Kurt Vonnegut’s 8 Tips on How to Write a Great Story
By Maria Popova The year of reading more and writing better is well underway with writing advice the likes of David Ogilvy’s 10 no-bullshit tips, Henry Miller’s 11 commandments, Jack Kerouac’s 30 beliefs and techniques, John Steinbeck’s 6 pointers, and various invaluable insight from other great writers. Now comes Kurt Vonnegut (November 11, 1922–April 11, 2007) — anarchist, Second Life dweller, imaginary interviewer of the dead, sad soul — with eight tips on how to write a good short story, narrated by the author himself. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.Every sentence must do one of two things — reveal character or advance the action.Start as close to the end as possible.Be a Sadist.
A National Security Enterprise Response - Digital Dimension Disruption > PRISM
Dec. 21, 2017 — Download PDF The digital dimension is simultaneously enhancing and disrupting the fabric of life in every society where modern, informatized technology is present.1 The slow-motion collapse of parts of the 20th century’s legacy is now accelerating in ways that likely will usher in a monumental realignment of societal institutions, methods of business, and fundamental ideas about national security. This realignment will, of necessity, change the frameworks within which America provides for its security, including how it acquires the goods and services it uses in that effort. The U.S.
Battlefield Geometry in our Digital Age: From Flash to Bang in 22 Milliseconds > PRISM
This year has been tough for cybersecurity programs. Every month in the first six months of 2017, the world experienced a major cyber event. Open-source attacks included attacks on critical infrastructure, banks, intelligence services, and significant commercial and government entities.
Tinbergen's four questions
Tinbergen's four questions, named after Nikolaas Tinbergen, are complementary categories of explanations for behaviour. It suggests that an integrative understanding of behaviour must include both a proximate and ultimate (functional) analysis of behaviour, as well as an understanding of both phylogenetic/developmental history and the operation of current mechanisms. [1] Four categories of questions and explanations[edit] When asked about the purpose of sight in humans and animals, even elementary school children can answer that animals have vision to help them find food and avoid danger (adaptation). Biologists have three additional explanations: sight is caused by a particular series of evolutionary steps (phylogeny), the mechanics of the eye (causation), and even the process of an individual’s development (ontogeny). Although these answers may be very different, they are consistent with each other.
Cyberdeterrence by Engagement and Surprise > PRISM
Dec. 21, 2017 — Download PDF The conventional deterrence strategies of denial and punishment do not factor in the unique characteristics of the man-made cyber domain. This domain needs a new and holistic deterrence strategy that involves prompt and direct cyber responses that are sudden, dynamic, stealthy, and random so that adversaries can be defeated mentally and virtually. This article offers such an approach that I refer to as “deterrence by engagement and surprise.” Deterrence Released in January 2017, Department of Defense Joint Publication 3–0 defines deterrence as “the prevention of action by the existence of a credible threat of unacceptable counteraction and/or belief that the cost of action outweighs the perceived benefits.”1 To make it effective, deterrence should depend on capability, credibility, and communication:
A Three-Perspective Theory of Cyber Sovereignty > PRISM
Dec. 21, 2017 — Download PDF The cybercrime and cyber terrorism raging today are the most visible symptoms of a more pervasive problem concerning cyber security. How to establish a fair and just governance regime in cyberspace and establish international rules spark a storm of controversy. The controversy reflects the competing interests and demands of three distinct cyberspace actors: the state, the citizen, and the international community.
An Interview with Marina Kaljurand, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia > PRISM
Dec. 21, 2017 — Download PDF You were the Estonian Ambassador to Russia during the 2007 cyberattacks against your country. Please describe those attacks—the effects of the attacks, and what Estonia learned from that experience. Kaljurand: Those were the first explicitly political cyberattacks against an independent, sovereign state in history. If put into today’s context, the attacks were not very sophisticated—even primitive. But back then, they were very disturbing.
Here is How to Make Sense of Conflicting Startup Advice
Everybody has a blog these days and there is much advice to be had. Many startups now go through accelerators and have mentors passing through each day with advice – usually it’s conflicting. WTF? There are bootcamps, startup classes, video interviews – the sources are now endless.
21st Century Intelligence - The Need for a One-Team-One-Fight Approach > PRISM
We’ve been through this before. Now we’re just waiting to see how soon it fails.” As I put down the phone, the dismissive words about integration from one of the Iran watchers within the Intelligence Community (IC) resonated in my ears.
Contributing to The Connected Learning Manifesto
Much of the writing on Education Unbound is focused on evaluating existing programs or innovations to explain how best to use them or to examine their efficacy or applicability in larger contexts. The recent open call on Twitter to help develop the Connected Learning Manifesto provides a different focus however. This invitation to help create a document that will define what connected learning is and should be is a unique opportunity to help guide the course of e-learning. In keeping with the mission of Education Unbound to help bring the fire of education to the widest possible audience, this post will examine the Connected Learning Manifesto as it currently stands and contribute suggestions for enhancing it.
Quelle salade ! ! ! :-)) Il faudrait commencer par séparer curation et création pour structurer un peu. Heureusement (ou malheureusement) que l'auteur du blog a fermé les commentaires. Je serais curieux d'ailleurs d'en connaître les raisons car les débats s'annonçaient prometteurs. > p.s. : avec plus de 30 000 "pearls" au moment du passage de la "vie 1" à la "vie 2" de Pearltrees (espérons que le réseau aura plusieurs vies...), j'avais bien construit une base de données ...sur une démarche artistique en plus... :-)) Maintenant, devant le tas de gravats, puisque les architectures ont été détruites, il ne reste plus qu'à ressortir les plans pour sangloter devant trois ans de travail ou bien recommencer, éventuellement en dehors de ce réseau. :-£ > Mais l'approche juridique est fort intéressante. Par exemple, si je dessine un schéma, colorié, si je considère qu'il s'inscrit dans une démarche de recherche scientifique (et d'ailleurs aussi artistique =et= littéraire), même si je le vend et en perd la propriété intellectuelle, je peux m'opposer à ce que ce schéma soit recolorié par son propriétaire. C'est la notion de droit moral de l'oeuvre, qui , en droit français, est =inaliénable=. Ce qu'ont du mal à saisir les anglo-saxons et qui fait que -droit d'auteur- dans la langue française ne se traduit pas par -copyright-. C'est une des raisons qui me font soutenir ce réseau français sur la toile. Outre bien sûr que -laïcité- ne se traduit pas plus par -secularism-. > > > Si l'équipe Pearltrees s'avérait un tant soit peu futée elle se rapprocherait des modes de financement du service public (en France) pour donner une autre dimension à leurs efforts de compter dans le paysage des grands réseaux. Paysage de grands réseaux, plus que dominé actuellement par les non-européens... > éventuellement, ouvrons un débat, j'essayerai d'y contribuer. : -)) by reel Nov 23