The old blog, active from 2006 through 2012.
“MultiReal”: It’s Done
The photo you see here is the completed manuscript of my second novel, MultiReal, the sequel to Infoquake. It’s been somewhere around three years in the making, and now it’s done. The book measures 477 pages, or about 148,000 words (including appendices). There are 6 sections, 45 chapters, and 8 appendices. The opening epigraph comes from Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself.” The tagline? “Infinite possibility is only a state of mind.” Now, when I say... Continue reading→
OpenOffice: One Strike and You’re Out?
You want to know why people use Microsoft products? I present to you Exhibit A. The new Sony laptop I’ve been bragging about came without a licensed version of Microsoft Word. Sony included a trial version of Office 2007 Student and Home and a copy of Microsoft Works. So I figured I’d give OpenOffice another try after having a few bad experiences with version 1. And as far as functionality goes, I like OpenOffice 2.1.... Continue reading→
Keeping Up with the Kludges
The world is shrinking. Products and laws and programs that were once created with tens of thousands of relatively homogeneous white people in Middle America are now being exported all around the world. How are we going to be able to keep up with all the kludges necessary to make things work? Continue reading→
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”
So the Harry Potter series is over, and I was pretty much right in my predictions. How good was the final book? I'd say "Deathly Hallows" is the third best in the series, behind "Order of the Phoenix" and "Prisoner of Azkaban." Continue reading→
What Will Happen in the Final Harry Potter?
Vizzini: So. It has come down to the final Harry Potter novel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Let me put it this way. Have you ever heard of Tolkien, Le Guin, Moorcock? Morons! Man in Black: Really! In that case, I challenge you to a battle of wits. Vizzini: I accept! Man in Black: All right. Will Harry Potter die or will Voldemort die? The battle of wits has begun! It ends when J.K.... Continue reading→
The End of Science Fiction
I’ve seen various theories put forward as to when the first science fiction stories were written. Depending on your definition of science fiction — and that exact definition can be quite contentious, especially on this blog — the first proper science fiction tale might be Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818) or William Shakespeare’s The Tempest (c. 1610) or maybe Lucian of Samosata’s A True Story (c. the 2nd century AD). Personally, I’d argue that you need to have the scientific method before... Continue reading→
On DeepGenre: The End of Science Fiction
I’ve just written a long essay on the DeepGenre blog about how long the genre of science fiction is destined to last and whether we might see the end of it anytime soon. Read “The End of Science Fiction” and post your comments there. Some excerpts: Here’s something I’ve noticed about futuristic science fiction stories: the characters in them never tell futuristic science fiction stories. Think about it. Can you think of a single example... Continue reading→
Politicians and Personal Lives
I really get hopping mad at revelations like Larry Flynt's revelations about Senator David Vitter's dalliances with prostitutes. Why? Because I firmly believe that it's none of our fucking business what our politicians do with their personal lives. Continue reading→
Readercon 18 Report
I’ll admit that I’m fairly new to the science fiction con circuit, but having been to Readercon twice now, I have no hesitation crowning it my favorite. The panels are generally high-minded and intellectually stimulating; the guest list is always first-rate; and best of all, there isn’t a single dork with a Klingon outfit or a lightsaber to be found. Of course, the flip side is that once the bar closes at 12:30 pm, there’s... Continue reading→
My Readercon Schedule
This weekend, I’ll be at Readercon 18 in Burlington, Massachusetts. Readercon’s kind of special for me, since last year’s Readercon was my first exposure to the SF con scene. (Read my recap of Readercon 17.) Last year, I headed off to Readercon knowing literally one person two people in the SF field: my editor, Lou Anders and my copy editor, Deanna Hoak. This year, I can look at the programming schedule and see all kinds... Continue reading→