Category: Miscellaneous
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Meta-Political Post
No, I'm not talking about politics. I'm talking about talking about politics. I recently read a couple of interesting essays. The first, by economist Robin Hanson, is "Respectable Rants" — his standards for good political rhetoric. Note that he's not trying to limit politicians to a Rain Man style recitation of facts, nor is he…
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Happy Palindrome Day! Yad Emordnilap Yppah!
Today is, of course, 02/02/2020, so happy Palindrome Day! What makes this one rather special is that it's Palindrome Day no matter where you live and what format you use for writing dates. In the month-day-year zone based on American practice, we had Palindrome Days on January 2, 2010 (01/02/2010) and November 2, 2011 (11/02/2011);…
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Lewis and Lovecraft
This post is about a common thread I've noticed in the works of two very different writers: Howard Phillips Lovecraft and Clive Staples Lewis. (One of their few similiarities is that both are known by their first two initials.) C.S. Lewis, of course, is famous as the author of the Narnia series and numerous works…
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Book Launch Party February 6!
My new novel The Initiate comes out in two weeks from Baen Books. In this modern dark fantasy thriller, Samuel Arquero fights alone against the Apkallu, the ancient and secret order of wizards who rule the world. But what price must he pay? Join me and special guest Suzanne Palmer, author of the upcoming novel Driving…
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Arisia 2020 Report, Day 3
Sunday was my final day at the con. Most conventions are three-day affairs: show up Friday afternoon, do stuff Friday night and Saturday, maybe a few things Sunday morning, then head home after lunch. Not Arisia. Taking advantage of the MLK Day weekend, it stretches into Monday. That means Sunday is a busy full day…
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Arisia 2020 Report, Day 1
I drove out to Boston on a sunny but cold January afternoon, left the car at the disintegrating Alewife garage, and rode the T to the good old Westin Waterfront hotel. Various delays en route and long lines at the hotel meant I barely had time to get my room, get my Arisia badge, and…
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Arisia 2020 — The Initiation Begins
This year's Arisia convention will be back at the Boston Westin Waterfront, January 17-20. I'll be there Friday the 17th through Sunday the 19th, and it's going to be a busy weekend. Friday 5:30 p.m.: "Stories From the Cities" — A joint reading with myself, Andrea Hairston and W.B.J. Williams. All three stories are connected…
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Fencing News
Yesterday was the Upper Valley Holiday Open fencing tournament in Sharon, Vermont. Diane Kelly and Robert Cambias attended. Robert went in an Unrated fencer, trounced all comers, and emerged with not just a USFA E rating but a D. In game terms, he went up two levels in one session. Congratulations!
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A Lovecraftian Chronology
For no very good reason I found myself making up an internal chronology of H.P. Lovecraft's horror stories. My guiding principle was that if a story doesn't have any time clues — and it's interesting to note that most of Lovecraft's stories do include specific dates — it takes place in the year in which…
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Important Notice
Today's Sylvia Plath Memorial Bake Sale has been postponed. Evidently we scheduled it too soon.
The Cambias Digression 