Month: November 2011

  • A few comments on the reviews I do here

    17 Nov 2011 » 3 min read about Reading & Books

    In the last couple of weeks, I have gotten (my first ever) requests to review books and post reviews of books for people that I don’t know. I’m not entirely certain why I get these because I am not a reviewer, but in talking to some science fiction-writer friends, I guess this is fairly standard. One…

  • Parental guilt, redux

    17 Nov 2011 » 3 min read about Personal & Family

    I’ve felt terrible all morning and I can’t shake it. It’s been getting more and more difficult to get the Little Man to go to sleep at night. He is already sleeping with me for now–until we can get the Little Miss out of our bed and into her crib, the Little Man sleeps with…

  • The very last day of a good laptop*

    16 Nov 2011 » 2 min read about Personal & Family

    My MacBook, which I acquired in 2007, is slowly dying. It started a few weeks ago with some occasional hang-ups. I thought I’d solved the problem, but it turned out that was a red-herring. The problem has gotten worse–to the point where the machine is virtually unusable. It will boot and programs will run, but…

  • My latest Wayward Time Travel column is up at SF Signal

    15 Nov 2011 » 1 min read about Blog & Site Meta

    Over at SF Signal, my latest Wayward Time Traveler column has been posted. In “A Correspondent to the Past, Part 3: 1995” I take the old time machine to 1995 to experience for a second time what you can really only experience for the first time once: a Harlan Ellison reading. Head on over to…

  • Transition to fall

    15 Nov 2011 » 1 min read about Personal & Family

    When people find out that I lived in the Los Angeles area for nearly 20 years, they ask why I moved to the east coast. (Usually with tones of disbelief.) Here is one reason: And here is another:

  • The Power Base has an interview with Piers Anthony

    14 Nov 2011 » 1 min read about Blog & Site Meta

    Since I mentioned Piers Anthony in a recent post, I thought I should point out that The Power Base has an interview with Piers Anthony over on their site. If you are a fan or just interested in his work, go check it out.

  • And Movember comes to an end… for me

    14 Nov 2011 » 1 min read about Personal & Family

    I just couldn’t take it anymore. I’d gotten past the itchy phase, but I simply didn’t like the way things were turning out. I guess I’m just more of a clean-shaven guy than a scruffy-bearded GQ type. Anywhere, here I am right before shaving yesterday: And here I am right after, looking immensely relieved:

  • Stephen King and me

    14 Nov 2011 » 4 min read about Reading & Books

    I’m trying to recall when Stephen King first permeated my consciousness. It had to be the movies. I recall seeing Pet Sematary in high school. It is one of the few movies I’ve seen that I’d characterize as frightening. I’ve always had a problem with horror novels and scary movies because I can’t suspend my disbelief…

  • Vacation in the Golden Age, Episode 27: September 1941

    13 Nov 2011 » 31 min read about 1941, episodes

    A good argument can be made that the issue which you are about to read about is one of the best issues to come out of the Golden Age. The issue contains three stories that have gone on to become classics of the genre. Contained within its pages are names like Isaac Asimov, Alfred Bester…

  • What I did on this fine fall day

    12 Nov 2011 » 2 min read about Personal & Family

    I’ve been away from the Internets for much of today, but only because it was such a fine fall day. Here are some of the things I managed to get done today. We visited a daycare that the Little Miss might be attending. Pleasantly surprised with the facilities, but the price is a little steep.…

  • Dear CBS: Here is my application to replace Andy Rooney

    11 Nov 2011 » 2 min read

    I wrote something earlier in the week to which my friend Lisa commented: “Is this essay going to be part of your application to replace Andy Rooney?” Well, no that one wasn’t, Lisa, but your comment gave me inspiration and because of it, I present this: Jamie Todd Rubin: On Straws There was a time when a…

  • Happy No Email Day!

    11 Nov 2011 » 1 min read about Personal & Family

    Today is No Email Day. The premise of the day is to increase your productivity for one day by not checking email. Lifehacker has an interesting post on this. I’m giving it a shot. I don’t know that it is possible for me to avoid email completely today as it is a work-day (despite being…