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 16, 2012 · 126 words
What Should I Be Reading?
Lately I’ve been reading some Worthy Novels. You know the kind: they’re well-written, have well-developed characters, and situations that ought to be interesting but somehow aren’t. There isn’t anything wrong with these books: they just aren’t very exciting. Somewhere along the line the author took a turn into Plodsvil
Read entry →January 13, 2012 · 572 words
When One Person Matters . . .
In our bustling world of seven billion people, it’s all to easy to lose track of what one individual might be able to accomplish. How likely is it that a single private individual, spurred by conscience and moral conviction, can put into action the forces that could overthrow the established tyranny of, say, Moammar Qa
Read entry →January 11, 2012 · 392 words
Radio Zeta
The Zetas, Mexico’s ultra-violent drug cartel, is now reported as having their own encrypted radio net. Since 2006, the cartels have maintained an encrypted DIY radio network that stretches across nearly all 31 Mexican states, even down south into Guatemala. The communications infrastructure of the narco-gangs that hav
Read entry →January 9, 2012 · 342 words
Chosen Ones
I’ve had it with Chosen Ones. You know, the people we are told by the wise old wizard or some other Explicator of Plot who “are Chosen to save the world/kill the Dark Lord/become king/bring balance to the Force/whatever.” Who the hell is it who does the Choosing, here? Lazy writers, that’s who. Listen […]
Read entry →January 9, 2012 · 108 words
Solip:System Now!
I am pleased to report that my novella Solip:System, which as it sez right here on the cover is the sequel to Hardwired, is now available via Amazon, B&N, and Smashwords. Your price is a mere $2.99! The cover art is by Innovari. While I confess that the cover does not actually illustrate any scene […]
Read entry →January 8, 2012 · 1,859 words
Revisiting Knight Moves
I’ve always felt a certain ambivalence about my novel Knight Moves. (Which, I am compelled to point out yet again, is newly available for Kindle, Nook, and on multiple formats via Smashwords.) I had barely started the novel before I had the idea for Hardwired, a book that just demanded to be written. Unfortunately I’d
Read entry →January 5, 2012 · 981 words
Reviews in the Nick of Time: Many Things Go Crash
This holiday season I’ve actually seen some movies that are still in the theaters! Great blistering barnacles! First up was Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows. Nothing wrong with this one except that I didn’t care about the characters, I didn’t care about Moriarty’s plot (which was stupid anyway), I was relieved when Ire
Read entry →January 3, 2012 · 1,481 words
Reviews Too Late: Skandinavian Film Fest!
I’ve been having a small Scandinavian film festival of my very own, full of gorgeous images from my ethnic and spiritual homeland. Some movies drove me to cheer, some to drink. Herewith some brief reviews: Troll Hunter (2010), a Norwegian film in the “found documentary” genre, like Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield.
Read entry →