The Cambias Digression

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

  • The Thrill Is Gone

    I just bought a new computer — which is one reason it's been so long since my last 'blog post. Usually I buy a new computer when the old one breaks, but this time I decided to replace the old one while it's still functional. So now I have a spiffy new MacBook. And I'm…

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  • Tolkien, Kipling, Lewis, and Wells

    I recently received, as a birthday present from my talented wife, a copy of the 1909 edition of Rudyard Kipling's "With the Night Mail: A Story of 2000 A.D." If you aren't familiar with the story, it's a fascinating — and amazingly prescient — work of early science fiction by one of the English language's…

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  • How I Did It #11: “The Barbary Shore”

    I love writing to an assigned theme. One of my longest-held beliefs about writing is that constraints improve one's creativity. There's something awfully daunting about a blank screen and the knowledge that you can write absolutely anything. It can cause creative paralysis, or a lot of abortive starts. But put down some boundaries and the…

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  • Thoughts on Dyson Spheres

    One of the more interesting panels I attended at Chicon was the one about Dyson spheres. (I know what you're thinking: how long is this guy going to keep gassing about some convention he went to last month?) I learned some new things and it made me think in some new directions. Let me share…

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  • Chicon 7: After-Action Report

    Overall, the convention was a lot of fun. The whole family had a good time. I would like to give particular praise to the organizers of the childrens' programming track. Instead of just "day care" or "babysitting" they approached it like any other part of the convention activities: "what are some things we can do…

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  • Chicon 7: The Final Chapter

    On Sunday I ferried Agent X down to the extremely well-run ChiKids program area for Doctor Who Lego building, Jedi costumes, and steampunk Nerf guns. Agent X had a great time at Chicon. I spent the same period watching a panel on screenwriting by Michael Cassutt, Melinda Snodgrass, and the alarmingly overqualified Dr. Harry Kloor.…

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  • Chicon 7: The Third Day

    The Crack Team breakfasted in the room again, and once more split up for separate activities. Because Saturday was the day leading up to the grand costume contest, the two younger members of the Crack Team wore their hall costumes: "Agent X" (an alien-fighting Man In Black), and the "Dalekette" (a Dalek-inspired showgirl outfit).  I…

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  • ChiCon 7: The Second Day

    Our Crack Team of congoers breakfasted in the room on muffins from one of the many coffeeshops in the warren of tunnels under the Illinois Center complex surrounding the hotel. We then showered, dressed, and went off to the convention. I attended a very entertaining and high-energy panel on "The New Pulp Fiction" featuring Adam…

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  • ChiCon 7: The First Day

    Events at the 70th annual World Science Fiction Convention got underway at noon on Thursday. I attended an interesting panel discussion about digital media, featuring Christopher Kastensmidt, Nancy Fulda, and Tom Dowd. Following that, I went to see the discussion of "Researching History That Never Happened" by Mary Robinette Kowal, Kenneth Hite, Adam Christopher, Martin…

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  • My ChiCon Schedule

    This year the 70th annual World Science Fiction Convention is being held in Chicago over Labor Day weekend. ChiCon 7 starts on Thursday, August 30, and runs through Monday, September 3. The Guests of Honor include legendary science fiction writer Mike Resnick, and even-more-legendary astronaut Story Musgrave. And, of course, me. My schedule is as…

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