Pokes head around the door

So yeah, been a bit lazy of late.

Power generating backpack. There's so much excess energy in the world like this that could be harvested more effectively. I mean, look at roofs - that's a few square metres right there, ripe for solar panels. And if they weren't so blasted expensive I'd consider getting some. But this is neat, although Trevor Bayliss raises an important point at the end of the article.

Jer's Novel Writer is also interesting, a Beta Mac word processor for writers. I've given it a whirl and am loving it so far - CopyWrite has similar features, but not as nicely implemented (there's an outline for book structure, for example, and a database for keeping track of characters / places / things)

The novel is undergoing a second draft now and, while I think it's an improvement on the first, I'm still having a bit of a blockage. Started writing longhand and transcribing the text afterhand, which is what Neil Gaiman does. It's hard, and I feel a bit hazy after transcribing three thousand odd words, but it gives me a much better handle on the story. Plus it frees me from the office which, though very nice, can feel somewhat prison-esque on a lovely summers day. Or a lovely spring's day. Or a lovely autumnal day. Or a lovely winter day.

I often used to get romantic ideas of sitting under a tree in the garden writing in a notebook, and I always thought 'Gosh, that is a nice idea' but my handwriting has been compared to cuneiform in the past (which I think is a touch unfair on the ancient Mesopotamians). But now I have a calligraphy pen with a medium nib that is much more effective at forcing me to have good handwriting, and whilst it is true I sometimes have to employ occult arts to divine the meaning of my own handwriting, I do think it's getting better.

Wikky Woo.