Several health issues have kept me from blogging and that’s annoying. I’ve gotten old and can’t do a lot of what I once could do, but I didn’t expect to be shut out of blogging. I have back problems and sometimes it keeps me from sitting at the computer. I’m writing this in a recliner on an old Chromebook. I’m also taking a drug that makes me feel out of it. However, I don’t want to give up. This post is a test to see how well I can work reclining using different equipment and tools. I’ve spent years getting my software tools just right, and now I must start over.
Luckily, WordPress is web-based. And my default browser on my Windows 11 machine is Chrome. However, I have no idea how to edit photos on a Chromebook — at least for now. I also used Notepad++ as my temporary memory. That’s where I keep ideas, and lists, and do my thinking by typing before I move over to WordPress. I’ve been contemplating getting a new machine for writing in bed and I’m considering Windows, Mac, and Chromebook.
I’m still participating in my daily science fiction short story discussion on Facebook but quite often I encounter stories I want to write about here. And there are topics I’d like to research and write about but don’t feel well enough to do it. For example, we’ve been reading SF stories from 2020 speculating about the effects of climate change on the future, and even though I’ve been thinking SF writers should write more about that topic, I’m starting to feel it’s a poor theme for science fiction.
It’s very hard not to be gloom and doomy in a story about our future. And if it’s upbeat, it often comes across as Pollyannish. There’s nothing gosh-wow or sensawonderish about adapting to climate change. I’m even been theorizing that science fiction has never been about reality anyway.
Well, my back is protesting too much…
James Wallace Harris, 5/27/22
Classics of Science Fiction 
Keep well, Jim! I always enjoy your posts.
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Would love to read more on that last sentence. I hope you find a way. Best!
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Best of luck. My suggestions are use a real keyboard and monitor, not those ones on a laptop, which IMO put stress on people. I love my laptop but that’s what I always do. And what about speech-to-text.
Looks like you have some issues, and you’re about 70(?). These days that’s not that old. Perhaps you should look into diet, which can have a powerful effect on one’s health.
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I’ve tried both the laptop keyboard and a regular keyboard. I like the regular keyboard and mouse better, but my back hurts a little more using it. It might be the way I have to lean for each.
I’m a fairly healthy eater now, been a vegetarian since 1969. However, I ate lots of junk food in the past. I’m down about 30 pounds since I had my heart stent put in, and I’ve been a better eater since then too. I’m still trying to lose more weight. I’m constantly testing different diets to see if they will help my various problems.
I was also exercising more on the exercise bike and rowing machine, but I’m not wondering if that didn’t hurt my back.
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“I’ve tried both the laptop keyboard and a regular keyboard. I like the regular keyboard and mouse better, but my back hurts a little more using it. It might be the way I have to lean for each.”
If you have to lean for them then it’s also the chair you’re using and the desk/surface. You shouldn’t have to. For a long time there’s been the field of ergonomics, you may want to look that up. The monitor should be at eye level or maybe a little lower. For blogging there’s now text-to-speech (most smart phones have it).
“I’m a fairly healthy eater now, been a vegetarian since 1969.”
Humans are naturally omnivores. This might actually be a hidden reason for your declining health. You might want to try a limited meat diet, such as the one that Seventh Day Adventists do, two days a week. They consider it optimal.
FWIW, these are my suggestions.
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Just saw the previous post, so this one isn’t a comment on your latest. I’m sorry you’re dealing with some health issues. Being vegetarian is a definite plus (I’ve been full vegan for about eight years), but there are, as you know, so many factors involved, some out of our hands. But doing this, writing your reviews, is also a health plus. We can tell you enjoy writing them as much as we enjoy reading them. Thanks again, and hoping you’re feeling better.
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