...because August has come to an end, and I wanted to fulfill a minimal promise mentioned in my last post. Since only more than an hour remains till September (at press time), below is all I have time to report on:
- Some two weeks and 200+ steps in, Novissima on QGIS is slowly chugging along. For those who missed the Google+ edition of this feed, Novissima is a tiny unincorporated outpost situated dozens of miles south of its governing island, Jamaica. Although it actually means "newest", "youngest", or "most recent" in Latin, the name is more a homage to the word for "nine" in various Romance languages--since the map measures 9 km2 (3 × 3) in area. This go-round, whose first screencaps I'll deliver any week this northern fall, is the third such one in earnest (following attempts in early 2016 and late 2018). If nothing else, it and the accompanying paper rulesheet are a testing ground for the inevitable redo of my gift-map project, Veritas. (No thanks to r.surf.fractal [a GRASS GIS tool], plus Wilbur's Fractal Noise and Calculate Function features, for starters.)
- This week, all eyes in Florida (my adopted state) have been on Dorian, at this writing a slow-moving (8 mph) Category 4 hurricane with maximum winds of 150 mph. Earlier this week, Dorian brushed through my native Dominica (target of Erika and Maria in recent years), plus St. Lucia and Barbados, as a tropical storm, and continued as such across the Virgin Islands, but spared Puerto Rico for the most part. (This was also the rare TS encounter for Rogatia, the realm where part of my forthcoming Sevton Saga is set.) Hurricane warnings are in effect for the northern Bahamas, with a hurricane watch for Andros and a TS watch for part of Florida's east coast. Where we are right now, evacuation is nigh unlikely--but a possible power outage is another matter entirely. If the latter happens, know that I'll reach back after it's restored.
- In the Dixwell universe, Dorian has also affected Autrison's--and Adanson's--workflow, to the point where the latter cancelled their end-of-month party as a precaution. As for the Giraudel specialty label--that's Autrison--the storm has held up their next acetate shipment, featuring selections from Waking Ned (Divine) (a recent HBO attraction) and this year's VMAs, along with a bonus from Haiti's Carimi. (They're waiting on their buddies in Wilmington, NC, who aren't taking any chances--nor the cargo crew at their city airport.) Regardless, they'll make do tomorrow with a new slate of open-source offerings, plus lottery picks from the February/March/April/June backlogs--plus something by one Itachi Mode re: the 2011 Japanese tsunami/nuclear incident--en route to the first edition (this U.S. Labor Day) of "Music Time", a one-night version of Adanson's standard weekend parties. (No points for guessing the theme song by Styx.)
- And speaking of natural tragedies, Thursday August 29 marked the 40th anniversary of David's passage through the Nature Island--a day forever etched in the history of that country. David made Maurice, our solenodon sidekick in Unspooled #1, stranded on those shores during a fishing excursion--leading to his first episode of homelessness. (Details on that project once I settle back to it.)
- Last but definitely not least, the NHC's advisory map (for those keeping track):
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In next month's daring-do, a new score for the Unspooled saga; a couple of apps that may save Adanson's new management some trouble; and the resumption of draft development for Books 1, 2, 3, and 6. (Just don't expect any finished product to surface for another 2-3 years; I learned the hard way when I missed a November 2018 deadline for the manuscript. This was supposed to be my gift to fellow Nature Islanders on their country's 40th anniversary of Independence, but alas...)
From the one, the only, the all-new...
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