Episode #629
February 20.2021
i was pleased when an old high school classmate contacted me about forming a writer’s support group.
We are a diverse group of human beings.
Among us is a fiction writer,
philosopher,
documentarian,
historian,
poet,
playwright
and technical writer.
The format of the meetings is Zoom, a video conferencing platform.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic Zoom has become a social meeting place pulling together people from distant locations.
This pandemic’s silver lining is Zoom (in the Cloud) bringing disparate people together… a cloud with a silver lining.
The timing of the support group is good for me.
i have written the iMentor Hints and Rants weekly bLog for 12 years. There are over 600 pages and 200,000 words. The topics range from tips, tricks and troubleshooting a computer to human legacy, instinct and magic.
My desire is to create a book by grouping the bLog episodes into topics which will form chapters. Then i will order the chapters to tell a story.
In essence, my outline will be my table of contents.
The overreaching story that i will tell is my unique approach to computing.
A computer is a puzzle.
Occasionally the puzzle falls apart. Sometimes two similar pieces are exchanged. When this happens the computer must be repaired.
Critical thinking and the scientific method are used to reorder the system.
Split half analysis can identify the problem and isolate the repair.
“When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”
— Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Homes.
More than troubleshooting, my job as a computer consultant and bLog writer is to introduce the user to the computer.
Writing down a step by step procedure is less useful than teaching the concept of computing.
“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”
— Maimonides.
A computer is highly customizable. The skill of using it is to order its tools to accomplish ones goals. Often many applications are used to step through the process of completing a project.
The e-book i will write will tell the story of embracing the computer as a vehicle for life. The way we pull its levers and push its buttons is unique to each one of us.
Like all tools, the computer is an extension of who we are as humans.
With the help of my computer and this newly formed group of human writers my book will become a reality.
YES, YES, YES !!! You are a renaissance man with diverse talents and interests. And yet, you have the ability/humility to be able to reach, teach and encourage people without demeaning their intelligence, people like myself. Looking forward to your next adventure.
Do write a book, my fried. It will be read. My question to you is….should I write one with the writers group. I already have a couple chapters written, but don’t have the nice style you have…… mine seems to wonder around with too much author “license”.
Mark
Absolutely join the writer’s group Mark. You would be a great addition.
It will be a stimulating read! I look forward to it Rick!!
Sincerely
Stewart
Looking forward to that next adventure, Rick. I know your book will be a very good read.
Well said. Keep up the good words. Love the included music.