Dispatches since 2005
The journal
Announcements, new editions, travel, diving, cooking and the working life of a novelist — 226 entries, all of them here in full.
March 28, 2012 · 824 words
Taking Stock of the Stock Art
I’ve been trawling through stock art sites in hopes of finding something suitable for the ebook release of Aristoi, and I’m finding that there are certain images that appear over and over again. Bald heads, for one. If there’s a person without a helmet or something covering his or her hair, ten to one that […]
Read entry →March 27, 2012 · 95 words
Your Classics, Please
I am off later this week to the annual Jack Williamson Lecture in ever-friendly Portales, New Mexico. This year’s guests of honor will be Carrie Vaughn and Daniel Abraham. There will also be Connie Willis, Ian Tregillis, Melinda Snodgrass, and probably a good many more. While I’m there, I’ll be on a panel about science
Read entry →March 26, 2012 · 818 words
Reviews In the Nick of Time: Hunger Games
I actually went to see a movie on its opening weekend! This almost never happens. I should probably get a check-up. Hunger Games was, miraculously, a surprisingly faithful adaptation of the book. (Is it possible that Hollywood has learned that if you adapt a book with millions of rabid followers, and you actually make
Read entry →March 25, 2012 · 179 words
Give a TOS
Facebook has altered its Terms of Service (TOS), and now states that merely by using Facebook you now assent to their trademark of the word “book.” The “book” addition to the user agreement isn’t as strong as a registered trademark or copyright, but provides extra protection, says intellectual property attorney Denis T
Read entry →March 24, 2012 · 99 words
Recortadores
As a co-author of the bull-leaping story “Tauromachia,” I’ve retained an interest in feats of gymnastics performed on and about our Taurid cousins. Here we find some Cretan bull-leapers— well actually they’re Spanish recontadores, aided I suspect by some enthusiastic local amateurs— introducing their sport
Read entry →March 20, 2012 · 609 words
Reviews in the Nick of Time: John Carter of M***
Honestly, I have no idea why this movie didn’t do better at the box office. It’s not perfect, but in the category of action SF movies that make no sense, this one is head and shoulders above the rest. And it’s got a reason why it doesn’t make any sense. The book it was based […]
Read entry →March 19, 2012 · 695 words
Creeping On Little Cat Feet . . .
Okay, kinda scared now . . . Turns out that cats can alter our brains. I mean literally restructure them. I mean, change our freaking behavior. Well, not cats actually. A parasite that lives in cats, Toxoplasma gondii. It’s long been known that Toxoplasma can physically alter the brains of rats, to make them sexually [
Read entry →March 17, 2012 · 56 words
Dance, Other Saint, Dance!
There’s this Other Saint that has a celebration the day after St. Urho, but I can never remember his name. (Probably because of the hangover.) Anyway, for those of you who celebrate the Day of the Other Saint, here’s some Irish Hand Dancing for y’all. (Note the authentic Irish lyrics to the tune.) [via Gardner [&hellip
Read entry →March 17, 2012 · 189 words
Crowdsource Challenge!
My next ebook will be Aristoi, my insanely ambitious 1992 novel that came within a couple votes of a Hugo nomination. But there’s a problem. I can’t seem to format it properly. See, parts of Aristoi had a unique structure. The prose was displayed in two columns, the first a description of what was […]
Read entry →March 16, 2012 · 457 words
Junior G-Men
Friend of the blog Ralf sent me this useful document telling us how to spot terrorists and spies in Internet cafes. Suspicion should be directed, for example, at people who are attempting to maintain privacy while browsing (in a public cafe). Or folks who use ciphers, or who travel long distances in order to use [&hell
Read entry →