Posted by: Casey | June 21, 2009

My Summer Productivity

It would probably not be a good idea at this point for me to look back at the list I made of things that I planned to accomplish this summer. However, I have done a few of them, and a few other things, some productive and some not. For example, I have:

  • Read several books, including Norse Code, City of Glass, Moon Called, and Nightlife.  Yes, all urban fantasy; chalk it up to research.  Also, I have been reprimanded for not reviewing on this journal, and as I basically liked all of said books, perhaps I shall do an urban fantasy roundup soon.  (Productivity Quotient: 4)
  • Written approximately 18,000 words of The Novel.  (Productivity Quotient: 7)
  • Been working steadily for Write 2 Market, mostly white papers and marketing copy.  This has also included a “business trip”.  ++++  By the way, the productiveness quotient takes into account income, and the fact that I would otherwise have none.  (Productivity Quotient: 9)
  • Brainstormed potential research directions for potential grants for PhD work, including several disjointed, infodump emails to a professor.  (Productivity Quotient: 6)
  • Traveled to D.C. for the Burton Awards, which I shall write more on in a separate entry, and there shall possibly be photographic evidence.  (Productivity Quotient: 2 – fun and rewarding but no long-lasting effects as I am not the world’s best networker)
  • Played Sims 3.  Too much.  (Productivity Quotient: 3 – on account of ideas related to UGC and things like this that get creative people like me who can’t draw excited.)
  • Watched five seasons of Desperate Housewives.  I am not joking.  (Productivity Quotient: 1 – hey, maybe I’ll write for TV someday…)
  • Organized nearly my entire iTunes library, including tracking down massive amounts of album art.  (Productivity Quotient: 4)

However, these things can be countered somewhat by the things I have NOT done this summer, including:

  • Working on my website.  (Productivity Quotient: -5)
  • Expanding/Revising papers intended for publication.  (Productivity Quotient: -8)
  • Getting more than 15 seconds into creating a fanvid.  (Productivity Quotient: -4)
  • Getting back into World of Warcraft.  (Productivity Quotient: 0 – because from a productiveness standpoint, it might very well be considered a bad thing)
  • Writing on this blog.  (Productivity Quotient: -5)
  • Writing/revising/submitting a single piece of short fiction.  (Productivity Quotient: -6)

According to my completely arbitrary arbitrary calculations, this nets me a completely meaningless Productivity Quotient of 8.  At least I’m in the black.  Though I have no idea what that actually means.

These, of course, are not the only things that I have done and not done the entire summer.  (For example, I have made time for friends, and I have not traveled to Peru.)  Also in there somewhere is packing, which I am doing frantically at the moment as I am officially moving to Atlanta on Saturday.

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Posted in georgia tech, personal, reading, school, the writer, writing

Posted by: Casey | May 12, 2009

Life and Death on the Net

why can't we all just get along?

why can't we all just get along?

Since before finals I’ve had a half-written essay intended for JETLaw Blog about the death of legal scholarship that I intend to finish but was side-tracked by, you know, exams. But the focus was on the Georgetown Law Journal essays linked, as well as an essay from the Yale Pocket Part that I remembered from a few years ago, Why Blogs Are Bad for Legal Scholarship. My thesis is that blogs are good for legal scholarship, for various reasons.

But! That aside, since I haven’t finished writing it yet, I has the opportunity write about why blogs are good for journalism today: Blogs & the Life of Journalism: Welcome to the Jungle. Or perhaps, if not good, then not bad. I talk about Andrew Keen’s infinite monkeys theory (the web is just full of monkeys on typewriters and I am one of them) and how professional journalism might be in trouble but not because of us bloggers.

Anyway, it was all inspired by a thought-provoking post from a professional journalist, and aside from my long-winded musings about blogs, it’s got me thinking about how professional journalism really can survive Web 2.0. I feel like there is a new business model out there that needs to be embraced and no one’s worked out exactly what it is yet. I am not a marketing person, so this is all just conjecture, but I feel that if print journalism begins to disappear (which, for better or worse, it likely will as those of my generation who do not have newspaper subscriptions get older) then it will simply be an issue of the value of online advertising matching the value of print advertising.

Maybe it’s just because I’m a writer, but I’m one of those people who clicks ads just to throw some money at the content provider. Of course, I’m also one of those people who buys my music from iTunes. Am I naive to think that my generation would at the very least click through an ad to get their news from reputable sources, if not pay for it? Maybe so. Maybe if the hallmark of my generation is that we want everything for free, and the P2P music sharing levy proposed in Canada actually works we’ll need something similar for news media. Five dollars a month on your Internet bill to pay musicians, and five dollars a month to pay journalists? Hmm. Welcome to the jungle, indeed.

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Posted in blogging, internet, the geek, the law student | Tags: ,

Posted by: Casey | May 8, 2009

Graduation Day

the sun came out before the procession: fitting

the sun came out before the procession: fitting

Remember Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)? It was a hit at graduations in 1999 (almost as popular as “Party Like it’s 1999″), and as I graduated from high school a year later, I heard a lot of it as well. Has it really been 10 years since Baz Luhrmann advised me to wear sunscreen to the rhythm of a great dance beat? I do remember this bit, especially:

Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth.

I’m not sure that I would have any particularly good advice for someone starting law school. Maybe to think hard about what will make you happy and what will make you miserable and learn how to weigh the two. And that you don’t have to fit exactly into the mold to succeed. Because I’ve found that success doesn’t really have a mold. Mine is kind of funky-shaped.

But I graduated today. I got hooded, and I shook hands with the Dean, and I picked up my diploma in a black tube. Also, there was inclement weather. Perfectly fitting, I think.

Most of my classmates were more excited than I, but probably because this was the end of the academic road for them. Me, I get to do it all again in four or five years. With the hood and everything. (But the next one won’t be purple.)

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Posted by: Casey | May 4, 2009

Tea, the End of the World, and the Proper Care and Feeding of Angels

beware the uncoming storm, for lo, your peeps will drown in earl grey

beware the oncoming storm, for lo, your peeps will drown in earl grey

While at Clarion in 2006 I wrote (the first week) a story titled, at various points, “The Angel and the Apocalypse (and Me),” “Revelations Over Coffee,” and “The Starbucks at the End of the World.” (These titles were met with various degrees of disdain, but no one ever suggested anything better.) It involved both armageddon and tea. For the record, angels prefer green tea to coffee on account of the caffeine, and they can’t hold their tequila–but once they’ve lost their wings due to Inappropriate Behavior Upon the Eve of the End of the World, they may crave caramel macchiatos. Do not forget to include this information in your Proper Care and Feeding of Angels handbook.

In any case, I thought of this because of Neil Gaiman’s call for tea and armageddon pictures, which I shamefully have not yet contributed to due to traveling (I am back in Nashville as of last night, by the way) except by way of blogging. However, I present this photograph to the right that I found on Flickr while pontificating on various wrong ways to eat peeps, and somehow it does make me think that the world is ending.

Therefore, I present (in the manner of a word I remember from my fanfic research), a “cookie” of said story from three years ago, which I do really plan on trying to publish one of these days now that I’ve finished law school and can think about writing something other than case briefs…

“I watch people,” he said. “That’s what I do. I just like to drink tea while I do it. And besides, it amuses me how, for a split second, it seems like their lives revolve around that tiny cup of coffee. You people have such bizarre perspectives.”

“You know, for someone who acts all holier than thou, you’re incredibly vain.”

He looked smug. “I am holier than you.”

To make my point, I pulled a newspaper out of my messenger bag and plopped it down on the table in front of him. His tea jumped slightly and splattered a drop, smudging the print. I poked my finger at an article in the Living section. “APOCALPYSE PREDICTION: END TIMES BEGIN TOMORROW” it read. It was The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

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Posted by: Casey | April 30, 2009

The Dance of Joy

I just finished my very last law school exam ever.

I have decided that Numfar, as portrayed by Joss Whedon, accurately portrays how I feel about this:

This video also accurately portrays why short clips from copyrighted sources on YouTube should be considered fair use. My purpose feels very transformative.

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Posted in copyright, fair use, intellectual property, internet, law, the law student, user-generated content | Tags: , , ,

Posted by: Casey | April 29, 2009

Make Your Time

If you had a ghost saber, you'd miss it, too.

If you had a ghost saber, you'd miss it, too.

I have one exam left.  Here are some things I look forward to doing at some point after noon tomorrow:

1. Procure copies of City of Glass, Fragile Eternity, and The Awakening – apparently it is the season of YA urban fantasy sequels.

2. Reactivate my WoW account. (Oh, Xypra, how I’ve missed you!)

3. Watch some things that have piled up on my TIVO – recent episodes of Heroes, House, and oh, what’s this I hear about Jeff Goldblum on Law & Order?

4. Write the next chapter in The Novel, which has been batting around in my head for two weeks.

5. Laundry. (Well, not “looking forward to,” per se, but more anticipating the joy of clean clothes. Today I am wearing a 2005 NaNoWriMo t-shirt that is wrinkled from being shoved in the back of a drawer for roughly two years.)

6. Thinking hard about an idea I have for – wait for it – a fanvid.

Of course, I mean “at some point” quite broadly, as immediately after noon tomorrow I will be driving to Atlanta on account of wanting to chat with some professors at Tech before they all take off on summer vacation.

Meanwhile, in the "things I will miss" category.

Meanwhile, in the "things I will miss" category.

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Posted in personal, reading, school, science fiction & fantasy, the law student | Tags: , ,

Posted by: Casey | April 26, 2009

The Best Week Ever?

This law school is more than twice as large as mine!

This law school is more than twice as large as mine!

The weather in D.C. was absolutely beautiful while I was there. Apparently I hit the sweet spot right between a freak hail storm and uncomfortable heat. And of course, D.C. is just beautiful in general. I really, really love the city, and I must admit I am slightly envious of some of my classmates who are moving there to work. Though this trip was short and a bit hectic, so I didn’t really get to appreciate the city so much except for the scenic cab rides. I have to say, American University is pretty beautiful, and to get there you drive down Mass by all of the embassies.

But the symposium was also absolutely fantastic, and I met so many great people. The combination of scholar and artist is something I find particularly endearing. Some web presences that you should definitely check out: Jonathan McIntosh, who also writes for Political Remix Video; Rebecca Tushnet, one of my academic heroes; Transformative Works and Cultures, the editors of which, Kristina and Karen, are both brilliant; and Laura Murray, who blogs about fair copyright in Canada. I should also say that I’m always in awe of the vidders I meet, like Fransesca and Tisha – and at some point (after I’m done with exams and have more time) I plan to do a post about my favorite vids.

And if you’re interested, you should read this recap of my panel. I was pretty nervous, but I think my presentation went well. When I get a chance I may upload my powerpoints in case anyone wants to have a look.

I should also mention that Justice Scalia was also speaking at the law school the day I was there. So I thought we had a pretty good turnout, considering! It’s kind of hard to compete with a sitting member of The Court for bodies in seats.

Speaking of Scalia, I found out recently that I’ve won a Burton Award for my note. Fifteen law student articles chosen out of all the law schools in the country… I can’t really express how honored I am, especially considering that the subject matter of the note is fandom, and it’s great to see that recognized as important scholarship. Also it’s a feather in the cap of the journal!  In any case, Justice Scalia is going to be at the gala in D.C. honoring the winners – and also David E. Kelley, who is one of my personal idols.

… basically, it’s been a really, really great week. And now I have a paper to finish and two exams to take, so I will bid you adieu until I can say that I have officially finished law school.

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Posted in JETL, fandom, intellectual property, law, media culture, school, the law student | Tags: , , , ,

Posted by: Casey | April 19, 2009

In Which I Become a Professional Student

Won't you please take me home?

Won't you please take me home?

Though the handful of people reading this blog are likely already aware, I now officially have post-graduation plans – which is indeed fortunate, as I am graduating in less than three weeks. Beginning in the fall, I will be a PhD student in Human-Centered Computing at Georgia Tech.

Reactions to this news have been mixed, but generally boil down to: More school? Really? Which, to be fair, is a perfectly appropriate reaction.

This means that at some point in the future (let’s say between three and five years, though the three is amazingly optimistic), I will be the proud owner of a variety of acronyms, including:

  • one (1) BS
  • one (1) MS
  • one (1) JD
  • one (1) PhD

I can assure you, however, that this will be the entirety of the list, as I have no desire for multiples of any of those, nor for an MD or DDS. Seriously, this time.

And the second common question has been: Why did you just spend three years and $100 thousand going to law school? I hope that this will be more clear once I have actual research projects to share, but just as an example, next week I am a panelist at the IP/Gender Symposium at American Law School, where I will be presenting a paper on gender, role playing, and copyright (you can read the abstract). And yes, being gone for three days in the middle of finals does have me incredibly stressed, but I consider it worth it.

Another FAQ: Are you going to take the bar? The answer is yes, because if I did not, then that $100 thousand would seem quite wasteful indeed. However, as the late fees for signing up to take the Georgia bar are fairly obscene (and I do not have a law firm paying for any of it), I am planning to wait until February.

This summer, I will be doing these things: (1) moving to Atlanta in a gradual and snail-like fashion; (2) expanding two papers I’ve written recently before sending them on the legal publishing rounds; (3) pimping out this website; (4) reading many, many novels; (5) hopefully doing some technical writing to pick up some much-needed extra income; and MOST IMPORTANTLY:

(6) working tirelessly on my novel, which is tentatively titled Legal Fictions and features a lawyer named Audrey Lightman (unless I change it with a handy find-and-replace as I have done twice already) who by outward appearances is a slimy defense lawyer who gets criminals off, but is actually simply being forced to find legal loopholes and (fictional) mundane explanations for supernatural events. (Elevator pitch: It’s John Grisham meets Jim Butcher, or, Wouldn’t Sam and Dean in Supernatural get a lot more done if they’d had a good lawyer instead of spending so much time running from the cops?)  P.S. speaking of Jim Butcher, Turn Coat is fan-freaking-tastic.

[Image courtesy of flickr, as I cannot seem to find any photographs I took of the lovely Tech trolleys]

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Posted in copyright, georgia tech, intellectual property, law, personal, school, science fiction & fantasy, the law student, the writer, writing | Tags: , , , ,

Posted by: Casey | February 21, 2009

Geek Powers Activate!

Though most law students tend to gravitate toward the more prestigious, general-subject-matter law reviews, there is definitely something to be said for working on a journal that focuses on an area that really interests you.   For the past five weeks, I have basically been editing non-stop, raking a fine-tooth comb through the eleven articles for our themed issue on user-generated content, social networks, and virtual worlds.  All I know is that if these articles were about tax law or lesser-known Supreme Court justices instead, I’m not sure I could have made it through this with my sanity intact.

And on the flip side, it’s also useful to know stuff.  Here’s two examples of mistakes in articles I’ve caught that I’m pretty sure were only due to my super geek powers: (1) a misspelling of one of the race in World of Warcraft (”draenei”),  and (2) misattribution of the book that the film Oubreak is based on (it is not in fact the book Outbreak, but the book The Hot Zone, even though both of them are about ebola).

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Posted by: Casey | February 6, 2009

RIP Realms of Fantasy

rofI was extremely sad to hear about the closing of Realms of Fantasy. I feel as if I did my part to keep them afloat by having a subscription, but I’m really disappointed that I never had a chance to publish a story there. I hope that this isn’t an indication of the writing on the wall, because lagging magazine sales in the short fiction market have been a huge problem. And RoF really did fill a niche in the market–of the “big” professional publications, it was the only one that catered specifically to fantasy. It seemed to balance nicely–RoF for fantasy, Analog for science fiction, and Asimov’s and Science Fiction & Fantasy somewhere in between. RoF was also special in that unlike any of those three, it was a full-size magazine with (beautiful) illustrations for every story. Of course, I suspect that was part of the problem; it was probably considerably more expensive to produce.

In honor of the magazine, I leave you with this:

Robots and Falling Hearts by Tim Pratt and Greg van Eekhout (two of my favorite short fiction genre writers). This is an Escape Pod version of the story, which originally appeared in Realms of Fantasy (and was also in one of the “Year’s Best” anthologies), narrated by my talented Clarion classmate, Alex Wilson.

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Posted in reading, science fiction & fantasy, the writer | Tags: ,

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