Dispatches since 2005
The journal
Announcements, new editions, travel, diving, cooking and the working life of a novelist — 181 entries, all of them here in full.
October 4, 2013 · 902 words
Reviews in the Nick of Time: Rush
I used to follow motor sport more than I do now, so I thought, despite my deep reluctance to view another blockbuster, that I’d check out Ron Howard’s racing film, and see if I could recapture my youthful enthusiasm for Formula 1. After all, I was possibly the only person on the planet who liked […]
Read entry →October 3, 2013 · 52 words
Lake Mummies
Check out these amazing photos of birds literally turned to stone by the natron-ized waters of, well, Lake Natron in East Africa. “Natron” is the name used to describe the various salts used by the Egyptians to mummify their ancestors. Looks like the lake waters did at least as good a job.
Read entry →October 1, 2013 · 431 words
Rehabilitating Walter
I don’t have much to say about the final episode of Breaking Bad, not least because I haven’t seen it yet, but I have one thing to be grateful for, which is that the series has completely rehabilitated the name of Walter. Walter is a Germanic name meaning “wielder of the armies,” which I have to […]
Read entry →September 30, 2013 · 582 words
Set of Wheels
I learned to drive in a Model A Ford. And no, I’m not that old! The Model A in question belonged to my grandparents and was kept on their farm in Markham, Minn., which was not only the headquarters of the Williams clan but the source of the name I gave to my fictional nautical […]
Read entry →September 28, 2013 · 62 words
The Horizon
We get some spectacular sunsets here in the Southwest, though my particular Western horizon is somewhat limited by buildings and trees that my neighbors inconsiderately put in my sight line. Still, this one’s pretty good. And while it looks like I’ve amped the color saturation, I totally haven’t. This is exactly what I
Read entry →September 26, 2013 · 52 words
Raffle! Book! Sign Up!
My friend Emily Mah is running a raffle, and she’s giving away a signed copy of my own Implied Spaces. It’s not like you’d win a zillion bucks like with PowerBall, but on the other hand you have a much better chance of winning. Click, and good luck! a Rafflecopter giveaway
Read entry →September 22, 2013 · 104 words
Green Leopard Gone Live!
My collection, The Green Leopard Plague and Other Stories, is now live on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords. It will be available on other sites by and by. The collection contains two Nebula winners, several other award nominees, and other good stuff that was published in places where award nominators never visit.
Read entry →September 21, 2013 · 141 words
A Concise History of My Weekend So Far
The following scene takes place at the Greenport Maritime Museum on the North Fork of Long Island. A: We’re closed. Q: The Greenport Maritime Museum is closed during the Greenport Maritime Festival? A: We’re closed. Q: Where are the tall ships? There are supposed to be tall ships! A: They only come once every four [&he
Read entry →September 19, 2013 · 764 words
The Future May Smell Like Skunk
So the Skunk Works has announced a workable fusion-powered generator by 2017, with a mass industrial rollout by 2027, each unit small enough to sit on a truck and powerful enough to provide electricity for a city of 50-100 thousand people. The Skunk Works, being a highly secret division of Lockheed responsible for tech
Read entry →September 18, 2013 · 40 words
Physics Glam
So here’s McGill physics grad student Timothy Blaise with his a capella masterwork, a cover of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” featuring Feynmann diagrams, string theory, and Sock Puppet Einstein. Because can never have too much Sock Puppet Einstein! [via David Axler]
Read entry →September 17, 2013 · 127 words
Leaping to the Fore
Since the weather report promised sun, I’ve gone up to the Ski Valley for some face time with Mother Nature. But the weather report was a trifle, um, optimistic, and my nature time has been kinda drowned out in a fairly literal way. I’ve been indoors a lot. I don’t have much to report, so […]
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