From Contemplation to Emotion: The Decline of the Novel

From Contemplation to Emotion: The Decline of the Novel

Let me preface this post by referring you to this outstanding essay by Mike Flynn. It covers the transitions in thought, art, culture, politics, and more that occurred between the Ancient, Medieval, Modern, and Post-Modern ages. All six parts are worth your time, but Part 5, dealing with the rise…
September 30, 2014
Frank Discussion

Frank Discussion

I recently had the pleasure of watching Frank by quirky comedy director Lenny Abrahamson. The film follows an aspiring young musician named John whose yearning to escape his dreary workaday life is fulfilled when he's unexpectedly offered a keyboardist gig with avant-garde jam band Soronprfbs (no definitive pronunciation is every established).…
September 24, 2014

Songs of Relevance

Like five hundred million other iTunes subscribers, I was recently issued U2's latest studio album Songs of Innocence. Which is why you're reading this, since I probably wouldn't have bought the record on my own. It bears noting that I've been an avid fan of U2 since I was seven.…
September 15, 20144 Comments

Sandman Overture #3

I recently finished the third and most recent volume of Neil Gaiman's triumphant return to The Sandman. (For the sake of the sole reader who doesn't know what The Sandman is, it's the horror/fantasy comic book series that established Gaiman's place among the greatest storytellers currently working in any medium.) [Spoiler Alert] Issue 1 sets quite an intriguing plot hook with Dream…
September 1, 2014

Drunken Zombie at Gen Con

Proving again that late is better than never, my excellent colleagues at the Drunken Zombie Podcast have posted the recordings we made during our trip to Gen Con. Unlike last year, we didn't find the time to do much recording at the actual convention, but hopefully you'll find the conversations we recorded…
August 26, 2014
Arguments People Think Are Logical Fallacies But Aren’t

Arguments People Think Are Logical Fallacies But Aren’t

To someone with formal training in logic, the internet can be a strange place indeed. It's analogous to being a pharmacist at an Old West medicine show. People guzzle down snake oil and keep going back for more. One of the major reasons for these continued errors is many commentators'…
August 20, 20142 Comments

Gen Con Recap

As promised, here's my Gen Con 2014 after action report. Over the weekend I joined the Drunken Zombie Podcast in their now traditional excursion to Indianapolis, where they put on a couple of short horror film marathons at Gen Con. Just like last year, I drove. I call my car…
August 19, 2014

Get a Different Table

The winners of the 2014 Hugo Awards were announced yesterday. I heartily congratulate the authors of the winning works. As for the other nominees, take heart. Being nominated actually is an honor--especially considering how the whole process is structured. Much is being made of the losses suffered by Opera Vita Aeterna…
August 18, 2014

Going to Gen Con

I'm heading to Indianapolis today as part of Drunken Zombie's Gen Con excursion. We'll be running a mini festival of short horror films by independent filmmakers. There are two showings scheduled: one on Friday evening and one on Saturday afternoon, so please stop by if you're a fan of independent…
August 15, 2014

The Primacy of Speculative Reason

Yeah, yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could that they didn't stop to think if they should. -Dr. Ian Malcolm Americans' habitual contempt for speculative reason never fails to dismay me, though our great country's myopic fascination with pure practicality is hardly surprising. A…
August 13, 20143 Comments