Category: Miscellaneous
-
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…
-
Orwell on Putin
Well, not Putin, actually. Another political leader noted for aggression in Eastern Europe. Orwell reviewed a book written by that leader and speculated on the reasons for his political success: "[That guy], because in his own joyless mind he feels it with exceptional strength, knows that human beings don’t only want comfort, safety, short working-hours, hygiene, birth-control…
-
Which War?
At the end of this month the people of Deerfield, Massachusetts will observe the 318th anniversary of the 1704 Raid on Deerfield. This was not the first attack on the town in its early decades, nor the last, but it was definitely the most devastating. But nowadays people are a little vague about why it…
-
Auction Action!
Today the Friends of Deerfield are launching an online auction to raise funds for Deerfield's 350th anniversary celebration in 2023. Items for sale include antiques, sports memorabilia, gift cards, and artworks. But my readers may be especially interested in the books. We've got signed collections of first editions by Western Massachusetts SF and fantasy authors:…
-
The Day of Gold
Fall in New England is famous for its beauty. People come here from all over the country to go "leaf-peeping" in the countryside. In Deerfield we're ready for them with scented candles, artisanal baked goods, microbrews, maple candy, fossils, crafts, and restaurants. But when does Fall begin? On September 22 I heard a radio host…
The Cambias Digression 