Brief takes on some media I watched over the holidays.Tropic Thunder: Not only very funny, particularly if you know anything about Hollywood, but the best vehicle for Tom Cruise in ages.Note: the movie got condemned by the politically correct for use of the word “retard.” If this offends you, be aware that the word “retard” […]

Balticon has released a podcast of my reading from Implied Spaces. There’s some advertising and other stuff at the beginning, but at least you have the pleasure of hearing that this is “One of the most riveting stories we’ve ever presented here . . . “I fear I’m too modest to disagree with this assessment.

Serial Experiments: Lain (1998) is a kind of philosophical novel lightly disguised as a shojo anime. The frame story suggests it might be aimed at 13-year-olds, but the subject matter is— not more grown-up exactly, but one that deals primarily with existential issues. I’m not sure what an actual 13-year-old would make of it. There’s […]

Since I had a cold, I took it easy over the holidays. I didn’t manage much during this time other than visiting friends, watching videos, and reading books. Much of my time was occupied reading one book in particular, a big thick science fiction novel of recent vintage, written by an author much esteemed by […]