avatarPhil Truman

Summary

The undefined website features a collection of curated stories by Phil Truman, hosted on ILLUMINATION-Curated, which includes various essays and parodies on topics ranging from humor and satire to life lessons and inspirational pieces.

Abstract

The content on the undefined website is a selection of articles written by Phil Truman, which covers a diverse range of themes. These include a parody of the song "The Sound of Silence" to humorously illustrate a writer's procrastination, a satirical take on imparting grandfatherly wisdom, and a reflective piece on the consequences of anger. Additionally, Truman shares his response to negative book reviews in a humorous light and provides commentary on historical pandemics to offer perspective on the current one. The collection also features a personal essay on military service, a critique of the influence of algorithms on society, and a nod to the support from Dr. Mehmet Yildiz for the contributions to ILLUMINATION-Curated.

Opinions

  • Phil Truman uses humor and satire to discuss serious topics such as the evolution of anger and the impact of procrastination on a writer's life.
  • The author reflects on his military experience with a blend of nostalgia and critique, paying tribute to the dedication of service members despite the inanities of military leadership.
  • Truman's essay on one-star book reviews indicates that while positive reviews are encouraging, the number of reviews, regardless of their rating, is an important measure of a book's engagement with its audience.
  • The piece on pandemics throughout history aims to encourage a resilient attitude during the current health crisis, suggesting that society should not be dominated by fear.
  • The commentary on algorithms, while presented with humor, concludes with a cautionary perspective on the potential for digital surveillance and manipulation akin to an Orwellian dystopia.
  • The acknowledgment of Dr. Mehmet Yildiz implies that the author values the support and perhaps the collaborative relationship within the ILLUMINATION-Curated platform.

Collection of Curated Stories on ILLUMINATION

Selected stories by Phil Truman hosted on ILLUMINATION-Curated

Small frog in a big pond — Image by Eveline de Bruin from Pixabay

The Sound of Sighing

#PARODY #HUMOR #WRITING

A lyrics parody of the popular ‘60’s song The Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel using the same meter, cadence, and tune (if you sing it). My take is the toll procrastination takes on a writer.

The 3 Levels of Wisdom

#HUMOR #SATIRE #WISDOM

A tongue-in-cheek essay on ways a grandfather can pass wisdom on to his grandchildren.

The Consequences of Anger

#LIFELESSONS #ANGER #SELFIMPROVEMENT

A semi-serious look at the evolution of anger in my own life, how the consequences affected me, and what I’ve learned from them.

My 12 Best 1 Star Reviews

#HUMOR #WRITING #BOOKS

We indie writers, especially novel writers, long for reviews. Reviews means somebody is reading our book(s). Five star reviews are spirit-welling rewards, but in the final analysis, it’s not the number of stars you get, but the total number of reviews. All of us get 1 stars, hopefully less than 1% of the time. In this piece, I’ve taken 12 of my most egregious and given them a virtual response.

Don’t Let It Dominate Your Life

#HUMOR #PANDEMIC #SELF

After President Trump recovered from his bout with COVID-19, he made the statement which I used as the title of this piece. I took a sideways glance at some of the pandemics in human history to try to put our current one in perspective. There’s nothing funny about deadly pandemics, including the this one. My intent here is to expand on the president’s admonishment. We can cower in a corner, or we can rise up to face this health crisis and not let it beat us down.

Boys in the Rain

#VETERANS #LIFELESSONS #INSPIRATION

A flashback to my days with the 7th ID on the Korean DMZ, this was originally a poem written not long after I exited the military. I re-wrote it into this essay for two reasons: 1. To express the inanity from the top every common soldier, sailor, marine lives with, yet still serves dutifully. 2. To pay tribute to those brothers and sister who put their lives on the line, despite the absurdities of the leaders that come with the territory.

Why Algorithms Scare Me

#HUMOR #COMMENTARY #SOCIALMEDIA

Algorithm is a popular, trendy word in today’s culture much like paradigm and awesome. This piece takes a semi-humorous look, from a math-phobe’s perspective, at what they are and why they’re in our lives. Although written to be light-hearted, it reaches a chilling Orwellian conclusion.

Many thanks to Dr Mehmet Yildiz for supporting my contributions to Illumination-Curated.

Collection
Authors
Writing
Humor
Illumination
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