Dispatches since 2005
The journal
Announcements, new editions, travel, diving, cooking and the working life of a novelist — 272 entries, all of them here in full.
August 14, 2009 · 124 words
Return of the Swedish Sea-Vikings!
The freighter Arctic Sea is missing, after allegedly having been boarded by a mysterious group of armed Swedes. The Russian Navy has been called in, and is looking for the ship with submarines. (I’d try a pair of binoculars first.) This article sums up many of the current conspiracy theories, though they seem to have [
Read entry →August 14, 2009 · 359 words
Nine Votes
The stats released from the Hugo voting at Worldcon have shown that Implied Spaces came just nine votes short of getting a Hugo nomination. Of course that also means that Implied Spaces came but nine votes short of being turned into an asphalt angel by Neil Gaiman’s Invincible Award-Winning Steamroller— but then
Read entry →August 13, 2009 · 392 words
First New Rule from Worldcon
So here’s my first new rule from the Worldcon: No more Utilikilts. This is strikingly similar to my first observation from last year’s Worldcon, but it’s obvious that people weren’t listening last year. Please note that I am not opposed to Scottish dress. When a Scot puts on a kilt he is stylin’. Just check […]
Read entry →August 5, 2009 · 148 words
High Class
I’m off to Worldcon in Montreal for the next week, so I thought I’d leave you with something to chew on.I was talking with genius New Mexico writer Daniel Abraham the other day, and once again he demonstrated why we all think he’s going to rule the world before he’s fifty. (And if not him, […]
Read entry →August 4, 2009 · 58 words
Sold Out!
The Subterranean Press edition of Songs of the Dying Earth has sold out! They won’t be printing any more. But look what Uncle Walter has found for you! A handful of copies remain in an obscure, hard-to-find online venue. If you don’t buy a copy now, you’ll have to wait a year or more for […]
Read entry →August 3, 2009 · 278 words
Reviews Too Late: Banlieue 13
“Banlieue” literally translates as “suburb,” but colloquially means “the hood”— the French have saved their inner cities, but at the cost of moving the Projects out into the country. In this French film produced by Luc Besson, Banlieu 13 has been walled off from the rest of France, and given over to the gangs. We
Read entry →August 3, 2009 · 573 words
Worldcon Schedule
My schedule for Anticipation, the Montreal Worldcon:When: Thu 14:00Location: P-513BTitle: Twitter, Facebook, My Space: Social Media and WritingSession ID: 766All Participants: James Strauss, Jenny Rae Rappaport, Mary RobinetteKowal, Walter Jon Williams, John PicacioModerator: Mary Robinette KowalDescription: What’s all
Read entry →August 1, 2009 · 115 words
West of Java
Some really gorgeous pictures of Krakatoa during its current eruption. With an explosive force 13,000 times the power of the atomic bomb that annihilated Hiroshima, the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa killed more than 36,000 people and radically altered global weather and temperatures for years afterwards. The eruption was s
Read entry →July 31, 2009 · 117 words
Soul Storage
Is your life weighing you down? Lighten up! If your soul is keeping you from finding the happiness you deserve, there is an easy, painless and safe solution. Remove it, store it, and walk away a happier person. The Soul Storage Company’s patented De-Souling™ technique actually allows its clients to have their souls rem
Read entry →July 30, 2009 · 193 words
Strange States
Oxford University physicists have created a brand new form of matter. Scientists claim to have created a form of aluminum that’s nearly transparent to extreme ultraviolet radiation and which is a new state of matter. It’s an idea straight out of science fiction, featured in the movie “Star Trek IV.” (Cuz there’s nothin
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