Category Archives: Writing

Annoyance and stupidity (rant alert)

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I am, maybe without proper justification, annoyed at @neilhimself, Neil Gaiman compromising a certain amount of integrity to try and help sad Blackberry avoid going through corporate hospice care.  Perhaps it is out of pity or a fascination with death (this time, the death of corporate profits) that has caused an honorable and independent artist, responsible for groundbreaking works of genius to (a) appear in a Super Bowl ad and (b) use his creativity and genius to promote a mere piece of commerce.  To the best of my knowledge, Blackberry shares none of Mr. Gaiman’s values regarding creativity, aesthetic exhilaration and the healing power of pure beauty.  On the contrary, this is a company (formerly known as Research in Motion) that rose to the highest success making a purely functional device that the most conservative and least artistic members of our society could use as they would go to war against others in the unending fight to defeat competition and satisfy shareholders.  Blackberry was dependable, basic, useful.  You could trust that device.  It wouldn’t let you down.  A solid weapon for battle.

So, really, I should not begrudge Mr. Gaiman a few extra shekels in his pocket to do what he would be doing anyway – creating, writing, interacting with his audience.  I should be more appalled at the stupidity of Blackberry for giving up on its own identity so that it could pretend to “think different.”  Instead of using the Windows model and leveraging what they do best.  Microsoft Windows 8 is the same on your phone as on your desktop.  And it is the same on the tablet.  Everything is unified with Windows 8.  There is one operating system and it works.  On everything.  Considering how many people already use Windows products every day, it’s pretty exciting to consider what comes next.

But did Blackberry takes its broad user base and attempt to innovate a more unified and modern product?  Looks like no.  Instead, they appear to be chasing a competitor that is so far down the road, it probably forgot that Blackberry even exists.  Blackberry wants to be Apple.  That might have been an OK idea two or three years ago, but now?  Now it just looks sad.

And there is a sadness to Neil Gaiman.   Not because of this silly ad campaign for a second rate product that no one will buy, but because he sees heartache and the grim realities of pain and loss.  And he writes about them.  And considering what’s going to happen to his new bosses soon, maybe they picked the perfect pitchman.

But I’m still annoyed.

H. P. Lovecraft: there was definitely something VERY wrong with that dude

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After coming at the thing from the wrong direction, like looking through binoculars backwards, I have finally digested a few of Lovecraft’s stories. I can think of no other single author who has exerted such profound influence on so many works of film and literature that I hold dear.

So now I finally have an appropriate anthology at my bedside (paper, not electronic), and I begin to understand why Neil Gaiman, Alan Moore, John Carpenter and so many others hold this obscure author from Providence, RI in such high esteem. And it would please me to discuss with each of you the infinite dread this man contemplated, the way in which he saw human existence as among the most insignificant phenomena in the universe, and the way we are all saved by our inability to conceive of the greater chaos and darkness that lurks just out of sight, waiting to swallow us whole for no reason whatsoever. It is truly chilling.

But even after the briefest examination of Lovecraft’s few published works, there is another, equally nauseating aspect of his writing which all to readily asserts itself. It is one thing for an author to possess certain traits that I find disagreeable. I need not share identical political, social or religious views with any artist whose work I admire. But here, the problem is that the ignorance, the hatred, the racism, the anti-semitism is all right there in the work. And it too is horrifying.

What do we make if all this? How much can we ignore or forgive or explain away? I look forward to delving into the learned discussions to see what the scholars suggest. But, for now, I am baffled.

It’s a READING frenzy!!

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After having (finally) finished Jay Lake‘s stunning new book, ‘Green‘, I’m all charged up to do some serious reading.  Em is out of town for the next two nights, so it will just be me and the four-letters.  Right away, there a ton of decent-looking selections close at hand.

Firstly, I have to give a special shout to John Scalzi’s ‘Big Idea‘ project. On his ancient blog ‘Whatever‘ he’s been highlighting a veritable cornocopia of tasty sci-fi, fantasy and more. I would never have heard of ‘Green’ or ‘W.W.W Wake‘ if it hadn’t been for Scalzi. And, as of today he’s now featuring ‘The Big Idea’ on his Twitter feed, so check it out.

The next novel I’m reading comes right off that list and tells the story of a Louisiana detective who uses demons to help her solve crimes. I’m not completely sold on the premise of the appropriately titled ‘Mark of the Demon‘, but it’s a good choice for Halloween and the reviews are very positive so far.  Plus, Scalzi hasn’t really steered me wrong yet.

In a piece of conceptual continuity, a great mystery writer whom I enjoy is taking up a great all-time graphic novel character. Ian Rankin of Rebus fame has written a nice fat graphic novel in the John Constantine series for Vertigo called ‘Dark Entries‘. As if that weren’t enough to get me on board (it is), the story puts Constantine, paranormal investigator, in the midst of a reality TV show – Brilliant!

In addition to those items, I’ve picked up ‘Sandman Slim’ by Richard Kadrey for after ‘Mark of the Demon’.  I think this is an urban fantasy about revenge from beyond the grave.  Again, it seems to fit in nicely with the theme I’ve got going.

In the realm of shorter works, the incredible Aliette de Boddard has just published a short story over at Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show.  This site takes the traditional sci-fi fiction journal and puts it online.  I paid about $2.50 for the September issue and I get de Boddard’s On Horizon’s Shores, which is the featured work, and a number of other tasty looking goodies.  It’s actually a novelette (as opposed to short story) and after just reading the first few paragraphs, I know it’s going to be great.

The other shorter work I’m excited to look at is a crazy-looking new wave script from 1980 that was linked on io9 today.  The Tourist would probably have made a great movie if it hadn’t been for infighting and development hell.  In present day (well, 1980, anyway) Manhattan, there are aliens living among us, in disguise.  In real life they look like amazingly icky H.R. Giger creatures, because he was brought in (following the groundbreaking success of Alien) to do the concept art.  There’s a link that lets you download the script and I’m hoping for something partway between Cronenberg and The Hunger.

It takes a long weekend to…

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ProgDayHeaderArt-MushroomIt takes a long weekend to make a short movie, see some great music, enjoy the country with narrow dogs, and turn congressional hearings into a nationally acclaimed opera.  Let me explain.

Em is now back from her First Descents excursion.  As predicted, this was an intense time and I have no doubt the reverberations will continue for quite some time to come while they’re being worked into her general psyche and identity.  Basically, take about fourteen young adult cancer survivors to Jackson Wyoming (scene, coincidentally, of the Beckerantz honeymoon) and take them rock climbing, out of their comfort zone and let everybody feel alive in a way they never have before.  The results are hard to put into words, especially for someone who wasn’t even there, but I’m sure she’ll be reporting at length on Seeemilyplay.  But tonight, it’s all about iMovie.  I’ve supplied this girl with what little knowledge I have and she’s running hog wild.  The results are already tremendous, and she’s only up to about the three minute mark.  Hopefully, by the end of this long weekend, I’ll link to an audio-visual document that will give you some idea of what she has experienced over the past week.

ProsaicParadise is soaking in the groovy sounds at ProgDay 2009 down in Chapel Hill.  She’ll be seeing Ozric Tentacles and some other cool acts over two days.  Kudos to her for making the trek in the name of great prog!

FBdN is in the country with his family and the greyhounds.  Bucolic and calming pictures are already starting to emerge, and I urge you to check them out.

It’s Fringe Festival time here in Philadelphia and one of the local acts is an opera based on the Senate Judiciary Committee Hearings and Alberto Gonzalez’s extraordinarily humorous performance.  The thing itself was outrageous, but the The Gonzales Cantata is swiftly becoming a national craze, especially thanks to Rachel Maddow.

Aliette de Bodard is catching up on her Battlestar Galactica and has a few choice thoughts as she gets into season 4.  This woman is an exceptional writer of sci-fi and fantasy and her career is just starting to take off, so it’s exciting to get her sincere thoughts on BSG and everything else.  Her blog and fiction are highly recommended.

Finally, there is a great Dylan bootleg from July 5, 2009, that has just surfaced at T.U.B.E.  There’s always great audience tapes of Bob’s shows, but this one is from the soundboard, which gives it a little more clarity.  Great setlist, including my favorite from the new record, a lil ol’ blues number called Jolene.

Get ready to ‘See Emily Play’

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It may not be much just yet, but we are ready to launch the mpomy subdomain See Emily Play.  This will be Em’s personal blog with a focus on whatever the hell she wants to focus on.  I’m assisting with set-up and design implementation, as well as the obvious domain and hosting issues.  All content, as currently contemplated, will be courtesy the lovely Emily.

This is a special moment for me, because mpomy.com is really an exercise in vanity and catharsis.  Google Analytics has confirmed that there’s not a whole lot of traffic, and that’s fine.  The more important result has been that I’ve become somewhat comfortable with the best platform on the web and I’m running it locally on my host provider, so it’s my bandwidth, my rules, my domain.  If there was something extremely interesting going on out there, I would have a journal entry here that would help me remember for later.  Links can be preserved and pictures saved and it just goes on from there.  Any fine writing is purely coincidental.

Emily, on the other hand, presents a totally different approach.  She has had to be dragged into this kicking and screaming.  Well, not quite, but it has taken the encouragement of a professional, published author, who recognized Em’s talent and encouraged her to act as a guest blogger.  That’s a lot different than a partner or family member saying, “you’re such a great writer, you should just start writing a blog.”

So, today I spent the afternoon assigning a subdomain, setting up another mySQL database, installing a separate and discreet WordPress installation, and getting some very basic customization underway.  Even now, the earliest entries are beginning to take shape across the room as we engage in the age-old exercise known as “dueling laptops.”  Update your Google Reader accordingly.

Aliette de Bodard – Fiction Writer

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This is a young writer that I heard about through Scalzi’s Whatever. He got his start by publishing for free as an online writer. Now he’s become a nice big deal. de Bodard, like many others, has done the same thing in an effort to get exposure for her considerable talent.

‘Ragers and Weepers was written in 2007 and, though brief, it packs a PUNCH. Click the link below at your own risk. And don’t be turned off by the fact that it’s speculative fiction. The sci-fi merely give the author a slightly safer way to explore some of the more horrifying aspects of human existence.

http://www.abyssandapex.com/200704-weepersragers.html

I’m definitely looking forward to more.

Other stuff (not Wayne Shorter-related)

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F1 racing – is getting ready to tear itself apart.  Teams refuse to be subject to standardized technology and budget caps.  To make matters worse, the proposed changes are voluntary, meaning that the 2010 Championship is expected to be a two tiered affair.  I’m very much in favor of some measure of fiscal control on the sport, but standardized technology takes away a key element that is really integral to the tradition and definition of F1 racing.  And a two-tiered championship is absolutely unacceptable.

Phillies – pulled out a nice squeeker tonight.  Hamels gets the win, although it seems he’s not quite as sharp and dominant as he was last year.  Same with Lidge – BIG TIME.  But he did get the save tonight and was a damned entertaining game to listen to.  Franzke is coming into his own (as Scott Graham did, a few years back) on those exciting calls at the end, particularly Lidge’s strikeout for out number two with two on in the bottom of the ninth.  Nice job.

John Scalzi – is a fine SciFi writer, a real professional.  He’s been blogging prolifically since 1998.  That’s some pretty good output for one guy.  Getting the benefit of really good writing on a daily basis is quite a treat.  But when its Scalzi’s twisted sense of humor, well then it’s priceless.  And, hey, it is priceless, totally free!  He recently featured an interview with a stick of butter, and today confronts his inner geek as he contemplates the purchase of a new computer powerful enough to play fancy new games:

As an example of this problem, note the picture above, of CyberPower PC’s “Lan Party Commander.” Leaving aside the name of the PC, which screams “I am encrusted in the residue of Cheetos and Mountain Dew,” this rig is one of the more subtly-designed of the gaming rigs CyberPower puts together, and it still looks like a cooling tower at Chernobyl. If I walk into a room and something is glowing like this thing is, my first instinct is to dive toward the lead shielding.

Read the entire post here.  I particularly like image of him encrusted in the residue of Cheetos.

WordPress – is ready to getting ready to go to 2.8 and only just installed this version (currently I’m using 2.7.1) on March 26.  That’s less than two months ago!  But it’s a dilemna because the last update (that I just installed) was terrific.  Fortunately, it’s still in beta testing, and I’m not feeling that adventurous at the moment.

Narrowing it down

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I’m not going to rush my Kos diary entey.  I’ll post it (and take my abuse) when it’s good and ready.  Initially, I had wanted to rant against Comcast and TV in general – picking up on comments I made here and here.  And while all that is good stuff, I may want to use this as my opportunity to begin a discussion about child welfare law in Philly – which I’ve observed through Em’s work over the past several years.  The story of judges who don’t take the bench and kids dying (as in, not alive anymore) as a result of neglect.  Then you throw in the corruption and lack of accountability, and you’ve got a horrific tragedy one hell of a story on your hands.

I just registered over at DailyKos

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Everybody knows about DailyKos.  I’ve been reading the front page daily for ther past few years, and the folks over there know their stuff.  But at ATG’s suggestion, I figured I’d give it a try.  I’m not as politically motivated as I have been in the past, but this exercise and heightened scrutiny (there are lots of rules) will, hopefully, take the writing bug to the next level.  I figure, while I’m cranking out the columns, I might as well try to do something constructive.

Not that the process of emoting and expressing isn’t a good thing in general, but the difference is wirintg for me vs. writing for a purpose.  Let’s see what happens.  There is a mandatory one week waiting period before I’m aloud to diary, so I’ll have some time to get my shit together.