3,601

(217 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Consolidating multiple chapters in one listing should be a SMOP -- a Small Matter of Programmig.  In good circumstances, the term is descriptive, in bad ones it is sardonic.  (Somehow the bad ones seem to outnumber the good ones--not that that should be an excuse.)  Remember though that every one of us has problems, that some things -really- need to be fixed (like throwing away italics when copy-pasting a story in), and even SMOPs have questions that can affect the algorithms to be written.

That said, this is one of those little things that should have been flagged in a design review--or a requirements review.  Somehow they never are, though, and the people who do catch them are just the sort of gadflies who get fired because they aren't team players.  (Probably none of that applies to the TNBW team, which I'm guessing is a bit smaller--which makes good reviews hard.)  If you have a couple hundred hours to kill, read the Shark Tank archives on Computerworld.com.  I don't know if computer work actually gathers more vexing mistakes, but it sure makes them more memorable.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OIdyMAitXbE/TlhMtHPYM8I/AAAAAAAAA5Q/l6lWLO2Gotw/s1600/polar+bears+lr.jpg

"Oh, hey! I love these things!....Crunchy on the outside and chewy center!"

3,603

(1,528 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)

The changes are, so far, on paper.  Some answer your review, some are literary fillips.

The first scene would go before Merran waking up.  The second scene with her mother would go right after the lurymant is spotted.  The third scene would go right after Caneth and Barris are taken.  The story with Erevain would have to stand on its own, unless I found a small scene to cut in.

3,604

(1,528 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)

As I look at the revised Chapter 4 and consider other revisions, I find myself thinking that the first scene should now be moved earlier, even before Chapter 2.  Even before that, I see a lot of things to improve in it.

In a sense, Alda is passive.  The most interesting reactions are between her natural self and the Alda that is being guided by Behira.

I'm not sure that active and passive are the right terms.  Intiator and reacter seem better.

Jaylene has to adjust to the changes that have occurred in her exo-cronic state.  So far we've seen her with just two issues: Tazar and Slash.  In the catacombs chapter, things are rather different, although Alda is still the outrageous one.  But that's as is should be.  She's the candle lit up along along its length.

Sil and Alda, a contrast of sorts.  Sil willing in the particulars, Alda willing in the abstract, Sil an agent, Alda a horse ridden by Behira.
As always, GKC provides a quote:

"... this also is the plain tragedy of a man in black. Yes ... the whole of this tale turns on a black coat. In this, as in Hamlet, there are the rococo excrescences—yourselves, let us say. There is the dead waiter, who was there when he could not be there. There is the invisible hand that swept your table clear ... and melted into air.

About which central figures does this tale turn, and how?

I see Slash as the sort of person who has a mean streak, but will hold it in check until he has an excuse to exercise it.  If he has an easy win in the ring, he'll humiliate the oponent; if it's a hard win, he'll fight to inflict as much lasting pain as possible.

Will he fight for the right side?  Yes, if it profits him, or if there's no other sensible action.

Can the real Brekin improve him?  Will he fight for her?  I'm not sure.  He's a slave to his appetites and his pride, much more so than Kha.

I thought Tazar was -trying- to get himself imprisoned.  Slash can be a dirty fighter, but -this- time Tazar has to hit before the bell rings.  We just need to feel that if anyone deserved it, Slash did.

Ever see the movie Blood Sport?  There's a fighter who kills when he doesn't have to and blinds the good guy in the ring.   He loses anyway.  -That's- how we have to think of Slash.

3,608

(217 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Not exactly a bug, but on the home page smartphone version under the visit groups head, the links for the forums are so small it's hard to hit them without hitting either the group link or the first posting link.  It's not so bad in landcape, but in portrait it's a problem.

Maybe turn that into a button extending to the available L/R margins?

njc wrote:

Sol said he put a test chapter up for me but I haven't found it.  The email address he sent from rejects replies, and I haven't heard back from him on the reply I sent to the address he gives here.

Sol, tell me where to look and I'll go over the chapter in fine detail.

Chapter received, review complete.  I did it inline because, although it will make it harder to read, for this sort of thing the ability to go to the marked text is ideal.  (Hint, hint ...)

If it didn't go through for some reason, please let me know.  It's interesting that the -first- centering operation worked, but not subsequent centerings.

Sol said he put a test chapter up for me but I haven't found it.  The email address he sent from rejects replies, and I haven't heard back from him on the reply I sent to the address he gives here.

Sol, tell me where to look and I'll go over the chapter in fine detail.

I haven't been hit by this part of this problem, but I suspect that the difficulty runs deep in the site's model of a review.  If so it may be hard to fix.  For what little it's worth, were I starting with this as a project, I would not likely realize that reviews would be composed like this.

On the other hand, if fixing it requires going back and making deep changes in the data model of a review, I'd encourage Sol and his team to look into some of the other issues that have been raised, to be sure that the new model can accomodate the other fixes/enhancements.

Review is up.  Man, is Kha cold###########did you pick a tough scene to write!

3,613

(4 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

What about a frame surrounding the logo that makes it clear--or less surprising---that it -is- a button?

3,614

(1,528 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)

Following up on the review -- but the whole town isn't in danger of the Elemental residue on the charm.  The Chaos-triggered fires pose some danger, but the real danger is that the charm used to be--and still is!--a Covenant Gem.

Once I saw a broken mirror and said “Something has happened” and they all answered, “Yes, yes, as you truly say, two men wrestled and one ran into the garden,” and so on. I don’t understand it, “Something happened,” and “Two men wrestled,” don’t seem to me at all the same; but I dare say I read old books of logic.  ---GKC's Father Brown in The Quick One

Whereas when I copy from OpenOffice I lose italics and often get two tildes on an initial line.  Browser is IE.  I'll send you the file I most recently put up here.

3,616

(1,528 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)

With regard to place and description, I wonder if you and I know places differently.

Before I take a trip, I often study the route with Google Maps and look over the satphotos around the places where  I will have to turn.  I study them from above and envision them as they must view from the road.  Then when I drive, I recognize those nearly as if I had seen them before.

So for me, giving a 'map' of the place is the natural kind of description.

In other news, I have a battery-powered version of the timer/flasher portion working.  The breadboard I'm working forces me to compromise the layout a bit but not too much.  I found a couple of errors in my layout drawing for that part, and discovered that the inrush for the switched power caps causes the timer to reset.  I can reduce the capacitance, but instead I want to try turning the  switching MOSFET on a little slowly.

Later!

3,617

(1,528 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)

Melayne is speaking very carefully, not telling the whole truth.  But you're probably right.

3,618

(1,528 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)

KHippolite wrote:

You might have to post the link to the chapter since the site seems to display new content on its own (somewhat lackadaisical) time frame.

Four words: DBMS.  Four more: ACID.


Your wish is my suggestion.

3,619

(217 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

SolN wrote:

Found another possible bug Sol.  In my points history page it says I should have 6.5 (which I accumulated through reviews I posted last night).  Now, on my main page it says I only have 2.95.  Any idea where my missing points went?

We're still tweaking this. The homepage sometimes doesn't update right away. This is the reason. The points history page is the accurate reading.

My home page (mobile) is almost two weeks behind the points page, a 23-point discrepency.

3,620

(1,528 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)

Chapter 4 up.  I need to go sleep..  What time I have tomorrow/today has to be spent on circuit work--and on reading your reviews, of course smile

SolN wrote:

Where is it?  Am I finding a different page?  Are there two pages alike except that one has the reply/no-reply indicators and the other doesn't?  Am I in a twisty maze of little web pages and one of them is not like the other?

This column does not show on mobile due to space constraints. You are not going crazy smile. We can try to put it back but we are trying to make mobile a bit slimmed down because of the screen size.

Maybe change the button somehow, or move the indicator into the column with the button.

I accidentally hit 'reort' instrad of 'quote' again.  My request to put 'report' and 'delete' on the other corner from 'quote' and 'edit' is not withdrawn.

3,622

(1,528 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)

Still  working on chapter 4.  I spent six slow but productive hours yestereve.  (Where 'eve' ends near dawn.)  It will be over 4k words.

Where is it?  Am I finding a different page?  Are there two pages alike except that one has the reply/no-reply indicators and the other doesn't?  Am I in a twisty maze of little web pages and one of them is not like the other?

This is in regard not to a tablet but to my Android smartphone.  They're both screen--oriented mobiles, so I'm trying here.

A few days ago I was delighted to find a page on this site that showed which of the reviews I gave has a reply.  Now, on the Android, I cannot find that page.

Is it available on the mobile, and if so, where?

3,625

(1,528 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)

Erlangs.