The Cambias Digression

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

  • Appropriating the Past

    I got my degree in history, and when I got to historical movies, I'm the one indignantly whispering to my seatmate about errors. Though actually I'm pretty charitable: I understand that movies do have budgets and physical limitations. If you're making a World War II movie and can't scrounge up enough M-1 Garand rifles for…

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  • What’s the Big Idea?

    This is the Big Idea. Now you know.

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  • New Year’s Dinner

    I made the traditional New Orleans dinner for New Year's Day: Hoppin' John (=black-eyed peas and rice), Brown Cabbage, and sausage. It came out very well: the Hoppin' John was wonderfully rich, thanks to the goodness of a smoked pork hock, while the sausage was a pretty decent facsimile of andouille (as decent as one…

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  • Welcome to Arkad’s World!

    Today's the official publication date for my new book Arkad's World! Copies should be hitting the brick-and-mortar stores this week, and are already available for ordering online, so if you're wondering what to do with those gift cards or bundles of cash Santa left in your stocking, wonder no longer. If you want a signed…

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  • Countdown to Arkad

    Five days to go before Arkad's World hits the shelves! If you're wondering what to do with that Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card Santa put in your stocking, try the novel that Booklist calls ". . . a feat of world-building: an expansive, believable setting with fascinating aliens, compelling mysteries, and a rich sense of…

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  • Pop Culture: Hold On to Your Hats!

    As cultures develop a large and relatively affluent middle class, they develop what we call "pop culture." The upper class have "high culture" more or less by definition, and the lower class don't have the leisure time or spare wealth to create culture at all. Tom Wolfe chronicled this in post-WWII America, as people got…

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  • Tales of the Time Patrol: The Wild Bunch

    We recently re-watched Sam Peckinpah's famous gritty Western The Wild Bunch. This time around I realized something: at least one of the titular Bunch is a secret agent of the Time Patrol. The moment of revelation comes when the gang arrive at the headquarters of the corrupt Mexican warlord General Mapache and see the General's…

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  • Arkad’s World Review From Booklist

    One of the most anxious times for a writer is just before the book hits the stores, at the moment when the first reviews appear. You may like what you've written, your editor may like it, your wife and the people in your writing workshop may like it . . . but none of that…

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  • Look What Arrived!

    Christmas came about a week early this year! Look what arrived: freshly-printed copies of Arkad's World! If these volumes have reached my house, there's at least a sporting chance copies are getting to Amazon's warehouses or your local bookstore. Get your copy now! I honestly believe this is the best thing I've written. Getting it…

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  • Post-Thanksgiving Food Bragging Post

    This year we had two and a half guests for Thanksgiving1and so decided to really pull out all the stops for an epic meal. The menu: Hors d'Oeuvres Pickled Herring in Sour Cream    Oyster Patties Cremant de Bourgogne Viandes Roast Stuffed Breast of Turkey    Sous-Vide Breast Turkey en Mole Juliénas Beaujolais Legumes Oyster Stuffing    Tamales Roasted Brussels Sprouts    Roasted…

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The Worldbuilding Index