| 16:46 |
Phrynne |
hi Word |
| 16:46 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
Welcome Word :) |
| 16:46 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
I got the notecard in the vase-- TY |
| 16:46 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
Hi Val. and great |
| 16:47 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
sending a few reminders out now |
| 16:48 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
Hi, Phrynne |
| 16:48 |
Phrynne |
the weird thing about this avi is actually ice skating. I end up moving my wings and having little hands show up under the arms where the alpha isn't working. |
| 16:49 |
Bea Shamrock |
hello :) |
| 16:49 |
Phrynne |
that and having my crop be this squashed sphere that tries to poke out of my chest |
| 16:49 |
Phrynne |
hello Bea |
| 16:54 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
Hello Bea :) Nice to see you |
| 16:54 |
Bea Shamrock |
Hello :) Thank you |
| 16:54 |
Bea Shamrock |
Beth Ghostraven told me about the meeting |
| 16:55 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
wonderful! We meet alternately here and at Caledon. |
| 16:55 |
Bea Shamrock |
ahhh great |
| 16:55 |
Bea Shamrock |
my very first building lessons were at Caledon |
| 16:55 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
Welcome Zip! Good to see you- we will start in a few minutes |
| 16:55 |
Zippedy Zabelin |
Hello! |
| 16:56 |
Bea Shamrock |
hello |
| 16:56 |
Phrynne |
hello |
| 16:56 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
Welcome Claudi :) |
| 16:56 |
Claudi (claudi1900) |
thank you |
| 16:56 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
me sets her sun to midnight for the campfire ambiance |
| 16:57 |
Claudi (claudi1900) |
nice idea Valibrarian! |
| 16:57 |
|
Valibrarian Gregg meant to type /me! |
| 16:57 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
Our discussion leader is Wordsmith :) |
| 16:58 |
Bea Shamrock |
thanks :) |
| 16:58 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
You can touch the gold vase near the fire to get a discussion notecard. |
| 16:58 |
Bea Shamrock |
thank you |
| 16:58 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
and you can access the story here https://drive.google.com/file/d/1S-PL2rQwzzHmA9xdcHMF9mJ3UKczQp-F/view (I thought it was a bit dark on the website) |
| 16:58 |
Claudi (claudi1900) |
thank you |
| 17:00 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
Wordsmith--- Shall we use voice or text or a combo? |
| 17:00 |
Phrynne |
I increased the type size a few times and that pulled it out of the darkness |
| 17:00 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
oh! I did not think of that (or remember how to do it!) |
| 17:00 |
Bea Shamrock |
I printed it out XD |
| 17:00 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
Enlarging the text slightly (cntrl+) makes the black on the right retreat |
| 17:01 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
Here is the site: https://www.lexal.net/scifi/scifiction/classics/classics_archive/waldrop/waldrop1.html |
| 17:01 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
and CNTRL + made it easy to read....thanks! |
| 17:01 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
I am pulling up Wordsmith's notecard from the gold vase now. |
| 17:02 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
btw...did you notice that Phrynne is a dodo? nice! |
| 17:02 |
Bea Shamrock |
yes :D |
| 17:02 |
Bea Shamrock |
is that especially for today Phrynne? |
| 17:02 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
Might as well get started unless you have any announcements, Val |
| 17:03 |
Phrynne |
yes |
| 17:03 |
Bea Shamrock |
cool |
| 17:03 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
She is usually human! |
| 17:03 |
Bea Shamrock |
oooo! |
| 17:03 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
And we have a dodo in the Oxbridge tutorial. |
| 17:03 |
Bea Shamrock |
nice! |
| 17:04 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
In a couple weeks, our CVL Welcome Laurali |
| 17:05 |
Laurali Moon (lauralimoon) |
Hi everyone! |
| 17:05 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
This story explores a theme of dodos being transported to the rural south and not being extinct when normal history says they were. And it gives that history. |
| 17:05 |
Phrynne |
hello |
| 17:05 |
|
Bea Shamrock waves :) |
| 17:05 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
Yes! It feels like a real science article! rather than sci-fi |
| 17:06 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
I liked that it felt like doing field research as well as a lot of regional nuance. |
| 17:06 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
yes indeed! |
| 17:07 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
It started with long-shot serendipity, that I noted at the top of the "guide/prompt" |
| 17:07 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
and I believe the facts about the extinction of the dodo are true...right? I looked up a bit after |
| 17:08 |
Phrynne |
yes, as far as I know |
| 17:08 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
They look and sound correct. |
| 17:08 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
So that was part of Waldrop's history research. |
| 17:09 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
The anecdote felt so real! meeting the woman on the bus |
| 17:09 |
Bea Shamrock |
also the way she commented on the picture |
| 17:09 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
And having a cohort of dodo's brought to the U.S. and tucked away in a rural area isn't that large a jump |
| 17:10 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
Things like that meeting are rare, but they do happen. |
| 17:10 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
And please, everyone feel free to jump in. |
| 17:10 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
serendipity :) |
| 17:11 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
The story made me curious about other extinct animals! I think because it seemed like a story rather than a science textbook :) |
| 17:11 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
Yes, an entire chain of things leading to that meeting. |
| 17:12 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
Science fiction is always rooted in fact- "so close" |
| 17:12 |
Bea Shamrock |
true :) |
| 17:12 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
One of the features of this story is that there are places in the U.S. that are even today off the grid. |
| 17:13 |
Bea Shamrock |
I loved the last picture and the title of the article |
| 17:13 |
Bea Shamrock |
when is it set? I got a bit confused about dates -I thought maybe 1970s? |
| 17:14 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
So without outside knowledge, it's just ugly chickens. |
| 17:14 |
Phrynne |
It was published in 1980, so, late 1970s? |
| 17:14 |
Bea Shamrock |
thanks |
| 17:14 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
good point- thinking about remote places...we tend to think Google maps is everywhere! |
| 17:15 |
Phrynne |
It may see everywhere, but that doesn't mean places are all easy to get to on the ground |
| 17:15 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
Well, back in the 1980's it wasn't, and today in those areas would rely on cell towers or satellite connections. |
| 17:16 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
The world has changed so much! Sci-fi has become reality in many cases- right? |
| 17:17 |
Bea Shamrock |
yes sadly not time travel :( |
| 17:17 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
And sometimes the vision back when undershot what would happen. |
| 17:17 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
ooooh! I just finished James Gleich's book TIME TRAVEL- it was awesome |
| 17:17 |
Laurali Moon (lauralimoon) |
very true science fiction to fact and certainly the world seems much smaller these days |
| 17:17 |
Phrynne |
I like the narrator's way of looking at people, and his being willing to just be an interested visitor instead of an educated expert in anything. He was, but he didn't flaunt it, and so people talked to him. |
| 17:17 |
Claudi (claudi1900) |
I just went through the story... it reminds me of a kind of bird in another science fiction book, to be hunted through hitting them on the head |
| 17:17 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
I always wonder about time travel, because the planet back then isn't where it tis now. |
| 17:18 |
Bea Shamrock |
yes -he was also lucky -The Kraits could have been less friendly |
| 17:18 |
Bea Shamrock |
ooo really? |
| 17:18 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
http://longnow.org/seminars/02017/jun/05/time-travel/ |
| 17:18 |
Bea Shamrock |
thanks |
| 17:18 |
Laurali Moon (lauralimoon) |
time travel is always a fascinating subject |
| 17:18 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
Although a certain friendliness (with exceptions) can be typical of the south. |
| 17:19 |
Bea Shamrock |
ohh ok |
| 17:20 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
His writing style did sound like a field researcher...I wonder if the author had any experience in that? |
| 17:20 |
Zippedy Zabelin |
You just don't want to be in one of the exceptions when you're in his position, I guess :> |
| 17:20 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
Once he's made the serendipitous connection, the interview and then going to the local would be pretty standard field protocols. |
| 17:20 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
hehe Zip- true |
| 17:20 |
Bea Shamrock |
About the writing style..I'm not so sure I liked the sharp mixing of fact and the story itself |
| 17:21 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
With the niceties of sweat, grime, and broken windshields. |
| 17:21 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
really Bea- why? was it confusing or just not appealing to mix fact/fiction? |
| 17:21 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
What felt uncomfortable Bea? |
| 17:21 |
Claudi (claudi1900) |
(In Mysterious Island or Robinson Crusoe was such a kind of bird mentioned, I guess) |
| 17:22 |
Bea Shamrock |
not very appealing . I'd get excited following the story and then bam! fact |
| 17:22 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
So, the facts were interrupting the continuity and excitement of the story? |
| 17:22 |
Bea Shamrock |
yes -for me |
| 17:23 |
Bea Shamrock |
But I suppose like you mentioned before, he wasn't flaunting his knowledge so if the facts had been included in conversations he may have sounded pedantic |
| 17:24 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
I can understand that... I was a bit confused by it- thinking we were reading a real science article for a change (instead of sci-fi) - but the SCI-FI sign on the website clued me in! |
| 17:24 |
Bea Shamrock |
:) |
| 17:24 |
Claudi (claudi1900) |
the way and style of telling reminds me of some animals which might be more mysterious or impressive for the people, maybe phoenix in the legend or Japanese wolf in reality, but the subject is about a relatively "ordinary" race. |
| 17:24 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
This was an interesting image- "a grassy field which had gone wild, the way everywhere will look after we blow ourselves off the face of the planet." That seemed more like sci-fi |
| 17:24 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
Yes, I figured that made the story as accepted sci-fi. |
| 17:25 |
Bea Shamrock |
I agree, Val |
| 17:25 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
I was just looking at that same paragraph, Val |
| 17:25 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
He managed to pack a lot into a short story! |
| 17:26 |
Phrynne |
It's very tactile. I could almost feel the trees and the bush |
| 17:26 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
A social warning of a world that could go back to weed. |
| 17:26 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
and used a bit of flashback...from leaving the bus- to the office- back to when he followed the woman |
| 17:26 |
Bea Shamrock |
funny that Paul says this year he wanted something "less taxing" |
| 17:26 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
yes Phrynne- vivid imagery- in a science field log! |
| 17:27 |
Zippedy Zabelin |
Factual details can certainly be really difficult things to get into atmospheric writing... |
| 17:27 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
agreed Zip- and this was certainly not boring |
| 17:27 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
Particularly, when for many readers the history may be esoteric. |
| 17:28 |
Bea Shamrock |
I think the history is very much the way humans tend to behave |
| 17:28 |
Bea Shamrock |
especially when colonizing |
| 17:28 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
It was true for the passenger pigeon also. |
| 17:29 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
I just looked up a bit about Howard Waldrop. This sounds like a cool story! Night of the Cooters is a pastiche of H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds told from the perspective of a small town Texas sheriff |
| 17:29 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
yes Bea! He did a good job inferring that we are messing with ecology without beating us over the head. |
| 17:30 |
Bea Shamrock |
yes |
| 17:30 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
Sounds similar to what gets done with Shakespeare, bringing it into a modern setting. |
| 17:30 |
Bea Shamrock |
how do you mean? |
| 17:31 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
Telling the War of the Worlds from a very local setting in Texas. |
| 17:31 |
Bea Shamrock |
ohhh ok I thought you were talking about the ugly chickens |
| 17:31 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
A similar story, but the stage is much different. |
| 17:32 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
The next comment I made was on the use of "mendacious". |
| 17:33 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
oh yes I see what you mean Wordsmith- Like the modern version of Romeo and Juliet or another Shakespeare play. |
| 17:33 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
That isn't commonly encountered on the left coast, but I recalled it was played with in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" that was also in the south. |
| 17:34 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
Yes, Exactly Val. A story with a new perspective. |
| 17:34 |
Claudi (claudi1900) |
I guess Wordsmith means the perspective? |
| 17:34 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
I just saw a sort of spoof of War of the Worlds- Brave New Jersy- comedy https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4660172/ |
| 17:34 |
Claudi (claudi1900) |
Yes |
| 17:35 |
Laurali Moon (lauralimoon) |
I'll have to watch that |
| 17:35 |
Claudi (claudi1900) |
Like the normal way to tell the story of war, and a perspective of a kid for example, that he only noticed there is less sugar and his mother's always crying |
| 17:35 |
Bea Shamrock |
like the way Room is told |
| 17:36 |
|
Valibrarian Gregg looks up mendacity - mendacious (lies and deceit) |
| 17:36 |
Bea Shamrock |
I liked the combination with gland |
| 17:37 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
I'm missing that, Bea. Say a bit more, please. |
| 17:37 |
Bea Shamrock |
it says not a mendacious gland in her being |
| 17:37 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
Oh. okay. ty. |
| 17:37 |
Bea Shamrock |
I just liked the image |
| 17:38 |
Bea Shamrock |
yw |
| 17:38 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
yes! He has casual, down to earth tone- but excellent vocabulary! |
| 17:38 |
Bea Shamrock |
yes! |
| 17:38 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
The mendacity gland is only found in about 30% of the population ......... |
| 17:38 |
Bea Shamrock |
giggles |
| 17:38 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
HAHAHA |
| 17:39 |
Laurali Moon (lauralimoon) |
ha! |
| 17:39 |
Bea Shamrock |
I think that's a good tone for a down to earth young researcher |
| 17:39 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
There are muscles like that ... |
| 17:39 |
Bea Shamrock |
the one Val described |
| 17:40 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
Perhaps there is also a forthright gland |
| 17:40 |
Bea Shamrock |
I might have that one.... |
| 17:40 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
It seems that a person has one or the other. |
| 17:41 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
I like how he simply said, "The story she told me was so weird it had to be true." |
| 17:41 |
Zippedy Zabelin |
Heh, yes |
| 17:41 |
Zippedy Zabelin |
I actually know that feeling too ;) |
| 17:42 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
Particularly when it doesn't seem like the person has an otherwise convoluted mind. |
| 17:43 |
Laurali Moon (lauralimoon) |
makes me think of Sherlock Holmes... Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth. |
| 17:43 |
Zippedy Zabelin |
Yes! |
| 17:43 |
|
Bea Shamrock nods |
| 17:43 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
good point Laurali! |
| 17:44 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
It's funny how I have heard of the dodo all my life but learned more from this short story than ever about it. |
| 17:44 |
Laurali Moon (lauralimoon) |
indeed! |
| 17:44 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
I thought the "I haven't been here that long" (likely about 20 years then) captured something of a region where many people don't move that far. |
| 17:45 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
oh yes! true Wordsmith...there are tons of towns in regions like that |
| 17:45 |
[Second Life |
Select residents to share with.] |
| 17:45 |
Bea Shamrock |
yes -and how it's often hard to know the ways of a very different place |
| 17:45 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
My grandmother! She once said, "Why would I want to travel to those famous cities if I don't know anyone there?!" |
| 17:46 |
Zippedy Zabelin |
It reminds me of talking to a couple who said their daughter had married a man who was "not from 'round here"...then said he was from a town about three miles down the road from them. |
| 17:46 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
haha! Zip |
| 17:46 |
Phrynne |
Or people who say the neighbor is 'new" when the neighbor has been there for 30 years -- but possibly living in a house that went back generations. |
| 17:47 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
right! |
| 17:47 |
Zippedy Zabelin |
I think perception of distance is a really interesting thing, though. I'd say to me, in a big city...it's more about how easy it is to get somewhere than it is about how far it is (and even sometimes not about the length of time - sometimes it just *feels* awkward) |
| 17:47 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
I also like this: "You an insurance man?" asked Mr. Krait." |
| 17:48 |
|
Valibrarian Gregg thinks of the country mouse and city mouse |
| 17:48 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
yes! stereotypes? the insurance man? |
| 17:49 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
Who else is going to drive all that way on not really roads, to "visit"? |
| 17:49 |
Bea Shamrock |
They're not worried about delinquents but what's really scary to them |
| 17:49 |
Laurali Moon (lauralimoon) |
indeed, parts of the US, especially rural areas, can be entirely different cultures. anyone who lives in a city vs. people just described who think 3 miles is a huge distance. Very much reflects society today... and a huge disconnect |
| 17:50 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
and the southern helpfulness? going out of their way to make phone calls, etc |
| 17:50 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
phone calls then....were much different than having the Internet now! |
| 17:50 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
yes- we have to worry about so much misinformation online |
| 17:51 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
Who knows what sites we might find now on the dodo LOL |
| 17:51 |
Laurali Moon (lauralimoon) |
soooo true! |
| 17:51 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
They're still alive?!? and so is Elvis |
| 17:52 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
and nobody ever really landed on the moon of course ;) |
| 17:52 |
Laurali Moon (lauralimoon) |
I was just having a conversation with someone who was talking about all sort of conspiracy theories... the unsettling thing is some may be very true. What is truth now? |
| 17:52 |
Cyril the parrot |
DODO'S ALIVE!? |
| 17:52 |
|
Phrynne waves to Cyril |
| 17:52 |
Laurali Moon (lauralimoon) |
:) |
| 17:53 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
Another local nuance, discomfort with asking something directly. |
| 17:53 |
|
Valibrarian Gregg thinks Cyril wants to befriend a dodo |
| 17:53 |
Zippedy Zabelin |
Nietszche once said that there are no facts, only interpretations :> |
| 17:54 |
Zippedy Zabelin |
I would say that some interpretations are based on less insight and knowledge than others, though ;) |
| 17:54 |
Laurali Moon (lauralimoon) |
and don't forget, history is written by the victors |
| 17:56 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
this was a nice merge of storytelling and fact :) |
| 17:56 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
Although either side might report if there had been a solar eclipse during the battle. |
| 17:56 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
and not the blow up alien rocketships type sci-fi! (not that I don't love that too) |
| 17:57 |
Phrynne |
Or Halley's Comet |
| 17:57 |
Laurali Moon (lauralimoon) |
mmmhmm |
| 17:57 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
And finally for this story, all the info that he gets from interviewing the two Gudger sisters. |
| 17:58 |
Bea Shamrock |
that was interesting |
| 17:58 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
And next time, we have a story set in India during the Diwali holidays. |
| 17:58 |
Bea Shamrock |
nice! |
| 17:59 |
Laurali Moon (lauralimoon) |
very nice! |
| 17:59 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
I've got some post holiday catchup to do, but I am archiving transcripts and discussion prompts at http://www.caledonoxbridge.org/cvl_caledon/index.php |
| 17:59 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
I think the ending was great :) |
| 17:59 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
Next month we will meet over again at Caledon. I am really enjoying our collaboration :) |
| 18:00 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
We will postpone a week due to Valentines day! |
| 18:00 |
Bea Shamrock |
valentine's already? :O *faints* |
| 18:00 |
Bea Shamrock |
Thank you =^.^= |
| 18:00 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
So mark calendars for Feb 21 |
| 18:00 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
3rd thurs instead of 2nd |
| 18:01 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
I must head out....This was just great! |
| 18:01 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
TY all for coming |
| 18:01 |
Laurali Moon (lauralimoon) |
good good |
| 18:01 |
Valibrarian Gregg |
Hope to see you again soon :) |
| 18:01 |
Laurali Moon (lauralimoon) |
thank you! |
| 18:01 |
Bea Shamrock |
thanks you for hosting |
| 18:01 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
I'm enjoying it also. The process of fining stories with Phrynne. Something good that's available. |
| 18:02 |
Phrynne |
it's fun |
| 18:02 |
Bea Shamrock |
I must go too. Thanks again -good to meet you all :) |
| 18:02 |
Phrynne |
bye for now |
| 18:02 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
Thank you all for coming. I've got to run. Teaching an inventory management class at 7pm. |
| 18:02 |
Bea Shamrock |
•·.·´¯`·.·• Bye Bye! •·.·´¯`·.·• |
| 18:02 |
Claudi (claudi1900) |
bye! |
| 18:03 |
Zippedy Zabelin |
Take care! |
| 18:03 |
Wordsmith Jarvinen |
Until again. |
| 18:03 |
Laurali Moon (lauralimoon) |
good night all |
| 18:03 |
Zippedy Zabelin |
Night! |