Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Miscellaneous and then some

Sometimes I wonder how long it will take humans to introduce some of the technology available in most computer‘s to our heads. Just now I really needed to do a search in my brain that could have used a „find“ option or even google. Somewhere within my skull is the last name of an old friend who‘s first name is too common for me to find her in the phone book – which incidentally is organized by first name here. The internet proved useless in locating her but I know the information is hidden away somewhere in my brain. I could also use a rewind button, pause and undo. And a spellchecker. Not to mention built in reading lenses that would slide down from underneath my eyelids when the indents on the side of my head were pressed.

I am not often the receiver of threats from those in authority. This probably has to do with becoming older and behaving better as years add one to the other. But the other day, standing in line at the immigration at Orlando airport I did receive a threat from a very angry immigration/police official sporting a gun in a holster. My wrongdoing? Answering my cell phone when it rang and not having noticed signs forbidding the use of phones when in line. Why I do not know. It is not as if Bin Laden is taking any calls lately. Three hundred years in the future this would not have happened at all as I would have been able to press the sides of my head, enabling me to read the signs when passing them. Or able to press undo. But I know better than to try and make excuses and anyway the man did not seem like he wanted to hear about my ideas for bettering life with technology. So I stood through a lecture of the yelling kind which ended with a threat that had I not been smoke free for nine hours would have made me laugh, it was so ridiculous. It involved him evoking his power to move me to the very end of the line. Not exactly terrible stuff when you are standing next to last in this same line. Even the children in our group were unimpressed – despite the gun.

One thing regarding technology that did make me happy on my trip and that was the signs advertising the coming of 4G phones. My glee had nothing to do with me wanting a 4G phone. I was just happy that this means I can stop feeling bad about not knowing what a 3G phone has to offer. My time was not wasted trying to obtain this soon to be obsolete information.

I have now written the first paragraph of my new book. It is the seventh book in the Thóra series, my eight novel for grownups and my thirteenth novel in all when the pre-teen books are added to the mix. At the back of my mind buzzes a worry. Aren‘t the numbers seven and thirteen unlucky? Thankfully eight is my favorite number from childhood and hopefully potent enough to counterbalance the other two.

Finally, to end this erratic post on an even-more-so note – does anyone know why there is a general tendency to find odd numbers less likeable than even numbers?

Yrsa - Wednesday

6 comments:

  1. Since eight also was my favorite number as a child, and even numbers have always played a significant part in my life...number of siblings, number of children, number of grandchildren, number of wives (just thought to slip that in)...I really can't say why odds are less likeable than evens but they sure seem to be. Though I do dread snake-eyes and boxcars at the craps table.

    Glad Orlando punctuated your visit with the chance to meet one of our look-at-me-I-get-to-order-you-around-like-I-never-did-when-working-at-Walmart protectors of the Homeland.

    Of course, they're not all that way, but enough are to aggravate you more times than I care to remember.

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  2. I like odds myself - favourite number seven, but it was the number on the back of the shirt of my favourite footballer, Kenny Dalglish. In fact all the most thrilling positions in football are the odds, while the safe dependable ones are even, and I've always fancied myself a thrilling rebel, even if I've never done a thing in my life to justify it. Not even answer a phone in front of a US airport stormtrooper...

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  3. I once heard a math professor talk about our need to 'round off' numbers. It's a psychological thing-completion, "evenness." He said something about us loving the number, 10,000 more than 9,856 even though it is just as rare. As for your Orlando experience, there's something abut power...

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  4. I don't know, I've always been partial to 9!

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  5. I side with Dan in preferring odd numbers. I'm writing a book in which one character has synesthesia; numbers and sounds are associated in her mind (and sometimes seen in) different colors, and no until I read your post did I realize that I've given the nice colors to odd numbers and the ones I don't like to the oh-so-dull even ones. Odd numbers have a kind of dash and verve the even ones lack. Odd numbers are forgers and magicians, while even-numbered ones are advertising men and actuarial specialists.

    Well, having run this into the ground, I'll sign off.

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  6. One of your books, Ashes to Dust is going to be featured at Amazon.com for their 6 pm (Pacific Std Time) Lightening Deal.

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