Category: Miscellaneous
-
In Memoriam
There is sorrow enough in the natural wayFrom men and women to fill our day;And when we are certain of sorrow in store,Why do we always arrange for more?Brothers and Sisters, I bid you bewareOf giving your heart to a dog to tear. Buy a pup and your money will buyLove unflinching that cannot lie…
-
Radio Active
My media presence continues to spread. In addition to podcasts, blogs, and social media, now I'm on AM radio! I was a guest on WHMP in Northampton, talking about (what else?) The Scarab Mission. You can listen to that episode here (my segment starts at the 31 minute mark). Megan Zinn, the interviewer, had a…
-
Unexpectedly Serious Musings
The economist Robin Hanson has a wonderful wide-ranging curiosity. He developed the "Great Filter" concept for SETI, and wrote a paper about expanding alien civilizations and what it means if we haven't detected them. Now he's tackling the ideological divide in our society, the so-called "culture war" by examining how it derives from what people…
-
Howard Hughes Vindicated!
DARPA, the Defense Department's official mad-scientist branch, has signed contracts with two companies to develop a super-heavy-lift flying boat for military transport. Here's the article from the US Naval Institute Web site. Why resurrect a technology which has been sidelined for seventy years? Since the end of World War II flying boats have hung on…
-
Arisia 2023
This weekend Boston's biggest annual science fiction convention returns to the Westin Seaport hotel, January 13-16. I'll be there, promoting my rare and eagerly-sought new book The Scarab Mission. I'm also doing several panels and events. Saturday, January 14 10:00 A.M.: Connecting With Your Kids Through Media — How liking the same nerdy stuff as…
-
Seasonal Music
Note: the Worldbuilding series will continue. I've been busy with other things over the past month but I haven't abandoned it. It's December, and one of the local radio stations has gone over to an all-Christmas music format for the entire month. As it's one of my presets on the car radio, I wind up…
-
My WorldCon Schedule
In two and a half weeks I'll be in Chicago for ChiCon 8, the 80th World Science Fiction Convention. I offered to participate in programming events, and they're really making me sing for my supper this time. Thursday, September 1 (all times are CDT) 2:30 P.M.: Writing and Story Development for Tabletop Games. This is…
-
Increasing Success, Increasing Danger
Note: edited to reflect new information. The war in Ukraine drags on, and the courage and skill of the Ukrainian defenders continues to astonish the world. As I write, they've just announced a missile strike on the Russian Navy's flagship in the Black Sea, the cruiser Moskva. The Russians are reduced to trying to save…
-
Endgames
We're all following the progress of the war in Ukraine, bouncing around between hope, fear, and utter bafflement. I'd like to take a step back and think about what the results of this conflict are likely to be. I see five paths, and only one of them is not terrible. Russian Victory: supposing the Russians…
-
Victory Conditions
One of the most baffling things about Russia's invasion of Ukraine, to Westerners, is that it seems impossible to succeed. If the Russian army gets badly mauled and driven out, Putin gets forced from power and probably shot in the back of the head. If the Russians somehow manage to occupy the entire vast expanse…
The Cambias Digression 