Media Proposal

(For publishers, producers, agencies and patrons)

I began putting "The Adventures of a Sci-Phi Pilot" on the net a few years ago, after several thousand pages of notes had proven to me that this was not simply a passing fancy. Though a leisurely concoction of fact, fiction, fantasy and philosophy, the Sci-Phi Pilot keeps one foot planted in the ground with "A Language of Metaphors".

"A Language of Metaphors" is, at its deepest roots, a conceptual Rosetta Stone. It applies an intuitive mathematical method for the extrapolation of information, becoming a universal teaching/learning tool. It equally works well for the simple creation of metaphors - a priceless tool for speakers and writers alike. Given the
wide technical and educational demographics of the regulars that drop by the website, it appears to have hit its mark.

I would like to work towards several related projects, all of which are concentric
around this central material. First, since educators seem quite happy with
the examples and methods, I would think a guidebook to creating effective
metaphors may be marketable. A matching book aimed at the preschooler - a
"children's book of metaphors" - would illustrate concepts such as "door" or
"road" in the many metaphorical forms they can be found in. In general, these
books would surround an educational delivery of this material.

Another project, which may or may not rely on material found in the
textbooks, is one strictly of metaphor examples. The examples page of "A Language of Metaphors" has boasted the number one spot on the Google search engine for
some time (search string: metaphor examples). Visitors appear divided into
two camps: businesses seeking material to aid in some form of description,
such as advertising or training sessions, or; teachers and students seeking out examples for specific and non-specific demonstrations. A book that categorizes metaphors in a reversal of the word-then-definition format of a dictionary seems very
feasible. Imagine the value of a thesaurus for universal concepts.

For the intellectual leisure-reader, a collection of joy-ride essays, such as "Viagra
Highway", "Three-Speed Transmission in Horses", A Carpet of Mouths or "Slot Machines and Genetics" can be drawn up from the same material. Currently, only a few such essays exist on the site, with some larger pieces, such as "Knowgramming", "The Genetics of Alphabet Soup" or "Nanosemaphore" awaiting much further expansion into the website. An extensive list of coming chapters can be found on the "A Language of Metaphors" index page - projects which I relish having the resources to complete. The "Metaphor Photos" pages on the website offer dozens of essays with matching photos, though outrageous factual and literary content errors currently decorate (=litter) this specific material. A "picture book of metaphors" seems an attractive summertime fare, and may prove itself a popular coffee-table snack.

Much of this material can be readily published as electronic media, though the only
(first-pass) edited version of the content is hidden in text form as a single file on the site. The site enjoys a rate of over one million hits per year from about 100,000 individual visitors. Recently, two pages were added - Metaphor Pairings and Sensory Metaphors - and were immediately accepted by users, gathering an annualized rate of 20,000 visitors. It is my hope to build a full multimedia version of this site, as a great deal of hits come from younger users (K-12, library and university hits account for the greatest proportion of identifiable visitor domains). 

I have been gradually accumulating material for a film/DVD which exemplifies the greater concept - a translation made through the Language of Metaphors. This would illustrate, through an easy-to-follow sequence of conceptual comparisons, the interrelationships between - among many others - plane, bird, fish, squid, heart and jet. Viewers would enjoy being carried gently from concept to concept, seeing their everyday world filled with new life and greater understanding. In short, this film would aim to bridge between the understandings of many - a multidiscipline Rosetta Stone. 

 

If you feel that any of this material suits the direction or goals of your organization, or if you have further questions or concerns, contact me via the avenue of your choice.