SuBBrilliant Blog

I haven’t got out of bed yet today. And yet I’ve learned quite a bit. Mostly I improved my solitaire playing ability. But I also pulled up MobileTwit and stumbled upon a fantastic piece by Clay Shirky as retweeted by Leo Laporte. The oversimplification is that sitcoms are to the technological revolution what gin was to the industrial revolution. The less oversimplified version is that we have plenty of time to make amazing things like wikipedia, because we can use time previously wasted on sitcoms. That and the idea that little kids expect everything, even the TV, to come with a mouse, rocked my woeldvieq a bit this morning.

Then I moved on down Twitter row and discovered viralblorg.org thanks to Mager.

Then I wrote this post.

All that without getting put of bed. And somewhere in all these facts, and the fact that I accessed them all from a device smaller than my hand, is a SciFi story that sells like hotcakes in 1955, and a signpost to the future.
All that without

A classic from 1997 Austin. This is the first (and roughest) episode of SuBBrilliant Television, co-production of myself and Russ Pitts. We are currently in a dispute over who has the worst hair in these episodes.

SuBBrilliant Television – Untitled No.1 from Tom Merritt on Vimeo.

Four and a half years ago I wrote a post attempting to explain the game of baseball and how it’s rules developed starting with a simple first principle of game where you hit a ball and run with some objective in mind. Well it took me long enough, but I’ve got part two down now. If you want to read the first part, it’s still up on the blog here.

Let’s return to our first principle of the game. An player attempts to strike the ball as far as possible so he can run a pre-determined circuit and return to this starting position before the ball can.

The first things after the ball is struck is to determine whee the batter goes. The taste of the rulemakers for baseball was to have the player who struck the ball run around the pitcher and back to the starting position. The runner of course would tend to try to make this circuit as short as possible. So to keep the circuit uniform, four bases were put in place. The runner had to touch each of these bases in order before the ball is returned. The team that can complete the most circuits wins the game. A way of keeping track of how many circuits have been successfully completed was needed. So a completed circuit was caled a run.

So we have the runner strike the ball. He runs to the first base and continues counterclockwise and continues until the ball is returned. We know what happens if he can touch all four bases before the ball catches up with him. So what happens when the bal does catch up?

Just throwing the ball past the runner was considered too easy. The opponents much demonstrate they are in control of the ball. So it was determined that to demonstrate that the ball has been effectively returned, the runner must be tagged with the ball. At one time this included throwing the ball at the runner. That was considered too dangerous and also somewhat violates the principle of being in control of the ball. So the tag must be applied while in the hand of the opponent. At a certain point, players took up the practice of wearing gloves. This made it awkward to take the ball out of the encompassing glove in order to tag the runner and gave the runner the advantage. A rule was then adopted that tagging the runner with a glove that had the ball securely inside, would be considered the same as if the runner had been tagged with the ball itself. The entire glove was considered the same as the ball. Derivative rules were put in place for how to deterine if the ball in the glove was under control.

So now we have a runner going from the base to base. If an opponent showed up with the ball, the runner could take off in any direction to get away. This could cause delay and make every circuit rather tedious. So another rule comes into force requiring the runner to head directly from one base to another without deviating beyond a prescribed limit. This now known as running out of the baseline.

But now we really are in the business of waiting for a runner to hit an inside the park home run. As youc an imagine this doesnt happen that often, even before we consider fences. So the runner is allowed to stop safely without being tagged, as long as they are on one of the first three bases. Now the players int he field need to tag the runner in between bases.

Here a matter of taste comes into play. The runner now has a better chance of getting to the fourth base. This raises the question of how many people can try to get the ball and stop the runner. Most bals didn’t travel too much farther than the pitcher. So a player was placed at each of the four bases. They can be considered guardians of those bases in order to try to stop a runner from reaching them safely.

Past the circuit of bases was an open field. To separate the area that was out of play (mentioned earlier) a line was drawn from the 4th base to the first base and from the fourth base to the third base. That line continued in the same direction on each side and defined the width of the area out beyond the circuit. This field is referred to as the outfield, and the area of the circuit of bases thus was called the infield. Both fields were fair territory and anything outside the lines is foul territory.

So eventually three players was deemed sufficient to fairly cover the outfield territory. However, the infield seemed unbalanced. Teh three base guardians seemed unbalanced. The second baseman had effectively more territory to guard as the first baseman was guarding hsi base on every hit and the fourth baseman (or catcher) was always out of play, having been assigned the duty of catching the pitches from the pitcher to help speed up the game.

So a second guardian of second base was created and placed on the third base side of the infield. This player would help stop the ball short of going into the outfield. We call the position shortstop now.

So now we have 9 players on the field attempting to catch the ball and tag the runner before he can return home to the fourth base or home base. This proves to be difficult and sometimes tedious. For instance if a runner was on second base a player could hit the ball and run very slowly to the first base. While the players in the field, or fielders, wait to tag the runner, the runner from second base could safely make a dash for the third base. Also a player at the first base might choose to stay ont he base safely while the new runner ran to first. So a rule declares that two runners cannot occupy the same base. This forces the runner to the next base.

Another rule has the opportunity to speed up play here. If a runner is forced to run to a base the fielder no longer has to tag them with the ball to demonstrate that the ball ahs beaten the runner. They can instead merely take posession of the ball and step on the base the runner is being forced to run to. This procedure can be carried out at the first base on every hit, as the runner is essentially forced to run there after he has successfully struck the ball.

So now we have players striking the ball into fair territory and trying to reach a base safely. The more bases they can touch, the better. They must touch the bases in order to define a circle, but they can stop at any base safely along the way. If a runner stops at a base they can choose to stay there until they are forced to run. And this brings up a good point. What if they aren’t forced to run but decide to anyway> Some rules have to go into place about when they can run. If a ball is being exchanged for instance because it is damaged, obviously the runner is not allowed to run to the next base.

The ball was previously considered live at all times. Any time the ball is live the runner is free to try to run to the next base and the fielders are free to try to tag the runner. Exceptions began to be put into play. For instance a ball struck into foul territory is declared dead, and the runner is not allowed to advance. If the fourth unhittable pitch is delivered and the batter allowed to go to first, the ball is dead and the runner cannot advance unless forced to by another runner coming to take posession fo the base he is on. In addition to these and other rules, the judge beind home base, called the umpire now, can decide the ball is dead at any time. Even though there is no clock, baseball as borrowed the phrase ‘time out’ from clocked sports, to describe this condition.

So now we know when and where a batter and runner can go. But we soon find that any ball hit into the outfield ends up with a runner safely at a base. This throws the game out of balance. So a new principle is adopted to reduce the number of runners who safely reach bases. The struck ball must reach the ground before runners, including the batter, can safely advance. If a fielder can prevent the ball from reaching the ground, the batter will be considered to have failed at the attempt to complete the circuit. If there happens to be a runner on base, they can still safely advance but they must wait on their base until the ball is caught in the air before they can attempt to advance. If they are not touching a base when the ball is caught, they must go back to the base and touch it before advancing. These restrictions pt the game back in balance. Not every ball hit into the outfield results in a runner safely reacing base.

Of course the rule is applied to all areas not just the outfield. In fact the decision is made that even if the ball is in foul territory, if it is caught in the air before reaching the ground, then the batter will considerd to have failed int he attempt and be put out of the play. This phrase is shortened to put out and eventually just out.

This brings up the rare but not unseen situation where a batter swings and makes slight contact with the ball but it continues on into the catcher’s glove behind home base. Now technically this could be a foul ball caught before it reaches the gorund and considered a out. But it hardly seems fair sice the batter did not make definite contact, just incidental. Such a happenstance will only count as an attempt to strike. If it is the third attempt to strike it will result in the batter being put out, UNLESS the catcher drops the ball. In that case as a compromise it will be treated as a foul ball in that instance and not result in the batter being put out.

To sum up, let’s return to our first principle. The batter attempts to strike the ball such that it hits the ground in the defined field of play, or fair territory. If a fielder prevents the ball from hitting the ground, whether in fair or foul territory, the batter will be considered put out. Once successfully striking the ball in the field of play, the player attempts to run in a circle defined by 4 bases and the lines between them. If the ball is nearing the player he can stay on one of the bases safely and not be tagged. If he is taged by the ball (or glove with the ball in it) while not safely on a base, he is put out. If a fielder in posession of the ball touches the first base before the player can get there, he is also put out.

Now here comes another convention. In the majority of plays the ball is hit on the ground in the infield and is thrown to the guard at the first base. If the batter runs and beats the throw, it wil be difficult to stay on the base. Should the runner leave the base the first baseman could tag him. This could mean that eery ball hit int he infield could conceivably be an out and thus throw the game out of balance again. So a rule has been put in place that a player once strikig the ball can run past first base without being tagged out. If the runner is tagged before reaching first base, or if a fielder in posession of the ball touches first base before the runner gets there, the runner is put out. But after the runner touches first base he is as safe as if he magically stopped his momentum and stayed on the base.

However runners might have taken advantage of this rule to advance to the second base. So another rule states that after running past the first base the runner must turn away from second base when he has slowed down and is returning to the first base. If the runner turns towards second base the fielder in posession of the ball is allowed to assume the runner is attempting to advance to second base and can then tag him out. Only bceause of the frequency of the plasy at first base is this allowed. No ther base is allowed to be overrun and have the runner still be safe.

Once the runner is on base he is free to try to advance to other bases any time he wants. Only if the ball is dead by a rule or an umpire’s ruling can the runner not advance. The runner MUST advance if another runner is coming behind him. If the runner does not advance and he ends up standing on a base with another runner he will be declared put out and have to leave the bases.

So we have many ways a player can be put out of the game (not permanently mind you). So we are now in the position of having to determine how long a team is allowed to try to make the circuit of bases before they must give up and let the other time try. Since as we mentioned there is no clock, a limit is put in place based on how many times a player is put out of the game. If three players are put out in one way or another then the team must give up its pursuit and allow the other team a try.

After three put outs, the team that was int he field and delivering pitches comes off the field and can begin to bat and try to complete circuits and score runs. The team tat was batting, must put a pitcher up on the mound to deliver the ball to the opponents and the fielders up to the prescribed limit can take their places.

It must be noted that the position of the fielders described is not set in the rules. The players can be anywhere in fair territory (with the exception of the catcher who must be in foul territory). Those positions described above were used to determine a limit of the number of fielders.

We then must decide who gets to bat. This is not a probem wen a team is defined by just the players in the field. Everyone in the field gets to bat. In fact this is a guiding principle of baseball. The team is merely the nine people on the field. The entire team gets a chance to bat.

Replacing players, what order the players must bat in and how many times they get a chance will be the subject of our next section.

More from Tales of The Grey. For those who’ve said they’re a bit confused by the whole thing, this piece introduces the world.

“There are those placed unknowingly in the world. Here and there without conscious knowledge of their charge they carry out the duties that carry the world. They are burdened and sometimes they break. They are mad. They are wise. They are genius. They are unknown protectors of our age. The wisdom they impart preserves the balance of the world and prevents its destruction. You will know them by the far off look in their grey eyes. Pity them for they know not what drives them. But only that it is hard and they are weary.” – The Book of the Grey

There are few of us left now. Empowered with our technology we don’t feel as alone as we are. Across the great continent we fly in minutes. To rest, we journey to Lune and often sit and listen for word from the others. It has been thousands of years since we heard from them. We hold little hope.

For adventure we visit the empty planets. The great mines of Martz and the outpost of Io memorialize the great ages of science long in the ancient past that teemed with men.

We fixate on history now. The sun will die soon and all those with the will to escape have left. Whether we claim a duty to history or lack the will, we stay on.

Legends of all levels of believability fascinate us. Especially those of the ‘Kindred.’

The tales come in various guises. The Kindred appear under many names, but always with certain hallmarks.

They resemble man in form but there is always something different about the eyes. Some are described as black almonds, some fiery orbs, some as sparkling. But it is always the eyes that distinguish them.

They appear ancient and wise originating from or inhabiting a world apart from men.

They cannot resist concern with man’s fate and wish to help without interfering. They work in secrecy, only revealing themselves to a few.

They appear in our most ancient histories and myths and we busy ourselves in these final days with our study and search for them. They may not exist at all. Which makes them perfect for our purposes. They fascinate enough to hold our interest with little promise that we’ll discover their secret and leave us with nothing to pass the time.

—-
And so it was that the remnant of man now wise and long-lived sought for the remnant of the Kindred who dwelled among them still, in the heart of the great forests.

As man had changed to sad and wise, so too the remnant of the Kindred had changed over their long existence. Many had departed. Those who remained had become forgetful and secretive. While they worked no evil, they no longer cared for men or history and had become rapt creatures of nature and the moment, wishing only not to be disturbed from their reverie. They were impatient and quickly angered at anyone or anything that needlessly kept them from their pursuits.

——

This is a short work in the universe of a book I’ve been working on called “Tales of the Grey.” I plan to post more from this work sporadically and eventually weave it into a whole collection.

“This is immortality,” Druren waved is arm at the room of suffering bodies.
People lay on 60 some beds in various states of distress. A man without legs sat quietly listening to music. Next to him a woman with an abscess on her neck moaned softly, occasionally rubbing at the wound. In a corner under a sound dampening field a man without any limbs and covered in sores sat screaming.
“The man in the dampening field is a candidate for euthanasia at this point,” Druren shook his head. “Sadly most all the rest are not.”
Firrenne ad asked to see the room in preparation of her defense. She would have to overcome this obstacle to the continued legalisation of the drug Methuselec.
“Where do they go from here?” she asked.
“They are evaluated, treated, and exported. Most to the moon, where the lower gravity can ease their suffering. Sometimes to family arrangements, whee a loved one can care for them. A small amount request suspended animation. The rest end up in Bangalore.”
Firrenne shook her head. She knew of the hospice in Bangalore that attended to the unwanted sick. It was the last great concentration of human suffering, populated heavily by those who sought immortality. “How many go there?”
“Less than five percent. I send no more than, oh.– I’d say – ten a year, tops.”
“Dr. Druren, may I ask you a question then?”
“Of course. Off the record?”
“Yes. Although I may wish to depose you on it later, your answer now is only for ,y background. Do you think Methuselec should no longer be manufactured?”
Druren let out a low sigh. “Yes and no. It is a drug with a false promise. One series of doses over three months has the permanent effect of making you immortal. But it can regenerate you or cure disease. It essentially only ensures brain function. That means the vast majority of those who take it will end up here. Instead of a natural death they will have untold prolonged suffering until they choose euthanasia. I do not think anyone shold ever take Methuselec. But if the manufacturer is ordered to cease making it, then it will be made anyway and made worse.”
“So what do you think the answer is?”
“Bureaucracy Ms. Firrenne. I think in this case paperwork could save many. Make the procedure laborious. Make it tedious. Make enough successful applications that a black market will not arise, but make it boring to try to get. That will cut the amount of users more effectively than any law.”

Jorreck saw smoke on the horizon and his heart leaped. He finally had made it to the Eastern Reaches. The thought of seeing another person filled him with relief and dread. His hope of finally ending his loneliness had been the only thing to keep him going in the last few weeks. However, he wondered if after months in the wilderness, whether he could even relate to another person.
The last time he had seen another was by the reflecting pools at the beginning of his wandering. She had been on Rambla for six weeks and fittingly, he was the first person she saw on her return. She shared some tips and tales of how she got by, but he did not let on that he planned to make, not just a normal Rambla in the wilderness, but a trek straight across the great continent from the Western to the Eastern Reaches. It was a journey of about an hour if flying by car, but interminable on foot. To his knowledge no one had done so. He had told no one he was going to try.
He equipped himself with only a spice stick. This would be sufficient to construct shelters, hunt for food, and in extreme cases turn organic material into constituent proteins necessary for survival. The only thing it couldn’t do really, was create water. For that he wore what was archaically called spacesuit. It had been designed for long trips when humans still plied their way through the stars. The suit covered the entire body and reclaimed all water, minerals, and other excrements, filtered them and returned them to the body.
The woman at the reflecting pools had preferred to call hers by the more poetic name of ‘stilsuit’ referring to the ancient tales of the poet Herbert who presaged such a device in his epics. Spacesuits were very popular amongst those heading out on a Rambla. Most ventured out alone for only a month or two. If one started out properly hydrated, a spacesuit could allow one to go for eight weeks without having to add water. The main water loss came from the thinner membrane across the eyes, and any time the mouth flap was opened to eat.
Since Jorreck planned to be gone for some time past eight weeks, he had also carried a repair kit and spare filters for the suit. This had made the woman at the reflecting pools think him paranoid, and laugh at him.
“Why not carry an emergency beacon instead?” she asked. He had agreed it was much more sensible and left it there himself.
Over the course of is trek Jorreck had to fix his spacesuit seven times and replace the filters five. He thought about the woman every time. He also recharged the water pockets directly from any natural water source he found. However since he passed through great deserts, he found that the suit could continue for as many as 12 weeks without a recharge if sensibly maintained and with some clever eating habits that minimized water loss.
At first the trek had provided him with exactly what he sought. He confronted a world of unknowns. Unknown dangers, strange animals, uncharted terrain all challenged him. But after several months even that became mundane. He first noticed his apathy against novelty when he was attacked by a tiger. Tigers were very rare, and mostly kept in museums. However he had reacted by simply shocking it with the spice stick as he did any other threatening animal. He wondered if the spice stick itself cheated him of his goal.
Still, a great surprise still awaited him and he relished it. He had no maps and had only kept his eastern course by reckoning against the sun. He had no idea what settlement he would come upon when got to the smoke. In a world where people had protected themselves against every danger, he relished this uncertainty. And that is why he had done this. To finally experience real uncertainty again. Uncertainty not only of location but of survival. He had to work to survive. And he didn’t know what was coming next.
The trail he was on opened into a clearing and his heart sunk. A camera.
A crowd let out a great cheer. Several of his good friends rushed towards him. And a camera recorded him.
“Jorreck! You made it. You’ve become quite a celebrity!”
Welcome banners lit up the air and soft celebratory music wafted in.
Journalists respectfully allowed his friends to welcome him while noting his every expression.
“A look of bewilderment crossed the mad trekkers face….”
“Overwhelmed by the joy and relief…”
After things settled down and Jorreck had half-heartedly granted some interviews he sat and enjoyed the luxury of disconnecting the head unit from his spacesuit and ate a hot meal.
One of his oldest friends, Armiel, asked him what he would do now.
“I think I’m going back the way I came.”
They laughed at his joke, but the laughter died off suddenly as they realized he was serious.
“What do you mean? After what you put us through? Tracking yo for months, watching you attacked by all manner of animals, including a tiger! You can’t put us through that again. It’s not fair. It won’t be taken well. You’ll be seen as selfish. Spotlight-hogging!”
“You’re right,” Jorreck said to their great relief. But he got up immediately and went off to confer with an engineer friend who had stayed quiet through the previous conversation.
“I think you understand me Halion,” said Jorreck.
“I do. I’ll have it to you by morning.”
The next day a great press brunch was set, after which Jorreck would make the one hour car flight back to a welcome celebration in the Western Reaches. Jorreck did not arrive for the brunch, and he could not be found anywhere.
Eventually Halion arrived at the brunch and after considerable trouble getting anyone to listen to him, delivered a recorded message from Jorreck.
The message was recorded life-size and so was positioned on the podium were he ad been expected to speak for real earlier. All broadcasts focused in on the recorded Jorreck.
“Thank you for your hospitality. I do mean that. But I must go. I left on this trek privately in order to be able to live my life on my own terms. I did that, until the end. When arrived I had hoped to surprise some small settlement and make my way back into society and build on what I had learned. What I found is that I had not accomplished anything. My spice stick had protected me from real experience on my trek, and the inability to hide from anyone on this planet, protected me from anonymity.
So I’m headed back into the wilderness without a spice stick, but with a life-signs cloak, a knife and a few more crude instruments. Please do not look for me unless you do it on foot and in person. I do not wish to be found again by technology. I aim to head back to the Western Reaches, but I will not go directly. This time I plan to stop along the way and enjoy the varied treasures of the wilderness. At different points, I will stop for weeks or months. Do not expect me back. I may die. But if I do, know that I died finding meaning in my life. Good-bye.”
And so began the legend of Jorreck the Wanderer. It is said that he still journeys, and many on Rambla claim to have encountered him, learned from his experiences, and benefited from his aid. All who claim so agree that his one message back to the rest of what’s left of the world is that he still aims to deliver one final surprise. But he will not let on what that may be.

Today I turned on the Windows Media Center for the first time in a month. That’s o knock on the media center. We’ve been too busy to watch much TV, and what time we have had has been consumed by Lost, the new Apple TV software and the occasional Netflix movie.

So whatever. I wanted a little music on a rainy Sunday morning, and the Media Center has ever tune in our CD library. I fired it up and immediately got the Vista update notice. Right. I missed the last patch Tuesday.

I postponed that, but when I launched iTunes to listen to music, IT decided it needed to update mys usic library. I’d forgotten I’d updated iTunes the last time I used it and never restarted. Then of course there’s a NEW version of iTunes. Why not?! Go ahead iTunes, do your business. I’ll jump on over to Firefox and stream some music off Last.FM. Jus give me a second to postpone the Vista update. Again!

Launch Firefox and guess what? I’m immediately notified there’s an update of Firefox. I mark that for later and start streaming some music. During breakfast I have to get up a couple times because I forgot to turn off the Vista reminder. But no matter.

Once I’m done with my Canadian bacon (or just bacon, if you’re Canadian) and waffles, I give up and tell Firefox to go ahead and update, then reboot the machine.

This after only a month! It’s one thing to be annoyed occasionally in your daily life by software updates. They’re actually quite handy, fixing bugs, and adding features. But the system is all built around daily use. It seems it’s not possible to have smoothly running machine that you don’t use every day. At least if it’s a computer you leave powered off.

I suppose that’s the future. Better find some clean-bruning fuel soon Earth. I’m going to have to leave all my comuters on from now on.

I was thinking today about a future event. You know how when you think about future events, things always go so much better in your mind than they do in reality? Even if they go well, they never quite match up with expectations. At least for me anyway.

I think I know why.

I imagine future events as a montage. Yes, montages are overworked and cliche, but if Team America World Police taught us anything, it’s that sometimes, you need a montage.

The factor that keeps the montage alive is the fact that all boring developments are left out. The movie of your life leaves out a lot of mundanity, but the montage of your life eliminates all of it.

The solution for this is to remember things as a montage. That way every experience you have is dynamic, entertaining, and set to music.

After all, in the end, all you have is your montages.

Lou Dobbs has immigration as his big issue. This disappoints me. Lou claims to be a vigorous independent who gives nobody a free pass. I believe he is an independent. And I love the idea of an aggressive independent who can give the lie to O’Reilly AND Keith Olberman. But immigration as the rallying issue is a disappointment for me. The issue I feel needs most attention from independents is election reform.

In the United States we don’t directly elect our President. And even if we did, the candidates for president are selected by a legally protected primary system that assures that only two parties have a candidate with a real chance of winning the presidency. Granted a Ross Perot or Ralph Nader can have an effect from time to time, but even those stalwarts have little real chance of winning.

We need to eliminate the electoral college and eliminate legal protections for the two-party system. We also need to eliminate the practive of gerrymandering and develop a fair process of redistricting. Granted prejudice will always exist in drawing these borders but we can do so much better than we do now.

Beyond that I believe proportional representation deserves exploration.

You can learn a lot more about real election reform at Fairvote.org.

I was discussing with bigepaz this morning how J. J. Abrams would incorporate Leonard Nimoy into the upcoming Star Trek movie. It occured to us that he could choose to pick up the story of Spock’s resistance fight on Romulus. Perhaps even dealing with Spock having the same ailment that affected his father.

So wouldn’t it be an obvious opportunity for a TNG crossover? Abrams is good at keeping secrets and springing surprises. It would be a very smart buzz-generating and just generally cool move to have a double-crossover. But who should/would/could it be?