Urban Sprawl Is Bad For . . . Income Mobility?

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So short form is a University of Utah study found Urban sprawl is bad for income mobility.  There’s one I didn’t see coming.

Basically, it seems sprawl reduces access to jobs and plays some role in segregation by various factors  None of this is actually shocking (especially when you consider lousy transport in some sprawl), but is a really interesting reminder of how location seriously affects life and job prospects.

I can definitely say in Silicon Valley I see the advantage of density – more job prospects for people, better contacts, more chances to learn, etc.  It’s paid off for a lot of people I know.

It’s also a great reminder to take a look at where you live, work, and may want to move to.  Sprawl was always a warning to me – I was worried about commuting and about an overheated home economy in the past.  Now it looks like there’s much more to be concerned about.

  • Steve

Sailor Moon Book: An Update

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Hey gang, so the latest on the Sailor Moon Book (y’know, we really need to make sure we finalize the title so I have something to call it).

Me, I’m now up to my neck in research, which is to say, reading stuff and seeing it it’s useful and sticking it in the bibliography.  The sad part is the information isn’t “spread out” consistently – a few things are best found via wikis first then drilled into.  I wish someone would write a book on Sailor Moon’s history with a giant bibliography, and I have the terrifying fear someone will want us to do that next (I actually have a few other plans in mind).  So this is a pretty erratic experience, but I think I’ve discovered enough useful information.

Two things that came up are:

  • The exact history of the first Sailor Moon dub is a bit erratic (indeed, one book, Sailor Moon Reflections) was the best source.  Really this early history is kind of a mess, of options, of handoffs, hard-working actors and cultural adaptions, and strange broadcast hours.  It’s a bit of a wonder it happened.
  • The history of Magical Girl shows isn’t that well documented.  I found some intriguing bits and pieces on a manga called Princess Comet, which sounds like a proto-Sailor Moon story (including a lost handsome prince, space magic, and some rivalry) but can’t find much else on it.

Bonnie did her first run through the book and it’s shaping up.  It went from “reads like a collection of blog posts” to “reads like an book that needs polishing” due to her extensive efforts.  Once I finish my research (this week hopefully) I’ll make a go, then she and I will go over it together later in February.

It’s got a feel of being a kind of extended convention panel, filled with anecdotes and human bits, as well as a clear outline of progression (which was fairly obvious).  It took work to get it going, but now it’s really enjoyable as we see the different facets of how this show affected people.

Oh, and we’ll hopefully be speaking at some cons in 2016, stay tuned . . .

The artist is signed on.  No spoiling yet 😉

  • Steve

 

The Countdown Begins: The Power Of Creative Paths!

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This is it folks, the countdown to my first book on creativity, The Power Of Creative Paths!

The book is going to drop on Saturday the 30th.  I’m lining up some reviewers right now (and there’s a chance to get in on it) to help give people an idea of what’s in it from a reader’s viewpoint.  Only six more days!

So what’s in this book?

Basically, after years of working with Seventh Sanctum, I’d realized that creativity fit certain paths – ways we get to our “Big Ideas.”  Most people had one or two default paths, and not everyone knew how to get along with people different than them.  So I put all my findings into one book, a handy guide to help you get off of Creative Paths you’re a bit too stuck on and onto others, as well as how to work with people different than yourself creativity-wise.

A lot of this comes from my curious observation that the generators at Seventh Sanctum fit specific patterns, or certain little tweaks, trends, or sets of data seemed to inspire people surprisingly.  In time I began to see that these general observations fit specific trends, and formed a useful theory around it.

So hang in there, it’s almost arrived . . .

  • Steve