David Erik Nelson's Blog, page 11

Touché, Michael Lewis

Washington Post: “Play it again, Sam: Inside Bankman-Fried’s last year in the crypto game” by Michael Lewis (gift link )

Before I listened to this, I had no opinion of SBF, apart from the assumption he was yet another contemptibly oblivious man-child “genius” (and mild embarrassment that he’s a Jew, like me).

When I started listening to this, my contempt was swiftly confirmed. But man, by the end, I was goddamned compelled.  Fuck you, Michael Lewis; you win again.

jargon

I’ve always loved this “jargon” gag (is that Chris Hanson‽) 

… but never knew it was actually a cover! (BONUS: The original has a fun Detroit connect—as does Chris Hanson!!!) Here’s the original:

From the original creator:

I shot this in the late 70’s at Regan Studios in Detroit on 16mm film. The narrator and writer is Bud Haggert. He was the top voice-over talent on technical films. He wrote the script because he rarely understood the technical copy he was asked to read and felt he shouldn’t be alone. We had just finished a production for GMC Trucks and Bud asked since this was the perfect setting could we film his Turbo Encabulator script. He was using an audio prompter referred to as “the ear”. He was actually the pioneer of the ear. He was to deliver a live speech without a prompter. After struggling in his hotel room trying to commit to memory he went to plan B. He recorded it to a large Wollensak reel to reel recorder and placed it in the bottom of the podium. With a wired earplug he used it for the speech and the “ear” was invented. Today every on-camera spokesperson uses a variation of Bud’s innovation. Dave Rondot (me) was the director and John Choate was the DP on this production. The first laugh at the end is mine. My hat’s off to Bud a true talent.

Incidentally, I’m not 100% convinced that the infamous EPCM PSP “Turnaround” video is not simply an ornate “jargon” gag. Straight talk: she is waaaaay too amused by scheduled off-stream events in industrial processing plants. Feels like a set-up.

Halloween Treat: An American Werewolf In London🍬🎃

Full and uncut, courtesy of our friends at the Internet Archive!

Incidentally, nothing profound here, but I’d totally forgotten what a Jewish movie this is (I sorta love Jack more than anything else in this movie).

(More on Jews and werewolves.)

An American Werewolf In London : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming

Halloween Treat: Full Body Chills: “Projection” 🍬🎃

Another fun one from Full Body Chills: https://overcast.fm/+UwDdJvRpE

“Projection” by David Flowers

Halloween Treat: 🍬🎃 Full Body Chills: “Delivery”

This is a fun one, worth a listen: https://overcast.fm/+UwDcDCP0M

“Delivery” by John Reiner

Halloween Treat: “Earn $20K EVERY MONTH by being your own boss” 🍬🎃

This is basically what you’d get if Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The Red-Headed League” had been an [Adult Swim] infomercial.

A fun halloween read!🎃👻⚰️🔒

A fun read for those interested in revenants, vampires, European history, grave robbery, and quixotic Jewish funeral rites—SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE!!!

(gift link below) 

“Undying Dread: A 400-Year-Old Corpse, Locked to Its Grave: In 17th-century Europe, the dead were a constant threat to rise again and bedevil the living. Now archaeologists have found the remains of a suspected child revenant.”

🚨 LAST CHANCE🚨 to get “There Was No Sound of Thunder: A Time Portal Novel” for 99-cents!

My latest darkly comic scifi novel goes to full retail price tomorrow; get it while it’s still cheaper than basically anything else you might treat yourself to:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3P3gxluSmashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1363713 Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/x/id6446331978Barnes & Noble:  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/2940166031594Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/Search?Query=9798215710852 Scribd: https://www.scribd.com/search?query=9798215710852&language=0

“An intriguing take on minimum wage employment and how it can be made to pay.”

John Fairhurst

What if your great new job had dire consequences for space-time integrity?

Fresh out of college and unsure what’s next, Taylor has lucked into a cushy job in human resources. Most companies keep costs down by outsourcing and off-shoring. Taylor’s bosses are different. They’re committed to staying “100% MADE IN AMERICA”—by bringing in cheap labor using a time portal. But their latest batch of “New Guys” aren’t like the others… 

“The movie pitch to the Sci-Fi Channel would be Breaking Bad meets Connie Willis’s The Doomsday Book. If this all sounds a bit grim it is anything but. Like Breaking Bad this has a strong streak of black humour running through it and is very entertaining.+”

SF Magazines

Can Taylor untangle himself from corporate HR, domestic terrorists, the problem of “Too Many Hitlers,” and threats to space-time integrity?

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3P3gxluSmashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1363713 Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/x/id6446331978Barnes & Noble:  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/2940166031594Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/Search?Query=9798215710852 Scribd: https://www.scribd.com/search?query=9798215710852&language=0

“The big pleasure of this story is watching all the pieces come together. Rating: ★★★★★ Fun story with a sophisticated plot.”

Rocket Stack Rank

Funny, ‘cause this is sorta why I love mimes 🤡

“Why I hate mimes” on YouTube

Two Pics, Two Points: New Story, New Rock

First, as you may recall, I was nominated for a Shirley Jackson Award this year.

SPOILER ALERT!!! I did not win.

But I did learn that all of the finalists get a “token”: a nice smooth river stone, suitable for all your smoothest, roundest river stone needs. Pictured above is mine.

Second, on the day this came in the mail, I also got my contributor copies of the Sept/Oct 2023 Asimov’s Science Fiction, featuring my most recent novelette, “The Dead Letter Office.” That’s shown below. Look for your copy wherever delightful nonsense is sold.

Asimov’s is also running an interview with me about writing in general, this story in particular, and my history with the magazine, who’ve been publishing my drek for about 13 years now (my first pro sale was to Sheila Williams back in 2008, although that story didn’t see print until 2010, I guess).