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Interview meme
Here's the five questions I was asked by ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
dougs. If you want me to interview you, leave a note in the comments.
1. Often, when something good happens, some group of worthy people gets casually omitted when the credit gets handed out. Pick one such good thing, one such uncredited group, and praise them.
2. Default behaviour on this meme is to ask questions which draw the victim out on their favoured topics. In this case, the strong temptation is to ask questions about the environment. Which questions do you often itch to be asked, but which never arise because people ask you questions about the environment instead?
3. Intermittent voice trouble, intermittent shoulder trouble. You have to choose -- you could pick a complete and permanent cure for one of them, in exchange for constant serious problems with the other. Which way round do you make the choice?
4. Imagine you'd had two daughters instead of two sons. Describe your life.
5. You're well known for your activities in B7 and SG fandoms. What are your other fannish obsessions? Any other shows you'd eagerly recommend to someone with time on their hands?
1. Con committees are probably top of my list. I suspect that only people who have been on committees and their close friends really understand the work invovled. How many people can name all the committee of the last good convention they went to? I can't. I'll also put in a good word for statisticians. Without accurate statistics, we'd only be guessing when we say there is this problem or that problem. Without statistics, it would be easy to say that locking people in jail is an effective deterrent for crime and that ideas like electronic tagging are stupid. Statistics show us when our intutive assumptions are wrong.
2. Actually, people never ask about the environment, mainly because they don't really want to know the answers. Even environmental organisisations are aware of this. They'll make a lot of visible noise about recycling and insulation, because people feel they can manage those without a major change to their lifestyle - and it might reduce their council tax bills or their gas bill. Ask people to make a change in their lifestyle that would make a serious difference and most will run a mile or simply switch off. So, the question I would actually like to be asked is "I seriously want to make a difference to CO2 emissions. What changes should I make in my lifestyle?"
3. I'd choose to have a perfect voice and continual shoulder pain. I'd probably become a right bore moaning about the shoulder pain all the time, but at least I'd be able to moan. And while I might not be able to type, I'd still be able to use voice software more easily. Communication is the essence of life. I'd give a lot to be able to talk whenever I wanted and to sing again.
4. Both my boys have a strong feminine side to their personality with far more than the average dose of compassion, understanding and empathy, so there wouldn't have been much difference on the social side. I think the main difference would have been that one of the larger stresses in my life would vanish. I've been aware ever since I was pregnant myself of the links between the mother's diet before and during pregnancy and the health of the baby. (the father's diet can make a difference to how quickly a couple concieve and there's also a suggestion that it affects the miscarriage rate) If I'd had a daughter, I'd feel a lot more secure about the future health/intelligence of any grandchildren I may someday have.
5. Other fannish obsessions? TV wise, I'd recommend Battlestar Galactica, and Dr Who, of course. I like Stargate Atlantis. However, I'm getting increasingly jaded by the easy morality offered by many shows(Stargate and Atlantis frequently fall into this trap). "Action 'x' of this civilisation is immoral and our culture would never do it" Except that 'our' culture has never been under the same threat/pressure that these aliens are under and it's easy to take the moral high ground when it isn't you that has to face the consequences. 'Carnivale' is very good, and I'd reccomend that to anyone (as long as you don't mind nudity). 'Carnivale' doesn't flinch at consequences and avoids easy caricatures of characters - a classic example is Rita Sue who could easily have been an empty-headed, uncaring, brassy blonde. She's only that at a first glance.
I'm watching less TV and reading more books at present. That's partly because the shoulder pain has eased off a bit of recent, and partly because there seems to be less I want to see on TV and partly becauseexalted_mugwump is away at university and I prefer watching SF in company so we can discuss it afterwards.
dougs. If you want me to interview you, leave a note in the comments.1. Often, when something good happens, some group of worthy people gets casually omitted when the credit gets handed out. Pick one such good thing, one such uncredited group, and praise them.
2. Default behaviour on this meme is to ask questions which draw the victim out on their favoured topics. In this case, the strong temptation is to ask questions about the environment. Which questions do you often itch to be asked, but which never arise because people ask you questions about the environment instead?
3. Intermittent voice trouble, intermittent shoulder trouble. You have to choose -- you could pick a complete and permanent cure for one of them, in exchange for constant serious problems with the other. Which way round do you make the choice?
4. Imagine you'd had two daughters instead of two sons. Describe your life.
5. You're well known for your activities in B7 and SG fandoms. What are your other fannish obsessions? Any other shows you'd eagerly recommend to someone with time on their hands?
1. Con committees are probably top of my list. I suspect that only people who have been on committees and their close friends really understand the work invovled. How many people can name all the committee of the last good convention they went to? I can't. I'll also put in a good word for statisticians. Without accurate statistics, we'd only be guessing when we say there is this problem or that problem. Without statistics, it would be easy to say that locking people in jail is an effective deterrent for crime and that ideas like electronic tagging are stupid. Statistics show us when our intutive assumptions are wrong.
2. Actually, people never ask about the environment, mainly because they don't really want to know the answers. Even environmental organisisations are aware of this. They'll make a lot of visible noise about recycling and insulation, because people feel they can manage those without a major change to their lifestyle - and it might reduce their council tax bills or their gas bill. Ask people to make a change in their lifestyle that would make a serious difference and most will run a mile or simply switch off. So, the question I would actually like to be asked is "I seriously want to make a difference to CO2 emissions. What changes should I make in my lifestyle?"
3. I'd choose to have a perfect voice and continual shoulder pain. I'd probably become a right bore moaning about the shoulder pain all the time, but at least I'd be able to moan. And while I might not be able to type, I'd still be able to use voice software more easily. Communication is the essence of life. I'd give a lot to be able to talk whenever I wanted and to sing again.
4. Both my boys have a strong feminine side to their personality with far more than the average dose of compassion, understanding and empathy, so there wouldn't have been much difference on the social side. I think the main difference would have been that one of the larger stresses in my life would vanish. I've been aware ever since I was pregnant myself of the links between the mother's diet before and during pregnancy and the health of the baby. (the father's diet can make a difference to how quickly a couple concieve and there's also a suggestion that it affects the miscarriage rate) If I'd had a daughter, I'd feel a lot more secure about the future health/intelligence of any grandchildren I may someday have.
5. Other fannish obsessions? TV wise, I'd recommend Battlestar Galactica, and Dr Who, of course. I like Stargate Atlantis. However, I'm getting increasingly jaded by the easy morality offered by many shows(Stargate and Atlantis frequently fall into this trap). "Action 'x' of this civilisation is immoral and our culture would never do it" Except that 'our' culture has never been under the same threat/pressure that these aliens are under and it's easy to take the moral high ground when it isn't you that has to face the consequences. 'Carnivale' is very good, and I'd reccomend that to anyone (as long as you don't mind nudity). 'Carnivale' doesn't flinch at consequences and avoids easy caricatures of characters - a classic example is Rita Sue who could easily have been an empty-headed, uncaring, brassy blonde. She's only that at a first glance.
I'm watching less TV and reading more books at present. That's partly because the shoulder pain has eased off a bit of recent, and partly because there seems to be less I want to see on TV and partly because
exalted_mugwump is away at university and I prefer watching SF in company so we can discuss it afterwards.
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I'll assume that your hot-water tank is well lagged as that isn't a structural change.
Shopping can make some differences. Always be aware of food miles. Buy stuff produced in the UK whenever possible and try and be aware of stuff that has been freighted by air. The more local the better is the rule when it comes to food. Farmers markets are good if there's one you can get to.
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The basic temperature sensor is your breath, open your mouth and breath gently out, can you see the exhalation? if not your home is more than warm enough with a woolly pully and heavy trousers, only put the heat on when you can see it, don't neglect scarves when you're outside, the colder you get outside the greater the tendency to 'put the heat on' when you're back indoors tartan blankets are not just for picnics, fold and drape over your knees while sitting still watching TV of an evening, particularly tuck it around the back of the lower legs and/or put your feet up, cold draughts sneak along the floor from doors, keep the extremities warm and you'll feel warmer. Small rooms are cheaper to heat. If you have a substantial library arrange the bookcases and shelves along exterior walls (freestanding that is) this will contribute to your wellbeing twice, added insulation and the exercise you get moving the furniture!
BTW I live in a victorian farmhouse with insulated loft, sealed unit double glazing,heavy curtains and a plain blanket over my knees as I type this by folded fluorescent light (60W equivalent) heating courtesy of wood fire fed from a joiners waste plus trees from the wood (triple warming, collecting, cutting/chopping and finally burning)
Mind you some of this counts as changing lifestyle
TTFN
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Interview.
What interests you in my journal? (What made you choose to read it?)
What's your favourite Gilbert and Sullivan song and why?
What is a psephologist?
What, if anything, do your favourite authors have in common? (What do you look for in a good book?)
What do you feel are the most interesting cultural differences in the countries you've lived in?
no subject