From Twitter 11-04-2010

( Tweets. Scintillating, innit. )

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

A quick PSA about Google Chat

Hi. I have a Gmail account. Which means, by extension, that I can (theoretically) use Google Chat. Sometimes, I even do. Those times are pretty awesome.

However:
- I (typically) do not have access during the day. If I’m showing up as “on” it means I’ve got my personal netbook on at work so that I can listen to music, and forgot to close my Gmail tab in Firefox. (Or possibly that I am on lunch, or have a day off from the dayjob.)

- My computer has a screen that is not significantly larger than a mass market paperback. Behold:

- I (usually) don’t spend my time staring at Gmail hoping that somebody will want to talk to me Right Now.

Does this mean I Will Not Chat With You? No. It just means that if Google Chat is running but my icon is red and I have something like “[insert witty away message here]” as my status, that I won’t see your chat either a) ever, because when I’m done working I’m going to save my remaining Firefox tabs and shut down, or b) until I am done doing whatever it is I’m doing, at which point I will feel like a jerk for ignoring your clever link, or your question, or your kind word, or your “hey, do you have a second?”

“But Christian,” you ask. “Why do you even have it running if you don’t intend to talk to people?”

Two reasons.

1) I’m lazy and/or forgetful. If I were smart I’d always turn Google Chat off except for the times I plan to use it. Often, I do. But I don’t always, and if it says I’m away/red, should I really have to?

2) I am talking to people. They just happen to be in a pop-out window because usually when I’m in chat I’m either working on a project with someone, or have planned to meet up with a friend online and am doing something specific. Either way, this is not happening in my Gmail tab anymore, and I cannot see you.

“But Christian, what if I really want to chat with you?”

E-mail me and ask if I have time to chit-chat. The funny thing about Gmail is that the page title changes when I’ve got unread mail, and I can see that if my tab is visible (which it isn’t always). Or, better yet, plan a time in advance with me. I can’t always guarantee very much time, but I can usually spare a half hour here and there.

I feel kind of ridiculous having to post this at all, except that I’ve discovered this morning that the incoming chat situation is way more common than I thought it was. I feel really badly about it because the people who are saying hi are people I’d happily make time with or answer questions for, and I thought the red/away thing was sufficient to flag that I’m not readily available.

Right. Now that I’ve got this sorted I’m going to stop feeling guilty so I can try and get some more words in on the novel this morning.

This post has been mirrored from Christian A. Young's Dimlight Archive. To see it in its original format, visit dimlightarchive.com

Habitation of the Blessed

When I was in my early twenties, I was pretty sure I was going to be a Medievalist. True story.

Mostly it’s because I love how vivid and subversive things like The Decameron and Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales are in our current culture. I also love anchorites, and the the wild experiences that people have when they lock themselves in cabinets/bury themselves in tiny holes/otherwise cut off stimuli and start hearing Amazing Things. I love the way Old and Middle English sound. I like the strange, stylized, art where Big means Important.

And then life kicked in and becoming an academic stopped being something I could realistically plan to do, and then I was like, “You know, I don’t need a degree to make stories,” and here I am.

Which is why I’m so excited about Habitation of the Blessed. It’s two things I really like (medieval geekery + Catherynne Valente’s writing), all cozy like peanut butter and chocolate.

The main premise is that the Prester John legends — that somewhere in the East there was an empire with magical beasts and a race of immortals with a priestly king — are true.

Prester John’s journey, the implications of the things in his kingdom, and the story of the missionary brother who finds out about all this? Oh yes. People, it’s only my desire to maintain a roof over my head that has stopped me getting my hands on this book. Wednesday? Just be smart and get out of my way.

(If, unlike me, you are not broke enough that you have to wait, you can get Habitation of the blessed here, here, and here among other places. You can also read more about it here at John Scalzi’s blog.)

And if none of that convinces you, Valente (in the guise of Infinite Crisis Wonder Woman) explains it herself using action figures:

This post has been mirrored from Christian A. Young's Dimlight Archive. To see it in its original format, visit dimlightarchive.com