Mark W. Tiedemann's Blog, page 92

Home Again

We are returned from the wilds of Wisconsin.

In the last post I mentioned we were attending MadCon 2010 in Madison, touted as the last convention Harlan Ellison will ever do.  Much speculation runs rampant over the internet about this and his own presentations at the convention will doubtless throw gasoline on the inferno.  Having spent more than a small amount of time in his company this past weekend, I will report only that the rumors are pretty much exactly that.  Those who know him, know w...

On The Road

Tomorrow morning, probably before the sun is up, we will be on the road to Madison, Wisconsin.  We're going to attend a little convention called MadCon 2010.  When you click on the link you will see a note explaining that the guest of honor, Harlan Ellison, will not, due to illness, make it.  Well, that's changed, apparently.  Harlan says he is feeling up to it and will be getting on a plane tomorrow and will appear.

Last time we saw Harlan was in 1999, at a convention called Readercon (which ...

Didn't They Throw The Tea In The Harbor…?

Christine O'Donnell is one of those public figures that emerge from time to time that make any writer of fiction envious of reality.  Only a truly gifted writer could make someone like this up and then sell her as a plausible character.

At the heart of it, she is the problem with the Tea Party.

Here's the thing I've never understood about the far right: fiscal responsibility is well and good and certainly we could do with a lot more—we could have used some for the last thirty years, certainly, ...

Robert A. Heinlein: Grand Master

I finished reading William H. Patterson's large new biography of Robert A. Heinlein yesterday.  I knew I wanted to write something about it, but I gave it a day to simmer.  Frankly, I'm still not sure what to say other than I was positively impressed.

Basically, Patterson achieved the remarkable goal of demythologizing the man without gutting him.

I've read any number of biographies of famous (and infamous) personalities which tended either to be hagiographic (and therefore virtually useless...

Ideas and Execution

A few weeks ago I read a really terrific story by Adam-Troy Castro, called Arvies.  Check it out, it is, as they say, killer.

Last weekend I went to ConText, as I reported.  Usually when I come home froma convention I'm usually energized, can't wait to get to the computer and write something.  Not this time.  I was unusually enervated.  Maybe I have too much on my mind.

Maybe.

Last night, though, a story idea popped into my head from something Donna said and I have written the first few...

ConText

Returned home yesterday, around two P.M.  Scads of emails in the hopper, mail in the box, laundry to do, a dog to pet.

I had a good time at ConText.  The Doubletree where it was held was in a a kind of commercial court with several good restaurants and a multiplex movie theater (which I did not go to).  It was a smallish con with some good guests (Tody Buckell, Lucy Snyder, Paul Melko) and a decent program track.  More about the books than many cons with which I've become familiar, which is...

Conventioning

In a couple of days I'll be heading for Columbus, to attend ConText.  My first time at this convention and it's long overdue.  I should have gone years ago.  I attended another convention in Columbus once, at the suggestion of my then-publisher who had been invited as a publisher GoH.  When we got there we realized that it was the wrong con for a book release party, which was what he had in mind.  It was almost entirely a media con.

Leafing through the program book I came across an ad for...

More Playing With Pictures

I had to call a friend to help me set up to scan slides.  It was literally a matter of not having something plugged it.  No, I don't mind admitting "Doh!" moments.  Learning is filled with them, embarrassment shouldn't prevent sharing of knowledge.

Anyway, the scanner works for color transparencies now and I have a mother butt load of them in the closet.  Thousands upon thousands.  At least half of them are Kodachrome.

So I began with a couple on hand and started playing.  One I did this...

Hitch

As I mentioned in my previous post, Christopher Hitchens has esophageal cancer.  He is undergoing chemotherapy.  His prognosis is not good, as this is a particularly nasty form of cancer with a low survival rate.

It turns out that many people are praying for his recovery, which I find ironic but wonderful.  This is, I've been told, what true christianity is supposed to be like—extending the benevolence of your faith to those who might qualify as an enemy.  If only all christians were like...

A Week's Worth of Stuff

This past week some things have moved forward which please me.  The Missouri Center for the Book is about it have a new Facebook page.  I made the decision to put it up now, in advance of the total website make-over, because I think it will be necessary to get the upcoming Celebration promoted more efficiently.  That event will be October 23rd, again in Columbia.  Barring other avenues of advertising, I think this one will be essential.

It's happening.  Also, the new website design is coming a...