Red Space Rocket

The last two minutes of the game.

• Read: Business Needs to Get Social. http://twurl.nl/1dugul #
• Read: Embassies http://www.slate.com/id/2216530/?from=rss #
• Read: The Wildly Growing Western Suburbs. http://tinyurl.com/1hjn #
• Read: Mac Vs. PC advertising http://tinyurl.com/cklvfx #
• Read: Can we tell how old someone is if we don’t already know? http://www.slate.com/id/2216785/?from=rss #
• This looks really interesting even if it also looks like it will take a tonne of bandwidth. http://www.abc.net.au/innovation/gallipoli/ #
• Read: Higher taxes for higher earners. http://tinyurl.com/dcbo8f #
• Read: Tribunal dismisses teacher’s racism claim http://tinyurl.com/cmnggq #
• Read: Melbourne flight attendant to face ‘bomb hoax’ trial http://tinyurl.com/c4394j #

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• Read: Business Needs to Get Social. http://twurl.nl/1dugul #
• Read: Embassies http://www.slate.com/id/2216530/?from=rss #
• Read: The Wildly Growing Western Suburbs. http://tinyurl.com/1hjn #
• Read: Mac Vs. PC advertising http://tinyurl.com/cklvfx #
• Read: Can we tell how old someone is if we don’t already know? http://www.slate.com/id/2216785/?from=rss #
• This looks really interesting even if it also looks like it will take a tonne of bandwidth. http://www.abc.net.au/innovation/gallipoli/ #
• Read: Higher taxes for higher earners. http://tinyurl.com/dcbo8f #
• Read: Tribunal dismisses teacher’s racism claim http://tinyurl.com/cmnggq #
• Read: Melbourne flight attendant to face ‘bomb hoax’ trial http://tinyurl.com/c4394j #

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I really liked the band. Their music was the sort of lively folk that I went for and their shows where a massive bundle of energy. So I offered to help them with their website. It was something I could easily do and, based on their site at the time, something they desperately needed help with.

By and large, this was a pretty productive partnership. I go into shows for free and got thanked in the liner notes. And they got someone managing their website and discussion list.

The only down side was the aggravation I got from the more militants fans. As three gay women they had a large following of women. I don’t believe for a moment that all lesbians dislike men. In fact, I can tell you for a fact that plenty of lesbians have a wealth of male friends. But there is a subsection of any group of people with a chip on their shoulder.

The chip on their shoulder sometimes turned into an elbow between by ribs in the crowd. Or, more often, a blunt email telling me that “a man” has no business bossing around women just because they want a website for their band. The band seemed grateful for the help but some fans saw my presence as sinister.

At first I ignored it but after a while it started to colour my view of the whole thing. It seemed that every time I heard about the site that it was someone ragging on my for being male and where I didn’t belong,

In the end, I explained that I wasn’t prepared to do this stuff anymore and they understood. I guess part of me would have liked for them to give their fans a serve for being such bigots. But I have to be realistic. Even bigots are paying fans and it is hard to make a living in a band.

Looking back I feel that things could have been different. Not with my work or their music. But different. If I was a girl.

We have a different topic for each gender today.

For the young men: When I was a girl.

For the young women: When I was a boy.

• Read: Twitter and Celebrities http://www.slate.com/id/2216708/ #
• Listen: News from Lake Wobegon, episodes of The Writers’ Almanac, This American Life: This I Used to Believe, and episodes of 60 Second Sci. #
• Read: Out the Back Door. http://twurl.nl/js3gvv Not really sure what the point of this article was. #
• Read: The End of the Recession Might be in Sight. http://twurl.nl/k6buqb #

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• Read: Twitter and Celebrities http://www.slate.com/id/2216708/ #
• Listen: News from Lake Wobegon, episodes of The Writers’ Almanac, This American Life: This I Used to Believe, and episodes of 60 Second Sci. #
• Read: Out the Back Door. http://twurl.nl/js3gvv Not really sure what the point of this article was. #
• Read: The End of the Recession Might be in Sight. http://twurl.nl/k6buqb #

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I remind students of Power of English that your chapter adaptations from Missing are due on Monday 26th April.

To be complete your work must be saved on the Red Space Rocket wiki.

If you are looking for some news to read for your Daily Reading task I have put a list of some newspapers, both Australian and American, on the Red Space Rocket wiki.

I am at something of an advantage and a disadvantage when it comes to this stimulus.

The advantage is that I know where it comes from. I choose it. It comes from a film called Serenity. In this film the pilot, Wash, is flying the ship through an impossible battle. It’s chaos and everyone is freaking out. And Wash is freaking out but he repeats this phrase, “I am a leaf on the wind. Watch me soar” in a obvious effort to keep it together. He crash-lands the ship and everyone is alive. He repeats, “I am a leaf on the wind. Watch me soar”. A giant spear comes through the window and he is dead. Utterly dead.

So in this way it is easy for me to write something. I can just retell the story.

But I am at a disadvantage because my mind leaps to this connection and I have to really try to recast these words to mean something else. Perhaps it could be a story about really being a leaf on the wind. Perhaps it is a person just feeling that free. Perhaps it is a dream about flying. There are probably other good ideas. But I do have to force my mind away from the context that was so strongly imprinted by the death of Wash in Serenity.

It’s can be a bit of work to be as free as a leaf on the wind.

I am a leaf on the wind. Watch me soar.

This happens to be a line from a movie called Serenity. I don’t expect you to write about the movie. Just write in response to the words themselves.

• Listen: EdPod, 60 Second Science, The Writer’s Almanac, Grammar Girl, and The Slate Daily Podcast. #
• Listen: The New Yorker Outloud, RN Shuffle and another 60 Second Science. Had listened to some terrific stuff today on the podcasts. #
• Read: Miss California defends gay marriage stance http://twurl.nl/ifllca #
• Read: Copyright and the Television Guide. http://twurl.nl/d07b70 #
• Read: Manage your reputation on Google http://twurl.nl/m3e1qc #

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I heard somewhere that eighty percent of people think they are a better-than-average driver. About a third of them must be wrong since only fifty percent of people get to be above any average. The others are deluded.

I suspect many people are deluded when they think they are a good listener. I am not deluded. I know I don’t listen as well as I should.

“I love this soundtrack,” I told my sister.

She replied, “We thought you would when we recommended it six months ago.”

“Really?” I said, “I don’t remember that.”

My sister recommends great stuff. She just has good taste. I should listen to her more. But I don’t. I should. But I don’t listen as well as I could.

I am not sure how you listen better. I do all the things I believe that a good listener should. I look at people when they talk. I ask questions when I am unsure. I try to repeat back what I have heard. But still I miss things that I shouldn’t miss. Like that kicking soundtrack.

Perhaps I really am just too interested in the sound of my own voice. I know it seems like that to some people. Perhaps I do listen and I am just forgetful. Either way, I have work to do to make sure I listen as well as hear.

What do you hear?

• Read: Military uses for the iPod. http://tinyurl.com/dhmd3p #
• Read: Chicken Chases Man Through Shopping Mall in The Lewis Times. #
• Read: Cultural Black Hole? http://tinyurl.com/cjzbfz #
• Listen: Writer’s Almanac, New Yorker Out Loud, Slate Magazine Daily Podcast and few episodes of 60 Second Science. #
• Read: Does Facebook hurt your marks? http://twurl.nl/20k22y I suspect that being easily distracted hurts your marks. #
• Listen: RN Shuffle http://www.abc.net.au/rn/rnshuffle/ #
• Listen: The News from Lake Wobegon, The Writer’s Almanac, and a single episode of 60 Second Science. #

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