So week 3 was good. We discussed how to identify what market segment you’re in, surveying potential customers, profiling your typical user, things like that. I brought up that when they think about who their user is, they should think about users who might need certain enhancements to better use their application, such as a large text mode, a colorblind mode, things like that. I think the girls heard me on that one, which is good. This is something I try to think about when I do things.

The best parts are the emails and comments I get from the girls. Some of them are really excited about this program, and about tech in general! One girl has contacted me about how to get more into tech and maybe even get an internship somewhere. Another girl asked me about being a writer, and that was pretty cool. I’m stoked about how well this whole thing is going.

We have this week off, and we’ll be back next Wednesday with another session.

So the girls spent this week brainstorming and working out problem/solution statements and getting an idea of what their market research should look like. The challenge for this year is Science Education, which most everybody took very literally. They were thinking biology, chem, physics, the hard sciences. I also heard a lot of “nutrition app” suggestions. So we encouraged them to branch out a bit, think about what they liked and were passionate about, and then look for the science of that.

The girls are great. Some of the people who are helping facilitate this thing are… perhaps not so great. Lots of “personalities” to go around. I’m not going to go into detail, because, you know, google. Let’s just say that we all know which of the adult participants is in need of a massive attitude adjustment. I think some people lose sight of why we’re really here: the girls.

My poor co-instructor got caught in horrible traffic, so I was on my own for the first hour, and I was really only prepared for the half I was supposed to present, not the whole thing. I winged it liek woah. Apparently it wasn’t that obvious, though, so hooray for me. I had a moment where I wanted to apologize in advance for how unprepared I was, but luckily my previous experience in public speaking (mock trial, mock government, speech and debate) has stuck with me. Never apologize in advance. All you’re doing is priming the audience to look for your faults. Act like nothing’s the matter, and most people won’t even notice.

So, that’s basically how it’s going. Next week is all about figuring out who your customer is, which is really exciting, because I’m going to get to bring up accessibility which is a topic near and dear to my cold, black heart.

Anyway, I had my first session of teachings, and I think it went really well. The goals for the week were to outline the program, give the girls an understanding of what was to be expected, and to show them how to use the App Inventor software. Unfortunately we started a bit late — first day shuffles and all that — so we weren’t able to help the girls actually use the software. Hopefully they got an idea.

The girls are really rad, though. They’re fun and silly and up for all the activities, they’re really excited to be there and sometimes that excitement leads to them getting a little loud, but all we need to do is remind them to pay attention and they become really respectful. So, that’s awesome. I’m glad that the only reason they get loud and carried away is because they’re just so excited to be there.

Here’s hoping that energy survives ten weeks!

So um. I guess the biggest news is I’m now Assistant Editor over at Scape. I got to add that to my email signature. “Assistant Editor.” Look at me, with big-girl-pants on.

Also I’m going to be teaching high school girls about tech entrpreneurship, a word which I still cannot spell. This is a part of Iridescent and the Technovation Challenge. So, yay for that!

Also there are other things in the works that I’m not ready to announce yet, but I have a new project and like a team and shit, so that’s kind of nuts, and then there’s the novel which is kind of having to take a backseat but it’s nearly at 20K and is coming along all right. There’s also the three snowboarding trips, and finishing up my master’s degree, and oh god oh god oh god.

Oh yeah, and I hit 666 followers this week.

Short Fiction

Nebula and Hugo: The Memory Gatherer (link)

Just a Hugo, I think: The Automatic City (link)

Oh and I guess I’m eligible for the Campbell New Writer award.

Okidoke, back to our regularly-scheduled program.

• First sale(s) and first publication(s) for fiction.
• First sale for a non-fiction piece, which I’d never really written one before, and now I’m slated to write another and that’s pretty cool.
• I’m now one class away from finishing my master’s.
• Got a job with a team I really like that’s been stressful but largely rewarding.
• Finished massive edits and started a new one. New Novel will be 10K by the end of today, which is a good start for the new year.
• The Valkyrie thing started up, and while that’s small still, I’m pretty proud of it.

That looks like a decent list of things. So I guess I’ll outline goals for 2012 here.

• First will be to keep on keeping on with the goals I listed over at Inkpunks: Focus on the writing, and ignore all the other BS.
• Graduate. It’s prettymuch in the bag, but still.
• Throw a fucking huge graduation party.
• Finish New Novel.
• Read at least 30 books.

So here’s to a good 2012!

Step One: Put two cups of butter, two cups of sugar, and a quarter teaspoon of salt into a medium saucepan. Turn heat between low and medium.

Step Two: Decide butter takes too long to melt. Go log in to Star Wars: The Old Republic.

Step Three: Wait until smoke alarm reminds you that you were making toffee.

Step Four: Run into kitchen muttering oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck. Cut the heat.

Step Five: Disable smoke alarm. Show no mercy.

Step Six: Take a moment to appreciate the aroma of slagged butter and sugar, and the thick plumes of smoke occupying the upper third of your kitchen. Then open all windows and turn on the fan.

Step Seven: Contemplate your bubbling pot of black tar. Realize you cannot pour it down the sink, because it will cool and everything will be awful. Realize you cannot let it sit in the pot because you will ruin the pot. Come to grips with the fact that you are not prepared.

Step Eight: Remember the silicone cookware your aunt gave you. Take back all the bad things you said about it. Pour the black bubbling demon blood into the silicone cookware.

Step Nine: Decide now is an appropriate time to return to SWTOR.

Step Ten: Return to the scene of the crime before bed. Attempt to replace the smoke detector. Realize you are no good at this. The smoke detector will confirm your ineptitude by beeping right in your ear, twice.

Step Eleven: The smoke detector will hang askew in its little cradle. Convince yourself this is fine and you totally did not break the smoke detector.

Step Twelve: Plop the now-hardened sugarslag in the trash. Marvel at your cleverness over using the silicone cookware. Realize it’s probably the only thing you’ve done correctly all night.

Step Thirteen: Turn of all lights, lock all doors, go to bed with a distant haunt of shame in your soul.

Friday, I played far too many hours of SWTOR, hit lvl 12 on my Sith Assassin (Caprice, Helm of Graush) and rolled a smattering of alts. I did zero other things on Friday except that, and wound up playing until 2:30 in the morning.

And then on Saturday I woke up at 8:30a and simply couldn’t fall back asleep. So, six hours of sleep before I launched into birthday party day. First I went to Red Rock, my favorite local cafe, where I got an eggnog latte, my favorite latte, because they started eggnog lattes just that very day and that was nice of them to do that for my birthday. Then I went ice skating in downtown San Jose. Ice skating under palm trees in 70 degree weather. Welcome to California. After that, a walk through Christmas in the Park (cotton candy!), then Pizza My Heart, then Loves Cupcakes and Psycho Donuts, and finally Sherlock Holmes.

I was really amazed at how many people came. I said I was going to be lucky if I managed to break 10, but over 20 people showed up, and that was really rad. I got some epic gifts. I have amazing friends, which shocks me every time I think about it. I also have a really nice MrMike.

Sunday was more of a relaxing start, bit of SWTOR, and then off to Jew Food Night where the Bay got even smaller as I met people who knew people I knew from all over the country and seriously this world is tiny folks.

So now just to survive the holidays and then a week of nothing to do but work on my new novel. I’ll hardly know what to do with myself!

Donny: Hey look, an arrow! Let’s go that way.

Jarrod: I just changed my icon.
Me: Are… are you a Niyan Cat?
Jarrod: Yes. Yes I am.

After a long evening of rolling less than 10s…

Me: We form a DnD party. It’s super-effective!

[at the start of Jarrod's turn...]
Ventrillo: [chaos, madness, yelling]
Jarrod: My dog just jumped on my desk and knocked everything off!

Once we finally empty the room of baddies…

Jarrod: I want to eat the body.
DM: You’re eating the body that’s been spitting poison at you?
Jarrod: I don’t know any better! I’m a dumb cat!

Me: Guys, I think I solved the puzzle. The DM is reading shit.
DM: Yes, burning the talisman opens the door. I’m glad you remembered.
Me: I didn’t, I just like setting things on fire.

Donny: What’s that red stuff?
DM: If you’re in a DnD campaign and you see red on the floor, pretty safe to say: it’s blood.

[party has probz connecting to maptools]
DM: Well if you guys want to play with your imaginations — as ridiculous as that may sound…

Jarrod: Puppy! You don’t drink beer! You’re too young, you’re only seven months!

And thus another Friday evening of Dungeons and Dragons.

Lillian Cohen-Moore reviewed each story individually, as well as commented on the actual physical edition of the book, with Galen and Evan’s lovely art, and even noting the interior design done by Janice Blaine.

J R Murdock — who read the Kindle version, so yay, a review for each edition — discussed the overall anthology, unable to pick a favorite from the bunch.

Yay!