The Cambias Digression

Notes and thoughts on everything from what I had for breakfast to the fate of the Universe.

  • 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…

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  • Boskone is GO!

    After the sad cancellation of this year's Arisia convention, I'm very pleased and excited to announce that Boskone 59 is going ahead as planned this coming weekend, at the Westin hotel in Boston's seaport district! See the Web page here for membership information. I'll be there in person, and here's my schedule: Friday, February 18…

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  • 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…

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  • Postmarked From the Stars Interview

    Postmarked From the Stars is an online bookstore emphasizing fantasy and science fiction. They've also got a YouTube channel with reviews and interviews. And this week you can see an hour-long interview with me. It's quite wide-ranging, discussing my earlier works like A Darkling Sea and Corsair, as well as recent titles like The Godel…

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  • Happy Tricolor Day!

    Today is Italian Tricolor Day. To celebrate, I prepared homemade pasta with red and green pesto: Italy and Mexico are fortunate countries, in that their national colors match their cuisine. Making an Italian dish patriotic-looking is pig-easy. Just use some tomato sauce, some greenery, and some mozzarella. In other words, make some generic Italian food.…

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  • Better Late Than Never

    The legendary Gordon Van Gelder sent me the link to this review of Corsair by Patrick Mahon. It's a nice writeup, and I'm pleased to see it. One can only imagine the size of his "to be read" pile. Amazon still has it available in all formats.

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  • Kitchen Report: Pudding!

    This Christmas, we had a traditional English Christmas Pudding for dessert after our dinner. What's a Christmas Pudding? It's . . . well, it's a lot more akin to a fruitcake than anything most Americans would describe as "pudding." I'll try to generate some suspense in this 'blog post by not revealing how it tasted…

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  • Christmas Menu

    Menu for this year's Christmas dinner: Oyster Patties    Cremant de Bourgogne Cold Poached Salmon Onion Soup    Sourdough Rolls Roast Goose    Chateau Les Grands Sillons 2010 Chestnut Rice    Roasted Brussels Sprouts Salad Christmas Pudding    Apple Pie    Ice Cream Overall it was quite delicious. The pudding will rate its own post soon. The…

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  • Last Thoughts on Dune

    I finished re-reading Frank Herbert's epic novel Dune a few days ago, and had some final thoughts about the book. I asked myself "How would I have done it?" The book is about the desert planet first and foremost, and so I'd keep that. I'd keep the interstellar intrigue plot, as well. Reluctantly, I guess…

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  • Ecological SF

    I've been re-reading Frank Herbert's Dune after seeing the stunning new film version by Denis Villeneuve, and I noticed something which I found hilarious, in my usual contrarian way. Consider the two factions struggling for control of the desert planet Arrakis: On one side you have the villainous Harkonnens, fortified in the spaceport city of…

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The Worldbuilding Index