The title of this post has nothing to do with how long I haven’t posted here — though it may well be 8 days — but with my newest story project. I’m finally writing a story about (edit: Crown) Prince Sado, aka Sado Saeja. He’s a particularly unusual case in the Joseon Dynasty, whose story is told in more (prosaic) detail here. As far as monarchs who lose their minds, he’s quite an odd (unusual) one. I haven’t managed to do much writing in the last couple of weeks — some last-minute-emergency-hurry editing has dropped into my lap, and I …
Month: November 2007
Recent Readings & Stuff, Late August, September & October ’07
Books The Blank Slate by Stephen Pinker may not blow away people with some real familiarity with the sorry state of affairs in the human sciences — like a friend who shall remain nameless (unless she wishes to comment here) and who said that the criticisms made in the book were not uncommon among grad students in her department. But in that it encapsulates the argument in a way really easily parsed by nonspecialists, frames it in terms of the harmful effects of Blank Slate-ist denial of inherent human nature, and movingly retaliates against the scummiest of Blank Slate-ists who, …
Free Stuff to Read
Want a chance to win a free copy of Elizabeth Hand’s new book Generation Loss? Enter at: Abebooks Elizabeth Hand Book Contest (Ganked from Der Small Beer/LCRW blognotblog thingy.) While you’re waiting to find out whether you win, check out the wonderful Tina Connolly’s wonderful story “Moon at the Starry Diner.” She wrote this story at Clarion West and after I read it, I started bowing to her — though only when she wasn’t looking — out of both respect and fear. It’s my favorite Tina Connolly story so far, loaded with that bizarre cartoons-on-grownup-drugs quality she does so well, …
Athlete’s Foot, My Past Life, and I Look Chinese?
Somewhere along the way — probably in Japan — I picked this up, but it didn’t flare until a week ago. It’s been a busy week, so it took until yesterday to get to the doctor’s office. I suppose there might be a cream I could get over the counter, but I don’t know what to ask for and anyway, he is a good guy, and it doesn’t cost much to visit, so I dropped in to see my regular dermatologist. Dermatologist and urologist, actually. He does both, and this has indeed been handy. So anyway, I went to see …
I Could Go With You…
In the mood for pirates, rum, beheaded holy men (whee!), metal men, and spaceships? Go over to Atomjack and read my classmate and friend Ben’s story Of Rum, Madness, Thunderstorms and Prayer. It’s good, piratical fun.
Al Fry’s “Strange Beings”
Al Fry is the Strange Being, if you ask me. You can find some very odd videos by this man online — discussions of demihumans, dangerous chi power emitted from the eyes, and more insanity. It’s all a hodgepodge of random new age crap (qi and “psychic self-defense,” and the usual “vibrational levels” and “negative spirits”) and cryptozoology, duct-taped together and presented as if it was real. Except, almost as if with a bizarre sense of humor. You want to believe the guy narrating is joking when he says, “Now, listen up!” and goes on to explain how as late …