Walter Jon Williams's Blog, page 127

Watching Now . . .

Someone— Connie Willis, I think— was saying just the other day that when writers want to talk about writing, they rely on movies or TV, because people have these in common much more than books. I think I’m about to prove her right. TV series are treading water right now, because they’re saving all their energy for the Massive Season Finale which will come in May and which will be totally unlike any Massive Season Finale ever seen ever in the history of the medium. Because a protagonist has ne...

The Froomistat Conundrum

Uh-oh. Our hero is in trouble. “Captain! The enemy’s Vetch Cannon are proving more than a match for the shields generated by our Krump Vanes!” “Blast it! I warned the Admiralty that this would happen!” “We’re really getting a pounding, sir!” “Mr. Blazey— do we still have those froomistats in the hold?” “Yes, sir, but what . . . ?” “Those froomistats are composed primarily of omniblendium, which when hooked into our power system can be used to provide a temporary reversal of the Vetch Field.”...

Holograms for Human Rights

The right-wing People’s Party in Spain has passed a series of draconian security laws that criminalize the following: Protesting the government without the government’s permission. Carrying out meetings Taking photographs or videos of police without the permission of the police. For “being present at an occupied space” (like a social center or an apartment, apparently) Meeting or gathering in front of Congress Appealing fines for any of the above. The laws also make it legal fo...

I Seem To Be An Album

Alert reader Andrew Coyne informs me that my novelVoice of the Whirlwind seems to have inspired an album by rising electronic music star Access to Arasaka (whose name is itself a reference to theCyberpunk 2020 card game Netrunner). The album isécrasez l’infâme,the defiant battle cry of Voltaire quoted by Steward in the novel, and the album’s web page quotes me directly. If electronic music is your thing, by all means check this out.

On the Road Again

Spot the fish in this picture. I’m not sure I can do it myself. I know there’s a frogfish in the frame somewhere, but I’m not sure which of the lumps is fish and which is coral. The guide said, “If you see a piece of coral with a frown on it, that’s a frogfish.” It all looks pretty frowny to me. I’m going to leave you to chew on this for a few days, while I go to the Jack Williamson Lectureship, where I’ll be hanging with Connie Willis, Paolo Bacigalupi, Steve Gould, and I presume others. So...

Revisiting the Classics

As part of my program to revisit books that I liked when I was younger, I recently re-read Heinlein’sStranger in a Strange Land for the first time since I was in college. Oh, my. I should point out that as a young person I read all the Heinlein I could find. (Have Space Suit, Will Travelremains one of my favorite books of all time.) Nordid I stick just to the juveniles. Heinlein had the gift of a perfect avuncular voice: if you were a bright kid of thirteen and curious about the world, he was...

Crisis Mode

I’ve been in Crisis Mode since I returned to the mainland last week, and so I haven’t been posting much. The term is misleading, however, because there’s no actual crisis. There’s just a bunch of annoying tasks with deadlines, one after the other, so that I barely have a chance to catch my breath. None of these tasks are really worth discussing in detail, but a partial list includes: Trying to get the tractor fixed. Pick up tax documents from the accountant. Finish a rewrite. Giving u...

Amen

We have here three versions of the “Amen Break,” as originally recorded back in 1969, on a song called “Amen Brother,” by a group called the Winstons. (There was a time, as George Clintonof Parliament recalls, groups were either named after cigarettes, cars, or birds.) ”Amen Brother” was the B side of the Winstons’ hit “Color Him Father,” and was recorded in maybe 20 minutes, not because the Winstons were enamored of the song, but because they needed a B side to their single. “Amen Brother”...

Tenth Anniversary

Today is the tenth anniversary of the day I drove myself to the hospital with a ruptured appendix. Every day since then, no matter how lousy, has been pretty darn good.

Brides on the Beach

Kathy’s workshop is over, and we’re now spending a couple nights in Waikiki before heading home. Today (Saturday)the town was full of Japanese brides being photographed in front of iconic local sites. When we ate at Orchids,we shared the restaurant with several large bridal parties. I took any number of photos of cute Japanes couples. I guess Saturday is the big wedding day because the family and friends fly in for just the weekend. I’d have a lot more fun in Oahu if I weren’t so exhausted. I...