The Cambias Digression

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

  • The New Classics

    Back in August I was a guest at our local (if you're an American) science fiction convention, Pi-Con. One panel they put me on was about "The New Classics" of science fiction and fantasy — classic works published since about 1980 or so. I wrote up a list of new classic SF, using the inestimable…

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  • Rolling My Own (b)Log

    New post up at Science Made Cool, about the arsenic-based "alien bacteria" found by NASA researchers.

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  • Ozblogging: The Marvelous Land of Oz, Part 6

    Episode Six:  Metamorphosis (and Conclusion) Glinda hauls old Mombi back to her army's encampment, and after some polite grilling (with only aa few death threats) the old witch comes clean. Yes, the Wizard did steal away the infant heir to the throne of Oz, Princess Ozma. He brought her to Mombi to conceal, which Mombi…

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  • Ozblogging: The Marvelous Land of Oz, Part 5

    Episode Five: Glinda The Scarecrow & co. drop in (literally) on Glinda, the Good Witch of the South. When the Scarecrow asks for her help in getting rid of Jinjur, Glinda brings up the pretty valid objection that the Scarecrow only had the throne in the first place because some wandering con man gave it…

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  • Tales From the Archive: The City of Tomorrow!

    This is another old Space: 1889 adventure which ran in Challenge magazine. I wanted to write a scenario which captured some of the feel of 19th Century Utopian science fiction, in which the bulk of the story is a tour of the wonderful new society. William Pene DuBois's The Twenty-One Balloons is a note-perfect pastiche…

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  • Ozblogging: The Marvelous Land of Oz, Part 4

    Episode Four:  Thrilling Air Adventures! The heroes gather up a weird assortment of junk — sofas, a broom, leaves from the royal Palm Tree, and the stuffed head of a deer-like animal called a Gump. They bind all this stuff together with clothesline and then Tip uses the remaining Powder of Life to animate it.…

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  • Ozblogging: The Marvelous Land of Oz, Part 3

    Episode Three: There and Back Again The Scarecrow and company seek refuge with the Tin Woodman in Winkie Country, then attempt to reconquer the Emerald City. Most people in a situation like this would raise an army, call up the CIA, maybe see if other powerful regional rulers in Oz might want to help restore…

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  • Tales From the Archive: The Explosive Saga of DOC TOLTEC!

    This isn't a published story. In fact, I wrote it as character background for a roleplaying campaign Brian Rogers was putting together. Brian was trying to create a superhero campaign with the feel of a real-world "all-stars superteam" comic book like JLA or The Mighty Avengers. These teams differ from groups like The Fantastic Four…

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  • Ozblogging: The Marvelous Land of Oz, Part 2

    Episode Two:  The Scarecrow and Jinjur Tip and Jack Pumpkinhead leave Mombi and travel south, aiming for the Emerald City for no very good reason. It turns out to be pretty close: they spend a day hiking through the countryside and then come to the main road only nine miles away from the city. This…

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  • Ozblogging: The Marvelous Land of Oz, Part 1

    Episode One:  Tip L. Frank Baum published The Marvelous Land of Oz in 1904. His publisher wanted a new Oz book for Christmas and he obliged. Because Baum was so pleased with the success of the stage play based on The Wizard of Oz, he wrote the new book with an eye to adapting it…

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The Worldbuilding Index