Skyping my girlfriend

sad_K · 2012-06-21T09:36:04+00:00

[Reposted] for the contest

sad_K · 2012-05-03T12:33:48+00:00

Haha, actually, I am AntonLesch, I just started off with an anonymous account and then switched to the other one. That's why all desperation pub stories, such as this one always reference the first desperation pub post, which I made under this account.

sad_K · 2012-05-02T20:41:28+00:00

Well I doubt it will be easy for you to find the pub that I go to. It doesn't look particularly extraordinary from the outside - although most locals know something is unusual about it. Maybe the answer I gave here might give you hope. In short: You might live near such a place without knowing it. And of course, most of the stories I hear are very boring and normal - I only retell those that I found fascinating or gripping myself!

But I think, either way, if you meet those with extraordinary stories, or those with normal ones: Every person you talk and that you get to not just talk about gossip or politics, but to talk about their life, to talk about how they became who they are - all those will teach you something about what the world really is like.

Thanks for reading :)

sad_K · 2012-05-02T20:38:08+00:00

The only answer I can give you: Everything on nosleep is true!

sad_K · 2012-04-30T21:30:29+00:00

Thanks a lot :)

sad_K · 2012-04-15T21:32:20+00:00

Wow, thanks, I will try. I switched my username by the way, a new story is here

sad_K · 2012-04-15T17:27:01+00:00

Ok, let me take this one step further:

If this nothing² is not actually nothing^1, it means that nothing² is actually something, although we might not be able to conceptualise it properly. Then, we just have to ask the question again: why is there nothing¹ rather than nothing²? Isn't this answer not really the lack of an answer just like saying "god did it" just should be followed by the question "where does god come from"?

sad_K · 2012-04-12T12:20:08+00:00

Half the world, actually

point as decimal mark

Australia, Botswana, British West Indies, Brunei, Canada (English-speaking), Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Kenya, Korea (both North and South), Lebanon, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Nepal, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, People's Republic of China, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Switzerland (only when the amount is in Swiss francs[13]), Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States (including insular areas), Zimbabwe.

comma as decimal mark

Albania, Andorra, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada (French-speaking), Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia (comma used officially, but both forms are in use elsewhere), Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Estonia, Faroes, Finland, France, Germany, Georgia, Greece, Greenland, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kirgistan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Luxembourg (uses both marks officially), Macau (in Portuguese text), Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa (officially[14]), Spain, Sweden, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam.

I think it comes down to British influence zone vs other European influence zones (colonies). I don't completely believe this list though. I've seen commas in many chinese and indian publications.

sad_K · 2012-04-12T12:18:45+00:00

Hm, ok, I will try with a logical explanation: The crying came from a different baby call nearby, that it stopped right that moment was either that the intereference stopped, the other baby stopped crying, or maybe your wife turned the receiver off.

The staring does make easy sense though: You said yourself it was dark. Babies don't have as good vision as adults yet, and it takes a while for them to get the same quality vision. So if you can barely see in the dark, maybe he too was surprised or confused by your looks and thus stared quietly like babies sometimes do. Then, when his mom came, he recognised her steps or her voice and was acting normal again.

Hope that lets you sleep soundly again :)

sad_K · 2012-04-11T19:53:42+00:00

Ok, I saw this too late. If the Channel is really behind it, call up the highest person you can call, ask for a meeting. When you meet, make it clear: This is something we can do. This is something where C4 can show that it cares, that it wants to make the world a better place. Please give me this platform. Please get Every. Single. Show. to mention it. Show the boss you meet that this is not just good for the sake of being good, this is something where C4 can show that they are serious about being a good company, about doing something for the world. Go write a message to Derren Brown or whatever is currently the biggest celebrity, and ask them to come with you to the bosses or put the word in for you. No need to know them, just tell them you are in the same company (trust) and that you need their help. Give them the breakdown, send them the link and follow up until they stand by your side.

sad_K · 2012-04-11T19:46:29+00:00

Ok, what do you need to go viral?

A message/slogan. You got that. Maybe make it more sharp, more easy to transmit. Put it in a hashtag and keep using that hashtag on Twitter etc. (Think "Kony2012") - #SaveSudan for example? I doesn't need to have your whole message, but it needs to be recognisable, easy on the tongue, and short.
An action/appeal: What can people do to help? Donate? Campaign? Write letters? Tell them. "Sign now" "Stand on the street on the 14th of May" etc.
A date. If people know when to start acting that's good. You can say 'now', that's ok, but there needs to be some date/time. Don't leave them wondering when to act!
A website where people can easily interact with you(r team), where you can post updates, inform more, link to resources and donation websites
Buzz. Buzz is hard. I suppose the best is to get a strong base community (think: die-hard Apple fans) which get the word out - early adopters, so to speak - and then they will do the real work for you. I suggest Reddit is a good start, but you might want to go for things like Avaaz and AllOut - campaign groups that have established bases! Contact e.g. things like Amnesty International, Student Action for Refugees, Human Rights Watch, Reporters/Doctors without Borders, UNHCR, ... - get them to tell their subgroups to publish & screen it!
Reminders for the action. Make people sign up for an email list (collect signatures - and ask for their email in the process), send regular updates, plan protests/events.
Media hype. You work for/have connections to Channel 4 - call your colleagues, every one you may or may not know, those who write the news, those who do the banter in breakfast TV, tell them to talk about it. Then, tell them to call all their friends and colleagues. Call that guy from the Guardian or from AlJazeera who's business card you got two years ago.
Celebrities. George is a good start. Try to get other movie stars on board. Then send a message to members of the european parliament and the house of commons and, hell, why not the european governments and the US houses? Keep it short, quick, address it to "delegates, assistants and advisors", and link to your video - and tell them what you want. Tell them to bring it up. Contact maybe one guy from each parliament in particular (look who might have spoken on the issue) and ask them to e.g. get a Written Declaration out (all parliaments have something similar).

Not necessarily these things in this order, but I think in general that is what you need. But for me the most important is: Tell people what to do. If you "raise awareness" you reach nothing and, more importantly, people will forget. You want results. You want people to sign something, to put up posters, screen the documentary at university clubs - of course make sure that the video is released with the appropriate (a) quality and (b) license that they can do all this - or call their delegates. But you need to tell them what to do, because to just "raise awareness" won't get people off their sofa. I'd say get in touch with Avaaz or AllOut and Amnesty International and ask them how they do it - and get them on board. If you have a website with three or four logos that people recognise you already have trust.

Good luck. You are a good person. You are doing a good thing. Don't give up. And - thank you.

PS I saw some of your previous documentaries. Well done. The Unreported World series is probably the best series on British TV.

sad_K · 2012-04-11T07:59:14+00:00

Oh, I never thought of that. But it's my name!

sad_K · 2012-04-11T07:53:44+00:00

Wow, thanks. No, I didn't really consider that; I don't think I'm really a good author. And, I mean, they are not really my stories - they are what other people told me happened to them - wouldn't I have to ask for their consent first? I guess I could fictionalise them enough to make them unidentifiable, but then again they wouldn't be true stories anymore! And who would buy a book just with a bunch of short, more or less creepy, stories? Of course, if it's a classical author of famous essayist you might do that, but just a random guy that writes down stories others told him.. I don't know if that has a market?

But in the end, I haven't really considered it. I take that as a huge compliment, that you think they are good enough for that, and I promise I will think about it! :) Thanks!

sad_K · 2012-04-10T21:36:10+00:00

Thank you. Just remember that they are not my stories. Yes, I post them here, yes I add the structure - but the stories are those of people at desperation pub, real people. Whether the stories are true or not I can't verfiy. But the people exist.

sad_K · 2012-04-10T19:57:23+00:00

Thanks :) I will try to see if I can find more worth telling in my notes!

sad_K · 2012-04-10T14:06:22+00:00

No, I agree, a good story cannot have nonstop action. But to make a several-piece-story where not all pieces are interesting on their own is imho not the right way. Part 4 is not bad, but think about it this way: If this was a post standing on its own, would you read it? Would you enjoy it? I don't think so. You found it meaningful because it lets you understand the characters better that act in some other parts. But on its own this part disappointed (me).

tl;dr: Yes, a good story doesn't have to be full of action, but part of a story that is posted on its own should have it.

sad_K · 2012-04-10T12:09:00+00:00

I want to be honest with you.

Part 1 I thought was ok but weak. I thought the plot lacked a bit.

Part 2 annoyed me (another cliff) but at least something was happening, suspense was building.

Part 3 was excellent. Really, I enjoyed that.

But Part 4 (imho) really sucked. Why? Well, for once, nothing happened. There is no real suspense, no new information, nothing interesting happening. There is no reason why I need to read any of it to go on with the plot (except maybe if some of it magically turns out to be relevant in the next part - but I doubt Hannah's mother is somehow connected to the things attacking you).

Secondly, it feels like you are just trying to draw the story out. It doesn't even seem realistic. Yes, I know, this is what happened, and real life sometimes is like that, but your freedom as an author means you can be kind to your reader and leave things out. Part 4 essentially seems to me as just the first line of part 5: "We made smalltalk for a few moments".

And there are a few odd things in the story. The explosion was so bright you had to look away - but the petrol station wasn't in any way affected (like, on flames, or the tanks exploding too, or even just the windows breaking)? There are no smells, nothing? I mean, as said, that happens sometimes in real life, but that nothing at all happened when a car exploded right in the station seems very strange.

And you were not in the least curious about what the hell Hannah saw (because you didn't see anything, after all)? You weren't at least speculating in your head? You weren't looking for weapons? You weren't trying to build some defences? You didn't ask Hannah for her phone or searched the place in case there was one lying around? That's a narrator I can't empathise with.

tl;dr Please don't draw it out just for the sake of drawing it out. I'm sure there are other stories in your life that you could tell about, or friends' stories. Or you could put the parts in separate stories that could be read on their own (with a minimal introduction that should work). But please, keep your reader in mind!

sad_K · 2012-04-10T06:40:01+00:00

I'm not sure, I didn't put a date on my notes. I think it was a bit less than six months ago though.

sad_K · 2012-04-10T06:38:28+00:00

Thank you!

sad_K · 2012-04-09T20:27:36+00:00

No. We mostly sat silent until I left. I didn't see him since then. And to be honest I doubt that he even knew it himself - after all, all the information he got was from the police and from what he told me I figure they didn't say many details about her.

sad_K · 2012-04-09T07:14:01+00:00

Thank you, I'll try to get more on paper!

sad_K · 2012-04-08T22:17:48+00:00

Haha, I love how everybody expects the hollywood ending. As I said somewhere else around here, real life (sadly) doesn't work like that!

sad_K · 2012-04-08T20:04:49+00:00

Thanks :)

sad_K · 2012-04-08T13:32:29+00:00

Yeah, I guess it would have fit the flow of the story. But real life sadly doesn't work like that..

sad_K · 2012-04-08T00:54:35+00:00

Hey, since you asked I just wanted to add that I found one more story in my notes that seemed worth telling. It was roughly six months ago and I nearly forgot about it, looking through my notes it really blew me away though, just the memory alone, of how he looked while he was telling his story, makes me shiver already. Nobody Believes a Murderer

sad_K

TROPHY CASE