participant

No Participation Trophies

If you spent any length of time on social media this weekend, you couldn't escape seeing culture warrior Conservatives backsliding into the Pop Cult slop funnel en masse. Many of the same people who lamented the outrage marketing that turned Captain Marvel from a near-flop to a billion-dollar hit fell…
July 25, 20237 Comments
Hickson-Parker

They Were Fearful

Tales of high strangeness have become a fixture on this blog these past years. So much so that people have started sending me weird stories unsolicited. The following was referred to me by a Twitter mutual: There's more to the story. Parker, now 58, was 18 when he went fishing…
July 24, 20236 Comments
cyclone

Combat Frame Data: MCF-C260 Cyclone

MCF-C260 Cyclone Technical Data Model number: MCF-C260 Cyclone Code name: Cyclone Nickname: Cyke Classification: mass production transformable combat frame Manufacturer: UC Arms Operator: CDF, MRV, PAX, UCP First deployment: CY 99 Crew: 1 pilot in cockpit in chest Height: 20 meters Weight: 119 metric tons Armor type: “1D” carbyne laminar…
July 21, 2023
Scott Pilgrim Subculture

Subcultural Experiences

Commenter Hermetic Seal writes: As someone who started college in the mid-2000s, a big part of my experience was how all of my communal activities, and the entertainment I was into, moved from shared cultural experiences, to subcultural ones. I think a lot of that emerged naturally, or subconsciously, in…
July 20, 20233 Comments
Tower Records

Gen Y Tales: Welcome to Adulthood

A reader writes in to share a Gen Y tale of his own: It was 2005 and I had just turned 18. I was at a Tower Records with a bunch of high school friends. It was a neat, two story place and that particular night it was lively and…
July 19, 202316 Comments
How to Find and Keep Readers

How to Find and Keep Readers

The publishing market is always changing, and newpub is no exception. The challenge of attracting and retaining readers can feel like navigating a maze blindfolded. Aspiring writers often ask me for advice on building a devoted readership. Let's take a look at some proven methods. Write like you mean it…
July 18, 20232 Comments
Yeti Hand

The Oilman, the Funnyman & the Yeti Hand

What do a Texas oil tycoon, a beloved comedic actor, and a mytho-historical cryptid all have in common? A connection to a mysterious artifact - a mummified hand once kept in the reliquary of a remote Buddhist monastery. The cryptid used to be connected to it, at least. Read on…
July 17, 2023
Mighty Sons of Hercules

Mighty Sons of Hercules

Cirsova returns with a neopatronage nod to the sword and sandals epics of 1950s cinema - now in an all-new fantasy anthology: Long ago, in ages past... there were men who travelled the world, seeking adventure. Fighting injustice, defending the weak and the helpless, looking to right wrongs wherever they…
July 14, 2023
Higher Ed Confidence

Seminaries of the Death Cult

Americans' confidence in institutions of higher learning has hit an all-time low according to a new Gallup poll. Americans’ confidence in higher education has fallen to 36%, sharply lower than in two prior readings in 2015 (57%) and 2018 (48%). In addition to the 17% of U.S. adults who have…
July 13, 20234 Comments
The Tangled Web of Tony Pellicano

The Tangled Web of Tony Pellicano

Hollywood has its own intrigues that rival international espionage, as this writer learned while pulling a thread left in yesterday's comments by author JD Cowan. [Director John] McTiernan’s career is fascinating. Everything he did was fantastic until the 2000s hit and he got entangled with the feds after his producers…
July 12, 20231 Comment