Just popping back in for a couple of plugs.

First, Please is now available in ebook form. I like to call this version the “author’s cut” because it contains notes from me about the writing of each of the episodes in the book. It also has a shiny new cover. All this for the price of a latte.

Second, The Warhol Gang will shortly be available in paperback. It also has a new cover, as well as a lovely quote from Robert J. Wiersema  — “occasionally nauseating.” Shininess all around.

All right, back to the drama.

I’ll continue to update my writer-type blog, and I remain active on Facebook and Twitter, so follow me there if you want to keep in touch.

From Metrix X’s Flickr stream.

1. Non-neutral postures (or postures outside of the normal or resting postures each joint of the body finds most comfortable)

2. Force, surprisingly, tends not to be an issue in a writer’s job unless they carry laptops and tonnes of research material around in a bag

3. Repetition occurs when the number of keystrokes or mouse clicks exceeds what the average human tendon or muscle is able to sustain. There are tools we use in our practice to calculate when these rates exceed what a person should perform on a day-to-day basis

4. Static loads at the muscles of the back, neck, shoulders and arms. This refers to what happens when a writer sits for long periods of time at the computer without taking micro-breaks and regular breaks in posture. The muscles will hold the joints of the back plus neck, legs and arms in place without movement occurring (which results in limited blood supply to the working muscles and leads to both fatigue and discomfort of these

5. Mechanical loads (which include writers leaning forearms onto the edges of their desks or onto those pads often used in tandem with mice. (These devices, sold as ergonomic, are anything but!) he writer leans the forearm onto the edge of their desk, or onto those pads often used in front of the mouse (they are sold as ergonomic but are anything but). Then, there’s the incorrectly positioned chair-seat pan which places pressure at the back of the knees and could well cause compression to the soft tissues, wrist and leg nerves and tendons which, in turn, may negatively affect circulation (which could, in some cases, lead to the development of deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) in the legs)

6. Environmental factors such as low levels of light, distracting sounds and air quality all need to be scrupulously monitored.

The Canadian government is upset about a Vancouver company’s cheeky stickers for luggage, which depict bags of cocaine, a flight attendant stuffed in a suitcase, sex toys and bundles of money.

“Joking around like this could possibly be a serious violation of the Aeronautics Act,” James Kusie, a spokesman for Transport Minister John Baird, told CBC News.

“Joking about potentially trafficking illegal substances, or worse, is not funny, and the government will use the full force of the law to ensure Canadians who travel by air are safe,” Kusie said.

Really? The government is going to use the full force of the law to crack down on… stickers?

The province recently undertook a survey designed to drum up interest in building a new post-secondary arts program. The results of that survey put the situation in stark relief. The study, issued earlier this year by the Prince Edward Island Council of the Arts, states that the average yearly earnings of the 1,960 cultural workers on the island is $15,900. Additionally, of the 460 people who currently identify themselves as artists, 25% of that workforce is under 35 years old. That number, nationally, is 37%, and the statistics present an exodus of the province’s young talent.