The Official Ferrett "Ask Me Anything" Thread
(NOTE: Based on time elapsed since the posting of this entry, the BS-o-meter calculates this is 14.472% likely to be something that Ferrett now regrets.)
I do this when I have a lot of Tedious Stuff to do at work, but don’t have the time to write a real essay. So. Here’s how it works:
Ask me a real question. On any topic. I’ll do my best to answer honestly.
(Fake questions like “How much wood would a woodchuck chuck?” are neither clever nor useful. You can do it; it marks you as the kind of person who doesn’t realize the joke is so obvious it’s been done a hundred times before, and I’ll think less of you for being tedious. Hey, I told you I’d answer honestly.)
All other questions will be answered politely, and to the best of my ability. Go.
What time are your and Gini’s panels this weekend?
I know it’s not a deep, meaning of life question, but it is very relevant to my interests.
I DO NOT KNOW I WISH THEY WOULD TELL ME PLEASE GKNE TELL ME
If you could have any one body part, or bodily function, swappedout for a futuristic cyborg/nanotech upgrade – what would you choose?
Blood. Or stomach. I want to eat sugar. I want fatty foods. I don’t wanna worry about my heart any more.
Back when you were on LiveJournal, I remember you writing a post about having toilet paper placed over or under on the roll, and whether you would change toilet paper in someone else’s house if your preference was strong enough. This evolved (possibly in the comments) into a conversation about toilet paper preferences as D&D alignments.
Can you say what the conclusion was, in your own mind? This has been bugging me for years.
I wish I could tell you! I don’t even remember in this one.
But I’m pretty sure all the people who go underneath are evil. All of them.
(If you can link me to the original post, maybe that’ll jog my memory, but a quick search on Google didn’t hit it for me. Though I am tired.)
Do you think it’s possible to write anything truly original, and if not, does the limit of human creativity bother you? (I know this is sort of a cliche question, but I’d enjoy your honest opinion on the matter. It’s a liiittle bit better than woodchucks, right? 🙂
I don’t, but it doesn’t bother me. Ideas aren’t the execution; “Lonely boy finds secret society that tells him he has a destiny” had been done to death a zillion times before, but then Harry Potter comes along. “Story told in reverse” is old hat, but damn if Memento didn’t make it new. It’s all about how you do it that makes it seem fresh.
Way better than woodchucks.
If you had lost a child, and still had one child living, what would you reply when asked, “How many children do you have?” If I answer with, “I have 2″, generally the next question is ,” How old are they?” Thanks
I honestly don’t know. I’d react in some way, but that’s the sort of thing that would require total rerouting in some way to cope with it, and I think you’d have to find whatever works for you. Either way, it’s gonna hurt. A lot. And I’m sorry.
If I asked the question, not knowing you had lost a child, I would appreciate a direct answer. You lost a child—there is no greater grief. It’s not your job to protect others from your grief. I would tell the truth: “I have two children, Timmy and Sarah. Timmy died last year.” Or another way that’s a little less harsh: “I have two children, one here on earth and the other in heaven.”
Are you still involved in the Magic community besides your job? Your multiplayer articles were the first thing that got me into reading your stuff, so I was wondering if you’re still playing Magic in any way.
I play a lot of DotP 2014, and follow the events and new sets, but that’s about it. I wish I had the time to physically play IRL more, but writing occupies a LOT of time.
Do you see your writing career as an escape from the information technology field, or are you happy doing both? (Or choice three that actually answers the question for you, if these two options don’t quite apply)
I’d love to go into writing full-time, though the IT field is fun. But writing doesn’t pay insurance, and it pays WAY less, so I doubt I’ll be leaving it any time soon.
What, in your estimation, is the ultimate expression of will power, in terms of erotic love?
Not sure what you mean by that. Rephrase?
hi there.
Have you every traced your family tree? I ask because my maiden name is Heather Steinmetz. Since it is such an uncommon name, I thought I would ask. thanks!
I have not. Though it’s always weird to find another one of us!