Walter Jon Williams's Blog, page 144
May 12, 2014
Belated
So here we are at Rio Hondo, and the first thing that happens is that we get an extreme winter storm warning lasting from noon today till 6pm tomorrow.
Guess I won’t be taking that afternoon hike.
We are snug, however, and have lots of food. As long as the electric lines don’t blow down— which has been known to happen— the week should be pleasant, if a little claustrophobic.
Not sure how much I’ll be posting this week. I might just decide to have extreme winter fun instead.
Guess I won’t be taking that afternoon hike.
We are snug, however, and have lots of food. As long as the electric lines don’t blow down— which has been known to happen— the week should be pleasant, if a little claustrophobic.
Not sure how much I’ll be posting this week. I might just decide to have extreme winter fun instead.
May 9, 2014
Me and Salinger and Patterson an’ Them
So . . . what do I have in common with J.D. Salinger and James Patterson and Malcolm Gladwell and Stephen Colbert? (Besides a loyal following who view me as a god, I mean?)
We— and a whole lot of other folks— are now caught in the middle in yet another battle between Amazon and a publisher, in this case Hachette/Little, Brown, the science fiction imprint of which is Orbit.
We Orbit writers have for the last couple weeks been discussing among ourselves the fact that our novels, while still in pr...
We— and a whole lot of other folks— are now caught in the middle in yet another battle between Amazon and a publisher, in this case Hachette/Little, Brown, the science fiction imprint of which is Orbit.
We Orbit writers have for the last couple weeks been discussing among ourselves the fact that our novels, while still in pr...
May 8, 2014
Our World and Welcome To It
NASA has started streaming a live HD video feed from the ISS.
I could watch this all damn day.
(You might not see much if it’s pointed at the Earth’s night side, or if the feed is switching satellites. But just wait a few minutes, it’ll be back.)
I could watch this all damn day.
(You might not see much if it’s pointed at the Earth’s night side, or if the feed is switching satellites. But just wait a few minutes, it’ll be back.)
May 7, 2014
Sales Pump
So myVoice of the Whirlwind 99-cent sale continues through Saturday. I’ve made enough sales that I’ve paid for the Bookbub advert and will have some profit left over, even though I’m only making 30-40 cents per copy (depending on the forum). My overall sales have increased slightly after each of these sales, though my suspicion is that far more ebooks are sold are the 99-cent rate than are ever read.
The big exception was the sale earlier this year of my historical novel Brig of War, which not...
The big exception was the sale earlier this year of my historical novel Brig of War, which not...
May 5, 2014
Bankers Ride Free
Over the weekend theNew York Timesmagazine published a lengthy article on why, when evidence showed Wall Street to be riding atop a sea of criminality, only one top banker went to jail after the financial crisis. And no, they conclude, it’s not the reason you think it is.
Here’s your take-away:
Many assume that the federal authorities simply lacked the guts to go after powerful Wall Street bankers, but that obscures a far more complicated dynamic. During the past decade, the Justice Department...
Here’s your take-away:
Many assume that the federal authorities simply lacked the guts to go after powerful Wall Street bankers, but that obscures a far more complicated dynamic. During the past decade, the Justice Department...
May 2, 2014
Voice of the 99-Cent Sale!
For the next week, Voice of the Whirlwind is on sale for a mere $0.99!All at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Smashwords, and iBooks!
Ride the Zen and put your money down!
April 30, 2014
Paradise Regained
I probably won’t be very visible here for the next few days, as I’ll be in San Antonio teaching at Paradise Lost, which— come to think of it— might well be the most exclusive writers’ workshop in the world.
Why? Because it only accepts people who havealready graduated from either Viable Paradise or Taos Toolbox, which makes them postpost graduates, or something. They’ve already got black belts in workshops, they’re just attending to catch their breath before conquering the world of publishing....
Why? Because it only accepts people who havealready graduated from either Viable Paradise or Taos Toolbox, which makes them postpost graduates, or something. They’ve already got black belts in workshops, they’re just attending to catch their breath before conquering the world of publishing....
April 29, 2014
Spring Bouquet
Please enjoy this seasonal bouquet of, well, gastropod.
April 28, 2014
Décadence
I’ve been splayed in front of the pay-per-view watching films about decadence, and the first thing I noticed was that European and American filmmakers handle these things in completely different ways.
First up was The Wolf of Wall Street,Martin Scorsese’s biopic of financial sleazeball (“and motivational speaker”) Jordan Belfort. Belfort lost his job on Wall Street and went to work in a boiler room cold-calling working people in order to sell them penny stocks in pump-and-dump schemes. It was...
First up was The Wolf of Wall Street,Martin Scorsese’s biopic of financial sleazeball (“and motivational speaker”) Jordan Belfort. Belfort lost his job on Wall Street and went to work in a boiler room cold-calling working people in order to sell them penny stocks in pump-and-dump schemes. It was...
April 24, 2014
Hey! Want Some Guns and Dope?
Despite the best efforts of governments throughout the world, despite constant DDoS attacks and the FBI shutting down the Silk Road and busting the Dread Pirate Roberts, the dark web is still a major market for guns, drugs, stolen credit card numbers, and other contraband.
But there are two problems with doing your deals on the dark web. First, you need to know the exact URL of the guy you want to deal with, and these people change their URLs all the time. And second, you’re dealing withcrimin...
But there are two problems with doing your deals on the dark web. First, you need to know the exact URL of the guy you want to deal with, and these people change their URLs all the time. And second, you’re dealing withcrimin...
