This makes me so proud to be a member of the community of science fiction writers...
or not.
I'm sorry, Mr. Pournelle, Larry Niven's suggestion to reduce hospital costs for treating illegal aliens by spreading rumors among the Latino community that hospitals are killing illegals to harvest their organs isn't just politically incorrect. It's downright evil.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
You Like Me! You Really Do Like Me!
My fantasy novella Ananke has been recognized as a Notable Story in the 2007 storySouth Million Writers Award.Thursday, April 24, 2008
Point of Consideration
Over at Duotrope, I just noticed that someone received a short story rejection from a magazine that shall remain anonymous after waiting 588 days.
It goes without saying that any magazine that would hold on to a story for 588 days has no business publishing anything. These are the sort of people you see in the grocery story, paralyzed with indecision in the produce section, trying to choose the perfect bunch of bananas. Oh wait, you don't see those people in the grocery store because even they are able to make a decision before 588 days have frittered away.
Needless to say, I have my own horror stories here, including one story that's been out 770 days, and another one out 491 days.
It goes without saying that any magazine that would hold on to a story for 588 days has no business publishing anything. These are the sort of people you see in the grocery story, paralyzed with indecision in the produce section, trying to choose the perfect bunch of bananas. Oh wait, you don't see those people in the grocery store because even they are able to make a decision before 588 days have frittered away.
Needless to say, I have my own horror stories here, including one story that's been out 770 days, and another one out 491 days.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
I Feel So Much Safer Now
A 13-year-old German schoolboy has corrected NASA scientists' calculation of the chances of the asteroid Apophis hitting Earth in 2036. NASA prediction was 1 in 45,000.
The revised prediction? 1 in 450. (What's a couple of decimal places?) And how can we rely on any prediction if it doesn't take into account the Pioneer anomaly?
HFS people! Head? On fire? Anyone?
I got an idea. Screw the mission to Mars, lets put everything we got into diverting this world-ender, shall we? But before we start blowing shit up, check with the German kid to make sure our calculations are correct.
But who cares, right? We'll all be dead anyway.
UPDATE!!! NASA says never mind, nothing to see here, move along.
I just want to offer these thoughts. NASA says the boy's calculations are incorrect because the asteriod won't be passing through a zone heavily populated with satellites. Ok, I can see that. But if all it takes to knock this rock into a collision course is bumping into a couple of comparatively tiny satellites, then how can we say with any certainty what it's going to do or where it's going to go? It could bump into an unseen, untracked asteroid between now and 2029 and our first indication that our calculations are incorrect might be when the thing comes screaming into the atmosphere.
Frankly, even a 1 in 45,000 chance is too small. A lot unpredictable things could happen between now and 2029. As someone in comments to the article pointed out, there are two full solar cycles between now and then, so even something like a change in solar radiation could alter this thing's trajectory with disastrous consequences. This asteroid is a potential world-destroyer, even if the potential, as currently calculated, is small. We really do need to start working now to develop technologies to divert it.
Because if you think about it, the next one might not give us 30 years of warning.
The revised prediction? 1 in 450. (What's a couple of decimal places?) And how can we rely on any prediction if it doesn't take into account the Pioneer anomaly?
HFS people! Head? On fire? Anyone?
I got an idea. Screw the mission to Mars, lets put everything we got into diverting this world-ender, shall we? But before we start blowing shit up, check with the German kid to make sure our calculations are correct.
But who cares, right? We'll all be dead anyway.
UPDATE!!! NASA says never mind, nothing to see here, move along.
I just want to offer these thoughts. NASA says the boy's calculations are incorrect because the asteriod won't be passing through a zone heavily populated with satellites. Ok, I can see that. But if all it takes to knock this rock into a collision course is bumping into a couple of comparatively tiny satellites, then how can we say with any certainty what it's going to do or where it's going to go? It could bump into an unseen, untracked asteroid between now and 2029 and our first indication that our calculations are incorrect might be when the thing comes screaming into the atmosphere.
Frankly, even a 1 in 45,000 chance is too small. A lot unpredictable things could happen between now and 2029. As someone in comments to the article pointed out, there are two full solar cycles between now and then, so even something like a change in solar radiation could alter this thing's trajectory with disastrous consequences. This asteroid is a potential world-destroyer, even if the potential, as currently calculated, is small. We really do need to start working now to develop technologies to divert it.
Because if you think about it, the next one might not give us 30 years of warning.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Damn This Republican Recession
$3.20 a gallon for gas, $115 a barrel for oil - these are nothing. But when the price of bourbon rises two bucks a fifth, by God this means war!
Deep Thought (not Throat)
Why hasn't someone created a porn version of YouTube?
(My guess is it would crash the internets.)
(My guess is it would crash the internets.)
Friday, April 11, 2008
In Which I Make Too Many Demands on the Royal Ear
A recent story rejection:This initially showed potential, but I felt the author should have concentrated more on moving the story along than dwelling needlessly on other aspects such as the story.
One sees such a rejection and what can one say but "Salieri!"
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
New Project - Short Fiction Web
According to Duotrope.com, there are currently 833 online markets for short fiction. Just trying to pick a place to begin reading is nearly impossible. It's too overwhelming.
And that's a damn shame, because some of the best short fiction being published today is being published online, and the vast majority of it will go unrecognized, because of the sheer volume of dreck with which it must compete for readers' attention.
Therefore, I've started a new blog dedicated to finding and highlighting the best fiction published online. Just as political blogs sift the news for important pieces of journalism, I'll be sifting the community of online fiction publications to find the important stories.
I'm posting my first list of Standout Stories today.
And that's a damn shame, because some of the best short fiction being published today is being published online, and the vast majority of it will go unrecognized, because of the sheer volume of dreck with which it must compete for readers' attention.
Therefore, I've started a new blog dedicated to finding and highlighting the best fiction published online. Just as political blogs sift the news for important pieces of journalism, I'll be sifting the community of online fiction publications to find the important stories.
I'm posting my first list of Standout Stories today.
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Are We There Yet?
The Forbidden Kingdom, starring Jackie Chan and Jet Li, is a new martial arts movie set in ancient China, not unlike the screenplay I wrote in 2005, called 1000 Year Heroes - a script which made the quarter finals of the Zoetrope contest.
At the time I wrote it, I told a friend that the only way the movie would ever actually get made is if I figured out a way to write a white boy into the story.
The Forbidden Kingdom is about an American teen who finds an ancient Chinese relic in a pawn shop, which transports him back to ancient China, where he helps a group of heroes rescue the Monkey King.
Hollywood can't make a kung-fu movie set in China unless there's a white boy in it, yet we think we're ready to elect our first black president?
At the time I wrote it, I told a friend that the only way the movie would ever actually get made is if I figured out a way to write a white boy into the story.
The Forbidden Kingdom is about an American teen who finds an ancient Chinese relic in a pawn shop, which transports him back to ancient China, where he helps a group of heroes rescue the Monkey King.
Hollywood can't make a kung-fu movie set in China unless there's a white boy in it, yet we think we're ready to elect our first black president?
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