Blog

The old blog, active from 2006 through 2012.

What the WordPress Needs Now

Uncategorized

I haven’t always been kind to open-source software (read exhibits A and B), but sometimes you’ve got to give credit where credit is due. WordPress — whose version 2.2.2 powers this blog, as of this writing — is a remarkably polished CMS with an extended community that rivals that of Mozilla Firefox. Me likey WordPress. But WordPress has some irksome shortcomings that need to be overcome if it’s going to reach that Firefox level of... Continue reading→

Have You Seen This (White) Woman?

Current Events

I was browsing on Fox News’ website earlier today and noticed a story about a missing woman named Camille Cleverley. Apparently this woman, a 22-year-old white student from Brigham Young University, disappeared last Thursday with her bike and hasn’t been seen since. Stories of missing pretty young white women are such a regular occurrence on Fox that it’s become a joke, which is exactly what these women’s families don’t want. It sounds cruel to call... Continue reading→

Line Editing in 10 Easy Steps

DeepGenre

I just finished revising the manuscript for my second novel, and I’ve got line editing on the brain. Here are ten easy steps you can take on that nearly-done manuscript that will significantly tighten up your prose and improve your final product. 1. Eliminate unnecessary modifiers. When I say unnecessary modifiers, I’m talking about both “weasel” words that lessen the impact of your prose and useless modifiers that emphasize for no reason. Words like possibly, simply, really, totally, very, supposedly, seriously, terribly, allegedly, utterly, sort of, kind... Continue reading→

Hugo and Campbell Runnerupdom

Uncategorized

I see this afternoon via Peter Watts’ blog that the 2007 Hugo and Campbell Award winners have been announced. Looks like Vernor Vinge took the prize for his Rainbows End and Naomi Novik took home the Campbell. I’m also inordinately pleased that fellow Pyr author Ian McDonald took home a Hugo for Best Novelette. The full list of winners is here. All the really interesting stuff comes from reading the full details of the final... Continue reading→

Shelfari: LibraryThing with a New Coat of Paint?

Uncategorized

LibraryThing seems to have a new competitor. Or, at least, I’ve just become aware of them. I’ve made no secret about the fact that I’m a big fan of LibraryThing. I’ve spent hours and hours tweaking my LibraryThing profile, adding books to my catalog, and just browsing around other people’s shelves. I’ve spoken with Tim Spalding, LibraryThing’s founder, and he’s taken the time to respond to e-mails of mine and feature me on the LibraryThing... Continue reading→

A Guide to Ethical Self-Promotion

Book Promotion

Update 11/18/09: Thanks to Mainer 122’s comment below, I’ve just become aware of a blog post by Stanek containing what appears to be the original of the photo below. Looks like it might be authentic after all — or at least a Photoshopped version of an authentic photo of Stanek with Brian Jacques. In which case I owe Mr. Stanek an apology, at least about the photo. I’ll reserve judgment for now about the fake... Continue reading→

In Defense of Microsoft

Uncategorized

When I wrote my not-so-complimentary piece on OpenOffice the other week, I expected to receive at least a few slams from fans and believers in the open source movement. And I did receive an interesting comment from a fellow who signed his name MnMKY, which I excerpt here: The accomplishments of a worldwide effort, unifying multiple cultures and countries, is what OpenOffice.org represents. It is not a company sole bent on making money but on... Continue reading→