Work Room - Week 23

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

The new topic has been posted http://therealljidol.livejournal.com/555757.html, and I'm sure the field is split between those going "Neat. But how do I work this into an entry" and those going "WTF?"

Which is perfect, because how often do you have to approach something that leaves you more than a little unsure of how you are going to handle it? You can research it and figure out exactly what it is, wrapping concepts around concepts. Or, you can tackle it from where the words themselves take you. It's really your choice, and there are no wrong answers - just eliminated contestants! ;)

***

You are coming out of two weeks of working with people, how was the experience for you? What did you like/not like about coordinating with someone else?

Comments

[n3m3sis42.livejournal.com]

I do too! I'm scared to go back to coming up with ideas all on my own now. :)

[n3m3sis42.livejournal.com]

I'm very "whaaaaa?" at the moment. It's almost like an open topic.

I loved doing the intersections. My favorite parts were collaborating to come up with ideas and seeing how my writing changed when I worked with someone else. The hardest part was working around different schedules and time zones.

[mstrobel.livejournal.com]

and time zones.

Sorry about that XD

[pixiebelle.livejournal.com]

I love working with partners. I was kind of hoping to do it again after this round. I like how they bring out different ideas and everything. It's a blast.

This week... I'm thinking. I have a couple nonfiction ideas I wanted to bring out, maybe I can make them work. I love fiction, but I'm almost missing nonfiction this week. Not sure why.

I'll see if I can form some ideas that fit the topic :)

[n3m3sis42.livejournal.com]

I've been missing nonfiction too. Though I'm scared of what a doozy next week's vote will be.

[roina-arwen.livejournal.com]

I wonder if there will be any Star Wars references? ;)

[yachiru]

All I could think of was dirty SW fanfic. >_>

[xo-kizzy-xo.livejournal.com]

I've always loved intersections.

:sigh:

Right now I physically feel like a weak force :p

[jem0000000.livejournal.com]

*hugs*

[pixiebelle.livejournal.com]

Oh Gary... I always struggle when you do physics related topics. My brain isn't that of a physicist.

Anyone care to explain in easy to understand terms? I always delve into the overly complex and my head hurts.

[kathrynrose.livejournal.com]

I have always considered myself to be smarter than the average bear; however, I just read the first four paragraphs of the wiki page on this and I have no idea what it said.

What I did get out of it was surprise that no one has ever used the term "Quantum Flavordynamics" in a commercial for some juice drink or power drink of some kind.

::Waiting for the smart folks to break it down::

::hoping "break it down" is at least a little punny, since that might have been in those first 4 paragraphs somewhere::

[xo-kizzy-xo.livejournal.com]

Here's a somewhat simplified explanation, I think:
http://emandpplabs.nscee.edu/cool/temporary/doors/forces/weakforce/weakforce.htm

I never took a physics class, but I kind of think what it's saying.

[kathrynrose.livejournal.com]

Yeah, um. No.


I need someone to explain it with less sciency words. I'll call my brilliant friend tomorrow. He'll 'splain it to me.

I'ma go feel stoopid now.

[marjory.livejournal.com]

I dropped Physics right in the middle of the GCSE and did Spanish instead.

I also once got 25% for an Art exam.

This goes to show that I am an all round Philistine and will meet the challenges of the topic accordingly.

Bow before my crapitude.

[alien-infinity.livejournal.com]

My icon is making me think "the weak force" refers to decaffeinated coffee which is an, erm, far weaker force than regular coffee with its delicious, delicious caffeine. This idea brought to you by my caffeine-deficient brain and the fact that it's way too late for more caffeine!

[ecosopher.livejournal.com]

I'm now drinking decaf because I can't stomach coffee anymore! Weep!

But I used to be such a coffee fan, and my roommate from school actually gave me a little embroidered picture when we finished our final term that said "Decaf won't do it!".

[ecosopher.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed working with partners! The whole collaboration thing is exciting and I think some amazing stuff can come out of it. When you're writing, it's often so solitary, so the chance to create something with others - especially with others whom you respect and who are of a high calibre - is a unique opportunity.

That said, I really found the time zone thing exhausting this time round. Trying to stay up at both ends of the day to catch my partners was hard work (not their fault, just because I'm so tired anyway) and I'm glad we're having a week "off"!



I don't intend to do anything to do with physics* but I'll be happy to read about anyone who does. Out of all the sciences, it's my favourite.


Hmm. Or do I? Now that I've written that, I feel an anedcote coming on...

[similiesslip.livejournal.com]

You were a GREAT partner!

Sorry about the lack of sleep:(

[medleymisty.livejournal.com]

I had awesome fun times with both of my partners!

Both times my partner was like "Yo, I have an idea!" and I was like "Yay cool, is awesome idea!" and we went all write write write and showed each other our drafts and we were like "Yay that's awesome!", and then we posted the stories, and it was awesome happy fun times all around, so yeah. :)

What I noticed is that having a partner inspired me to write more and to get more in-depth. I think my two intersection pieces are two of my longest for Idol so far.

I didn't really get started until Sunday, both times, but still - having a partner relying on me was very motivational and got me to write, once I'd gotten over the initial block and gotten the idea straight in my head.

I can't think of anything I didn't like, except that I got used to playing around with other people's ideas and this week I have to come up with my own idea.

[porn-this-way.livejournal.com]

I freaked the fuck out with the intersections at first, NGL, because if my schoolgirl experience with group work was any indication, I figured I needed to have "does not play well with others" tattooed across my forehead in bright red ink. However, joke was on me for freaking the fuck out. I hit the partner jackpot twice in a row, got pushed way the hell out of my comfort zone both times, and loved every second of it. Also made a couple of new friends in the process, and...well...if people are crazy enough to keep my company, far be it from me to complain. tl;dr - Intersections have been an epic blast, and I'm also in the "uh oh, back to flying solo?" crowd, which is somewhere I never, ever expected to find myself.

[frecklestars.livejournal.com]

I had the same initial reaction and then the same amazing experience with both my intersection partners thereafter. Really really pleasantly surprised by this whole thing!

[lawchicky.livejournal.com]

I loved working with partners. I'm hoping that we'll get another opportunity to do it this year.


I have no ideas for this topic just yet, but it's still early on!

[kickthehobbit.livejournal.com]

If anyone needs help understanding the physics-y bits that are going on, I'm happy to answer PMs as they come—my background is in chemistry, but I've had to take quantum (third time taking it, now!) and since I teach non-science majors, as well, I've gotten used to explaining things in a less jargon-y way.

[jacq22.livejournal.com]

Help need all the assistance I can get. Please explain?

Thanks for sharing our French adventure! BTW guess what also happened in Paris? I was molested on a crowded Metro carriage, and survived, when I got off I was purple in the face and exploding to tell someone. I had been apart from the group. But the funny thing was although it happened it didn't make me feel any long term bad feelings about Paris.

[sarcasmoqueen.livejournal.com]

The most difficult part about intersection was definitely the time difference thing. The firs week, my partner was 5 hours ahead of me, and this last time he was 3 hours behind. That made things a little challenging because I tend to be a "OMG, I just emailed you, answer me RIGHTNOW" kinda gal.
The potential pressure of being responsible for your partner going home was kinda stressful too, because I loved my partners, and wouldn't have worked with them if I didn't, you know?
All this to say I'm ok with being back to working alone, even though I don't currently have an idea... ;-P

[jacq22.livejournal.com]

We had a time difference of about 12 or was it 16 hours,? which made it challenging to say the least! But I enjoyed being involved with other writers.

It was becoming scary when the time got shorter and we had to produce the goods! Fingernails were chewed. I still enjoyed it though.

*SIMPLE* description of "The Weak Force"

[ellakite.livejournal.com]

The "Weak Force" is what causes atoms to spontaneously split into smaller atoms. Its counterpart, the "Strong Force", is what holds atoms together. The "Weak Force" is considered to be weak because atoms rarely split on their own -- most atoms are *BILLIONS* of years old, and will likely never "split" on their own. It's only under very specific circumstances that the Weak Force will overpower the Strong Force and an atom will split.

Now if you want to get into the specifics as to how/why the Weak Force causes atoms to split, that will get complicated. All you really need to know is this: The Weak Force is something that, under certain circumstances, can overcome the Strong Force and cause things to break down.

Re: *SIMPLE* description of "The Weak Force"

[jacq22.livejournal.com]

Wow thanks, that sends me off into orbit.....and might need some time to think.
Weak can overcome strong.....and cause things to break down and split....hmmm. See now that I understand.

[jem0000000.livejournal.com]

It's a physics interaction. See, the geek who isn't all that hot has a weaker attraction force than the geek who is. So weak force explains why some people have trouble finding lab partners. ;)

[jacq22.livejournal.com]

Snigger.

[sweeny-todd.livejournal.com]

To be honest... first thing that springs to mind is some sort of Star Wars parody...

[jacq22.livejournal.com]

Nope, don't like that geeky hairstyle, not going there.

CLARIFICATION ON "WEAK FORCE"

[ellakite.livejournal.com]

It has been a couple of decades since I took Quantum Physics. The main thing that I recalled was that it was responsible for certain forms of radioactivity. After jem0000000 pointed out to me that the Weak Force only affected subatomic particle, I did a quick review. Here are the specifics:

The most common "interaction" caused by the Weak Force is a phenomena called "Beta Decay": A neutron spontaneously breaks down into a proton, an electron and a neutrino. (Technically the last item is an antineutrino, but let's not get bogged down.) So: A single "neutral" particle gets transformed into positive, negative, and neutral particles. One particle has split into three. OK?

Now, if the neutron which got underwent Beta Decay is inside an atom, then the affect of Beta Decay will change the atom from one element to another -- Elements are determined by the number of protons an atom has, and Beta Decay changes a neutron into a proton. Ergo, Beta Decay increases the number of Protons in an atom. So the Weak Force can cause a fundamental change to the nature of the atom.

Here's the last bit: If an atom has too many protons and not enough neutrons, the protons will push each other apart and cause the atom to split. Since Beta Decay transforms protons into neutrons, it's not uncommon for an atom to "split" after an incident of beta decay, because it now has too many protons and not enough neutrons. The split could be a small portion of the atom -- 2 protons and 2 neutrons -- but it's still a split.

So: Beta decay results in one particle breaking down into many particles. If this happens to a particle inside an atom, it will fundamentally change the atom's nature... and could indirectly cause the atom to break into even smaller bits.

For story ideas, think of a minor event causing a significant transformation... and quite possibly further "breakdowns" caused by a cascade effect triggered by the initial incident.

(I may be rusty on my Quantum Mechanics... but I know how to put it in terms an aspiring writer can use.)

Re: CLARIFICATION ON "WEAK FORCE"

[jacq22.livejournal.com]

Thanks again.

[jem0000000.livejournal.com]

The most fun is exchanging ideas, and seeing where you click or what's different, and where the things you each think of can take you. The hardest part is working second shift, but mostly it's hard on my partners.

*

I'm kind of wondering if it would be appropriate to do a love story with sub-atomic particles. But it might be overdone? What with there being all that attraction between particles.

[cosmolinguist]

Uh, I was thinking "crap, all my ideas are so obvious!" I'm not confused at all!

[n3m3sis42.livejournal.com]

Are you a physics person? I'm confused by the specifics of all the physics related to the topic because I have taken one Physics class ever and it didn't go well (I'll surrender my Geek Card now, ok?).

...But with that said, it does seem like the kind of topic you could easily use without having all that much understanding of the specifics. It's not like we have to write about physics. In fact, most of the time, the most literal interpretation of a topic isn't what tends to get the most love. Although in this case, people who could write a good literal interpretation might be in the minority, so it could be a cool thing to do (not for me). :)

[jacq22.livejournal.com]

Now I think I have just gone blank,...reading entries and getting involved with the sub atomic particles.

All too much for my approaching dementia. Thank goodness I have nursed in that area of care, it will be such a help, as I self diagnose.

[xo-kizzy-xo.livejournal.com]

ellakite's explanation reminds me of a museum display I saw somewhere...maybe our local museum? It talked about matter and force and gravity and had a bunch of levers, gears, and such so you could see the force in action. Granted, they couldn't show an actual atom splitting, but I vaguely remember illustrations...

Yes, folks, I think of "weak force" the minute I wake up!

[the-day-setup.livejournal.com]

My favorite line from the first few paragraphs of the Wikipedia entry on "Weak interaction":

The theory of the weak interaction can be called Quantum Flavordynamics (QFD)...but in practice the term is rarely used because the weak force is best understood in terms of electro-weak theory (EWT).

Aside from the seemingly arbitrary weirdness of physicists choosing the term "flavor" over the more sensible "mode" or something (six "flavors" of quarks? Really?)... "Quantum Flavordynamics" has a decidedly this-really-should-be-the-name-of-an-underground-hip-hop-act sound about it.

"Electro-weak theory" seems like it should be the perfect hypothesis for my "favorite" social-network problem: the meme and/or momentarily popular nerd-topic that was obnoxious and pointless the first time it showed up, which then proceeds to propagate itself through your entire friends list, forcing you to effectively mock absolutely everyone you know if you should wish to express your annoyance with said meme / unkillable topic in a public fashion.

Electro-weak theory tells us that when any new Harry Potter-related product hits the shelves, a lot of weak shit on your f-list is bound to follow... electronically.

edit to add to an otherwise unproductive comment: If anyone would like to continue partnering up with me past the intersection in my new underground LJI hip-hop act, Quantumm Flavordynamix, drop me a PM. Excel skills, mad skillz a plus.

[ellakite.livejournal.com]

I got the Excel skills, and I'm as "mad" as they come.

OTOH, I'm probably the worst singer in North America (though I refuse to compete for the World Title).

[dslartoo.livejournal.com]

When the topic posted is something I don't care for, I fold, spindle and mutilate it into something more akin to my interests (as I did with the last entry). Some might call this being inflexible, but I call it being adaptive. :)

That is, incidentally, where I'm going with this topic. You won't be seeing a physics dissection from me.

cheers,
Phil