Episode 33 of Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy is now up at io9. In this show we interview Cameron Stracher, media lawyer and author of the dystopian YA novel The Water Wars. Then stick around after the interview as John and I discuss dystopian literature and John’s new anthology Brave New Worlds.
Archives for March 2011
Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy #2 Literature Podcast
This week Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy made it up to #2 on the iTunes Literature list and #8 among all Arts podcasts. It also appeared, for the first time that I’ve seen, on the list of all podcasts, peaking at #164.
io9’s Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy Podcast Interviews Neil deGrasse Tyson
Episode 32 of Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy is now up at io9. In this show we interview star astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson about life in the universe, death in outer space, and why Titanic pissed him off. Then stick around after the interview as John and I recommend some of our favorite astronomy-based science fiction. We also discuss James Frey’s role in the movie I Am Number Four and speculate about whether aliens could truly be incomprehensible.
io9’s Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy Podcast Interviews Cherie Priest
Episode 6 of Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy is now up at io9. In this episode Cherie Priest, “Queen of Steampunk,” talks about her alternate history Civil War steampunk zombie novel Boneshaker and reminisces about her childhood (“it’s only a slight exaggeration to say that I was raised in an eschatalogical cult”). Then stick around after the interview as John and I discuss Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes and John’s anthology The Improbable Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
Fantasy Magazine New Website
Check out the slick new look of Fantasy magazine. The March issue is the first to be edited by my Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy co-host John Joseph Adams.
New Author Photo March 2011
New author photo. Really needed a pic of me smiling (that wasn’t from 2007) for the Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy site.
Neuropeptides Alter Level of Skepticism
Here’s a really interesting tidbit from the latest Rationally Speaking podcast:
“Degrees of ability to withstand cognitive dissonance vary in the human population … We know in fact that you can alter those chemically. You can alter the proportion of certain neuropeptides in the brain and all of a sudden turn a skeptic into a true believer, and vice versa. You can do experiments where people are shown a fuzzy screen where there is actually no image, and they’re asked, “What image do you see?” And people who are generally gullible will see something, and people who are skeptical don’t see anything. But then you give them a chemical neuropeptide, and the skeptics all of sudden start seeing patterns.”
Dance with Dragons July 12th
Having waited ten years to find out what’s up with Coldhands and stuff, I see that Dance with Dragons will finally be released! On July 12th … the day before Alpha starts. *headdesk*
My Short Story “Veil of Ignorance” Now Online
I’ve also posted the text of my short story “Veil of Ignorance” (the audio has been online for a while). I get a pretty regular stream of people coming to my site from Wikipedia looking for this story, I assume because it’s mentioned here. They’re usually from a university, and they usually poke around briefly, and when they can’t find the story in text format they leave. Rarely someone will listen to the audio, but mostly they just leave. They never look at any of my other stories, and they never buy a copy of the story from Fictionwise. This has been going on for years. So I’m throwing in the towel and just making the text of the story free. Enjoy.
And if you haven’t read the story, do check it out. It’s got a cool shifting first-person viewpoint.
Stories I Wrote When I Was a Teenager Now Online
I updated my Media page with text versions of some of my older stories. These are all things I wrote when I was a teenager:
“The Trial of Thomas Jefferson”
A court in the future puts historical figures on trial. Text |
“Lest We Forget”
Two friends debate the ethics of erasing painful memories. Text |
“Pomegranate Heart”
A teenage boy falls in love with a virtual girl he’s created. Text |
“The Sorcerer and the Charlatan”
A mighty lord hatches a plot to ensnare a wizard. Text |
Bad Grammar in Lyrics in YouTube Videos
Man, reading the lyrics on people’s YouTube videos is a painful experience for anyone with a rudimentary grasp of grammar.
Game of Thrones “Iron Throne” Trailer
New Game of Thrones trailer. Gives me chills, it does.