| What have you done to summertime
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[27 May 2012|12:10pm] |
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I left work early Thursday. This was with their awareness --- well, the secretary's awareness, anyway. The boss hasn't been seen in a few weeks. If I understand the rumors correctly he had a little flap while flying to his out-of-state home because he had ``forgot'' that what he described to the secretary as a letter opener and that the security screeners described as an eight-inch blade was in his carry-on bag. You can see how that happens. I don't take him to be in any lingering trouble, apart from needing a new letter opener.
The reason I was leaving early was that my parents were going to a Broadway play, and they'd invited me to go along with them. They'd also have my aunt from Long Island, and for that matter my aunt and uncle from Connecticut there. (Rhode Island was out originally due to other scheduling issues, but would've had to cancel this week as my aunt there had a fall and while she's fundamentally fine, she's not in shape for the many-hour drives and walking around town implied here.) We haven't gone to a Broadway play in a while --- pretty much since my Long Island aunt had to go through a round of cancer treatment coincident to losing her job, but, she's gotten a clean bill of health and has a new job that's exactly right for the semi-retired lifestyle she wants. And, of course, who knows when we'll have the chance to get together like this again?
When I did leave the office, though, was also when a real Singapore-style cloudburst broke out. Thunder, heavy lightning, and extraordinarily heavy rain fell, the kind which justifies and then overflows monsoon ditches. I joked on Twitter that we got fourteen inches in three minutes, only I wasn't joking. It was heavy enough that not only was the asphalt flooded, but there were rivers formed on top of te water atop the asphalt, with currents atop currents. Just in the time it took me to get from the back door of the office to the car my hoodie --- which I use just as rain protection on these warmer days --- got so soaked that it was still saturated ten hours later.
Trivia: Early versions of the Michigan Algorithmic Decoder programming language would, under many error conditions, print out a crude picture of Alfred E Neuman. Later versions removed this as students were deliberately making errors to get the printout. Source: A History Of Modern Computing, Paul E Ceruzzi.
Currently Reading: The River Where America Began: A Journey Along The James, Bob Deansh.
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| Why Doctors in NC Will Kill You, Pt 2 |
[26 May 2012|11:44pm] |
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Let me tell you all a story.
The other evening, after my math class, I decided to head in to the clinic since it’s about time for me to have blood drawn for my thyroid check. I have to get this done roughly every 3-4 months, lately a little more often because my thyroid has been a bit off-kilter and all over the place. So, I check in and tell the receptionist that I’m just there for my draw and refills, the same as always. She takes my information and tells me they’ll take me back momentarily.
After I’m taken back, the nurse takes my vitals – again, as if not a thing is wrong. She also asks me to re-confirm why I’m there for my visit, and notes it down on the paperwork. She tells me the doctor will be in to see me shortly.
Once the doctor comes in, she asks what my issue is and I begin to explain how I’m just in to be checked for my thyroid, how my hair’s been falling out rather severely the past month or so and I’ve been having a bit of discomfort. She stops me mid-sentence and tells me to not go on, that they can’t see me there anymore and she’s going to have to immediately discharge me. I’m speechless at this, because… what the hell? She goes on to inform me that Health Plus (the name of the clinic) is now only treating patients for acute illness, not for anything chronic, and that I will have to be treated somewhere else for my thyroid problems as it’s a chronic illness.
I’m completely dumbstruck, and only manage to regain my words once she’s gotten me nearly to the door to boot me out. “Look,” I tell her, “I have Medicare and Medicaid – they don’t allow you to go anywhere else but the doctor that’s printed on your card… and for me, that’s here.” And I showed her my card, how right on it, it’s printed clear as day “Health Plus” and their address. Her response? “Well you’ll just have to phone and get it changed.” I can only stare, flabbergasted. “But that takes ages… a month at least. I’m out of my medication. I get very ill without it.” She just shrugs a little. “I’m sorry, you’ll have to go somewhere else.” And with that she slams the door in my face, leaving me standing in the lobby nearly in tears.
By that point, it was too late in the day to call any of the government offices and try and get anything sorted out. The next day, I had an early appointment with my dietitian, so I figured I’d just sort it out after I got home from that.
Well, it turns out my usual doctor at the dietitian wasn’t there and I saw a different guy. He asked me a few probing questions about this and that, and apparently some of my questions rather alarmed him to the point that he gave me a prescription and told me that I need to be seen by an OBGYN as soon as possible to be checked for PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome). Great.
So as soon as I arrive home, I phone the only OBGYN in town. I give the receptionist my name and she looks me up on the computer. “Oh,” She says, “You have Medicaid, you’ll have to go to your primary care doctor to be treated. We can’t provide any services to Medicaid patients if their primary care physician can cover it and since you’re registered at Health Plus you’ll have to make an appointment with them to be seen for a checkup.”
The sound of my head hitting my desk could have been heard from miles around. I tried to explain to her what had happened to me the day before, how Health Plus has suddenly decided that they are not going to be a ‘Primary Care’ facility, despite the fact that they are listed by the government as my primary care doctor. She basically told me I was SoL and that I would have to deal with them for my check up.
By this point, I am raging with anger and this entire situation. Finally, I’m on the Medicaid website trying to find a listing of all the doctors in my county that take my insurance when I find that there’s a hotline to report abuse. Well, it seems to me that when a person is mandated by the government to HAVE to go to a certain doctor to get treatment, and then that facility refuses the person treatment… that’s fucking abuse. So I call in, and give all the information to an operator. She was quite interested to get all the details and said that it was definitely something that they would investigate.
At any rate – I finally found a doctor that it said took my insurance, and that I was familiar with because I had seen him a few times when he worked at the clinic. So, I call his office to get the identification number that I need to call the government with, so I can have my insurance switched over so that it’ll have his name on the card. And you know what his receptionist says to me when I call? “Oh… we don’t actually have our own number… We use Health Plus’ number for now.”
“MAKE ME MY APPOINTMENT RIGHT NOW MA’AM”
Needless to say, I went in to see him on Thursday afternoon and he took care of every single thing I need. Fuck the government, and fuck asshole doctors that are supposed to treat you but in reality just want to jerk you around and treat you like crap.
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| Review: 'Freedom City', by Phil Geusz |
[23 May 2012|01:41am] |
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http://www.flayrah.com/4047/review-freedom-city-phil-geusz  Freedom City may be Phil Geusz’s most didactic s-f novel to date. The undated setting is roughly 100 years in the future. The locale is Freedom City, a nation-state on a very large and complex artificial platform constructed in international waters in the Caribbean. Geusz’s futuristic bioengineering transmutation science is displayed here. Most citizens of Freedom City are happy to remain human, but Harvey Foote, the protagonist, and his major rival have had themselves transmuted into a funny-animal rabbit and a cat for pertinent reasons. The rabbit-man has a large rabbit staff; so does the cat-man, but his staff includes funny-animal tigers, pumas, lions, leopards, a Siamese cat, lynxes, jaguars, and every feline that can be imagined. The story makes it clear that not only have humans chosen to be turned into anthropomorphic animals, there have been gender and age changes as well. Foote is a dynamically young 83 years old.
The novel is narrated by the rabbit-man, who is the manager of the Rabbit’s Foot Casino, the largest (76 floors) hotel/casino on Freedom City. He has had himself and his staff bioengineered into funny-animal rabbits partly as publicity for his Rabbit’s Foot, but mostly as a statement of individuality; to show what Freedom City’s science and technology can do, and to thumb their noses at the U.S. government which says, “You aren’t allowed to do that!”
FurPlanet Productions, March 2012, trade paperback $19.95 (275 pages; also on Amazon).
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| Two new anthologies of Furry short fiction coming in June |
[20 May 2012|08:33pm] |
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http://www.flayrah.com/4046/two-new-anthologies-furry-short-fiction-coming-june   I was preparing this announcement, but GreenReaper has given away part of it on Newsbytes.
Fred Patten, who has been writing Furry book reviews since 1966, and who edited the first anthology of anthropomorphic short fiction, Best in Show, in 2003, has edited two new anthologies of anthropomorphic s-f & fantasy that will both premiere in June 2012.
- Already Among Us; An Anthropomorphic Anthology, will be published by Legion Publishing of Birmingham, AL on June 4. It will be available in a $18.95 hardcover and $9.99 trade paperback (x + 390 pages), and $8.99 Kindle version, with a wraparound cover by Roz Gibson.
- The Ursa Major Awards Anthology; A Tenth Anniversary Celebration, will be published by FurPlanet Productions of Dallas, TX. It will go on sale at Anthrocon 2012 on June 14, as a $19.95 trade paperback, x + 380 pages, with a wraparound cover by Blotch.
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| 'Krishna aur Kans' chronicles early life of Vishnu avatar |
[19 May 2012|07:59pm] |
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http://www.flayrah.com/4044/krishna-aur-kans-chronicles-early-life-vishnu-avatar  Gods, yes. Dragons, yes. Monsters, yes. Giants, yes. Anthropomorphic animals, … eh. You might still be interested in this 2+-minute 3D stereo trailer for the Krishna aur Kans animated feature, slated for release on August 3, a week before this year’s Janmashtani (a major Hindu religious holiday to celebrate the birthday and youthful adventures of Krishna, an avatar of the god Vishnu).
Directed by Vikram Veturi, the movie chronicles Lord Krishna’s early years, from his birth as the nemesis of his tyrannical uncle Kans, to his combat against demons at the age of 10.
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| Interview: Kyell Gold explains 'The Silver Circle' |
[19 May 2012|06:35am] |
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http://www.flayrah.com/4039/interview-kyell-gold-explains-silver-circle  This is the last interview for a while, I swear! I had the pleasure of interviewing Kyell Gold on his latest publication, 'The Silver Circle'. My questions and comments are not to be taken seriously.
Isiah Jacobs: Good evening, Kyell Gold! Thank you so much for joining me tonight. It's nice to have you on the show, at last!
Kyell Gold: Thanks! Glad to be here.
Isiah Jacobs: So, you've recently come out with your latest book, The Silver Circle. I assume that's a term for some sort of gay cult?
Kyell Gold: Actually, you are correct. It's an underground society of homosexual activists that was formed in northern Germany in the late 1800s to attempt to bring back the Holy Roman Empire. But that's not what this book is about. In this case, it's an allusion to the moon, and the metal silver, because the book is about werewolves.
Isiah Jacobs: But having read it, it has more than just werewolves, doesn't it Kyell?
Kyell Gold: It does. It also includes female characters. It even stars a female character.
Isiah Jacobs: And a straight relationship.
Kyell Gold: Potentially two, in fact.
Isiah Jacobs: Who are you and what have you done to the real Kyell Gold?
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| 'Smell Raiser' skunk Spiffy seeks stars on Android and iOS |
[18 May 2012|07:39pm] |
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http://www.flayrah.com/4042/smell-raiser-skunk-spiffy-seeks-stars-android-and-ios  Today’s feature in Mumbai-published Animation Xpress, a daily newsletter on all things animated in India, is about a new video game called Smell Raiser starring Spiffy, an anthro young skunk. (Also Tap Tap Sushi, for gamers who are also gluttons for sushi, but there is nothing anthro about that one.)
The official launch trailer for Smell Raiser was posted on YouTube on May 11.
Founded by industry veterans Ninad Chhaya and Chirag Desai, Mumbai based Playcaso has thrown its hat in the ring with the release of two games Tap Tap Sushi available on the iOS and Smell Raiser available on iOS [$0.99] and Android [free] platforms.
Smell Raiser is a side-scrolling, adventure game having Spiffy- a swift and energetic skunk on a mission. He wants to explore the lands of the unknown and travel as far as he possibly can. Using simple jump combination controls, help Spiffy collect stars, activate combinations and evade the creatures of the exotic. The game includes three exotic colorful environments with full retina graphics. It is a simple but skillful ‘one-touch’ control, endless game.
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| Interview: Rick Griffin on 'Ten-Thousand Miles Up' |
[18 May 2012|05:08am] |
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http://www.flayrah.com/4038/interview-rick-griffin-ten-thousand-miles I had the pleasure of interviewing Rick Griffin about his latest novella Ten-Thousand Miles Up. My questions and comments are not to be taken seriously.
Isiah Jacobs: Welcome back, Mr. Griffin! It's a pleasure to have you on the show again!
Rick Griffin: Thank you for having me
Isiah Jacobs: Just so you know, if you come back five times, you get a free coffee mug, so make sure you have my producer stamp your card before we're done.
For starters, you lied to me, sir! Last time you were here, I asked you if you had any other projects in the works, and you didn't even mention this story! What gives?
Rick Griffin: Well I first wrote this story back in 2010 and for a long time I hadn't had any plans on updating and releasing it.
Isiah Jacobs: So then why did you decide to release it? Trying to get your claws on another award for next year?
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| FNN column 'Ask Papabear' jumps ship after posting delays |
[17 May 2012|06:43pm] |
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http://www.flayrah.com/4037/fnn-column-ask-papabear-jumps-ship-after-posting-delays 
Grubbs Grizzly's advice column "Ask Papabear", originally distributed by Furry News Network, has moved to its own site, although it will still be available to FNN for syndication.
The greymuzzle's letters of advice cover both traditional and furry-specific topics, including the nature of furry fandom, personal relationships, dealing with adversity, and "coming out" as a furry.
Grubss' previous host appears to be on hiatus, having added no content in over a month. 771 pieces (aggregated and original) were posted last year, but submissions declined sharply after July 2011, and slowed to a trickle late least year.
Update (17 May): Looks like FNN was listening; several new stories have been published.
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| Interview: 'DSV Nautica' creator Rei Vegan |
[17 May 2012|02:56am] |
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http://www.flayrah.com/4035/interview-dsv-nautica-creator-rei-vegan I had the pleasure of interviewing Rei Vegan earlier this year, starting back in March. Due to a busy schedule, the interview wasn't completed until April. Final exams got in the way of editing, so some topics brought up will be out of date. Thank you for your understanding.
My questions and comments are not to be taken seriously. Also, this interview is pretty long. Might want to grab something to eat.
Isiah Jacobs: Good evening, Rei Vegan, thank you so much for joining me tonight!
Rei Vegan: Good evening Don, the pleasure's all mine.
Isiah Jacobs: So let's see here, you're obviously very well known for your web comic, DSV Nautica [NSFW], one of my personal favorites, I hate to admit, but you've actually been doing this whole furry thing for quite a while now. According to what the younger generation would call you, you're a "gray muzzle." You'll be turning 32 next week, is that correct?
Rei Vegan: This is indeed correct. I'm kind of fond of the term "gray muzzle" myself; it makes me imagine myself on the porch yelling obscenities at kids on my lawn or some such.
Isiah Jacobs: What, like yelling at them to stop their furpile?
Rei Vegan: -and listening to that dot matrix printer noise they call Dub Step. *chuckles*
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greenreaper's Friends Page
I realized last week, when 
Since we 
Part of my fate in the fandom seems to involve finding bad foreign animated films. Granted, most folks in the fandom couldn't be bothered to know about them anyway, but if I can stop even a handful of people from wasting their time, that's a good thing.
