Walter Jon Williams's Blog, page 175
August 21, 2012
The Kickstarter War
Two veteran freedom fighters have begun a Kickstarter campaign to finance their trip to Syria, to participate in the rebellion against the government of Bashar al-Assad.
Libyan Masood Bwisir and American journalist and filmmaker Matthew vanDyke participated in the Libyan rebellion, and vanDyke spend six months in one of Gaddafi’s jails before escaping.
The money is to be spent on making and publicizing a documentary film about the Syrian rebels, not specifically on actually fighting Assad’s arm...
Libyan Masood Bwisir and American journalist and filmmaker Matthew vanDyke participated in the Libyan rebellion, and vanDyke spend six months in one of Gaddafi’s jails before escaping.
The money is to be spent on making and publicizing a documentary film about the Syrian rebels, not specifically on actually fighting Assad’s arm...
August 20, 2012
Missed Opportunities
So I finally saw The Dark Knight Rises— two or three weeks later than most of you, I’m sure— and I was inspired, both by this movie and Spider-Man 3, to create the following rule:
“Directors, if you’re helming the third installment of a superhero franchise, for God’s sake don’t let your brother write the screenplay!“
The plot barely existed, there were just ideas that got thrown up on the screen, and some of them sort of stuck, and some of them didn’t. (Bruce Wayne is so paranoid that he bugs h...
“Directors, if you’re helming the third installment of a superhero franchise, for God’s sake don’t let your brother write the screenplay!“
The plot barely existed, there were just ideas that got thrown up on the screen, and some of them sort of stuck, and some of them didn’t. (Bruce Wayne is so paranoid that he bugs h...
August 19, 2012
Pussies in Prison
(No, this isn’t a post about Paul Ryan’s views on family planning. Or a review of Ilsa: She-Wolf of the SS. This is about art, dammit!)
Last February, the Russian all-girl punk band Pussy Riot initiated a 30-second demonstration in a Moscow cathedral in which they called upon the Virgin to save Russia from Vladimir Putin. As a result, they’ve been sentenced to two years in a labor camp.
This was a demo in which no one was hurt, no property was damaged, the perpetrators gave their names when ask...
Last February, the Russian all-girl punk band Pussy Riot initiated a 30-second demonstration in a Moscow cathedral in which they called upon the Virgin to save Russia from Vladimir Putin. As a result, they’ve been sentenced to two years in a labor camp.
This was a demo in which no one was hurt, no property was damaged, the perpetrators gave their names when ask...
August 16, 2012
Travel Envy
The winners of the National Geographic Traveler Photos Contest have been posted. (Strangely, at the Atlantic.)
Check them out. Bask in their glory.
Check them out. Bask in their glory.
August 14, 2012
I Am On Vacation
I’ve come up the mountain to Snow Bear for a few nights. And you know what I have to do while I’m up here?
Absolutely nothing!
I’m on vacation. My first actual vacation in a long time.
I’ve been doing a lot of traveling this year. I’ve been to D.C. twice, to Seattle, to San Diego for a week, and twice to Snow Bear for a total of three weeks. But, though I enjoyed all those places, I was there for business. I was teaching, I was networking, I was giving speeches and workshops.
Now I’m not doing an...
Absolutely nothing!
I’m on vacation. My first actual vacation in a long time.
I’ve been doing a lot of traveling this year. I’ve been to D.C. twice, to Seattle, to San Diego for a week, and twice to Snow Bear for a total of three weeks. But, though I enjoyed all those places, I was there for business. I was teaching, I was networking, I was giving speeches and workshops.
Now I’m not doing an...
August 10, 2012
My Olympia
Every four years, during the Olympics, I find myself almost caring about sports. (It’s not that I’m too good to be a sports fan or anything, I just don’t have a lot of time to be a fan of anything but good writing.)
But now, as the great thundering $15 billion spectacle staggers towards its end, I’m experiencing Olympic fatigue. I’m just not used to spending that many hours in front of the television. Especially since I’m not spending the whole time drinking beer. So I’ve worked out ways of sk...
But now, as the great thundering $15 billion spectacle staggers towards its end, I’m experiencing Olympic fatigue. I’m just not used to spending that many hours in front of the television. Especially since I’m not spending the whole time drinking beer. So I’ve worked out ways of sk...
August 8, 2012
Pour Votre Plaisir
So, I hear you ask, why are there two dots over the second i in Aristoi?Because it’s the French edition, that’s why!
Yes, I’m going international with my epub! I am pleased to report that the French edition of Aristoï, translated by our very own Jean-Daniel Brèque, is now available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and (perhaps most importantly) Amazon.fr.
This is the same French translation that was published in book form back in 2002.
It’s not available on Smashwords, and may never be, since their Me...
August 6, 2012
Behold! I Am Podcast!
Adventures in Sci-Fi Publishing has made available a podcast interview that I and Nancy Kress gave at Taos Toolbox back in June, dealing mostly with the workshops.
We are, as always, tremendous!
There is an interesting interview with Michael J. Winegar first. If you’re impatient to get to Nancy and me, we begin about thirty minutes in.
Thanks to Sandra Wickham for conducting the interview.
We are, as always, tremendous!
There is an interesting interview with Michael J. Winegar first. If you’re impatient to get to Nancy and me, we begin about thirty minutes in.
Thanks to Sandra Wickham for conducting the interview.
August 2, 2012
Sailing into Your Corner of the Internet . . .
The Macedonian, the sequel to Brig of War, has tied up to the pier at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords. Feel free to come aboard.As you can see from the somewhat altered cover, I took to heart comments on the mixture of serif and non-serif typefaces.
As for those of you who hoped for an cover design with greater uniformity to that of Brig of War, I can only wish I was able to oblige. Unfortunately this would require my finding a piece of art as good as the previous book, and this I could...
August 1, 2012
Patriotic Gore
“Always a godfather,” Gore Vidal regretted at a christening, “never a god.”
Alas yes, he was mortal. With him dies not only the last major writer of the World War II generation, but America’s last public intellectual.
He wrote best-selling novels, he wrote brilliant essays, he wrote movies and television, he wrote Broadway plays. He ran, nearly successfully, for national office. He appeared on every talk show, he acted in television and films— was Gattaca the last?— he hobnobbed with Kennedys a...
Alas yes, he was mortal. With him dies not only the last major writer of the World War II generation, but America’s last public intellectual.
He wrote best-selling novels, he wrote brilliant essays, he wrote movies and television, he wrote Broadway plays. He ran, nearly successfully, for national office. He appeared on every talk show, he acted in television and films— was Gattaca the last?— he hobnobbed with Kennedys a...
