Time Delay

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It’s a challenge to keep things up to date here at the site lately. The new video card for the computer arrived today. The last piece to finish fixing / updating the computer. Soon we should have additional RAM, new video and TWO new wide screens up and running. Being able to actually work on the home computer again as opposed to being limited to the work system should help things considerably!

As far as the actual work – still getting the rejections piling up. Just got another one, this time from Wicked Words Quarterly. One of these days something is going to stick.

More Soon.

Scan It!

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I read this link about the “hidden” treasure room for the Army. The Indiana Jones aspect appealed to me or I might not have dug into this one (puns away!). There are so many items listed nobody would ever be able to see them all. I believe the museum is worthy of pursuit, but I wonder if somebody there should attempt to jump on the Smithsonian’s band wagon.

The Smithsonian can only ever display around 1% of all the treasures they have – and I think that’s sad. Something they have started doing is using a laser scanner to create 3D images they can then upload to the web so interested folks can look at / study them. The part I think is MOST cool about this is that you can down load many of the scanned models and run them through a 3D printer wherever you happen to be, creating a real version you can hold in your hand. There is something to be said for the power of holding something in your hand. Check out the things they have here: http://3d.si.edu/

Getting information out there for study is awesome. I hope the Army works something out along these lines. It seems a shame that nobody can see those things.

Oscar Who?

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As I sit here typing this there’s an award show going on. I didn’t realize this until somebody else mentioned via social media that they were watching. I was never so wrapped up in the cult of fame that I felt the need to track these awards or anything that went along with them. Yes, I’ve watched them from time to time in the past. Yes, some of the movies nominated for this award were fantastic films. Some of the winners of various awards should have handed them back in shame rather than accept when the more deserving entrant was sitting there clapping politely.

Sports on the other hand, sports I always paid attention to. I hadn’t missed a Stuper Bowl in decades. Despite not really caring for baseball I would keep one eye on the Sox just to see if they were going to beat the Yankees this year or not (Yankees suck!). Same with the Celtics and Bruins. Other sports were bonus material. I’d pick up notes about tennis, racing, big names in golf, anything really.

Then we cut the cable in our house.

It’s been over 2 years now since we shut it off. I almost feel like I should be going to some kind of meeting. Television is an addiction. I didn’t realize it until lately. I was depending on the box in the corner to provide something to me and walking away was difficult at first. Even now I feel the pull. I’m drawn to settle into the passive state of watching the colors flash by, listening to the magic of sound effects. There’s no significant difference in the product over the past 2 years. I suspect many would agree that the product has actually declined in quality while becoming more abundant.

I missed the stupor bowl this year. Most say I didn’t miss much – the game was terrible and the commercials weren’t as tantalizing as years past. I felt like I was outside looking in on something. I was near the party, I was invited, but I didn’t have a way to get there. *Everyone* was talking about it. In the end, I’m not sure I really missed much. I heard the chatter, caught up with the best commercials after the fact and watched the highlights from the game during an on-line sports report. I acquired the same information if not the “enjoyment” factor… but then we had dinner guests that night and I found the company of friends much more warming and fun than sitting and staring at the flickering colors of a flat channel that doesn’t care about me more than how many dollars they can squeeze out of my pocket.

Television is gone. I might slip back now and again to broadcast channels, but I don’t see cable coming back… ever.

Built To Last

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This was originally published in the Watch The Skies fanzine for the February 2014 issue:

For some reason building technology tends to get left out of the discussion when people look at science fiction. It’s always there, it’s just never the hot topic. Maybe it’s not active enough. Maybe it doesn’t have the sexy appeal of rocket ships or green alien women. There are exceptions, but even those exceptions tend to be limited in how the place where all the action happens is handled. The part that interests me is just how large a part buildings play in science fiction and fantasy stories, how completely integral they are and how those descriptions seem fade to “mere” background.

Having spent some time working in architecture I’ve struggled with what most folks know about the field. Many of my friends have heard me rant when confronted with somebody going on and on about Frank Lloyd Wright – particularly if that’s the only name in architecture they know. I tend to counter them immediately by saying, “He was a short ego-maniac that made short buildings with leaky roofs…” That rarely goes over well. It is hyperbole to make a point. While the vision and the design are undeniable, the last thing designed by Mr. Wright was in the 1950s. There are decades of design that have come on since then.

Getting to know what modern architects are designing and getting constructed should be an important part of conversations about the future. What technologies are going into the places where we live, work, eat and play every day? How will we interact with those places? Will they make us comfortable or will they be sterile and uninviting? How will those places look and feel to the people that use them every day? How will they look to the people that will see these structures 50, 100 or more years in the future? Will they last that long given the materials that are used?

Once you’ve taken a few moments to consider the technology and other aspects of architecture, consider the deeply visual nature of those designs. I’m going to stay away from the written descriptions and the worlds of fantasy and stick strictly with science fiction that has made it to the big screen.

What would Blade Runner be if you didn’t get to see Los Angeles?

Would The Fifth Element be the same if New York wasn’t so huge you needed to have flying cabs?

Where would Luke be if Bespin wasn’t a city in the clouds?

There are so many amazing structures out there and so much technology that can be added to them that architecture, the built environment, should be a topic of study for the science fiction community. Take some time, look around. Learn who some of the people are that give us the places where the future happens. Next time you’re out someplace try slowing down and looking up at the structures around you. You won’t be the only one, and you might see something that will spark your imagination.

Bonus stuff – there have been some interesting articles lately by people that think something similar. Check these articles out.

Gizmodo: World’s worst architect? http://gizmodo.com/frank-gehry-is-still-the-worlds-worst-living-architect-1523113249

The Onion: http://www.theonion.com/articles/frank-gehry-no-longer-allowed-to-make-sandwiches-f,8716/?ref=auto

iO9: Organic Brooklyn? http://io9.com/will-brooklyn-look-like-this-in-a-century-1523174170

Structures that belong in a science fiction film: http://flavorwire.com/409062/20-works-of-architecture-that-belong-in-a-sci-fi-film/

Analog Review!

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Thanks to Danielle for pointing this out to me – Dogs of War was reviewed in Analog. It’s really excellent to see this book out there and getting recognition.

Check it out for yourself here: http://www.analogsf.com/2014_04/reflib.shtml

OR, I’ll cheat and put it here:

If science fiction has a totem animal, it is the cat. From Robert A. Heinlein’s various felines to Anne McCaffrey & Elizabeth Ann Scarborough’s Barque Cats series and everywhere in between, there’s hardly room in to swing a book without hitting a cat.

That’s why it’s so refreshing to see an anthology about dogs.

Mike McPhail’s Defending the Future series feature satisfying military-themed SF short stories from various authors and universes. Often the stories are offbeat or deliciously understated, and these—all involving military canines in one form or another—are no exception.

The 17 authors here include the usual mix of familiar names and newcomers, writers known for their military SF and those associated with other subgenres, novelists and short fiction writers. Analog readers will certainly recognize Bud Sparhawk, whose “True Friends” is a tearjerker in fatigues. Brenda Cooper’s “For the Love of Metal Dogs” shows how courage and loyalty transcend both species and form, and “Tower Farm” by Vonnie Winslow Crist explores the redemption of a pair of has-beens on a frontier outpost.

Those who like military SF should enjoy this assortment of stories, and I dare any reader who loves dogs to make it through without several “awwws” and a few tears. And if you don’t fit into either of those two categories, but you just like some good stories, you might want to give Dogs of War a try—the e-book is certainly inexpensive enough.

 

HOW COOL IS THAT?

Rejected again.

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I’m not trying to be insightful or profound. I don’t want to be quoted, lauded or followed. I want to be remembered for telling a good story.

I’ve accumulated another rejection. I suspect this means I’m at least trying to head in the right direction, but it can be frustrating.

Onward to another market and another story.

An object at rest

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I enjoy reading a good story. I particularly like it when I can read something I like and pass that along to friends so they can find something new. It’s an extra boost when they like something as much as I do.

I’ve been using a web site called Goodreads for a while now. I know there are questions about it – my understanding is it was gobbled up by Amazon or something. I know there are others out there like Library thing but so far I am comfortable where I am.

That thought just reminded me of a great line from the cartoon The Tick,

“An object at rest CANNOT BE STOPPED!”

That was from the midnight bomber what bombs at midnight. If you haven’t seen The Tick vs. The Tick, go look it up. The midnight bomber is my favorite.

Anyway – Goodreads. I’m on there and I like to share my views on the books I’ve read. I am only posting reviews of books I’ve read since I signed up on the site. I’m not going to go back and just give star ratings to things I’ve read in the past – with one notable exception. I started with the Hobbit. That was the book that kicked everything off for me. I give that book the full 5 stars without hesitation. It changed things for me. It was amazing. That is the 5 star standard. It’s amazing and/or really changes something for me.

If you’re interested (and not already there) pop on over and look me up. Maybe we can talk about a good book!

Advertising via Logarithm

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So, I get these e-mails filled with “things I might like” generated by some computer code frequently. I’ve adjusted my line of thinking – these are the same as flyers and other junk mail I used to get by way of the post office only with more chance of something I’d actually be interested in. Sometimes I get amusing results based on random crap I’ve searched for. I’ve almost never had something leap out and fill me with the desire to spend money.

I got this from Amazon the other day – and it proves to me beyond a shadow of a doubt that computers have a long way to go before they replace people and the things people can do.

AZ

 

YES oh great and powerful Amazon – I might just be interested in a book that contains one of my stories. NO, I don’t think I’m going to purchase another copy through you.

I will however suggest to anyone reading that doesn’t have a copy – that’s a great price, you should pick one up and read it!

Speed of the Net (and other things)

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It never ceases to amaze me when I sign on and realize that another week has shot past. There are days when I wish I could just write (things like this, and other things) all the time. I’m not certain I’m ready to make that leap. The business of writing is quite volatile these days. There are fewer or rather newer gate keepers and a chance to rocket to unbelievable heights. Mostly there is the same chance there has always been – to toil in obscurity never going beyond the current point.

I am endeavoring to change that. In my stolen moments I am writing, and submitting stories. To that end, I submitted a story to Interzone just this past weekend. I am grateful for the connectivity of the internet that allowed me to make a connection where I had been unwilling to attempt before. So – time flies and so do the e-submissions! I will definitely keep everyone posted on this as I know more.

I’d say I was crossing my fingers, but it’s really difficult to type that way.