Category Archives: Musings

From ‘Unsolved Mysteries,’ the Legend of the Gray Man

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A few weeks ago, award-winning author Jay Lake held an “open dinner” in Greensboro, where I made his acquaintance and that of his cousin, Sheri. After supper, my vanity license plate attracted some attention and led to me explaining who the Gray Man is and how I came to adopt the Grand Strand’s famous ghost as my alter ego.

Sheri, who lives in South Carolina, knew about the Gray Man and sent me a link to this segment from Unsolved Mysteries that delves into the legend of the ghost of Pawleys Island: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aU_UkpszL8.

If you have 10 minutes to watch, you’ll learn why the tag line of my web site (and my business cards) is, “If you heed the Gray Man’s warning, you make it safely through the storm.”

___

UPDATE: Unfortunately, that video has been taken down because of a copyright claim. You can still find the segment with a little persistence, if you’re of a mind to.

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What I Believe About What You Believe

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When our beliefs differ, and they often do, and especially when we clash over our beliefs, it’s good for you to know what I believe about what you believe.

I believe that you have the right to express what you believe.

I believe that you believe that what you’re telling me is good and true and right.

I don’t believe that your belief obligates me to believe the same thing.

I believe that I have the right to express what I believe.

I don’t believe that you must believe what I believe, even if I believe it’s good and true and right.

I believe that we should express our beliefs thoughtfully, respectfully, and politely.

I believe that we can converse, be acquainted, and maybe be friends, even if we believe different things.

But if you believe that I must believe what you believe, then I hope we can at least part on friendly terms.

___


(Punctuation makes a difference, I think.)

I guess this post is my way of trying to take responsibility for my own beliefs. That’s hard enough without trying to take responsibilty for anyone else’s.

Respectfully submitted,
G

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Is Your Business Prepared for a Disaster?

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(Cross-posted with light editing from the Industrial Extension Service blog.)

If a natural disaster or major accident impacted your company, how quickly would you be able to recover? Do you have backups of important files stored off-site? Do you have ready and portable access to contact information for your employees, customers, and suppliers? Do you have an emergency plan, and have you tested it?


(FEMA / Patsy Lynch)

Many years ago I was the Chief of the Disaster Response Force at the Air Force Astronautics Laboratory at Edwards Air Force Base, during which time I led the responses to two rocket propellant fires, so I’ve learned a thing or two about what it takes to handle emergencies. But last Tuesday I learned a few new things about disaster preparedness from a business perspective, and soon I’ll be able to apply my prior experience and what I just learned to teach the “Ready Business” course.

Ready Business is a half-day course designed to give businesses some practical tools to get prepared and stay prepared. The program operates under the guidance of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and is being brought to North Carolina in a team effort by the Cooperative Extension Service, the Industrial Extension Service, and the Small Business Technology Development Center.

Several of us will be available to teach the Ready Business course, and we hope to offer it many times throughout the state. If you’re interested, let us know!

Finally, while we’re on the subject of disasters, I love this bit from Karl Smith and the “Modeled Behavior” economics blog:

If we actually want to help the world, we focus on details and that usually means the short term. Things we can see closely and understand the nuances of. In short, we Stop Disaster.

One day we will lose and the world will come to an end. The apocalypse only has to win once. Our job is to make sure that that day, isn’t today.

Maybe we can’t truly stop disaster, but we can be ready for it — and that’s what disaster preparedness is all about.

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Great News! for Several Friends

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First, hearty congratulations to all my friends who garnered Nebula Award nominations! Several of the stories I nominated made the ballot (this was the first time I’ve been able to nominate, having recently upgraded my SFWA membership), and everyone on the list deserves a round of applause. The complete list is linked here, but I’m happiest for the folks I’ve gotten to know on-line or in-person — some very recently and some with whom I’ve been friends for several years — namely,

  • Mary Robinette Kowal, nominated for “Kiss Me Twice” (novella)
  • Kij Johnson, nominated for “The Man Who Bridged the Mist” (novella)
  • Ken Liu, nominated for “The Man Who Ended History: A Documentary” (novella) and “The Paper Menagerie” (short story)
  • Rachel Swirsky, nominated for “Fields of Gold” (novelette)
  • Brad R. Torgersen, nominated for “Ray of Light” (novelette)
  • Ferrett Steinmetz, nominated for “Sauerkraut Station” (novelette)
  • Katherine Sparrow, nominated for “The Migratory Pattern of Dancers” (novelette)
  • Jake Kerr, nominated for “The Old Equations” (novelette)
  • Tom Crosshill, nominated for “Mama, We are Zhenya, Your Son” (short story)
  • Aliette de Bodard, nominated for “Shipbirth” (short story)
  • Nancy Fulda, nominated for “Movement” (short story)
  • David W. Goldman, nominated for “The Axiom of Choice” (short story)

Now, of course, I have to figure out who I’m going to vote for. Along those lines, I’ll resurrect the line from my “Playing Politics” song: “I don’t know how much they’ll bribe me, I’ll just have to wait and see.”

Second, congratulations to my friend Jeff LaSala on the release of his Foreshadows project. (Full disclosure: Jeff and I are both slimy contractors for Baen Books.)


(Sample of Talon Dunning’s art for Foreshadows, from the Foreshadows web site.)

Foreshadows: The Ghost of Zero is an ambitious multi-media project combining original music, original fiction, and original artwork. Jeff, his brother, and several others collaborated on it, and the end result is very impressive.

I haven’t read many of the stories yet, but I’ve listened to all the music and it’s very evocative. (I admit that I’m not a big fan of “techno” and much of this music is of that style, but in terms of conveying the emotional undertones of the stories I think it works well.) My favorite of the songs is “Made in Brazil | Living in Japan.” The artwork, too, is extremely well done.

Check it out at http://foreshadows.net/!

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All That is Gold Does Not Glitter — J.R.R. Tolkien

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Facebook friends have already seen this on my status, and will see it again when this blog post shows up there. But I’m proud, so I’ll take the risk.

The video below is “kinetic typography” by my son Chris (a.k.a. Topher):

He chose a verse from Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, and composed and performed the hammered dulcimer background music.

I think it turned out right nice.

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From the IES Blog: 4th Place or 3rd for NC Manufacturing?

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(Cross-posted from the Industrial Extension Service blog. Originally entitled, “For NC Manufacturing, 4th Place May Be Better Than 3rd.” Emphasis in original.)

A few days ago I had the chance to look into some statistics about manufacturing in North Carolina, and I found that manufacturing is doing pretty well here. Yes, we’ve seen some downturn and some of our companies are struggling, but overall the state has been doing well and is poised to do even better.


(Yes, there is a community in North Carolina called “Whynot.” Image: Whynot ? by Donald Lee Pardue, on Flickr, under Creative Commons.)

Amid the statistics on manufacturing output, contribution to Gross Domestic Product, exports, and so forth, I found that North Carolina rates highly compared with other states. For example, NC is 4th in the nation in terms of total manufacturing output, with California, Texas, and Illinois making up the top 3 (though Illinois is not too far ahead of us).

On another measure, NC is 3rd in the nation, but whether that’s good or bad depends on your point of view. As reported in a 07/18/11 Charlotte Business Journal article, NC is 3rd in terms of our dependence on manufacturing; i.e., in the share of total state GDP generated by manufacturing. By this measure, Indiana is 1st in the nation and Oregon is 2nd; in contrast, both states are behind North Carolina in total manufacturing: Indiana is 6th and Oregon is 16th.

I submit that it’s better for North Carolina to be in 4th place nationally in total manufacturing than it is to be in 3rd place in dependence on it. After all, what does dependence on manufacturing mean for the overall economy?

What would it mean if dependence on manufacturing changes? If that statistic rises, and we grow more dependent on manufacturing, it may be because factory output has improved, or other sectors of the economy have suffered, or a little of both. Likewise, if that statistic falls, and NC becomes less dependent on manufacturing, it simply means that comparatively more economic output is coming from other sectors — which isn’t necessarily bad.

For now, at least, NC is the 3rd most manufacturing-dependent state. Whether that’s good or bad depends on whether manufacturing begins to falter, taking the rest of the economy with it, or whether manufacturing holds its own or improves and so buoys the rest of the economy. Are you an optimist or a pessimist? That kind of statistic works for both types of people, but ultimately it really doesn’t mean much.

Think about it this way: Oregon’s manufacturing output in 2010 was less than half of ours, yet their state is actually more dependent on manufacturing for total GDP than the Old North State. Based on that statistic, problems with manufacturing output are likely to have much worse general economic consequences for Oregonians than for North Carolinians.

So I say it’s far better for North Carolina to take pride in being the 4th most productive manufacturing state in the nation. Maybe we should set our sights on knocking off Illinois and taking 3rd place in that statistic.

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My Neighbor Pulled a Gun on Me This Morning

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Actually, it’s funnier than that.

Walking out to the main road to go for a jog, I saw water running down the street and heard it bubbling out of somewhere. I walked up this fellow’s driveway and confirmed my guess that it was coming out of his water meter. So I knocked on his door and rang the doorbell.

He didn’t come down, so I went for my little run.

When I was done, I decided to try again. I rang the doorbell, knocked “shave-and-a-haircut,” and stepped out into the yard because I was tired of his motion light turning on and off.

And when the door opened, there he stood … with revolvers in each hand.

I almost laughed. He’s an older fellow, lives alone, a little eccentric, and if he’d opened the door and had one weapon I might have taken him seriously — after all, he did move here from a much larger town, and in his defense, it was four-something in the morning. But two guns? I found it funny, because a) I doubt he’s got the “two-gun mojo,” and b) I pictured him working the doorknob while holding that revolver in his hand, and thought he was lucky he didn’t shoot himself in the foot.

So, I showed him that his water meter was leaking, advised him to call the town and have them come check it, and went on my way.

On my way home I realized I should’ve asked him if he thought the bad guys normally rang the doorbell and knocked. I tend to think of things like that long after the moment has passed.

But, hey, it was four-something in the morning.

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What's This? Brad Pitt to Play Me in a Movie?

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Hey, I was as shocked as anybody when I saw the headline, but according to Screen Rant, Brad Pitt has signed on to play The Gray Man.

It turns out, contrary to what you may have heard, thought, dreamed, or laughed at, The Gray Man is not about yours truly or even my Pawley’s Island-based alter ego, but is the title character of the 2009 bestselling thriller The Gray Man by Mark Greaney. I think if I’d ever seen that book I would’ve bought it just for the title — it’s a shame I haven’t heard about it before now.*

However, lest anyone think that I’m just trying to jump on the “Gray Man” bandwagon at the last minute,** here’s yours truly speaking at his 2006 USAF retirement ceremony:


(The Gray Man Speaks. The hard hat lettering was done by then-TSgt Steve Clay while we were stationed at Offutt AFB, 1998-2000. USAF photo.)

Even if it’s not about me,*** I wish them the best of luck.

But I think they should fill the cast and crew with people named “Gray,” and people who are related to me.

___
*Especially since I’ve been trying to figure out a Gray Man-themed series of my own since Dragon*Con 2007.
**On the contrary, I’m on my own bandwagon which will happily follow along with theirs for a while.
***As I keep reminding myself, per the first line of Rick Warren’s The Purpose-Driven Life.

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Letter from Thomas Jefferson to My Five-Times-Great-Grandfather

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Our family trip to Williamsburg earlier this summer reminded me of some family history I’d forgotten, specifically my connection to the Page family in Virginia. Some of the history is actually available on the web, which never ceases to amaze me. Around the 4th of July I found another snippet, which I saved for today.

On this date in 1763, Thomas Jefferson wrote a letter to John Page, who was ostensibly Jefferson’s closest friend at the College of William & Mary, would later serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and as Governor of Virginia, and who happens to be my great-great-great-great-great-grandfather. In the letter, we see hints of what would become the keynote statement of the Declaration of Independence:

If I am to succeed, the sooner I know it, the less uneasiness I shall have to go through. If I am to meet with a disappointment, the sooner I know it, the more of life I shall have to wear it off: and if I do meet with one, I hope in God, and verily believe; it will be the last….

Perfect happiness, I believe, was never intended by the Deity to be the lot of one of his creatures in this world; but that he has very much put in our power the nearness of our approaches to it, is what I have steadfastly believed….


(John Page, 1743-1808. U.S. Congressman, 1789-1797. Governor of Virginia, 1802-1805. Image from Wikimedia Commons.)

The idea that God puts “in our power the nearness of our approaches to [happiness]” certainly seems like a precursor to “all men … are endowed by their Creator” with rights including “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” I find it interesting also that he expressed his trust in Providence in terms we are not accustomed to reading from Jefferson:

The most fortunate of us, in our journey through life, frequently meet with calamities and misfortunes which may greatly afflict us; and, to fortify our minds against the attacks of these calamities and misfortunes, should be one of the principal studies and endeavours of our lives.

The only method of doing this is to assume a perfect resignation to the Divine will, to consider that whatever does happen, must happen; and that by our uneasiness, we cannot prevent the blow before it does fall, but we may add to its force after it has fallen.

These considerations, and others such as these, may enable us in some measure to surmount the difficulties thrown in our way; to bear up with a tolerable degree of patience under this burthen [sic] of life; and to proceed with a pious and unshaken resignation, till we arrive at our journey’s end, when we may deliver up our trust into the hands of him who gave it, and receive such reward as to him shall seem proportioned to our merit.

Such, dear Page, will be the language of the man who considers his situation in this life, and such should be the language of every man who would wish to render that situation as easy as the nature of it will admit. Few things will disturb him at all: nothing will disturb him much.


(Depiction of Governor John Page at 16 years old. Image from Genealogy of the Page Family in Virginia by Richard Channing Moore Page, M.D. [New York, 1893], via the New York Public Library Digital Collection, via Wikimedia Commons.)

Jefferson’s letter to Page is quoted in various places on the web, such as this Wikiquote page. This Wikipedia page includes more information about him, most of which is probably correct.

All of this is interesting, but only so — it doesn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things, but it’s fun to think of connections to important people and monumental events.

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A Boring Magazine Article of Some Interest to Me: 'Grey Vs. Gray'

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Actually, the full title of the imaginary article is “Grey Vs. Gray, The Definitive Argument,” as listed on the cover of TIRED Magazine, the winner of BoingBoing‘s “boring magazine cover contest.”

I didn’t see any indication that the image had been released under Creative Commons, so I won’t post it here. You can see the winning entry by itself at http://nothingofconsequence.com/boingboingcontest/tiredmagazine-big.jpg, or you can can see it along with a few other notable entries at http://www.boingboing.net/2011/07/06/boring-magazine-cont.html.

I didn’t have anything to do with the contest, but being named Gray I have a small stake in the “grey vs. gray” debate.

Which, I supposed, proves how boring my life can be.

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