Random random thoughts
People like to say that if aliens exist they most likely do it in a form that is in no way similar to ours, and to believe otherwise is grossly anthropocentric. But then what if we have contact with aliens and they *are* humanoid? Will it in fact prove that humanity/humanoids really are the superior race? And then there'll be another race that was 'created in God's image', so it would be fascinating listening to what the various religious institutions had to say about it. Even more outlandish would be if we got Star Trek style aliens who are identical to humans except for silly brow ridges and stuff, and who use language in the same manner we do. That would really be stacking the odds though.
These days when I get on a bus I sometimes like to check out my fellow passengers. Generally there's a few types: There's the daydreamer, who stares out the window and steadfastly refuses to admit to the reality of his existence on public transpot. Then there's the business-like approach of the starer, who just sits there and stares straight ahead. No doubt they're lost in their own little world even more than the daydreamer. Then there's the inevitable person or two who spends the entire trip on their mobile. Then there are the couples who can't keep their hands off eachother, the schoolkids who think no one else in the world matters, the crazies who'll talk to anyone who'll listen (and frequently to the air if no one else will), and many many elderly.
I want to create but I'm having trouble staying focussed on anything long enough to develop it past, oh.. 50% of an initial draft? Possibly less even. I'll start out with an interesting idea and then lose steam within a paragraph or two of the outline. I probably shouldn't force it but it's not like I have anything else to do during these holidays... *shrug* They weren't such great ideas after all.
I find it interesting to try to guess what people are saying from context alone. Mise en scene my Year 10 English teacher called it, I think. One of my Bangladeshi coworkers seems to find it equally amusing to speak to me entirely in Hindi and see how I respond (since it's a very controlled context my response is usually fairly accurate). People are always so surprised to find out that despite not understanding any of the words the context, body language and tone of voice gives away nearly as much as the words themselves. But then online one can do more or less the same thing by analysing people's grammar, spelling and word choices. Get all that extra meaning that is, not understand foreign languages :P The textual equivalent of body language?
These days when I get on a bus I sometimes like to check out my fellow passengers. Generally there's a few types: There's the daydreamer, who stares out the window and steadfastly refuses to admit to the reality of his existence on public transpot. Then there's the business-like approach of the starer, who just sits there and stares straight ahead. No doubt they're lost in their own little world even more than the daydreamer. Then there's the inevitable person or two who spends the entire trip on their mobile. Then there are the couples who can't keep their hands off eachother, the schoolkids who think no one else in the world matters, the crazies who'll talk to anyone who'll listen (and frequently to the air if no one else will), and many many elderly.
I want to create but I'm having trouble staying focussed on anything long enough to develop it past, oh.. 50% of an initial draft? Possibly less even. I'll start out with an interesting idea and then lose steam within a paragraph or two of the outline. I probably shouldn't force it but it's not like I have anything else to do during these holidays... *shrug* They weren't such great ideas after all.
I find it interesting to try to guess what people are saying from context alone. Mise en scene my Year 10 English teacher called it, I think. One of my Bangladeshi coworkers seems to find it equally amusing to speak to me entirely in Hindi and see how I respond (since it's a very controlled context my response is usually fairly accurate). People are always so surprised to find out that despite not understanding any of the words the context, body language and tone of voice gives away nearly as much as the words themselves. But then online one can do more or less the same thing by analysing people's grammar, spelling and word choices. Get all that extra meaning that is, not understand foreign languages :P The textual equivalent of body language?