The old blog, active from 2006 through 2012.
The Vapid World of CNN
At one time, CNN was considered a network of substance. People used to trust CNN to deliver important, on-topic news. What happened? The network has succumbed to competitive pressures and resorted to crass sensationalism, celebrity gossip and the time-honored stories about women in trouble and petty criminals. Checking on the CNN.com homepage a few moments ago, I see stories “above the fold” about: A fire on a cruise ship (the main story, occupying about a... Continue reading→
Two New Exclusive Background Articles for “Infoquake”
Two new background articles for the world of "Infoquake" are available online: "On Dartguns and Disruptors," and "On the Transportation System." Continue reading→
Bad Creative Writing Advice
The Internet is full of bad advice for creative writers. Here’s just a small sampling of the nonsense you can find if you look for it. “Show, don’t tell.” News flash: writing is telling. It’s a completely linguistic art form. There’s no showing involved, unless you’re writing illustrated books like Dr. Seuss or graphic novels like Neil Gaiman. The real distinction to be made here is between writing descriptive language (e.g. when your character is... Continue reading→
Mission Accomplished at the Oscars
The drubbing that "Brokeback Mountain" has received in the press for not winning the Best Picture Oscar shows that we're involved in a war against gray areas here in America, a war which has only accelerated since 9/11 and the President's Iraqi adventure. Continue reading→
Who Do You Write For?
If you’re a novelist or short story writer or poet or any other kind of dabbler in the written word, who do you write for? Who is your audience? Keep in mind that your words are not immortal. Your words will eventually be forgotten. There will come a time — maybe in ten years, maybe in ten thousand — when everything you’ve ever written will be utterly forgotten. But don’t fret; you’re in august company.... Continue reading→
It’s Time for James Bond to Retire
Yahoo News in its infinite wisdom decided that its top story yesterday was an online petition to fire actor Daniel Craig as James Bond. Let us set aside the editorial nincompoopery that causes Yahoo to deem Hollywood casting as more important than, say, a threatened presidential veto, and skip to the real question: When will this idiotic franchise finally die? I am gobsmacked and thunderstruck that a character with so little depth as James Bond... Continue reading→
Downloadable Excerpts and New Background Article for “Infoquake”
Downloadable excerpts are available for chapters 1-3 of my upcoming novel "Infoquake." Also available online is a new article on the government in the world of "Infoquake." Continue reading→
Why Is Spelling and Grammer Importunt?
Why are proper spelling, punctuation and grammar important? Society values a complex system of spelling and grammar because it gives us an easy way to measure a person's education. Continue reading→
Miscellaneous Web Design Sins
Chances are, if you’ve put together a website, you’ve committed some (or all) of these venal sins. Or your clients have made you commit them. Hyperlinking the words “click here.” People generally don’t read websites in the way they read a book or a magazine; they skim. And when you hyperlink contentless words like click here, the user gets lost in a sea of “click here”s. You can’t tell where the link goes without reading... Continue reading→
Making Choices
Here’s something I wrote several years ago while facing the most difficult decision of my life. I felt crushed by the burden of choosing between two alternatives that seemed equally horrible at the time. So I sat and scribbled this on a yellow legal pad. It seemed to flow like a Socratic dialogue, building from my own narrow circumstances to a larger and more comprehensive theory of how to live. Is this applicable to every... Continue reading→