The difference between LJ and Skyehawke

[blamebrampton]

In one of my stories, I have a scene in which the bad guys attempt to take control of the Thames Barrier to hold it open while an artificial storm surge races up the river to flood much of London. It's told in fast snatches, but there are a number of very clear bits of information given to show what's happening, including:

The rest of Draco's Unspeakables arrive. He speaks quickly: "Thames Barrier, we think there's a team using dark magic to hold it open. Storm surge is coming, a big one."

A few people responded to its posting on LJ with "I had no idea what the Barrier was, so I looked it up, it's cool/was on Doctor Who!"

Last night I posted that chapter on Skyhawke. Today I received a comment similar to "Look, I liked it, but you'd have made the ending so much more gripping if you'd explained what the Barrier was." *

I was THIS CLOSE to answering with "Thanks very much for letting me know you liked it, but if you need more Barrier info, you can find it easily! In my day we did not have Google and you had to shag computer scientists to get internet access, so just count yourself lucky, young whippersnapper and use the tools Tim Berners-Lee gave you!"

I held back, but only because I knew I'd receive a reply saying "Berners-Lee? Who?!"

Ah LJ folk, Let me never take you for granted ...

* I should emphasise that I genuinely think this person meant to be helpful here. They were not being intentionally annoying, I am just the least patient closet librarian in the vicinity.

Comments

[emerald-dragon8.livejournal.com]

Hehe. That's not as bad as some I get on FF.net, though. I got a PM once saying "write more snarry fics" and nothing else. And that's not even the worst. I won't even talk about the "ew, slash" flames I get for fics marked "Harry/Draco, slash". *headdesk*

But yes, you're right: if you see something in a fic that you don't know about, you google. You don't harass the poor author.

[deannawol.livejournal.com]

"In my day we did not have Google and you had to shag computer scientists to get internet access, so just count yourself lucky, young whippersnapper and use the tools Tim Berners-Lee gave you!"

I absolutely love this reply. Priceless. See, I don't think comments like that are particularly helpful. I mean, I can't see how changing it to "Thames Barrier (that big thing in the middle of the Thames that stops loads of towns from flooding during high rains), we think there's a team using dark magic to hold it open. Storm surge is coming, a big one."

Or similar, adds to a story at all... But that's just me. Fairly pedantic really when you think about it.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Oh NO! That's just silliness! I hereby give you a gift of a phrase I use in my professional life: Some people are too stupid to read this publication.

Maybe we need a little warning up with the wordcount and NC17, etc. You could choose from "brain candy", "requires a little thought", "complex themes", "some research may be required" or "Will need your full concentration".

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I agree entirely! It's also not exposition that you give when you live in a city. You know the geography, and the public works!

[emerald-dragon8.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's brilliant! Love it.

That's a fantastic idea! I must admit, there are some fics I have read at odd times when I'm exhausted, and they've been so sharp and quick that my brain has muddled things up entirely. Thankfully, I'm always aware enough to realise it and stop reading until a later date.

[tomatoe18.livejournal.com]

What? People still do that? I mean, people still don't hit the Google or the Wiki when they don't understand something? I thought this was the norm in... well, everything. Research, research, research!

But I have to agree that LJers are probably more keen on using Google to find out about stuff rather than asking silly questions... the way people get verbally poked when they do so without consulting the Internet at large around here is pretty scary... so we all learned early on not ask silly questions.

You might be interested to know that I had no idea what a Thames Barrier was but I didn't go search for it in Google. It might be fun to know what it is exactly but I understood from your writing that it was something important and possibly dangerous. Not knowing what it is didn't lessen the impact the scene had on me.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

We should popularise it! I'll start putting it in my headers, you too?

And yes, I do exactly the same, with books as well as fics. I usually have four or five on the go at once depending on the level of concentration I am able to bring to them.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I'm the same with stories about corporate worlds. I can gather enough to understand what's important, and can not worry about having to fill my brain with things that may not be needed.

And, alas, many people fail to Google. Including journalists. I argued with one recently about her assertion that the Ancient Egyptians painted their nipples with molten gold. She insisted they did. I pulled up an annotated Periodic Table and pointed out that gold melts around 900 deg C. It hadn't occurred to her to look. Sigh.

[emerald-dragon8.livejournal.com]

We definitely should! I'll put one in my hd_inspired for sure, if I actually get around to finishing it!

I wish I had time for that - I used to! But now between school work, reading a school book, reading a for-pleasure book and reading newspapers, I've hardly ever got time for fic anymore.

And now I've gone and signed myself up for co-organising the "oneday" event at my college, I am royally screwed.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Look at it from the other perspective: you are royally constructing an effective CV.

[tomatoe18.livejournal.com]

Journalists? To think that these people are supposed to be the ones who keep us informed on what is happening with the world. Way to go on showing her the periodic table.

I wonder why that is, though. Why people don't use Google. It's there, it's convenient... it works! My co-workers often ask me, "How do you know about these things?" I say, "Google." And they just look at me as if I just spoke in gibberish. Whenever that happens, it's inevitable that I do the eye-roll of the most obvious kind.

[emerald-dragon8.livejournal.com]

True, true. Between Young Achievement Australia, my constant conference-going and my ridiculous habit of volunteering at every fundraising event available (one of which included 4 hours in a room wrapping and organising roses to be delivered), my end-of-year reference is beginning to look extremely impressive.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

If I wasn't freelancing, I'd hire you!

[emerald-dragon8.livejournal.com]

That's good to know! I'm going to need a good job next year, and I've been getting worried that I won't be able to find someone to hire me! :)

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Well, they're the Evil Journalists, there are many fine ones.

I sometimes worry that the young generation only uses the net for information, but then I worry more that some of them don't even do that.

But you sell books, and you're young, so there's hope yet!

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

You should be fine. If you have time amid all your exams, do a few weeks of work experience in places that interest you. We have frequently hired interns in many of my workplaces, so if you fit in straight away and pick it all up quickly, it can be a great route to a job. And if you cock it all up, you'll have learned for free, so people are less disturbed that you've blundered and you'll know better when you're doing paid work.

[khateh.livejournal.com]

You could choose from "brain candy", "requires a little thought", "complex themes", "some research may be required" or "Will need your full concentration".
This is brilliant!

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I think that one of my jokes may actually be useful!

Well, it had to happen eventually ... Come on board the brain rating scheme! All welcome!

[khateh.livejournal.com]

I thought that sort of people were on ff and that Skyehawke was a bit better, but well...

[emerald-dragon8.livejournal.com]

I actually did some work experience at the National Library at the end of June, which I completely loved. Unfortunately, because my supervisors weren't high up, they couldn't hire me on further, but said they would want me back for a paid internship during uni, when I'm a bit more experienced with Java Script, and would recommend me to the "powers that be". :)

[khateh.livejournal.com]

I have co-workers who work with Google (mainly Ads and all that, but still) and then they ask stuff in the office and I say 'Google it'. And they frown at me as if I was an evil being sending them to their doom.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I'm sure they mostly are. I'm just a grumpy old haggis who spends her life dealing with lazy journos. Still, NB the LJ peoples' smartses!

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I cannot tell you how much I love the ANL. It's SO GOOD! I hope they do take you on!

[khateh.livejournal.com]

How did she survive growing up?

As for Google, there was an article about how around 60% of searches were made using Google, and I'm wondering now how many is that 60% percent. I know of programmers who look at the screen wondering how to do something, and look at em funnily when I suggest Google. And considering some of the results that come up for perfectly reasonable searches... There are a lot of people who haven't discovered the internet properly.

[tomatoe18.livejournal.com]

Oh, dear. Why do people do that? What has Google done to them to deserve that kind of reaction? *sigh*