UBI is not free money, but a reduction in paperwork.
Up to 40% of people entitled to social benefits today aren't getting any because they have conditions preventing them from navigating the bureaucratic process. UBI removes that hurdle.
UBI isn't about the money, it's about being fair.
Nothing. I wouldn't have a penny more than I have now.
UBI is meant to be offset by a different income tax structure. All UBI does for me as a working man is to reduce my tax deduction options and shorten my tax declaration. In the end, I would walk home not one cent richer (or poorer) than before.
Photo of the morning sky
Fun fact: The word "Easter" is related to the Germanic term for "dawn", which itself is linked to the Greek and Latin words "Eos" and "Aurora" referring to the same thing. The word also has an Indo-Germanic source which can be used as a verb and means: "to birth the flame".
black and white picture of a medieval village
People sometimes think writing #SciFi or #Fantasy is easy: You just make it up. How hard can it be?
Very, as it turns out. Because rather than being able to look up how it works, you need to built a whole consistent, complete, non-contradictory society that is still fun to read.
You may see easily how this could render certain hard to come by ingredients more valuable than gold, while introducing a predicament for some characters, who are presented a full table, but can't tell what's safe to consume and what might kill them if they tried.
A small addition, that can boil down to a sentence or two, easily adds depth to characters and world building, while introducing serious supply chain consequences, able to drive (sub-)plot. How do guests know what is safe to consume? How does the tavern source the materials? Aso.
Picture of a bowl of unknown fruits, and two open jars of mysterious contents.
When writing #SciFi or #Fantasy taverns, one thing rarely explored are dietary restrictions. Not even the species on our own planet share uniform dietary needs, and much of what one finds a delicacy is lethal to another. Why would, aliens or fantasy creatures be any different?
As a #SciFi writer, I'm shocked how politicians are convinced that of all jobs on the planet, a biased fictional persona hallucinating statistics, economic success, and international victories is the one thing that could never be replaced by financially incorruptible, asexual AI.
Sample scene. Left side is cover featuring a stylized cooking pot attached to a tail. The title reads "How to sharpen a cooking pot. Tail weapons for dummies."
I found a copy of my 1st attempt at a #LitRPG story.
"How to sharpen a cooking pot--tail weapons for dummies" is still in heavy rewrites, adding a ton of new material, alongside the character information typical for the genre.
But, a couple of scenes I might just keep.
Thank you. Your feedback is helpful and appreciated!
example chapter
It's a fictional world. Ergo, there is no program.
In its place, I established two pillars to keep him on track: A friend to confide in, and a doctor/partner to control the uncontrollable.
To make the breakdown believable, I then eroded one, took away the other, and produced incentive+opportunity.
Fair points!
No, there is good reason why it never came up, I made sure of that.
I need my young, naive protagonist to face harsh realities, but I'm afraid I'm walking a fine line. If I display alcoholism, I have to do it right, if that makes sense?
Book cover for "Erik Mercer" - "Dragon Riders of Amber"
Chapter sample
Editing and got a question. My protagonist isn't aware her best friend is an ex-alcoholic. Oblivious, she begs a favor that causes him to drink again. Caught up in her own issues she doesn't notice his distress.
Would this push readers to actively dislike her?
#writingCommunity
picture of two cats sleeping under a blanket
Happy #CaturDay from the Maru and Gajar, the #WritersCats!
If this can happen on Earth, it's easy to imagine that in #SciFi and #Fantasy we are regularly missing out on some goofy fun that could add a ton of character and depth to our stories.
Lessons to learn:
Life is stranger than fiction.
And, fiction isn't strange enough.
On February 17, we entered the Chinese Year of the Fire Horse. Happy New Year to all our friends!
What's interesting for #worldbuilding: Draco Malfoy (from Harry Potter) popped up as its a mascot, as the name roughly translates to "lucky horse".
#writingCommunity
Three points set it apart:
1) Texts for A2 students are rare.
2) Designed specifically to touch all requirements of the A2 certificate.
3) Each reading section is followed up by a translation cheat-sheet.
Done by native speakers, tested with real students and trainers.
Book cover featuring the title in German and information on the level being for students who are transitioning from A2 to B1 level.
A text sample.
An example of a training section featuring the names of parts of a human face.
While writing books in Italian might still be some way off, I will give edits on my German language training book a final push. I have the results of my target group research, so with some final touches, I may proceed to typesetting.
#amwriting #writingcommunity
It's not for everybody.
For me, I learn best with a tangible need, clear time frame, and opportunity to focus on what I'm trying to achieve.
Ergo, to me, Duolingo lacks focus. It feels like getting random phrases thrown at you that more often than not don't even make sense.
Don't get me wrong. It was enough to explain the menu of a restaurant to a bunch of tourists in broken Italian. A skill I didn't have 2 years ago. My personal bottom line is it helped memorizing vocabulary, but can't replace an actual language course. Your experience may vary.
It did motivate me to practice 30mins a day, that alone is a win. But to me, the results are underwhelming, since after investing more than 300hours, I still wouldn't pass an A1 certificate, which a conventional course would get you in 80h or less. Personal experience my vary.
Photo of the Colosseum in Rome.
I've learned Italian for two years on #Duolingo. Do I speak Italian? No.
That might just be me, but memorization isn't my style of learning, and the app focuses on it exclusively. What it does it does well, but knowing the "what" without the "why" isn't for me.
Two people holding hands.
#ValentinesDay is named after Bishop Valentine of Terni, killed February 14th 269 for illegally marrying young couples. He is believed to have paid the occasional dowry out of his own pocket, and to present newly weds with flowers. St. Valentine's Day was 1st celebrated in 496.
Book cover featuring a stylized bomb with a forbidden sign covering it and the title "package rejected, return to sender".
Book cover showing a stylized spiral galaxy looking a bit like a rotating liquid surrounded by the title "vegetarian chicken soup"
Book cover featuring a stylized face of an alien woman with thick red lips and her streaks of hair spelling out the title "muh meetha karo!"
I finally took some time to prepare covers for book 1 to 3.
Yes, writing and editing is the priority. However, adding a cover makes it feel more real. Like promise that "yes, we are doing this, and we are doing it now".
#amWriting #WritingCommunity
Book cover featuring an abstract Irish hard with stars instead of strings, mimicking the flag of a star system on a black ground. The publisher title reads "Rock - Paper - Dagger". The author is "Erik Mercer". The book is titled "Ruling the stars. A beginner's guide on how to build your own galactic empire; and live to tell about it."
In light of recent events, I decided to update the design of my book #cover.
#amWriting #WritingCommunity
Photo showing the flag of India flying over the Red Fort in Delhi
Happy #RepublicDay to our friends in India. Enjoy a wonderful and sunny day.
Happy lazy #Caturday
#WritersCats
I thought I had seen my fair share of weird stuff.
Then, tonight, I scraped a dead mouse from the inside of a car's cabin air filter.
Not sure I want to turn that particular experience into a "fresh" story.
However, the richer she got, the worse she treated her servants. One night, the maid found what she was doing. The angry maid summoned the dragon in secret, and replaced her lady's latest order of milk and wheat with a dropping from every dog; Then left the mansion before dawn.
