"The unexpected becomes expected."
The short, practical answer is no. The long, forward thinking answer is maybe. My top-of-the-head answer is sure, why not?
There are a few questions that I get asked from time to time that might be best served to have in one convenient place. This is also a way for me to organize my thoughts from various sections into one whole. Finally, there is a chance that, over time, this website might grow to serve as more than just a personal site (might sell stories through it, might use it as a reference of some sort) and so this is just a way for me to have a place for a FAQ to go.
The original version of this site showed up at the end 2002. At that time it went by Wyrmis.Net (which should just link back to the opening page assuming the forwarding is set up correctly). It had a very similar sort of layout, though it tended to have an uglier color scheme. Just like now, it was a place for me to post bits here or there.
This incarnation (which was ".com" because ".net" had be picked up by some advert group trying to sell it back to me) started in 2006 or so. I hashed out what sort of rough sections (a selection I am generally still proud of, but if I had my druthers would probably re-arrange at least slightly).
I am trying to use fairly standard HTML and CSS with no scripts (besides for rare effect) and with images properly labeled and posted and check and etc etc. Still, there will always be browswer conventions that I did not account for. I test the website with Lynx, w3m, Firefox, Safari (including the iPhone version) and Konqueror (each has their own way of displaying it, slightly) and I am happy with those four. If you use I.E. or Opera or something else and it's not coming through at all, then drop me a note and let me know. Take a screenshot if you will and I'll do what I can to work on it.
From my opening page:
If you find something you like on this website, then feel free to link to it or copy it (read the CC at teh bottom) and share it, or just tell someone about it. I know this is largely something that can remain unspoken, but I just wanted to make it known that I am 100% cool with it. If there is something you absolutely hate, well, I suppose the same applies.
You can buy me something from my Amazon.com Wishlist. There are number of different types of gifts to choose from. I mostly use that for my own record keeping, but if a gift from it did find its way into my hands, I would be tickled.
Or, alternately, go and support Project Gutenberg through donation or just by giving them traffic or by linking to them. They are much larger, more important site than my own. They are an excellent service that needs to stay alive. Any gifts to them inspired by my site, I will consider a gift to myself.
Yes and no. Yes, there is always a risk that the information here will be used against me, but in my experience if someone wants to target you they can find ways to do it no matter how hidden you are. I have had several friends use combinations of filters and privacy settings still get harassed. Besides, as much as like net-anonyminity, I think the time has come for us to start posting and approaching our online lives very much as a mirror of our real world ones. This way, I say what I mean. I put it in conjunction with my name. I have to act like I do in real life. I cannot hide behind proxies or anything. And, this way, if anyone ever uses anything against me it is open for all to see.
I occasionally use words too precisely (as compared to their standard usage). Words like "Ironic". Which means, roughly, "involving something not expected, not intended, or not spoken of". Which is believed to mean anything from "tragic" to "coincidental" to "unfortunate" to "funny". I try and keep a track of these definitions with It Does Not Mean What You Think It Means.
I also come up with words or phrases or meanings or copy them from obscure sources. For these words and phrases, try Phrases I Use (Handy Guide.
Probably. I consider every original bit of this site (including the stylesheets and stuff that works behind the scenes but is available client-side) to be free to use, free to copy/share, free to remix, free to quote and free to talk about. Not everything on here is mine, though, so keep that in mind. I will try and let you know somehow, but just because I post something from someone else does not mean I am also posting away their rights to it. The three limitations on using my stuff are that you have to give me attribution, you cannot resell your work that is derived from mine (nor can you sell mine directly), and that it is "share alike". You can read more information on the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike Description. This means that if you take a poem of mine and use it in something of yours (one person used one of my poems in a Flash movie she made, which was kind of cool) then it is under the idea that you will also release your product freely.
If you need some thing that I have done for a commercial product, contact me. I have written poetry, essays, short stories, plays and whatnot at a commission before and can do it again. I can give you the works shown here, but I can likely make something of the same quality but more fine tuned to your needs.
This should not include, mind you, normal fair use bits. If you quote me in a paper, then you don't have to give the paper away. Only if you significantly take my work. The degree of borrowing that usually requires fees and royalties.
If you do use my stuff, my only additional request is that you let me know. I'm interested in what other people thought and how they made use of it.
It happens. Back in the ".net" version of the site, I had fairly decent review of Lord of the Rings posted. The novel. Talked about several issues and stuff. Around the time the first movie came out, a lot of teachers assigned the book(s) as required reading. I had maybe a dozen people either ask me if they could use my review as their book report, tell me they were going to use significant bit of my review as a book report, or tell me they had already used a significant portion of my review as a book report. Why they told me they were going to rip me off, or had ripped me off, I don't know. Maybe they felt they had somehow bested me?
I'm not ok with it, mind you. I will do what I can to rectify it. But I do acknowledge that it's at least a risk I run by posting stuff online.
I've been asked this a couple of times due to this site. I will probably be asked this again. The answer I always give is "no". I will help with stuff, no problem. I will sell you stuff for commercial use. But I will not do classwork for you. I have done it twice, way back in the past (about a decade or more ago, now), and I never plan to do it again. In both cases, the person took my help and then tried to still be lazy with using it. Causing me to get in some trouble as well.
Probably not. Sometimes friends and strangers will wonder if I can host something (usually an image or file) so they can post it somewhere. There are plenty of free services to handle that elsewhere and that way I don't have to worry about them later having to track me down and get me to remove it. At the same time, I have done it for time to time so just ask if you want. If I don't know you personally, then it probably won't happen.
Probably. I've spent a little bit studying formatting and CSS and the like and have a good idea of how many things work. Just ask and I'll give you want pointers I can dig up. If you want me to build a website for you, then that will probably cost, but I'm relatively cheap and have done it before.
If that is the case, then let me know. The poetry and writings posted here are all original to me, but that does not mean that I did not cross a line at some point in time when talking about an additional work. I have no intention of stealing from another, but mistakes sometimes happen. I will post pictures or webcomics or sound bites and whatnot that I found elsewhere but tend to download and rehost here because I don't want to steal bandwidth. In these cases, I try and make it pretty clear whose files they really are and hopefully never make it sound like I am responsible for them.
Let me know what it is and I'll see what I can do. I am 100% against censorship, but I do think that self-censorship is sometimes required in this world. Chances are, if I said something offensive, I meant to, though I tend to do it kind of tongue-in-cheek. It may not be easy to read, but if I make a racist or sexist quip, I am most of the time making fun of racists and sexists. I also tend to not censor someone if they said something that I quote. If I personally insulted you (say, by making a comment on fat people and you feel that I should be more respectful) then talk to me about it and I'll decide if I need to tone it down. If I made a factual error then show me some proof and I'll look into fixing my mistake.
If I end up disagreeing with your sentiment, then by all means let me know anyhow. If what you say is well worded and worth considering, I will post it in some way that it links back to whatever it was that you took exception toward. You can see an example of this with this page. Notice how my discussion with the person is longer than the original posting.
Actually, most of the e-mails I get, I don't share. I tend to reserve that for those that significantly change or add or debate what I wrote, and I will ask before I share. The only exception to this will be on my Blog where any significant comment sent to me will be shared unless you ask me not to share it.
They happen. Especially when you write like I do and let things pour out in a hurry and hope to have time to correct them later.
I love to talk about the things I love. I talk about favorite authors, favorite bands, favorite blends of tea, favorite pipe tobaccos, favorite whatevers. If you have a movie or a book or blend or a album or a song and would like me to 1) review it, 2) promote it, 3) discuss it, or 4) link to it, just let me know.
I have to warn you, though. I try to be honest in all of my reviews and promotions. Free samples will not automatically win me over. Also, I don't have a lot of free money just laying around. If you want me to review something then it will have to be after I can buy a copy (and of this, books get priority). If you have a review copy that you can send me, my address is on the site. I'm a friendly enough guy overall, and am willing to work out some sort of arrangement.
Then let's talk. Same basic rules apply as above, though.
Sure.
Unless this is just a compliment, not going to happen. If you want, send me your information and I'll e-mail it to them and let them decide how to follow-up.
Possibly. Born in 1977. Grew up around Evergreen and McKenzie. Went to Hillcrest High and Jefferson Davis Community College before the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Have worked at Subway (in Evergreen), West (in Huntsville), as a Resident Advisor (at UAH), and at Waldens (keyholder after working at the calendar kiosk) and Book Gallery (manager). Have had a few works published, but I kind of forget where. Besides that, have done some poetry readings and hung out in various circles, usually artsy or geeky. Does that sounds like me?
Ok, I made that last one up. Kind of. I do womanize my wife (and occasionally my cat) but all in good fun. The rest I do, or am, or whatever and I am not apologetic about it. I don't expect anyone to agree to any of them if they don't want to, but all of them are legal (with restrictions, sure) and I enjoy them and I don't do them in any way or any shape or any form that should interfere with you. Theoretically. If you really think I should stop, then let me know and I'll talk about it.
Yes, my other main website right this moment is Doug Loves Sarah. That website is dedicated to my wife.
All other blogs or journals that you have found by me or about me are considered out of date right now, and I am letting them drift into being obsolete.
Written by W Doug Bolden
For those wishing to get in touch, you can contact me in a number of ways
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
The only request is that you let me know if you are using something from this page (mostly for my own curiosity). This license only applies to original works by W. Doug Bolden (i.e. me). All quoted and referenced works, be they movies or books or other websites or whatever, are subject to their original license or copyright and are the property of their owners. I have made a strong effort to properly attribute them, so please respect me and them by doing the same.
"The hidden is greater than the seen."