May 21
I was beginning to see that my life was not—let’s say it was not what I wanted it to be. There was always a wagonload of frustration to deal with—wanting to write and not being able to find the time or the place for it. I used to go out and sit in the car …
May 04
Shared Tomorrows by Ryan Oakley on Mixcloud As is my habit, I’ve put together another music podcast. These aren’t really for public consumption but since I’ve never been able to transfer a playlist from Rhythmbox to my iPod, Audacity is just about the easiest way for me to put any sort of mix together. And, having …
Apr 29
After Philip K. Dick got his first glimpse of Bladerunner (based on his “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?”) he wrote this letter to the production company: October 11, 1981 Mr. Jeff Walker, The Ladd Company, 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, Calif. 91522. Dear Jeff, I happened to see the Channel 7 TV program “Hooray For …
Apr 27
I have a couple pieces of news regarding Technicolor Ultra Mall. The first is that my publisher has made the ebook version available through the Amazon Lending Library. So, if you’re an Amazon Prime Member, you can borrow it for zero dollars. If you’re old fashioned like me, it looks like the Canadian Amazon has …
Apr 27
Social Media’s Small, Positive Role in Human Relationships is an interesting article. If anything, social media is a counterweight to the ongoing devaluation of human lives. Social media’s rapid rise is a loud, desperate, emerging attempt by people everywhere to connect with *each other* in the face of all the obstacles that modernity imposes on …
Apr 23
This 1949 letter from Aldous Huxley to George Orwell is from Letters of Note. While these two authors shared a dystopic view, they disagreed on how it would be realized. Not to put too fine a point on it, Huxley feared the carrot while Orwell feared the stick. Wrightwood. Cal. 21 October, 1949 Dear …
Apr 22
I generally dislike all forms of ‘how to be creative’ or ‘how to be productive’ or ‘five secrets to success in the arts.’ Worse than useless, these things are indicative of an output fetish. A fixation on the factory floor. A jumped up, capitalist pornography for the creative classes. But you can make a good living selling …
Apr 21
Walking the Clouds: An Anthology of Indigenous Science Fiction (University of Arizona Press) claims to be be first collection of science fiction stories, excerpts and poems by native people. And I think, that can’t be right, can it? But, God help us, it probably is. This book is long overdue. Indian Country Today says: Dillon, a professor …
Apr 21
For Earth Day, the Toronto Star asked 15 science fiction writers, including me, how we’d tackle climate change. To save some space, my answer was edited down. Here’s my full reply: The environment is something I watch on TV. Narrated by Sir David Attenborough, it’s a pristine world free of human interference. But it’s also …
Apr 18
This is a letter that William S. Burroughs wrote to Truman Capote in 1970 about ‘In Cold Blood.’ Burroughs was upset that Capote never tried to stop the executions of which he wrote. My Dear Mr. Truman Capote, This is not a fan letter in the usual sense—unless you refer to ceiling fans in Panama. Rather, …
