Dispatches since 2005
The journal
Announcements, new editions, travel, diving, cooking and the working life of a novelist — 3,180 entries, all of them here in full.
June 15, 2017 · 452 words
I Am Writing My Name
I am writing my name. I am writing my name. I am writing my name. I am writing my name. I am writing my name. I am writing my name. I am writing my name. I am writing my name. Over and over again. Over and over again. Over and over again. Over and over […]
Read entry →June 14, 2017 · 924 words
Insufficiently Anonymized
Via Chairman Bruce, a brief survey of what the corporate oligarchy knows about me, you, and everyone else. Facebook can recognize your emotions from your keyboard typing patterns. They can work out your religion, your sexual orientation, and whether you use controlled substances with what they claim is a fair degree of
Read entry →June 9, 2017 · 75 words
Above Average
Tonight I was at the karate school as part of a judging panel, wherein I did my best to confusticate and bamboozle two candidates for fourth degree black belt. (I failed.) They were quite magnificent, and after a four-hour test were both still on their feet. But the experience reminded me of the following: Q: […
Read entry →June 6, 2017 · 159 words
Oopsie
When I recently looked at the ebook version of Voice of the Whirlwind, I discovered that the order of two of the later chapters had been reversed in the latest update, which was January 2016. (Flipping the order of chapter is, alas, all too easy with the software I’m using. Up till now I’ve always caught […]
Read entry →June 5, 2017 · 143 words
Surfin’ Suomolainen
Continuing my exploration of the byways of Finnish culture . . . One of the less overlooked aspects of Finnish musical culture consists of their excellent surf bands, which have attracted fans throughout the world. Here’s the best known Finnish surf band, Laika and the Cosmonauts, who have attracted praise from no less
Read entry →June 1, 2017 · 215 words
Racked
Today was the first absolute success with cooking sous vide, as I brewed up a rack of ribs with the master recipe that Paul posted. I created a spice rub with garlic powder, sea salt, Indonesian white pepper, onion powder, smoked paprika, and chipotle. (The latter two intended not only to add flavor to the […]
Read entry →May 31, 2017 · 92 words
Psycho (Covered)
Here’s another addition to this week’s series of unlikely cover songs. This is by the Bobs, who also recorded a lot of original material, for all that there’s nothing on Youtube but the cover songs. (Note: the Bobs are difficult to track down even with Google, which would rather reveal Bob’s Burgers (the New Mexico [&h
Read entry →May 30, 2017 · 184 words
Ginger Marmalade
Last week’s Rio Hondo featured Maureen McHugh’s Anova sous vide precision cooker and some short ribs that had been cooked for 24 hours in a water bath until unbelievably tender. I watch enough cooking shows to have seen TV hosts swooning over sous vide cooking, but for quite a few years a setup cost thousands […
Read entry →May 26, 2017 · 54 words
Anvilstruck
I’m continuing my prep for the worldcon by investigating Finnish culture, and I discovered this video by Steve’n’Seagulls, with their own interpretation of a modern classic. Gotta love the anvil. The accordion player with a dead animal on his head. And the fact that, for the first time, I can actually understand the wo
Read entry →May 26, 2017 · 54 words
Shandification
So what does the classic but gonzo 18th Century novel Tristram Shandy have to do with video and console games? Quite a lot, according to this video, which also offers some fairly astute ideas about narrative and structure. Plus a newly-coined term with which the more pretentious among us can annoy our friends. Win/win!
Read entry →May 25, 2017 · 381 words
Long Live the New Zealand Space Corps!
Today we breathlessly awaited the launch of New Zealand’s first rocket, which finally happened after bad weather forced several delays. Check the video to see the Electron two-stage vehicle leaping into orbit on its fiery kerosene/LOX tail. (I advise going to full screen.) The Electron is a small, low-cost vehicle, des
Read entry →May 24, 2017 · 304 words
Whereat I Have Been
So I’ve been very, very busy. First, last week was the Rio Hondo workshop, hosted by Michaela Roessner and myself. This was the 20th Anniversary Rio Hondo, which oddly enough did not make me feel old, but young, young, young! It was the most trouble-free workshop experience I can remember, and everyone pitched in and [
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