Tag: John W. Howell Author

Thursday – A Little Personal – Niece Kizzy, Twiggy, and Tempeste

~ John W. Howell ~ 133 Comments

“I think we better get going Tempeste.”

“Why. What’s up?”

“Niece Kizzy is coming to visit. She’ll be here any minute.”

“That’s terrific. She’s always a lot of fun, unlike some I could mention.”

“I do my best to keep you entertained.”

“Oh, I know I was just pulling your four legs.”

“I think I heard something around back. You stay here in case she comes in the front.”

“Not a fan of waiting by myself.”

“Just sit there. You’ll be fine.”

“I don’t like sitting doing nothing. I think I’ll go see what I can find.”

“How did you find Kizzy? Hi Kizzy.”

“I took matters into my own hands, and here she was.”

“Hi, Twiggy. I wonder if you can help me.”

“Sure Kizzy. What do you need?”

“For one, I outweigh this little bat one hundredfold, and she insists on a walk.”

“Well, if that’s all, why not take a walk?”

“There is something undignified about a warrior like me being led by a whelp like her.”

“Hey, who are you calling a whelp?”

“Well, Kizzy, I have learned if you humor her, things go better.”

“Okay, Twiggy. If you say so. Let’s get on with it, Tempeste.”

 

Watch the video and see Tempeste take Kizzy for a walk.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday – Anything Possible Kreative Kue #434 by Keith Channing

~ John W. Howell ~ 77 Comments

In Keith’s words.

“Using this image (below) as inspiration, write a short story, flash fiction, scene, poem; anything, really. Either put your offering (or a link to it) in a comment or email it to me at keithchanning@gmail.com before the end of the week. If you post it on your own blog or site, a link to this page would be appreciated, but please do also mention it in a comment here. Thank you for taking part.”

Link to Keith’s post. https://keithchanning.wordpress.com/2024/06/03/kreative-kue-434/

The photo.

Rescue by John W. Howell © 2024

“Hey Trevor. What do you have?”

“I found him in the woods.”

“He looks a little worse for the wear.”

“I know. I thought you could take a look and see what’s needed.”

“I’d be happy to do that. Put him down here.”

“Before I do, you have to know he is a stuffed toy.”

“I’m so glad you told me that. I thought for a minute he was a live elephant.”

“Okay, I catch the sarcasm. I just didn’t want you to think it was me who made him worse for the wear.”

“You? How would I ever think you would  do such a thing?”

“Dark sarcasm in the classroom.”

“Okay, just set him down and let me have a look.”

“Here.”

“Hmm. It doesn’t look too bad.”

“What do you mean too bad?”

“There is a little tear that needs fixing and he could do with a bath.”

“Okay. Will that be all?”

“I think so. Let me palpitate him to see if there is anything we can’t see.”

“What’s that noise?”

“Sounds like a squeaker.”

“A squeaker? We need to get that out.”

“Yes, I’ll remove it so you don’t have to tear the poor thing apart.”

“Squeakers, give me the willies.”

“They aren’t good for dogs if swallowed.”

“Are you sure you can do it?”

“I’m a doctor, for heaven’s sake. Of course, I can do it. There it is out. Now let me stitch him back up.”

“Oh, doctor, I’m so grateful.”

“Save it, Trevor. There are no cameras here. There, your friend is ready for a bath.”

“Do we really have to do that?”

“If you want him to come inside, we do. While we are at it, you are pretty ripe as well.”

“On second thought he can be an outside toy. See ya. Thanks.”

 

 

Top Ten Things Not to Do While Photographing Doors

~ John W. Howell ~ 68 Comments

This post ran on April 16, 2018. When it ran, Dan Antion was a participant in the Thursday Doors feature. He is now the lead and has just finished a major story prompt with the doors as inspiration. This post is in recognition of the outstanding job he and all the participants did on this creative effort.

* * *

This list is inspired by the Thursday Door prompt as interpreted by Dan Antion. I have often wondered what would happen if certain things went wrong when looking at his photos. So here they are, and I’m glad to report that Dan has done none of these things.

10 If you are taking door photos, do not ignore that no trespassing sign. If you do, at best, you’ll get a warning shot. At worst, the owner will have a pack of wild dogs trained to discourage trespassing. (You finally found out how quickly you can run, Donahue. Too bad those dogs are faster.)

9 If you are taking door photos, do not keep shooting pictures while Tiny, the WWF Champ, is waving at you. If you do, at best, he is friendly. At worst, he just entered the witness protection program and thinks you are on the opposite team. (This would be a good time to try out those new Nike running shoes, Donato. Oh dear, you forgot to wear them? Try not to scream then.)

8 If you are taking door photos, do not try to shoot and drive. If you do, at best, you’ll get many photos of your reflection. At worst, you are so occupied you miss that curve. (Looks like you are in someone’s bedroom, Donny. I think I would make up a story and fast.)

7 If you are taking door photos, do not continue to back up without looking behind you. If you do, at best, you’ll fall into a flower bed. At worst, you now know the meaning of free fall, Dontell. I don’t think flapping your arms is going to help. You can try it, though.)

6 If you are taking door photos, do not forget to keep your thumb out of the field of vision. If you do, at best, one or two will turn out. At worst, your door photos will all have a significant close-up of your thumb. (No matter how you try to sell the shot as artistic, Duante, everyone knows what really happened.)

5 If you are taking door photos, do not become distracted by the obscure. If you do, at best, some of your fans might enjoy the “door to the alley” shot. At worst, that close-up of a ham sandwich looks to be anything but a ham sandwich. (Looks like those comments are not going in your favor, huh Dorion?)

4 If you are taking door photos, do not focus on only those doors you like. If you do, at best, your audience will fade. At worst, after the one-hundredth shot of the Burger King entrance, someone will mercifully take your camera away from you. (You’ll be able to get it back, Doughall, after a hundred hours of community service.)

3 If you are taking door photos, do not try to include exciting people. If you do, at best, they’ll only cover up the door. At worst, you’ll have someone in your shot who has a thing about obscene gestures. (Okay I would take that one over, Draven. This is a family post, after all.)

2 If you are taking door photos, do not think the weather will cooperate. If you do, at best, some will think that door photo with snowflakes is artistic. At worst, your light setting will be thrown off by the repeated lightning strikes. (You need to find cover, Driscol. You also need to get some rubber shoes for grounding. My goodness, the last bolt did some funny things to your hair.)

1 If you are taking door photos, do not think you need to have each one be perfect. If you do, at best, you will shoot so many that you run out of memory. At worst, you will photoshop the photo until it no longer looks like the door you shot. (What makes you think folks want to see a business building door look like the entrance to the Vatican, Duff?)

Views of the Neighborhood – Potpourri

~ John W. Howell ~ 74 Comments

Today, we are going to see a few things that were spotted in the neighborhood this week. We are catered by Stell San Jac of Austin. Our entertainment is Kris Kristofferson.

Menu

Eggs Your Way – Two Eggs, Crispy Hash Brown, Toast, Choice of Meat: Chorizo, Pork Sausage, Turkey Sausage/Bacon or Smoked Bacon
Chorizo & Potato Tacos – Eggs, White Cheddar, Crème Fresca, Roasted Salsa
Grapefruit Curd Parfait – House Made Granola, Greek Yogurt, Texas Berries
Smoked Salmon Benedict – Poached Eggs, Smoked Salmon, Spinach, English Muffin, Hollandaise
Pecan Praline French Toast – Bourbon Maple Syrup, Vanilla Whipped Cream
Chicken & Waffle -Bourbon Maple Syrup, Country Gravy, Fried Herbs
Lemon Buttermilk Pancakes – Fresh Blueberry, Lemon Syrup
Country Fried Steak – Country Gravy, Hash Brown Waffle, Sunnyside Up Eggs
Biscuits & Gravy – Grilled Chorizo, Poached Eggs, Creole Sausage Gravy
Picture of an old time school bus
Let’s go.
A big Vitex.
A sad mailbox.
A lovely pink Crepe Myrtle
A fairyland mailbox topper
A giant cactus in bloom.
Rare white Crepe Myrtles.
A smiling ceramic pig on the mailbox.
A large blooming succulent.
A loving Mama and her babies.
The Producer’s dinner plate hibiscus.
Time now to enjoy the food and music. I hope you have a fantastic week.

Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt – Recipe

~ John W. Howell ~ 77 Comments

A picture of a string with drops of water- the logo for SoCS

 

My mind goes to the song Anticipation by Carley Simon, watching the precious drops of Columbian brown drip from the stainless machine into my double-sided glass mug. The crema forms at the top per the recipe, and the ten ounces of bliss is ready. A hurried gulp brings to mind the clock. The setting is June 1st, 1924, and the location is Chicago. The duration is set for an hour. When the plunger is pulled, we find ourselves on the corner of Dearborn and Madison Streets in downtown Chicago. This is the headquarters of the Chicago Tribune newspaper.

We are in time for Col. Robert R. McCormick’s announcement that what would become one of the most widely heard radio stations in the U.S. and a widely seen television station was created when the Chicago Tribune newspaper purchased Chicago’s WDAP radio station and renamed it WGN, an abbreviation of the Tribune slogan, “World’s Greatest Newspaper.”

Since Col. McCormick is a man of few words, it does not take long for the announcement and our alarm to sound. The couch proved to be a soft landing place, and my text notice tells me Linda Hill has sent this week’s prompt. It reads:

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “recipe.” Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!

To see what others have done with the prompt, visit her post. Here is a link. https://lindaghill.com/2024/05/31/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-june-1-2024/

Recipe by John W. Howell © 2024.

“Sounds like a recipe for success.”

“What does?”

“Tribune buying a radio station.”

“I agree with you.”

“I remember watching Bozo’s Circus on WGN television.”

“That was a great show.”

“WGN became a so-called superstation.”

“So true.”

“Big audience nationwide.”

“Yup.”

“You sound like you already knew this stuff.”

“I thought everybody knew this stuff.”

“Okay, I was trying to have a conversation.”

“I think we should do that over a VooDoo Ranger.”

“I can’t believe you are the one making that suggestion. I already called Uber.”

“Let me guess. He’s over there.”

“Yes, he is.”

Photo by Dan Antion

“Look at that.”

“What is it?”

“I’m not sure. But I think it is a 1967 Dodge Polara 500.”

“You lived through years of cars, so I’ll not bet against you.”

“Sweet ride. Let’s go.’

 

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF – Fri-Yay/Good News

~ John W. Howell ~ 66 Comments
Credit – Uravu Labs, released.

Indian Engineers Tackle Water Shortages with Star Wars Tech in Kerala

By Andy Corbley –

When a severe water shortage hit the Indian city of Kozhikode in the state of Kerala, a group of engineers turned to science fiction to keep the taps running.

Like everyone else in the city, engineering student Swapnil Shrivastav received a ration of two buckets of water a day collected from India’s arsenal of small water towers.

It was a ‘watershed’ moment for Shrivastav, who, according to the BBC, had won a student competition four years earlier on the subject of tackling water scarcity, and armed with a hypothetical template from the original Star Wars films, Shrivastav and two partners set to work harvesting water from the humid air.

“One element of inspiration was from Star Wars, where there’s an air-to-water device. I thought, why don’t we give it a try? It was more of a curiosity project,” he told the BBC.

According to ‘Wookiepedia’ a ‘moisture vaporator’ is a device used on moisture farms to capture water from a dry planet’s atmosphere, like Tatooine, where protagonist Luke Skywalker grew up.

This fictional device functions according to Star Wars lore by coaxing moisture from the air through refrigerated condensers, which generate low-energy ionization fields. Captured water is then pumped or gravity-directed into a storage cistern that adjusts its pH levels. Vaporators can collect 1.5 liters of water per day.

Moisture vaporators on the largely abandoned Star Wars film set of Mos Espa, in Tunisia – credit © Andrew Corbley

If science fiction authors could devise the particulars of such a device, Shrivastav must have felt he had a good chance of succeeding. In 2019, he and colleagues Govinda Balaji and Venkatesh Raja founded Uravu Labs, a Bangalore-based startup.

Their initial offering is a machine that converts air to water using a liquid desiccant. The desiccant absorbs moisture from the air, and sunlight or renewable energy heats it to around 100°F. The captured moisture is released into a chamber, where it’s condensed into drinking water.

The whole process takes 12 hours but can produce a staggering 2,000 liters, or about 500 gallons of drinking-quality water per day. Uravu has since had to adjust course due to the cost of manufacturing and running the machines—it’s just too high for civic use with current materials technology.

“We had to shift to commercial consumption applications as they were ready to pay us, and it’s a sustainability driver for them,” Shrivastav explained. This pivot has so far been enough to keep the start-up afloat, and they produce water for 40 different hospitality clients.

Looking ahead, Shrivastav, Raja, and Balaji are planning to investigate whether the desiccant can be made more efficient. Can it work at a lower temperature to reduce running costs, or is there another material that might prove more cost-effective?

They’re also looking at running their device attached to data centers in a pilot project that would see them utilize the waste heat coming off the centers to heat the desiccant.

The good news in this article is that smart people are exploring ideas that seem more fiction than reality to solve real problems. Today’s JohnKu talks about the potential of the human brain. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Ingenuity by John W. Howell © 2024

An idea born,

From a sci-fi writer’s brain. . .

Is now feasible.

Tuesday -Anything Possible – Kreative Kue #433 by Keith Channing

~ John W. Howell ~ 60 Comments

In Keith’s words.

“Using this image (below) as inspiration, write a short story, flash fiction, scene, poem; anything, really. Either put your offering (or a link to it) in a comment or email it to me at keithchanning@gmail.com before the end of the week. If you post it on your own blog or site, a link to this page would be appreciated, but please do also mention it in a comment here. Thank you for taking part.”

Here is a link to Keith’s post. https://keithchanning.wordpress.com/2024/05/27/kreative-kue-433/

The photo.

Fledgling By John W. Howell © 2024.

“Open wide.”

“Gimerglibb.”

“What?”

“Ahem. I can’t get any wider.”

“Sorry. It’s an expression.”

“What is that stuff anyway?”

“A scientific mixture of chick food.”

“No wonder.”

“No wonder what?”

“It tastes so bad. I’m not a chick.”

“You are a young bird. Almost the same thing.”

“To you, maybe. To me, I’m a fledgling.”

“Who taught you that?”

“My Mama.”

“Where is she now?”

“Still at  the nest, I suppose.”

“Why aren’t you there?”

“Like I said, I’m a fledgling. I’m supposed to go my own way.”

“We thought you needed help.”

“What made you think that?”

“You were walking instead of flying for one thing.”

“Oh, that. I was giving my wings a rest.”

“Could have fooled me. You looked all done in.”

“Mama taught me to look weak in the face of an enemy.”

“I’m not an enemy.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“Okay, what now?”

“I have to hoof it back home.”

“Hoof it?”

“Well, I mean fly. Hoof it is an expression.”

“So, you don’t need rescue.”

“Nope. Thank you kindly. And a word to the wise.”

“Yes.”

“Lose the chick food.”

“Noted.”

 

 

Views of the Neighborhood – Carol Williard van Ginkel – Needle Painting

~ John W. Howell ~ 89 Comments

Today, we are visiting an exhibition of Needle paintings by Lakeway artist Carol Williard van Ginkel. Needle painting is a process using needles, thread, and multicolored string to produce a work of art.

Carol learned to embroider from her grandmother, who taught her to cross-stitch. She became interested in Needle painting and fell in love with it. The exhibit shows her progress over the last seven years.

 

 

 

 

 

We are catered by Bouldin Creek Cafe in Austin. Our entertainment is Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette, and Dolly Parton

Menu

Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt – “Move”

~ John W. Howell ~ 55 Comments

A picture of a string with drops of water- the logo for SoCSA move to the coffee machine is necessary to find out what is taking so long. An investigation turns up the cause. The communication screen clearly asks if a regular cup or something special is required. Neglecting to make a choice sends the machine into hibernation. The original settings called for a regular 10 oz delivery. The machine must have taken some advice from the WordPress Happiness Engineers and decided to do something different. So the question is answered, and in a happy moment, the cup is delivered.

The clock is at hand, and after a sip of soothing syrup, the setting is May 24, 1924. The time is two hours, and the location is the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC. The plunger is pulled, and we arrive just in time to witness Calvin Coolidge signing the Immigration Act of 1924.

The act limited immigration in response to public and political anxiety about the country’s rapid social and demographic changes. The 1924 act supplanted earlier legislation by vastly reducing immigration from countries outside the Western Hemisphere: Immigrants from Asia were banned, and the total annual immigration quota for the rest of the world was capped at 165,000—an 80% reduction of the yearly average before 1914.

The law was passed in both houses of Congress with very few dissenting votes. A strong West Coast lobby effort designed to limit Asian immigration proved successful in the final passage of the law. The 1924 act would define U.S. immigration policy for nearly three decades, until being substantially revised by the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 and ultimately replaced by the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965. The 1924 act also made provision for the founding of the US Border Patrol.

The act incensed the government of Japan, and some believe it laid the groundwork for the attack on the US in 1941.

It is a lovely day in Washington, and the signing ceremony on the South Lawn is brief. Our alarm goes off, and the couch becomes the new destination. A text notification comes through. It’s from Linda Hill and reads: Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “move.” Use it as a verb or a noun; write the first thing that comes to mind. Have fun!

Move by John W. Howell © 2024

“Boy, times have changed.”

“I know. Can you imagine banning an entire culture in this day and age?”

“Yeah, I don’t even want to comment on that.”

“Wise man.”

“I see you snuck the prompt in early.”

“I had to. There was the opportunity, and I took it.”

“Speaking of opportunity.”

“You want to move to the pub?”

“You are a mind reader as well.”

“It doesn’t take a mind reader to figure out your move on a Saturday.”

“Bam. He does it again.”

“Uber?”

“Over there.”

Pixabay photo

“I would say you’re kidding, but I know that is not true.”

“Fully air-conditioned. Room for three. Yes, I’ll stand.”

“What did this cost?”

“Nothing. A friend of mine owns it. We just need to deliver a hay bale, is all.”

“To the pub?”

“No, there’s a farm a little bit out of the way.”

“How far out of the way?”

“Two hours.”

“Aw, man. Let’s just get a car.”

“And miss the fun?”

“I know I’m going to regret this.”

“It’ll be fun.”

“I’ve heard that before. Okay, Let’s go.”

“You won’t be sorry.”

“I think I already am.”