In Which the Pace Picks Up

[rolanni]

Alert readers will recall that Steve and I turned Neogenesis in to Madame the Publisher on January 28, thereby entering that magical and too-fleeting time known as, I Never Have to Write Again.

During that time, we went to Minneapolis as Writer Guests of Honor at MarsCon 2017, turned "Cutting Corners" in to Baen.com; reworked "Dawn's Early Light," for All Hail Our Robot Conquerors!; fixed up an outtake from Neogenesis into short story "Street Cred" (now available as eChapbook Change Management: Adventures in the Liaden Universe® Number 23).  We also sold a reprint story, and have a big, crunchy interview to finish this week. I want to write one more short, for eChapbook Number 24, but I can't quite get a handle on it, and the window is getting narrower, as I start laying the groundwork (which involves a lot of staring at nothing, and flipping through the notes in the story file) for Fifth of Five.

In addition to Not Ever Writing Again, Life has continued to happen, including doctor appointments, and the coming home to roost of the bills from Steve's Marvelous Medical Adventure back in November. Bread has been baked, laundry washed, worn, and washed again; cats have been brushed; clocks -- most notably including the clock in the car, and the clock on the coffeemaker -- have been set one hour ahead.

We viewed two movies -- our first on the new television set -- "Arrival," and "The Fifth Element."  I find myself a little. . .put off by the picture, which lacks what I think of as "movie texture,"  and feels very much like "soap opera texture."  Well.  I guess I'll get used to it.

Today. . .today, includes some Life:  grocery shopping; a go at the gym, now that the knee's been cleared; and back home to do some laundry, which is getting done as can be this week; and getting down with the big, crunchy interview.

So!  That's what's been going on, here.  How's by you?

This is what my office looked like in the aftermath of Neogenesis.

Comments

[asher63.livejournal.com]

Congratulations, and all the best in this new chapter of life!

[caoilfhionn.livejournal.com]

"Soap opera texture" is EXACTLY what I keep trying to explain to people about high-definition TV, and I keep getting blank looks. I googled and found an article about adjusting the video settings on the television to make it less annoying. (IIRC, googling "high-def tv looks fake" got me useful help.)

[gerald heaton (from livejournal.com)]

Yes, changing the Hi Def settings helps.

Sometimes you have to bite the bullet and get a newer player.
If you have a GOOD internet connection and your player supports it, sometimes you can get an update for your player through the setting menu of the player.

Most new TVs also can be upgraded the same way.

[fullmetal-al.livejournal.com]

The soap opera effect is caused by the TV's motion blur reduction software which is by default turned on on new TVs. Poke around in the settings and you will find something, depending on the manufacturer, called something like TruMotion, AutoMotion, MotionFlow etc. and either turn it off or, if the option presents, down to a lower setting.

[natalie haigh (from livejournal.com)]

Yes "Soap Opera Effect" When we got our new TV a few years and went to watch my fav tv shows i was aghast to discover they had all turned into Days of our Lives!!! Luckily the interwebs advised me that there was a setting on my tv that caused this horror and provided me with instructions on how to turn it off. Each manufacturer calls it something different and as a fullmetal_al google 'soap opera effect' and your brand of tv and you find how to turn it off.