U-2 Lets Us Down Again

 

Now, don't take me wrong.  I began as a U-2 fan, but it's been a while.  Back in the late 1980s, for instance, U-2 songs got me through the hard work and isolation of one summer in particular.  Their music meant quite a bit to me back then, working on Whidbey Island.  Fast forward a few decades, and I even served as a guest DJ of sorts on Sirius XM's U2 channel, where I highlighted songs like Sunday Bloody Sunday, Where the Streets Have No Name (with Amazing Grace segue), and 40.

The remakes of the classic songs were irritating, but I didn't say much about them.  I will say now that they feel like all the power and testosterone have been sucked out of them.  I recall them whining recently about artists being allowed to change their style.  I can understand that as a writer.  I wrote a collection of short stories for a somewhat similar reason.  It remains, however, that artists, musicians, and authors can adopt whichever style they may prefer, but it doesn't mean their audience is locked into supporting their new works.  Frequently, the audiences are not.  When groups like U-2 rewrite classic songs in such a strange, discordant way, it betrays, in my mind, a degree of disrespect toward their original audience.

Add to that, and now Bono is endeavoring to stoke hysteria and anger in the United States concerning certain political issues du jour.  I am seriously tired of being preached to by wealthy, out-of-touch entertainers who embrace whichever cause they think will further their careers.  They preach the dangers of carbon whilst traveling on their private aircraft: hypocrites!  At one point, the band emphasized Christianity and truth before the lie, then, some decades later, they supported the legalization of infanticide in Ireland.  I am getting to the point of being sorely tempted to get rid of their music.  For now, I will remember them as they were and not as they are or have become.  They are such a disappointment.

Sophie's...Choice (A Short Review of America's Favorite Pet)

So, I wanted to wait to comment on this contest until our cat Sophie was officially out of the running for the $10k, and that officially happened this morning.  This has been a very odd pet competition.  First of all, there is nothing suspicious here.  From what I have gathered, they really do award the dollars and feature one's pet on their magazine cover.  (PAWS itself has a high rating with Charity Navigator.)  My issue is not so much a potential scam issue as a matter of contest transparency and ethical concerns.  From the start, the organizers try to convey an inflated likelihood that one's pet will win the grand prize.  One way they accomplish this is to divide contestants into numerous small groups.  The contestant may quickly believe he is much higher in the rankings than he actually is.  You may notice the pay-for-vote feature in this contest and not think too much of it at first, but, having given it considerable thought for many weeks now, I have begun to notice an almost poker-like nature to the game for those who used the buy votes/points feature.  

Not only does the contest require daily votes (one can always cast a single vote for free; competitors can't buy votes, but their family can), but it also constantly encourages competitors to take action to improve their animal's ranking.  While the paid votes go towards a non-profit called PAWS, it would be very easy for someone with poor judgment to spend excessively to promote their pet to the top spot.  So, that's criticism number one.  This contest has less to do with the cutest animal and more to do with the votes (purchased or otherwise) that are behind the respective pets.  My second main criticism is that this encourages people to reach out repeatedly.  Even with humor and a tongue-in-cheek approach to my messages, I still had one person comment that I should perhaps avoid entering this contest in the future.  That's also because it drags on week after week.

While two of my books are traditionally published and one is with a hybrid publisher, several of my eBooks are self-published.  The constant request for votes is reminiscent of practices and habits I have witnessed in some parts of the self-publishing industry.  This repetition for the vote request is annoying not only to the contestant but particularly to the prospective voter.  Having to remember to log in daily to vote at about the same time is also a royal pain in the you know what.  Several people also reported difficulties logging in on their phones, and those without a Facebook profile apparently couldn't vote at all.  This raises another interesting criticism: ageism of a sort.

With older prospective voters arguably less adept at navigating the required online submission steps, which appear to require a Facebook account as well, the younger demographic has a slight edge in this category of online contest.  Others have reported privacy concerns with all of the requested information.

So, in summary, while America's Favorite Pet isn't a scam, it falls short on contest clarity, seems to encourage a gambling mindset, and it almost requires repetitive and annoying calls for votes from one's potential pool of friends and family.  It also appears to tilt the vote toward the younger competitors, who are more adept at navigating online requirements and less concerned about associated privacy risks.  If it were truly about the cutest pet, that would be fine.  As it is, it's a cash cow in the guise of a pet contest.

About the Writer

Here is an update on...me.

Over the past two and a half decades, Karl Bjorn Erickson has written more than a hundred articles and essays. His publishing credits include America, The National Catholic Weekly, Catholic Answers' This Rock, Musica Sacra, the Statesman Journal, the Portland Tribune, Seattle Pacific University's Response, Catholic365.com, and many more. His articles explore a wide range of challenging and complex topics, but he especially enjoys writing upon the meeting of the arts and faith.
Karl is also the author of several books: Tristan's Travels, Toupee Mice, and The Blood Cries Out (not a children's book!). He's also fond of experimenting with new eBook formats — e.g., Oregon, My Oregon, A Photographic Journey: The Wallowas. (He describes this series as electronic coffee table books.)

On June 17, 2018, Karl Erickson graduated with honors from Marylhurst University with a BA in English Literature and New Media. Sadly, Marylhurst University closed at the end of 2018. This brings a sad, and arguably avoidable, end to more than a century of a rich educational legacy. More details may be found HERE. OregonLive and OPB have also written widely on the closure and its ramifications. He has also made some observations on his blog, Singing in the Wood.

While Karl is currently reducing his time investment in writing and his podcasts, he looks forward to exciting new projects on the horizon! As of late 2023, a new essay has just been completed, and Karl is looking for a good publishing home. He has also begun compiling about fifty of his best articles and opinion pieces as a Kindle compilation. Stay tuned... In other news, a new work of fiction is nearing completion. He hopes to have it completed by late 2026, which should nicely coincide with his potential retirement the following year.
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The look and feel of the website has changed. To learn more about what Karl has written, select "Publications."

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Update: I am happy to announce a photography profile page on SAALL Digital! I've been ordering prints and photo calendars from SAAL for years now, and I am delighted to be able to use them to fulfill your orders for my new photography company, PNW Photography. (This is my sole proprietorship's as-yet-unregistered DBA.) I hope you can stop by and take a look around!

If you have any questions or photo requests, don't hesitate to drop me a note.

Your Privacy and Google

 Because of its importance to all of us, I dedicated a new page on the blog to the matter of online privacy.  In addition, I would draw your attention to Google's resources for diving deeper into this thorny topic.  To learn even more about why Google collects the data it does, you may visit here.  UK residents may want to stop by the following page dedicated to the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025.

To read a BBC article critical of Google's "fingerprinting" technique, follow the link.

If you ever need to reach out to the blogger behind the blog, you may email me at karl@karlerickson.com .

Refining Sining in the Wood

 As I prepare this blog for years more of use, I've become a little annoyed with my consumer protection posts.  Granted, this has been the year that most of our home appliances crashed and burned, and a rental car company tried to scam us, but that doesn't make this the perfect venue for venting.  While I would like to write more about planned obsolescence and its potential relation to some environmental and sustainability regulations, that may come down the road--and in a different venue altogether.  As I try to tailor this blog for the future and maintain its theme integrity, the time has come to heave a few things off the side.

For now, the three articles below will be moved to a new Blog (Overflow) page on my website.  The Facebook article will remain up.  

The following articles can now be found now on the new page.

Hertz...Hurts

Avoid Samsung; No, Really.

Appliances Gone Wild

So, You's Wanna Be A Writer?

(a re-post from a few years ago) 

I completed a short video presentation (below) concerning the art of writing, and it occurred to me that it might be nice to have a post directed at writers, or those considering writing professionally.

British Library with Study Abroad Group

To that end, I will include the collected links and resources here for people to explore as they see fit.

 RelatedVideos

(poetry reading)

(London and Rome)

Blog Posts

Writing Quality Fiction

On Plagiarism

What I Learned from Meeting Brian Jacques

Sense of Place

Reflections on the Promotion of The Blood Cries Out

An Interview of Karl Erickson

An Analysis of The Blood Cries Out  

An Office Interview 

Don't Forget the Editor!

Staying in the "Creative Groove"

What Not to Write

Art, Music, and the Church

A Writing Tip or Two

Beginning at the Middle

Published Articles on Writing *

"Art, and the Christian Gospel"

* It looks like some of my favorite articles on writing are no longer available online.  Guess it's time to write some more!

Exploring Commonplace Books

(re-post)

My Early Modern Literature and Culture course (aka Shakespeare's Sister) at Marylhurst University introduced me to commonplace books this term.  These books have been around for centuries, and they may be a great choice for you to record important passages from books, personal reflections, or observations, or the occasional sketch or two.  Thinking back to the diaries of family members that I remember coming across as a child, I suspect I've seen these before without recognizing them for what they were.


I love the idea of the commonplace book, and I will certainly recommend the practice.  In fact, people often ask me how to become a better writer, and this may become one of the tools I talk about in the future--e.g. reading, writing, and living.  For years, I used to carry a writer's notebook.  I remember taking mental notes of characters or dialogue from public places, and these daily snapshots would usually end up in my trusty notebook.  (When I considered a law enforcement career in the late 1980s and early 1990s, pocket notebooks took on a whole different kind of purpose in recording notes on techniques and...people.)  Today, I rely on my camera to remind me of important scenes or landscapes.  Conveying a strong, sharp sense of place in my fiction is tremendously important to me, and this method works well.  When recording dialogue, I usually take notes on electronic devices, but I do occasionally use old-fashioned notebooks or journals.  The digital audio recorder can also be helpful.

For taking notes on passages of writing that are personally important, I use many different approaches daily.  Much to my mother's disappointment, I tend to highlight essential passages in traditional books.  I also enjoy using the "highlighting" feature found in eBooks.  For a writer, even published articles can be a way to remember favorite quotes, as this article is a single example.  Applications such as Evernote are also a great way to record important information along these lines.  (You can even record You Tube videos!)  In short, then, I won't be changing how I take notes insofar as this experience is concerned, but that doesn't mean it wasn't a valuable experience.  I would add that the commonplace exercise helps enhance attention to detail within works. It also offers fascinating insights into how my note-taking methods could be improved and strengthened.

So, when it comes to commonplace books, these are great tools for the present, and they have the potential of providing glimpses and insights of the "hidden transcripts" of those who lived before us.  Are they something I will personally continue?  Probably not, but the fault lies with me alone. I really can't stand my own handwriting.  If this doesn't present a challenge for you personally, go for it!  

(Here are some additional examples of commonplace books from Pinterest.)