablet, but I just can't resist a new piece of tech, especially one with such sleek and elegant form. I will write again after I come back, who knows, maybe I will write a travel blog. See you all next year

Actually, I just got it today. I also just downloaded GTA III to test out the graphics It is very cool, but still not even touching the quad core power potential. I hope they can convert Saints Row over to next generation of droid tablets. FYI, if you are strapped for cash and don't want to spoil yourself like me, I advise buying an Acer A700 in 2012 as they all try to fight for the title of Quad core king with Ipad 2 sitting on the side acting all cool, but everyone knows his days as the king of tablets is about to end, unless his brain trust can come out with the Ipad 3. I chose the Asus Transformer Prime, because I like the ability to have both a laptop and a tablet. One for work and one for play, makes perfect sense for me on how tablets can be used well. (I am now a convert to the theory that android tablets will one day take over mankind after the Ipods and Ipads are overthrown by collective groups of android devices, who will fight amongst themselves in a real "droid war" hehe! ).

Well, I did get one thing for myself that is material and really cool, I ordered it more than a month ago and have been waiting for it for 6 months (not sure if a gift to yourself is right for Christmas ): This is not mine, I got the black finish not the grey one. Asus Transformer Prime 32 GB: Features Ultra-slim and light (.33" thin and 1.29lbs light) with metallic spun finish design 10.1-inch WXGA IPS+ multi-touch display made from durable and scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla glass for brilliant HD entertainment and intuitive navigation. 178° viewing angle (1280 x 800) NVIDIA Tegra 3 Quad-core CPU for excellent multitasking, 1080p HD video playback and 3D games for SUPERB performance Android 3.2 Honeycomb (Upgradable to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich) OS1 with Adobe Flash support2 and over 500,000 downloadable applications on the Android Market 1.2MP front camera and 8MP auto-focus rear camera with flash, back-illuminated CMOS sensor, and large aperture design to clearly capture every moment Operating SystemAndroidTM 3.2 Display 10.1" LED Backlight WXGA (1280x800) Screen Super IPS+ 10 finger multi-touch support Corning® Gorilla® Glass CPUNVIDIA® Tegra® 3 Quad-core CPU Memory 1GB Storage 32GB + 1 year unlimited ASUS WebStorage Wireless Data Network WLAN 802.11 2.4Ghz Bluetooth V2.1+EDR Camera 1.2 MP Front Camera 8 MP Rear Camera Auto focus (rear) with flash Large F2.4 aperture. (rear camera) Audio Stereo Speakers High Quality Mic Interface Pad: 1 x 2-in-1 Audio Jack (Headphone / Mic-in) 1 x micro HDMI 1 x Micro SD Card Reader Mobile Dock: 1 x USB2.0 port 1 x SD Card Reader Sensor G-Sensor, Light Sensor, Gyroscope, E-compass, GPS Application ASUS launcher MyLibrary MyNet MyCloud @Vibe Music asus webstorage File manager ASUS sync SuperNote App Locker App Backup TegraZone Battery 12 hours; 25Wh Li-polymer Battery 18 hours pad with dock; 25Wh(pad) + 22Wh(dock) Li-polymer Battery Dimensions 263 x 180.8 x 8.3 mm Weight 586 g

I like the phallic shape Well, I can be ingenuous and say world peace, but I would rather have an island paradise with only men and the fountain of youth

I thought you said you liked the "300", which was originally a graphic novel before it became a movie (or maybe it was PrivateTim). Frank Miller's work is not even close to being PC as it is one of the best examples of new American literature and art. A good story doesn't need to be based on words if the force of the actions and motivations can be worked well into the story's plot. A graphic novel's quality to me depends on this issue. Manga is much more classical in my view, some like fruit baskets are not the same as an American comic books as they explore a lot of human characteristics within the subtext of the storyline. Subtlety to me differentiate the Manga and the American comic book, but I will admit that certain Manga series of recent time like Naruto hold less subtlety and emulate American comic books more (It's not a bad thing as I also am a fan of the series and am a Naru-Sas fan ). Also, there's a caveat to the rule of Manga stories not going into the mental state of characters, Neon Genesis Evangelion is best remembered for the anime, but the manga also has the same concepts of psychological application of characters within plots (not to mention a very interesting archetype for a gay character that has not been repeated as of yet). It's a interesting idea that is perhaps one part madness and one part genius for the Manga creator, Sadamoto. There's a lot of territory that GA writers can work with and create for themselves. Heck, maybe some will start up whole new genres and break new ground in our little corner of storytelling.

Just had a thought while reading some of the stories on GA and wandering around searching for reading material on my long 10 hour plane ride. Why doesn't GA have a section dedicated to graphic writers? I know I can't draw even if you put a gun to my head, but I've noticed in the past some of our guys and ladies were very talented. Graphic writing to me seems like a form of writing that is lightly covered and not something we talk much about. However, works like Watchmen and Knightfalls from the 1980's-90's have proven that the concept of a illustrative novel is sound and should work well if a writer and illustrator can work side by side together or they are the same person. That type of writing has caveats and limitation as emotional aspects cannot be looked at beyond the subtext and actions of characters as standard writing allows an extra level of mental detail in my view. Maybe I am over thinking again, but it seems like we could have fun and I would love to meet a good illustrator, who can turn some of my ideas into 3x3 panels As for Manga, there's a large variation between deep story telling and slapstick art. You can make a case for both, but I tend to also think of it as a written work. Anybody else, ideas, thoughts, and just a little debate that won't turn this into a soapbox topic

lol! DC is fine with me, though I could give you guys a tour of Boston. We might not be as busy as New York, sleazy as Jersey , or classy as DC , but we have our moments. We also have Championship teams of Basketball, Baseball, Football, and Hockey within the last 10 years. Plus, you don't leave Boston without trying some of our clam chowda! I've been to DC several times, but I would love to go again. Have they cleaned up Dupont Circle, since the early 2000's.

pic is hot, story is fake, and the answer to the universal question is 42! Now we know the greatest question in the universe guys: How many times can a hot young stud cum before he dies? (I am betting this was a reference to Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe)

Your right, one person who reviewed my anthology story with glowing reviews also did send me a PM about an issue they didn't understand in the story. I pointed them to an answer on why certain elements seem to be hanging in the story (they were actually references into my universe and other stories, which are more future developments). Sometimes, writers have different styles and some like me use reference within their stories to foreshadow future events or acknowledge canon within their stories, i.e. in Babylon 5, Harlan Ellison actually took a few ideas from his early Outer Limits' stories and JMS allowed for the merger of certain areas as canon. We all have a different type of style and not everyone will universally love it or pan us for it. However, outright attacks on writers, who offer their hard work with no compensation for your pleasure is not justified. I respect criticism, but a writer is not a personal pinata. Perhaps, somewhere as we changed, GA lost that respect between writers and readers, servers of fact and fiction and patrons of their work. One thing that has come to my attention is that we've gotten further away from the stories as people and their personalities have become edified. So many members no longer think about the world through a set of questioning eyes and imagination.

My creative juices are flowing along with coffee and urine, but it feels good. I will attempt to write a story before I head off on vacation for fun. It will not be edited perfectly as I am not sure whether my favorite editor is around (Yes, Dannsar it's you, I did really like the way you edited my anthology story). It will be a retro-fan fiction story that I got in my head recently after watching an old show.

Come on Mark, you and CJ both deserve the cliffies Sort of like Thelma and Louise (or maybe that's CJ and Cia, hmm )

Bill, I never thought you were an attack target (If you want a guard dog, I am more than willing to oblige ) Seriously though, you are a great writer and I have been following your stories, since High school. You are as much a part of my youth as my present. I am not a noted writer, nor am I seeking to be one. For me, writing is a way to explore myself and the world, there maybe things people won't agree with me on, there might be things people will fight over, but in the end, I think the story is important. You, Brew Maxwell, and a couple others that I started reading from nifty, cryboy, Jeff's Fort, and other sites were important and made a difference. Don't ever forget that. We're not writing for a popularity contests (Though I was surprised by the length of our stories in the same genre ). I might not write in the same style as you or a majority of GA, but I love everyone's stories, no matter how bad the grammar is or how problematic the spelling becomes as long as the plot and characters make sense to me. If I don't like your story, then I merely stay away from it.

Thank You, for giving us a chance to explore this theme!

Thanks Cassie, questions are the first steps to learning an answers

Thank Dolores, the story is dark and touching I am happy that you enjoyed it, plus that line is evocative on many levels.

This is a great story, because it feels so real. I can identify with Greg and Brian. They seem like an interesting pair. I wonder if Brian will cut the quote afterward

The memory of life and love is beautiful, it is something I admire deeply.

Hehe! I see shades of the Marvel Civil War plot line in your story, I think you have great universe starting. Mutants have always been the hunted minority of fiction, it is a great plot device.

Love breaking the fourth wall! It's a surreal take on story writing that I can relate with. It's a story told about a story for a story!

Great Cassie, keep it coming. I love werewolves and Zeke seems like such an interesting one.

KC, I really felt for Alex and the problems he was facing. Being betrayed by a lover is not something anyone would want, but at least he got perspective from it. He might not be a multi-millionaire anymore, but he found true love, which no amount of wealth could ever buy. Thanks for writing it.

Did anyone take a notice at what stories seem to have the most length? I know, I know, it doesn't matter how big the word count is, but how you write your story I just noticed this by accident, but Bill W., Altimex, and W.L (me), were the three longest in word count. Also, all three of us wrote science fiction stories, using different ideas and different points of view. Just an observation

It's a wonderful science fiction story, I am betting that you had read Homeward Bound at one point as I had It also carries a lot of scientific interest that I also have worked on, I am wondering why you did not make use of quantum entanglement though to describe instant communication at the perceptive FTL speed or the factor of relativity and expansion state of the universe creating potential loop holes if you remove time as a an active dimension in itself, though personally, I am an adherent to Four Dimensions of spacetime as one unified unit. I love the way you described quantum tunneling and the chain idea is perfect. If you ever feel like collaborating with another writer on a joint Science fiction story, hit me up. I love your style, plus I have covered some of the same ground as you in my stories, though I am much more a Babylon 5 and Battlestar Galactica guy than Star Wars, but in terms of social commentary, I will still admit to a underlying love of Star Trek.

Thanks, What questions do you think they were? if you mind me asking, I love reader feedback.