In the Land of Lexykon Corp

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kailhofer
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In the Land of Lexykon Corp

Post by kailhofer »

I really liked this one.<br><br>Just when you think you're about to read a comedy about people owning words, you find yourself in a human story about the death of dreams--and their rebirth.<br><br>Very well done.<br><br>Nate
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K._Vesi

Re:  In the Land of Lexykon Corp

Post by K._Vesi »

Thanks kailhofer and dsullivan for the compliments.<br><br>I wrote this story 3 or 4 years ago and sent it out to many magazines--it was rejected every single time. One editor said that he did not find the premise believable. <br><br>I shelved this story for many years, thinking that one day I would re-write it. Then I heard about Donald Trump trying to copyright "You're fired!" and I instantly thought of my story. So out it came. And I, too, don't think its that far-fetched. <br><br>Imagine if Donald Trump did get "You're fired!". Would he have gone after people if they used that phrase in a sitcom, or a movie, or a book?<br><br>Kathleen
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Robert_Moriyama
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Re:  In the Land of Lexykon Corp

Post by Robert_Moriyama »

I never noticed before, but Ms. Vesi is a fellow Ontariariaran (along with Rob Starr?). We should form our own clique of snobbish Central Canadian Aphelion contributors ...<br><br>Sad and strange story, this. Ms. Vesi mentions the recent "you're fired" weirdness as making her feel that the premise was more plausible, but consider the lunacy surrounding the Olympic (TM, (c), etc.) committee chasing owners of Greek restaurants ... I mean, Mt. Olympus is a place, and has figured in literature for literally thousands of years, but the money-hungry Olympic committee (now infamous for awarding the Games to a city at least partly on the basis of who offers the best incentives to the committee members) wants to OWN the root "Olymp-" and any and all words derived from it. And let's not forget Microsoft going after "Lindows" (the Linux graphical interface that imitates much of the behavior of 'Windows'(TM, etc.)) for looking / sounding similar to their would-be world monopoly piece.<br><br>The comparison to Bradbury's famous book made in an earlier post was also an apt one. How strange that placing a dollar value on individual words could DEVALUE reading and writing by making them unaffordable! Even Hemingway would find it difficult to write under such conditions, in spite of the well-known sparsity of his prose.<br><br>While I have no doubt that the stylistic/grammatical nits that Greg picked are valid, they didn't particularly bother me ... probably because I make the same mistakes myself! (Greg, you never TOLD me ...)<br><br>An interesting story in the 'think piece' tradition, made personal by the inclusion of Thomas's and Neil's background as dedicated reader and would-be writer.<br><br>Robert M.
You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.

Jack London (1876-1916)
K._Vesi

Re:  In the Land of Lexykon Corp

Post by K._Vesi »

Greg - <br><br>Thanks for the writing tips. It may not help this story; it's been published. But those kinda comments can help the next. <br><br>I admit it's not a dramatic story--it deals more with the thoughts of the character and his final revelation. My main focus has always been the journal entries and I am glad you like those parts, too. <br><br>Funny thing, though: I never thought about the story as "not leaving things unsaid". It is one layer of the story that I did not get, and I'm the one who wrote it! So it's not just the words on paper that have been lost... but also the words between people. Thank you for that insight.<br><br><br>Rob, my fellow Ontarian-<br><br>What! Central Canadians snobs! Noooo. I know that's what the rest of Canada thinks. Frankly, I would love to live in British Columbia, instead of factory-ladened Hamilton. And I wouldn't care that the main political and economic hub of Canada ignored me. I'd be content just to stare up at the Rockies... with "refreshments" of course.<br><br>You're right about this being a "think piece" and thanks for your comments. Have to say, though, that I am freaked out about the Olympic thing. I had no clue that that was going on. It's that kindof info that disturbs me. <br><br>The only other example I know of at the moment is the band MUSE threatening to sue Celine Dion for using their "name". This band has performing rights for that word. I think Celine wanted to have her Las Vegas shows called Celine Dion Muse. She back down, but not before trying to offer the band money to use that name. But what if she called her show Celion Dion's Muse (that is, with the apostrophe). Would that be okay? The word used in this context is from the ancient Greeks. Does this band own a word that has been in use for thousands of years just because they paid to trademark it?<br><br>Kathleen <br> <br>
Last edited by K._Vesi on July 13, 2004, 08:16:53 PM, edited 1 time in total.
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Re:  In the Land of Lexykon Corp

Post by Robert_Moriyama »

Have to say, though, that I am freaked out about the Olympic thing. I had no clue that that was going on. It's that kindof info that disturbs me.
Kathleen
<br>How about the European band "Bush"? They had to release albums and tour in Canada under the name "Bush X" because an obscure group here was already using the name. Then there was the looong struggle between the World Wildlife Fund and the World Wrestling Federation over the acronym "WWF". The Fund won, which is why the wrestlers now work for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) ... Disney, of course, is infamous for prosecuting anybody who uses their trademarked character likenesses and names (and how shameful it was that they owned the rights to the image of the red-coated Mountie for a few years).<br><br>Robert M.<br>
You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.

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Re:   In the Land of Lexykon Corp

Post by Robert_Moriyama »

you mean "fair and biased", don't you phoenix? used to think they were better than the horrible CNN, but alas, no such luck. AND if anyone dares copyright AND, they can sue my ass.

Lee
<br><br>Actually, it's UNfair and UNbalanced. But this is newspeak (the official language of '1984'), where what is said is usually the opposite of the truth (viz. the Ministry of Truth, in charge of propaganda). Up here in Ontariariario, the provincial government ejected last fall introduced goodies like the Tenant Protection Act, which made it easier to evict tenants, and provided a financial incentive to do so (since a rent-controlled apartment could jump immediately to what-the-market-will-bear upon a change in tenancy.<br><br>Robert M.<br>
You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.

Jack London (1876-1916)
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Robert_Moriyama
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Re:  In the Land of Lexykon Corp

Post by Robert_Moriyama »

What rejoicing? I said the previous gov't had been ejected. As it happens, I'm a tenant myself who has been threatened with eviction once (they backed down).<br><br>At the federal level, we have just rejected the opportunity to put the Canadian equivalent of the GOP in power, in spite of some nasty scandals and general fatigue with the party that has been in power for the last 11 years. Still, the new (political veteran, but newly-selected party leader) Prime Minister is a fiscal conservative himself -- we may be fortunate that he will have to court the main left-of-center party's favor to stay in power (as the ruling party no longer holds a majority of seats and could be ousted if the opposition parties get together).<br><br>There's a 'Hell no, I won't go' refugee case at the moment, with a U.S. citizen trying to claim asylum so he won't have to go to Iraq ... don't know how much luck he'll have.<br><br>Poverty ain't much more fun up here than it is in the You Ess of Ayy ... and no, you can't just build yourself an igloo to live in. (Feels like about 95 - 100 Fahrenheit in Toronto today.)<br><br>Robert M.
You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.

Jack London (1876-1916)
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