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.
January 30, 2012 · 197 words
Jeff Dunteman on Taos Toolbox
2011 Toolbox grad (and computer legend) Jeff Dunteman has written a totally unsolicited (by me, anyway) description of Taos Toolbox over on Inkpunks. Walter and Nancy are both superb teachers and are not to be missed. I was startled, though, at how much I learned from my thirteen student colleagues, not solely through
Read entry →January 30, 2012 · 691 words
Le Carré, Of The Previous Century
I’ve always thought of John le Carré as a role model. He writes genre for a large non-genre audience, and pleases the critics as well. (Of course it helps that he wrote the single best book, till that time anyway, in his chosen field.) I’ve just finished listening to David Oyelowo read the audio book […]
Read entry →January 28, 2012 · 283 words
A New Platform Comes to Town . . .
Just last week I was grousing about the exclusivity and the egregious contract connected with with Apple’s iBooks Author. Now I hear that Atavist, better known for long-form journalism and for producing original fiction to be read on hand-held devices, is on the cusp of releasing their new software, which (they say) wi
Read entry →January 24, 2012 · 934 words
Reviews Too Late: Three Kingdoms
I found myself in a strange relationship with this movie. It’s a Korean film based on the classic Chinese historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong, and though I haven’t read the book, I’ve played the video game. Koei’s classic MS-DOS-based game was one of my favorites from the 1980s, and not [&he
Read entry →January 23, 2012 · 786 words
Where’s My Personal Billionaire?
It occurs to me that yesterday’s South Carolina primary signaled a paradigm shift in American politics. In order to run for office, you no longer have to please the electorate. You only have to please one person. Your personal billionaire. Newt Gingrich, the ethically-challenged former Speaker of the House, had been wr
Read entry →January 22, 2012 · 602 words
Workshops (With Me In Them)
If you’re beginning your writing career, or if you’d like to begin your writing career, there are any number of fine workshops that might help you on your way. Only two of these, however, have me in them. (And you want me in your workshop, you really do.) One of these is Taos Toolbox, a […]
Read entry →January 21, 2012 · 572 words
“Better Read That Contract, Mister I-Wanna-Be-In-The-iBooks Store”
Apple has just released its long-awaited iBooks Author, its application to convert a text file into an ebook suitable for sale in the iBooks Store. But, according to our friends at venomous porridge, you should read your End-User License Agreement (EULA) very carefully before you download the application, because Apple
Read entry →January 20, 2012 · 135 words
Farewell Johnny
The Godfather of Rhythm and Blues, Johnny Otis, died today at the age of ninety. The long, joyful ride of the Johnny Otis Show has finally come to an end. Johnny Otis was the son of Greek immigrants, but his wholehearted adoption of black culture and music led a lot of fans (including me) to […]
Read entry →January 18, 2012 · 282 words
Brief Interruption
This page will be shut down on Wednesday, January 18, as a protest against forthcoming SOPA/PIPA legislation, which would severely affect the ability of the Internet to do what it does best: serve as the greatest force for free speech, liberty, and cooperation in the history of the world.* How would this work? Here’s w
Read entry →January 17, 2012 · 50 words
Rule Four
Sometime back, I posted My Three Laws, in which I posit laws of the universe which I seem to have been the first to discover, or at least to articulate. I think I’ve just come up with a fourth. Williams’ Law #4: The Internet will never love you. Discuss.
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