Selkies' Skins

Selkies' Skins
Current book in series Temple and Skinquest. Enjoy Castle and Well from Amazon, B&N and Smashwords while waiting for that and the prequel's audiobook "Pearls of Sea and Stone: Book of Seals".

Wednesday, July 12, 2017

Book Review: The Man Who Could Be King

Book Review
Title: The Man Who Could Be King
Author: John Ripin Miller
Star Rating: 5
Age Rating (IMO): All ages

In school we heard about what George Washington did. Every year US History covered him and the other Founding Fathers, in more detail as our years went by. However we were never told about Newburgh and what he didn’t do, which is a real shame as after reading this book I think it should be covered in school. It would give more depth to the class. I can remember sometimes my classmates and I wondered why he didn’t just take over.

This is a book everyone should read. I find it to be a very well done historical novel.

Written from the perspective of Josiah, who is an amalgamation of the 32 aides that he had during the Revolutionary War, we go through the war with the pair. We experience the highs and the lows, the soldiers with no shoes or adequate clothing, and the shipments of spoiled meat. And yet, when the touchiest possible mutiny in the military ranks threatens the war effort General Washington does not answer the temptation to pursue a military takeover of Congress to install himself as head of the nation. He calms and turns aside the mutiny.

I also really appreciated the appendices and notes after the main body of the book. The level of research was extremely deep and I am enthralled by the supporting information.



Battle for Net Neutrality

Do you like being able to access the internet without having to pay extra for your news? Do you like being able to be uncensored in what you view? Are you in the U.S.? These may be at risk. What the FCC is currently trying to do may impact your freedom of speech and the freedom of press.

Find out more here: https://www.battleforthenet.com/july12/?org=dp
You can send off a letter. After it gives you an option to call in.

Friday, July 7, 2017

Book Review: Designs On Her


Thursday, July 6, 2017

More net neutrality things


Net Neutrality. It's quite the loaded topic in some circles. Some people want to cut off the internet totally to some areas (Trump). Others want to make it metered, whether you are on a wired or wireless connection. Others want to filter what content is available to people.

There are books that get banned from libraries (1984, Farenheit 451, To Kill a Mocking Bird). Theoretically what is being proposed now could impact author's jobs, and YOUR freedom of speech and freedom of press.

Where I live, beyond the cable line and where I can only get Hughesnet Satellite because there is literally no line of site from other providers I know what it is like to be throttled and to have to pay extra. For now I am at least guaranteed the ability to browse the internet and email when my son's gaming and Youtubing has sucked up all of our data. It makes it a bit harder to work for my webtesting client, as during those periods work takes longer because of how much longer it takes pages to load. I have to pay $9 per 3 gb of extra data, which does not last long at all in my household.

Now imagine that things everywhere became pay as you go. Imagine that some sites you would have to pay ADDITIONAL for to access. Imagine paying that on top of your news site subscription. This could happen if people do not stay aware.

Internet now is a utility. Jobs send you online to fill out applications to work. Schools and colleges send you online to turn in work and do your research. Their libraries aren't always open when you are off of work to do your homework and research your papers. Banking is sliding more and more online now. As an example of that, there is now only one open branch of my bank in my county, and if you are far away the only options to deposit your check or cash are via internet connected phone (checks) or the one other ATM.

Imagine a world where you can't afford to do that job application because you're unemployed and there is no where near you that is able to provide that internet access. Imagine going to your news site and having an additional fee. Imagine clicking like on something and suddenly the next day you are having to pay more, simply because you got involved in a discussion about politics. We could slide down the slippery slope all the way to North Korea and Old China. We could let fear rule us.

Or, we could stand up and demand net neutrality, and accept what comes with not being sheeple, accept the irritations and lessons and freedom of being able to discuss religion, politics, read books, and all of the wonderful things available to us. Don't take my word for what could happen. Go out and read what they are trying to push through.

July 12 is a day of action. I will let you look at a site. After looking, please, please, please go find for yourselves the texts that are before our Senators and Representatives (who are NOT our leaders, read that Constitution too!).

Saturday, July 1, 2017

Press Release: Astral Sector Alpha Art Fair June 25-July 3

I forgot to post this here on its own, although I remembered to submit it to Bixyl Shuftan (as Amehana Ishtari, my Second Life legacy name) for the SL Newser.

Press Release: Astral Sector Alpha Art Fair June 25-July 3

Astral Sector Alpha is holding an art fair June 25th to July 3rd.

Astral Sector Alpha, also known as ASA or the Astrids, is a community of artists of different stripes that originated in Second Life, although not all of the members are within Second Life. They also have a Discord presence and do live readings every other Saturday over Discord (as not everyone can successfully use SL voice reliably) starting at 6 PM SLT and gather in world for camaraderie during the reads. ASA's goal is to nurture each other's creativity and to provide a good grounding for artists, writers, and other creators to grow within and draw encouragement from. Members are encouraged to start their own projects.

ASA has worked with several small libraries in the past to provide reading exchanges and art/writing contests, including with the Trotsdale library. Amehana Ishtari's past writing workshops and a Haiku anthology between cooperating Second Life libraries, available for free on Smashwords at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/542449 are examples of the sort of projects that members launch.

Art of several types is on display at the current art fair, things represented are visual art in the form of drawings and photograpy, jewelery, images created in blender, textual offering to be read either by the author or by volunteers, and "glitch photography" which is a new art form developed by Danielderv Resident, which has even had an article published about it in a university level publication. The building itself was created for the art fair.

For inworld readings of the content in the fair, readings will happen from the 30th to the 3rd at 5 PM SLT to ensure that all that was submitted has a chance to be shared.

This art fair is also intended to kick off a weekly magazine format. For more details about that particular endeavor talk to Danielderv Resident.

Calm Ocean (69, 196, 3821)

Illustration Share: Queen of Glass

It was time to do a fully human figure again. May I present the Queen of Glass. I don't have a story for her or a set character as of yet, but at some point I might. I did this merely as an excuse to work with the human form again, even though humans are not my favorite.


This is sized down from the original so that it will upload on my internet connection to my DeviantArt gallery. The inspirations for this are Grinmir-Stock's "Sigrid 14" and a simplified version of the stained glass inspired dresses sewn by Creel in "Dragon Slippers" by Jessica Day George. This is not a character from Ms. George's works, just something that I wanted to draw as it was time to practice humans again. The Queen of Glass currently hides her bench, but I imagine it as having stained glass insets.

I especially enjoyed the fur trimmed cloak for some reason.

Executed on 9 x 12 inch 80 weight paper with mechanical and color pencils.