I just spent the past 2 days creating a blog to upload. When I uploaded it, none of the text would appear. It was there, just hidden. When I tried to edit it, the entire post disappeared except for the title and I was unable to recover it. This is unacceptable. From now on, all posts will be created in MSWord, a much more stable platform, and then uploaded to Blogger. If this occurs one more time, I'm going to shut down this site and go to WordPress.
UPDATE 9/30/2012
Okay, after spending about 3 hours researching it, being able to recover
the post seems hopeless. I have to harken back to something my
grandmother always told me, "You get what you pay for." And since I
don't pay to use Blogger, I guess I should expect nothing in return.
Anyway, in case you ever have this problem, here are a few of the things I tried. May you have more luck than I did:
1) Search your history for a cached version of the site when the post was still available.
2)
In your browser, search for "site:" with the web address of your blog
after the colon (no space). This will take you to a full listing of
just the cached pages of your site. Search through them for a version
that included the post. This only works if the search engine swept your
blog at just the right moment to catch your post.
3) Use the Wayback Machine to see if it captured your post.
4)
If you use Firefox, type in "about:cache" in the address bar. This
will take you to a database of cached information that Firefox stores.
There will be a number of cache categories. In each one, click on "List
Cache Entries". This will take you to a full list of the cached entries
under that category. Hit Control+F and type in the name of the post,
then search for entries that contain this. This is where it gets
complex, so I'll turn it over to the capable hands of the people at RLM
where I found the info on how to do this:
http://www.rlmseo.com/blog/recover-deleted-posts-using-firefox-cache/
5)
Subscribe to a your blog as a Post Feed in a Feed Reader (such as
Google Reader). If the post was ever uploaded, it will feed to this and
you may be able to recover it even if it is deleted from the main blog.
6)
Do all your posts in MSWord, save them on your computer and any other
back-up device you choose, and then upload them to Blogger....my
personal favorite.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Sunday, September 23, 2012
The Dead Valley -- Ralph Adams Cram
Title: "The Dead Valley" (short story in a compilation entitled Black Spirits & White)
Author: Ralph Adams Cram
Publishing Information: Stone & Kimball, 1895, Chicago
Source: Project Gutenberg EBook released September 22, 2008 (#26687)
Whether by design or not, "The Dead Valley" is strategically placed as the last installment in a set of six. By the time the reader gets to it, they feel they are comfortable with Cram's style and are ready to dig into yet another vignette told by a traveler to a foreign land -- a snippet of place and time with no apparent relation to the rest of the narrator's life. Instead, they are presented with a tale within a tale, in which the narrator, an American, relates a story told to him by a friend, Olof Ehrenvärd, a Swedish immigrant to the USA, who had taken to the sea as a way to escape the horrors he'd experienced in his homeland. The story begins with a short description of Olof by the narrator ("...the tall yellow-bearded man with the sad eyes and the voice that gives itself perfectly to plaintive little Swedish songs remembered out of childhood."), of their fierce battles of chess, and particularly of the tales Olof weaves as the night grows darker. One in particular about a dead valley strikes the narrator so profoundly, he feels he must write it down. Thus begins the story.
Twelve year old Olof and his friend Nils Sjöberg are best friends. One day they travel to the market in Engelholm (Ängelholm) where they fall in love with a puppy they find for sale. Having not brought enough money, they ask that the merchant hold the dog until the next week when they will return with enough money to purchase him. However, a few days later, fearing that the merchant will not keep his promise, they beg their parents to allow them to travel to the merchant's home in Hallsberg to purchase the puppy immediately. Permission is granted and they make the journey. If you look at a map, the distance between Hallsberg and Ängelholm is an amazing 250 miles (410 km), so Olof and Nills must have lived somewhere in between, but still it is a long trek by foot, so it is not surprising that on their return trip home the next day, after spending much time playing with the puppy, they find themselves still in the middle of the woods as the sun is setting.
As is the case in the other stories within the collection, just as it draws upon the dead of night, the boys find themselves in an unusual and foreboding setting, however, unlike the other stories, the menace they encounter is not of man but of nature. This in and of itself lends a deeper creepiness to the story in that no matter what, the source of the danger will always be unknown. It will never be explained or the originating source discovered, as is the case in a number of the previous "ghost" stories. It has a deeper, primeval feeling of myth about it, something that twinges the seat of primitive fear within us all. And the brave little Olof experiences it not only once, by chance, but a second time when he goes back weeks later to investigate the source, almost losing his life for the effort.
As a collection, I consider Cram's book to be a good read, pleasant and well paced. But "The Dead Valley" -- well, ever since I first read it years ago, it it has stuck with me -- is at the back of my mind whenever I look out of the window into the woods as the sky grows dark, wondering what I'd find if I entered them. Would I ever come back? That is a great story.
Author: Ralph Adams Cram
Publishing Information: Stone & Kimball, 1895, Chicago
Source: Project Gutenberg EBook released September 22, 2008 (#26687)
Short Bio:
Ralph Adams Cram (December 16, 1863 – September 22, 1942) was an American architect best known for a style called Collegiate Gothic, examples of which can be seen at Princeton University and various other colleges and churches throughout the Northeast USA. In addition to his design work, he also wrote numerous books on architecture, and, as is applicable to this post, a handful of ghost stories collected into a volume entitled Black Spirits & White.
Comments on the Story:
The compilation begins with, and takes its title from, the following quotation by Thomas Middleton, an early 17th century English playwright: "Black spirits and white, red spirits and gray,/ Mingle, mingle, mingle, you that mingle may!" It is an apropos opening for this little collection of short stories based on traditional European supernatural tales, which, as the author explains in a postscript, served as the inspiration for his writings. Most of the tales center around a brave (or more likely naive) soul (usually American) who, quite often against adamant warnings from the locals, journeys to a haunted or cursed place seeking adventure. Though not unique in literary style, Cram's detailed settings, garnered most likely from his many visits to the continent to study architecture, give the reader an intense sense of place and could easily double for a travelogue. The tales themselves have a satisfying chill about them but, for the most part, have no more of a lasting effect on the reader than the "boo" factor garnered at the end of a campfire yarn. All that is except for "The Dead Valley". Whether by design or not, "The Dead Valley" is strategically placed as the last installment in a set of six. By the time the reader gets to it, they feel they are comfortable with Cram's style and are ready to dig into yet another vignette told by a traveler to a foreign land -- a snippet of place and time with no apparent relation to the rest of the narrator's life. Instead, they are presented with a tale within a tale, in which the narrator, an American, relates a story told to him by a friend, Olof Ehrenvärd, a Swedish immigrant to the USA, who had taken to the sea as a way to escape the horrors he'd experienced in his homeland. The story begins with a short description of Olof by the narrator ("...the tall yellow-bearded man with the sad eyes and the voice that gives itself perfectly to plaintive little Swedish songs remembered out of childhood."), of their fierce battles of chess, and particularly of the tales Olof weaves as the night grows darker. One in particular about a dead valley strikes the narrator so profoundly, he feels he must write it down. Thus begins the story.
Twelve year old Olof and his friend Nils Sjöberg are best friends. One day they travel to the market in Engelholm (Ängelholm) where they fall in love with a puppy they find for sale. Having not brought enough money, they ask that the merchant hold the dog until the next week when they will return with enough money to purchase him. However, a few days later, fearing that the merchant will not keep his promise, they beg their parents to allow them to travel to the merchant's home in Hallsberg to purchase the puppy immediately. Permission is granted and they make the journey. If you look at a map, the distance between Hallsberg and Ängelholm is an amazing 250 miles (410 km), so Olof and Nills must have lived somewhere in between, but still it is a long trek by foot, so it is not surprising that on their return trip home the next day, after spending much time playing with the puppy, they find themselves still in the middle of the woods as the sun is setting.
As is the case in the other stories within the collection, just as it draws upon the dead of night, the boys find themselves in an unusual and foreboding setting, however, unlike the other stories, the menace they encounter is not of man but of nature. This in and of itself lends a deeper creepiness to the story in that no matter what, the source of the danger will always be unknown. It will never be explained or the originating source discovered, as is the case in a number of the previous "ghost" stories. It has a deeper, primeval feeling of myth about it, something that twinges the seat of primitive fear within us all. And the brave little Olof experiences it not only once, by chance, but a second time when he goes back weeks later to investigate the source, almost losing his life for the effort.
As a collection, I consider Cram's book to be a good read, pleasant and well paced. But "The Dead Valley" -- well, ever since I first read it years ago, it it has stuck with me -- is at the back of my mind whenever I look out of the window into the woods as the sky grows dark, wondering what I'd find if I entered them. Would I ever come back? That is a great story.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Suggested Reading
Use this post to add comments about any unusual, weird, or odd stories that you would like to recommend. Or, for that matter, anything else -- as long as you think it is a good read.
Suggestions thus far:
Steampunk II: Steampunk Reloaded edited by Ann & Jeff VanderMeer
Suggestions thus far:
Steampunk II: Steampunk Reloaded edited by Ann & Jeff VanderMeer
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
The Great Google Book Scan
On my way into work today, I heard a segment on NPR about the court case of Google vs. the publishers and authors whose books are under an active copyright. This case is many years old (10+), but in the recap, the journalist was outlining the basics of the case, specifically Google's stance that their intention is to make all knowledge available to everyone, and the publishers/authors stances that Google is infringing on copyright law. This got me to thinking about a number of issues surrounding this case (Note that I have not fully researched it, so these are simply questions that sprung to mind as I was listening).
1) How are the plaintiffs presenting the case? Of course nothing is simple, but I would have to think that it would at minimum be two fold: a cease and desist order and a claim against lost revenue.
2) How do the plaintiffs quantify lost revenue? Without seeing Google's records of the number of downloads of a specific copy of work with an active copyright, how does the plaintiff quantify revenue lost? So maybe there is an order to release those records
3) Even if on the surface, revenue is lost initially, how does the plaintiff quantify how many people have downloaded a book from Google and then, after reading it, actually bought a hard copy (or a legitimate eBook)?
Add to all of the above the inaccurate content of the scans provided by Google. They place a disclaimer at the beginning of each eBook paraphrased something like this: Google uses an algorithm to capture the words within the scan and as such errors will occur. However, the small number of errors is acceptable in their opinion given the greater benefit of having ready access to the book. This is a point on which I have to differ, having downloaded a number of Google's eBooks myself (all copyright free, I might add). In each, the number of "typos" was at the very least distracting, but quite often confusing or misleading. Some words were translated by Google's software as a jumble of letters which spelled nothing and I had to guess at what the author intended based on context. This might be acceptable to a novice reader, or someone who really doesn't cultivate a high level of reading comprehension, but to me it took me out of the story. I actually had to think about what I was reading -- not because of the content, but instead because of the actual mechanics of the delivery system.
I understand, and in some respects applaud, Google for their concept of making books available to everyone, but as a reader who cherishes words and the twist of a phrase, I have to question the depth of the intent. If the entire project is to provide books for general use, then the actual books, as originally written, need to be what is made available. In short, they need to grasp the concept that some things just can't be done by a machine. They need an editor.
Alternatively, one could simply go to Project Guttenberg and get the books instead. They proof read everything that they scan (they have a large staff of volunteers who do this) which, even though it is not perfectly edited, still provides a very enjoyable reading experience. And per a disclaimer on their website, all of the books they scan are in the public domain in the US (copyright has expired).
1) How are the plaintiffs presenting the case? Of course nothing is simple, but I would have to think that it would at minimum be two fold: a cease and desist order and a claim against lost revenue.
2) How do the plaintiffs quantify lost revenue? Without seeing Google's records of the number of downloads of a specific copy of work with an active copyright, how does the plaintiff quantify revenue lost? So maybe there is an order to release those records
3) Even if on the surface, revenue is lost initially, how does the plaintiff quantify how many people have downloaded a book from Google and then, after reading it, actually bought a hard copy (or a legitimate eBook)?
Add to all of the above the inaccurate content of the scans provided by Google. They place a disclaimer at the beginning of each eBook paraphrased something like this: Google uses an algorithm to capture the words within the scan and as such errors will occur. However, the small number of errors is acceptable in their opinion given the greater benefit of having ready access to the book. This is a point on which I have to differ, having downloaded a number of Google's eBooks myself (all copyright free, I might add). In each, the number of "typos" was at the very least distracting, but quite often confusing or misleading. Some words were translated by Google's software as a jumble of letters which spelled nothing and I had to guess at what the author intended based on context. This might be acceptable to a novice reader, or someone who really doesn't cultivate a high level of reading comprehension, but to me it took me out of the story. I actually had to think about what I was reading -- not because of the content, but instead because of the actual mechanics of the delivery system.
I understand, and in some respects applaud, Google for their concept of making books available to everyone, but as a reader who cherishes words and the twist of a phrase, I have to question the depth of the intent. If the entire project is to provide books for general use, then the actual books, as originally written, need to be what is made available. In short, they need to grasp the concept that some things just can't be done by a machine. They need an editor.
Alternatively, one could simply go to Project Guttenberg and get the books instead. They proof read everything that they scan (they have a large staff of volunteers who do this) which, even though it is not perfectly edited, still provides a very enjoyable reading experience. And per a disclaimer on their website, all of the books they scan are in the public domain in the US (copyright has expired).
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Introduction
It all began with my mother reading fairy tales to me before bed time. I can still picture the line drawn image of Sleeping Beauty amongst roses and thorns on the cover page to the story. Then came, to my poor mother's dismay, the endless recitations of Dr. Suess' Green Eggs and Ham, which to this day, unlike the poor unnamed character berated by Sam I Am, if the ham and eggs are green, I pass them by (yuck!). But it wasn't until I was twelve years old when I purchased my very first book with my very own money that I entered that realm of imagination that only a story read with your own eyes can engender. That wonderful book was Casey's Shadow by Burton Whol. I long ago lost my copy of Mr. Whol's story of courage and perseverance, but to this day it holds a special place in my heart as the door that opened my budding mind to the magic of story.
Since then, I have read hundreds of novels, short stories, poetry and plays -- each one written in a unique voice, but all stemming from the same trials of the human condition. I am by no means a learned scholar of any particular period or genre, nor do I subscribe to any set philosophical doctrine. To me, no matter what the conveyance, if the story sparks my imagination, it is a worthy read.
With that love of story in mind, I now endeavor with this blog to set to writing some of my observations. My purpose is three fold: 1) to keep a record of what I have read for my own future reference, 2) to possibly spark an interest in others to dig deeper into what they read, and 3) to commune with fellow bibliophiles through any comments they are kind enough to post.
Regardless of all of the above, for anyone who reads this blog, may the magic of story be always with you no matter what the source.
Since then, I have read hundreds of novels, short stories, poetry and plays -- each one written in a unique voice, but all stemming from the same trials of the human condition. I am by no means a learned scholar of any particular period or genre, nor do I subscribe to any set philosophical doctrine. To me, no matter what the conveyance, if the story sparks my imagination, it is a worthy read.
With that love of story in mind, I now endeavor with this blog to set to writing some of my observations. My purpose is three fold: 1) to keep a record of what I have read for my own future reference, 2) to possibly spark an interest in others to dig deeper into what they read, and 3) to commune with fellow bibliophiles through any comments they are kind enough to post.
Regardless of all of the above, for anyone who reads this blog, may the magic of story be always with you no matter what the source.
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